Guru Nanak Dev
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“Guru Nanak Dev the First Guru of Sikhs and founder of Sikhism.”
Guru Nanak Dev (Hindi: श्री गुरु नानक देव जी Punjabi: ਨਾਨਕ ਭਾਜੀ) was an Indian prophet, kinda like an Indian version of Jesus or Muhammed. He was born in the 13th century when Europe was getting out of the Dark Ages and India was about to take its vacant seat there.Guru Nanak was a quiet boy. At age seven, his father enrolled him at the village school as was the custom.Notable lore recounts that as a child Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of God.
Creation of Sikhism[edit | edit source]
Rai Bular, the local landlord and Nanak's sister Bibi Nanaki were the first people who recognised divine qualities in the boy. They encouraged and supported him to study and travel. Sikh tradition states that at around 1499, at the age of 30, he had a vision. After he failed to return from his ablutions, his clothes were found on the bank of a local stream called the Kali Bein. The townspeople assumed he had drowned in the river; Daulat Khan had the river dragged, but no body was found. Three days after disappearing, Nanak reappeared, staying silent. The next day, he spoke to pronounce:
"There is neither Hindu nor Mussulman (Muslim), but only man. So whose path shall I follow? I shall follow God's path. God is neither Hindu nor Mussulman and the path which I follow is God's."[13] Nanak said that he had been taken to God's court. There, he was offered a cup filled with amrita (nectar) and given the command,
"This is the cup of the adoration of God's name. Drink it. I am with you. I bless you and raise you up. Whoever remembers you will enjoy my favour. Go, rejoice of my name and teach others to do so. I have bestowed the gift of my name upon you. Let this be your calling." From this point onwards, Nanak is described in accounts as a Guru (teacher), and Sikhism was born.
Sacred book[edit | edit source]
The main basic belief of Sikhism is to spread the message of kindness, and peace, instead of revenge and spite.Sikhism is one of the most recently formed religions in the world. Sikhs follow the teaching of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book which comprises the teaching of six of the ten gurus of Sikhism and some saints and men of devotion.The Guru Granth Sahib is worshipped as the Supreme Authority of Sikhism and is considered the eleventh and final guru of Sikhism. As the first guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak contributed a total of 974 hymns to the bookOnce the issue of god was settled, Nanak wanted more for his religion: a sacred book and rituals.
Rituals[edit | edit source]
Guru Nanak Dev ji Denounced many Hindu rituals like watering Sun as a ritual to giving water to Sun god,wearing the cotton thread,idol Worship.He denounced Muslim Rituals too. Guru Nanak focused on worshipping one God.Through popular tradition, Nanak's teaching is understood to be practised in three ways:
1)Vand ke Chakkō: Sharing with others, helping those with less who are in need 2)Kirat Karō: Earning/making a living honestly, without exploitation or fraud 3)Naam Japna: Meditating on God's name to control the five weaknesses of the human personality. Guru Nanak emphasised Nam Japna (or Naam Simran), that is repetition of God's name and attributes, as a means to feel God's presence.
Marriage[edit | edit source]
Guru Nanak didn't believe in celibacy. He even told his followers that one of their first duties was to get married. On 24 September 1487 Nanak married Mata Sulakkhani, daughter of Mūl Chand and Chando Rāṇī, in the town of Batala. The couple had two sons, Sri Chand (8 September 1494 – 13 January 1629)[17] and Lakhmi Chand (12 February 1497 – 9 April 1555). Sri Chand received enlightenment from Guru Nanak's teachings and went on to become the founder of the Udasi sect.
Death[edit | edit source]
Guru Nanak appointed Bhai Lehna as the successor Guru, renaming him as Guru Angad, meaning "one’s very own" or "part of you". Shortly after proclaiming Bhai Lehna as his successor, Guru Nanak died on 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur, at the age of 70.