By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
Time, the most fundamental, yet most mysterious dimension of existence, stands at the core of what it means to be a human being. Arguably, without a conception of time, i.e. past, present and future, we would have no sense of history, identity or purpose. It is almost unimaginable to conceptualise human consciousness, psychology, culture and society without the conception of time. It was no other than the 4th Century Christian theologian and philosopher, St. Augustine, who speculated that time might be an extension of the mind itself.“What, then, is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know”. (O’ Donnell, 1992))
This article considers the concept of time and the unique Sikh philosophical perspective on this. In doing so, as well as exploring different scientific, cultural and religious conceptions of time, it speculates on what insights we can draw from Gurbani on the nature of time and timelessness.
Conceptualising Time
The concept of time is a universal organizing feature of all human societies. It provides the essential framework for memory, anticipation, and the coordination of social life. Historically, across cultures, time has been understood through the cyclical rhythms of the natural world. These rhythms include the basic division of day and night, the broader cycles determined by the movement of the moon and sun. Time is also associated with weather and the seasons which govern sustenance and agriculture. And at a more fundamental, time is connected to the intrinsic, non-repeating biological mechanisms of physical life and death.
In modern society, the perception and experience of time is significantly shaped by technology and patterns of work, travel and functioning of industry and organisations. Tools such as mobile phones, watches, clocks, calendars, and diaries have standardized time into precise, uniform, and linear units (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years), transforming it from a natural phenomenon into a measurable and shared social construct.
Chronos and Kairos
This standardisation of time, which the Ancient Greeks termed ‘Chronos’, is woven into the functioning of our lives in ways that is unimaginable to think outside of this framing. The other conception of time conceptualised by the Greeks was ‘Kairos’ which embodies qualitative time. Here the focus in not on duration but on the right, opportune, or critical moment for action. It is a more “natural” concept, linked to intuition and the unique significance or particular instant or moment in time rather than sequential flow as in the case of Chronos. Kairos focuses on the ripeness of an event, such as, for example, the specific, correct season for a farmer to plant or harvest.
Ultimately Kairos refers to the issue of life and death and everything between. Whether one is talking about the creation and destruction of biological life forms through to planets, stars, solar systems and the universe itself, this is a natural feature of all matter. As Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji states, “ਜੋਉਪਜਿਓ ਸੋ ਬਿਨਸਿ ਹੈ, ਪਰੋ ਆਜੁ ਕੈ ਕਾਲਿ ॥“ “Whatever has been created (sprouted) shall be destroyed; Everyone shall perish, today or tomorrow.” (GGS, 1429)
Scientific Conception of Time
Across human history and cultures, the nature of time has been conceived both as a linear and cyclical idea. Deeply connected to the natural rhythms of the Earth, time is measured in terms of the reliable movement of the Moon, the arc of the Sun, and the recurring seasons. Indeed, this notion of cyclical time is embodied in the design of clocks with go round and round on a 12/24-hour cycle to record the passage of each day.
The Newtonian model posited absolute time, namely, a universal, unchanging continuum independent of any observer. In total contrast, Einsteinian physics revealed relative time, where time is not fixed but a perception whose duration is stretched and bent with positionality, velocity and gravity (Greene, 2004). In his famous best seller, A Brief History of Time, drawing on Einstein’s theory of relativity, Stephen Hawking explains that time is not absolute but is interwoven with space into a dynamic entity called spacetime, meaning an observer’s motion and gravity affect their experience of time.
At the quantum or smallest sub-atomic level, unlike our everyday experience, there is no inherent “arrow of time”. At this level time is not a fundamental, but an emergent phenomenon that arises from quantum entanglement. Most bizarrely, in quantum entanglement, time becomes a personal property but for an external observer who is not entangled with the system, it does not appear to exist for the system itself.
Religious conceptions of Time.
Within religious traditions, in mapping the history of creation and divine interaction, historical time is recorded through various sequence of days, months, years, through to vast ages or cycles. In the Abrahamic traditions, historic time is primarily understood as linear and purposeful, possessing a clear beginning, middle, and end. History in the traditions is understood as a divine narrative starting with Creation and moving toward a final Judgment Day which marks the ultimate climax and conclusion of all temporal existence. This linear view emphasizes the unrepeatability of key events, such as the birth of Christ or the prophecy of Muhammad as the last prophet in Islam. Time is therefore understood as a divinely orchestrated drama in which salvation or accountability is achieved.
In contrast, the Indic Dharmic traditions predominantly conceptualize time as cyclical, vast, and eternal. These immense scales dwarf human time, revealing the impermanence of even the universe itself. The scriptures reference the four great ages, or Yugas, namely, Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga. Even more colossal is the Kalpa or 4.32 billion human years which represents the ultimate end age of the Universe, which is followed by a period of total cosmic rest. This cyclical worldview diminishes the unique importance of any single historical event or individual life, viewing them as temporary phases within an infinite cosmic rotation. This framework shapes human experience through the laws of Karma and Samsara (reincarnation), where actions echo through successive lives across these vast temporal spans.
The Conception of Time in Sikhi
Sikhi offers a unique conceptualization of time, which lies in its ability to reconcile the seemingly disparate views represented by scientific and the faith traditions, that is of absolute and subjective time. Sikhi frames all measurable time as Kaal (time, change, mortality) while holding the Divine to be Akaal (the timeless One).
Gurbani contains a remarkably sophisticated understanding of time that blends spirituality, cosmology, and an intuitive mathematical sensibility (Singh, 1996). Far from treating time as simply linear of cyclical, the Gurus explore its micro, macro, and cosmic dimensions to reveal a fundamental spiritual truth that all existence unfolds within time, while the Divine is timeless. By examining the briefest flicker of a moment (ਪਲ/ ਛਿਨੁ) to the longest cosmic cycles, Gurbani constructs a powerful contrast: everything measurable is finite, transient, and dissolving, while the Divine remains eternal, unbound, ever present and timeless. This contrast becomes a practical guide for spiritual living, where existence itself becomes understood as simply a series present moments.
This idea of a timeless divine is perhaps most powerfully captured in the following shabad.
ਅਰਬਦ ਨਰਬਦ ਧੁੰਧੂਕਾਰਾ ॥ ਧਰਣਿ ਨ ਗਗਨਾ ਹੁਕਮੁ ਅਪਾਰਾ ॥ ਨਾ ਦਿਨੁ ਰੈਨਿ ਨਚੰਦੁ ਨ ਸੂਰਜੁ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧਿ ਲਗਾਇਦਾ ॥੧॥ ਖਾਣੀ ਨ ਬਾਣੀ ਪਉਣ ਨ ਪਾਣੀ ॥ਓਪਤਿ ਖਪਤਿ ਨ ਆਵਣ ਜਾਣੀ ॥ ਖੰਡ ਪਤਾਲ ਸਪਤ ਨਹੀ ਸਾਗਰ ਨਦੀ ਨ ਨੀਰੁਵਹਾਇਦਾ ॥੨॥ (Guru Nanak, SGGS 1035)
The central idea that Guru Nanak seeks to convey in this the Shabad is the idea of Akaal Purakh (The Timeless Being) existing in a state of ‘Sunn Samaadh’ or ‘profound trance’ completely independent of the chronological measurements that govern the created world. And most profoundly by listing the items such as earth, sky, moon, sun, and life itself did not previously exist but then later came to exist through the divine Hukam or command, the shabad confirms that time itself, defined by cycles and motion, is an aspect of the manifested universe, rather than a fundamental limit on Divine, who is timeless.
The Urgency of Micro-Time and Macro-Rhythms
Whilst offering important insights in the nature of cosmic time, Gurbani also repeatedly invokes extremely short time intervals to emphasize how fragile and unpredictable life is. To drive home the point, the Gurus use vivid Indic micro, units of time, many based on the human body’s own rhythms to connect time as perceived reality to timelessness as Divine consciousness.
The Chasa or the time it takes for an eye to blink (roughly one, eighth of a second), is used to underscore the importance of spiritual vigilance. Gurbani reminds us that life can vanish in a single chas, as stated:
“ਵਿਸੁਏ ਚਸਿਆ ਘੜੀਆ ਪਹਰਾ ॥ ਥਿਤੀ ਵਾਰੀ ਮਾਹੁ ਹੋਆ ॥ ਸੂਰਜੁ ਏਕੋ ਰੁਤਿਅਨੇਕ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਕਰਤੇ ਕੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਵੇਸ “
“The seconds, minutes and hours, lunar days, days of the week, and months, The Sun is One, but the seasons are many.O Nanak, in just the same way, the many forms originate from the Creator. ||2||2|| (Guru Nanak, SGGS, Ang 120)
Here Nanak explains how, Just as the Sun is One but its light and influence create many seasons and changes (seconds, hours, days, months, the Divine is also One, but manifests in the many forms and appearances that make up the entire universe.
Here Guru Nanak explains how, just as the Sun is One but its light and influence create many seasons and natural changes (seconds, hours, days, months), the Divine is also One, but manifests in the many forms and appearances that make up the entire universe.
Elsewhere Gurbani talks about
ਘਰ ਹੀ ਸਉਦਾ ਪਾਈਐ ਅੰਤਰਿਸਭ ਵਥੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਖਿਨੁ ਖਿਨੁ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਮਾਲੀਐ ਗੁਰਮੁਖਿ ਪਾਵੈ ਕੋਇ ॥
ਨਾਮੁ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਅਖੁਟੁ ਹੈ ਵਡਭਾਗਿ ਪਰਾਪਤਿ ਹੋਇ ॥੧॥
“Within the home of your own inner being, the merchandise is obtained. All commodities are within. Each and every moment, dwell on the Naam, the Name of the Divine; the Gurmukhs obtain it. The Treasure of the Naam is inexhaustible. By great good fortune, it is obtained. ||1||” (Guru Amardas Ji, SGGS, 29)
The phrase “khin khin” or “moment by moment” emphasises the extremely transient and fleeting nature of human life and the rapid passage of time.
This reverence for the shortest possible moment finds a striking modern analogue in experimental physics: the zeptosecond, or 0.000000000000000000001 seconds that has been by scientists capturing the time a photon takes to cross a hydrogen molecule (Ossiander et al., 2020). Whether considering the ancient chass or the modern zeptosecond, Gurbani emphasizes the same philosophical reality: even the most precise measurements of time are still within the domain of Kaal, they are quantifiable, divisible, and ultimately transient.
Cosmic Time and the Eternal Akaal
To demonstrate the Divine’s supremacy over all creation, Gurbani references the grand cosmic cycles of Indic cosmology mentioned earlier. Gurbani speaks of uncountable Kalpas passing, with universes continually forming and dissolving. Through all this change, the Divine remains untouched, unbound, and unchanged. The contrast is starkly drawn in the following line from Sukhmani Sahib: “ਕਈ ਕੋਟਿਕਾਲ ਮਹਿ ਆਏ। ਕਈ ਕੋਟਿ ਤੇ ਊਤਮ ਥਾਏ।” “Countless millions came into time (kaal), and countless millions have obtained the most sublime place.” (SGGS, Ang 276).
The Mool Mantar in the foundational text, Japji Sahib, begins by defining the Creator as “Akaal Mūrati” or “Form of the Timeless One”, establishing the Divine’s timeless nature as the primary reality (Singh, 1979).
The Sikh concept of time, as articulated in Gurbani, therefore offers a profound resolution to the paradoxes of time identified by both science and culture. By distinguishing sharply between the finite, changeable Kaal and the infinite, unchanging Akaal, Sikhi provides a unified metaphysical framework. The philosophical achievement of Gurbani is to take the scientific urge to measure the smallest moment and the cosmological need to grasp the largest cycle, and use both to underscore the same practical truth that time is limited and fleeting.
The idea of a Divine Creator, ੴ / Ik Onkaar is conceptualised as being infinite in dimensions, virtues, capabilities, functions and time, itself. This infinite nature also means that God’s essence remains unknowable and impenetrable in its entirety by the finite human mind. As Guru Nanak proclaims, “ਅੰਤੁ ਨਸਿਫਤੀ ਕਹਣਿ ਨ ਅੰਤੁ ॥ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਕਰਣੈ ਦੇਣਿ ਨ ਅੰਤੁ ॥ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਵੇਖਣਿ ਸੁਣਣਿ ਨਅੰਤੁ ॥ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਪੈ ਕਿਆ ਮਨਿ ਮੰਤੁ ॥““Many struggle to know His limits, but His limits cannot be found. No one can know these limits. The more you say about them, the more there still remains to be said.” (Guru Nanak, SGGS, 5)
Conclusion
The ultimate conclusion to the paradox of time is therefore not academic, but existential. If all existence, from the briefest zeptosecond to the grandest imaginable scale, is defined by its eventual dissolution. Accordingly, one embrace one of two positions. First, that existence and the universe represent a chaotic system without any meaning or purpose, where paradox of time is one feature of this chaos. The other position is the belief that there is an enduring anchor, that is Akaal Purakh (The Timeless Being), Accordingly the human practice of thinking and remembrance (Simran) leads to realisation that time itself is made up of a series of present moments. Through this process one can transcend the linear, changing confines of Kaal by awakening to the eternal, constant reality of Akaal Moorat/Timeless Form.
References
Greene, B., 2004. The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. New York: Vintage Books.
O’Donnell, J. J. (1992). Confessions: Commentary on Books 1-7 (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press, USA.
Ossiander, S. et al., 2020. ‘Attosecond spectroscopy of helium atoms: the smallest time interval’. Science, 369(6505), pp. 885-890.
Singh, D., (1979). Sikhism: A Comparative Study of its Theology and Mysticism. New Delhi: Sterling Publishers.
Singh, T., (1996). Gurbani and Science. New Delhi: National Book Shop.
Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS). Various Shabads.
Zimmerman, J. C., (2012). The Encyclopaedia of Traditional Indian Time, Keeping. 2nd ed., Privately Published.
Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk
* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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