Life and Teaching of Guru Nanak

Another saint-preacher of the time was Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. He was a contemporary of Kabir. He was born in a Khatri family at Talwandi (Nankana Sahib) in the district of Seikhpura in West Punjab, now in Pakistan.

He was sent to school at the age of seven to learn Hindi, Sanskrit and Persian. Different types of miraculous stories are associated with the astonishing wisdom of child Nanak.

His father was an accountant and it was presumed that he would be a good government servant.

But he did not show any interest in studies and tried different professions of agriculture, cattle-tending and shop-keeping, but without any success. For some time he was appointed the Keeper of Sultan Daulat Khan Lodi’s storehouse of charities.

Nanak got married at the age of nineteen and had two sons. Because of his indifference to worldly affairs he left royal service and thus got an opportunity to mix with saints and sages freely. At the age of thirty he left his home and led the life of an ascetic. He wandered over many lands and visited many holy places to gather spiritual experience.

On his return, he set up his hermitage at Kartarpur on the bank of the river Ravi and started preaching his own philosophy. He became a preacher but at the same time led the life of a householder. He composed hymns which he sang with the accompaniment of a musical instrument called ‘rabab’ preaching harmony among people of all communities. He died at the age of sixty nine in 1538 A.D. and had nominated his favorite disciple Anagad as his successor.

Teachings of Nanak:

Nanak had played a very dominant role in the Bhakti movement of medieval India. Both Sufism and Bhakti had contributed to the development of Nanak’s religious philosophy. So his teachings were composite by nature comprising of the noblest principles of Hinduism and Islam. At the same time he discarded the retrograde elements of both religions.

In his own words:

Religion consisteth not in mere words

He who looketh not in wandering to tombs

Or places of cremation

Or sitting in a posture of meditation;

Religion consisteth not in wandering foreign countries

Or in bathing at places of pilgrimage.

Abide pure amidst the impurities of the world

Thus shalt those find the way to religion.

Thus, for Nanak, God is one and formless. Through love, devotion and purity of heart one can attain the grace of God. God is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the Universe. He is Almighty and Omnipresent. He is merciful to all, even to the sinner.

So he advised all his disciples to completely surrender to God:

Nanak maketh one application

Soul and body are all in thy power

Thou art near, thou art distant

and thou art midway

Thou seest and hearest, by thy power didst

Thou create the world

Whatever order pleaseth thee

saith Nanak, that is acceptable.

Nanak believed in the presence of a soul in every human being. Good actions of a man help the soul to merge with the Eternal soul that is God. Evil actions increase the burden of sin for which the soul cannot rise high and remains in darkness. So each individual must do good and be virtuous to get eternal liberation from the bondage of the world.

Thus Nanak’s teachings rested upon two themes—praise of virtues and condemnation of vices. In other words moral conduct and emphasis on moral values constituted the foundation of his teachings.

Here is a catalogue of do’s and don’ts:

Practise humanity, renounce pride

Restrain the mind, remember God

Be honest, Watchful

Restrain the five evils of passion

Be content.

Like all Sufi saints Nanak was in favour of accepting a guru who would guide the individual in all his conduct. In his own words, “Without guru, nobody can attain God. Under the guru’s instruction, God’s word is heard and knowledge is acquired.” So the presence of a guru is essential for every man for his own spiritual emancipation.

Nanak was very practical in his outlook. He wanted to bring an end to the conflict among various religions. That is why he vehemently rejected the caste system, authority of the Vedas and the Quran and idolatry or image-worship. He never laid any emphasis upon renunciation of the world. Rather he stressed upon upholding moral values and rejection of religious hypocrisy, falsehood, selfishness and violence.

Nanak had both Hindu as well as Muslim disciples. His catholicity of spirit and loving approach aimed at bridging the gap between the two communities by establishing harmony between them. He endeavored towards this end till his death in 1538 A.D.

His mission and teachings were carried on by a line of nine successors who worked devoutly for about a century after his death. His teachings were included in the Adi Granth compiled by the fifth Guru, Arjun Das. It was during the time of later Gurus that the followers of Nanak began to be known as Sikhs – a distinct religious unit.

The last Guru, Gobind Singh, transformed Sikhism (corruption of the Sanskrit word ‘shishya’ meaning disciple) into a military mission due to religious prosecution by the Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb. Thus, Nanak’s chief aim was to bring about religious harmony and peaceful co-existence and although he never aimed at starting a new separate religion he ultimately became the founder of Sikhism.