The word "Akal" mean the "timeless primal being" and the word "Ustat" (from the Sanskrit word 'stuti') means "praise".
So together, the words "Akal Ustat" mean "the praise of the Timeless One".[5]
In it, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru writes that God is worshipped by various peoples in many different ways, and with varying names and methods:[5]
He is an Inconceivable Entity, External and Attire-less.
He is without attachment, colour, form and mark. He distinct from all others of various colours and signs.
He is the Primal being, Unique and Changeless.(3)
He is without colour, mark, caste and lineage.
He is the without enemy, friend, father and mother.
He is far away from all and closest to all.
His dwelling is within water, on earth and in heavens.(4)
- (Guru Gobind Singh, Akal Ustat, verse 3 to 4)
The scripture is notable for its unalloyed disavowal of the caste system, and of cultural elitism in general.
At various points in this composition, Guru Gobind Singh speaks out against the belief that some people are superior to others, by virtue of belonging to a particular religion, region, history, culture, colour or creed. Instead, he clearly and firmly states that "all human beings are equal ":
Someone is Hindu and someone a Muslim, then someone is Shia, and someone a Sunni, but all the human beings, as a species, are recognized as one and the same.
- (Guru Gobind Singh, Akal Ustat, Verse 85-15-1)
