'Guru Nanak Dev'
[1] (, '') (Born in
Nankana Sahib,
Punjab, (now
Pakistan) on
20th October 1469 –
7 May 1539,
Kartarpur,
Punjab,
India), was the founder of
Sikhism, and the first of the ten
Sikh Gurus.
Beside followers of
Sikhism, 'Guru Nanak Dev' is revered by Hindus across the
Indian subcontinent.
[2] His primary message to society was recorded to be "devotion of thought and excellence of conduct as the first of duties".
[3]
Stories of Guru Nanak Dev ji's life
The stories of Guru Nanak's life are collected in writings known as the ''
JanamsÄkhÄ«s''. The most popular JanamsÄkhÄ« purports to have been written by
Bhai Bala close companion, before Guru Nanak left this world
[4]. However, the writing style and language employed have left scholars such as
Max Arthur Macauliffe certain that they were composed after Guru Nanak left this world.
[5]
Bhai Gurdas, the scribe of the
GurÅ« Granth SÄhib, also wrote about Nanak's life in his ''vÄrs''. However, these too were compiled after Guru Nanak's demise, and are less detailed than the JanamsÄkhÄ«s. Sikhs tend to hold Gurdas's accounts in higher esteem because of the author's generally perceived trustworthiness.
Early life
Nanak with Hindu holy men.
Guru Nanak was born on
13 April 1469 in a
Hindu family of the
Bedi Khatri clan,
[6] in the village of ''RÄi BhÅi dÄ« Talvaṇá¸Ä«'', now called
Nankana Sahib (after the Guru), near
Lahore,
Pakistan.
[7] Today, his birth place is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. His father, Mehta Kalyan Das Bedi, also known as
Mehta Kalu, was a
Patwari—an
accountant of land revenue in the government. He worked for the
Muslim landlord of the village, Rai Bullar. Guru Nanak's mother was
Tripta Devi and he had one older sister,
Nanaki.
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib
The JanamsÄkhÄ«s recount in minute detail all the circumstances of the birth of the guru. They claim that at his birth, an astrologer who came to write his horoscope insisted on seeing the child. On seeing the infant, he is said to have worshipped him with clasped hands. The astrologer then remarked that he regretted that he should never live to see young Guru Nanak's eminence, worshipped as he should be alike by Hindus and Muslims, and not merely by Hindus.
[5]
At the age of five years Nanak is said to have begun to discuss spiritual and
divine subjects. At age seven, his father
Mehta Kalu enrolled him at the village school.
[5] Nanak left school early after he had shown his scholastic proficiency. He then took to private study and meditation.
[5]
All the
JanamsÄkhÄ«s are unanimous in stating that Nanak courted the retirement of the local forest and the society of the religious men who frequented it. Several of them were profoundly versed in the
Indian religious literature of the age. They had also travelled far and wide within the limits of ancient India, and met its renowned religious teachers. Nanak thus became acquainted with the latest teachings of Indian philosophers and reformers.
[5]
Epiphany
Sikh tradition states that at the age of thirty, Nanak went missing, and was presumed to have drowned after going for one of his morning baths to a local stream called the ''Kali Bein'' or the ''Humber Bain''. Three days later he reappeared and would give the same answer to any question posed to him: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim" (in Punjabi, "''nÄ kÅi hindÅ« nÄ kÅi musalmÄn''"). It was from this moment that Nanak would begin to spread the teachings of what was then the beginning of Sikhism.
[12] Although the exact account of his itinerary is disputed, he is widely acknowledged to have made four major journeys, spanning thousands of kilometers. The first tour was east towards
Bengal and
Assam, the second south towards
Ceylon via
Tamil Nadu, the third north towards
Kashmir,
Ladakh and
Tibet, and the final tour west towards
Baghdad and
Mecca.
[13]
Nanak was married to Sulakhni, the daughter of Moolchand Chona, a rice trader from the town of
Batala. They had two sons. The elder son,
Sri Chand, was an ascetic and he came to have a considerable following of his own, known as the
Udasis. The younger son, Lakshmi Das, on the other hand was totally immersed in worldly life. To Nanak, who believed in the ideal of '' (detachment in civic life), both his sons were unfit to carry on the Guruship.
The Three Pillars of Sikhism
It was in Sultanpur that Guru Nanak Dev formalised the three important pillars of Sikhism:
★ '
Naam Japna': Chanting the Holy Name and thus remembering God at all times (often meditation).
★ '
Kirat KarÅ': Earning an honest living.
★ '
VaṇḠChakkÅ': Sharing with others.
Other beliefs and contributions
Guru Nanak had many beliefs which were not popular at the time but are now widespread.
★ 'Equality of Humans': When throughout the East and West Slavery and race discrimination was rife, and disrespect amongst the different classes and castes was at its peak, Nanak preached against discrimination and prejudices due to race, caste, status, etc. He said: "See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world." (SGGS page 6); also "There is one awareness among all created beings." (Page 24) and finally "One who recognizes the One Lord among all beings does not talk of ego. ||4||" (page 432). He urges all the peoples of the world to "conquer" their minds to these evil practises. All human beings had the light of the Lord and were the same – only by subduing one's pride and ego could one see this light in all.
★ 'Equality of Women': In about 1499 when the society offered little status or respect to the womanhood, Nanak Dev elevated the position of women by spreading this message: "From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all. O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman." (Page 473). In so doing he promoted the equality of women in the 15th century. Nanak Dev also condemned the ritual of
Sati some 300 years prior to the British doing so.
★ 'Universal message for all People' It had been a custom at the time for religious leaders to address only their own congregation, and for segregation of the different religions – but Nanak Dev broke with tradition, and spoke to all of humanity. To the Muslim he said: "And when, O Nanak, he is merciful to all beings, only then shall he be called a Muslim. ||1||" (page 141"; to the Hindu, he said "O Nanak, without the True Name, of what use is the frontal mark of the Hindus, or their sacred thread? ||1||" (page 467); and to all he preached: "To take what rightfully belongs to another is like a Muslim eating pork, or a Hindu eating beef." (Page 141).
Upon being asked which religion,
Hinduism or
Islam, was the true path to God, he replied that the true way to attain God was to worship Him who is eternal and contained in the whole Universe.
Four journeys
History states that Guru Nanak Dev made four great journeys, traveling to all parts of
India, and into
Arabia and
Persia, visiting
Mecca and
Baghdad. He spoke before
Hindus,
Jains,
Buddhists,
Parsees, and
Muslims. He spoke in the temples and mosques, and at various pilgrimage sites. Wherever he went, Guru Nanak Dev spoke out against empty
religious rituals,
pilgrimages, the
caste system, the
sacrifice of widows, of depending on
books to learn the true religion, and of all the other tenets that were to define his teachings. Never did he ask his listeners to follow him. He asked the Muslims to be true Muslims and the Hindus to be true Hindus.
After the last of his great journeys, Guru Nanak Dev settled and established the city of
Kartarpur ''(meaning: The City of God)'' (in
Punjab) on the banks of the
Beas River, where he preached for fifteen more years. The city is considered the birth place of Sikhism and is one of the holiest cities in Sikhism. During this time, although his followers still remained Hindu, Muslim, or of the religion to which they were born, they became known as the Guru's disciples, or
Sikhs.
It was here his followers began to refer to him as teacher, or
guru. The Guru told his followers that they were to be
householders and could not live apart from the world—there were to be no
priests or
hermits. Here is where Guru Nanak Dev instituted the
community meal or Langar, requiring the rich and poor, Hindu and Muslim, high caste and low caste, to eat together. Here is where Lehna, later to be
Guru Angad, came to be with Guru Nanak Dev.
Joti Jot Samaye
Guru Nanak spent last fifteen years of his life in
Kartarpur. The Guru would wake at dawn and recite his daily prayers. At daybreak, he would address his followers. He worked in the field and earned his livelihood. He worked in
Langar; or community kitchen, where food would be partaken by Nanak's followers irrespective of their caste or creed.
On
22 September 1539, aged 70, Guru Nanak met with his demise, after he had requested his disciples to sing the
Sohila (the praise of God).
Folklore
According to Sikh history it says that upon the death of Guru Nanak Dev, his Hindu followers wanted to cremate the remains while the Muslim followers wanted to bury the body following Islamic tradition. However on raising the cloth under which the Guru's body lay, some fresh flowers were found which were shared between his followers. The Hindus cremated their flowers whereas the Muslims buried theirs.
See also
★
List of founders of major religions
★
Sikh
★
Sikhism
★
Islam and Sikhism
Notes
1. Nanak may be referred to by many names and titles such as Baba Nanak or Nanak Shah.
2. Philosophy and Faith of Sikhism, , Kartar Singh, Duggal, Himalayan Institute Press, 1988, ISBN 0-89389-109-6
3. History of the Sikhs, , Joseph Davey, Cunningham, John Murray, 2006, ISBN
4. [1]
5. The Sikh Religion - Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, , Max Arthur, Macauliffe, Low Price Publications, 2004, ISBN 81-86142-31-2
6. The Sikh Religion - Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, , Max Arthur, Macauliffe, Low Price Publications, 2004, ISBN 81-86142-31-2 . Generally thought to be the third day of Baisakh (or Vaisakh) of Vikram Samvat 1526.
7. The Illustrated History of the Sikhs, , Khushwant, Singh, Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-19-567747-1 Also, as according to the PurÄtan JanamsÄkhÄ« (the birth stories of Nanak).
8. The Sikh Religion - Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, , Max Arthur, Macauliffe, Low Price Publications, 2004, ISBN 81-86142-31-2
9. The Sikh Religion - Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, , Max Arthur, Macauliffe, Low Price Publications, 2004, ISBN 81-86142-31-2
10. The Sikh Religion - Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, , Max Arthur, Macauliffe, Low Price Publications, 2004, ISBN 81-86142-31-2
11. The Sikh Religion - Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors, , Max Arthur, Macauliffe, Low Price Publications, 2004, ISBN 81-86142-31-2
12. Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures, , Christopher, Shackle, Routledge, 2005, ISBN 0-415-26604-1
13. The Illustrated History of the Sikhs, , Khushwant, Singh, Oxford University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-19-567747-1
External links
★
Dhan Guru Nanak!
★
Eternal Glory of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
★
Max Arthur MacAuliff, ''The Sikh Religion, Vol 1, (The Life of Guru Nanak Dev Ji)'', Oxford University Press, 1909.
★
Allaboutsikhs.com
★
Sikh-History.com
★
Satguru Nanak Dev Ji In Baghdad
★
Satguru Nanak Dev Ji Biography
★
Learn more about the founder of Sikhism, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji
★
Biography of Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, with Pictures
★
Satguru Nanak Dev Ji (for Children) - eBook
★
JargSahib.com
★
''Sufis, Philosophers, and Nanak''
★
''Nanak and the Sikhs''
Video
★
Video on Guru Nanak Dev Ji
★
A short video documentary summarizing the life of Satguru Nanak Dev Ji
Audio
★
Sikhism.com
★
Guriqbal Singh (Gurdwara Mata Kaulan Amritsar Wale) - Kal Taran Guru Nanak Aya
★
Surinder Singh Jodhpuri - Pekh Darshan Nanak Jeeva
★
Harjinder Singh (Sri Nagar Wale) - Nanak Dukhia Sabh Sansar
★
Lal Chand Yamla Jatt - Satguru Nanak Teri Leela Neyari
★
OST - Nanak Naam Jahaaz Hai
★
All Audio Media Related to Guru Nanak Dev Ji
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