Everything about Guru Nanak Dev totally explained
Guru Nanak Dev () (Born in
Nankana Sahib,
Punjab, (now
Pakistan) on
20th October 1469 –
22 September 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 equally by the
Hindus and
Muslims in the
Punjab His primary message to society was recorded to be "devotion of thought and excellence of conduct as the first of duties".
Guru Nanak profoundly influenced the history of Punjab. For
Sikhs and
Hindus, he was a
Prophet who gave to the world the gospel of love, goodwill and reconciliation.
Birth and early life
Guru Nanak Dev Ji(he was named Nanak after his sister Nanki)was born on
20 October 1469 into a family of the Hindu
Bedi Khatri clan, in the village of
Rāi Bhōi dī Talvaṇḍī, now called
Nankana Sahib (after the Guru), near
Lahore,
Pakistan. Today, his birth place is marked by
Gurdwara Janam Asthan. His father, Kalyan Das Bedi, also known as
Mehta Kalu, was the patwari (accountant) of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi under the
Muslim landlord of the village, Rai Bular, who was responsible for collecting taxes. Guru Nanak's mother was
Tripta Devi and he'd one older sister,
Nanaki.
There are two early sources on the life of Guru Nanak, the
Janamsākhīs' and the
vārs of the scribe
Bhai Gurdas.
The most popular Janamsākhī are said to have been written by a close companion of the Guru
Bhai Bala before Nanak died. However, the writing style and language employed have left scholars such as
Max Arthur Macauliffe certain that they were composed after his death.
Bhai Gurdas,
Gurū Granth Sāhib's scribe, also wrote about Nanak's life in his
vārs. However, these too were compiled after Guru Nanak's death, and are less detailed than the Janamsākhīs. Sikhs tend to hold Gurdas's accounts in higher esteem because of the author's generally perceived trustworthiness.
The Janamsākhīs recount in minute detail 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's 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, not only by Sikhs, but Hindus and Muslims as well.
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. In his youth he became familiar with the popular creeds of
Muslims and
Hindus and gained knowledge of the
Qur'an and
Hindu shastras. He is reported to have been displeased with the corruption and indifference of the learned. A manuscript in
Persian mentions that his first teacher was a
Muslim, though general accounts hold the teacher to be a
Hindu, and Nanak astonished his teacher by asking the hidden meaning of the first letter of the alphabet, which is almost straight stroke in
Persian or
Arabic, resembling the mathematical version of one and denotes unity or oneness of
God.
Nanak left school early after he'd shown his scholastic proficiency. He then took to private study and meditation.
The
Janamsākhīs 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 traveled 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.
Marriage and family life
Nanak was married to
Sulakhni. His marriage took place with her in the town of
Batala. The marriage party had come from the town of
Sultanpur Lodhi.
He had two sons from this marriage;
Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand. The elder son was a deeply spiritual person and founded a sect known as
Udasi. He is known as
Baba Sri Chand in Sikhism. The term
Baba refers to the respectful title given to an elder. The younger son was immersed in worldly life.
Guru Nanak didn't nominate either of his sons as his successor.
Sri Chand lived a considerably long life.Upon the death of
Sri Chand, his
pagri (symbol of succession) was sent to the sixth Sikh Guru,
Har Gobind. The
udasis or follower of
Sri Chand continued to remain in the fold of Sikhism.
Teachings of Nanak
The main teachings of Nanak included faith in one true
God, worship and recital of his name and the necessity of Guru in pursuing the path to God.
God, according to him, is immanent and transcendent. Nobody knows the limits of God. God alone knows how great he is. Nanak compares God to the beloved and says God is in the heart of every individual. Nanak had belief in a personal and merciful god. Nanak denounced the worship of idols. He put emphasis on the worship of true name. Nanak endeavored to remove the cloud of ignorance and superstitions from the minds of people.
- Naam Japna: Chanting the Holy Name and thus remembering God at all times (often meditation).
- Kirat Karō: Earning livelihood.
- Va Chakkō: Sharing with others. These were some of basic teachings of Nanak
Nanak put great emphasis on the worship of True Name. Repetition of the True Name
Satnam Vāhigurū was to be done with greatest devotion. To quote Nanak "The name is the God, the God of all Gods. Some propitiate durga, some shiv, some ganesh and some other Gods but the Guru's
Sikhs worship the True Name and thus remove all obstacles to salvation". also "There is one awareness among all created beings."(Page 24) and finally "One who recognizes the One Lord among all beings doesn't talk of ego. ||4||" (page 432).He urges his followers to "conquer" their minds to these evil practices. 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 Indian society offered little status or respect to women, Nanak Dev sought to elevate the position of women by spreading this message: "From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he's engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he's 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.
Universal message for all People The followers of Nanak were from all faiths and he addressed all without discrimination. To the Muslim he said: "And when, O Nanak, he's 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.
Baburvani
Baburvani pronounced BaaburVaani is the name given to the hymn composed by Guru Nanak at the time of Invasion of India by the Mughal emperor Babur. The name is derived from a word in the hymn composed by Guru Nanak.
In this hymn Guru Nanak uses the metaphor of the marriage party, describing the march of Babur from his native place Khurasan to conquer the bride Hindustan (India), and calling it a party of sin and plunder. There are four hymns which comprehend the issue of war and peace, of the inclination of God, and unavoidable downfall of Indian people.
Following is an illustrated portion from the hymns, addressed to Bhai Lalo a follower and devotee of Guru Nanak
"
As descendeth the Lord's word to me, so do I deliver
it unto you, O Lalo:
(Babar) leading a wedding-array of sin
hath descended from Kabul and
demandeth by force the bride, O Lalo.
decency and righteousness have vanished,
and falsehood struts abroad, O
Lalo.
Gone are the days of Qazis and Brahmans,
satan now conducts the nuptials, O Lalo.
The Muslim women recite the Qur'an and
in distress remember their God, O Lalo.
Similar is the fate of Hindu women of
castes high and low, O Lalo.
They sing paeans of blood, O Nanak,
and by blood, not saffron, ointment is made,
O Lalo.
In this city of corpses, Nanak
proclaimeth God's praises, and uttereth
this true saying:
The Lord who created men and put them
to their tasks watcheth them from
His seclusion.
True is that Lord, true His verdict,
and true is the justice He dealeth.
As her body's vesture is torn to shreds,
India shall remember my words.
In seventy-eight they come, in ninety
seven shall depart; another man of
destiny shall arise.
Nanak pronounceth words of truth,
Truth he uttereth; truth the time
calls for."
Nanak And Bhakti Movement
The Bhakti movement started during the period of Delhi Sultanate.The earliest known exponent of Bhakti movement was Ramanuja who flourished in the early years of 12th century. He was persecuted by the Chola King. People had become jealous of his learning and even an attempt was made on his life..It has been rightly pointed out that the movement represented the mood of the Hindu mind which can be described as "escapism".. The essence of Nanak's religion consists in its being a force and emancipating his followers from all religious and social shackles. Guru Nanak consciously projected new goals, envisaging a socio-religious order based on the concept of universal brotherhood, social justice, and humanitarian cultural vision that would engender peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding through explicit acceptance of cultural pluralism.
Last years of Nanak
Spending the last fifteen years of his life in Kartarpur, the Guru would wake at dawn and recite his daily prayers. At daybreak, he'd 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.
As his end approached Nanak would frequently make a test, for judging the merits of his followers and sons, for nominating a successor. He was once walking with them on a road and a corpse lay on the side. He ordered all of them to eat that corpse. None, but Lehna, later Guru Angad, came forward. He removed the sheet which covered the corpse and found Nanak lying there instead.There were numerous other such occasions and Lehna never faltered in his faith in Nanak. Later Nanak nominated Lehna as the next Guru saying he was himself and his spirit would dwell in him. Nanak called him Guru Angad.
On 22 September 1539, aged 69, Guru Nanak met with his demise, after he'd requested his disciples to sing the Sohila (hymn in the praise of God).
Nanak in Sikhism
Nanak said
"If you're fond of playing with love of God,
then come to me with your head on your palm;
And once you set your foot on this path,
don't hesitate if it's taken ".
The basic foundation of Sikhism is laid on the teachings of Guru Nanak. He is considered by the Sikhs to have extricated them from the accumulated errors of ages and left them erect and free, unbiased in mind and unfettered by rules, to become an increasing body of truthful worshippers.
The religious movement started by Nanak continued to gather momentum under his successors. Its stern ethical tone and singularity of object were elements which distinguished it from similar movements in India. Its spirit of non-compromise carried within it possibilities of martyrdoms and the seeds of an organised community.
The unsettled political conditions of the later period of the Mughal empire created situations which inevitably transformed the Sikhs into an armed military order. But although the Sikhs changed their organisation, their religion retained almost unaltered the impress of the teachings of Guru Nanak.
Folklore
There are numerous folklores and tales relating to Nanak. One such folklore narrates that when it became clear that the death of Guru Nanak Dev was near, a dispute arose among his followers. His Hindu followers wanted to cremate the remains while the Muslim followers wanted to bury the body following Islamic tradition. Nanak brokered a compromise by suggesting that each group should place a garland of flowers beside his body, and whoever's garland remained unwilted after three days could dispose of his body according to their tradition. However, the next morning, upon raising the cloth under which the Guru's body lay, only the flowers shared between his followers were found. The Hindus cremated their flowers whereas the Muslims buried theirs.
He is also said to have met the first Mughal emperor Babur, when the latter invaded India and greatly impressed the sovereign with his demeanor and conversation. He perplexed [
The Eleven Gurus of Sikhism
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