sikhmool-mantarguru-nanakwaheguru

Mool Mantar

मूल मंत्र

🕉️ sikh·📿 108× repetitions·🕐 Amrit Vela (pre-dawn, 3-6 AM) — the most auspicious time in Sikh practice·📜 Guru Granth Sahib (opening verse)

Origin & Story

Guru Granth Sahib (opening verse) · Guru Nanak Dev Ji · 1469-1539 CE

Guru Nanak composed the Mool Mantar after his transformative experience at the Bein river in Sultanpur Lodhi. At age 30, Nanak went to bathe in the river and disappeared for three days. His family feared he had drowned. When he emerged, he was silent for a day, then spoke his first words: 'There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim. So whose path shall I follow? I shall follow God's path.' The Mool Mantar was the first revelation he shared — a description of the One God beyond all human divisions.

✦ As told in scripture

Sikh tradition records that when Guru Nanak recited the Mool Mantar before Emperor Babur's army, the soldiers who were about to attack were frozen in place, unable to move. Babur himself came to Guru Nanak and, upon hearing the Mool Mantar, released all his prisoners. The power of the mantra was so profound that Babur is said to have wept and asked for forgiveness.

Complete Text with Meaning

Doha 1

ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ करता पुरखु निरभउ निरवैरु अकाल मूरति अजूनी सैभं गुर प्रसादि ।।

Ik Onkar Sat Naam Karta Purakh Nirbhau Nirvair Akal Murat Ajooni Saibhang Gur Prasad

Meaning:There is One Universal Creator God. His Name is Truth. He is the Creator of all. He is without fear. He is without hatred. He is timeless and formless. He is beyond birth and death, self-existent. He is realized through the grace of the Guru.

Doha 2

ॐ इक ओंकार सतिनामु करता पुरखु निरभउ निरवैरु अकाल मूरति अजूनी सैभं गुर प्रसादि

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

इक ओंकार🔊Ik OnkarThere is One God, the universal creator

सतिनामु🔊Sat NaamHis name is Truth, Eternal Truth

करता पुरखु🔊Karta PurakhHe is the Creator of all

निरभउ🔊NirbhauWithout fear

निरवैरु🔊NirvairWithout hatred or enmity

अकाल मूरति🔊Akal MuratTimeless form, beyond death

अजूनी🔊AjooniBeyond birth and death, unborn

सैभं🔊SaibhangSelf-existent, self-illuminated

गुर प्रसादि🔊Gur PrasadRealized through the Guru's grace

Benefits of Chanting Mool Mantar

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Foundation of all Sikh spiritual practice — contains the complete essence of Sikh theology

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Meditating on the Mool Mantar removes ego, fear and hatred

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Brings deep peace and connection to the universal divine

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Develops fearlessness (Nirbhau) and freedom from enmity (Nirvair)

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Reciting 108 times daily is said to fulfil all wishes and remove obstacles

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Universal message — applicable to all of humanity regardless of religion

How to Chant Mool Mantar

Repetitions108times

Best TimeAmrit Vela (pre-dawn, 3-6 AM) — the most auspicious time in Sikh practice

Sit in a clean, quiet place. The ideal time is Amrit Vela, before dawn. Close your eyes and focus on the meaning of each word. Recite slowly, feeling each attribute of the Divine. In Sikh practice, the Mool Mantar is often chanted as the beginning of Japji Sahib, but it can be recited independently for deep meditation. Use a mala if desired.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Mool Mantar is the opening verse of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhism. Written by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, it is considered the root (mool) mantra that contains the complete essence of Sikh belief about the nature of God.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539), the founder of Sikhism, composed the Mool Mantar. It was the first composition he wrote after his enlightenment experience at the Bein river, where he disappeared for three days and returned with the declaration: 'There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim.'

Yes. The Mool Mantar's message is universal — it describes the One God who is beyond all religions, fears, and hatreds. Guru Nanak's teachings emphasize that God belongs to all of humanity.

Ik means One. Onkar means God/Creator (derived from Om). Together, Ik Onkar means 'There is One God' — the foundational belief of Sikhism that there is one universal creative force.