In a sense, the philosophical context of Sikhism is the absolutised philosophy of one, on the one hand, and that of the many, on the other hand. It is the reality dichotamised by pluralism and monism from which Sikhism assumes its beginning. Sikhism intents to units them.

The Sikh mulmantra starts with the numeral one - IK - indicating and uncompromisingly stressing. the oneness of reality. But the reality now comprises both one and many. "Wonderful Thy creation, wonderful their species. Wonderful their forms, wonderful their colours"16 asserts Guru Nanak, The many is seen as the plural manifestation of the one. Not only the one, as well as the many has been declared holy. "Holy is the Lord, ever holy, holy all created forms" (SGGS. P.1131)17 says Guru Ramdas. Guru Ramdas utters "Himself is the Lord unattached, Himself also of varied manifestations" (SGGS. p.726). In Sukhmani, Guru Arjun affirms "variod are His forms, varied his hues. With varied disguises, yet is His state one and sole. With varied ways has He created the expanse of existence - " (SGGS P. 284). The Sikh Gurus do not recognise two realities the reality of one and of' many. The dualism tias been transcended. "In the eartht and sky see I not duality manifest. In all humanity is manifestt the same Divine light... In all worlds is operative God's sole ordinance. From one has arisen all creation" (SGGS, P.223) declares Guru Nanak.

The synthetic spirit of Sikhism is astounding. The one becomes the principle of ideational unity of the multiple existence. "Should brass, gold or iron be broken, The smith in fire fuses it together," (SGGS, P.143). Guru Arjun says "Wherever I look, His sole presence I behold. Himself in each being immanent. Himself the sun with rays outspread. Himself the hidden reality, Himself the visible forms.

Attributed and unattributed are two terms devised, Both in unison one Reality formulate (SGGS, P.387).

What Sankara could not do, the Sikh Gurus did. What looked impossible, illogical and contradictoy to Shankra in terms of formal logic, has become possible to Guru Nanak, that is uniting in singular whole the one and many.This, has been done by transcending the limits of formal logic. To quote-Rudolf Otto, "The-Unity, being one, is a fact in the sense of mystical synthesis of multiplicity, which though not reproducible by any of our rational categories is neverthleas a synthesis"18. "mystical and is not reproducible by any of our rational categories" of formal logic on which, as we have shown, the one as "aloneness" of Sankarite thought was founded. The one here doos not fall into the "complete transcendence" but establishes itself "the immanence of the unity in and of things and the immanence of things in one"19.

The Sikh Gurus outrightly repudiate the Advaitic conception of many attributed to the manifold nature of existence. Guru Ramdas exclaims: "Air, water, earth and sky - all are the Lord's abode.
Himself in all these He operates what may I call unreal" (SGGS, P.723). Guru Arjun warns: "Revile not the world for anything - By the, Lord is it created" (SGGS, P.61i). Sant Ravidas asserts that we have already transcended the Sankarite dicnotamy of rope and snake. "of the episode of the rope and the serpent the mystery have we realised somewhat. As by sight of innumerable bingles one forgets the gold, now I express not that illusion. In all innumerable is the sole Lord pervasive, disporting in all" (SGGS, P.658).

The Sikh Gurus shift themselves to various metaphors to demonstrate the unity of one and many leaving behind the ill-fated Shankarite metaphor of rope and serpent. They are the metaphors of gold and bangles, clay and pots, Sabda and millions of musical notes, ocean and its waves, thread and beads, root and branches of a tree, sun and its rays etc.. All these metaphors are designed to express adequately the unity of one and many.

Thou are the Tree.
All that is, is Thy flourishing branches.
Thou art ocean, foam and bubbles.
All that is visible, is Thyself.
Thou the string and jewels.
Thou the knot, the principal bead
In the beginning, middle and eng is the Lord.
Nothing else exists" (SGGS P.102) says Guru Arjun.

It is noteworthy that the Sikh Gurus consciously avoided the metaphor of rope and serpent.

Sikhism also denounces the absolutist philosophy of many. This can be understood by its outright condemnation of individualism or Haumai. Individualism is the ground on which, as it has been shown earlier, the philosophical' pluralism is founded. Engulfed by the feeling of haumai the individual being in reality associated with other beings and with ttie whole, declares its nonrelatedness. Haumai has been identifieid by the Sikh Gurus as the greatest malady of mankind. Using the metaphor of tree, Guru Nanak says, "Those that are forgetful of the Name, and into illusion of duality are strayed, Discarding the root, to the branch are attached" (SGGS P.420).

At this level of our deliberations we can delve into the various but interrelated meanings of the Sikh concept of one and enumerate the outcomes of the dialectics of one and many.

Above all, the-Sikh conception excludes the formally polarised ends of raw manifoldness and the aloneness. The one becomes the law of many (Hukam), the substratum of various modes, the one immanently and all-pervading living in many, causing them to unite into a system. It presents us a concrete picture of reality, with all its complexities, richness, variety and diversity, and also with their underlying, ruptures and unity. In this concrete and structural conception of reality, it has ably succeeded to include historical Time, human action, social changes as its inseparable moments. The Sikh approach here is synthetic and holisltic. Every individual moment is situated in the whole as an inalienable part of it. No individual moment occupies a privileged position and thus a sense of equality and justice permeates the system positively expressing, the relationship of love is the uniting dynamism and Unity principle of the system. Non-aggressive and non-destructive interrelationship among the particular moments is presupposed for the successful functioning of the system. One creating the many and the many becoming one also quarentee dynamism to the whole system. Is it not the Khalsa designed by the Tenth Master the embodiment of these principles of Love and justice.