Sikh Mantra

Shri Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism. Sikhism is still based on his teachings and
those of the nine Sikh Gurus who followed him. Guru Nanak Gurpurab also known as Guru
Nanak Dev Ji's Prakash Utsav, marks the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Guru
Nanak. This is one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism. Apart from Sikhs, the
Nanakpanthi Hindus and other followers of Guru Nanak's philosophy also celebrate this
festival.
Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in what is now Pakistan. At the age of 30 he mysteriously
disappeared for 3 days. When he reappeared, he began to preach the Sikh faith and spent
the rest of his life teaching, writing and traveling around the world to discuss religion
with Muslims and Hindus. Shiri Guru Nanak's divinity and religious authority made him
popular all over the world. He believed that “God” is neither Hindu nor Muslim and the
path which he follows is the path of God.
Guru Nanak's concept and vision of the Supreme Being is embodied in terse terms in the
Sikh Fundamental Creed, Mool Mantra, literally meaning the Root Formula. Because of its
importance as a basic theological declaration around which revolves the whole Sikh
philosophical thought, it is most appropriately placed in the very beginning of the Sikh
scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib. It affirms in unequivocal terms Guru Nanak's
uncompromising belief in monotheism. In the original the text read as:
"Ik Onkar Satnam Karta Purakh Nirbhau Nirvair Akaal Murat, Ajuni Saibhang Gurprasad"
The English rendering would approximate to:
There is One and only One God who is transcendent as well as immanent. True and Eternal
Name. Creator and Person. Without Fear and without Enmity. Timeless Form, Unborn, Self-
existent. Realized by Divine Grace.