Brother,
if it could be helpful somehow, following is some information which I found on the net and would like to share with the sangat here.
Different words for the same and different ideas. Ekankar is a simplified version of other
words which can also have slightly different meanings and across different teachings.
This post is a bit rough and covers a lot of ground. However given the refs and the subject matter I think it's still worth posting. Someone might find it just the ticket one day for their own research.
I suppose and title could be "don;t make rash assumptions. Ideas come from Knowledge, both inner and outer imho, in balance. Helps to get the basic knowledge accurate first, as hard as that can be sometimes. Wrong information leads to premature and incorrect conclusions.
During the time of Nanak and the establishment of Sikhism various languages and semantics
developed for the symbol ? , pronounced Ek Onkar, is the symbol that is used to represents the
"One Supreme Reality" or "One God."
Ik Onkar (Gurmukhi: ?, ??? ??????; Ikk Oankar Punjabi pronunciation: [?k? o??ka?]) is the
symbol that represents the One Supreme Reality and is a central tenet of Sikh religious
philosophy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ik_Onkar
It has been represented as, or confused with, variant phrases such as:
Ik Onkar,
Ik Ong Kar,
Ik Oankaar,
Ek Oankar,
Ek Oankaar,
Ek Aumkaar,
Ek Onkar,
Ek Ong Kar,
Ek Om Kar,
EK-ANKAR,
Ekankar,
Ekankaar,
Ekangkar,
Ekanakar and others.
These words don't necessarily mean the same thing, and can vary in meaning in different contexts.
But Marman suggests in his book:
"Sukhmani should be of particular interest to modern day followers of Eckankar, Sant Mat, and
Radhasoami. The connection with Eckankar is especially strong. The Sukhmani opens with this
line: "Ek Onkar Sat Guru Prasad."
This means: "The One Reality - realized through the grace of the True Guru."
Some translations spell it this way: "Ekankar Sat Guru Prasad."
http://spiritualdialogues.com/books/sukhmani-the-secret-of-inner-peace/
I can't see other translations spelling it that way. Though sometimes 'Ek Onkar' could be
spelled 'Ekankar' they don't use the latter in this mantra. However no one else except Marman seems to spell it that way, so it's probably not correct.
Search for this Marman phrase of "Ekankar Sat Guru Prasad" (placing the "exact phrase" in
quotes) Google search which gives the following 6 results: https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q="Ekankar+Sat+Guru+Prasad"
See? No one except for Marman spells the phrase Ik Ong Kar or Ek Onkar as "Ekankar" in
the Sihk term: "Ik Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad" or "Ek Onkar Sat Guru Prasad"!!!
In fact the more common spelling today seems to be "Ek Ong Kar Sat Gur Prasad"
In Google it brings about 27,600 results https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q="Ek+Ong+Kar+Sat+Gur+Prasad"
Unless one has a good knowledge of various languages and faiths, it's best not to rush to fast
ahead. Many things that 'sound' similar may not be the very same thing, and so inaccurate
connections can be made where none exists.
---
The following may help to show how complex these words and meanings can be.
Another translation for 'Ek Onkar Sat Gur Prasad' goes:
"There is one Creator of all Creation. All is a blessing of the One Creator. This realization comes through Guru's Grace." http://www.spiritvoyage.com/mantra/Ek-Ong-Kar-Sat-Gur-Prasad/MAN-000028.aspx
Guru Nanak spread a simple message of "Ek Ong Kar": we are all one, created by the "One
Creator of all Creation." This was at a time when India was being torn apart by castes,
sectarianism, religious factions, and fanaticism.
He aligned with no religion, and respected all religions. He expressed the reality that there
is one God and many paths, and the Name of God is Truth, "Sat Nam". https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Gurudwara_Dashmesh_Darbar_Sahib#About_Sikhism
This symbol ? pronounced Ek Onkar is the symbol that is used to represent the "One Supreme
Reality" or "One God." https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Ek_Onkar
"Ek Oankaar" |? means There is only One God
Ek = One
There is but one God, the Sole Supreme Being, the Ultimate Reality. https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Mool_Mantar
So in this primary sense Ik Ong Kar / Ek Onkar typically means: the Sole Supreme Being, or One
Supreme Reality, or One God, or the One Reality, or the Ultimate Reality, and One Creator of
all Creation.
So, basically this idea by Marman of "Ekankar Sat Guru Prasad" isn't really correct at all.
Plus when Marman suggests: "The resemblance to Eckankar is no accident. Paul Twitchell derived the name for his modern teaching from this phrase."
That claim too doesn't appear to stand up to investigation.
On Sikhnet they suggest Ekankar can mean something different:
"In this state He was Nirgun (without any attributes) or Nirankar (without any dimensional
manifestations).
"There is another representation of God in Nirgun state mentioned as Ekankar where singularity
of God is emphasised in mathematical sense. The numeral one or 1 or Ek Ank (eyk AMk) is used
as a representation of the oneness of God by calling transcendent God as Ekankar (eykMkwr).
"The numeral one or Ik signifies the formless (Nirankar) as Ekankar immediately prior to
ordering (Kawaao) or just before willing the creation of the physical universes.
Bhai Gurdas elaborates this process of creation (Vaar 26.2)
"From the Nirankar (formless) state (He) moved towards the infinite Ekankar state.
From this Ekankaar the Oankar syllable sound helped create shapes."
http://fateh.sikhnet.com//Sikhnet/discussion.nsf/SearchView/E7A41A235FC1861D87256BA10061A53E!
OpenDocument
Ek Oankar cosists of two components:
Numeral One (refered to as Ekankar in SGGS) e.g.
Prabh bhave ta kre visthar, Prabh bhave ta Ekankar.(Gauri Sukhmani)
Oora charachter with open top and hora attached (referred to as Oankar) as in the composition
Oankar in Ramkali Dakhani Rag.
The two components joined together in the Ek Oankar or Beej Mantar as it is called does not
simply mean God is one. This is too simplistic. http://fateh.sikhnet.com//sikhnet/discussion.nsf/78f5a2ff8906d1788725657c00732d6c/E9F19F0D0D81E07587256CBD005A70AD!OpenDocument
---
One of Marman's sources for translations and Sikhism beliefs is
Prof Devinder Singh Chahal, PhD, Institute for Understanding Sikhism who says:
The symbol ? it is pronounced by many Sikh theologians as 'Ek Oankaar' or 'Ek Aumkaar'
because they consider the open 'Oora' is the abbreviation of 'Oankaar' used in Gurbani.
Many Sikh scholars relate 'Oankaar' to 'Aum' according to Vedic and Vedantic philosophy.
This paper presents the findings of our continuous research into the meanings of the logo,
< , coined by Guru Nanak.
Here it has been fully documented that < stands for:
'Ek Oh Beant' (One and Only, Oh, Infinite).
The first part # is generally pronounced by many Sikh
theologians and scholars as eyku EAMkwru (Ek Oankaar) or
eyku Emkwr (Ek Aumkaar).
To pronounce / as eyku EAMkwru or eykMkwru (Ek Oankaar
or Ekankaar) cannot be justified based on the fact that a
Bani at pages 929-938 in AGGS is entitled as EAMkwru
(Oankaar). If Guru Nanak can use EAMkwru in this Bani
then he would have used it also in the Commencing
Verse in place of / . Or # (Open Oora) could have
been used in place of EAMkwru in rest of the Bani, but it is
not so. Therefore, # (Open Oora) is entirely different
than EAMkwru (Oankaar) or EMmkwru (Aumkaar) in meaning
as well as in pronunciation. Besides / cannot be
pronounced as eyku EAMkwru or eykMkwru (Ek Oankaar or
Ekankaar) under any circumstances.
If anybody needs more information, this is the link :
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.religion.eckankar/8dhAk9F6-II
* The above presentation on the net is quite acceptable, yet if you ask my opinion, I would say, that Ikoankar means the one Creator Satnam, and while in Ikangkar, could very well be, The One, with one part /organ/limb, which is the Naad, the Shabad, the Nam, the Amrit Bani resounding throughout the creation, so the one with that Oneness, is none other than Waheguru Akal Purukh, so necessarily, it refers to that Primal Truth, the source of everything that exists throughout all the gross, subtle and spiritual realms, which is Satnam, as seen in the very begining in the Bani:
Ik Oankar Satnam.
SSA.