Akal Ustat (Gurmukhi: ਅਕਾਲ ਉਸਤਤਿ) is the name given to the second
Bani
Bani may refer to:
Places Africa
*Bani Department, a department in the Séno Province of Burkina Faso
*Bani, Bani, Séno, Burkina Faso
* Bani, Bourzanga, Bam, Burkina Faso
*Bani, Gnagna, Burkina Faso
* Bani, The Gambia
*Bani River, a tributary ...
in the second holy scriptures of the
Sikhs called the
Dasam Granth
The ''Dasam Granth'' (Gurmukhi: ਦਸਮ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ''dasama gratha'') is a collection of various manuscripts in Sikhism containing compositions attributed to Guru Gobind Singh. . It is composed of 271 verses, and is largely devotional in nature.
The word "Akal" mean the "timeless primal being" and the word "Ustat" (from the Sanskrit word 'stuti') means "praise". So together, the words "Akal Ustat" mean "the praise of the Timeless One". In it,
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth
Sikh Guru
The Sikh gurus ( Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established this religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the found ...
writes that
God
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
is worshipped by various peoples in many different ways, and with varying names and methods:
The scripture is notable for its unalloyed disavowal of the
caste system, and of cultural elitism in general. At various points in this composition, Guru Gobind Singh speaks out against the belief that some people are superior to others, by virtue of belonging to a particular religion, region, history, culture, colour or creed. Instead, he clearly and firmly states that "all human beings are equal ":
References
Bibliography
* The Wondrous Play, Dr. Jodh Singh.
* The Life and Ideals of Guru Gobind Singh by Surindar Singh Kohli, 1986, Munshiram Manoharlal
{{Dasam Granth
Sikh scripture
Dasam Granth