Ik Onkar — One God
The foundational Sikh belief in one universal, formless, timeless Creator, expressed in the opening words of the Guru Granth Sahib.
The opening word
The Guru Granth Sahib opens with Ik Onkar — literally “one” (ik) and “Creator/creation” (onkar): there is one God. It is the first phrase of the Mool Mantar, the summary of Sikh belief that begins the scripture.1,2
A formless God
That one God is described as without form, without gender, beyond time, self-existent, neither born nor dying — knowable through grace and remembrance (naam) rather than image or idol. God is both the Creator and present within creation.1,2
Truth as the name
The Mool Mantar continues: Satnam — truth is the Name — and names God as fearless, without enmity, and beyond birth. These few words open every recitation of the scripture and frame the whole of Sikh devotion.1,2
In the history
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