Guru Nanak Dev

1. Guru Nanak Dev Ji Born on 15th April, 1469 at Talwandi in Pakistan of today, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Guru of the Sikhs is believed to be the founder of the religion who was sent to earth by the almighty as a harbinger of peace and brotherhood by dispelling away the anguish and woe. Better known as Nanakana Sahib, his birth place is now in the Shekhpura district of Pakistan. Falling on the full moon day of Kartik by the Hindu calendar, his .....

The Birth of Guru Nanak

2. Early one morning before the light of dawn, Tripta, the wife of Kalu Bedi, gave birth to a baby boy. The baby charmed the midwife who attended his delivery. The parents called an astrologer to predict his fortune. They named their son Nanak, after his older sister Nanaki. The family lived in the town of Nankana, which is now a part of Pakistan. .....

Nanak the Herdboy

3. When Nanak became old enough, his father gave him the job of watching cattle. Nanak would slip into deep meditative trances while the cattle grazed. He got into a lot of trouble couple of times when the cattle wandered into the neighbors fields and ate up their crops. Nanaks father often became very upset with him, and scolded him severely for his laziness. Some villagers noticed very unusual things happening when Nanak meditated. They became con .....

Nanak the Scholar

4. One of the villagers, named Rai Bullar, noticed that Nanak tended to meditate at every opportunity. He became convinced that Nanak had devout disposition. He persuaded Nanaks father to put him in a class where he could receive an education in religious studies. Nanak learned very quickly astounding his teacher with the spiritual nature of his school work. The teacher believed that Nanak wrote divinely inspired compositions. .....

Nanak the Reformer

5. When Nanak came of age, his father arranged for him to participate in the Hindu thread tying ceremony symbolizing mans connection with God. Nanak refused, objecting that the thread had no value because it would eventually wear out. He also rejected the Hindu caste system of Brahman hierarchy. Nanak denounced idolatry, and the worship of demi gods. .....

Nanak the Merchant

6. As Nanak matured, his family arranged a marriage for him with a girl named Sulakhani. She bore him two sons. Nanaks father attempted to set him up in business as a merchant, so that he could support his family. He gave Nanak money and sent him to make purchases. Nanak spent all the money feeding homeless, and hungry, holy men that he met on the way. When he returned empty handed, his father became very angry and scolded him severely. Nanak insist .....

Nanak the Householder

7. Nanaks father became increasingly frustrated with him. His sister, Nanaki, lived with her husband in a town called Sultanpur. They found Nanak a job working in a granary. Nanak left his wife and sons with his parents promising to send for them as soon as he could support them. Nanak did well in his new position. He treated everyone generously, and dealt with them fairly. Before long his family joined him, and they moved into a house of their own. .....

Nanak the Enlightened One

8. One morning, Nanak went to meditate and bathe beside the Kali Bein, or Black River, with Mardana. Nanak walked into the river and disappeared beneath the water. When he did not show up for work, his employer discovered that he had never come back out from under the water. Everyone assumed that he had drowned except for his sister Nanaki. Three days passed and then, astounding everyone, Nanak emerged from the river alive saying, Na koe Hindu, na k .....

Guru Nanak the Traveler

9. Nanak immersed himself fully in meditation. He seldom spoke to anyone and quit his job. He gave away all of his personal belongings to the poor. He made living arrangements for his wife and sons, and then left town with his spiritual companion Mardana. They became wandering minstrels. Mardana played a stringed instrument called a rabab and accompanied Nanak, when he sang his poetic compositions. They embarked on a series of Udasi mission tours an .....

Guru Nanak Comics Series

10. Guru Nanak, the First Sikh Guru by Sikh comics spans the life, ministry and mission tours of Guru Nanak Dev in an entrancing series of five graphic novels. Colorful illustrations, English narration and Gurbani quotes bring to life the illustrious history of the first guru. .....

Life

11. People are of the belief that, at the time of birth of Guru Nanak, an astrologer was called upon to prepare his horoscope. The astrologer insisted on meeting him and worshipped Guru Nanak with folded hands. At a young age of five, Nanak began discussing on spiritual subjects. When he was seven years old, his father got him enrolled in the nearby school village for pursuing studies. However, very soon, he left the school and started taking private .....

Family Life

12. Nanak was married to a woman named Sulakhni, the daughter of a rice trader named Moolchand Chona. They were blessed with two sons. The elder son named Sri Chand turned into an ascetic. On the contrary, the younger son named Lakshmi Das was deeply involved in worldly life. Guru Nanak didnt find his own sons suitable for carrying on the Guruship. He instead handed over this responsibility to one of his favorite disciples named Lehna. Bhai Lehna was .....

Guru Nanak Philosophy

13. The beliefs & philosophies of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Guru of Sikhs, were not very popular in the beginning. But, today, it is the teachings of Guru Nanak that are ruling the lives of Sikhs. The three teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji are known as Nam Simran, Kirt Karo and Wand Chako. The term Nam Simran means think about God. Kirt Kaara preaches people to lead a normal life by earning their living through hard work and honesty. Wand Chhako means .....

Guru Nanak Jayanti

14. The birthday of Gurus is more often referred to as Gurupurab. When it comes to Gurupurab, the birthday of the first Guru of Sikhs, i.e. Guru Nanak Dev is known as the Guru Nanak Jayanti, which is celebrated with gaiety and fervor in India. Guru Nanak Jayanti has a lot of religious significance for the people of Sikh religion. Born in the year 1469 at a place called Talwandi, which lies at a distance of about 50 kms from Lahore, Guru Nanak Dev Ji .....

There is No Hindu There is No Muslim

15. This pronouncement was substantial as it referred to the day and age in which Guru Nanak Dev Ji lived Hindus and Muslims of India constantly and bitterly fought each other over the issue of religion. The Guru meant to emphasise that, ultimately, in the eyes of God, it is not religion that determines a persons merits, but ones actions. The Guru witnessed the Mughal invasion of India, and saw the horrors inflicted upon the common people by the inva .....

Truth is high but higher still is truthful living

16. Guru Nanak Dev Ji has been documented to have travelled across India and the Middle East to spread his message. Once, at Mecca, the Guru was resting with his feet pointing toward the holy shrine. When a Muslim priest angrily reprimanded the Guru for showing disrespect to God, the Guru replied, Kindly point my feet towards the place where God does not exist. Among the many philosophical foundations laid by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, his characterisation o .....

Background

17. His father was Kalayan Das Mehta, also known as Mehta Kalu, and his mother was Mata Tripta ji. They belonged to the Vedic Kshatri (Khatri) caste. Guru ji had an older sister called Bebey Nanki, who was the first to recognise Nanak as an enlightened Soul. Guru Nanak from an early age evidenced a questioning and enquiring mind. He soon mastered the Vedas and Sanskrit and was enrolled into a madrassa to study Persian and Arabic. Picking up both lang .....

Guru Nanaks Life at Sultanpur

18. Nanak married Sulkhni of Batala, and they had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. Guru jis brother in law, the husband of his sister Nanki, obtained a job for him in Sultanpur as the manager of the governments grainary. One morning, when he was twenty eight, he went as usual down to the river to bathe and meditate. It was said that he was gone for three days. When he reappeared, filled with the spirit of God, it was apparent to all that he was a .....

Equality of humans

19. When in the middle east, the west and the rest of asia slavery, varna class and race discrimination was rife and respect between the different classes and caste was at a peak, Guru 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. also There is one awareness among all created beings. and final .....

Equality of women

20. In about 1499 when the world offered low to no status or respect to women, Guru Nanak sought to improve the respect 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 b .....

Universal message for all people

21. 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 Guru Nanak 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. 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 and to .....

Gurus schooling

22. At the age of seven, Guru Nanak was sent to school, which was run by teacher, Pandit Gopal Das, at his village. As usual the teacher started the lesson with an alphabet but the teacher was wonder stuck when the Guru asked him to explain the meanings of the letters of the alphabet. However at the helplessness of his teacher, the Guru wrote the meanings of each and every letter of the alphabet. This was the first Divine Message delivered by Guru Na .....

Ceremony of sacred thread

23. Guru Nanak was nine years old and according to the custom among the higher castes of Hindus, he was required to invest himself with the sacred thread called Janaeu. Great preparations were made by his father for this ceremony. The family priest named Hardyal, started chanting Mantras (Hindu hymns) and was ready to put the thread around Gurus neck when he refused to wear it. The whole assembly was astonished. They tried to persuade him every way t .....

Cobra serves the divine master

24. As usually is the case in villages, the father sent his son to graze the buffaloes in the pastures. One day while the Guru was grazing the buffaloes, he fell asleep under a tree and the herd destroyed the crops in the neighboring fields. When the owner saw his crops damaged, he became furious and lodged a complaint with Rai Bular, an officer in charge of that area. Rai Bular sent for the son and his father to adjust the quarrel. The Guru told the .....

Guru sits in seclusion

25. As he grew a little older, he avoided company and sought seclusion. For days he would sit silent in solitude and spent his time in meditation. Parents became anxious about his health and to them his unworldliness appeared insane. One day they sent for their physician Hari Das. The physician came and began to feel Gurus pulse. He withdrew his arm and asked, O physician, what art thou doing? The physician replied that he was diagnosing his disease. .....

Early life

26. Guru Nanak was born on 15 April 1469, now celebrated as Guru Nanak Gurpurab, at Rai Bhoi Ki Talva??i, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, in present day Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. His parents were Kalyan Chand Das Bedi, popularly shortened to Mehta Kalu, and Mata Tripta. His father was a patwari (accountant) for crop revenue in the village of Talwandi, employed by a Muslim landlord of that area, Rai Bul .....

Teachings

27. Guru Nanaks teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib, as a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi.From these some common principles seem discernible. Firstly a supreme Godhead who although incomprehensible, manifests in all major religions, the Singular Doer and formless. It is described as the indestructible (undying) form.Nanak describes the dangers of egotism (haumai I am) and calls upon devotees to en .....