Names of God in Sikhism

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Names of God in Sikhism are names attributed to God in Sikhism by Sikh gurus.

List

Below is a list of some names used by Sikhs for God:

No. Gurmukhi Romanization

[variant spellings]

Translation Reference(s)
Names of Indic origin:
1. ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ Waheguru
[Vaheguru] 		Wonderful Enlightener [1][2]
2. ਅਕਾਲ ਪੁਰਖ Akal Purakh The Timeless Being [3]
3. ੴ
ਇੱਕ ਓਅੰਕਾਰ 		Ik Onkar
[Ek Onkar] 		One Creator [4][5]
4. ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ Nirankar Formless [6]
5. ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ Satnam True Name [7]
6. ਪਰਮੇਸ਼ੁਰ Parmeshur
[Parameshwara] 		Supreme Lord [8]
7. ਪੁਰੁਸ਼/ਪੁਰਖ Purusha/Purakh Being [9]
8. ਹਰਿ Hari Seizer (of sin) [10][11]
9. ਮੋਹਨ Mohan Charming, Enchanting or Captivating [10]
10. ਜਗਦੀਸ਼ Jagdish Lord of the World [11]
11. ਕ੍ਰਿਸ੍ਨ Krishan
[Krishna] 		Black [9]
12. ਕਰਣਹਾਰ Karanhar Helmsman [12]
13. ਗੋਬਿੰਦ Gobind
[Govind] 		Cow Herder [9]
14. ਅਲਖ Alakh Unperceivable [12]
15. ਅਗਮ Agam Unaccessible [12]
16. ਰਾਮ Rama
[Raam] 		Dark [10][11][9]
17. ਮਹਾਰਾਜਾ Maharaja Great King
18. ਚੱਕਰ ਚੱਕਰਵਰਤੀ Chakara Cakaravaratī Universal Wheel Turning Emperor
ਠਾਕੁਰ Thakur Lord
Names of Islamic and Persian origin:
1. ਅਲਹੁ Allah The God [10][11]
2. ਰੱਬ Rabb
[Raab] 		Lord [10][11]
3. ਖੁਦਾ Khuda Lord [11]
4. ਰਹੀਮ Rahim
[Raheem] 		Merciful [11]
5. ਕਰੀਮ Karim
[Kareem] 		Generous [11][12]
6. ਸਾਹਿਬ Sahib Companion [11]
7. ਖਡੂਰ Kadur
[Khadur] 		[12]
8. ਸੱਚਾ ਪਾਤਿਸ਼ਾਹ Sache Patishah True Master King
9. ਸ਼ਹਿਨਸ਼ਾਹ Shahenshah King of kings

Meaning and usage

Allah (Arabic: الله) inscribed in Perso-Arabic script on the purported tegha sword of Guru Gobind Singh

The various names for God in Sikhism may stem from either the Indic traditions or the Islamic one.[12] Others are unique to the Sikh tradition, such as Waheguru, Akal Purakh, and Sarabloh. Employment of these terms does not mean Sikhs accept the religious context they are understood in their original sources.[12] For example, the meaning of the words Hari or Ram as used by Sikhs does not mean the same thing as these terms do in the Hindu (particularity Vaishnav) traditions.[12] Usage of these names does not mean Sikhs conceptualize their concept of God in the form of the incarnated devas or devis from Indic mythology, but rather they are used to describe various aspects of God as per Sikh theology.[12]

The Sikh gurus adopted the names for the divine from various faith systems as they saw these sectarian differences in linguistics as unimportant in-comparison to the actual message they were trying to spread.[12] On page 64 of the Guru Granth Sahib, various Islamicate terms for God are also presented freely.[12]

Your names are countless. I do not know their end, but I am sure that there is no one else like you.

— Guru Granth Sahib, page 877[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ganeri, Anita (2003). The Guru Granth Sahib and Sikhism. Sacred Texts. London: Evans. p. 29. ISBN 0-237-52350-7. OCLC 56470212. Waheguru: The name that Sikhs use for God. Waheguru means 'wonderful God'
  2. ^ Wani, Abid Mushtaq (2018). Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism: A Comparative Study. India: Educreation Publishing. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-5457-1818-6. There are many names of God in Sikhism; the most uttered is Waheguru which means wonderful Lord. Satnam means True name. Akal Purakh is Timeless one or eternal being. Sikhs believe that one true God is the Lord of all religions and they do not have the exclusive right on Him. No single religion can have the monopoly of God and different religions are various ways towards the same Waheguru. "You are the Father, Mother, Friend, Brother, with you as Friend, support everywhere, what fear can I have?"
  3. ^ McLeod, William H. (1989). The Sikhs: History, Religion, and Society. Lectures on the History of Religions. Vol. 14. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 978-0-231-06815-4.
  4. ^ Singh, Jagraj (2009). A Complete Guide to Sikhism. Unistar Books. p. 204. ISBN 9788171427543.
  5. ^ Nayar, Dr Kamala Elizabeth (16 April 2020). The Sikh View on Happiness Guru Arjan's Sukhmani. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9781350139893.
  6. ^ Nesbitt, Eleanor (2016). Sikhism: a very short introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-19-874557-0.
  7. ^ Wani, Abid Mushtaq (2018). Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism: A Comparative Study. Educreation Publishing. p. 107.
  8. ^ Cole, Owen (2010). Sikhism - An Introduction: Teach Yourself. Teach Yourself. John Murray Press. ISBN 9781444131017. Parmeshur/Parameshwara: the Supreme Being, God
  9. ^ a b c d 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.
  10. ^ a b c d e Dalal, Roshen (2014). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin U.K. ISBN 9788184753967. Different names are used for God in Sikhism, including Satnam, Hari, Ram, Mohan, Allah, Khuda, Rabb, but usually the term Satnam (True Name) or Wahe Guru (victorv to the guru) is used as a mantra. Reciting Sikh prayers is another form of Nam simaran.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pashaura Singh (2014), in The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies (Editors: Pashaura Singh, Louis E. Fenech), Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0199699308, page 228
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cole, W. Owen (2004). Understanding Sikhism. Understanding Faith. Dunedin Academic Press Ltd. ISBN 9781906716912. Sikhs frequently call God Waheguru, meaning literally "praise to the Guru', or 'the wonderful, awe-inspiring Guru'. Guru Nanak used the names Akal Purukh, the Being Beyond Time, but also the honorific title Sahib, meaning Lord, Ram, Hari, from Hinduism, and Allah or Khuda (Creator) from Islam. On page 64 of the Guru Granth Sahib there is a list of Islamic names for God: "Allah, Alakh, Agam, Kadur, Karanhar, Karim." Man Mohan Singh translates the passage as: 'He is the unseen, inscrutable, inaccessible, omnipotent and bounteous creator.' Clearly, sectarian names meant little to Guru Nanak. In preaching to Hindus he would use names with which they were familiar, if his audience were Muslim he would respect their sensibilities by using Islamic terms. The message mattered more than engaging in wrangling which would only deflect his hearers from listening to and accepting the truth which he was eager to convey. Sectarian argument would defeat his purpose completely. As he once said: 'Without the Guru one prates, prattles and wrangles' (AG 466). ... The names given to God may be unimportant but there is no suggestion that God becomes incarnate in any form as some Hindu teachings assert. The use of the name Ram or Hari, for example, did not imply the acceptance of the Hindu mythology associated with them. Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind, in particular, describe themselves as divinely appointed messengers sent by God to alleviate the sufferings of humanity in the so-called Kal Yug, Age of Darkness, when God's teachings are forgotten, but they never described themselves as incarnations.