Nirankar

'Baba Nanak and Nirankara (formless reality, Waheguru, or the Supreme God)', Janamsakhi painting from a Kashmiri manuscript, early 19th century

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:

• Nirankar Purusha[4]
• Nirankar Alepa[4]

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

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