GURBANI
Mool Mantar
The Mool Mantar is the ‘root chant’ which holds the essence of all Sikh teaching. Mool means root, origin or essence. Mantar comes from the Sanskrit term ‘mantra’. It means a meditative chant which has the power to bring about a metamorphosis in the mind or ‘man’ (rhyming with ‘sun’). This is the part of the mind which steers how we think and live, in response to our conditioning and to changing inward and outward influences. By channelling the mind’s awareness, the repetition of a mantar is seen to generate subtle processes of transformation in one’s whole being, as one starts to identify with the vision, principles or essence of divinity which the mantar evokes.
Learn about the Mool Mantar
Beholding the Root of All Being
The Mool Mantar is the first prayer Sikh children learn to recite, understanding that its words were first uttered by Guru Nanak over five hundred years ago. Even as longer scriptural compositions are learnt and recited, Sikhs keep returning to the simple practice of chanting the Mool Mantar. For initiated Sikhs, the Mool Mantar is formally prescribed, along with the Gurmantar (Vāhegurū), to be chanted as part of one’s daily spiritual discipline. Whilst there are many scriptural teachings to be contemplated and shared, the Mool Mantar is still repeated to root one’s consciousness to the ever-blossoming Source of All Being, as understandings of it get richer.
Sometimes the Mool Mantar is recited with the aid of a mālā. This is a rosary which – in Sikh, Buddhist, and Hindu tradition – has 108 beads (or 108 knots tied in a string of wool). Before the advent of clocks, a mālā would help one allocate time to daily devotions and smaller mālās have subdivisions of 108, such as 54 or 27 beads. For Sikhs, the meanings of the Mool Mantar are also condensed into single-word meditative chants, such as Satnām and Vāhegurū, with the idea that in time, one’s every breath becomes a bead of Divine remembrance to shape how one lives.
Across the lives of the Sikh Gurus, the Mool Mantar served as a scriptural seal, highlighting the values of cohesion, integrity, peacebuilding, courage and solidarity which characterised the faith they were shaping. Still today, its words can be seen inscribed on buildings and artefacts, as an imprint of the outlook which the Gurus boldly projected and which their disciples carried forward. Yet, the Mool Mantar is also more than a ‘creed’ of the Sikhs. It points to an All-Embracing Divinity which transcends religious differences and social divisions. In this way, Guru Nanak offered it as a mantar for humanity, to regenerate society by stimulating a quiet revolution in the heart of the self.
੧ | Ik | One, All-embracing Root of Existence |
ੴ | Oang-Kār | Reverberating, creating, renewing, sustaining |
ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ | Sat Nām | Innermost, infinite resonance, naming the True Reality |
ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ | Kartā Purakh | Continuous Doer and Creator |
ਨਿਰਭਉ | Nirbhau | Without fear |
ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ | Nirvair | Without hate |
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ | Akāl Moorat | Undying and Timeless; Image of Eternity |
ਅਜੂਨੀ | Ajoonī | Unborn and beyond all cycles of birth and death |
ਸੈਭੰ | Saibhang | Uncaused and Self-illuminated |
ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥ | Gurprasād | Realised through the Enlightener’s Grace. |
ਜਪੁ ॥ | ~Jap ~ | Here is the wisdom, to chant and contemplate |
ਆਦਿ ਸਚੁ | Ād sach | Before time began – the Constant Truth |
ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਚੁ ॥ | Jugād sach | When time be gan – the Constant Truth |
ਹੈ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ | Hai bhī sach | Here and now – the Constant Truth |
ਨਾਨਕ ਹੋਸੀ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ ॥ | Nanak, hosī bhī sach | Says Nanak, the same Constant Truth, forever |
Divine Revelation
Sikhs learn that the Mool Mantar was revealed to Guru Nanak after a profound and mystical enlightenment experience, as he sipped the nectar of amrit nām and tasted the sublime Truth of One Eternal Reality. The Mool Mantar is treasured, then, as an awe-inspiring invocation of the timeless root of all existence. It is also seen as a mirror to the undying root of our own being – to the spark of God which can be kindled from a flicker to a steady flame. More than a chant of praise to an other-worldly Creator, the Mool Mantar beckons us to become working reflections of the Divine. It stirs the directionless self to become swanlike; in scriptural analogies, this means growing in wisdom, discernment, virtue and grace, as one journeys through this present life, before moving on.
Meeting the Source
Often, when we are introduced to someone, we wonder who they are, what their name is, what they do and what their personality is like. We might ask about their age, where they were born and how we could better get to know them. If we look again at the phrases of the Mool Mantar, each provides an elementary answer to such questions, as an introduction to the Infinite Being we may call God. Whilst translations of the Mool Mantar keep evolving, its original words are irreplaceable. Without using an equivalent term for ‘God’, they evoke, in condensed form, the essential attributes of the Divine. To chant these original words allows their significance to deepen and unfold, as our own perspectives and experiences evolve across life’s changing seasons.
ਜਬ ਦੇਖਉ ਤਬ ਸਭੁ ਕਿਛੁ ਮੂਲੁ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੋ ਸੂਖਮੁ ਸੋਈ ਅਸਥੂਲੁ ॥
Wherever I gaze, the Infinite Creator is the root of all things,
both subtle and manifest is the presence of the Divine
– Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, ang 281
Everything begins with Ik
Everything begins with the number 1. When we learn to count with our fingers as children, or whenever we learn a new language, that’s how we usually start – with one. Zero means there is nothing, but as soon as we say ‘one’ – something exists. Now and then, we might ponder – did everything appear out of nothing, out of an empty zero? For Sikhs, there is always an awe-inspiring 1 at the start. In Punjabi it is written as ੧ and called ‘ik’. The numeral 1 begins the sacred symbol known as Ik Oang-Kār. A symbol is a form of communication; without words in sentences, it ‘says’ something to us and we ‘read’ meanings from its shape. As a visual and spoken symbol, ੴ (Ik Oang-Kār) has a shape in writing and also a shape in sound. For Sikhs, it is much more than a symbol of identity. It holds the essence of the teachings founded in the fifteenth century by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, which Sikhs cherish as a divinely revealed treasury. Its meanings get richer as our understandings get deeper, which is why a neat translation is impossible to find.
Why ੧ (Ik)?
Pronounced then as ‘ik’, the first character of Ik Oang-Kār identifies an infinite Oneness, the root and return point of all that exists – a single, indivisible, all-pervading Divine consciousness, by whose grace everything is interconnected and sustained. It underlines with profound conviction that One Eternal Reality exists and that everything exists because of this Reality. It also encapsulates what Guru Nanak had taught during his vast journeys to all four corners of India and beyond – that our differences are to be honoured as part of this infinite and sovereign Oneness.
Guru Nanak used many names for God to engage with diverse people, such as Har or Harī, Rām, Allāh, Khudā, and Bhagvān. Yet no established names for God are expressed in Ik Oang-Kār. Instead, the numeral ੧ transcends differences of geography, gender and culture, and impressions tied to different religious identities and traditions.
Oang-Kar: Creator-consciousness
The second character of this sacred symbol is known as ‘Oang-Kār’. In ‘Oang’, the ‘Oa’ is pronounced like the ‘o’ in ‘ordinary’ and it ends with the nasalised sound ‘ng’, like the ending of ‘hung’ in English. Formed from a series of descending and ascending curves, the Oang-Kār symbol is first written like a number 3. The bottom line then swoops upwards, extending out to create a canopy and open-ended arch on top. This step-by-step visual formation follows the sound of ‘Oang-Kār’.
The opening numeral ੧ (‘Ik’) represents the One Formless Creator (Nirankār – ‘without form’). ‘Oang-’ then represents the energy of the Creator’s presence, with its sacred vibration resonating everywhere – across past, present, and future realms of time, and all seen and unseen realms of space, like the waves of a latent pulse, a melody or song. ‘Kār’ evokes the countless processes and forms of creation, which stem from this Creator-consciousness and energy. Kār is also a line which marks a protected zone, evoking how everything is lovingly held together by Divine grace – as indicated by the symbol’s elegant overhead arch, whose tip points to infinity.
Beyond translation
Guru Nanak was the first of ten Gurus who founded the Sikh faith between 1469 and 1708. Since then, there have been many attempts to translate Ik Oang-Kār, which majestically opens all the teachings of the sacred scripture which Sikhs address with reverence as Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Phrases like ‘There is only One God’ can imply a Creator who is separate from creation, who is ‘out there’ rather than part of everything, who is ‘my’ God rather than ‘your’ God, or wholly opposite to the different forms of divinity that human cultures have perceived. Contemporary explanations, such as ‘All is One’, ‘One Reality Is’ or ‘One Force’ re-align in new ways with this richly expressive scriptural symbol. In the end, there is no substitute for returning to the shape and sound of the original.
Nām, the Divine Name
Just as ੴ begins with ੧ (Ik), which is the first numeral, Oang-Kār looks similar to the first letter of the Punjabi alphabet – ੳ (pronounced oorhā). Its swirls echo India’s ancient symbol ‘Om’ or ‘Aum’. This represents the original sound and mother vibration which underlies everything everywhere. Visually and verbally, Oang-Kār echoes the emergence and expanse of nām – the divine vibrational energy of God’s presence – and the expanse of kudrat – the naturally created world and universe. By placing ੧ before Oang-Kār, Guru Nanak identified One Creator who generates, sustains, and gracefully protects the endless seen and unseen forms, and processes of creation.
ਨਾਮ ਕੇ ਧਾਰੇ ਸਗਲੇ ਜੰਤ ॥
ਨਾਮ ਕੇ ਧਾਰੇ ਖੰਡ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੰਡ ॥
Nām is the force that sustains all living beings
Nām is the force that sustains all planets and solar systems
– Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, ang 284
The power of a name
Since a word has a vibration and resonance, nām is often explained as the ‘Divine Word’ or ‘Divine Name’. With our ability to generate words and sounds, our human body is like a musical instrument. When ‘Oang-’ is pronounced, it emerges as an elemental vowel sound, more basic than the other vowels or consonants we are able to physically produce. When this sound is steadily uttered and then nazalised (with the ‘ng’ sound at the end), its vibration can be heard and felt rising, from the belly upwards to the head. This evokes the birth and power of nām, pervading, sustaining and transcending creation.
In everyday Punjabi, nām also simply means ‘name’. A name is a label we give to identify a person, an idea, or a thing. Yet by knowing and saying out a name, it also creates a bond; the interaction is no longer impersonal. A name helps us to acknowledge and relate to people, to remember them if they are missed. Often, just the sound of a name brings to mind a person’s qualities and characteristics. A name can also direct our life’s focus. We might do things ‘in the name of’ someone or something. Names can subtly preoccupy and impact our thinking, for better or for worse. In these ways, a name has a simple function, but also a quiet power.
Attuning to nām's vibration
A similar term is nām simran, ‘remembrance of the Divine Name’, which can be enriched by the practices of kīrtan and sevā. Kīrtan is the singing of scriptural verses, where music joins the lyrical teachings to inspire and guide our spiritual growth. Sevā is the act of serving others selflessly, by seeing God in all and honouring the presence of nām in creation. Nām simran is said to provide daily sustenance for the spiritual self, like the bliss of milk to the newborn baby, and like breath and nourishment (sās girās) for the body.
When the words shabad (pronounced sabad in the original) and nām appear in Sikh scripture, they indicate the unseen vibration of wisdom and divinity, as well as those words or teachings which have the power to attune us to this vibration. The teachings guide people to first recognise the all-pervading presence of nām and to then cultivate daily practices to attune the mind to its flow.
Shabad means ‘word’ and, because nām can literally mean ‘name’, it may sometimes be explained as a ‘name of God’ or a scriptural teaching to be chanted and meditated upon; it takes the form of a shabad or sacred word that helps one ‘log on’ to an awareness of nām and remain connected.
As well as being an energy, nām is understood to reverberate with sacred qualities such as compassion, selflessness and being free from fear or hate. When our endeavours to attune to nām are blessed to bear fruit, it leads to the state of sehaj, of inward equipoise and spontaneous flourishing, in harmony with these qualities. At the heart of daily Sikh life, then, lies the calling nām japo – ‘repeat the Divine Name’.
In India, nām (as a formula for meditation) would often take the form of a mantar (or sacred chant) given exclusively to disciples by a Guru. Guru Nanak’s first teaching was the Mool Mantar, a condensed elaboration of Ik Oang-Kār which he gifted to humanity at large. When Sikhs commit to practising their faith, the Mool Mantar is one of two mantars which they officially received as ‘nām’ during the Khalsa initiation. The second, known as the Gurmantar, is ‘Vāhegurū’ (or Waheguru). It expresses wonder and praise (‘Vāh’) to God as Guru, who brings the wondrous possibility of enlightenment.
Often, ‘Vāhegurū’ is chanted alongside ‘Satnām’. Commonly translated as ‘True Name’, this honours nām as the Eternal Truth and Essence of Existence, as indicated by the word ‘Sat’ (which rhymes with ‘hut’). Often, we define ourselves by our names, jobs, roles, or interests. ‘Satnām’ guides us to remember nām and to see this Unchanging Reality as the source of our ‘true identity’. It points to a potential latent within us to live by spiritual qualities – and to allow these qualities to steadily define our very being, in a world of continuous flux.
Kudrat: The expanse of creation
Encapsulating ideas of Oneness, resonance, and the expanse of creation, Ik Oang-Kār express several threefold concepts through its sound and shape. Seen in one way, its three spoken syllables evoke three dynamic aspects – ‘mind’ (Ik, the single, all-pervading Divine consciousness), ‘speech’ (Oang, the sacred word, rhythm, melody, and mother vibration) and ‘action’ (Kār, creation in constant formation and its Divine protection). As we saw, when Ik Oang-Kār is drawn or written, the line first follows the pattern of a number three with a swoop upwards on the left to create a canopy. The three resulting curves represent three dimensions, including the past, present and future realms of time, as well three physical realms, pointing to a fourth dimension, both before and beyond time and space. These three physical realms could be seen as land, water and sky. Long referred to in India as ‘trilok’ or ‘tribhavan’, meaning three habitats or homes, they are viewed too as the visible earth (dhartī), the unseen underworld (pātāl) and heavenly expanse (ākās).
During Guru Nanak’s time, how people conceived these realms would have been influenced by images from classical Indian literature and art, as well as ancient Indian cosmology, where the four directions of the world were seen to be supported by mythical elephants. Pātāl, the netherworld, was an enchanting underground realm. Without sunlight, it was lit by gems and jewels and, known also as nāg-lok, a place inhabited by mythical and often benevolent snake-like beings. The word ākās, meaning sky, space or ether, also suggested ‘svarag’, or the heavenly realm. In response, Guru Nanak emphasised that, in the infinite context, there were countless skies, planets and netherworlds (pātālā pātāl, lakh āgāsa āgās (Jap Ji Sahib, pauri 22).
The creation within
In some schools of thought, the ‘three worlds’ are linked to the mind. This could be to the power of memory, present awareness and imagining the future. They can also relate to the conscious and subconscious mind, as well as a higher state of consciousness. Since ‘bhavan’ means ‘home’, ‘tribhavan’ can be seen as the three realms in which the soul or ‘inner light’ comes to dwell: in a non-physical dimension beyond the ‘five elements’, within the the womb and then in the home of the world around us. With its curved structure and canopy, Ik Oang-Kār reminds us that, whatever our sense of home is, it exists thanks to the One.
In Sikh art, the tree canopy is a popular convention which symbolises the Divine protection. This meaning of protection is often associated with the overhead arch of the Ik Oang-Kār symbol. Likewise, the spoken syllable ‘Kār’ suggests both creation and protection.
How can we apply the Mool Mantar to our lives?
Ik Oang-Kār: Recognising our deeper origin
By starting with the visually striking symbol of Ik Oang-Kār, the Mool Mantar introduces the One All-Embracing Origin of everything that exists. It urges us to see the Divine pervading everywhere, to revere creation and see God in all, to respect differences and yet seek cohesion – both outwardly, with others, and inwardly with our spiritual self. In this way it prompts us to ponder on the core of our own identity.
Every so often, we all wonder about our origins, be they our biological, cultural, or geographical origins, the origins of a group we feel part of, or even the origins of life on earth. By sensing a connection to things beyond ourselves, we feel a certain wholeness and start to form many-layered identities. Ik Oang-Kār invites us to notice a more essential mool or origin, glimmering beneath these layers, for we are all connected to the Divine, even if unconsciously. To nurture this connection brings a more fundamental sense of wholeness, which can permeate and transcend the many connections we make in the world.
Sat Nām, Kartā Purakh: Being true to our divine essence, as doers and creators
Embedded also in the symbolism of Ik Oang-Kār is the emergence of nām, the life-generating vibration of God’s presence, and kudrat, the created world. These are now elaborated in the next two phrases of the Mool Mantar: Sat Nām and Kartā Purakh. Sat Nām identifies nām as the resonant Essence of Existence and Ever-true Reality – an understanding hinted at in translations such as ‘God’s Name is Truth’ or ‘True Word of God’. Sat Nām also inspires us to live authentically, in a way that is ‘true’ to our divine essence, ever-conscious of the eternal self at our core.
Kartā Purakh identifies God as the Continuous Creator and Dynamic Doer, who dwells in the very flow and fabric of creation. Far from being static, creation is always happening, through constant cycles of formation, disintegration and rejuvenation – from microscopic to astronomic levels and from the fastest to the slowest of speeds. Kartā Purakh is the Infinite Intelligence in their midst. This phrase also inspires us to be dynamic and creative – to move past inertia or despondency and lead imaginative, active and hardworking lives, in humility before the One who empowers us.
Nirbhau, Nirvair: Emitting no fear or hate
More than an impersonal force, God is depicted in the Mool Mantar as a Personality, with two founding qualities: Nirbhau and Nirvair (without fear, without hate). Where there is Oneness, there is no other’ to be fearful of or vengeful towards. When we see others as unfamiliar or alien, the opposition or the enemy, it is easy to emit vibrations of hate or fear. Whilst the egocentric self carves lines of separation between ‘us’ and ‘them’, the spiritual self allows us to see one another from a perspective of underlying connection.
Embracing the twin values of nirbhau and nirvair, we learn to work from spirit of kinship and solidarity – even as we face conflict. Likewise, the Sikh principle of sant-sipāhī (saintly warrior) then guides us to face life’s inward and outward battles with courage and love instead of fear and hate. Meditating on the qualities of nirbhau and nirvair, we learn to notice and defuse inner vibrations of fear and hate as they inevitably arise. When fear and hate lose their force within us, the qualities of love, compassion and courage can genuinely take root and radiate.
Akāl Moorat, Ajoonī, Saibhang: Discovering the face of eternity within
Conscious that different traditions represented God through different words, images and icons, Guru Nanak puts forward a paradox; to find a moorat or form for God, one would have to imagine the face of a Timeless and Undying Reality – Akāl Moorat. This statement also gives us a mirror, to recognise a deathless part of our own self which dwells within our mortal body. By reminding us of what is temporary, it inspires us to embrace life in a detached, yet poignant and appreciative, way.
Ajoonī means ‘Unborn’ and not subject to cycles of birth and rebirth over lifetimes. Saibhang means ‘Uncaused’ and ‘Self-illuminated’. Ordinarily, we understand our lives through celebrations of our birth, through knowing about our parentage and having some awareness of our inevitable death. These all bring some meaning and value to our lives. Yet, whatever our life circumstances, the Mool Mantar brings into our lives another level of meaning and value, which comes from realising we are part of the One who is Undying, Unborn and Uncaused.
Gurprasād: Balancing effort with humility: seeing wisdom as a blessing
In India, prasād was a gift or blessing spontaneously bestowed on a disciple by a Guru or ‘enlightener’, just as a teacher might recognise or encourage a student by offering some unexpected reward or help. Whilst the Mool Mantar encourages the discipline of meditation, the term Gurprasād – the Guru’s blessing – underlines that God is known ultimately through the qualities of gratitude and humility which evoke Divine grace.
Gurprasād introduces the all-important concept of Guru. In India, this was someone laden with wisdom, a revered teacher or spiritual master. In popular understanding, a Guru is an ‘enlightener’, one who takes us from a state of internal darkness ‘gu’ to one of light ‘ru’. In Punjabi, ‘gur’ also carries the same sense as ‘jugatī’, meaning a skillful way, technique or formula to do, create or acheive something.
For Sikhs, ‘Guru’ is both tangible and intangible. It is a title specifically reserved for the ten Sikh Gurus and the Guru Granth Sahib. It also refers to their collective power to illuminate, as human and scriptural embodiments of Guru Nanak’s light. The Guru is also the enlightening power of the Formless Creator (whom Sikhs praise as ‘Vāhegurū’, the Wondrous Guru), who is likened to the philosopher’s stone (pāras), capable of transforming base metal into gold.
Concluding the opening section of the Mool Mantar, ‘Gurprasād’ implants a vital understanding. For sure, a mantar may be recited with great personal initiative and diligent focus, but enlightenment happens through grace – when all traces of self-centredness are replaced by genuine humility, gratitude and devotion. ‘Gurprasād’ introduces the fine balance between steady, focussed effort and selfless surrender that characterises the Sikh spiritual path. With it, the entire treasury of wisdom contained in Sikh teaching is offered as the Guru’s blessing.
Jap Ād sach Jugād sach Hai bhī sach Nanak hosī bhī sach: Cultivating contemplation and continuity through change
At the very start of the Guru Granth Sahib, Gurprasād is followed by the word Jap – from japnā meaning to chant and contemplate. Jap is often translated as a verb, instructing one to meditate. In the Gurmukhi script, however, it is spelt as a noun which introduces a source of wisdom to be meditated upon. In this way Jap serves as a title for the first scriptural composition, known as Jap Ji Sahib. At the same time, the sound of this single-syllable word drives home the importance of cultivating contemplation, by taking time to consciously recite, reflect and nurture a God-conscious mind through daily meditative practice.
Sometimes you will hear the Mool Mantar recited to Gurprasād (where two vertical lines in Gurmukhi indicate the first full stop). Often, however, the word Jap and the following short couplet are also included: ‘Ād sach, Jugād sach, Hai bhī sach, Nanak hosī bhī sach’ (which is punctuated at the end with the Punjabi numeral one). This elaborates on God’s identity as the Ever-True Reality, existing before the dawn of time and forever into eternity. It also directs us to align with Divine Truth as we cross different stages of our own life and as we think about the kind of legacy we could leave for future generations.