Welcome to Guru Nanak Temple
We are an online Sikh Gurdwara (Temple) dedicated to bringing the teachings of Guru Nanak to the wider world.
PHOTO ABOVE: Evening descends on the serene pool surrounding the sacred and historical temple of Sikhs, known as the Harmandir Sahib (Hari = God, Mandir = temple, Sahib = respected).
PHOTO: Inside the Harmandir Sahib.
(Photos © Jasper Johal)
Our Mission:
Teach the WorldAbout Sikhism
With an estimated population of 25 to 30 million, Sikhs are the fifth largest religious group in the world. Yet most westerners have no idea who the Sikhs are. We hope to change that.
Guru Nanak Temple’s mission is to share the knowledge of Sikh history, values and culture with the rest of the world.
NOTE: In keeping with our Gurus’ teachings, Sikhs view all other faiths and religions with respect. Therefore our site does not engage in conversion or evangelizing. Instead we simply invite followers of other spiritual traditions to come visit our temples, enjoy our free meal service (langar), and learn about our deeply egalitarian traditions.
Visitors from around the world listening to the reading of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, at the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar, Punjab, India. (Photo © Jasper Johal)
Mool Mantar
Guru Nanak was a poet and a singer. He expressed his teaching in verse form. Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, contains 974 hymns composed by him.
But it is the very first twelve words, known as the Mool Mantar, that shows Guru Nanaks’s gift for brevity. This concentrated little gem distils the very essence of what divinity is, according to Nanak.
ੴ
ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ
ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ
ਨਿਰਭਉ
ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ
ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ
ਅਜੂਨੀ
ਸੈਭੰ
ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
To understand it fully, one must know the enormous history behind each word. But sometimes poetry is better translated by composing another poem that captures the spirit of the original, instead of a literal translation.
In the hush before the morning light,
A whisper stirs the soul’s deep flight.
A sacred truth, both fierce and fair—
One breath, one flame, one everywhere.
Ik Onkar — the primal sound,
One timeless truth where all is bound.
Not many gods in fractured skies,
But one that sees through every eye.
Sat Naam — O Name so true,
The heart repeats, the mind turns blue.
A truth that flickers in the breeze,
In stone, in star, in swaying trees.
Kartaa Purakh — Creator vast,
Who weaves the future, holds the past.
A hand unseen, yet always near,
In every joy and every tear.
Nirbhau, beyond all mortal dread,
Where even silence dares to tread.
No fear can touch this endless light,
No shadow dims its boundless might.
Nirvair, without a trace of hate,
No vengeance sits at heaven’s gate.
All creatures bask beneath its gaze—
The thief, the saint, alike it sways.
Akaal Moorat — Formless flame,
No age, no end, no earthly name.
Unshaped by death, untouched by time,
A rhythm in the void’s own rhyme.
Ajooni, born of no one’s womb,
No cradle, pyre, no earthly tomb.
Not tied to flesh, nor time’s decay,
It simply is, in its own way.
Saibhang, self-born, self-lit, divine,
No sculptor shaped this grand design.
It shines because it always shone—
A sun that dawns before the dawn.
Gur Prasaad, through Guru’s grace,
The soul finds home, the heart its place.
Not earned by wealth or clever mind,
But given freely, pure, and kind.
So pause and breathe this ancient sound,
Where sky and soul and truth are bound.
A mantra sung in love and light,
To guide the dark, to crown the night.
O seeker, in these lines you’ll see—
The path to love, the way to be.
Not just to chant, but live egch part:
Let Oneness echo in your heart.
Support Us
We launched our site in late May 2025. We are just getting started.
Your donations help us to continue expanding our site, and making it more useful for people who wish to learn about Sikhi. If you have the means, you can help us build a video studio where we will record and edit lessons for our online school.
Please click on the button below to go to our donation page. Your support is deeply appreciated.
