S.Charandeep Singh
Guru Nanak Dev Ji,the first of the ten Gurus of Sikhs,the founder of Sikhism was born on 15th April, 1469 in the house of Mehta Kalyan Das, more popularly known as Mehta Kalu ji, and Mata Tripta ji at Rai-Bhoi-Di Talwandi in the present district of Sheikhpura (Pakistan), now called Nanakana Sahib. Guru Ji came to this worldly existence at a time when oppression and chaos was prevailing and when the real spirit of religion was crushed by ritualism, when the hearts of the people were filled with falsehood, cunningness, selfishness and greed, when there was decline of righteousness and religious persecution was prevailing. Bhai Gurdas ji, the scribe of Guru Granth Sahib ji, says
“Sounee Poukaar Daataar Prabh Guru Nanak Jag Maah Pathaaia”.
(”The Bounteous Lord heard the anguished cry and so, Guru Nanak he sent to this world of woe.”)
Guru ji was an extra-ordinary child having contemplative mind and rational thinking. He had started questioning the basics of rituals at a very young age. Little Nanak began to talk of God, and his prattling words were admired by all. He was sent to the village primary school under one Pandit ji for schooling at the age of six where he learned what his teacher knew, but was said to have often embarrassed them by raising questions into the background and reality behind all things. He learnt Hindi from his teacher Gopal Pandit. At the age of thirteen, he learned Persian from Maulvi Qutabdin and Sanskrit from Pandit Brij Lal. He surprised his teachers with the sublimity of his extra-ordinary knowledge about divine things and, he became the most learned young man in the region at the age of 16. Guru Nanak used to have discourse on religious philosophies with the holymen who used to visit Chuharkana, the main marketing centre of the region and also a resting place for holymen moving on pilgrimage tours. Guru Nanak Dev Ji used to help every needy person he saw, particularly, giving food and money to the travelling holymen passing through Chuharkana.In those days he spent much time in the fields in grazing buffaloes, and there is a legend that shade of a tree under which he would rest used to move round against sun so as to give him coolness always.He found less interest in the secular works his father put him to-working in a little shop, digging in the fields and the like.He sought every chance of slipping away from them to reach out towards that great God. Guru ji’s heart was already seeking God whom he had begun to love with fiery longing.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji made four great journeys commonly known as Udasis, travelling to all parts of India, and into Arabia and Persia; visiting Mecca and Baghdad. During the four long journeys,Guru Nanak visited different religious places and had discussions with religious philosophers. The real aim of the Udasis was awakening the general masses to realize the truth about God.He established a network of preaching centres of Sikhism which were called “Manjis”. He spoke before Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Muslims. He spoke in the temples and mosques, and at various pilgrimage sites. Wherever he went, Guru Nanak spoke out against empty religious rituals,pilgrimages, the caste system, the sacrifice of widows, of depending on books to learn the true religion, and of all the other tenets that were showy and irrational. But he never asked his listeners to follow him. His permanent companions were Bhai Bala,a Hindu and Bhai Mardana, a Muslim. He wanted Muslims to be true Muslims and the Hindus to be true Hindus.Guru ji invariably showered grace on the poor, the sick, the low. He recognized no distinction between Muslims and Hindus, between rich and poor, between high caste and low caste.
Guru Nanak founded and formalized the three pillars of Sikhism: Naam Japna, (Meditating God through reciting, chanting, singing and constant remembrance followed by deep study and comprehension of God’s name and virtues), Kirat Karna (To live as honorable householders, to honestly earn by ones physical and mental effort while accepting both pains and pleasures and to stay truthful at all times and, fear none but the Eternal ) and Vand Chakna ( Share and Consume together).
Guru Nanak Dev Ji, eradicated the existing distinctions between people of different castes, creeds or religion by instituting and advocating two most important teachings of Sikh faith, a common mode of worship called ‘Sangat’ and a common social institution called “Pangat”, the former meaning a gathering of good and noble people in a religious discourse and later signifying people sitting and eating together(Langer) in the same row irrespective of their caste, creed or status. Guru Nanak Sahib also upheld the cause of women and advocated treatment of women at par with men. He says
“So Kiyu Manda Akhiye Jit Jamme Rajaan”,
“Bhandho He Bhand Upjaay Bhanda Baaj Na Koye”.
(So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From women, women is born; without women,there would be none at all.)
After the last of his great journeys, Guru Nanak acquired a piece of land on the banks of the river Ravi (in Punjab) where he taught for another fifteen years, there he established a town in 1522 and called it Kartarpur (The Place of God). Followers from all over came to settle in Kartapur to listen, and sing, and to be with him. It was here that his followers began to refer to him as Guru. The Guru told his followers that they were to be householders and could not live apart from the world and there were to be no hermits, thus furthering his teachings of Sikh faith. Faith in one God and devotion for humanity are the basic pillars which laid the foundation of Sikhism.
On September 22, 1539 AD Guru ji left this world at Kartarpur. Guru ji’s followers who had been raised as Hindus or Muslims argued whether Guru ji’s earthly remains should be cremated or buried. But when the cloth sheet was removed from Guru ji’s body only two flowers were found below the cloth. The two communities then divided the cloth sheet together with the flowers which the Muslims buried and the Hindus consigned that to fire. Therefore, both a samadh (Hindu tradition monument of remembrance) and a grave (according to Muslim traditions) were made in the Gurudwara at Kartarpur which lies there as a reminder of this joint claim to Guru Nanak by both the communities..
(The author is a KAS officer)
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