Guru Nanak

The word 'Guru' in Punjabi has many meanings. A Guru can be and often is considered God, enlightener and prophet. Founder of the Sikh religion, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji or known more commonly as Guru Nanak is believed by Sikhs today to have united Muslims, Hindus, Buddhist, Jains and all people under a single religion. Under occupation by tyrannical Muslim kings, when Guru Nanak was born in 1469, the state of affairs for the people of Punjab and Sindh, two northern Indian/ Pakistani provinces, was in disarray. Born into a world of caste-based discrimination, war, religious persecution and chaos, Guru Nanak as believed by his over 23 million followers today was the first in a line of eleven gurus who were considered to be the true pathway to reaching union with God.

Known as 'the Prophet of Punjab and Sindh', Guru Nanak is claimed by Sikhs to be the first to establish Sikhism as a religion. However, his followers were both Muslim and Hindu, and both retained the beliefs of their religion. It wasn't till later in Guru Nanak's life did his teachings become a 'religion'. Guru Nanak was the first to declare that there was no religion prior to Sikhism. He declared 'there was no Hindu, no Musliman'. Guru Nanak taught that religion was nothing but meaningless rituals that brought their followers no closer to nirvana. Only Sikhism could liberate one's soul. Ignorance, as believed by Sikhs, was ruler of the land.

Guru Nanak made many journeys during his life, including to central Asia, Iran, Arabia - including the Islam's holiest site Mecca - Tibet and all across India to spread his message and new teachings. Guru Nanak's closest companion was a low caste Muslim named Mardana. Himself being of Brahmin Hindu parents and the youngest of all his parents sons, Guru Nanak's close association with someone as low in rank as Mardanah was scandalous for his time. Guru Nanak's parents wanted him, prior the beginning of his missionary activities, wanted him to stay and take care of him. Once he, as according to Sikhs, received the all-powerful monotheistic God's message to spread his new teachings, his reluctantly parents let him go.

Guru Nanak declared that his new teachings were completely free of rituals and discrimination based on race, religion or caste. Guru Nanak lived most of his life not traveling across the world spreading his message but instead as a peasant of the land. Guru Nanak also owned a large farm in Punjab where he lived a mostly reclusive and simple life. Simplicity, modesty, and not allowing oneself to be taken over by greed are all requirements of the Sikh, or word in Punjabi for 'student'. Punjabi was the spoken language of much of northern India and the language in which Guru Nanak related all his teachings although he had learned Sanskrit and Persian, languages of the upper class in India at the time. Guru Nanak wanted to spread his message to the rich and poor and spoke the language all could understand.

Toward the end of Guru Nanak's life, Guru Nanak appointed Baba Lehna, renamed Guru Angad Dev, as his successor. According to Sikh tradition, the transition was something of a transformation as the Guru aspect of Guru Nanak had left his body and entered the new Guru Angad Dev's body which was both a physical and spiritual transformation, Angad suddenly began to look like Guru Nanak. Nanak then declared that his time had come and retreated to sit under a tree. Sitting in lotus position, he guided his life-force (praan) upwards towards the heavens, and died.

Guru Nanak is considered the most important figure of Sikhism. The creation of Sikhism lead to a change in the social fabric in India - especially Indian Punjab, where it came to be the dominant religion - and also lead to the creation of the Sikh Confederation in the first quarter of the 18th century. The rise of Sikhism and it's increased influence in India thanks to Guru Nanak would have a noticeable lasting impact on Hinduism in Punjab and life in northern India for hundreds of years to come.

Sources

"Guru Nanak." SikhiWiki. 2009. SikhiWiki. 24 Mar 2009 .

Singh, Harbans. "Guru Nanak Dev ji (1469 - 1539)." The encyclopedia of Sikhism. 23 Mar 2009 .

Sivananda, Sri. "Guru Nanak." Lives of Saints. 23 Mar 2009

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"The First Master Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539)." The Sikhism. 1998. Sandeep Singh Brar. 23 Mar 2009 .