Religion:Nirankar
Nirankar (Punjabi: ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ, lit. 'formless'[1]) is one of the many attributes associated to God in Sikhism and means The Formless One.
Etymology
The word has its roots in the Sanskrit word nirākārā (Sanskrit: ਨਿਰਾਕਾਰਾ/निराकारा) and is a compound of two words: nir, which means "without", and akar (ākār), which means "shape" or "form". Therefore, the term is translated as 'The Formless'.[2]
Meaning and usage
The term is used as one of the names of God by Sikhs.[3]
It finds usage in the Guru Granth Sahib:
ਸਚ ਖੰਡਿ ਵਸੈ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੁ ॥सच खंडि वसै निरंकारु ॥
Sacẖ kẖand vasai nirankār.
In the realm of Truth abides the Formless Lord.—SGGS. Pg 8
Conjunction
The words is sometime conjoined with other terms. Some examples are below:
History
The term was first used to describe the divine by Guru Nanak.[1] He described the Akal Purakh, the ultimate reality or 'timeless being', as nirankar, adding that it cannot be expressed through words.[5] The name later would become the namesake of the Nirankari sect founded by Baba Dayal Singh.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nesbitt, Eleanor (2016). Sikhism: a very short introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 66. ISBN 978-0-19-874557-0.
- ↑ "God in Sikhism 3". https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/god-in-sikhism-3.
- ↑ McLeod, William H., ed (1990). Textual sources for the study of Sikhism. Textual sources for the study of religion. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. pp. 126. ISBN 978-0-226-56085-4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kumar, Nirmal (2006). Sikh Philosophy and Religion: 11th Guru Nanak Memorial Lectures. Guru Nanak memorial lecture series. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.. pp. 212. ISBN 9781932705683.
- ↑ Singh, Pashaura (2014). "Gurmat: The Teachings of the Gurus". in Singh, Pashaura. The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. Oxford University Press. pp. 228.
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