Japji Sahib (Mool Mantar)
- Jan 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 26
Japji Sahib (Mool Mantar)
The Original (Gurmukhi)
ੴਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁਨਿਰਭਉਨਿਰਵੈਰੁਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿਅਜੂਨੀਸੈਭੰਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Transliteration
Ik
Onkar
Sat Naam
Karta Purakh
Nirbhau
Nirvair
Akaal Moorat
Ajooni
Saibhang
Gur Prasad
Straight, Clear Meaning (Sikh-Accurate)
Ik Onkar — One Reality, One Source, One Whole.
Sat Naam — Its essence is Truth.
Karta Purakh — The Creative, Active Presence in everything.
Nirbhau — Without fear.
Nirvair — Without hate.
Akaal Moorat — Timeless, unbound by decay.
Ajooni — Not born, not contained in birth.
Saibhang — Self-existent, self-radiant.
Gur Prasad — Known through the Guru’s grace.
This is not a list of divine personality traits.
It is a description of the nature of Reality itself.
Sacred Commentary
Devotional, Clear, Not Didactic
The Mool Mantar is the doorway into Sikh wisdom.
It does not argue.
It does not persuade.
It simply reveals what is.
It begins with Ik Onkar — the truth that all existence is woven from one thread.
Not “one god among many.”
Not “a being separate from creation.”
But Oneness as the ground of everything.
When the Guru says Sat Naam,
he is reminding us that Truth is not a fact we memorize.
Truth is a living essence that permeates all things.
Then comes Karta Purakh — the Creative Presence that does not sit above life,
but moves through it, shapes it, breathes it, sustains it.
Nirbhau, Nirvair — Reality is without fear
and without hate
because nothing is outside it, nothing is “other,”
nothing exists to trigger fear or hostility.
Akaal Moorat — beyond time’s erosion.
Ajooni — not born, never arriving, never leaving.
Saibhang — shining from itself, not dependent on anything.
And finally: Gur Prasad.
Understanding does not come through force, effort, or striving.
It comes through grace, through opening, through relationship,
through the Guru’s transmission of wisdom.
This is not a creed.
This is a description of the Real.
You are not asked to believe it,
only to encounter it.
The IFS Lens
Where Sikh Dharma Meets the Path of Self
IFS says that beneath all parts is Self,
calm, compassionate, courageous, connected.
The Mool Mantar says Reality itself is:
fearless, without hate, radiant, one, timeless, creative.
When the teachings sit beside each other,
they begin to hum in harmony.
Ik Onkar resonates with Self-led oneness.
Sat Naam with clarity.
Karta Purakh with compassionate action.
Nirbhau with courage.
Nirvair with loving presence.
Akaal Moorat with steadiness.
Ajooni with freedom from roles.
Saibhang with inner radiance.
Gur Prasad with Self’s natural unfolding.
Your parts are not being told what to believe.
They are simply meeting a tradition that reflects
the very qualities they long for in Self.
Nothing needs to be proven.
Nothing needs to be forced.
We are only exploring resonance.
Practice
Trauma-Informed, Non-Directive, Sacred
1. If it feels comfortable, let your eyes soften or remain open.
There is no correct way for your body to be here.
2. Bring the first line of the Mool Mantar into the room:
“Ik Onkar — there is one Source, one Reality.”
There is nothing to accept or reject here.
Simply let the words be present.
3. As the words settle, gently notice what arises in you.
You might observe beliefs, sensations, emotions, or nothing at all.
Some people feel resonance, warmth, spaciousness, or peace.
Others notice tightening, heaviness, numbness, or distance.
Everything that appears is welcome.
4. Turn toward whichever part of you responds first.
Not to change it, only to be with it.
You may softly ask:
“How do you feel hearing this teaching?”
“What feels close, or what feels far away?”
If it feels safe, allow the part to express whatever is true for it,
through words, emotion, sensation, silence, or simply presence.
If it feels right, you may also explore gently:
“What would it feel like if such a Presence existed somewhere,
not necessarily for me, not necessarily now,
but simply somewhere?”
This is not about adopting a viewpoint.
It is about building trust with the part through presence and curiosity.
This is the practice.
Closing Reflection
You do not approach the Mool Mantar to become holy.
You approach it to become honest.
To let your parts tell the truth
in the presence of a tradition
that has held seekers for centuries.
You are not being asked to rise to the teaching.
The teaching is coming down to sit beside you.
Wherever you are is a perfectly sacred beginning.