Guru Nanak Dev ji (1469 - 1539)

Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji was born in 1469 in Talwandi, a village in the Sheikhupura district, 65 kms. west of Lahore. His father was a village official in the local revenue administration. As a boy, Sri Guru Nanak learnt, besides the regional languages, Persian and Arabic. He was married in 1487 and was blessed with two sons, one in 1491 and the second in 1496. In 1485 he took up, at the instance of his brother-in-law, the appointment of an official in charge of the stores of Daulat Khan Lodhi, the Muslim ruler of the area at Sultanpur. It is there that he came into contact with Mardana, a Muslim minstrel (Mirasi) who was senior in age.
By all accounts, 1496 was the year of his enlightenment when he started on his mission. His first statement after his prophetic communion with God was "There is no Hindu, nor any Mussalman." This is an announcement of supreme significance it declared not only the brotherhood of man and the fatherhood of God, but also his clear and primary interest not in any metaphysical doctrine but only in man and his fate. It means love your neighbour as yourself. In addition, it emphasised, simultaneously the inalienable spirituo-moral combination of his message. Accompanied by Mardana, he began his missionary tours. Apart from conveying his message and rendering help to the weak, he forcefully preached, both by precept and practice, against caste distinctions ritualism, idol worship and the pseudo-religious beliefs that had no spiritual content. He chose to mix with all. He dined and lived with men of the lowest castes and classes Considering the then prevailing cultural practices and traditions, this was something socially and religiously unheard of in those days of rigid Hindu caste system sanctioned by the scriptures and the religiously approved notions of untouchability and pollution. It is a matter of great significance that at the very beginning of his mission, the Guru's first companion was a low caste Muslim. The offerings he received during his tours, were distributed among the poor. Any surplus collected was given to his hosts to maintain a common kitchen, where all could sit and eat together without any distinction of caste and status. This institution of common kitchen or langar became a major instrument of helping the poor, and a nucleus for religious gatherings of his society and of establishing the basic equality of all castes, classes and sexes.
When Guru Nanak Dev ji were 12 years old his father gave him twenty rupees and asked him to do a business, apparently to teach him business. Guru Nanak dev ji bought food for all the money and distributed among saints, and poor. When his father asked him what happened to business? He replied that he had done a "True business" at the place where Guru Nanak dev had fed the poor, this gurdwara was made and named Sacha Sauda.
Despite the hazards of travel in those times, he performed five long tours all over the country and even outside it. He visited most of the known religious places and centres of worship. At one time he preferred to dine at the place of a low caste artisan, Bhai Lallo, instead of accepting the invitation of a high caste rich landlord, Malik Bhago, because the latter lived by exploitation of the poor and the former earned his bread by the sweat of his brow. This incident has been depicted by a symbolic representation of the reason for his preference. Sri Guru Nanak pressed in one hand the coarse loaf of bread from Lallo's hut and in the other the food from Bhago's house. Milk gushed forth from the loaf of Lallo's and blood from the delicacies of Bhago. This prescription for honest work and living and the condemnation of exploitation, coupled with the Guru's dictum that "riches cannot be gathered without sin and evil means," have, from the very beginning, continued to be the basic moral tenet with the Sikh mystics and the Sikh society.
During his tours, he visited numerous places of Hindu and Muslim worship. He explained and exposed through his preachings the incongruities and fruitlessness of ritualistic and ascetic practices. At Hardwar, when he found people throwing Ganges water towards the sun in the east as oblations to their ancestors in heaven, he started, as a measure of correction, throwing the water towards the West, in the direction of his fields in the Punjab. When ridiculed about his folly, he replied, "If Ganges water will reach your ancestors in heaven, why should the water I throw up not reach my fields in the Punjab, which are far less distant ?"
He spent twenty five years of his life preaching from place to place. Many of his hymns were composed during this period. They represent answers to the major religious and social problems of the day and cogent responses to the situations and incidents that he came across. Some of the hymns convey dialogues with Yogis in the Punjab and elsewhere. He denounced their methods of living and their religious views. During these tours he studied other religious systems like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Islam. At the same time, he preached the doctrines of his new religion and mission at the places and centres he visited. Since his mystic system almost completely reversed the trends, principles and practices of the then prevailing religions, he criticised and rejected virtually all the old beliefs, rituals and harmful practices existing in the country. This explains the necessity of his long and arduous tours and the variety and profusion of his hymns on all the religious, social, political and theological issues, practices and institutions of his period.
Finally, on the completion of his tours, he settled as a peasant farmer at Kartarpur, a village in the Punjab. Bhai Gurdas, the scribe of Guru Granth Sahib, was a devout and close associate of the third and the three subsequent Gurus. He was born 12 years after Guru Nanak's death and joined the Sikh mission in his very boyhood. He became the chief missionary agent of the Gurus. Because of his intimate knowledge of the Sikh society and his being a near contemporary of Sri Guru Nanak, his writings are historically authentic and reliable. He writes that at Kartarpur Guru Nanak donned the robes of a peasant and continued his ministry. He organised Sikh societies at places he visited with their meeting places called Dharamsalas. A similar society was created at Kartarpur. In the morning, Japji was sung in the congregation. In the evening Sodar and Arti were recited. The Guru cultivated his lands and also continued with his mission and preachings. His followers throughout the country were known as Nanak-panthies or Sikhs. The places where Sikh congregation and religious gatherings of his followers were held were called Dharamsalas. These were also the places for feeding the poor. Eventually, every Sikh home became a Dharamsala

Introduction

Every human being is the Light of the Divine contained in a human form. The human body was given to us so we can have a chance to experience that Divine Light in ourselves and in everything around us. Experiencing the Divine while in our human body generates bliss, fearlessness, and love, and a way to honestly face life with courage and grace. A society of people who are conscious of the Divine within themselves and in all around them is the foundation of a world filled with peace, prosperity, and integrity. This is the vision and promise of the Sikh way of life. Not beholden to rituals and to the past, but simply meditating and serving as a way to be awake to the Divine Reality, to the Deathless Spirit of Love that is already here, inside of us, right now.
Sikh simply means "seeker of truth." Sikh Dharma is a spiritual path for those who are looking to answer the eternal question: "Who am I, and what am I here for?" Like all spiritual traditions, Sikhs have a lineage and legacy, guidelines and philosophies, masters, saints and its history. But primarily, the Sikh way of life offers a down-to-earth spiritual path for every-day people. It doesn't matter what your spiritual orientation is. Or what culture or background you belong to. Any person can use this technology to experience his or her own Divinity and Infinity.
By name, the Sikh path is only a little over five hundred years old. Its founder, Guru Nanak, was born in 1469. Guru Nanak spread a simple message of "Ek Onkar" :We are all one with the One Creator of all Creation. This was at a time when India was being torn apart by castes, sectarianism, religious factions, and fanaticism. He aligned with no religion, and respected all religions. He expressed the reality that there is one God and many paths, and that our true identity is infinite: "Sat Nam".
Guru Nanak's students were called Sikhs (students of truth.) He taught them to bow only before God, never to any man or woman, and to link themselves to the Shabd Guru, the Light of Truth, which is embodied in the "Siri Guru Granth Sahib."

The Shabd Guru is not just a collection of uplifting, inspiring words written by enlightened saints, but a vessel of the sound current - the living wisdom within all of us. By listening and experiencing this sound current we understand that those who wrote these words transcended individual identity and ego. Their words came from their unlimited exalted state of consciousness. Whenever we read, sing, chant, or listen to these songs, we connect with our own excellence and our own infinity. There is no need to deal with any external human personality in this process. It enables us to live in direct consciousness of oneness with God, experiencing no separation. Guru Nanak was a humble bearer of this Light of Truth. He opposed superstition, injustice, and hypocrisy and inspired seekers by singing divine songs which touched the hearts of the most callous listeners.

 

The Aims of a Sikh are:

• To train the mind and all the senses to recognize the Divine Light within oneself and within all of creation.
• To be of service to others.

The lifestyle of a Sikh includes:

• Rising before the sun each morning in what is called the Amrit Vela or Ambrosial Hours. In the two and half hours before the sun rises, the mind has the best chance to quietly surrender and hear the voice of the Spirit.
• Taking a cold shower, balancing the body, mind and breath and then meditating on the One within everyone.
• Meditating on and chanting the Shabad Guru, the Sacred Sound Current as Divine Teacher which brings us to the experience of our own Divinity.
• Meditating and chanting at sunset and before going to sleep.

During the day, a Sikh lives a normal life. Single or married; with children or without. In work life and in social life, Sikhs strive to:

• Be aware of the Divine in our hearts and the whole creation with every breath we take.
• Earn our living honestly and share whatever we have with others.
• Be constantly awake for opportunities to serve and elevate others.