Talk:Guru Nanak/Rewrite

Guru Nanak Dev (ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ) (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539) was the first of the ten Gurus of the Sikhs.

Childhood & Early Life

Guru Nanak Dev was born at Rai Bhoi Di Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, a town located near the city of Lahore in present-day Pakistan.

His father was Kalian Das Bedi also known as Kalu Mehta and mother was Mata Tripta. His parents were Khatri Hindus. The Guru had an older sister called Bibi Nanki, who according to sikh tradition was the first to recognise the divinity in Nanak.

Guru Nanak Dev was married on 21st may 1487 to Bibi Sulakhani, daughter of Moolchand Chona, a trader from Batala, and they had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakshmi Das.

Nanki's husband, Jai Ram, obtained a job for him in Sultanpur as a trader.

Details of Nanak's life Nanak grew up in a rural village. Hence details about his life and personality are only to be found in traditional accounts. The sikh folklore recounts many early childhood signs that marked out the inherent divinity in Nanak. Examples include the baby not crying at birth and surprising the midwife with its physical radiance, another states that a cobra was found to be shielding the sleeping child from the sunlight.

He was said to have a naturally religious disposition from childhood, much to the frustration of his father, who did is said to have not understood his son's piety and was counting on Nanak becoming a wealthy trader.

Guru Nanak's Enlightenment The wedded and working Nanak, as a young man, was known to spend the early hours in worship besides the river where he went to bathe each morning. This river was a tributarie of the River Beas, know today as the Kali Bein.

It is said that Nanak at the age of 22 years, in 1491 A.D. went into silence for days together.

One morning he did not return (tradition states he was 30 years old). This was to the alarm of his friends and family. Nanak was nowhere to be seen for 3 days, when he himself walked back into the village.

Folklore narrates that this Nanak had a mesmirising aura about him, drawing the attention and fascination of all who say him. People were convinced that he had undergone some sort of enlightement. Yet he refused to speak.

After being pressed to speak on whether he was a hindu or a muslim Nanak is said to have simply responded "nahi Hindu nahi Mussalman", quite literally "no Hindu, no Muslim". The implication was taken to be that Nanak had met God, and so had no need for religion.

Nanak slowly opened up to people's inquisitiveness. Soon he started undertaking long journeys in all directions, where he is said to have been accompanied by devoted companions.

After the last of his great journeys, Guru Nanak Dev settled in the town of Kartarpur, in the Punjab on the banks of the Ravi (This Kartarpur is different from the town of Kartarpur in the Jullundur Doab, built by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev)where he taught for another fifteen years.

Here is where Lehna, renamed as Guru Angad, came to be with Guru Nanak Dev. Lehna grew to be a great devotee. Guru Nanak's days before his passing away, installed Guru Angad as the second Guru of Sikhs. It is said that this new name was given by Nanak himself, Angad in Punjabi means 'limb'.

Death On 22 September of the year 1539, at the age of 70 years, Guru Nanak gave up his body. Sikhs refer to the death of a holy person not as death but as "Jyoti Jot", roughly 'mergence of light into light'- to signify that the person has not died in the transitory sense of the rest of the universe but has obtained "mukti", 'liberation'.

His Environment: the Political, Social and Religious Climate of Nanak's time
(basic deatails )

Babur's Invasion
(incl reference to Nanak's own allusions -ed)

Relgions in Punjab
(Bhakti, hinduism, yogis, jains, Islam, sufis, atheist-materialists, -ed)

Nanak's soujorns (Udassi in Punjabi)
(insert objective infor on Nanak's travels -ed) (folklore detailas about his travels) (emerging evidence about his traveles) (current debate about his travels)

Historical Records
(insert -ed)

Nanak's teachings
(with quotes from SGGS -ed)

The Mool Mantra literally 'Root Incantation'. This is an utterance attirbuted to Nanak, and is said to hold the basis of his teaching:

"ik-oNkaar sat naam kartaa purakh nirbha-o nirvair akaal moorat ajoonee saibhaN gur parsaad."

Ik= One Onkar= Aum + Kar (kar, punjb. 'to do') Sat= true/actuual Naam=(this word is undefinable) but generally translated as 'name'. karta= creator purukh= being/form nirbhao= fear less ('nir'='non' 'bhao'='fear') nirvair= hateless Akaal moorat= a + kaal (deathless) moorat (image) Ajuni= unborn (transcending the material universe) Saibhan= self-existant, completely indpenedant Gur Prasad= gur hear refers to God or Godly-understanding, Prasad (blessing)

It is not fitting to attempt to explain or interpret the Mool Mantra.

The Japji The Japji is the first set of hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib, and the sikhs have traditionally looked to it to explain Guru Nank's elemental teachings. The word Jap means to reflect or recite, and Ji is a show of respect. The Japji is startling in that it is very simple but at the same instance very profound. It bypasses complicated philosophical terminology and debate, so that its teaching is accesible even to the uneducated and unread.

If the reader is truely interested in understanding sikhi it is suggested that they read the Japji and at the very least try and udnerstand its wording.

Here is a summary of some of the points made in Japji: 1) 'It' can not be thought out, thinking will be of no avail no matter how much one tries 2) 'Silence' will not be obtained, no matter how deep one remans in loving meditation 3) discontentedness cannot be removed from the self, no matter how much interest one may take in materialism 4) no matter how deep your insights or profound you mediation, they are all transient and will ultimately not get you anywhere 5) liberation comes from the 'Hukum' (Hukum is a persian word that means Royal Decree, here the 'royal decree' is that of God) 6) this Hukum cannot, by its nature, be spoken of or described ("hukmee hovan aakaar hukam na kahi-aa jaa-ee.") 7) All are within this Hukum, none are beyond 8) if this Hukum was to strike someone, that person would not say 'I am' (i.e. the true realisation that the ego/self is an illusion) The word Nanak uses for the self is the simple punjabi construction "Haumai" Hau=Be Mai=I, so Be-I or I-Am.

9) Guru Nanak awknowledges teh different apporaches to God that are around him, and that on the end of these all is the Giver. 10) "amrit vaylaa sach naa-o vadi-aa-ee veechaar" 11) "naanak ayvai jaanee-ai sabh aapay sachiaar" - lit. translation 'Nanak, know this also, all is true by itself' 12) Nanak uses words such as "paa-i-aa" when describing spiritual salvation, which means 'to be put upon'. This is to say that God cannot be sought, be can be realised (i.e. God comes to you) 13) "gur eesar gur gorakh barmaa gur paarbatee maa-ee." 'gur' means 'divine understanding' or 'enlightenment'. 14) "jay ha-o jaanaa aakhaa naahee kahnaa kathan na jaa-ee." those who know God cannot speak of or explain it. 15) The word "suni-ai" (to listen) is used to describe a meditative sense. From 11) where Guru Ji says that all in true by itself, so to understand truth is only a matter of 'hearing' truth. On 'hearing' the truth, all pain and error comes ot an end. This could be either literal hearing or meditative listening. 16) "mannay kee gat kahee na jaa-ay" the state of those who heed truth (see 15) cannot be spoken of, as it defies description 18) "mannai mag na chalai panth" those who know the truth do not follow any religion 19) "mannai Dharam saytee san-banDh." those who know the truth know what true righteousness/religeousity is 20) "Dhoul Dharam da-i-aa kaa poot" the mythological bull, who in indian muthology is said to support the earth (and represents universal religiousity) is said ot be the son of compassion/mercy. "jay ko bujhai hovai sachiaar." if this understanding strikes one, 'truthfulness happens'. 21) Guru Nanak wonders at Gods creative power, starting with the constellations upon constellations in the sky. "keetaa pasaa-o ayko kavaa-o" states that all was extended from the One action/call of God. 22) "jaytaa keetaa taytaa naa-o." 23) "suni-aa mani-aa man keetaa bhaa-o. antargat tirath mal naa-o." 24) Nanak observes that all Virtue belong God, yet there is no worship without Virtue. 25) "naanak jay ko aapou jaanai agai ga-i-aa na sohai." 26) Nanak proclaims that liberation is only through the will of God. "band khalaasee bhaanai ho-ay. hor aakh na sakai ko-ay. jay ko khaa-ik aakhan paa-ay. oh jaanai jaytee-aa muhi khaa-ay." 27) in refernce to 15) Nanak recounts all those that 'speak' of Godliness, examples include the Vedas, Krishna, Buddhas 28) God itself cannot be described. 39) Nanak speaks in wonder about the origin of the Hindu Trintiy- Brhama Vishnu Shiva 30) "oh vaykhai onaa nadar na aavai bahutaa ayhu vidaan." (He watches over all, but none see Him. How wonderful this is!) 31) Nanak remarks that all beings are actually ultimately powerless. "jis hath jor kar vaykhai so-ay." (anyone who believes otherwise can try and see for themselves) 32) Given that all our powerless, Nanak announces that none are higher or lower than anyone else. This is not a democratic or egalitarian politial statement, but a reflection on the very nature of existance. 33) Nanak goes on to describe 4 Khands (spheres). It is not clear whether these realms are actual or perceptual.

Who was Nanak and what was his message- the differing schools of thought
(this is the place for all POVs -ed)