Guru Nanak Dev

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About Guru Nanak Dev

Guru Nanak Devji was the founder of one of the largest religions of the world, Sikhism.
He was also the first amongst the ten Gurus of the Sikhs. He believed that there is only
one God and we can reach him through any religion, be it Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, etc.
he was also a great poet as well as an excellent musician and could easily convince
anybody through the power of his words. In this article, we have provided you with the
life story of Guru Nanak Devji in brief…

Early Life

As per his biography, Sri Guru Nanak Dev was born in Nankana Sahab city of Punjab
(now in Pakistan), in the year 1469. His parents belonged to the Hindu Khatri clan. It is
said that at the age of five years, Guru Nanak Dev started discussing spirituality. He left
school at a very tender age and initiated his own teacher as his first disciple. Seeing his
inclination towards spirituality and asceticism, his family got him married at the age of
fourteen. However, this did not prevent him from following the path of spirituality.
Life of Wanderer

With time, Guru Nanak Devji started assuming more and more spiritual powers. Later, he
left his home, along with his Muslim friend, and led the life of a wanderer for almost
twelve years. Throughout this period, he met a number of religious teachers as well
Indian philosophers. Read on to know more about Guru Nanak Dev life history…

Four Major Journeys

Even though Guru Nanak spent 12 years traveling around and visited many places, his
following four journeys are the most popular…
• Towards Bengal and Assam
• Towards Ceylon, via Tamil Nadu
• Towards Kashmir, Ladakh and Tibet
• Towards Baghdad and Mecca

Receiving Enlightenment

After leading the life of a wanderer for almost 12 years, Guru Nanak Devji left for the
Himalayas. As per the record, it was there that he had the first direct experience of God.
Thereafter, he settled in Kartarpur as 'a Guru with a family' and started giving religious
discourses. He spent the last 15 years of his life in Kartarpur only and started the practice
of 'Langar' (community kitchen) for the needy and deprived. Sri Guru Nanak Dev left the
world and took his place in heaven in the year 1539.

The Origin of Sikhism

Guru Nanak Dev formalized the three important pillars of Sikhism in Sultanpur. They
are…
• Kirt Karnaa (Honest Earning)
• Naam Japna (Chanting God's name in a meditative manner)
• Vand ke Shakkana (Sharing with others)

Beliefs of Sri Guru Nanak Devji

• God is one and the true way to attain Him is to worship Him.
• Human Beings are equal.
• Women are equal to men in all respects.