Historical Figure
Guru Nanak
1469–1539
Founder and first guru of Sikhism (1469–1539)
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Biography
Gurū Nānak, also known as Bābā Nānak, was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
In Their Own Words (5)
You shall everywhere mind the book of the Granth-Sahib as your Guru; whatever you shall ask it will show you.
As quoted in Religious Thought and Life in India : An Account of the Religions of the Indian Peoples, Based on a Life's Study of Their Literature and on Personal Investigations in Their Own Country (1883) by Monier Monier-Williams , 1883
Of a woman are we conceived, Of a woman are we born, To a woman are we betrothed and married, It is a woman who keeps the race going, Another companion is sought when the life-partner dies, Through a woman are established social ties. Why should we consider woman cursed and condemned, When from woman are born leaders and rulers. From woman alone is born a woman, Without woman there can be no human birth. Without woman, O Nanak, only the True One exists. Be it man or be it woman, Only those who sing His glory Are blessed and radiant with His Beauty, In His Presence and with His grace They appear with a radiant face.
Raag Aasaa Mehal 1, p. 473; in Aad Guru Granth Sahib (1983 edition by Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee); also in Guru Nanak and His Times (1971) by Anil Chandra Banerjee, p. 78 ISBN 1573929980 --> , 1971
The impurity of the mind is greed, and the impurity of the tongue is falsehood. The impurity of the eyes is to gaze upon the beauty of another man's wife, and his wealth. The impurity of the ears is to listen to the slander of others. O Nanak, the mortal's soul goes, bound and gagged to the city of Death. All impurity comes from doubt and attachment to duality. Birth and death are subject to the Command of the Lord's Will; through His Will we come and go.
Asa di Var
Make compassion the cotton, contentment the thread, modesty the knot and truth the twist. This is the sacred thread of the soul; if you have it, then go ahead and put it on me.
Raag Aasaa 471:5383-4
Praise Him whose limit cannot be found. They who practise truth and perform service shall obtain their reward.He who knoweth divine knowledge is the learned pandit.He who knoweth the one God in all creatures would never say 'I exist by myself '.When the hair groweth white, it shineth without soap.King Death's hunters follow him who is bound by the chain of mammon.The Creator, Lord of the world, giveth sustenance to His slaves.All the world is bound in His bonds; no other authority prevaileth.He who hath renounced the singing of God's word, is arrogant in his language.He who fashioned vessels made kilns in which He put them and burnt them.The servant who performeth the Guru's work, who remaineth obedient to His commands,Who deemeth bad and good as the same, shall in this way be absorbed in Him.He who made the four Veds, the four mines, and the four ages Hath been in every age a Jogi, a worldly man, or a learned pandit.
Timeline
The story of Guru Nanak, told in moments.
His birthday, Guru Nanak Gurpurab, is celebrated across India annually. Sikhism grows to 25 million followers worldwide. The Kartarpur Corridor, opened in 2019 between India and Pakistan, allows pilgrims to visit his final resting place without a visa.
Disappears into the River Beas while bathing. Gone for three days. Everyone assumes he's drowned. He reappears and declares: "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim." He says he was taken to God's court and given a cup of nectar with a mission to teach. He is 30. This is the founding moment of Sikhism.
Begins a series of long journeys across Asia lasting over 20 years. He visits Mecca, Baghdad, Tibet, and Sri Lanka. Travels with Mardana, a Muslim musician who accompanies his hymns on the rebab. He debates with yogis, mullahs, and pandits. His message is consistent: one God, equality, shared meals.
Founds the town of Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi River. Establishes the first Sikh community. Introduces the langar, a communal kitchen where everyone sits together to eat regardless of caste or faith. This is radical in a society defined by caste segregation.
Dies in Kartarpur at age 70. Before dying, he appoints Guru Angad as his successor rather than his own sons. His 974 hymns are later compiled into the Guru Granth Sahib. Hindus and Muslims both claim the right to his funeral rites. According to tradition, when the sheet is lifted from his body, they find only flowers.
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