Irrespective of the native-language meaning of the Mantra, the standard English translation neutralises the implied Gender of God in Sikhism.
The scripture of Sikhism is the Gurū Granth (GG). Printed as a heading for the Guru Granth, and for each of its major divisions, is the Mul Mantra, a short summary description of God, in Punjabi. Sikh tradition has it that this was originally composed by Guru Nanak Dev (1469–1539), the founder of Sikhism.
Panjabi; Punjabi: ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
English: One Universal God, The Name Is Truth, The Creator, Fearless, Without Hatred, Image Of The Timeless One, Beyond Birth, Self-Existent, By Guru's Grace.
According to Sikhi, God has "No" Gender. Mool Mantar describes God as being "Ajuni" (lit. not in any incarnations) which implies that God is not bound to any physical forms. This concludes: the All-pervading Lord is Gender-less.[1]
However, the Guru Granth Sahib consistently refers to God as "He" and "Father" (with some exceptions), typically because the Guru Granth Sahib was written in north Indian Indo-Aryan languages (mixture of Punjabi and Sant Bhasha, Sanskrit with influences of Persian) which have no neutral gender. English translations of the teachings may eliminate any gender specifications. From further insights into the Sikh philosophy, it can be deduced that God is, sometimes, referred to as the Husband to the Soul-brides, in order to make a patriarchal society understand what the relationship with God is like. Also, God is considered to be our Father, Mother, and Companion.[2]
The sixth word of the mantra, purakhu, is the Punjabi form of Sanskrit (पुरुष), meaning man (personal and male). Verse 5 of a 16-verse hymn in the 10th mandala (or cycle) of the Sanskrit Rigveda (RV) called puruṣa sūkta, speaks of a primal man, Puruṣa, from whom Viraj (woman) was born, being himself then reborn of her.
The masculine gender sense of purakhu in the Mantra is found in a verse like the following.
In Sikhism, a person has two genders – one the physical gender i.e. sex (male or female), and the other the spiritual gender (which is always female – regardless of a person's physical sex). Waheguru is alluded culturally as the spiritual husband, reunion with Which is the desire of every spiritual bride – all of us.
Some references are inclusive, where God is both Mother and Father.
There is at least one reference to God as Mother, without reference to a Father.
This overly literal interpretation of the cultural references in the Guru Granth Sahib run counter to the basic premise of the Mul Mantar – that God has no form. Hence, an anthropomorphic religious (as opposed to cultural) interpretation is a contradiction in terms. The inherent anti-anthropomorphism of Sikhism scuttles oany idea of religious gender of Waheguru. The God in Sikhism is considered as Jot Saroop (Luminescence Light) so no question of gender but depending upon the feeling of the devotee God can turn Itself to any shape a child (girl or boy), a young man or woman, old man or woman or whatever It desire to be i.e. It is not governed by any law or rule and It is free to do anything. So in Sikhism, God is considered to be without form or gender and can't be described.[12]