{{Short description|Term in Sikhism}}{{Sikhism sidebar}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}'''Satnām''' ({{langx|pa|ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ|lit=true name}},<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wani |first=Abid Mushtaq |title=Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism: A Comparative Study |publisher=Educreation Publishing |year=2018 |pages=107}}</ref> pronunciation: {{IPA|pa|sæt̪ näːmɔ|}}), alternatively rendered as '''Satyanām''',<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Sengupta |first=Arjun |date=13 June 2024 |title=Who are the Satnamis, the Dalit religious community with a history of protests |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/chhattisgarh-baloda-bazar-protest-who-are-satnamis-9389358/ |access-date=5 May 2026 |work=Indian Express}}</ref> is the main word that appears in the Sikh sacred scripture called the Guru Granth Sahib. The term is also used by the Satnampanth tradition.
== Etymology == The term derives from the Sanskrit word ''satyanaman'', meaning “he whose name is truth”.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Duignan |first=Brian |last2=Stefon |first2=Matt |last3=Doniger |first3=Wendy |last4=Lotha |first4=Gloria |date=Apr 26, 2021 |title=Satnami sect |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Satnami-sect |access-date=22 December 2025 |website=Britannica}}</ref>
== Meaning == It is part of the Gurbani Shabad called Mool Mantra which is repeated daily by Sikhs. This word succeeds the word "Ek Onkar" which means "There is only one constant" or commonly "There is one God." The word ''sat'' means "true/everlasting" and ''nam'' means "name".<ref>{{cite book|last=Kaur Rait|first=Satwant|title=Sikh Women in England: Religious,Social and Cultural Beliefs [Paperback]|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRfkTq1ykSIC&pg=PA20|year=2005|publisher=Trentham Books Ltd; illustrated edition |isbn=1-85856-353-4|page=20|chapter=Chapter 2}}</ref> In this instance, this would mean, "Whose name is truth."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Nijhawan|first1=Michael|last2=Mandair |first2=Arvind|title=Shared idioms, sacred symbols, and the articulation of identities in South Asia|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tbOLCZlymxYC&pg=PA66|year=2009|publisher=Routledge; 1st edition|isbn=978-0-415-95828-8 |page=66|chapter=2 The Politics of Non-duality: Unraveling the Hermeneutics of Modern Sikh Theology}}</ref> Satnam is referred to God as the Name of God is True and Everlasting.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20161124091031/http://www.realsikhism.com/index.php?action=gmeaning&glossaryid=64&glossaryterm=Satnam Real Sikhism: Meaning of Term Satnam]}}</ref>
The word ''nam'' in Sikhism has two meanings. "It meant both an application and a symbol of the All-pervading Supreme Reality that sustained the universe. Guru Nanak in his teachings emphasised the need of repeating Sat-Nam to realise the All-pervading Supreme Reality."<ref>{{cite book|last=Singh Dhillon|first=Dalbir|title=Sikhism Origin and Development|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=osnkLKPMWykC&pg=PA226|year=1988|publisher=Atlantic Publishers and Distributors|page=226|chapter=3 Evolution of Institutions and Ethical Doctrines}}</ref>
== Usage == The term is first linked to Kabir but may predate him.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Sengupta |first=Arjun |date=13 June 2024 |title=Who are the Satnamis, the Dalit religious community with a history of protests |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/chhattisgarh-baloda-bazar-protest-who-are-satnamis-9389358/ |access-date=5 May 2026 |work=Indian Express}}</ref> It was adopted as a term by various religious figures of the Sant movement, including Guru Nanak.<ref>Singh, Abha. “SATNAMIS OR SADHS: CHANGING IDENTITY OF THE SATNAMIS OF NARNAUL.” ''Proceedings of the Indian History Congress'', vol. 61, 2000, pp. 504–05. ''JSTOR'', <nowiki>http://www.jstor.org/stable/44148127</nowiki>. Accessed 6 May 2026.</ref> The term would be adopted and used by the various Satnami movements.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />
== References == {{reflist}}
{{Sikhism}}
Category:Shabda Category:Sikh practices Category:Sanskrit words and phrases Category:Names of God in Sikhism