Mool Mantar A prayer, A way of life

What is Mool Mantar? Commonly taught as the definition of Waheguru. Also serves as goals for each Sikh to achieve as individuals.

< God is one siq nwm His Name is Truth krqw purKu He is the Creator inrBau He is without fear inrvYr He is without enmity Akwl mUrq He is timeless AjUnI Beyond birth and death sYBM Self-illuminated gurpRswid Realized by His Grace

< Ik Oankaar Two components: “Ik” = One “Oankaar” = Master

< Ik Oankaar One “One” is important in Sikhism. As humanity, we are one. Avil Alh nUru aupwieAw kudriq ky sB bMdy ] First, Allah created the Light; then, by His Creative Power, He made all mortal beings. eyk nUr qy sBu jgu aupijAw kaun Bly ko mMdy ]1] From One Light, the entire universe welled up. So who is good and who is bad? ||1|| According to this, in Sikhism everyone is equal regardless of what background they come from.

< Ik Oankaar Master We’re equal, but not the same. If Sikhism focuses on the community, why is individuality important? If there is only one master, let your master be you. Each person has a different background, upbringing, experience, and wisdom. There’s no way that people can expect everyone to be the same. Sikhism does focus on the community rather than the individual, but an ethical and cohesive community is made of ethical and cohesive individuals. It’s important for people to use their individuality for the greater good of the community. That is done best after one has realized his potential and abilities, and thus Sikhism encourages people to cultivate their uniqueness. Throughout Sikh history, India faced the terrorism of the Mughals and the Sikh Gurus tolerated none of it, nor did they respond to the pressures of the Hindu society to conform to old Vedic traditions. All ten of them taught that Waheguru is within and that should one listen to his conscience with the resolve to do what is right, he will be rewarded many fold.

siq nwm Sat Naam Name: A word or words by which an entity is designated and distinguished from others A word or group of words used to describe or evaluate, often disparagingly Basically, a name is a short definition.

schu ErY sBu ko aupir scu Awcwru ]5] siq nwm Sat Naam Waheguru is defined by “truth.” schu ErY sBu ko aupir scu Awcwru ]5] Truth is higher than everything, but higher still is truthful living. ||5|| Let yourself be defined by “truth.” The Sikh Gurus emphasized truthful living over everything else. It makes good sense in that lying or being untruthful really doesn’t help anything in the long run. For most people, it creates an unnecessary burden on the mind. Truthful living also promotes the well-being of the community as it adds to the cohesive nature we strive for.

krqw purKu Karta Purakh Waheguru created everything in His likeness His qualities are inherent in us Humans have exhibited great creativity as a whole We can bring this up another level We can use our creativity to express ourselves, our opinions as a community, and as a tool to better the community. More outreach programs to spread awareness of Sikhs is definitely something we could use to get more creative; it’s almost like advertising.

inrBau Nirbhou Fear in itself is a hindrance. A lack of fear automatically brings self-confidence and self-respect. Both outside and inside factors can induce fear. We must work to make sure that neither exist in our communities. Sikhism advocates a society of confident (but not egotistical) and self-respecting individuals. Only such people are able to work together successfully to create a community of love. When people aren’t scared of anything, they not only express themselves freely, but are also willing to listen. Fear is not only fearing what other people could do to you if you say something or do a certain behavior. Insecurity can also be a form of fear in that there’s a fear of not being accepted, of being wrong, or of failure. While these are harder to handle, they are the more dangerous of the types of fears people experience.

inrvYr Nirvair nw ko bYrI nhI ibgwnw sgl sMig hm kaU bin AweI ]1] Enemies are also a hindrance. Sikhism is a peaceful religion, and enmity does not promote peace. nw ko bYrI nhI ibgwnw sgl sMig hm kaU bin AweI ]1] I see no stranger, I see no enemy. Wherever I look, God is all I see. When people have enemies, they’re deterred from working on projects or going to places or just doing things in general that would be good for people in general. Enmity also cultivates anger, which is a very distracting state to be in. Distracting in the sense that many lose all sense of logic and reason when they’re angry, and that’s not a state a Sikh should find himself in. Sikhs believe in channeling all energy towards positive behaviors, and Sikhism also promotes forgiveness.

Akwl mUrq Akaal Moorat How do people become timeless? Leave behind your legacy wherever you go. It’s a known fact that people die. However, usually, people like to leave something behind before they pass on. Some start schools, others erect monuments, some are just warm people who have influenced their families and friends in such a way that people they left behind want to emulate their good qualities. In all cases, people have left behind things that improve the community in some way or other.

AjUnI Ajoonee Our presence here is temporary. In this life, we experience many “births” and “deaths.” By committing ourselves to righteousness, we eventually escape the cycle of birth and death. Sikhi teaches that this world was created as a Dharam sal, which comes from two words: Dharam, meaning commitment to righteousness, and sal, meaning inn. So we can treat this world as a temporary place where we can do what is right. By focusing on Waheguru, we can ensure that our downs are not that low and our ups are not too high. As long as we keep in mind that this world is transient, we can remain “down to earth” enough that we experience life without getting too emotionally attached.

mn qUM joiq srUpu hY Awpxw mUlu pCwxu ] sYBM Saibha(n) We need to be self-illuminated. mn qUM joiq srUpu hY Awpxw mUlu pCwxu ] Oh my mind, you are the embodiment of the Divine Light – recognize your origin. We need to have our motivation for doing things coming from within. Waheguru has given us all the materials we need, but we have to find the drive within ourselves to make the best of things and to do whatever it takes to accomplish our goals – whatever they might be.

gurpRswid Gurprasaad By Waheguru’s Grace can all this be realized.