Dhundukara

Dhundukara creation hymn is referred to as the hymn of Guru Nanak Dev. According to the Puratan Janam Sakhi this hymn was composed by Guru Nanak during his third journey (CE 1515-17) in which he had made a visit to Kashmir. This hymn has sixteen verses.

The first verse has a reference to the pre-creation state as well as state of the Infinite Lord of that time. In the second and third verses a general description of the state sunna state and creation. The fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth and thirteen is about the description of the non-existence of various Hindu gods, religious practices and scriptures. The fifth and ninth speaks about Nath and Sant traditions that is also inclusive of the non-existence of their leaders Gorakh and Machhindra. In the eleventh and thirteen verses the description is about the non-existence of the Muslim religious practices and scriptures. In the twelfth verse again the topic spoken about is the non-existence of the general human relationships.

In the thirteenth verse Guru Nanak has stressed on two main things: Firstly there was a non-existent state of the world and the visible things in it. Secondly, the existence of the never-ending, invisible and His Will is affirmed. Here emphasis is more on the absolute nature of the Creator.

In the second part of the Dhundukara hymn verses 14, 15 and 16 Guru Nanak describes how creation takes place. The reason behind creation has been clearly given. According to him it is because of the `Will` of the Creator. In the fourteen and fifteen number verses gives a clear description of how the Creator made the whole that also includes forces of creation, sustenance and destruction. In the sixteenth verse Guru Nanak says that he has received this knowledge from an ideal teacher.

The summary of the hymn is found in the fifteenth verse. It is said that through the act of creation the Creator Lord has made himself known. The phrase dhundhukara itself is again very striking. It has been translated as `chaos`, `utter darkness` and `darkness`. The meaning in Punjabi language is its root, dhund, is mist. Therefore it can be concluded that through the phrase Dhundukara, Guru Nanak has tried to describe the state before creation.