The founder of the Guru-Sikh tradition and the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born on 15 April 1469 in a place called Talwandi in the Lahore district. This sacred place is now known as Nankana Sahib. His father’s name was Kalu Mehta and mother’s name was Tripta. His elder sister’s name was Nanaki, and he was named Nanak. Nanaki loved Nanak deeply. Since childhood, he was thoughtful and wise. A deep thirst surged within him—one that could not be quenched by any worldly thing, a thirst that could only be filled with divine love. Regarding this thirst, in the discourse series “Ek Onkar Satnam”, Guru—
Prominent Saints of India
Final Samadhi :
It is believed in the Kabir Panth that when Dharmdas Ji went to Jagannath Puri to take his final Samadhi, only thirteen days of his physical life remained. After completing those thirteen days, in the year 1543, he immersed into the final Samadhi. Some people mention the time of final Samadhi as the year 1513. After giving his body a final farewell, Kabir Sahib in his subtle presence passed the leadership of the path to Chudamani Naam Sahib at Bandhavgarh. This path later came to be known as the “Dharmdasi Kabir Panth”.
Sources:
1. Bharatiya Sant Parampara – Baldev Vanshi, 2. Kabir Panth ka Udbhav evam Prasar – Dr. Rajendra Prasad, 3. Sant Dharmdas – Dr.
While speaking on Nanak Ji, Osho says—“A dark night, new moon of Bhadon. Thunder of clouds, occasional flashes of lightning, gusts of rain, the whole village asleep, only the echo of Nanak’s song. He kept singing late into the night. Nanak’s mother was scared. It was past midnight, around three in the morning. The lamp in Nanak’s room was still burning. Occasionally, the sound of singing could be heard. At Nanak’s door, his mother knocked and said, ‘Son! Now go to sleep. The night is almost over.’
Nanak became silent, and just then, in the darkness of the night, a bird called out loudly—piu-piu. Nanak said, ‘Listen mother! Even the bird hasn’t fallen silent yet. It is calling out to its beloved. Then how can I fall silent? I am in a race with this bird. As long as it sings, as long as it calls, I too will call out. And its beloved is very near, but mine is very far. If I sing for lifetimes, only then may I reach him. The account of night and day doesn’t apply here.’ Nanak resumed singing again.
Nanak attained God through singing. Nanak’s path is filled with songs. Therefore, Nanak’s quest is very different. The first thing to understand is that Nanak did not practice yoga, penance, or meditation. He only sang, and through singing, he attained. But he sang with such soulfulness that the song itself became meditation, the song became yoga, the song became penance. When someone does anything with their entire being, that very action becomes the path. Even if you meditate half-heartedly, you will not reach. But if you sing one song or dance with your whole heart, with complete integrity, then you will reach. It is not about what you do, it is about how completely you do it. On the path to God, for Nanak, there were only songs and flowers. So whatever he said, he said by singing. His path is very sweet.
It can be said that this kind of eagerness for God-realization was found in Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Divine love radiated from every pore of his being.
In the Sikh tradition, it is said that Nanak’s birth and early years were unique in many ways. It is believed that God inspired Nanak to stand apart from the crowd. As a result, from childhood itself, Nanak possessed extraordinary poetic and philosophical abilities. At the age of seven, Nanak was sent to a Pandit for education, but due to his exceptional intellect, he found no interest in it. Still, he gained knowledge of Punjabi, Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian languages. In return, he taught spiritual lessons to Pandits and Maulvis.
Since childhood, Nanak Dev Ji opposed orthodoxy. At the age of eleven, an attempt was made to get him to wear the sacred thread (Janeu). Nanak refused, saying, “Pandit Ji, you say that wearing Janeu marks our second birth, a spiritual birth. Then the Janeu must be of a different kind—one that can bind the soul. But the thread you’re giving is made of cotton, which will get dirty, break, and burn with the body during cremation. Then how can this be for spiritual birth?”
Marriage of Guru Nanak Dev Ji:
Very little is known about Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s married life. Since childhood, his behavior was unusual. His parents thought he would reject any marriage proposal. But contrary to their fears, he accepted the marriage proposal immediately. At the time of marriage, he was sixteen years old.
In 1485 AD, he was married to Sulakkhani (Sulakshani), daughter of Shri Moolchand Ji of Batala. When he was 28 years old, his elder son Shri Chand was born, and three years later, his second son Lakshmi Chand was born. His father tried to involve Guru Nanak Dev Ji in farming and business, but one by one, all efforts failed.
True Deal (Sachha Sauda):
When Nanak Dev Ji grew older, his father gave him 20 rupees to conduct a true trade. He set out with the money. On the way, he met a group of saints and fed them with the 20 rupees. When he returned home, his father asked if he had made a true deal. He replied that feeding the saints was the true deal. This incident greatly angered his father Kalu Mehta Ji. In those days, 20 rupees was equivalent to 2 million rupees today.
Seeing Nanak Dev Ji’s condition, his brother-in-law Jairam called him to Sultanpur. He stayed in Sultanpur for 3 years. Through Jairam’s efforts, he got a job with Governor Daulat Khan. The people and Daulat Khan were pleased with Nanak Dev Ji’s work. Then one day, a miraculous event occurred—the event of ‘Satori’. When Nanak Dev Ji had the first glimpse of God, he was weighing grain in his shop. While counting and weighing, he said, “one, two, three, four… twelve, thirteen.” But the count did not go beyond thirteen. At that very moment, he experienced a deep realization of God. In Punjabi, thirteen is said as “tera” (meaning “yours”). So he kept saying “Tera, Tera, Tera”. People tried to stop him, but he did not stop because he was in another realm. He weighed all the grain while repeating “Tera”.
He used to donate most of his income to saints and the poor and would spend the entire night in devotional singing.
Entry into River Vain:
One day, Nanak Dev Ji went for a morning bath in the river. He submerged into the water and did not emerge. He was searched for extensively but remained missing. Three days later, he came out of the water. People asked how he survived. Nanak Dev Ji said he had gone to Sachkhand to meet Nirankar (formless God). Nirankar instructed him to spread truth among people by awakening love and devotion. Describing Sachkhand, he recited this mantra:
“Ek Onkar Satnam, Karta Purakh, Nirbhau, Nirvair, Akaal Moorat, Ajooni, Saibhang, Gur Prasad.”
He said, Nirankar has given this Guru Mantra and ordered that it should be chanted and taught to others for their welfare.
Malik Bhago’s Brahm Bhoj and Teaching:
It is said that once the administrator of Eminabad, Malik Bhago, organized a grand religious feast. All townspeople were invited, and everyone attended except Guru Nanak Dev Ji. When Malik Bhago found out, he was furious and summoned Guru Ji to ask why he didn’t come. Guru Ji replied, “The meal prepared with Bhai Lalo’s honest earnings is like milk, while yours, made with tyranny and loot, is like blood.” When asked for proof, Guru Ji pressed a piece of Lalo’s bread in one hand and Bhago’s food in the other—milk came out of Lalo’s bread and blood from Bhago’s food. Witnessing this divine power, Bhago asked for forgiveness and resolved to earn honestly.
Advice to Sikandar Lodi:
The tyrant king of Delhi, Sikandar Lodi, had imprisoned many saints and mystics to test their miracles. It is said that when Guru Ji revived a dead elephant, the king came to see him and requested guidance. Guru Nanak Dev Ji told him to release the innocent saints and walk the path of justice and religion. The king accepted and freed all saints.
Sweet Soapnut (Meetha-Reetha):
A popular legend says that while traveling towards Banaras, Nanak Dev Ji’s disciple Mardana felt hungry. At that time, Guru Ji was resting under a soapnut tree. He told Mardana to shake a branch and eat the soapnuts. Upon eating them, Mardana found them sweeter than dates. It is said the soapnuts of this tree are still sweet and are distributed as prasad to Nanak’s devotees.
Discussion with Bhartrihari:
It is said that in the Mysore state, Guru Ji had a discussion with Bhartrihari, the guru of yogis. Bhartrihari advised him to practice yoga. Guru Ji said that rigid yoga brings suffering to the body, causing the mind to wander and making mantra chanting ineffective. But we remain connected with the Creator with love, so there is no suffering, and the mind stays joyful. This is our Sahaj Yoga, which we always practice. Bhartrihari said, “We drink the elixir of Somras and attain deep meditation to see the Divine.” Nanak Dev Ji replied, “We drink the nectar of Naamras and stay intoxicated all the time, with our love always burning bright.”
Journeys:
It is believed that in his youth, Guru Nanak Dev Ji set out on a pilgrimage to Jagannath Puri via Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh. While resting under a banyan tree in Amarkantak, he met Satguru Kabir Sahib. Kabir Sahib, a knower of Brahma, was pleased with Nanak’s humility and granted him Naamdaan and self-realization. This great banyan tree, witness to two great souls, still radiates their divine presence and is now known as Kabir Chaura.
After realizing God, Guru Nanak Dev Ji undertook vast journeys, known as Udasis. From 1500 to 1524, he completed five major journeys covering India, Afghanistan, Persia, and Arabia.
First Udasi (1500–1506):
Covered Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Haridwar, Delhi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Kashi, Patna, Gaya, Dhaka, Chittagong, Jagannath Puri, Vindhya, and Rajasthan.
Second Udasi (1506–1513):
Visited Sirsa, Bikaner, Ajmer, Pushkar, Abu, Ujjain, Bidar, Madras, Nagapattinam, and Sri Lanka (Sinhala island), where he initiated King Shivnath. He also composed Pransangli for his welfare. On return, he visited Rameswaram, Malabar Coast, Dwarka, Sindh, and Lahore.
Third Udasi (1514–1518):
Went beyond Kailash to Tibet, Ladakh, Kashmir, and Jammu.
Fourth Udasi (1519–1521):
With Mardana, he traveled to Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, and Baghdad. Returned via Iran, Turkistan, Kabul, and Peshawar.
Fifth Udasi (1523–1524):
Short but significant journey.
Succession:
Lehna Ji, hearing of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s greatness, came for his darshan and stayed with him. After serving for a while, he thought that if Guru Ji, without being asked, told him to return home, he would consider him omniscient. The next day, Guru Ji asked, “Where is your home? What is your name?” Lehna replied, “My name is Lehna, and I live in Khandoor.” Guru Ji smiled and said, “You are Lehna, and we must give. Go home now, then return.” This pleased Lehna. He returned home, met his family, and came back to serve Guru Ji. After many tests, Guru Ji found him worthy and passed the Guruship to him by placing five coins and a coconut before him, circling him three times, bowing, and asking the entire congregation to bow to him. This upset Guru Ji’s sons Baba Sri Chand and Lakshmi Chand, who claimed the Guruship belonged to them. But all followers obeyed Guru Ji and bowed to Lehna Ji, who became famous as Guru Angad Dev Ji. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, by passing the Guruship to Angad Dev Ji, laid the foundation of the Guru-disciple tradition that continued through ten Gurus.
Joti-Jot Samana (Final Merger):
When the time of Guru Ji’s departure neared, devotees from far came for final darshan. Keertan was ongoing, and Guru Ji called his sons, but they left soon after. This was in the year 1539. Guru Ji lay down covering himself with a sheet and asked the congregation to continue chanting Naam. After some time, they found that Guru Ji had left his body and merged into the eternal realm. The prophet of Omkar, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, still echoes within us in the form of divine sound.
Sources:
- Bharatiya Sant Parampara
- Hindi Sahitya ka Itihas – Dr. Nagendra
- Sant Sudhasar – Viyogi Hari
- Samadhi Geeta – Samarthguru Siddharth Auliya
- Guru Nanak Dev – Wikipedia
