Ek Onkar: Guru Nanak’s Living Revelation of Oneness – Part 1

By Sarabjeet Singh | Sikhi |

1) Introduction

Ek Onkar (ੴ). The most profound expression in the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture and living guru of the Sikhs. Composed by the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, this expression encapsulates the essence of Oneness: One Consciousness that pervades all creation, beyond form, beyond division, beyond duality. Ek – ੧ (The literal number 1) affirms that there is no second, no duality, no separation. Onkar – ਓ (Om + Kaar) evokes the cosmic vibration, the eternal reality through which the universe unfolds. This profound utterance challenges ritualism, separation, and ego. It invites seekers not to worship a distant deity, but to recognize Oneness in every breath, every being, every moment. 

Most people would think that the Sikh religion believes in one God. If one were to look up the definition of the word ‘Sikhism’ online, it would state that Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that believes in one God. However, I argue that this isn’t what Guru Nanak is talking about when he describes God. Most of the time, whether we admit it or not, the image of God that comes to our minds is of some father figure, a masculine being, maybe with a white beard, sitting in the clouds. That is the image most of us have of God or at least believe to be God. 

Ek Onkar: Guru Nanak’s Living Revelation of Oneness – Part 1

Ek Onkar: Guru Nanak’s Living Revelation of Oneness – Part 2

Ek Onkar: Guru Nanak’s Living Revelation of Oneness – Part 3

Of course, this doesn’t help with the English translations that are found in Sikh scriptures that have shaped our perception of God. During the colonial period, several English translations of the Guru Granth Sahib emerged, most notably by Ernest Trumpp, a German missionary commissioned by the British in the 1860s. Trumpp’s work was deeply flawed. He approached the text with theological bias, attempting to fit Sikhi teachings into Western monotheistic frameworks. He dismissed large portions of the scripture as “incoherent” or “unintelligible,” especially mystical and poetic verses. His translation emphasized God as a singular, personal deity, downplaying the non-dual, ineffable, and cosmic aspects of Ik Onkar, which in Sikh metaphysics is not merely “One God” but Oneness itself, beyond form and duality. This misrepresentation had lasting effects. British administrators and scholars began to classify Sikhism as a monotheistic religion, and sadly, Trumpp’s work is still found in the many households today, where many people have taken the translations as literal gospels. [34][35][36]

It is essential to revisit these concepts, as they shape our understanding and thinking about what kind of God we want to believe in. Are we content with inherited monotheism, or are we willing to dissolve what society has told us? In this paper, I will do my best to, in my humble opinion, to explain what Guru Nanak meant by Ek Onkar. I will trace Guru Nanak’s life and journeys, examine the historical and cultural context of 15th-century India, reflect on his dialogues with seekers across traditions, and consider how his teachings on faith, reason, and lived truth remain profoundly relevant today. Ultimately, this work seeks to honour Guru Nanak’s revelation not as a religion, but as a living transmission of Oneness, to dissolve separation and awaken remembrance, inviting clarity in both spiritual and modern life. 

2) India Before Guru Nanak

Before Guru Nanak’s birth in 1469, India was marked by fragmentation, inequality, and spiritual confusion. Politically, Northern India was ruled by the last of the Delhi Sultanate, the Lodi Dynasty (1451 – 1526), which was the last of the Afghan rulers in India [1]. Their weakening grip on power created a void of instability and exploitation. Local rulers and landlords misused their authority, and the common people, often peasants and artisans, suffered heavy taxation and unfair treatment at the hands of these corrupt officials [1]. This decline paved the way for the eventual rise of the Mughal Empire under Babur in 1526, following the Battle of Panipat [2]. 

Socially, the caste system had become a rigid hierarchy that dictated every aspect of someone’s life. From occupation to marriage to spiritual access, and even to which well one could drink from [3]. Women were marginalized, and birth determined destiny [3]. 

Religiously, India was deeply divided. Hinduism, though philosophically rich, had become fragmented into denominations like Brahmins, Yogis, Tantrics, and many of which emphasized ritualism to attain purity, idol worship, spiritual monopolization, and superstitions [4]. Practices like Sati, in which a widow would immolate herself in her deceased husband’s funeral pyre, and child marriage were common [5]. Islam, which was introduced into India through conquests, was the religion of the ruling power. While Sufism offered mystical paths of love and unity, there was a disparity between the mystical ideals of Sufism and the often politically motivated Islam, which disconnected from its ethical roots [6]. Rulers engaged in plunder, forced conversion, and desecration of temples to serve their political purpose in delegitimizing the Hindu people [7]. This deepened Hindu-Muslim tensions and created a huge animosity between the two [7]. Meanwhile, Buddhism, once a major spiritual force in India, had entered a period of decline. Major Monastic centres like Nalanda and Vikramashila had diminished, and the religion had been largely overshadowed by the resurgence of Hinduism [8]. Buddhist influence persisted within the Southeast Asian communities and spread to areas like Tibet and Sri Lanka [8]. 

This political, social, and spiritual instability formed the backdrop into which Guru Nanak was born. His message of Ek Onkar would be a revolution, creating a radical response to a society marred by caste, creed, and conquest. 

3) Birth of Guru Nanak and Early Life

Guru Nanak was born on April 15, 1469, in a village called Rai Bhoi Ki Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan). Born into a Hindu family, belonging to the Khatri caste, his father, Metha Kalu was a local accountant (patwari), and his mother, Mata Tripta was known for her gentle and loving nature [9]. At a young age, Guru Nanak displayed extraordinary wisdom, spiritual curiosity, and compassion. Even as a child, Guru Nanak’s questions were unsettling to adults around him. He would observe the poor and ask, “If God made all equal, why are some high and some low?” [10]. In school, he would question the teachers and ask, “What’s the point of learning letters if we don’t understand what’s actually worth writing about?” [10]. When Guru Nanak was nine years old, his parents arranged a traditional Hindu ceremony called Upanayana, which was an important rite of passage that signified the beginning of a Hindu boy’s spiritual education under a spiritual teacher. It involves a boy wearing a sacred thread across his chest. The whole village was present, and when the priest was about to put the thread around Guru Nanak, Guru Nanak stopped the priest and said, “This thread will get dirty and break. If you want to give me a thread, make it out of compassion, truth, and love” [11]. The village was stunned, and this moment would leave a lasting impression. 

Over time, stories of Guru Nanak’s spiritual nature would spread. Once, when he was watching over his family’s cattle, he fell asleep under a tree, and the cattle wandered off and started eating crops belonging to a local landlord named Rai Bullar. A local villager informs Rai Bullar of this, and Rai Bullar, furious, stomps to find Nanak. When he reaches the site, he witnesses a huge cobra with its hood spread over Guru Nanak’s face, shading him from the sun. Rai Bullar, who was a Muslim, was convinced that Guru Nanak had some sort of divine protection, and he became one of Guru Nanak’s first supporters [12]. 

Despite this, Metha Kalu kept trying to get his son interested in practical things. One instance was when he gave Guru Nanak 20 rupees to start a business. Instead, Guru Nanak used it to feed hungry men, calling it Sacha Sauda (True Transaction). Metha Kalu was furious, but Nanak calmly explained that feeding the poor is the most profitable deal of all [13]. 

At 18 years old, Guru Nanak married Sulakhni, and they turned out to be an amazing pair. Sulakhni was understood her husband’s motives and supported him. They had two sons together, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das [14]. Later, Guru Nanak started working as a storekeeper in Sultanpur Lodhi where he would give customers extra grains and rations while saying, “Sabh Tera”, which means all yours. During his free time, he would spend it in the company of his closest companion, Bhai Mardana, a Muslim minstrel. This friendship at that time was unusual, as it was not common to see Hindus and Muslims hanging out together. But this friendship would go on to become a powerful symbol of unity in their journey to spread about Oneness together [15].

Then, at the age of 39, came the turning point. One morning, while bathing in the Kali Bein River, Guru Nanak suddenly disappeared. For three days, he was missing, and everyone feared he had drowned. But on the fourth day, he emerged – radiant, transformed, and uttered, “Na koi Hindu, na koi Musalman”, meaning, there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim [16]. He wasn’t rejecting religion, but instead he explained that these labels that we put on ourselves don’t matter to the Divine. The Divine doesn’t care if one is Hindu or Muslim. What mattered was the heart. From that moment, Guru Nanak began his mission to dissolve separation, awaken remembrance, and sing the truth of Ek Onkar.

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(TO BE CONTINUED)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarabjeet Singh is a full‑time Airman with the Republic of Singapore Air Force and a final‑year Electrical & Electronics Engineering student at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). His current research focuses on Guru Nanak’s message of Ek Onkar and the universal principle of Oneness

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