Mulmantra………2

Onkar

Onkar is placed after numerical digit in Mulmantra and only as syllable ‘ura’ not with all its letters. This again signifies that there is only One God who is not divisible. He will be continuously remaining One only. In Hindu mythology the word OM is used for the absolute One and it is also used for meditation. Many scholars believe its origin from Sanskrit and it used in Vedas for God as Supreme Being, the ocean of knowledge and absolute bliss. OM is an attribute of Almighty and an object of concentration and meditation. According to some interpretations Om is constituted from three Sanskrit letters; aa, ou and ma and they represent the Hindu Trinity; Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh or Shiva. According to this interpretation God is divided into three incarnations. The Sikh Doctrine rejects the theory of incarnation and division of God. Guru Nanak has pronounced the Absolute, Infinite Being as Onkar in one of his bani documented as Dakhni Onkar in Guru Granth Sahib. This word Onkar is constituted of two words namely ‘Oan’ and ‘kar’ meaning Oan as Supreme Being and Kar means “the only’. Guru Nanak’s emphasis was on God who is only One and has no rival or equal. In phonetics it may sound or misunderstood like OM but Punjabi is the language of Indian origin and it is the interpretation that matters. Two monosyllables one as digit 1 and other as alphabet constitute the word EK ONKAR or the Only Supreme Being from whom this Universe has emanated. In Punjabi the alphabet ura is elongated from the base of U of devnagari script and that closes at top but EKONKAR ura is open upwards to denote that God is Infinite. Guru Nanak ji has given his attention very minutely to the usage and shape of these two monosyllables. His presentation of his theory of One God who is Infinite was very important to him so the attention must be given to his interpretations and teachings. He has used many Names like Brahma, Vishnu, Gopal and many more to represent only One Supreme Being because the people of his time understood God only with such names and he was the Guru of masses irrespective of their caste, standing in the society or their religious knowledge. The equality of human race irrespective of their race as God has fashioned this world was the main objective to explain the character of God.