Meaning- The word Ajoonee means not in living form. The truth does not take birth. It is not born like living beings because it is beyond the cycle of life and death.
Defies Life Form- The ultimate reality, the unchanging image of the universe, defies life form for it was not born like living beings. According to Guru Nanak, it does not belong to the category of living beings, meaning thereby, that it has no species life to live and no life cycles to complete. It is beyond all forms of biological or organic life, i.e., it neither takes birth nor suffers death. It did not take birth through womb or egg, as most animals and birds do. It did not emerge from cell division, as most microorganisms do. It owes its origin neither to sperm nor to seed. Sweat and fungi are like-wisely irrelevant to its genesis. It did not come into existence through any process of conception or procreation. It is simply beyond these categories of creation. It is essentially a non-living entity which belongs to the inanimate world of air, water, earth and fire. It appears essentially inorganic but exists much beyond and far behind the things called inorganic. It shares all attributes of the non-living world, but still generates life. In fact, both the animate and the inanimate worlds belong to it because it is the ultimate creative cause of both of them. This statement of Guru Nanak about the truth is singular as well as significant in two important ways.
Appearance and Essence- First, by distinguishing between two levels of existence of the reality it recognizes the difference in appearance and essence. It is a fundamental axiom of science that there is a vast difference between what appears to the eye and it is in essence. That is why the scientists always believe in not believing in anything from superficial judgement. Their motto is “doubt everything” because only by doubting the appearances can they reach the inside of things. Karl Marx noted that if the external appearance and internal essence of things coincided, all science would be superfluous. All the philosophers since the earliest times have argued that the world is not real and that its reality is hidden behind its tangible shapes. The reality of steam is not hot stream of gas like air just as the reality of ice is not chilled rock like stone. The essence of both is water, which is entirely different from their perceived notions. Those who search steam in air and ice in stones will never succeed in their mission. They will have to search them at the level of their essence which is the same in both cases, i.e., water. The recognition of distinction between appearance and essence by Guru Nanak speaks volumes of his understanding of the scientific method.
Defies Life Form- The ultimate reality, the unchanging image of the universe, defies life form for it was not born like living beings. According to Guru Nanak, it does not belong to the category of living beings, meaning thereby, that it has no species life to live and no life cycles to complete. It is beyond all forms of biological or organic life, i.e., it neither takes birth nor suffers death. It did not take birth through womb or egg, as most animals and birds do. It did not emerge from cell division, as most microorganisms do. It owes its origin neither to sperm nor to seed. Sweat and fungi are like-wisely irrelevant to its genesis. It did not come into existence through any process of conception or procreation. It is simply beyond these categories of creation. It is essentially a non-living entity which belongs to the inanimate world of air, water, earth and fire. It appears essentially inorganic but exists much beyond and far behind the things called inorganic. It shares all attributes of the non-living world, but still generates life. In fact, both the animate and the inanimate worlds belong to it because it is the ultimate creative cause of both of them. This statement of Guru Nanak about the truth is singular as well as significant in two important ways.
Appearance and Essence- First, by distinguishing between two levels of existence of the reality it recognizes the difference in appearance and essence. It is a fundamental axiom of science that there is a vast difference between what appears to the eye and it is in essence. That is why the scientists always believe in not believing in anything from superficial judgement. Their motto is “doubt everything” because only by doubting the appearances can they reach the inside of things. Karl Marx noted that if the external appearance and internal essence of things coincided, all science would be superfluous. All the philosophers since the earliest times have argued that the world is not real and that its reality is hidden behind its tangible shapes. The reality of steam is not hot stream of gas like air just as the reality of ice is not chilled rock like stone. The essence of both is water, which is entirely different from their perceived notions. Those who search steam in air and ice in stones will never succeed in their mission. They will have to search them at the level of their essence which is the same in both cases, i.e., water. The recognition of distinction between appearance and essence by Guru Nanak speaks volumes of his understanding of the scientific method.
Inorganic- Secondly, it projects the ultimate reality or the karta
purakh in an entirely new mode of existence with equally new set of
functions. Analytically interpreted, if the ultimate reality is ajoonee
(not born as a living being), then it is not an organism, much less a human. If
it is not an organism like a human being then it has no limbs, no heart, no
lungs, no brain and no mind. If it does not have a brain or a mind then it does
not possess consciousness, thought, thought process and will. In the absence of
these faculties, it cannot perform the functions of discretion, planning,
decision-making and execution. Not being an organism means that it is devoid of
doing all that the living beings, particularly the humans, can do. Thus it can
not speak, listen, think, move, decide, supervise, love, hate, favor, disfavor,
reward, discriminate, revenge, punish, prompt, promote and demote. With these
limitations it can be neither a proactive creator nor an avowed destroyer of
the universe. This statement corroborates the other attributes of the ultimate
reality like nirbhao and nirvair as ascribed by the Guru to it.
Curiously, the Guru’s concept of the ultimate reality named the truth is just
the opposite of what most of the contemporary scholars and preachers of Sikhism
tend to believe.
Not Human or Superhuman- Many philosophers including protagonists of various religious faiths believed in the existence of a superhuman “God” who created the universe after detailed planning. The Guru rejected this concept of a “man-like” God by defining the ultimate reality as ajoonee or unborn. Almost all the Sikh scholars, preachers and members of the clergy, however, ignore this point and still preach faith in a divine personage with powerful and benevolent image. All the available translations and works on interpretation of the Japuji are replete with references to such an omnipotent being though the text bears none. They fail to reconcile their understanding with one of the fundamental precepts of Guru Nanak enshrined in the Moolmantar.
Not Human or Superhuman- Many philosophers including protagonists of various religious faiths believed in the existence of a superhuman “God” who created the universe after detailed planning. The Guru rejected this concept of a “man-like” God by defining the ultimate reality as ajoonee or unborn. Almost all the Sikh scholars, preachers and members of the clergy, however, ignore this point and still preach faith in a divine personage with powerful and benevolent image. All the available translations and works on interpretation of the Japuji are replete with references to such an omnipotent being though the text bears none. They fail to reconcile their understanding with one of the fundamental precepts of Guru Nanak enshrined in the Moolmantar.