Home › Glossary › Letter A

Akal Purakh

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A Sikh term for God, meaning "Timeless Being" or the eternal, uncreated entity beyond time.

Detailed Definition
Akal Purakh is a fundamental concept in Sikh theology, denoting the transcendent, formless, and everlasting nature of the divine. This term moves beyond personal deity names to capture an abstract, philosophical ultimate reality. In the poetry of the Guru Granth Sahib, Akal Purakh is the subject of intense longing and praise, described through metaphor and negative theology. Poets use this concept to explore themes of eternity, the impermanence of the world, and the soul's quest for a union with that which is beyond time and decay, providing a rich ground for metaphysical contemplation.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Sikh devotional poetry, Akal Purakh (“Timeless Being”) is addressed as both intimate Beloved and cosmic Sovereign, as in Bhai Gurdas’s vaars: “You dwell beyond time, yet reside in the heart’s core”; Modern Punjabi poets use Akal Purakh to contrast temporal fragility with divine permanence: “While empires crumble, Akal Purakh’s name remains unshaken”; In feminist Sikh poetry, Akal Purakh is invoked to reclaim spiritual authority beyond patriarchal constructs; Poets often pair Akal Purakh with natural imagery—mountains, rivers—to convey divine immanence and transcendence simultaneously.
Additional Notes
Akal Purakh, central to Sikh theology, emphasizes God’s transcendence beyond time and form, contrasting with personal deity concepts in other traditions; this term often appears in Sikh hymns as a counterpoint to worldly illusion (maya), and poets may use it to evoke divine constancy amid human flux, offering a metaphysical anchor in lyrical meditations on impermanence.
Also Known As
Waheguru Ik Onkar Satnam
Skip to main content