Is the God personal? According to Gurbani, yes. However, a formless God without attributes is nirguna and unknowable to human beings. Even the devas do not know His limits. Is the God impersonal and beyond form, thoughts and concepts where words cannot even be uttered? Yes.
But He is also a personal God which can be approached by us in prayer. Therefore He must have taken on a sargun aspect. So both views are correct. The God is nirgun and sargun.
ਜੇ ਹਉ ਜਾਣਾ ਆਖਾ ਨਾਹੀ ਕਹਣਾ ਕਥਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ ॥
jae ho jaanaa aakhaa naahee kehanaa kathhan n jaaee ||
Even knowing God, I cannot describe Him; He cannot be described in words.
~SGGS Ji p. 2
ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਪੈ ਕੀਤਾ ਆਕਾਰੁ ॥
anth n jaapai keethaa aakaar ||
The limits of the created universe cannot be perceived.
ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਪੈ ਪਾਰਾਵਾਰੁ ॥
anth n jaapai paaraavaar ||
Its limits here and beyond cannot be perceived.
ਅੰਤ ਕਾਰਣਿ ਕੇਤੇ ਬਿਲਲਾਹਿ ॥
anth kaaran kaethae bilalaahi ||
Many struggle to know His limits,
ਤਾ ਕੇ ਅੰਤ ਨ ਪਾਏ ਜਾਹਿ ॥
thaa kae anth n paaeae jaahi ||
but His limits cannot be found.
ਏਹੁ ਅੰਤੁ ਨ ਜਾਣੈ ਕੋਇ ॥
eaehu anth n jaanai koe ||
No one can know these limits.
~SGGS Ji p. 5
I've always read that Guruji fundamentally changed the Hindu definition of God from pantheism to strict monothesim. We can see embodied in the definition of Omkar/AUMkar is the Trimurti, the 3 principal Mahadevas: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, plus "kar" (to create). And by placing the numeral 1 in front of the Omkara, Guruji defined a solely monothesistic (sargun) Creator God.
It's really a misunderstanding of Hinduism to believe that the 1 is in conflict with the Trimurti of the AUM and fighting for supremacy by negating them. The whole creation is subordinated, not negated. Ek Onkar is a perfectly balanced equation. It reads, "1 created the Om." And the Om embodies the entire sansaara, past, present and future. It is a powerfully mystical concept. The 1 is a literal "Oneness" which pervades and is existing within the creation, because the creation is incorporated, subsumed by it. The True face of creation is not this illusion of form. The creation IS the Creator. If your individual jeev is an illusion which disappears with mukti, then how can you be a creation?
Lila (Sanskrit: लीला), or Leela is a concept within Hinduism literally meaning "pastime", "sport" or "play". It is common to both monistic and dualistic philosophical schools, but has a markedly different significance in each. Within monism, Lila is a way of describing all reality, including the cosmos, as the outcome of creative play by the divine absolute (Brahman). In the dualistic schools of Vaishnavism, Lila more simply refers to the activities of God and his devotees, as distinct from the common activities of karma...
Lila is comparable to the Western theological position of Pandeism, which describes the Universe as God taking a physical form in order to experience the interplay between the elements of the Universe.
Lila - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
And remember, the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradya established by Mahaprabhu Chaitanya teaches a qualified Dvaita and accepts the Advaita of most other schools of Hinduism, and that is universe is illusion and everything is Brahman.
ਤੂੰ ਘਟ ਘਟ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਸਰਬ ਨਿਰੰਤਰਿ ਜੀ ਹਰਿ ਏਕੋ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਸਮਾਣਾ ॥
thoon ghatt ghatt anthar sarab niranthar jee har eaeko purakh samaanaa ||
You are constant in each and every heart, and in all things. O Dear Lord, you are the One.
ਇਕਿ ਦਾਤੇ ਇਕਿ ਭੇਖਾਰੀ ਜੀ ਸਭਿ ਤੇਰੇ ਚੋਜ ਵਿਡਾਣਾ ॥
eik dhaathae eik bhaekhaaree jee sabh thaerae choj viddaanaa ||
Some are givers, and some are beggars. This is all Your Wondrous Play.
ਤੂੰ ਆਪੇ ਦਾਤਾ ਆਪੇ ਭੁਗਤਾ ਜੀ ਹਉ ਤੁਧੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਜਾਣਾ ॥
thoon aapae dhaathaa aapae bhugathaa jee ho thudhh bin avar n jaanaa ||
You Yourself are the Giver, and You Yourself are the Enjoyer. I know no other than You.
~SGGS Ji p. 11
ਸਹਸ ਪਦ ਬਿਮਲ ਨਨ ਏਕ ਪਦ ਗੰਧ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਹਸ ਤਵ ਗੰਧ ਇਵ ਚਲਤ ਮੋਹੀ ॥੨॥
sehas padh bimal nan eaek padh gandhh bin sehas thav gandhh eiv chalath mohee ||2||
You have thousands of Lotus Feet, and yet You do not have even one foot. You have no nose, but you have thousands of noses. This Play of Yours entrances me. ||2||
ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਜੋਤਿ ਹੈ ਸੋਇ ॥
sabh mehi joth joth hai soe ||
Amongst all is the Light-You are that Light.
ਤਿਸ ਦੈ ਚਾਨਣਿ ਸਭ ਮਹਿ ਚਾਨਣੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
this dhai chaanan sabh mehi chaanan hoe ||
By this Illumination, that Light is radiant within all.
ਗੁਰ ਸਾਖੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਪਰਗਟੁ ਹੋਇ ॥
gur saakhee joth paragatt hoe ||
Through the Guru's Teachings, the Light shines forth.
ਜੋ ਤਿਸੁ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੁ ਆਰਤੀ ਹੋਇ ॥੩॥
jo this bhaavai s aarathee hoe ||3||
That which is pleasing to Him is the lamp-lit worship service. ||3||
~SGGS Ji p. 13
Eko Brahman, Dwiteeyo Naasti.
(There is Brahman alone there is none other (than Brahman)
-Upanishads
aykaa aykankaaru|ikhi daykhaaliaa|
(By writing 1 (One) in the beginning, it has been shown that Ekankar, God, who subsumes all forms in Him is only one (and not two or three).
-Vaar 3 Pauri 15 of 20 of Vaaran Bhai Gurdas
Subsume: "(From Latin subsumō.) "To include or place within something larger or more comprehensive : encompass as a subordinate or component element; contain or include." To place under another as belonging to it; to include or contain under something else."
Subsumed means incorporated, within, a part of. Nothing is excluded. How can we exclude the demi-gods from the sargun saroop of the Oneness who is Supreme when Gurbani didn't? There is only Oneness. All the jivs are part of the sansaaric world of three gunas and Maya which is all illusion. Behind the shadow of all forms is the Oneness. I'm not even going to say One anymore, because people think there's this One lone Abrahamic God waiting for all His children to get to heaven. No place. No time. No division. The deepest truth is we are the sargun saroop. Not our ego-identities. The light within us. Parabrahm Parameshvar. Some forms shine the light more than others because we live in a world of darkness. Saints are blessed because they shine light in darkness. Avtaars are an incredible brightness. They manifest the imperceivable nirguna to the sansaara. Without avtaaras, we could not have Shabad-Jyot of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Because Gurbani says Guruji was an avtaara of the Kaliyug.
ਕਬਿ ਕਲ ਸੁਜਸੁ ਗਾਵਉ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਜੁ ਜੋਗੁ ਜਿਨਿ ਮਾਣਿਓ ॥੩॥
kab kal sujas gaavo gur naanak raaj jog jin maaniou ||3||
KAL the poet sings the Sublime Praises of Guru Nanak, who enjoys mastery of Raja Yoga. ||3||
ਗਾਵਹਿ ਕਪਿਲਾਦਿ ਆਦਿ ਜੋਗੇਸੁਰ ਅਪਰੰਪਰ ਅਵਤਾਰ ਵਰੋ ॥
gaavehi kapilaadh aadh jogaesur aparanpar avathaar varo ||
Kapila and the other Yogis sing of Guru Nanak. He is the Avataar, the Incarnation of the Infinite Lord.
~SGGS Ji p. 1389
yatha hy avahito vahnir
darushv ekah sva-yonishu
naneva bhati visvatma
bhuteshu ca tatha puman
~Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.32
TRANSLATION
The Lord, as Supersoul, pervades all things, just as fire permeates wood, and so He appears to be of many varieties, though He is the absolute one without a second. Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 2 Verse 32
ekākṣara
ekâkṣará n. the sole imperishable thing AV. v, 28, 8
• a single syllable Subh.
• a monosyllabic word VS. ŚBr. RPrāt. &c
• the sacred monosyllable om Mn. ii, 83 MBh. &c
Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary -- e
Eko Brahman. Brahman = Om.
Ek Omkar/Oangkar. Brahman is one, not two or three.
"Kar" means to create.
The first words of Mool Mantra don't mean classical monotheism in the Abrahamic sense where the Supreme God is only personal (sarguna) but clearly from the very first word in Mool Mantra the Supreme God is both impersonal (nirgun) and subsumed into this all-pervading aspect of formless Oneness is the whole creation which is sarguna, including the devas and starting with the devas. It's clear that
ੴ is written with authority of Sruti found in Upanishads, and not in any way contradicting. The definition of God is given in terms of qualified Advaitic philosophy that the many are actually the One, derivative of the One which subsumes all forms. Everything is the One. It's a qualified Advaitic philosophy because, as in Vaishnava Vedanta, Gurbani also worships a personal God who can be reached with words, perceived with constructs of form even if that form it takes is Shabad in words of Gurbani.
Older descriptions of the Aum in Vedas are the terms: Ek Ak Sara and Pranava. What do they mean which could give insight? The earliest term from the Rig Veda is Ekakshara. What could it mean? Since the term AUM is more recent description. And at once it becomes clear that not only was Guruji able to know the Vedas, He knew what even scholars did not know... the original defintions. And this shows Guruji was not rejecting revealed Truth, Sruti. But He was correcting errors of teaching and degeneration which had crept into religion, because the Dharma was no longer standing on all it's legs.
Ek Ak Sara : The imperishable Oneness that created and subsumes the Om.
The very Sanskrit definition of Ekaksara from the Rig Veda (1.164.39), is identical with Ek Onkar.
"praNava is the primal sound that existed before the creation and the sound that stays after the praLaya. This is the nAtharUpa - the Form of sound, of the Supreme Luminance. This mantra om refer to none other than God. The great yogis meditate in this mantra as the path to Eternal Bliss of the Formless Nameless God !
The praNava has five parts. They are akara, ukara, makara, bindhu, nAtham. (aum). Consequently this is also one of the glorious panchAkshara mantra.
Pranava Mantra (Aum/ Om Sanskrit) - Scriptural Explanation
And it's from the definition of Pranava (“pronouncing”), another older term for AUMkar, and we see the origin of the anehadh Naad. Without the Omkar, there would be no Naad. And there would be no Shabad. And there would be no Naam. So Onkar MUST be Omkar. It cannot be anything else but the universal sound which is the voice of nirguna vibrating into sarguna and causing creation. AUM is creative, preserving and destroying principle. It is an entire system which renews itself. AUM is the Naad.
"In the case of the mantric om, this monosyllable came to represent the ultimate One, which is eternally unchanging (akshara, acala). The term akshara is used as a synonym for om in many scriptures, including the Bhagavad-Gîtâ (10.25), which has Krishna say, “Of utterances I am the single syllable.”
...For the Taittirîya-Samhitâ (5.2.8), which is appended to the Yajur-Veda, still cryptically speaks of the “divine sign” (deva-lakshana) that is written threefold (try-alikhita). Some scholars have seen this as a reference to the three constituent parts of the syllable om, as written in Sanskrit: a + u + m. The three constituents of om are referred to, for instance, in the Prashna-Upanishad (5.5)...
Even the early Upanishads (which have recently been dated back to the second millennium B.C.) often still refer to it only indirectly as the udgîtha (“up sound”) and the pranava (“pronouncing”). The former word hints at the nasalized way in which om is sounded out, with the sound vibrating at the psychoenergetic center located between and behind the eyebrows (i.e., the âjnâ-cakra). The term pranava is derived from the prefix pra (etymologically related to the Latin “pro”) and the stem nava (derived from the verbal root nu meaning “to call out” and “to exult”). It is used, for instance, in the Yoga-Sûtra (1.27), where it is called the symbol (vâcaka) of the Lord (îshvara). Patanjali further states (in 1.28) that in order to realize the mystery of the Lord, the om sound should be recited and contemplated.
Another, later term for om is târa, which is derived from the verbal root trî, meaning “to cross, traverse.” This is a reference to the liberating function of the om sound, which safely transports the yogin across the ocean of existence (bhava-sâra) to the “other shore.”
The most important part is the nasalized “half-part” sound m, which brings its own illumination and causes the life force (prâna) in the body to rush upward into the head. This Upanishad further states that the om sound is called om-kâra because it sends the currents of the life force upward (ûrdhvam utkrâmayati) and that it is called pranava because it makes all the life currents bow down (pranâmayati) before it. The text concludes by stating that the om sound is Shiva.
Interestingly, in Tantra-Yoga, the serpent power (kundalinî-shakti) resting in the psychoenergetic center at the base of the spine, is said to be coiled up three and a half times. Very likely, this captures the same idea as in the notion of the three and a half units of the om sound...
The Amrita-Nâda-Upanishad (2ff.) recommends that one should mount the “chariot of the om sound,” make Vishnu one’s charioteer, and steer steadily toward the ultimate Reality. As one approaches the supreme Self, one should abandon the chariot and enter the splendor of the Self by means of the unsounded letter m. This is the silent, subtle part of om.
This Upanishad prescribes breath control, especially retention of the breath, as a means of controlling the senses and focusing the mind upon the inner world. It defines Yoga as the state of restraint over a period of twelve units or measures (mâtrâ), that is, twelve recitations of om.
The Sacred Syllable OM - The Meaning of OM - Yoga & Beauty Tips from The Yoga Sanctuary
Amrit Naad Upanishad.
Guruji's philosophy and path to mukti comes from the Upanishads.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਤੇ ਪਾਏ ਵੀਚਾਰਾ ॥
sathigur thae paaeae veechaaraa ||
From the True Guru, contemplative meditation is obtained.
ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧਿ ਸਚੇ ਘਰ ਬਾਰਾ ॥
sunn samaadhh sachae ghar baaraa ||
And then, one dwells with the True Lord in His celestial home, the Primal State of Absorption in Deepest Samaadhi.
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਨਾਦੁ ਸਬਦ ਧੁਨਿ ਸਚੁ ਰਾਮੈ ਨਾਮਿ ਸਮਾਇਦਾ ॥੧੭॥੫॥੧੭॥
naanak niramal naadh sabadh dhhun sach raamai naam samaaeidhaa ||17||5||17||
O Nanak, the immaculate sound current of the Naad, and the Music of the Shabad resound; one merges into the True Name of the Lord. ||17||5||17||
~SGGS Ji p. 1038
ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧਿ ਅਨਹਤ ਤਹ ਨਾਦ ॥
sunn samaadhh anehath theh naadh ||
The Deepest Samaadhi, and the unstruck sound current of the Naad are there.
ਕਹਨੁ ਨ ਜਾਈ ਅਚਰਜ ਬਿਸਮਾਦ ॥
kehan n jaaee acharaj bisamaadh ||
The wonder and marvel of it cannot be described.
~SGGS Ji p. 293
ਨਉ ਦਰਵਾਜੇ ਦਸਵੈ ਮੁਕਤਾ ਅਨਹਦ ਸਬਦੁ ਵਜਾਵਣਿਆ ॥੩॥
no dharavaajae dhasavai mukathaa anehadh sabadh vajaavaniaa ||3||
Beyond the nine gates, the Tenth Gate is found, and liberation is obtained. The Unstruck Melody of the Shabad vibrates. ||3||
~SGGS Ji p. 110
Here we see that the anehadh Shabad is from the Naad.
ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਬਦੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਹਰਿ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
anmrith sabadh anmrith har baanee ||
The Shabad is Amrit; the Lord's Bani is Amrit.
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਿ ਸੇਵਿਐ ਰਿਦੈ ਸਮਾਣੀ ॥
sathigur saeviai ridhai samaanee ||
Serving the True Guru, it permeates the heart.
~SGGS Ji p. 119
The anehad Naad vibrates from the nirguna, the anehad Shabad comes from the anehad Naad. Amrit comes from the Shabad. That is the relationship.
Panch Ak'Shara Mantra:
"praNava is the primal sound that existed before the creation and the sound that stays after the praLaya. This is the nAtharUpa - the Form of sound, of the Supreme Luminance. This mantra om refer to none other than God. The great yogis meditate in this mantra as the path to Eternal Bliss of the Formless Nameless God !
The praNava has five parts. They are akara, ukara, makara, bindhu, nAtham. (aum). Consequently this is also one of the glorious panchAkshara mantra.
Pranava Mantra (Aum/ Om Sanskrit) - Scriptural Explanation
Eko Brahman. Eko Omkar.
Unfortunately in the Abrahamized West there are real misunderstandings as to the definitions of God. For example, probably no religious beliefs have been more abused or reviled than Hinduism by missionaries of every stripe seeking to prove pantheism is mythological and therefore false, and trying to prove their version of God is superior to all the gods of Hindu religion.
With this backdrop, most Sikhs are now trying to do the same thing. So it isn't unusual to hear someone say the numeral 1 cancelled out the other 3, or that Oangkar isn't the same thing as Omkar and thus has no relationship to AUM. And if you ask these people to explain the concept of the Naad and Shabad... they can't. And the reason they can't, is they just negated the concept of Naad by eliminating the AUM.
ਪੰਚ ਸਬਦ ਤਹ ਪੂਰਨ ਨਾਦ ॥
panch sabadh theh pooran naadh ||
The Panch Shabad, the five primal sounds, echo the perfect sound current of the Naad.
ਅਨਹਦ ਬਾਜੇ ਅਚਰਜ ਬਿਸਮਾਦ ॥
anehadh baajae acharaj bisamaadh ||
The wondrous, amazing unstruck melody vibrates.
~SGGS Ji p. 888
The Panch Parmeshthi of the Jain Omkar. "This Aum of Sanskrit is made up of five alphabets - a + a + ā + u + m = Aum"
Pranava-naada (-naadha). "Primal sound of God. Sound of Om."
ਗੁਨਨਾਦਧੁਨਿਅਨੰਦਬੇਦ॥
gun naadh dhhun anandh baedh ||
The Glory of God is the Sound-current of the Naad, the Celestial Music of Bliss, and the Wisdom of the Vedas.
~SGGS Ji p. 1322
~Bhul chak maaf karni ji
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