| abstract
| - OANKAR is a composition of 54 stanzas by the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak's in the measure Raag Ramkali in the Guru Granth Sahib. The full title of the bani is Ramkali Mahala 1 Dakhani Oankaru. The composition appears in the holy Granth at pages 929 to 938. The title is explained differently by different scholars. The word "Dakhan" means "south" and "Onkar" is a reference to "The Creator". 1.
* According to one tradition, dakhani is the adjective for the noun Oankaru which is the actual name of the bani. It is called dakhani because it was addressed to the priest of the Oankar temple in the dakhan (South), on an island in the Narmada River , in Madhya Pradesh . 1.
* According to another tradition, the designation of the bani is Oankaru and the term dakhani goes with Ramkali, as Dakhani is a form of the Ramkali raga. 2.
* Many other instances of the titles written on similar lines are quoted in support of this view, as, for instance, Gauri Mahala 1 Dakhani and Vadahans Mahala 1 Dakhani. In these banis, dakhani stands for the raga, more the measure of music.
|