A great religion from a great Master

To an estimated 25 million Sikhs around the world, Guru Nanak Dev is one of the greatest leaders who believed in oneness of mankind and in the inherent goodness of the individual.

To millions of people of other faiths, Guru Nanak Dev is a leader whose teachings have relevance in their daily lives as well; teachings that have transcended time, space and vicissitudes of mankind.

To tens of thousands of people who even question the existence of God, Guru Nanak Dev is a teacher par excellence and a leader who led by example.

Such is the greatness of the spiritual leader that Guru Nanak Dev is mentioned and followed with respect even by people who have embraced Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and other faiths.

We would join 15,000 or more Sikhs in New Zealand in marking the Jayanti of a great saint whose teachings have touched the heart and mind of almost everyone who has had an opportunity to listen to them or read them.

It is often said that the wisdom to lead people on the righteous path comes to those who have gone through the various stages of life, including marriage.

Gautama, who attained enlightenment to give the world the great religion of Buddhism and Guru Nanak Dev who established Sikhism as a way of life, were just two brilliant examples of that dictum.

The Early Years

Born into a simple Hindu family (on April 15, 1469), the founder of the Sikh religion showed signs of uniqueness even in his early years.

His father Mehta Kalian Das was an accountant in the employment of the local Muslim authorities.

From an early age, Guru Nanak made friends with both Hindu and Muslim children and was keen to learn and practice the meaning of life.

At the age of six, he was sent to the village schoolteacher to learn Hindi and mathematics. He then learnt Muslim literature, Persian and Arabic.

He was an unusually gifted child who learned quickly and often questioned his teachers.

His parents conducted the ‘thread ceremony’ when he attained 13 years of age.

But he refused to wear the sacred thread.

He said: Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the thread, continence the knot and truth the twist. O priest! If you have such a thread, do give it to me. It’ll not wear out, nor get soiled, nor burnt, nor lost. Says Nanak, “blessed are those who go about wearing such a thread.”

As a young man herding the family cattle, Guru Nanak was known to spend long hours absorbed in meditation and in religious discussions with Muslim and Hindu holy men who lived in the forests surrounding Talwandi, a village in Western Punjab where he was born.

Married life

His parents got him married at the age of 16 to Sulakhani, daughter of a pious merchant, with the belief that marriage would bind him to the materialistic world.

He did not object as he felt that married life did not conflict with spiritual pursuits.

Guru Nanak was happily married, he loved his wife and eventually had two sons Sri Chand in 1494 and Lakshmi Chand three years later.

Guru Nanak was persuaded by his parents to take a job as an accountant in charge of the stores of the Muslim governor of Sultanpur Daulat Khan Lodi.

He agreed and was joined by his family and an old Muslim childhood friend Mardana,  a musician by profession.

He would work during the days, but early in the mornings and late at nights, he would meditate and sing hymns accompanied by Mardana on the rabab (a string instrument).

These sessions attracted attention and many people started joining the two.

The Enlightenment

It is said that during an eventful morning when Guru Nanak was bathing in the River Bain, he went missing for three days.

He was in communion with God.

Three days later, he appeared but was no longer the same person he had been; there

was a divine light in his eyes and his face was resplendent.

He remained in a trance and said nothing. He gave up his job and distributed all his belongings to the poor.

When he finally broke his silence, he said: “There is no Hindu, no Muslim.”

Daulat Khan asked him whether he meant that the Hindus were no longer Hindus but the Muslims remain devout to their faith.”

Guru Nanak replied, “Let God’s grace be the Mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good deeds be your Kaaba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honour.”

Following that great moment of enlightenment, he said:

“There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.”

These words are enshrined at the beginning of the Sikh Holy Scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib.

He did not believe in a Trinity of Gods, or the belief that God can take the human form, or have an incarnation.

The next years

The next stage of his life began with extensive travels to spread the message of God.

Accompanied by Mardana, he undertook long journeys to convey his message to the  people through hymns.

Guru Nanak choose this medium to propagate his message because it was easily understood by the people.

Wherever he went, he spoke the local language to convey his message.

He travelled throughout the Indian Subcontinent and further east, west, and north to spread his mission.

Wherever he went, he set up local cells called manjis, where his followers could gather to recite hymns and meditate.

His true grit was tested in Saidpur in West Punjab. He stayed with Lalo, a low caste carpenter, raising a few eyebrows, most of all that of Malik Bhago, a wealthy man of the region.

He invited Guru Nanak to attend a feast at his home.

But the Guru declined, preferring to eat a modest meal at the poor man’s home.

An angry Bhago summoned him and demanded an explanation.

The Guru called for his food and squeezed blood out of it, whereas milk emerged from the food of Lalo.

Bhago was made to realise that his riches had been amassed by exploiting the poor, while what Lalo offered was the milk of hard-earned honest work.

On another occasion, Guru Nanak said:

Asceticism doesn’t lie in ascetic robes, or in walking staff, nor in the ashes.

Asceticism doesn’t lie in the earring, nor in the shaven head, nor blowing a conch.

Asceticism lies in remaining pure amidst impurities.

Asceticism doesn’t lie in mere words; He is an ascetic who treats everyone alike.

Asceticism doesn’t lie in visiting burial places, It lies not in wandering about, nor in  bathing at places of pilgrimage.

Asceticism is to remain pure amidst impurities.

Guru Nanak travelled to Mecca, Medina and Baghdad.

Arriving at Mecca, Guru Nanak fell asleep with his feet pointing towards the holy Kaaba. When the watchman questioned, Guru Nanak replied, “Good man, I am weary after a long journey. Kindly turn my feet in the direction where God is not.”

Later he sang in Persian:

I beseech you, O Lord! Pray, grant me a hearing. You are the truthful, the great, the merciful, and the faultless Creator. I know for certain, this world must perish, And death must come, I know this and nothing else. Neither wife, nor son, nor father, nor brothers shall be able to help. I must go in the end, none can undo what is my fate. I have spent days and nights in vanity, contemplating evil. Never have I thought of good; this is what I am. I am ill starred, miserly, careless, shortsighted, and rude. But says Nanak, I am yours, the dust of the feet of your servants.”

A beacon of light

Guru Nanak’s life served as a beacon light for his age. He was a great seer, saint and mystic. A prolific poet and a unique singer of God’s laudation, he was the messenger of peace, love, truth and renaissance. Even in his childhood, Guru Nanak had a mystic disposition and he used to talk about God with saints. He had a contemplative mind  and a pious nature. He began to spend his time in meditation and spiritual practices. He was, by habit, reserved.

Guru Nanak Dev’s ideas were ahead of his times. His universal message is as fresh and true even today as it was in the past and Sikhs all over the world practice what Guru Nanak Dev preached, to reaffirm their beliefs in the teachings of their founder. Guru Nanak Dev believed in and preached the concept of one God, one without any physical form.

That is why the Sikhs don’t worship idols.

Guru Nanak became part of India’s progressive movement from medievalism to modernity. He pioneered a change in religious beliefs creating new convictions and fervour among his followers.

Guru Nanak came to the world with a message of peace, unity, love and devotion to God. He came at a time when the Hindus and the Muslims were at loggerheads and at a time when real religion was believed to be mere rituals and forms. He came to preach the gospel of peace, brotherhood or the unity of humanity, love and sacrifice.