The Mool Mantar – A Unifying Vision
The Mool Mantar – A Unifying Vision
By S. Ravinder Singh Taneja
Abstract
The Guru Granth Sahib opens with a preamble, a creedal statement, known to Sikhs as the Mool Mantar. Its placement and frequency in the Guru Granth – hundreds of times in full or abbreviated form – attests to its doctrinal centrality. The Mool Mantar is Guru Nanak’s testimony to his revelation and experience of the mystical Truth, expressed in words as it can be captured in language. The presentation shows – against the backdrop of the speaker’s evolving understanding, how the Mool Mantar creates a unifying vision and framework for humanity, transcending religious, cultural and geographical boundaries.
The problems of our time – climate, the environment, food and water – are increasingly demanding a sustainable and systemic solution. The presenter makes a case that the Mool Mantar offers the global framework needed to build a better future for all humanity. It is the responsibility of Sikhs to lead in socializing Guru Nanak’s vision.
Video of Presentation
Body of Paper
About the Author
Ravinder Singh is a graduate the Simon School of Management from University of Rochester. A global Executive, he works for a Financial Services company. His consuming passion is Sikhs and Sikhi – in all its flavors and dimensions. He is founder and convener of the Talking Stick, a weekly online colloquium devoted to a dialogue around Gurbani that appears in Sikhchic.com. Ravinder has served as Executive Director of the Sikh Research Institute and is currently on its Board of Directors. He is on the Editorial Board of Khoj Gurbani an online crowdsourced platform that provides Sikhs with educational resources. He also moderates a weekly online discussion on Gurbani and Gurmat. He lives in Westerville, Ohio, with his wife, Harjit, and his daughter, Simran.