From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

'Baba Nanak and Nirankara (formless reality, Waheguru, or the Supreme God)', Janamsakhi painting from a Kashmiri manuscript, early 19th century

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 meaning "without" and Akar (or Akaar), "shape" or "form"; hence, 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:

  • Nirankar Purusha [4]
  • Nirankar Alepa [4]

History

The term was first used to describe the divine by Guru Nanak. [1] The name later would become the namesake of the Nirankari sect founded by Baba Dayal Singh. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c Nesbitt, Eleanor (2016). Sikhism: a very short introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 66. ISBN  978-0-19-874557-0.
  2. ^ "God in Sikhism 3". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  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. p. 126. ISBN  978-0-226-56085-4.
  4. ^ a b Kumar, Nirmal (2006). Sikh Philosophy and Religion: 11th Guru Nanak Memorial Lectures. Guru Nanak memorial lecture series. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 212. ISBN  9781932705683.