God in Sikhism Sikhism is a monotheistic religion and hence, believes that "God" is One, and prevails in everything,[1] as symbolized by the symbol Ik Onkar (one all pervading spirit).[2] The fundamental belief of Sikhism is that God exists, indescribable yet knowable and perceivable to anyone who surrenders his egoism and Loves the Almighty.[3] The Sikh gurus have described God in numerous ways in their hymns included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism, but the oneness of the deity is consistently emphasized throughout. God is described in the Mool Mantar (lit. the Prime Utterance)[4][5], the first passage in the Guru Granth Sahib: "ੴ ਸਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਿਨਰਭਉ ਿਨਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਿਤ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪਸਾਿਦ ॥" "ikk ōankār sat(i)-nām(u) karatā purakh(u) nirabha'u niravair(u) akāla mūrat(i) ajūnī saibhan(g) gur(a) prasād(i)." "There is but one all pervading spirit, and it is called the truth, It exists in all creation, and it has no fear, It does not hate and, it is timeless, universal and self-existent! You will come to know it through the grace of the Guru." (SGGS. Pg 1) Sri Guru Granth Sahib Contents General Conceptions Monotheism Priority Monism Pantheism Specific Conceptions Great Architect Creation When was Universe Created? Attributes Existence Eternalness Transcendence and Immanence Omnipotence Omnibenevolence Gender Names for God Beliefs Reincarnation Revelation Gnosticism Mysticism Practices Five Vices Five 'K's Three Duties See also Bibliography References General Conceptions Monotheism Sikhism is strictly monotheistic and believes that there is only One God. Guru Nanak prefixed the numeral "IK" (one) to the syllable Ongkar stress the idea of God's oneness; that the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer is One.[6] Sikh thought begins with the One Almighty and then universalising him, coming down to the cosmic reality of all-pervading Ongkar.[7] While God is described as without gender, God is also described through numerous metaphors, such as: ਏਕੁ ਿਪਤਾ ਏਕਸ ਕੇ ਹਮ ਬਾਿਰਕ ਤੂ ਮੇਰਾ ਗੁਰ ਹਾਈ ॥ "Ek(u) pita ekas ke ham barik" "The One God is the Father of all; We are His children." — SGGS. Pg 611 Priority Monism Sikhism complies with the concept of Priority Monism, a view point that all existing things go back to a Source that is distinct from them. It is the belief that all what our senses comprehend is illusion; God is the sole reality. Forms being subject to Time, shall pass away. God's Reality alone is eternal and abiding.[8] The thought is such that Atmaa(soul) is born from and a reflection of ParamAtma( Supreme Soul)[9], and would again merge into it just as water merges back into the water. ਿਜਉ ਜਲ ਮਿਹ ਜਲੁ ਆਇ ਖਟਾਨਾ ॥ Jio Jal Mehi Jal Aae Khattaanaa || As water comes to blend with water, ਿਤਉ ਜੋਤੀ ਸੰਿਗ ਜੋਿਤ ਸਮਾਨਾ ॥ Thio Jothee Sang Joth Samaanaa || His light blends into the Light. — SGGS. Pg 278 God and Soul are identical in the same way as Fire and its sparks; fundamentally same as is stated in Guru Granth, "Atam meh Ram, Ram meh Atam", which means "The Ultimate Eternal reality resides in the Soul and the Soul is contained in Him". As from one stream, millions of waves arise and yet the waves, made of water, again become water; in the same way all souls have sprung from the Universal Being and would blend again into it.[10] Pantheism Another philosophy of Sikhism is the concept of Pantheism which says that every being is identical to Divinity. It focuses on the subject of a non-anthropomorphic concept of God, to the extent that one can interpret God as the Universe itself.[11] Sikh thought holds a pantheistic tone when it discusses the Immanence of God (Sagun), which says that the whole Universe is an abode of the All- pervasive Lord.[12] However, Sikhism does not hold the concept of Pantheism fully as it understands God to be both, transcendent and immanent at the same time.[13] Sikh philosophy fuses the concepts of Theism and Pantheism as to the belief that God exists in His Creation to a Theistic level, that is the One upon whom everything depends; the ultimate Preserver.[14] It can be deduced that Sikhism agrees with Pantheistic belief only to the extent that Universe can be considered as Divine, never understating the Transcendence of God which deems the Creator as above His Creation. Specific Conceptions Great Architect Sikh philosophy believes that the One God is the Great Architect of Universe. He alone is the Creator, Sustain-er, and Destroyer; Ek Ongkar.[15] God is Karta Purakh, the Creator-Being[8]. He created the spatial-temporal Universe from His own Self; Universe is His own emanation. Guru Arjan advocates: “True is He and true is His creation [because] all has emanated from God Himself” (SGGS Pg 294). Before creation, God existed all alone as "Nirgun"; in a state of Sunn Samadhi, deep meditation, as says Guru Nanak.[16] "There was darkness for countless years. There was neither earth nor sky; there was only His Will. There was neither day nor night, neither sun nor moon. He (God) was in deep meditation. There was nothing except Himself." — SGGS. Pg 1035 Then, God willed and created the Universe, and diffused himself into the nature as "Sargun". Whenever God desires, He merges back into His Timeless and Formless Self.[17] Guru Gobind Singh calls this process of Creation and Dissolution as "Udkarkh" (from Sanskrit utkarsana) and "Akarakh" (from Sanskrit akarsana)[18], respectively: "Whenever you, O Creator, cause udkarkh (increase, expansion), the creation assumes the boundless body; whenever you effect akarkh (attraction, contraction), all corporeal existence merges in you" (Benati Chaupai). This process of creation and dissolution has been repeated God alone knows for how many times. A passage in Sukhmani by Guru Arjan visualizes the infinite field of creation thus: Millions are the mines of life; millions the spheres; Millions are the regions above; millions the regions below; Millions are the species taking birth. By diverse means does He spread Himself. Again and again did He expand Himself thus, But He ever remains the One Ekankar. Countless creatures of various kinds Come out of Him and are absorbed back. None can know the limit of His Being; He, the Lord, O Nanak! is all in all Himself. — (SGGS. 275-76) Creation It is believed in Sikh that the Universe was created by a single word of the God.[15] The Transcendent God expresed Himself in "Naam" and "Sabad" that created the world. "Naam" and "Sabad" are the 'Creative and Dynamic Immanence of God'.[6] ਕੀਤਾ ਪਸਾਉ ਏਕੋ ਕਵਾਉ ॥ Keethaa Pasaao Eaeko Kavaao || You created the vast expanse of the Universe with One Word! ਿਤਸ ਤੇ ਹੋਏ ਲਖ ਦਰੀਆਉ ॥ This Thae Hoeae Lakh Dhareeaao || Hundreds of thousands of rivers began to flow. — SGGS. Pg 3 When was Universe Created? Sikh philosophy enunciates the belief that the Limits of Time and Space are known only to God. Answers to the questions of "When did the Universe came into existence?" or "How big this Universe is?" are beyond Human understanding and the best course, as Guru Nanak proclaims, is to admit a sense of Wonderfulness or "Vismad", since "the featureless Void was in ceaseless Existence".[19] As to the Time of Creation, Guru Nanak, in Jap(u) Sahib, recites that: What was that time, and what was that moment? What was that day, and what was that date? What was that season, and what was that month, when the Universe was created? The Pandits, the religious scholars, cannot find that time, even if it is written in the Puraanas. That time is not known to the Qazis, who study the Koran. The day and the date are not known to the Yogis, nor is the month or the season. The Creator who created this creation-only He Himself knows. — SGGS. Pg 4 Attributes Existence As stated in Mool Mantar, God exists as Ajuni, beyond incarnations; formless. And saibhan (Sanskrit svayambhu), Self-existent. The Primal Creator Himself had no creator. He simply is, has ever been and shall ever be by Himself. Purakh added to Karta in the Mool Mantar is the Punjabi form of Sanskrit purusa, which literally means, besides man, male or person, "the primeval man as the soul and original source of the universe; the personal and animating principle; the supreme Being or Soul of the universe." Purakh inMool Mantar is, therefore, none other than God the Creator. Eternalness God, as stated in Guru Granth Sahib, is Akal Murat, the Eternal Being; He is beyond time and ever the same.[20] "Saibhan(g)", another attribute to God means that no one else but God created Himself. He is, shall be, was not born, and shall not die; never created and hence, shall never be destroyed.[21] The phrase "Ad(i) Sach", True in the Primal Beginning, in the Mool mantar proves the notion of the eternalness of God in Sikhism. Transcendence and Immanence Sikhism advocates a Panentheistic tone when it enunciates the belief that God is both, transcendent and immanent, or "Nirgun" and "Sargun" (as stated in the Sikh terminology), at the same time. God created the Universe and permeates both within and without. Transcendence and Immanence are two aspects of the same single Supreme Reality. The Reality is immanent in His entire creation, but the creation as a whole fails to contain God fully.[22] ਸਰਗੁਨ ਿਨਰਗੁਨ ਿਨਰੰਕਾਰ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧੀ ਆਿਪ ॥ Saragun Niragun Nirankaar Sunn Samaadhhee Aap || He possesses all qualities; He transcends all qualities; He is the Formless Lord.