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Ikonkaar Across Traditions
Guru Nanak (1468-1539) was famous for describing the Divine as Ikonkaar/Ekankaar but this is also seen in Sufi, Vaishnava and Yogi texts from the same time period. Sant Gurbachan Singh's commentary on the Guru's Japji notes difference in meaning tho
Guru Nanak (1468-1539) was famous for describing the Divine as Ikonkaar/Ekankaar but this is also seen in Sufi, Vaishnava and Yogi texts from the same time period. Sant Gurbachan Singh's commentary on the Guru's Japji notes difference in meaning tho
The Sufi text Mirgavati (1503) by Qutban Suhravardi starts with "एकंकार अलख करतारा" Ekankaar Alakh Kartara, translated by Aditya Belh as, "Singular Sound, Invisible Creator!". Belh's note to the translation matches Sant Gurbachan Singh's remarks on the Islamic interpretation
Another Sufi text the Madhumalati, written in 1545 by Manjhan also uses the term - "Gupt Roop Pragat Sab Thaee, Nirgun Ekankaar Gosaee" - That Formless Ekankaar Master of the World which was hidden, took form in all areas of the world.
The Dadupanth community, a Vaishnava bhakti oriented group, wrote poetry which was compiled in the 1620s, and the author also uses the term एकंकार Ekankaar in a passage which expounds how the entire creation is just One.
In a Yogic context, the Gorakhbani, verses attributed to a symbolic Gorakh Nath, were likely written sometime down in the 1600s, and this compilation of scripture also notes the term एकंकार Ekankaar as shown below.
A disclaimer to this post that the shared terminology does not mean the communities had the same interpretation for the term. In Sant Gurbachan Singh's commentary 9 different meanings are given for Onkaar alone. Perhaps the shared terminology facilitated dialogue & understanding.
