NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Akal

AKAL literally timeless, immortal, non-temporal, is a term integral to Sikh tradition and philosophy. It is extensively used in the Dasam Granth hymns by Guru Gobind Singh, who titled one of his poetic compositions Akal Ustat , i.e. In Praise (ustati) of the Timeless One (akal). However, the concept of Akal is not peculiar to the Dasam Granth. It goes back to the very origins of the Sikh faith. Guru Nanak used the term in the Mool Mantar, the fundamental creedal statement in the Japji, the first composition in the Guru Granth Sahib. The term also occurs in Guru Ram Das, Nanak IV, who uses it in conjunction with murat in Siri Raga chhants (GG. 78) and in conjunction with purakh in Gauri Purabi Karhale (GG, 235). The term occurs more frequently in Guru Arjan’s bani (e.g. GG, 99, 609, 916, 1079 and 1082). We encounter the use of the term akal in Kabir as well. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Guru Nanak (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ, Devanagari: गुरु नानक) (20 October 1469 - 7 May 1539), the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs, was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... Japji Sahib consists of the Mool Mantra, a set of 38 hymns and a final Salok which appear at the very beginning of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of the Sikhs. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... Sri Guru Ram Das Ji (Punjabi: à¨¸à©à¨°à©€ à¨—à©à¨°à©‚ à¨°à¨¾à¨® à¨¦à¨¾à¨¸ à¨œà©€) (24 September 1534 â€“ 1 September 1581) was the fourth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 30 August 1574 following in the footsteps of Guru Amar Das. ... Guru Arjan Dev Ji (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das ji. ... Kabir (also Kabira, Hindi: , Punjabi: , Urdu: , 1440 - 1518) was an Indian mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one. ...

It may be noted that the term akal has been used in Gurbani in two forms: (a) as a qualifier or adjective, and (b) as a substantive. In the expression Akal Murat. The first part is often treated as a qualifier, even though some interpreters take the two words as independent units, viz. akal and murat. In the Maru Raka Kal and Akal have been clearly used as substantives by Guru Arjan and Kabir. Guru Gobind Singh more often than not treats the expression as a noun. Akal Ustat is the praise of Akal and “Hail, O Akal, Hail, O Kirpal!” of Jaap Sahib also takes the related expressions as substantives. The meaning of Akal in this context is ‘timeless’, non-temporal’, ‘deathless’, ‘not governed by temporal process’, or ‘not subject to birth, decay and death’. This appears to be negative coining in each case. But the intent is affirmative. Akal as deathless or non-temporal implies everlasting reality, eternal being, or Transcendent Spirit; it further implies Eternity, Being, or Essence. The linguistic form may be negative, but the semantic implication is unmistakably affirmative. Sikh Holy Texts Bani is the term used by Sikhs to refer to various sections of the Holy Text that appears in their several Holy Books The important Banis are listed below: Japji Sahib 1. ... Guru Arjan Dev Ji (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das ji. ... Kabir (also Kabira, Hindi: , Punjabi: , Urdu: , 1440 - 1518) was an Indian mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Jaap Sahib is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. ...

Guru Gobind Singh in his Jaap Sahib in the Dasam Granth, has designated the Supreme Reality Akal. It is the same Reality that was given the epithet of sati in the Guru Granth Sahib. ‘Sat’ is the primordial name of the Eternal Being (GG, 1083). All the names that we utter in respect of God are functional or attributive names. The basic reality is nameless, in Guru Gobind Singh’s terminology anama. But even the Nameless can serve as a name. When we say Brahman is featureless, ‘featurelessness’ becomes its feature. Nirankar (Formless) is a name, and so are other epithets so coined. To signify what they regard as the Eternal Spirit, beyond the pale of time, temporality or cosmic processes, the Gurus have chosen the terms Sat and Akal. Vahiguru is a positive saguna substitute for the negative nirguna term Akal. An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Jaap Sahib is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in...

Another avenue of thought on this term Akal brings into play the word 'Kal' which can be translated to 'death' or 'time'. the a- prefix makes it the opposite so a-kal can mean not subject to death or time. Guru Gobind Singh’s bani is a repository of concepts and terms, especially of the epithets relating to ‘time’. Besides Kal and Akal, Guru ji uses Maha Kal (macro-time) and Sarb-Kal (all-time) to indicate a Being above and beyond the eventful times of the universe. For him, Kal itself is a dimension of Akal, the only difference being the process that characterizes temporal events, and the eternality of Akal. Every occurrence or event has a beginning and an end, each event is a link in the on-going process of Time. The cosmic drama or the wondrous show of the world is all a creation of Time. An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in...

The power of Time controls worldly events; the only entity independent of time is Time itself, and that is Akal, the Timeless One. That is how God is both Time and Timeless in Guru Gobind Singh’s bani. The temporal aspect of Time is the immanent aspect, the presence of Spiritual Essence in each worldly occurrence. It is the ‘personality’ of the Supreme, the chit or consciousness of sat-chit-anand. The other, transcendent aspect, is the Eternal, the Beyond, the Inexpressible, the Fathomless, Nirguna Brahman, assigned the name Akal, the Timeless One or the One-beyond-Time.

Akal is not a fixed, unmoving substance, but the dynamic spiritual principle of the entire cosmic existence. The phenomenal world emanates from the Spirit, and the Spirit permeates the world. Akal in Sikh weltanschauung is not mere consciousness, bland and void, but is the Creative Spirit, as the expression Karta Purakh implies. In other words, creativity is the core of Akal. And it is creativity that is manifest in the dimension of Kal. Acting through Time, the Timeless One creates worlds and beings of the worlds. It is through creativity that the Timeless One transforms itself from nirgun to sargun, from the aphur state into saphur state, from the pre-creation sunn, or dormant essence, into cosmic existence.

The creativity of Akal is not confined to the timeless and temporal aspects of the Supreme. Through its sargun facet the nirgun assumes the character of the Divine, of the gracious God, the loving Lord or Prabhu of the devotees. From ‘It’ the Ultimate becomes ‘He’, the person with whom communication is sought and established. From ‘Akal’, He becomes ‘Sri-Akal’. The Sikh slogan and popular form of greeting Sati Sri Akal Sikh sums up the concept that the timeless Being is the singular Eternal Reality. The phrase combines the concepts of Sat and Akal, implying that the Eternal and the Timeless are one; Sat, itself is the Everlasting Lord-beyond-Time. Thus, the creative essence turns the metaphysical Being into active principle of the world, into conscious Power involved in the cosmic process, into Hero or Master of the world, cherishing His creation with benign joy. Being the beneficent Lord, He lends some of His creativity to the created beings. Humanity draws its creativity and creative energy from the Divine reservoir of creativity.

Valour and heroism are pronounced characteristics of the Sikh tradition. The Akal of Guru Gobind Singh is All Steel (Sarb-Loh), symbolically applauding valour. Guru Nanak had applied the epithet of Jodha-Mahabali-Surma to the valiant in Japji, 27 (GG, 6). Guru Gobind Singh, Nanak X, expresses His creativities with terms such as Sarb-Kal (Jaap Sahib, 19, 20), Sarb-Dayal (Japu, 19, 23, 28), Sarb-Pal (Japu, 28, 45). He calls Him Glorious and great, Super-form, Yogi of yogis, Moon of moons, Melody of melodies, Rhythm of the dance, Liquidity of waters, Movement of the winds. He is Akal as well as Kripal, the Compassionate Lord. In fact, the whole composition of Japu, with its wide range of attributive names for the Timeless Being focuses on the Akal-Kripal unipolarity. The impersonal appears through all persons, the Timeless encompasses all temporal beings emanating from His Essence. He transcends the human world, yet He is full of compassion for all. His timeless essence permeates the temporal existence. A Sikh man wearing a turban A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism, a religious faith originating in the Punjab. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Guru Nanak (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ, Devanagari: गुरु नानक) (20 October 1469 - 7 May 1539), the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs, was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present-day Pakistan. ... Japji Sahib consists of the Mool Mantra, a set of 38 hymns and a final Salok which appear at the very beginning of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of the Sikhs. ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Jaap Sahib is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. ...

The concept of Akal, central to Guru Gobind Singh’s Jaap Sahib has percolated to the social, political and cultural aspects of Sikh life. Inspired by its theme, they call the Gurus’, bani Akali-Bani. The political wing of the community is known as Akali Dal. The slogan Sati Sri Akal has become a form of greeting for the Punjabis in general. The process had been initiated much earlier, half a century before the advent of Guru Gobind Singh on the scene. The Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind, had already identified the throne built at Amritsar as Akal Takht—the Throne of the Timeless one. An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Jaap Sahib is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. ... References ^ Tirha, B. B. A Taste of Trascendence, (2002) p. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in GurmukhÄ«, PanjÄbÄ« in ShÄhmukhÄ«) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ... Guru Har Gobind Ji (19 June 1595 - 03 March 1644) was the sixth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 25 May 1606 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Arjan Dev Ji. ... Amritsar (Punjabi: , , Hindi: . ), meaning Pool of the Nectar of Immortality, is the administrative headquarter of the Amritsar District in Punjab, India. ... The Akal Takht (Punjabi: , ) is the second holiest shrine of the Sikhs. ...

References

Categories: Sikhism stubs | Glossary of Sikh Terms | Sikhism Image File history File links Sikh emblem. ... This list is of topics related to Sikhs and Sikhism. ... The Harimandir SÄhib is a sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism (IPA: or ; Punjabi: , , IPA: ) is a religion that found its genesis in sixteenth century Northern India with the teachings of NÄnak and nine successive Gurus. ... Image File history File links Sikh emblem. ... Sikhism was established by ten Gurus, teachers or masters, over the period 1469 to 1708. ... Guru Nanak Dev Guru Nanak Dev (Punjabi: ) (15 April 1469 â€“ 22 September 1539), was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs. ... Sri Guru Angad Dev Ji (Punjabi: à¨¸à©à¨°à©€ à¨—à©à¨°à©‚ à¨…à©°à¨—à¨¦ à¨¦à©‡à¨µ à¨œà©€) (31 March 1504 â€“ 29 March 1552) was the second of The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. ... Sri Guru Amar Das Ji (Punjabi: ) (5 April 1479 â€“ 1 September 1574) was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 26 March 1552 following in the footsteps of Guru Angad Dev, who died 29 March 1552. ... Sri Guru Ram Das Ji (Punjabi: à¨¸à©à¨°à©€ à¨—à©à¨°à©‚ à¨°à¨¾à¨® à¨¦à¨¾à¨¸ à¨œà©€) (24 September 1534 â€“ 1 September 1581) was the fourth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 30 August 1574 following in the footsteps of Guru Amar Das. ... Guru Arjan Dev Ji (15 April 1563 - 30 May 1606) was the fifth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 1 September 1581 following in the footsteps of Guru Ram Das ji. ... Mid-nineteenth century miniature of Guru Hargobind. ... Guru Har Rai ji. ... Sri Guru Har Krishan Ji (Punjabi: ) (7 July 1656 - 30 March 1664) was the eighth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on 7 October 1661 following in the footsteps of his father, Guru Har Rai. ... Guru Teg Bahadur (Punjabi: ) (April 1, 1621 - November 11, 1675) was the ninth of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism, and he became Guru on March 20, 1665 following in the footsteps of his grand-nephew, Guru Har Krishan . ... An artists impression of Guru Gobind Singh Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ) (Born in Patna, Bihar, India, on December 22, 1666 as Gobind Rai â€“ October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... Sikh Bhagats refers to the Saints and holy men of various faiths whose teachings are included in the Sikh holy book the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. ... The Sikh religious philosophy is covered in great detail in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy text. ... // Ek Onkar There is only one God who has infinite qualities and names. ... The Sikhs must believe in the following values: Equality: All humans are equal before God â€“ No discrimination is allowed on the basis of caste, race, sex, creed, origin, color, education, status, wealth, etc. ... Eating Meat at Langar: Serving meat at langar is strictly prohibited. ... Naam: Or Naam Japo. ... The Golden Temple is the most important sacred shrine for Sikhs Sikhism comes from the word Sikh, which means a strong and able disciple. ... The ArdÄs (Punjabi: ) are the Sikh daily prayers. ... The Amrit Sanskar Ceremony Amrit Sanskar or Amrit Sanchar or the Amrit ceremony is the Sikh ceremony of initiation or baptism. ... Chardi Kala is an important expression used in Sikhism for a mind frame that a Sikh has to accept and practise. ... Dasvand means to donate 10% percent of ones harvest to the Gurdwara. ... The Five Ks, or kakaars, are five items that baptised Orthodox Sikhs wear at all times either out of respect for the tenth teacher, Guru Gobind Singh, or out of a sense of religious devotion. ... Kirat KarÅ is one of three primary pillars of Sikhism. ... A bhajan or kirtan is a Hindu or Sikh devotional song, often of ancient origin. ... Langar service at the Gurdwara at Forum 2004 in Spain Langar (Punjabi: ) is the term used in the Sikh religion for the service of Free Kitchen in a Gurdwara and eaten by everyone sitting as equals. ... NÄm JapÅ (Punjabi: ), refers to the meditation, vocal singing of Hymns from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib or of the various Names of God, specially the chanting of the word Waheguru, which means Wonderful Lord. ... The term Simran refers to the vocal repetition or recital of the God Names - Naam or of the Holy Text from the Two Granths of the Sikhs - the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and the Dasam Granth. ... Guru Nanak elaborated the three pillars thus, [1] the practise Simran and Naam Japno â€“ meditation on God and reciting and chanting of Godâ€™s name, Waheguru the practise of Kirat Karni â€“ To honestly earn by ones physical and mental effort while accepting Gods gifts and blessing the practise of... In Sikhism Vaá¹‡á¸ ChakkÅ (Punjabi: ) is a technique and method which means share it as you consume it. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... Guru Granth Sahib (Granth is Punjabi for book, Sahib is Hindi meaning master, from Arabic, meaning companion, friend, owner, or master) or Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji or SGGS for short, is more than a holy book of the Sikhs. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Sarbloh Granth (Punjabi: ) is a poem that recites the story of gods and demons, and is thought to be the work of Guru Gobind Singh. ... Bani is the term used by Sikhs to refer to various sections of the Holy Text that appears in their several Holy Books. ... Chaupai is the short name for the Sikh prayer or Gurbani whose full name is Kabiobach Bainti Chaupai. ... Jaap Sahib is the morning prayer of the Sikhs. ... Japji Sahib consists of the Mool Mantra, a set of 38 hymns and a final Salok which appear at the very beginning of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of the Sikhs. ... Illuminated Adi Granth folio with nisan (Mool Mantar) of Guru Gobind Singh. ... Evening prayer of the Sikhs. ... Sukhmani Sahib is the name given to the set of hymns divided into 24 sections which appear in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Scriptures on page 262. ... This is a short hymn of 10 stanzas. ... The Khanda, one of the most important symbols of Sikhism. ... Simple Ek Onkar Ik Oankar (also , , Ik ÅŒaá¹…kÄr) means one God and is a central tenet of Sikh religious philosophy. ... Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Southall, UK. A Gurdwara (Punjabi: , or , ), meaning the doorway to God, is the Sikh place of worship and may be referred to as a Sikh temple. ... Harmandir Sahib or Darbar Sahib(also Hari Mandir, Harimandar and other variants; Punjabi: à¨¹à¨°à¨¿à¨®à©°à¨¦à¨° à¨¸à¨¾à¨¹à¨¿à¨¬) is the most sacred shrine in Sikhism, located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. ... Khalsa which means Pure is the name given by Guru Gobind Singh to all Sikhs who have been baptised or initiated by taking Amrit in ceremony called Amrit Sanchar. ... The Khanda The Khanda is one of the most important symbols of Sikhism. ... A Sikh man almost always bears the surname of Singh, which means lion, and a Sikh woman can be identified with a second name of Kaur, which means princess (Kaur being an exclusively Sikh name). ... Satguru or Sadguru means true guru (Sanskrit à¤¸à¤¦à¤—à¥à¤°à¥‚ sat=true), literally: true teacher. ... Waheguru (Punjabi: , or , ) means The Wonderful Lord in the Punjabi language. ... Sheikh Farid (Farid-ul-Din Masaud Shakar Ganj) c. ... Kabir (कबीर) (1440 - Indian Mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Sardar, in some senses also Sirdar (Persian: Ø³Ø±Ø¯Ø§Ø± ) (, IPA ) is a Persian word meaning commander. ... The word Takhat literally means seat of power or throne of authority and refers to one of the five bodies of authority for the Sikhs. ...

References GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

References