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:
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
References
- Nesbitt, Eleanor (2016). Sikhism: a very short introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-0-19-874557-0.
- "God in Sikhism 3". www.speakingtree.in. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
- 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.
- 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.