Ek Onkar
 |
Stylised Ek Onkar |
 |
Simple Ek Onkar |
Ek Onkar (also
,
,
Ä'k ÅŒaá¹…kÄr,
Ek Omkar,
Ik Omkar and other variants) means
one God and is a central tenet of
Sikh religious philosophy. It is also a symbol of the unity of God in
Sikhism, and is commonly found on
Gurdwaras.
Guru Nanak. Ek Onkar is a combination of three letters:
Ek - one (
Sanskrit eka),
- the sacred letter for God, and the
kar - which is a line drawn over the Om, signifying the continuity, timelessness and eternal presence of Om (God).
Onkar came from Sanskrit
OmkÄra, which means "he or it which makes ".
Ek Onkar is the first phrase in the
Mool Mantra:
One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth. Creative Being Personified. No Fear. No Hatred. Image Of The Undying, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent. By Guru's Grace. True In The Primal Beginning. True Throughout The Ages. True Here And Now. O Nanak, Forever And Ever True.An alternative interpretation:
* Ik - means One
* Oan - The Creator
* Kaa - The Sustainer
* Aar - The Destroyer
David C. Lane makes reference to a dissertation by an un-named writer that describes of how
Paul Twitchell, founder of
Eckankar, derived the name of his new religion from Ek Onkar.
# Late Baba Thakar Singh of Damdami Taksal, Amritsar#
The Making of a Spiritual Movement: The Untold Story of Paul Twitchell and Eckankar (David C. Lane)*
About.com page on Ek Onkar*
Gateway for India page on Sikhism*
About.com page on Ek Onkar*
Information on Ek Onkar (Punjabi)Image:1onkar Orange.jpgImage:1onkar Deep Red.jpgImage:1onkar Blue.jpgImage:1onkar Simple.jpg<\gallery>