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IkOankar (1Force, The One, Divine, Creator) is Guru Nanak Sahib’s offering to humanity, and the opening of the Guru Granth Sahib. Through this worldview, Guru Nanak Sahib affirms the completeness and oneness of all of creation which is inseparable from the Creator. All things are rooted in this same Divinity, and the recognition of that Divine Force running through all of creation allows us to dissolve away the walls we have put up between ourselves and others, the distinctions we make, and the lines we draw.
Guru Nanak’s paradigm has no concept of “other.” This Divine Force is not an exclusive Sikh Divinity but one that is common to all life and embraces all creation. Thus, the Sikh worldview is that divinity is not exclusive to any one religion or group of people. Instead, IkOankar can be realized by anyone willing to discover the Infinite Wisdom through love. Sikhs strive to follow a path that is divine-oriented and principle-based, a lifestyle that is humble and disciplined and ever-ready to combat injustice through organized resistance.
Words of Faith: a new series explaining the recurring words in Guru Granth Sahib.
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Harinder Singh is the Senior Fellow at the Sikh Research Institute. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University, an MS in Engineering Management from the University of Kansas, and an MPhil from Punjab University in the linguistics of the Guru Granth Sahib.
View profile ⟶The Sikh Research Institute recognizes its ethical responsibility to promptly correct any factual small or large errors. Please get in touch with us via email to request a correction if you have identified a mistake.
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Gatha refers to a song or verse, rooted in the word gai, to speak, sing, or recite. It can also refer to a profound discourse with the self beyond simple praise or devotion.
Harinder Singh explores Bhai Vir Singh's unique framing of Sikh history at Bhai Vir Singh Sahitya Sadan, Delhi.
The essence of this composition is revealed in the stanza of rahau (Pause). In it, worldly accounting (entanglements) is described as useless.
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