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
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 ...
and is the first of the ten
Sikh Gurus
The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...
.
Nanak is said to have travelled far and wide across
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
teaching people the message of ''
Ik Onkar'' (), who dwells in every one of his creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. With this concept, he would set up a unique
spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness, and virtue.
Nanak's words are registered in the form of 974 poetic
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
s, or ''
shabda'', in the holy religious scripture of Sikhism, the
Guru Granth Sahib, with some of the major prayers being the ''
Japji Sahib'' (; ''ji'' and ''sahib'' are suffixes signifying respect); the ''
Asa di Var'' ('Ballad of Hope'); and the ''
Sidh Gosht'' ('Discussion with the
Siddhas'). It is part of
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
religious belief that the spirit of Nanak's , divinity, and religious authority had descended upon each of the nine subsequent Gurus when the Guruship was devolved on to them. His birthday is celebrated as
Guru Nanak Gurpurab, annually across India.
Biography
Birth

Nanak was born on 15 April 1469 at village (present-day
Nankana Sahib,
Punjab, Pakistan) in the
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 ...
province 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. , although according to one tradition, he was born in the Indian month of
or November, known as
Kattak in
Punjabi. He was born into the
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 ...
Punjabi clan like all of the
Sikh gurus
The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...
. Specifically, Guru Nanak was a Bedi
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 ...
.
Most ''
janamsakhis'' (), or 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. These include the ''
Puratan'' ('traditional' or 'ancient') ''janamsakhi'',
''Miharban'' ''janamsakhi'', ''
Gyan-ratanavali'' by
Bhai Mani Singh, and the ''Vilayat Vali janamsakhi''. Gurbilas Patashahi 6, written 1718, also attributed to Bhai Mani Singh contradicts Mani Singh’s Janamsakhi as it instead says Guru Nanak was born on the full moon of Katak.
The Sikh records state that Nanak died on the 10th day of the
Asauj month of Samvat 1596 (22 September 1539 CE), at the age of 70 years, 5 months, and 7 days. This further suggests that he was born in the month of
Vaisakh (April), not
Kattak (November).
Kattak birthdate
In as late as 1815, during the reign of
Ranjit Singh, the festival commemorating Nanak's birthday was held in April at the place of his birth, known by then as
Nankana Sahib. However, the anniversary of Nanak's birth—the
Gurpurab (''
gur'' + )—subsequently came to be celebrated on the full moon day of the Kattak month in November. The earliest record of such a celebration in Nankana Sahib is from 1868 CE.
There may be several reasons for the adoption of the Kattak birthdate by the Sikh community. For one, it may have been the date of Nanak's enlightenment or "spiritual birth" in 1496, as suggested by the ''
Dabestan-e Mazaheb''.
Some of the sources that support the Katak birthday incident:
The Bala Janamasakhi supports the Kattak birth tradition. It is the only Janamsakhi that does.
Bhai Bala is said to have obtained Nanak's horoscope from Nanak's uncle Lalu, according to which, Nanak was born on a date corresponding to 20 October 1469 CE. However, this janamsakhi was written by Handalis—a sect of Sikhs who followed a Sikh-convert known as Handal—attempting to depict the founder as superior to Nanak. According to a superstition prevailing in contemporary
northern India
North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...
, a child born in the Kattak month was believed to be weak and unlucky, hence why the work states that Nanak was born in that month.
Bhai Gurdas, having written on a full-moon-day of the Kattak month several decades after Nanak's death, mentions that Nanak had "obtained omniscience" on the same day, and it was now the author's turn to "get divine light."
According to eyewitness Sikh chronicles, known as
Bhatt Vahis, Guru Nanak was born on the full moon of Katak.
Gurbilas Patashahi 6 written 1718 attributed to Bhai Mani Singh says Guru Nanak was born on the full moon of Katak.
Meham Parkash written in 1776 also says Guru Nanak was born on the full moon of Katak.
Kesar Singh Chibber’s Bansavalinama Dasan Patashahia Ka meaning genealogy of the ten emperors, written in 1769, says Guru Nanak was born on the full moon of Katak as well.
Gurpurnali written in 1727 and Guru Tegh Bahadur Malwe da Safar written in 1716 both mention Guru Nanank being born on the full moon of Katak.
Nanak Chandrodaya Sanskrit Janamsakhi from 1797 and Janam Sakhi Baba Nanak by Sant Das Chibber from the 18th century both mention Guru Nanak being born on the full moon of katak.
Gurpur Parkash Granth written by Sant Ren Singh based on a granth written by
Binod Singh states Guru Nanak was born on the full moon of Katak.
According to
Max Arthur Macauliffe (1909), a Hindu festival held in the 19th century on
Kartik Purnima in
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
attracted a large number of Sikhs. The Sikh community leader
Giani Sant Singh did not like this, thus starting a festival at the Sikh shrine of the
Golden Temple on the same day, presenting it as the birth anniversary celebration of Guru Nanak.
Macauliffe also notes that Vaisakh (March–April) already saw a number of important festivals—such as
Holi
Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...
,
Rama Navami, and
Vaisakhi—therefore people would be busy in agricultural activities after the
harvest festival of Baisakhi. Therefore, holding Nanak's birth anniversary celebrations immediately after Vaisakhi would have resulted in thin attendance, and therefore, smaller donations for the Sikh shrines. On the other hand, by the Kattak full moon day, the major Hindu festival of
Diwali
Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...
was already over, and the peasants—who had surplus cash from crop sales—were able to donate generously.
Family and early life
Nanak's parents, father Kalyan Chand Das Bedi (commonly shortened to
Mehta Kalu) and mother
Mata Tripta, were both
Hindus
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
of the
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 ...
caste
A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
who worked as merchants. His father, in particular, was the local
''patwari'' (accountant) for crop revenue in the village of
Talwandi. Nanak's paternal grandfather was named Shiv Ram Bedi and his great-grandfather was Ram Narayan Bedi.
According to
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
traditions, the birth and early years of Nanak's life were marked with many events that demonstrated that Nanak had been blessed with divine grace. Commentaries on his life give details of his blossoming awareness from a young age. For instance, at the age of five, Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects. At age seven, his father enrolled him at the village school, as per custom. 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. Other stories of his childhood refer to strange and miraculous events about Nanak, such as the one witnessed by
Rai Bular, in which the sleeping child's head was shaded from the harsh sunlight by, in one account, by the stationary shadow of a tree or, in another, by a venomous cobra.
Nanaki, Nanak's only sister, was five years older than him. In 1475, she married and moved to
Sultanpur. Jai Ram, Nanaki's husband, was 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. 's
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, at which Ram would help Nanak get a job. Nanak moved to Sultanpur, and started working at the modikhana around the age of 16.
As a young man, Nanak married
Sulakhani, daughter of Mūl Chand (aka Mula) and Chando Raṇi. They were married on 24 September 1487, in the town of
Batala, and would go on to have two sons,
Sri Chand and
Lakhmi Chand (or Lakhmi Das). Nanak lived in Sultanpur until c. 1500, 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.
Final years

Around the age of 55, Nanak settled in
Kartarpur, living there until his death in September 1539. During this period, he went on short journeys to the
Nath yogi centre of Achal, and the Sufi centres of
Pakpattan and
Multan
Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
. By the time of his death, Nanak had acquired several followers in the
Punjab region
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, although it is hard to estimate their number based on the extant historical evidence. The followers of Nanak were called ''Kartārīs'' (meaning 'the people who belonged to the village of Kartarpur') by others.
Nanak appointed Bhai Lehna as the successor
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 ...
, renaming him as
Guru ''Angad'', meaning "one's very own" or "part of you". Shortly after proclaiming his successor, Nanak died on 22 September 1539 in
Kartarpur, at the age of 70. According to Sikh
hagiography
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
, his body was never found. When the quarreling Hindus and Muslims tugged at the sheet covering his body, they found instead a heap of flowers—and so Nanak’s simple faith would, in course of time, flower into a religion, beset by its own contradictions and customary practices.
Odysseys (''Udasis'')
During first quarter of the 16th century, Nanak went on long ('journeys') for spiritual pursuits. 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.
Some modern accounts state that he visited
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
, most of
South Asia
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
, and
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
, starting in 1496 at age 27, when he left his family for a thirty-year period. These claims include Nanak's visit to
Mount Sumeru of
Indian mythology, as well as
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
,
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
,
Achal Batala, and
Multan
Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...
, where he would debate religious ideas with opposing groups. These stories became widely popular in the 19th and 20th century, and exist in many versions.
In 1508, Nanak visited the
Sylhet region in
Bengal
Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
. The ''janamsakhis'' suggest that Nanak visited the
Ram Janmabhoomi temple in
Ayodhya
Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...
in 1510–11 CE.
The Baghdad inscription remains the basis of writing by Indian scholars that Guru Nanak journeyed in the Middle East, with some claiming he visited
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
,
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
,
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
and
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
.
Disputes
The
hagiographic
A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an wiktionary:adulatory, adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religi ...
details are a subject of dispute, with modern scholarship questioning the details and authenticity of many claims. For example, Callewaert and Snell (1994) state that early Sikh texts do not contain such stories. 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.
Some of the stories about Guru Nanak's extensive travels first appear in the 19th-century ''Puratan'' janamsakhi, though even this version does not mention Nanak's travel to Baghdad. 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.
Another source of dispute has been the Baghdad stone, bearing an inscription in a Turkish script. Some interpret the inscription as saying ''Baba Nanak Fakir'' was there in 1511–1512; others read it as saying 1521–1522 (and that he lived in the Middle East for 11 years away from his family). Others, particularly Western scholars, argue that the stone inscription is from the 19th century and the stone is not a reliable evidence that Nanak visited Baghdad in early 16th century. Moreover, beyond the stone, no evidence or mention of his journey in the Middle East has been found in any other Middle Eastern textual or
epigraphical records. Claims have been asserted of additional inscriptions, but no one has been able to locate and verify them.
Novel claims about his travels, as well as claims such as his 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''. Other direct and indirect borrowings in the Sikh ''janamsakhis'' relating to legends around his journeys are from
Hindu epics and ''
,'' and
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
Jataka stories.
Posthumous biographies
The earliest biographical sources on Nanak's life recognised today are the ''
janamsakhis'' ('birth stories'), which recount the circumstances of his birth in extended detail.
''Gyan-ratanavali'' is the janamsakhi attributed to
Bhai Mani Singh, a disciple of
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (; born Gobind Das; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708) was the tenth and last human Sikh gurus, Sikh Guru. He was a warrior, poet, and philosopher. In 1675, at the age of nine he was formally installed as the leader of the ...
who was approached by some Sikhs with a request that he should prepare an authentic account of Nanak's life. As such, it is said that Bhai Mani Singh wrote his story with the express intention of correcting
heretical accounts of Nanak.
One popular janamsakhi was allegedly written by
Bhai Bala, a close companion of Nanak. However, the writing style and language employed have left scholars, such as
Max Arthur Macauliffe, certain that they were composed after his death. According to such scholars, there are good reasons to doubt the claim that the author was a close companion of Guru Nanak and accompanied him on many of his travels.
Bhai Gurdas, a scribe of the
Guru Granth Sahib, also wrote about Nanak's life in his ''vars'' ('odes'), which were compiled some time after Nanak's life, though are less detailed than the janamsakhis.
Teachings and legacy

Nanak's teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture
Guru Granth Sahib, as a collection of verses recorded in
Gurmukhi.
There are three competing theories on Nanak's teachings. The first, according to Cole and Sambhi (1995, 1997), based on the
hagiographical ''
Janamsakhis'', states that Nanak's teachings and
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 ...
were revelations from God, and not a social protest movement, nor an attempt to reconcile
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
and
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
in the 15th century.
The second theory states that Nanak was a
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 ...
, not a prophet. According to Singha (2009):
Sikhism does not subscribe to the theory of incarnation
Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It is the Conception (biology), conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic form of a god. It is used t ...
or the concept of prophet
In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divinity, divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings ...
hood. But it has a pivotal concept of Guru. He is not an incarnation of God, not even a prophet. He is an illumined soul.
The third theory is that Guru Nanak is the incarnation of God. This has been supported by many Sikhs including
Bhai Gurdas,
Bhai Vir Singh,
Santhok Singh and is supported by the Guru Granth Sahib. Bhai Gurdas says:
ਗੁਰ ਪਰਮੇਸਰੁ ਇਕੁ ਹੈ ਸਚਾ ਸਾਹੁ ਜਗਤੁ ਵਣਜਾਰਾ।
The Guru and God are one; He is the true master and the whole world craves for Him.
Additionally, in the Guru Granth Sahib, it is stated:
ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇਵਾ ਕਰਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਰ ਸਫਲ ਦਰਸਨ ਕੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਲੇਖਾ ਮੰਗੈ ਨ ਕੋਈ ॥੨॥
O Nanak, serve the Guru, the Lord Incarnate; the Blessed Vision of His Darshan is profitable, and in the end, you shall not be called to account. , , 2, ,
Guru Ram Das says:
ਗੁਰ ਗੋਵਿੰਦੁ ਗੋੁਵਿੰਦੁ ਗੁਰੂ ਹੈ ਨਾਨਕ ਭੇਦੁ ਨ ਭਾਈ ॥੪॥੧॥੮॥
The Guru is God, and God is the Guru, O Nanak; there is no difference between the two, O Siblings of Destiny. , , 4, , 1, , 8, ,
The hagiographical ''Janamsakhis'' were not written by Nanak, but by later followers without regard for historical accuracy, containing numerous legends and myths created to show respect for Nanak. In Sikhism, the term ''revelation'', as Cole and Sambhi clarify, is not limited to the teachings of Nanak. Rather, they include all
Sikh Gurus
The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...
, as well as the words of men and women from Nanak's past, present, and future, who possess divine knowledge intuitively through meditation. The Sikh revelations include the words of non-Sikh
''bhagats'' (Hindu & Muslim devotees), some who lived and died before the birth of Nanak, and whose teachings are part of the Sikh scriptures.
The
Adi Granth and successive Sikh Gurus repeatedly emphasised, suggests Mandair (2013), that Sikhism is "not about hearing voices from God, but it is about changing the nature of the human mind, and anyone can achieve direct experience and spiritual perfection at any time." Nanak emphasised that all human beings can have direct access to God without rituals or priests.
The concept of man as elaborated by Nanak, states Mandair (2009), refines and negates the "
monotheistic
Monotheism is the belief that one God is the only, or at least the dominant deity.F. L. Cross, Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. A ...
concept of self/God," where "monotheism becomes almost redundant in the movement and crossings of love." The goal of man, taught the Sikh Gurus, is to end all dualities of "self and other, I and not-I," attaining the "attendant balance of separation-fusion, self-other, action-inaction, attachment-detachment, in the course of daily life."
Nanak, and other Sikh Gurus emphasised ''
bhakti'' ('love', 'devotion', or 'worship'), and taught that the spiritual life and secular householder life are intertwined. In the Sikh perspective, the everyday world is part of an infinite reality, where increased spiritual awareness leads to increased and vibrant participation in the everyday world. Nanak described living an "active, creative, and practical life" of "truthfulness, fidelity, self-control and purity" as being higher than the
metaphysical
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of h ...
truth.
Through popular tradition, Nanak's teaching is understood to be practised in three ways:
* ''
Vand Shhako'' (): Share with others, help those who are in need, so you may eat together;
* ''
Kirat Karo'' ('work honestly'): Earn an honest living, without exploitation or fraud; and
* ''
Naam Japo'' (): Meditate on God's name, so to feel His presence and control the
five thieves of the human personality.
Legacy
Nanak is the founder 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 ...
. The fundamental beliefs of Sikhism, articulated in the sacred scripture
Guru Granth Sahib, include faith and meditation on the name of the one creator; unity of all humankind; engaging in
selfless service, striving for social justice for the
benefit and prosperity of all; and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life.
The Guru Granth Sahib is worshipped as the supreme authority 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 ...
and is considered the final and perpetual guru of Sikhism. As the first guru of Sikhism, Nanak contributed a total of 974
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
s to the book.
Influences
Many Sikhs believe that Nanak's message was divinely revealed, as his own words in
Guru Granth Sahib state that his teachings are as he has received them from the Creator Himself. The critical event of his life in
Sultanpur, in which he returned after three days with enlightenment, also supports this belief.
Many modern historians give weight to his teachings' linkage with the pre-existing ''
bhakti'',
''sant'', and ''
wali'' of Hindu/Islamic tradition. Scholars state that in its origins, Nanak and Sikhism were influenced by the ''nirguni'' ('formless God') tradition of the
Bhakti movement
The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of Bhakti, devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6t ...
in medieval India. However, some historians do not see evidence of Sikhism as simply an extension of the Bhakti movement. Sikhism, for instance, disagreed with some views of Bhakti saints
Kabir and
Ravidas.
The roots of the Sikh tradition are perhaps in the
sant-tradition of India whose ideology grew to become the Bhakti tradition. Fenech (2014) suggests that:
Indic mythology permeates the Sikh sacred canon, the ''Guru Granth Sahib'' and the secondary canon, the '' Dasam Granth'' and adds delicate nuance and substance to the sacred symbolic universe of the Sikhs of today and of their past ancestors.
In the Bahá'í Faith
In a letter, dated 27 October 1985, to the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, the
Universal House of Justice stated that Nanak was endowed with a "saintly character" and that he was:
...inspired to reconcile the religions of Hinduism and Islám, the followers of which religions had been in violent conflict.... The Bahá'ís thus view Guru Nanak as a 'saint of the highest order'.
In Hinduism

Guru Nanak is also highly influential amongst
Punjabi Hindus and
Sindhi Hindus
Sindhi Hindus are ethnic Sindhis who practice Hinduism and are native to the Sindh region of the Indian subcontinent. They are spread across modern-day Sindh, Pakistan and India. After the partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi Hindus were am ...
, the majority of whom follow
Nanakpanthi teachings.
In Tibetan Buddhism and Bon
Trilochan Singh claims that, for centuries,
Tibetans have been making pilgrimages to the Golden Temple shrine in Amritsar to pay homage to Guru Nanak's memory.
However, Tibetans seem to have confused Nanak with the visit of
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ('Born from a Lotus'), also known as Guru Rinpoche ('Precious Guru'), was a legendary tantric Buddhist Vajracharya, Vajra master from Oddiyana. who fully revealed the Vajrayana in Tibet, circa 8th – 9th centuries... He is consi ...
centuries earlier, and have superimposed details of Padmasambhava onto Nanak out of reverence (believing the essence of both figures is one and the same) or mistaken chronology.
According to Tibetan scholar
Tarthang Tulku, many Tibetans believe Guru Nanak was an incarnation of Padmasambhava.
Both
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and
Bon Tibetans made pilgrimages to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, however they revered the site for different reasons.
[Lucia Galli, “Next stop, Nirvana. When Tibetan pilgrims turn into leisure seekers”, Mongolian and Siberian, Central Asian and Tibetan Studies nline 51 , 2020, posted online on December 9, 2020, accessed on May 21, 2024. URL: http://journals.openedition.org/emscat/4697; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4000/emscat.4697]
Between 1930 and 1935, the Tibetan spiritual leader, Khyungtrül Rinpoche (Khyung-sprul Rinpoche), travelled to India for a second time, visiting the
Golden Temple in
Amritsar
Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...
during this visit.
Whilst visiting Amritsar in 1930 or 1931, Khyung-sprul and his Tibetan entourage walked around the Golden Temple while making offerings.
Khyung-sprul referred to the Golden Temple as "Guru Nanak's Palace" (
Tibetan: ''Guru Na-nig-gi pho-brang'').
Khyung-sprul returned to the Golden Temple in Amritsar for another time during his third and final visit to India in 1948.
Several years later after the 1930–31 visit of Khyung-sprul, a Tibetan
Bonpo monk by the name of Kyangtsün Sherab Namgyel (''rKyang-btsun Shes-rab-rnam rgyal'') visited the Golden Temple at Amritsar and offered the following description:
In Islam
Ahmadiyya

The
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Ahmadiyya, officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ), is an Islamic messianic movement originating in British India in the late 19th century. It was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), who said he had been divinely appointed a ...
considers Guru Nanak to have been a
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
saint and that Sikhism derived from Sufism.
They believe Guru Nanak sought to educate Muslims about the "real teachings" of Islam.
Writing in 1895,
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (13 February 1835 – 26 May 1908) was an Indian religious leader and the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the promised Messiah and '' Mahdī'', in fulfillment of th ...
defended Nanak from the accusations that had been made by the
Arya Samajist
Dayananda Saraswati, and asserted that Nanak was a Muslim.
According to Abdul Jaleel, Nanak being a Muslim is supported by a ''
chola'' inscribed with
Quranic verses
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
that is attributed to having belonged to him.
In popular culture
* A
Punjabi movie was released in 2015 named ''
Nanak Shah Fakir'', which is based on the life of Nanak, directed by Sartaj Singh Pannu
* ''
Allegory: A Tapestry of Guru Nanak's Travels'' is a 2021–22 docuseries about Nanak's travels in nine different countries
Places visited
Uttarakhand
*
Gurudwara Reetha Sahib,
Champawat, Uttrakhand
*
Nanakmatta
Nanakmatta is a town named after the Sikh pilgrimage site, Gurdwara Nanak Mata Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Nanakmatta Sahib, in the state of Uttarakhand, India.
Sikh tradition says it was once called Gorakhmata, a centre of Siddh-jogis nam ...
Andhra Pradesh
* Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi
Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
Bihar
* Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Sheetal Kund –
Rajgir
*
Patna
Patna (; , ISO 15919, ISO: ''Paṭanā''), historically known as Pataliputra, Pāṭaliputra, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, ...
Delhi
*
Gurdwara Nanak Piao,
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
* Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tila,
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
Gujarat
* Gurdwara Pehli Patshahi,
Lakhpat, Gujarat
Haryana
*
Panipat
Jammu and Kashmir
*
Hari Parbat,
Srinagar
Srinagar (; ) is a city in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary ...
Punjab
* Gurudwara Shri Ber Sahib,
Sultanpur Lodhi
* Gurudwara Shri Hatt Sahib,
Sultanpur Lodhi
* Gurudwara Shri Kothri Sahib,
Sultanpur Lodhi
* Gurudwara Shri Guru Ka Bagh,
Sultanpur Lodhi
* Gurudwara Shri Sant Ghat,
Sultanpur Lodhi
* Gurudwara Shri Antaryamta,
Sultanpur Lodhi
*
Dera Baba Nanak
Dera Baba Nanak is a town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, in the state of Punjab (India), Punjab, India. It is the sub-district headquarters of Dera Baba Nanak (Sub-district), Dera Baba Nanak tehsil. It is 36 km away from Gurdaspur ...
* Gurudwara Manji Sahib,
Kiratpur Sahib
*
Achal Batala
Sikkim
* Gurudwara Nanak Lama,
Chungthang, Sikkim
*
Gurudongmar Lake
Odisha
* Gurdwara Guru Nanak Datan Sahib,
Cuttack, Odisha
* Gurdwara Bauli Math Sahib,
Puri, Odisha
Pakistan
*
Nankana Sahib
*
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur,
Kartarpur
* Gurdwara Sacha Sauda,
Farooqabad
*
Sultanpur Lodhi
*
Gurdwara Rori Sahib,
Gujranwala
Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...
*
Gurdwara Beri Sahib,
Sialkot
Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...
*
Gurdwara Panja Sahib,
Hasan Abdal
*
Gurudwara Chowa Sahib,
Rohtas Fort
*
Narowal
*
Dudhu Chak
Bangladesh
*
Gurdwara Nanak Shahi,
Dhaka
Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...
Afghanistan
* Gurduara Baba Nanak Dev Ji,
Jalalabad
Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...
* Chashma Sahib Patshahi Pahili,
Jalalabad
Jalalabad (; Help:IPA/Persian, ͡ʒä.lɑː.lɑː.bɑːd̪ is the list of cities in Afghanistan, fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 200,331, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part ...
Iran
* Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi,
Mashhad
Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...
Iraq
*
Baba Nanak Shrine,
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
Sri Lanka
* Gurudwara Pehli Patshahi
Batticaloa
* Koti, now known as
Kotikawatta
Saudi Arabia
*
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
*
Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
See also
*
Fatehabad, Punjab
*
List of places named after Guru Nanak Dev
*
Bebe Nanaki
Notes
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Further reading
*
Singh, Sahib. ''Guru Nanak Dev and His Teachings''.
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External links
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{{Authority control
1469 births
1539 deaths
15th-century religious leaders
15th-century Indian philosophers
Founders of religions
Miracle workers
People from Nankana Sahib District
Nanak
Guru Nanak Dev