The Birthday of Guru Nanak (late November/December)

Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh guru and founder of the faith, was born in 1469 CE in the village of Talwandi (now in Pakistan) about 65 km from Lahore. His father was the village tax-collector and accountant and the family were high -caste Hindus. After a revelation he attempted to unite Muslims and Hindus in a vision of one God and made four missionary journeys: east as far as Assam, India, south to Sri Lanka, north to Tibet, and west to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Nanak lived at Kartarpur for many years where he built the first Gurdwara and where a small but growing community of disciples began to gather. He died at the age of 70 in 1539 CE. There are many tales of his deep religious faith. Nanak's own writings form part of the Sikh Holy Book, the Guru Granth Sahib part of which is recited by devout Sikhs every morning .

The birthday of Guru Nanak is an important day for Sikhs. Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion in the Punjab on the borders of India and Pakistan over 500 years ago. Each year in the Sikh Gurdwaras ( temples) all over the world the Sikh Holy Book, the Guru Granth Sahib, is read without a break from beginning to end. The reading takes two full days. Different readers take part and the reading finishes on Guru Nanak's birthday.

Guru Nanak as a Boy

Nanak was born into a wealthy Hindu family in the Punjab. In those days the Muslims and the Hindus did not always get on very well together. But when Nanak was a boy he was very friendly to both Hindus and Muslims.

When he was eight, Nanak had to go through a Hindu ceremony where a sacred thread is put over the shoulder. The thread is plaited with three strands of cotton to represent the Hindu idea of God as three beings in one. When the holy man came to put the thread over Nanak's shoulder, the boy wouldn't let him.

'Cotton wears out,' said Nanak. 'Instead, plait me a thread of good thoughts for my soul:

Out of the cotton of kindness,
Plait a thread of happiness.
Tie a knot of good behaviour ,
Give it a twist of truthfulness,
And make a sacred thread for your soul.'

There are many stories of Guru Nanak when he was a boy. Here are three of them:

One day Nanak fell asleep in the cooling shade of a tree that grew on the outskirts of his village. As he slept, the chief of the village went past. Several hours later the chief came past again and stared in amazement. The sun had moved across the sky so the shadow of the tree should have moved too. Nanak was still sleeping in the tree's cool shade. The shade had stayed still to keep the hot sun off the young boy.

Another time Nanak was put in charge of his father's cows. Nanak forgot about the cows as he sat thinking. Left by themselves, the cows wandered off and started to eat a neighbour's crops. Unfortunately, the neighbour came by. He woke Nanak, shouting that he had let the cows trample his fields. The neighbour,-stormed off to complain to the chief of the village, but when the chief came the crops were perfect. They had grown back, tall and straight. Not one part of the field appeared to be trampled.

One day Nanak's father sent him to the local market with some money to buy food. He told Nanak to make sure he spent the money wisely. On the way, Nanak passed a number of hungry men. At the market he bargained hard to buy as much food as he could find and on his return he gave it all to the hungry men.

His father was furious. 'I told you to use the money wisely,' he said angrily. 'I used it wisely,' said Nanak. 'I helped the poor.'

Guru Nanak Becomes the Servant of God

When Nanak grew older he went to work for a rich and powerful man who was an Afghan chief in Sultanpur. He was put in charge of the accounts. This meant he had to write in a book how much money was spent and how much money was earned. He also kept records of everything that was grown on the chief's land. Nanak was good at his job. He earned enough money for himself and his wife to live quite well.
One day Nanak was bathing in the river. One of the chief's servants was watching him from the bank. The next minute Nanak had gone. The servant looked and looked but Nanak seemed to have disappeared.

The chief was told and he sent divers to search the river bottom. Fishermen were sent for to drag their nets over about ten kilometres of the river. But Nanak was not to be found. It was presumed that he had drowned.

Three days later Nanak returned to his home. His wife was overjoyed to see him again, but she was amazed to see that he was giving away all their good food and furniture, their nice clothes and ornaments, to the poor people of the village. She understood when Nanak told her that he had seen a vision of God and had now to preach his message. He called the people of the village together, and told them:

'There is no Hindu. There is no Muslim. I am a brother to all who love God. All lovers of God are brothers together.'

Nanak sent a message to the chief saying that he could be his servant no longer. The chief understood and sent back a message asking Nanak, in the name of God, to come and see him. The chief saw that Nanak was a changed man. He begged him to be his personal adviser .
But Nanak told him:

'I have accepted the service of God. God alone will I serve. I will not serve any man or earthly ruler all my life.'

If I had a hundred thousand tongues and not just one And a hundred thousand times twenty, A hundred thousand times I'd say and say again, There is but one God and only one.
(from the Guru Granth Sahib, c.I5OO CE)

Guru Nanak's Travels: Guru Nanak in Mecca

Nanak left the village of Sultanpur and set off with his friend, Mardana, on four great journeys to the north, south and east, and to Mecca in the west. When he reached the Ka'ba in Mecca, the holiest place of the Muslim faith, Nanak spent much time in prayer. One night Nanak fell asleep with his feet pointing towards the holy Ka'ba. A Muslim woke up Nanak with a mighty kick. He was beside himself with anger:

'How dare you sleep with your feet pointing towards the House of God!' he cried. 'It is a shocking insult to Allah.' 'If I am insulting Allah by pointing my feet towards His house,' said Nanak calmly, 'Show me a place where I can point them without insulting God. God is everywhere.'

Guru Nanak and the Poor Carpenter

On his travels with Mardana, Nanak came to a city where he was now well known. Instead of staying at the house of some rich person, Nanak chose to knock at the door of a tiny ramshackle cottage that belonged to a poor but hardworking carpenter. The carpenter was amazed that the famous preacher should call at his house but he made him welcome. The poor man had hardly any food but what he had he gladly gave to Nanak and Mardana. The carpenter had only a tumbledown uncomfortable bed, but this too he gave to Nanak for the night.

In the morning Nanak asked the carpenter to leave him alone in the cottage for a short while. No sooner had the carpenter and Mardana gone outside, when they heard dreadful crashings and bangings and saw through the window that Nanak was smashing up all the furniture.

'I have nothing worth having,' said the poor man, 'but that is all have.' 'Don't worry,' answered Mardana. 'Guru Nanak seems to do some strange things, but he always has a very good reason.

Then Nanak came outside the cottage with a brand from the fire and set fire to the wooden house. The carpenter watched silently, but with tears in his eyes as his small cottage burned down.

'Life is often unkind,' said Nanak. 'Why should a kind and generous man like this carpenter live a life of misery and hardship when there are rich and undeserving people living not far away?' Nanak led the carpenter into the centre of the town where many people crowded to see him. Ordinary people gave the famous Guru a few pence or some food and the rich sent their servants with gifts. As evening came the Guru had collected an enormous pile of presents and money from the townsfolk which he gave to the carpenter:

'You need these gifts more than I ever shall,' he said. 'Buy yourself anew house, set yourself up in business and always be grateful to God.'

Guru Nanak and the Leper

Guru Nanak came to a village called Dipalpur. As night was closing in he asked a passer-by where he could stay. The villager told him to knock on the door of Nuri's house. Nanak found the house and when the door was opened saw at once that Nuri was a leper.

Nanak did not jump back in horror as others might have done. Leprosy is a dreadful disease which eats away parts of a person's body. In those days lepers suffered terribly as no one would come near them for fear of catching the disease. Instead he said gently, 'I have been told I might stay at your house.'

'Some one has been playing a nasty joke on us both,' replied Nuri. ' As you can see I am a leper. No one will come near me; people make fun of me - I am a hated man.'

'Your body is full of pain and suffering,' replied Nanak, 'but I can see that your soul is good. You have the love of God within you. You shall be cured of your disease. Your body shall be as pure as your soul.'

And as Nanak said, Nuri was cured of the terrible disease from which he had suffered for so long.

After many years Guru Nanak returned home from his travels. He lived in the town of Kartarpur where he built the very first Sikh Gurdwara. Nanak wrote many hymns and his old friend, Mardana, wrote the music which he played on the rabaab, a stringed instrument invented by the Guru. Hindus and Muslims came from miles around to join in. Many came to live at Kartarpur so that they could hear Nanak teaching. These followers were called Nanak's disciples and the Punjabi word for disciples is 'Sikhs'. There are now over 8,000,000 Sikhs in India and Pakistan and in many other countries of the world including Britain.

Many of Guru Nanak's prayers and hymns are to be found in the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. Here are two of them:

Just as there is ascent in a flower
And reflection in a mirror ,
So God is in you.
Find him in your heart.

The sun is always the same, But there are many seasons; So God can be found in many different ways.

Saints or sinners aren't made by what they say; The things they do decide what they become;
You sow the seeds and reap the harvest from them ; Be saved or be reborn again and again.
(From the Guru Granth Sahib, c.1500 CE)