Mulmantra   7

Akal Murat

Akal Murat is coined from two words Akal meaning Timeless and Murat meaning form or Being that has definite shape that is visible. Akal’s literal meaning is Timeless and that has been assigned to God as one of His characteristics by Guru Nanak. According to Guru Nanak’s doctrine no time idea can be applied to the God because He was there when the Universe came into being though in His Nirgun (without attribute form) and when He became Sargun (with attributes) His expression began in His creation. He has transcended all ages or Yugas that are calculated in Hindu mythology to measure time. In other words the time is a definite calculation and creation of definite human mind to reach the time origin of God. Guru Nanak has defined Him Timeless Being because God is beyond any calculations and He was there, He is there and He will always be there, therefore we cannot assign any time limit to Him. In other words He is Eternal. Guru Nanak also believes in moment that he calls khin (Chhin) in which God becomes perceptible and that moment is change or transformation, for example a living person could die next moment and that time percept for God is just a moment. He can create in a moment and destroy in a moment. How will you calculate that moment that could be smaller than blink of an eye for God? So, applying existence of time for God has been overcome by assigning Him characteristic of Timeless Being.

In most of the civilizations the religious belief has developed into belief of existence of God. Human mind needed a particular sign for worshipping. In religions of Semitic origins signs or things are used like Christians use cross or pictures of Jesus and Maria and in Islam pictures of Rock covered with black curtain as objects for supplication. Hindus have varieties of idols of Gods and Goddesses’ for personal worship or community worship in temples. Guru Nanak denied any idolatry shape for God. For him the God is unborn, self-existing, without form or a Formless Being. Then why is he calling that God as Murat? This he explains very well in Japuji Sahib. The concept of Murat has been developed very thematically by him and the fifth Master Guru Arjun Devji. The whole idea of Murat has been centralized in Shabad Guru or word. The Shabad or word is enshrined in Guru Granth Sahib and that has directly come from God Himself into the conscious mind of Gurus and which they have documented with their own hands as word of God or Anahad Bani. No medium like son of God or idea of prophet was used to deliver the word of God. The whole idea is the Will of Lord or His Hukam that is enshrined as guidance or teachings. Akal Murat therefore is expression of God’s command. Shabad or Anahad Bani has no shape or Form and it sounds in our heart as God’s grace in music that takes us in a bliss that we call as Wismad state in foundation doctrine. Akal Murat therefore is that blissful state of mind when we feel blessed with the presence of God within us.