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Guru Nanak Dev Ji - The First Guru



Born on October 20th 1469 AD at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib) to a Hindu family near the city of Lahore (now a part of Pakistan), Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the founder of Sikhism. His father was Mehta Kaloo Ji and mother Mata Tripta Ji. Bhai Gurdas Ji writes about the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji,

"With manifestation (birth) of True Guru Nanak, the mist of ignorance and falsehood disappeared and there was the light of righteousness." (Satgur Nanak pargatya miti dhundh jagg chanan hoa).

The young Nanak enjoyed the company of holy men and engaged them in long discussions about the nature of God. Around the year 1500, Guru Nanak Dev Ji had a revelation from God, shortly thereafter, he uttered the words:

There is No Hindu, There is No Muslim

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 person's merits, but one's actions. The Guru witnessed the Mughal invasion of India, and saw the horrors inflicted upon the common people by the invaders. Guru Nanak Dev Ji did not hesitate to speak up against injustice:

The kings are ravenous beasts, their ministers are dogs.
The Age is a Knife, and the Kings are Butchers
In this dark night of evil, the moon of righteousness is nowhere visible.


Guru Nanak Dev Ji laid forth three basic principles by which every human being should abide:
1. Remember the name of God at all times.
2. Earn an honest living as a householder.
3. Share a portion of your earnings with the less fortunate.


Besides rejecting the Hindu caste system, adultery, and ritualism, Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached universal equality. In consistence with his message of equality, Guru Nanak Dev Ji scorned those who considered women to be evil and inferior to men by asking:

Why should we call her inferior, when it is she who gives birth to great persons?

He preached the concept of love, humility, compassion, selfless Sewa, social welfare, moral, social and spiritual values. He preached the sermon of human liberty, equality and fraternity.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji emphasised,

"Truth is high but higher still is truthful living.' 

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 of God, as illustrated by his visit to Mecca, is most recognisable. It forms the opening lines of the 1430th page of the Sikh holy scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. The translation is as follows:

There is but One God, The Supreme Truth; The Ultimate Reality, The Creator, Without fear, Without enemies, Timeless is His image, Without Birth, Self Created, By His grace revealed.

Like all the Gurus after him, Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached by example. During a time of great social conflict and religious decay, his message served as a fresh, uncorrupted approach towards spirituality and God. The Guru founded the institutions of Gurdwara, Sangat and Pangat. He introduced the concept of suitability for Guruship by ignoring his sons and appointing Bhai Lehna Ji as the second Sikh Guru to continue spreading his teachings. He departed for heavenly abode on September 7, 1539. The message of the Guru Ji took almost 240 years to unfold, and so, in accordance with the Will of God, the soul of Guru Nanak Dev Ji merged into the souls of his nine successors.
Curtsey: http://www.theworldofgurunanak.com/guru-nanak-dev-ji.html
Guru Nanak Dev
About Guru Nanak Dev
Guru Nanak Devji was the founder of one of the largest religions of the world, Sikhism. He was also the first amongst the ten Gurus of the Sikhs. He believed that there is only one God and we can reach him through any religion, be it Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, etc. he was also a great poet as well as an excellent musician and could easily convince anybody through the power of his words. In this article, we have provided you with the life story of Guru Nanak Devji in brief… 

Early Life 
As per his biography, Sri Guru Nanak Dev was born in Nankana Sahab city of Punjab (now in Pakistan), in the year 1469. His parents belonged to the Hindu Khatri clan. It is said that at the age of five years, Guru Nanak Dev started discussing spirituality. He left school at a very tender age and initiated his own teacher as his first disciple. Seeing his inclination towards spirituality and asceticism, his family got him married at the age of fourteen. However, this did not prevent him from following the path of spirituality.

Life of Wanderer 
With time, Guru Nanak Devji started assuming more and more spiritual powers. Later, he left his home, along with his Muslim friend, and led the life of a wanderer for almost twelve years. Throughout this period, he met a number of religious teachers as well Indian philosophers. Read on to know more about Guru Nanak Dev life history… 

Four Major Journeys 
Even though Guru Nanak spent 12 years traveling around and visited many places, his following four journeys are the most popular…

  • Towards Bengal and Assam
  • Towards Ceylon, via Tamil Nadu
  • Towards Kashmir, Ladakh and Tibet
  • Towards Baghdad and Mecca

Receiving Enlightenment
After leading the life of a wanderer for almost 12 years, Guru Nanak Devji left for the Himalayas. As per the record, it was there that he had the first direct experience of God. Thereafter, he settled in Kartarpur as 'a Guru with a family' and started giving religious discourses. He spent the last 15 years of his life in Kartarpur only and started the practice of 'Langar' (community kitchen) for the needy and deprived. Sri Guru Nanak Dev left the world and took his place in heaven in the year 1539. 

The Origin of Sikhism
Guru Nanak Dev formalized the three important pillars of Sikhism in Sultanpur. They are…

  • Kirt Karnaa (Honest Earning)
  • Naam Japna (Chanting God's name in a meditative manner)
  • Vand ke Shakkana (Sharing with others)

Beliefs of Sri Guru Nanak Devji

  • God is one and the true way to attain Him is to worship Him.
  • Human Beings are equal.
  • Women are equal to men in all respects.

Source: http://www.iloveindia.com/spirituality/gurus/guru-nanak.html
Guru Nanak and Punjab
GURU NANAK, the veteran poet of Punjabi language and the central figure of Bhagti movement aimed in promoting inter-religious harmony and promoting humanity.
He was born on the 15th of Kartik Puranmashi, the full moon of the Kartik month of the regional calendar in the small town of Punjab, Talwandi in the district of Sheikhupura in 1469.
Talevandi is now called Nankana after the great sage. Guru Nanak was born in the times of the renaissance in the sub-continent and the poets took cudgels on behalf, reviving the moderate teachings of every religion to counter extremism and fundamental religious approaches.
Guru Nanak revived the forgotten message of oneness of Lord, equality, brotherhood, purification of the soul and philanthropy in religion. He used poetry to protest against the caste system.
Guru Nanak travelled almost half of the world and observed the malpractices of the clerics. Not only was he a reformer and poet but also a revolutionary, a musician and a composer also. With his Muslim disciple Mardana he composed myriads of musical compositions of high merit. He condemned the bloodshed of the innocent, the captivity of women and children by Babur emperor and was sent to jail in the year 1520. He was soon released when Babur realized his mistake.
It is high time for the government to play its part in making the teachings of such mystic saints common to promote inter-religious harmony and tolerance. When Sikhs from every nook and corner of the world set their feet on the land of Waris Shah and Bule Shah to celebrate 544th birthday of the great sage, they should be warmly received so that when they go back to their countries they should project the philanthropist, mystic and tolerant image of the country.
VIJESH KUMAR Ghotki
Curtsey:DAWN.COM, — PUBLISHED NOV 17, 2013 

 

 

 

 

 

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