Bebe Nanaki (, ; ), alternative spelt as Bibi Nanaki, was the elder sister of

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

, the founder and first ''

Guru Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...

'' of

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

. Nanaki is an important figure in Sikhism, and is known as the first '' Gursikh''. She was the first to realize her brother's 'philosophical inclination', and is credited for inspiring his use of music as an instrument of devotion to

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

Biography

Early life

Nanaki and her brother were the children of

Mehta Kalu Mehta Kalu, formally Kalyan Chand, (1440–1522) was the father of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. Names Various names are used to refer to Guru Nanak's father, some of which are: 'Mehta Kalu', 'Kalu Rai', 'Kalu Chand', 'Kalian Rai', and ...

and Tripta. She was born in 1464 in the city of Chahal, present-day

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, she was named by her grandparents, who named her ''Nanaki'' after the word ''Nanakian'', roughly meaning "the home of your maternal grandparents". ''Bebe'' and ''Ji'' are added to her name as a sign of respect. Bebe is used to pay regard to an older woman and Ji given to anyone whom you want to show your respects regardless of age.

Marriage

Nanaki got married at an early age of 11. In those days it was customary to be married at such a young age. In 1475 Nanaki married Jai Ram, a Palta

Khatri Khatri () is a caste system in India, caste originating from the Malwa (Punjab), Malwa and Majha areas of Punjab region of South Asia that is predominantly found in India, but also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Khatris claim they are war ...

employed at a ''modikhana'', a storehouse for revenues collected in non-cash form, in the service of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

governor Daulat Khan. Jai Ram's father, Parmanand, had been the '' patwari'' at Sultanpur Lodhi. Jai Ram's father had died when he was young, so he took over his father's responsibilities as patwari. Jai Ram helped Nanak get a job at this ''modikhana'' in Sultanpur. Nanaki and Jai Ram would produce no biological children of their own.

Brother and sister

Nanaki had an immense adoration for her brother and was the first to recognize his "enlightened soul". She was five years older but played the role of a mother to him. She not only protected him from their father but she loved him unconditionally. Nanak was sent to live with Nanaki when he was only 15 years old. To instill his independence, she searched for a wife for him. Nanaki along with her husband found a woman, Sulakhni Chona, for Nanak to marry. Since Nanaki had no children of her own she loved and helped raise her brother's children, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. Nanaki is known as being Guru Nanak’s first follower. She was eternally devoted to him and his cause. She is also known for inspiring Nanak in using music as an instrument of devotion to God. Knowing he had musical talent she bought him a

Rebab ''Rebab'' (, ''rabāba'', variously spelled ''rebap'', ''rubob'', ''rebeb'', ''rababa'', ''rabeba'', ''robab'', ''rubab'', ''rebob'', etc) is the name of several related string instruments that independently spread via Islamic trading rout ...

to help him further his music. Nanaki is said to have been very fond of Nanak and Sulakhni's two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das.

Death

Bebe Nanaki died in 1518 at Sultanpur. As one of her last wishes she willed her brother, Guru Nanak, to be by her side during her last days. Her last breaths were enlightened with the

Japji Sahib ''Japji Sahib'' (, pronunciation: ) is the Sikh thesis, that appears at the beginning of the '' Guru Granth Sahib'' – the scripture of the Sikhs. ''Jap'' is the original name of the prayer and to show respect, it is called ''Jap ji Sahib''. I ...

which was recited to her. Three days after her death, her spouse, Jai Ram, also died. Their funeral rites were carried out by Nanak.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nanaki Nanaki, Bebe Nanaki, Bebe Punjabi Sikhs Family members of the Sikh gurus 15th-century Indian people Indian women religious leaders People from Kasur District 16th-century Indian people 16th-century Indian women 15th-century Indian women Scholars from Punjab, India Women educators from Punjab, India Educators from Punjab, India Women mystics 15th-century educators