I hope you are all well Sangat Jyo. Today I wanted to bring to your attention the Gurus of Sikhi! It is vitally important that each and every Sikh should know the Gurus who created and forwarded our beautiful religion. As part of a 11 part blog entry I will begin with Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first Guru of Sikhi.
1. Guru Nanak Dev Ji - Born in the year if 1469 (same year as the birth of Sikhi) Guru Nanak Dev Ji was our first Guru. He was born in the village of Talwandi which is now known as Nankana Sahib which is located near Lahore. Guru Nanak Ji was always fascinated by God even at a young age. He would not take part in rituals that had been originated by Islam and Hinduism at the time but opted to meditate for large parts of the day being spiritually connected with Waheguru Ji. Guru Nanak Dev Ji introduced the three pillars of Sikhi. They were:
Naam Japna Guru ji led the Sikhs directly to practise Simran and Naam Japna – meditation on God through reciting, chanting, singing and constant remembrance followed by deep study & comprehension of God’s Name and virtues. In real life to practice and tread on the path of Dharam (righteousness) - The inner thought of the Sikh thus stays constantly immersed in praises and appreciation of the Creator and the ONE ETERNAL GOD Waheguru.
Kirat Karni He expected the Sikhs to live as honourable householders and practise Kirat Karni – To honestly earn by ones physical and mental effort while accepting both pains and pleasures as GOD's gifts and blessings. One is to stay truthful at all times and, fear none but the Eternal Super Soul. Live a life founded on decency immersed in Dharam - life controlled by high spiritual, moral and social values.
Vand Chakna. The Sikhs were asked to share their wealth within the community by practising Vand Chakna – “Share and Consume together”. The community or Sadh Sangat is an important part of Sikhism. One must be part of a community that is living the flawless objective values set out by the Sikh Gurus and every Sikh has to contribute in whatever way possible to the common community pool. This spirit of Sharing and Giving is an important message from Guru Nanak.
History states that he made four great journeys, travelling to all parts of India, and into Arabia and Persia; visiting Mecca and Baghdad. He spoke before Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Parsees
, 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 to define his teachings. Never did he ask his listeners to follow him. He asked the Muslims to be true Muslims and the Hindus to be true Hindus.
Nankana Sahib is where Guru Ji was born and lived in his days of his youth. The area consists of 7 Gurdwaras each having something amazing about Guru Ji. I have visited each and must say I felt blessed to have been in a place where our Guru Ji once walked, ate, breathed and lived.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji breathed his last breath in Kartarpur (City of God) in 1552. His followers who were from both Hinduism and Islam could not decide what to do with Guru Ji's body and therefore covered his body in white cloth and laid flowers.
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| Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Our first beloved Guru. |
Guru Angad Dev Ji was the next Guru in which I will write about tomorrow.
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh
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