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{{short description|Opening words of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
[[File:17th century Mul Mantar, Guru Arjan handwriting, Kartarpur manuscript.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''Mūl Mantar'' in [[Guru Arjan]]'s handwriting, 17th century Kartarpur manuscript.]]
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
{{Sikh scriptures}}
The '''Mūl Mantar''' ({{lang-pa|ਮੂਲ ਮੰਤਰ}}, {{IPA-all|muːlᵊ mən̪t̪əɾᵊ}}) is the opening verse of the [[Sikh]] scripture, the ''[[Guru Granth Sahib]]''. It consists of twelve words in the [[Punjabi language]], written in [[Gurmukhi]] script, and are the most widely known among the Sikhs.<ref name=nesbitt22/><ref>{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMvXAAAAMAAJ |year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-564894-2|pages=88–89}}</ref> They summarize the essential teaching of [[Guru Nanak]],<ref name=nesbitt22>Eleanor Nesbitt, "Sikhism: a very short introduction", {{ISBN|0-19-280601-7}}, [[Oxford University Press]], pp. 22-24</ref> thus constituting a succinct doctrinal statement of [[Sikhism]].<ref name="Singh2006p246">{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=Life and Work of Guru Arjan: History, Memory, and Biography in the Sikh Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbPXAAAAMAAJ| year= 2006|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn= 978-0-19-567921-2|page= 246}}</ref>

It has been variously translated, with the interpretation of the first two words particularly contested.<ref name=singhp245>{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=Life and Work of Guru Arjan: History, Memory, and Biography in the Sikh Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FbPXAAAAMAAJ| year= 2006|publisher= Oxford University Press|isbn= 978-0-19-567921-2|pages= 245–258}}</ref> These are rendered as "There is one god", "One reality is", "This being is one" and others. Sometimes the disagreements include capitalizing g in god, or r in reality, which affects the implied meaning in English.<ref name=nesbitt22/> Some consider it [[monotheistic]], others [[monist]]. The general view favors the monotheistic interpretation, but not the Semitic understanding of monotheism. It is rather "Guru Nanak's mystical awareness of the one that is expressed through the many."<ref name=nesbitt22/> The remaining ten words after the first two are literally translated as true name, the creator, without fear, without hate, timeless in form, beyond birth, self-existent, (known by) the grace of Guru.<ref name=nesbitt22/><ref name=singhp245/>

The verse is repeated in the Sikh scripture before numerous [[Shabad (hymn)|Shabad]], or hymns.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kalsi|first1=Sewa Singh|last2=Marty|first2=Martin E.|title=Sikhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=INgxOAAACAAJ|access-date=17 July 2010|date=March 2005|publisher=Chelsea House Publishers|isbn=978-0-7910-8356-7|page=47}}</ref> It existed in many versions in the 16th-century before it was given its final form by [[Guru Arjan]] in the 17th century.<ref name="Singh2000p88">{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=HMvXAAAAMAAJ |year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-564894-2|pages=88–89, earlier versions of Mūl Mantar and context: 82–90}}</ref> The essential elements of the ''mantar'' are found in Guru Nanak's compositions, the various epithets he used for [[Akal Purakh]] (Ultimate Reality).

==Etymology==
A ''[[Mantra|mantar]]'' means "formula, succinct doctrinal or sacred words with spiritual meaning".<ref name="Singh2000p84">{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMvXAAAAMAAJ |year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-564894-2|pages=84 }}</ref><ref>[[Jan Gonda]] (1963), ''The Indian Mantra'', Oriens, Volume 16, pages 244–247</ref> The word ''mūl'' means "root, main or "fundamental." The ''Mūl Mantar'' is thus "root formula",<ref name="Singh2000p84"/> or the root statement of Sikhism.<ref name=nesbitt22/>

==Text==
The ''Mūl Mantar'' is:<ref name=singhp245/>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center;"
|-
! Gurmukhi
! Transliteration
! Translation 1 (Eleanor Nesbitt)<ref name=nesbitt22/>
! Translation 2 (Eleanor Nesbitt)<ref>{{citation | last=Nesbitt | first=Eleanor | title=The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology| chapter=Sikhism | publisher=Wiley Blackwell | location=Oxford, UK | year=2018 | isbn=978-0-470-65722-5 | doi=10.1002/9781118924396.wbiea2186 | pages=1–12}}</ref>
! Translation 3 (Pashaura Singh)<ref>{{cite book|author=Pashaura Singh|title=The Guru Granth Sahib: Canon, Meaning and Authority |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HMvXAAAAMAAJ |year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-564894-2|pages=85–89 (the final version: 88–89)}}</ref>
|-
|
ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥
||
''ikk(u) ōaṅkār(u) sat(i)-nām(u) karatā purakh(u) nirapà'u niravair(u) akāl(a) mūrat(i) ajūnī saipàṅ gur(a)-prasād(i)॥''
||
There is one god, named truth, the creator, without fear, without hate, timeless in form, beyond birth, self-existent, (known by) the grace of the Guru.
||
This Being is one, truth by name, creator, fearless, without hatred, of timeless form, unborn, self-existent, and known by the Guru's grace.
||
There is one supreme being, the eternal reality (true name), the creator, without fear, devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, (known by) the grace of the Guru.
|}

The extended version with the ''Jap'' verse is:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rahi |first1=Hakim Singh |title=Sri Guru Granth Sahib Discovered: A Reference Book of Quotations from the Adi Granth |date=1999 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |location=Delhi, India |isbn=9788120816138 |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2FIL6L2GQaYC&pg=PA8 |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chauhan |first1=G. S. |title=Sri Guru Nanak Dev's Japji |date=2005 |publisher=Hemkunt Press |location=New Delhi, India |isbn=9788170103141 |pages=44–51 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LeWcb_rjupUC&pg=PA50 |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Beck |first1=Guy |title=Sacred Sound: Experiencing Music in World Religions |date=2006 |publisher=Wilfrid Laurier University Press |location=Waterloo, Canada |isbn=9780889204218 |pages=146–147 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t-IeHbqAfSsC&pg=PA146 |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center;"
!Gurmukhi
!Transliteration
!Translation
|-
|ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ 
ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ 
ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ 
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ 
ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ 
ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥

॥ ਜਪੁ॥

ਆਦਿ ਸਚੁ 
ਜੁਗਾਦਿ ਸਚੁ॥ 
ਹੈ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ 
ਨਾਨਕ ਹੋਸੀ ਭੀ ਸਚੁ॥੧॥
|''ikk(u) ōaṅkār(u) sat(i)-nām(u) ''
''karatā purakh(u) ''
''nirapà'u niravair(u) ''
''akāl(a) mūrat(i) ''
''ajūnī saipàṅ ''
''gur(a)-prasād(i)॥''

''॥ jap(u)॥ ''
''ād(i) sacch(u) ''
''jugād(i) sacch(u)॥ ''
''hai pī̀ sacch(u)॥ ''
''nānak(a) hosī pī̀ sacch(u)॥1॥''
|One creator, name is truth, 
agentive (doer) being, 
without fear, without hatred, 
timeless form, 
unbegotten, self-existent, 
known by the Guru's grace.

Recite: 
True at the beginning, 
true through the ages, 
is yet true, 
O [[Guru Nanak|Nanak]], and will be true.

|}

==Grammar==
[[File:Sri Guru Granth Sahib Nishan.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Illuminated [[Adi Granth]] folio with Mūl Mantar of [[Guru Gobind Singh]]]]
The archaic language of the Guru Granth Sahib is highly [[inflected]];{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=35}} the [[suffix]]ed short vowels parenthesized above indicate various [[declension]]s. In the Mūl Mantar, the suffixed -''u'' indicates nouns and adjectives in the [[Grammatical gender|masculine]] [[Grammatical number|singular]] [[direct case]], though some words ending with -''ā'' (like ''karat'''ā''''') can also indicate this case.{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=18}} This suffix can also indicate an [[Imperative mood|imperative]] when attached to a verb,{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=73}} as in ''jap'''u'''''.

The suffixed -''a'' can indicate the masculine [[vocative case]],{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=72}} as in ''Nānak'''a''''', the masculine singular [[oblique case]]{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=62}} in [[Compound (linguistics)|compounds]] as in ''gur'''a''' prasādi'', and a [[Grammatical gender|feminine]] singular direct adjective{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=31}} as in ''akal'''a''''', as well as the masculine plural direct case and the feminine singular direct case.

The suffixed -''i'' can indicate the [[possessive]] case in compounds (as in ''sat'''i''' nāmu''),{{sfn|Shackle|1983|pp=64, 69}} and the [[locative]]{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=88}} (as in ''ād'''i''''' and ''jugād'''i''''') or [[instrumental case]] as in ''gura prāsad'''i''''';{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=91}} these terms would be ''ād'''u''''', ''jugād'''u''''', and ''prasād'''u''''' if taking the direct case. It is also another feminine singular direct case{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=30}} (as in ''mūrat'''i'''''); ''-a'' and ''-i'' are among the predominant declensions for this case.{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=30}}

Adjectives and [[modifiers]] also agree in number and gender with their dependent element,{{sfn|Shackle|1983|p=18}} hence ''ikk'''u''' oaṅkār'''u''''', ''akāl'''a''' mūrat'''i''''', and the term ''mūl'''u''' mantar'''u''''' itself.

Most of these cases still exist in the [[Punjabi grammar|modern language]] in slightly different forms; features in the archaic language like the masculine singular direct suffix ''-u'' and feminine singular direct suffix ''-a'' parallel nominal declensions in other related languages.

The included [[grave accent]] included in the above transliterations illustrates tones and guide the verbal pronunciation of the verse.

==Discourse==
[[File:Long version Mul Mantar, Darshan Deori, Golden Temple.jpg|thumb|right|The extended version of the ''Mūl Mantar'' at the Darshani Deori, the main entrance leading to the pathway into the [[Golden Temple]]]]
The ''Mūl Mantar'' is a widely known part of Sikh scripture, but it has posed a challenge to translators.<ref name=nesbitt22/> The first two words [[Ik Onkar]] has been rendered multiple ways. It has been translated as "'There is one god', as 'One reality is', 'there is one God',<ref>{{cite book |author = Singh, Khushwant| author-link = Khushwant Singh| chapter=The Sikhs| chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=5LSvkQvvmAMC |editor=Kitagawa, Joseph Mitsuo |title=The religious traditions of Asia: religion, history, and culture |publisher=Routledge |location=London |year=2002 |page=114 |isbn=0-7007-1762-5 }}</ref> 'singularity despite seeming plurality,'<ref>{{cite book|title=Aspects of Guru Nanak's philosophy | first=Wazir | last=Singh | year=1969 | publisher=Routledge | page=20 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rWM9AAAAIAAJ}}</ref> and 'This being is one,' and asserts the "distinctively Sikh theological emphasis" on "the ineffable quality of God" as "the Person beyond time," "the Eternal One," and "the One without form," and is canonically understood in Sikhism to refer to "absolute monotheistic unity of God".<ref name="WD">{{cite book | title=Merriam-Webster's encyclopedia of world religions | last=Doniger | first=Wendy | year=1999 | publisher=Merriam-Webster | page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440/page/500 500] | url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440 | url-access=registration | isbn=978-0-87779-044-0}}</ref> The varying capitalization of "God", "Reality", or "Being" affects the meaning in [[English language|English]].<ref name=nesbitt22/> A number of translations erroneously change the ''Mūl Mantar'' from a list of qualities to a statement of facts and [[possessive adjectives]]. For example, they may change [[Satnam]] from "truth by name" to "His name is truth", which adds a [[masculine]] quality to the ''Mūl Mantar'' which does not appear in the original [[Gurmukhi]]. These sacred words of Sikhism do not presume a particular gender.<ref name=nesbitt22/> the ''Mūl Mantar'' serves as a "succinct statement which set the Sikh doctrine apart from the philosophical systems of both Indic and Semitic religious traditions."<ref name="Singh2006p246"/>

Some Sikh institutions, like the [[SGPC]], consider the ''Mūl Mantar'' proper to end at ''gura prasādi'', arguing that what follows is the name and first line of the ''[[Japji Sahib]]'' composition, citing the number of times that the verse appears as such preceding [[Gurbani]] compositions.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} On the other hand, other historic institutions, like some ''[[Damdami Taksal|taksals]]'' (traditional Sikh religious educational institutions) and ''gurmat'' schools, hold the ''Mūl Mantar'' to be the full following verse, contending that this form has been used in the [[Amrit Sanchar]] baptizing ceremony since its inception.<ref name="Hawley"/> This is in line with the stand taken by the ''[[nihang]]s'' and other groups who stress the recitation of the complete ''Mūl Mantar'', arguing that this tradition has come directly from the time of the Gurus, and there is reliable evidence to support this contention;<ref name="Hawley"/> like the ''kamar kassā'', or waist-belt body armor of [[Guru Gobind Singh]], preserved at [[Moti Bagh Palace]] Museum in [[Patiala]], bearing an inscription of the long form.<ref name="Hawley">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Pashaura, Michael Hawley |title=Re-imagining South Asian Religions: Essays in Honour of Professors Harold G. Coward and Ronald W. Neufeldt |date=2012 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9789004242371 |page=39 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qT0yAQAAQBAJ&q=hosi+bhi}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Shackle |first1=Christopher |title=An Introduction to the Sacred Language of the Sikhs |date=1983 |publisher=University of London School of Oriental and African Studies |location=London, U.K. |isbn=9780728601079 |url=https://archive.org/details/AnIntroductionToTheSacredLanguageOfTheSikhs/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book | author=Macauliffe, M.A | title=The Sikh Religion: Its Gurus Sacred Writings and Authors| publisher=Low Price Publications | year=1909 | isbn=81-7536-132-8}}
* {{cite book | author=Shackle, C | title=A Guru Nanak Glossary| publisher=School of Oriental and African Studies| year=1981 | isbn=0-7286-0243-1 }}
* {{cite book | author=Singh, Dalip | title=Sikhism in the Words of the Guru| publisher=Lok Sahit Prakashan | year=1999| asin=B0000CPD3S}}
* {{cite book | author=Singh, Dr. Gopal | title=Guru-Granth Sahib Vol.1| publisher=Taplinger Publishing Co.| year=1962 }}
* {{cite book | author=Singh, Dr. Santokh | title=English Transliteration and Interpretation of Nitnaym Baanees, Sikh Prayers for English Speaking Sikh Youth| publisher=Sikh Resource Centre | year=1990| isbn=1-895471-08-7}}
* {{cite book | author=Osho | title=The True Name, Vol.1 : Discourses on Japji Sahib of Guru Nanak Dev| publisher=New Age International(P) Ltd| year=1994 | isbn=81-224-0606-8}}
*{{cite book | author=Dr Sahib Singh, D Lit | title=Shiri Guru Granth Sahib Darpan| publisher=Raj Publishers (Regd), Adda Husharpur Jallundhar | date=Jan 1972 }}

==External links==
* [https://www.damdamitaksaal.org/mool-mantar Mool Mantar, Damdami Taksaal]
* [http://www.srigranth.org/servlet/gurbani.gurbani?Action=Page&Param=1 English and Hindi translations]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120825234434/http://www.sikher.com/guru-granth-sahib/user/search/scripturelist?scripturepage=1 Translation of Sri Guru Granth Sahib in >52 languages] Machine translation of SGGS can be read from linked site by choosing appropriate language in transliterate and translation fields

{{Sikhism}}

[[Category:Adi Granth]]

Mul Mantar - Revision history

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