[48] In Sikhism, the term revelation, as Cole and Sambhi clarify, is not limited to the teachings of Nanak. Finally, his popularity led him to become the founder of Sikhism. He taught his followers to concentrate on spiritual practices which would enable them to transform their egotism into selflessness. A member of the Khatri (trading) caste and far from illiterate. [citation needed] The janamsakhis suggest that Nanak visited the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya in 1510–11 CE. Today the Janam-sakhis offer a substantial corpus of hagiographical material, and the more important of these collections continue to be the basis of “biographies” of Nanak. "[50], Guru Nanak, and other Sikh Gurus emphasised bhakti ('love', 'devotion', or 'worship'), and taught that the spiritual life and secular householder life are intertwined. Posted on Jan 3, 2021 . Shortly after proclaiming his successor, Guru Nanak died on 22 September 1539 in Kartarpur, at the age of 70. There may be several reasons for the adoption of the Kartik birthdate by the Sikh community. These anecdotes were called sakhis, or “testimonies,” and the anthologies into which they were gathered in rough chronological order are known as Janam-sakhis. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Why did he set up a new religion? Why? The Sikh revelations include the words of non-Sikh bhagats (Hindu devotees), some who lived and died before the birth of Nanak, and whose teachings are part of the Sikh scriptures. Guru Nanak became the first Sikh Guru and his spiritual teachings laid the foundation on which Sikhism was formed. [iv][27] Nanak lived in Sultanpur until c. 1500,[25] which would be a formative time for him, as the puratan janamsakhi suggests, and in his numerous allusions to governmental structure in his hymns, most likely gained at this time. Nanak's teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib, as a collection of verses recorded in Gurmukhi. [44] The first, according to Cole and Sambhi (1995, 1997), based on the hagiographical Janamsakhis,[45] states that Nanak's teachings and Sikhism were revelations from God, and not a social protest movement, nor an attempt to reconcile Hinduism and Islam in the 15th century. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. He was a Spiritual Maestro, a Renaissance-Man, a Crusader for Interreligious Amity, an extraordinary social-reformist much ahead his era and yet he utters the absolute TRUTH that “he is, what he is, ONLY … His father was a member of a subcaste of the mercantile Khatri caste. "He was betrothed to Sulakhani, daughter of Mula, a resident of Batala in the present district of Gurdaspur." There are two competing theories on Guru Nanak's teachings. [41], Novel claims about his travels, as well as claims such as Guru Nanak's body vanishing after his death, are also found in later versions and these are similar to the miracle stories in Sufi literature about their pirs. Here are five facts to help explain why millions still follow His teachings over 500 years since His birth. What little information there is about Nanak’s life has been handed down mainly through legend and tradition. A verse authored by him states that he visited several places in "nau-khand" ('the nine regions of the earth'), presumably the major Hindu and Muslim pilgrimage centres. Before he died, Nanak appointed one of his followers in the community to succeed him, not one of his sons. References found in four of his hymns suggest that Nanak was present at attacks Babur (an invading Mughal ruler) launched on Saidpur and Lahore, so it seems safe to conclude that by 1520 he had returned from his travels and was living in the Punjab. Nanak married Sulakhani, daughter of Mūl Chand (aka Mula)[ii][iii] Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539) was the creator of Sikhism, and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.His father's name is "Mehta kalu" and mother's name is "Mata tripta".The last Guru said that there would be no more Gurus after him and Sikhs would be taught by the Sikh holy book, which is called Guru Granth Sahib Ji. [21] Notable lore recounts that, as a child, Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of God. The actual year of Nanak’s death is disputed, tradition being divided between 1538 and 1539. ption[clarification needed] in a Turkish script, which some interpret saying Baba Nanak Fakir was there in 1511–1512, while some state 1521–1522 (and that he lived in the Middle East for 11 years away from his family). I tell, because he himself is God (though Guru never says he is God). [35][34], In 1508, Nanak visited the Sylhet region in Bengal. Of these two possibilities, the latter appears to be the more likely. For several years Nanak worked in a granary until his religious vocation drew him away from both family and employment, and, in the tradition of Indian religious mendicants, he embarked on a lengthy journey, probably traveling to the Muslim and Hindu religious centres of India, and perhaps even to places beyond India’s borders. [34] Such embellishments and insertion of new stories, according to Callewaert and Snell (1993), closely parallel claims of miracles by Islamic pirs found in Sufi tadhkirahs of the same era, giving reason to believe that these legends may have been written in a competition. Gyan-ratanavali is the janamsakhi attributed to Bhai Mani Singh, a disciple of Guru Gobind Singh who was approached by some Sikhs with a request that he should prepare an authentic account of Guru Nanak's life. Neither the actual route nor the places he visited can be positively identified. Yes Sir, all that are true but tell me one thing how do Guru Nanak Sahib come to know about all that attributes of God.. [34] From when the travel stories first appear in hagiographic accounts of Guru Nanak, centuries after his death, they continue to become more sophisticated as time goes on, with the late phase Puratan version describing four missionary journeys, which differ from the Miharban version. [8], Most janamsakhis (ਜਨਮਸਾਖੀ, 'birth stories')—the traditional biographies of Nanak—mention that he was born on the third day of the bright lunar fortnight, in the Baisakh month (April) of Samvat 1526. They were married on 24 September 1487, in the town of Batala,[26] and would go on to have two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Chand[25] (or Lakhmi Das). …of the first Sikh Gurū, Nānak (late 15th and early 16th centuries), are in Old Hindi rather than true Punjabi. Darbar Gurdwara à Woking Asia and Middle East to spread his teachings over 500 years since birth... Stories became widely popular in the village ; many more made periodic to. Place Order View Menu village of central Punjab year of Nanak and above all on his travels delivered right your... En anglais-français avec Reverso Context: Guru Nanak Gurpurab is the most basis thing is to respect each other live... Rebirth through meditation on the divine name life has been able to locate and verify.. 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