Hindus and Muslims but instead founded a new
religion, SIKHISM. Guru Nanak was born on April
15, 1469, in Talwandi-Rai-Bhoe in the district of
Shekhupur, now in Pakistan. His father, Mehta
Kalu, was a land surveyor and small farmer of the
Khatri caste of the Bedi tribe.
In his early life Nanak showed great devotion
to God and was often enveloped in spiritual medi-
tation while watching over cattle. From age five he
began to utter mysterious sayings; at seven, when
taken to a teacher to learn to read, he would lapse
into silence. Myths of miracles have been associ-
ated with his childhood. In response to such signs
of withdrawal the local community suggested to
his parents that he be married. His wife, Sulakhani,
a Khatri of the Chona subcaste, eventually gave
birth to two sons, Lakhmi Das and Siri Chand.
Nanak studied reading and writing in the
local dialect, traditional scripture in SANSKRIT,
and poetry in Persian. Throughout his life he had
many mystical experiences; one story recounts
how he went to the river to bathe and was vis-
ited by “messengers of God” who took him to a
divine court and fed him nectar. For three days
he remained missing, and upon his return he
declared that there are no Hindus or Muslims,
that all people are equal. His inner experiences
gave him equanimity. He taught love, equality,
justice, selfless service, and the worship of God.
His teaching renounced religious hypocrisy.
Guru Nanak was considered to be a leader in
the BHAKTI (path of devotion) movement but was
also active in calling for reform of Indian social
and religious customs that he saw as unjust. He
was outspoken against caste oppression, discrimi-
nation, and injustice and committed to awakening
the consciousness of people.
Guru Nanak criticized what he considered
the empty rituals and sacrifices of Hinduism in
his time. Working in the villages near his own he
founded and developed the SIKH tradition, which
integrated Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic ideals of
the virtuous life and enlightenment. According
to Nanak, the process of realization involves the
grace of both God and GURU. the spiritual mas-
ter. The Sikh tradition maintains that the goal of
all human beings is to achieve self-perfection in
their lifetime and to help others do the same. Sikh
philosophy states that self-transformation occurs
through guru, guru’s grace, guru’s will, devotion,
discernment, and detachment. He composed the
Adi Granth, the sacred text later revered by Sikhs
as the last guru. Today the Adi Granth is the only
guru honored among traditional Sikhs. Guru
Nanak died on September 7, 1539.Guru Nanak (1469–1539), founder of the Sikh religion
(Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY)Nanak, Guru 303 J