Sikhism: Origins and Their Impact on the Community » Guru Nanak: Founder of Sikhism

Quick recall

In Karta Purakh: God the Creator in Sikhism and Ik Onkar and the Mool Mantar: The Sikh Understanding of God you met the Sikh belief in one God, who is never born as a human. This lesson asks a different question: how did that message reach people? The answer begins with one man, Guru Nanak.

Who was Guru Nanak?

Guru Nanak (1469-1539) is the founder of Sikhism and the first Guru. The word Guru means a teacher who leads people from darkness to light. Sikhs call him the first Guru in human form: a real person who lived, worked, married and died, and who showed others how to know God.

Sikhs do not believe Guru Nanak was God, or God in a human body. They honour him as God's messenger and teacher, not as someone to worship. He matters because the whole of Sikhism grows from what he taught and the way he lived.

Key terms:

• Guru: a spiritual teacher. In Sikhism, the Gurus in human form were ten teachers, beginning with Guru Nanak.
• Janamsakhis: the traditional stories of Guru Nanak's life. The word means "birth stories".
• Udasis: Guru Nanak's four great journeys, on which he taught people in many places.
• Kartarpur: the settlement Guru Nanak founded beside the River Ravi in the Punjab, where he lived in his later years.

Early life

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at Talwandi, a village in the Punjab (a region of northern India and Pakistan). Tradition says that even as a boy he was thoughtful and loved to think about God and the world. He grew up, married, had two sons and took a job at Sultanpur, working in a storehouse that gave out grain. He was a householder with a normal working life.

The River experience

This is the turning point in his story. Each morning at Sultanpur Guru Nanak went to bathe in the river. One morning, the tradition says, he walked into the water and did not come out. His clothes were found on the bank and people feared he had drowned.

Three days later he returned. Sikhs believe he had been taken into God's presence and had been given a message to share. His first words afterwards are remembered as "There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim." Sikhs understand this to mean that God sees every human being as equal, and that names and labels matter less than how a person lives. Soon afterwards he began to teach.

The travels (udasis)

Guru Nanak then set out on four great journeys, the udasis, which took him to many places, some far from the Punjab. With him went Mardana, a Muslim musician who played the rabab (a stringed instrument). Guru Nanak taught through hymns, and Mardana played while he sang. That a Muslim musician travelled beside him showed his teaching in action: people of all backgrounds are equal.

Along the way he spoke to people about one God, honest living and treating others fairly. People who listened and followed him were called Sikhs, meaning "learners".

Kartarpur and the langar

After the journeys Guru Nanak settled at Kartarpur. He farmed the land and lived simply, and a community grew around him. They worked, sang hymns and ate together.

It was here that the langar, the free shared kitchen, was established. Everyone sits in rows on the floor and eats the same food, whatever their religion, rank or wealth. In a society where people were often divided by status, this was a daily lesson in equality. It also put into practice sewa (selfless service) and sharing what you have (vand chakna). Every gurdwara still runs a langar today.

Death and the choice of Guru Angad

Guru Nanak died in 1539. Before then he chose who would lead the community. He did not choose either of his sons. He chose a faithful follower called Lehna, whom he renamed Guru Angad, meaning "part of my own body". This showed that the Guru's role is earned by devotion and service, not inherited. It also began the line of Gurus that you will study in the next lesson.

A traditional story says that after his death his Hindu and Muslim followers disagreed about how to treat his body, since each wanted to follow their own customs. When the sheet covering him was lifted, only flowers were found, and they shared them. Sikhs tell this to show that his message was for everyone.

Teachings revealed by God

Sikhs believe Guru Nanak did not invent his teaching. He taught what he received from God. His message can be gathered into a few points:

His hymns are collected in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book. Sikhs treat what he taught as the foundation for the later Gurus.

Different views and why it matters today

The janamsakhis were written down after Guru Nanak's death. Some Sikhs read them as history, believing the events happened as told. Others read them as teaching stories, valuing the lesson inside each one even if the details are not exact. Both groups agree on what the stories teach: one God, equality, honest work, sharing and remembering God.

Guru Nanak's importance continues. His birthday is celebrated every year, his hymns are sung in every gurdwara, and the langar puts his teaching of equality on the table daily. Sikhs often say they follow his example when they work honestly, serve others and welcome visitors. For many Sikhs he is a role model, though he is the first of ten Gurus.

Exam-style question

(a) Outline two events in the life of Guru Nanak. [4 marks]

(b) Explain why Guru Nanak is important for Sikhs. [6 marks]

(c) "The stories about Guru Nanak's life must be true for Sikhs to follow his teachings." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view, and your own opinion with reasoned arguments. [10 marks]