Cultural Samvaad| Indian Culture and Heritage
Cultural Samvaad| Indian Culture and Heritage

Guru Nanak Devji’s Teachings and the Mool Mantar

Garima Chaudhry - Founder and Editor - CulturalSamvaad.com Garima Chaudhry

He proclaimed the Divine as ‘Ik Onkaar’. He preached that there was no Hindu and no Musalmaan. He debunked the caste system and spoke of an exalted status for women, heralding a new chapter in Indian thought. He was Guru Nanak Dev – a true mystic and a true reformer, the first of the ten human gurus in the Sikh tradition and one of the greatest saints born on the spiritual land of India.

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Guru Nanak Devji was born at Talwandi Rai Bhoeki (now Nankana Sahib in Pakistan) in 1469 CE. Traditionally, the full moon day of the Indian month of Kartika (Kartika Purnima) is celebrated as Gurpurab to mark his birthday.[i]

He preached in the language of the masses. His messages on life were simple yet profound and the path he propagated was easy yet difficult. Equality formed the cornerstone of Guru Nanak Devji’s preachings.

Mool Mantar

His conception of the Divine is encapsulated in the lofty ‘Mool Mantar’ . The Guru Granth Sahib opens with this timeless composition of Guru Nanak Devji – ‘Ik Onkaar Satnaam Kartaa Purakh Nirbhau Nirvair Akaal Moorat Ajooni Saibhang Gurparsaad. Jap – Aad Sach, Jugaad Sach, Hai Bhi Sach, Nanak Hosi Bhi Sach.’

Loosely translated[ii] –

Ik Onkaar – God is One and permeates the universe (the oneness cannot be emphasised enough – the number one is used).
Satnaam – God’s name is the Eternal Truth.
Kartaa Purakh – God is the Sole Creator.
Nirbhau – God has no fear.
Nirvair – God is free from malice and has no enemies.
Akaal Moorat – God is timeless and formless.
Ajooni – God was (is) not born.
Saibhang – God is self- existent – not created (swayambhu in Sanskrit).
Gurprasad – God can be attained with the grace of the Guru.

Jap:

Aad Sach – God was true before creation
Jugaad Sach – God was true when time began (God is true in all ages or yugas)
Hai Bhi Sach – God is true now
Nanak Hosi Bhi Sach – Nanak says God will always be true

इस लेख को हिन्दी में पढ़ें |

Naam japana, Krit karna, Wand chakhna.

Guru Nanak Devji prescribed the path of: Naam japana, Krit karna, Wand chakhna.   This path is also referred to as the three principles of his teachings.

Be aware of the presence of Ik Onkar at all times. Chant God’s name (Naam), meditate on God’s name –‘Eko naam hokum hai Satguru dia bujhai jio’.  Loosely translated it means that it is the Lord’s commandment to contemplate upon the Naam. Be honest and hardworking as you earn your living and lead your life. Be generous, caring and gracious – share what you have with those who need it. This is the essence of seva. He exhorted the masses not to covet other’s wealth (para dhan) and not to speak ill of others (para ninda).

Guru Nanak Devji’s Teachings on Becoming a True Yogi

‘Naam, Daan, Ishnaan’

Guru Nanakji contextualised human beings’ relation to The Divine, our fellow human beings and to our own self in his beautiful aphorism – ‘Naam, Daan, Ishnaan’. Naam and Daan (giving) are self-explanatory. Ishnaan (Snaana or Bathing) signifies purity – purity of the soul and thought and cleanliness – physical, social and environmental. Ishnaan becomes particularly relevant in contemporary India where cleanliness seems to be the most dispensable virtue as we struggle for a clean nation.

Guru Nanak Devji’s teachings on life and living, like his vision of the Divine are true across barriers of time and applicable to one and all notwithstanding narrow walls erected by human beings. May they continue to illuminate and enlighten.

Guru Nanak Devji as depicted by painter Sobha Singh
Guru Nanak Devji as depicted by painter Sobha Singh

Image Courtesy: Government Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh, India

[i] Most scholars place his date of birth as April 15, 1469.

[ii] This is not a definitive translation. Please refer to beautiful commentaries written on the Mool Mantar expounding its meaning by scholars. God is Onkaar in this translation for ease of reading. The word ‘He’ has been specifically avoided since it is not in the original context.

Garima Chaudhry - Founder and Editor - CulturalSamvaad.com

Garima Chaudhry

Garima Chaudhry is the Founder and Editor of Cultural Samvaad and Founder and Managing Partner of Hiranya Growth Partners LLP, a boutique consulting and content advisory firm based in Mumbai.

A scholar-practitioner with deep roots in Indic Studies, Garima has been a visiting faculty member for over a decade at Mumbai University and KJ Somaiya Institute of Dharma Studies, among other institutions. She has taught diploma, graduate and post-graduate courses in Development of Religious Thought in India, Hindu Thought, Bhartiya Purakatha, Buddhism and Comparative Mythology. She regularly conducts immersive workshops on India's dharmic traditions, civilisational heritage, enduring values, stories and symbols for diverse cohorts across institutions and organisations.

Garima brings over 25 years of leadership experience across financial services, digital payments, eCommerce, education and media. She began her career as a TAS Officer with the Tata Group, working across functions and sectors including FMCG and Power. At Citibank, she held progressive leadership roles culminating as Head of Strategy, Citi South Asia — working with the CEO, South Asia and Asia Pacific office on near and long-term strategic initiatives. Garima earlier led the business team for Digital Marketing, ePayments and eCommerce across India, building one of the country's early digital payment platforms. As Director at Capital18 (Network18), she led investment transactions and managed portfolio companies across focus sectors. She also served as CEO of GreyCells18 (Topperlearning and Topper TV), where she turned around and scaled the company to a 150-member team and built one of India's foremost supplementary education platforms.

Garima holds an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur and a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Statistics from DAV College, Kanpur.Her scholarly interest in India's ancient संस्कृति — culture — and her conviction that a native idiom rooted in India's own ethos is essential to equitable growth and sustainable change, is the founding impulse behind Cultural Samvaad.

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