Talk:Guru Nānak (1469–1539), the First Sikh Guru

By Vishal Agarwal

Guru Nānak teaches that we should say our Prayers sincerely In the region of Punjab that extends over parts of northern India and Pakistan, there lived a series of 10 Gurus one after the other, starting with Guru Nānak (1469 – 1539 AD) who is regarded as the founder of the Sikh religion. Today, Sikhism is regarded as a separate religion from Hindu Dharm, but this is a recent separation. Millions of Hindus even today regard the Sikh Gurus as their own, whereas millions of Sikhs continue to worship in Hindu temples and follow Hindu customs. In this section, we will narrate a few episodes from the life of Guru Nānak which teach us very valuable lessons of life.

Guru Nānak teaches true five prayers Guru Nānak once passed by a group of Muslims in Sultanpur (in district Kapurthala, Punjab, India) performing Namāz – the traditional way of Islamic worship that all believing Muslims are supposed to do five times every day. Guru Nānak commented that the true five prayers are speaking the truth, earning one’s bread by hard labor, asking God for the good of everyone, keeping one’s intentions and feelings pure, and fifth, chanting the praises of God.

The Muslim worshippers got very offended and thought that Guru Nānak was insulting their religion, by suggesting that the Islamic way of offering the five prayers was not correct. Sultan Daulat Khān, who ruled the region of Sultanpur, said to Nānak, “You say that there is no difference between Hindus and Muslims. So why don’t you join us in our prayers in the mosque?” Guru Nānak agreed.

As the Muslim priest started calling out the Islamic prayer, the Muslim worshippers started their gestures required by their tradition. But, Guru Nānak just stood still in his place. And in fact, he burst out aloud into laughter twice! The priest was further enraged and urged the Sultan to order a severe punishment to Nānak for insulting Islam.

When Nawāb Daulat Khān asked Nānak for the cause of his laughter, the latter replied, “How could I join in the prayers when the priest himself was not praying? He was merely uttering words from the Koran without any sincerity because in his mind, he was worried that the new calf that he had purchased recently might fall into the well in his home while he was here, leading the prayers. And you, Sultan, were not really saying your prayers wholeheartedly either. Instead, you were thinking all the time about whether your agents in Kabul had clinched the deal for buying horses or not.”

Everyone was shocked when the cleric as well as the Sultan confessed that they were indeed not praying whole-heartedly and what Guru Nānak had said about them was in fact correct. The Sultan fell at the feet of Guru Nānak and asked for forgiveness. Guru Nānak forgave him and advised him to be a just ruler that worked always for the welfare of his people.

Do not hoard too many things Once when Guru Nānak was passing through the city of Lahore (now in Pakistan), a rich Hindu trader named Dhunīcand invited the saint for a meal in his palatial mansion. Dhunīcand was very proud of his wealth. Even while the Guru ate his meal, Dhunīcand kept describing to him how rich he was, how much wealth he possessed and so on.

After Guru Nānak had finished his meal, he gave a sewing needle to Dhunīcand and said, “Please keep this needle safely and take it to heaven after your death. When we meet there, I’d like to get it back from you.”

Dhunīcand looked confused and he said, “But how can anyone take anything with us after we die?” Guru Nānak smiled and said, “Yes, you cannot carry even a small needle with you after you die. Then do you think you can carry all your wealth with you upon your death? If not, then what are you so proud of? Why are you hoarding all this money instead of sharing it with the poor?”

Dhunīcand understood the message that one must not be proud of what we wear, what we eat, where we live. All our worldly possessions are left behind when we die. Dhunīcand now became a changed man, and he devoted his wealth for constructing Dharmśālās (community places for worship, satsanga, weddings etc.) with his wealth.

Teach good habits to others One day, Guru Nānak and his companion named Mardana passed through a village. The villagers did not greet their visitors, and did not offer them any food or place to rest. Instead, they abused Guru Nānak and Mardana. But, the Guru did not feel upset at all. Instead, he left the village promptly and blessed its villagers saying, “May your village thrive, and its people never get uprooted.”

Then, Mardana and Guru Nānak reached another village, whose inhabitants were very good natured. They welcomed their visitors, fed them, and offered them a place to stay. When the Guru left the village, he cursed the people there, “May you all get uprooted, and get scattered in all directions.”

Mardana was really puzzled when he heard this, and asked the Guru for an explanation. Guru Nānak explained, “I wish that the residents of the first village do not spread out and teach their bad mannerisms to others. On the other hand, I want that the good villagers in the second village should spread out in all directions and set an example for everyone.”

Guru Nānak prefers the roṭi of hard-working Lālo than the delicacies of Bhāgo Guru Nānak once visited the village of Saidpur (now called Eminabad, in Pakistan). Everyone was eager to serve him.

It happened that Malik Bhāgo, a rich landlord of Kṣatriya caste and an official of the local Pathān Nawāb, was giving a feast. He had invited all religious and holy men to join in the feast. When he came to know that a Saint was staying at the house of Lālo, Malik Bhāgo sent a servant to invite Guru Nānak to join in the feast. The Guru declined the invitation, but when Malik Bhāgo sent his man repeatedly requesting the Guru to come, the Guru finally went to his house.

Malik Bhāgo asked the Guru, "Why do you refuse my bread and eat at the house of a low-caste Hindu, though you are a holy man of high-caste?" The Guru replied, "I have no caste, for me all men are equal." "Then why did you decline to join my feast?" asked Malik Bhāgo. Answered the Guru, "Do you really want to know?" Bhāgo said, "Yes, I want to know why you preferred Lālo's simple bread to my food." The Guru asked Bhāgo to bring some of his food, and asked Lālo to do the same. When the food was brought by both, Guru Saheb took a piece from Lālo's food in one hand, and a piece from Bhāgo's food in the other. When he squeezed his hands, from Lālo's food oozed out drops of milk, and from Bhāgo's food, drops of blood.

The Guru said, "Now you see why I declined to join your feast; your food is blood-stained because you have accumulated your wealth by exploiting the poor, while Lālo earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, and shares his earnings with the needy." Malik Bhāgo was much ashamed at this and became speechless. He fell at the Guru's feet and prayed for mercy. All the people gathered there, bowed in humility before the Guru.

The Guru looked at them with a loving glance and said, "That which belongs to another is unlawful, and as dirty as eating the flesh of the dead. A Guru showers his grace on those who refrain from eating the dead. The flesh of the dead does not become lawful by breathing God's Name over it. Nor do we attain salvation by merely reciting the holy verses."

Moral of the Story: A poor, honest and hard-working man’s food is worthy more than that of a rich man who is dishonest, miserly and who exploits others.

Guru Nānak convinces Sufi Hamzargos to forgive Once on his way to the famous pilgrim center of Vaiṣṇo Devī in Jammu, Guru Nānak stopped in the city of Siālkoṭ (now in Pakistan). There, he heard that the entire town was terrified of the curse of a Sufi named Hamzargos, who threatened to destroy the entire city by his spiritual powers.

Guru Nānak learned that a childless Hindu couple had earlier approached the Sufi for a child. The Sufi blessed them on the condition that the couple will gift their child to him after its birth. But after the couple became parents, they reneged on their promise. This infuriated the Sufi and he undertook a forty day fast to bring a calamity upon the entire city.

The residents of Siālkoṭ pleaded with Guru Nānak to intercede on their behalf and pacify the angry Sufi. The Guru agreed and approached the Sufi saying, “Why should you punish the entire city for the fault of a single couple? Do you think the destruction of thousands of innocent people, who have nothing to do with that couple’s misdeed, will bring you happiness? True happiness and contentment can result not from revenge, but only from forgiveness, love and contentment.”

The Sufi was impressed with Guru Nānak’s teaching and he gave up his fast as well as forgave the residents of city. The site where Guru Nānak halted and stayed in Siālkoṭ under a tree was later on adorned with a Gurudwārā called “Gurudwārā Babe di Beri.” The Ber (zizyphus jububa) bush and the adjacent well from which the Guru drank water still exist but the whole area is today in shambles due to neglect by the local Muslim population.

Guru Nānak crushes the pride of Sufi Wali Kandhārī In the year 1521, Guru Nānak visited Hasan Abdal, a place in northern Pakistan, where there was a hill on top of which there was a spring of fresh water. This spring was the only source of fresh water in the region, and it flowed down from the hill to the town below.

A few years earlier, a Muslim Afghan Sufi named Wali Kandhārī settled down next to the spring. In the course of time, people of that time started paying visits to Wali Kandhārī and offer respects to him. His little hut became a center for pilgrimage. Wali Kandhārī now became proud, and he started using his influence to harass the Hindus and persuade them to convert to Islam.

When Guru Nānak visited the area, the locals were very impressed by his spirituality and teachings, and began to flock to him for his darśana. This really hurt the pride of Wali Kandhārī, and he became jealous and angry. As a result, he shut the spring on his hill, depriving the town below of all water. The people then appealed to the Sufi to resume their water supply, but he scornfully said, “Ask your Guru Nānak for water because now you respect him and not me.”

When the people went to Guru Nānak, he said, “Do not worry because Bhagavān takes care of everyone.” Guru Nānak then sent his Muslim disciple Mardana up the hill with a request to release the source of water. But the Sufi got angry with him, abused him and sent him back. Guru Nānak asked Mardana to go back several times and ask for water humbly, but each time, he was abused by Wali Kandhārī and asked to get lost.

Finally, Guru Nānak lifted a rock where he was sitting, and miraculously, a clear stream of water appeared at that spot! Meanwhile, the spring at the top of the hill where Wali Kandhārī lived dried up. The Sufi was mad at this, and he pushed a huge boulder from the hill towards Guru Nānak, thinking that the Guru will be crushed to death. But Guru Nānak sat still, with a calm mind. As soon as the boulder reached Guru Nānak, he merely touched it, and the boulder stopped immediately!

Wali Kandhārī was shocked because it was humanly impossible for such a huge boulder hurtling down at that speed to get stopped. He realized that Guru Nānak was a great Sant, and he came down from the hill and apologized to him. Guru Nānak asked him to give up his pride and anger, and treat all human beings, irrespective of their religion, as children of Bhagavān.

Guru Nānak meets Lehna (later Guru Angad)

Towards the last years of his life, Guru Nanak settled down in a place called Kartarpur (today in Pakistan, across the Ravi river from the border of the Gurdaspur district in India), where a devotee gave him and his disciples some land. Guru Nanak tilled and cultivated his own plot because he believed in earning his bread through his own labor, even though he headed a religious community.

Lehna from Khadur, a small village close to the city of Amritsar, had once heard some verses of Guru Nanak being recited. He was very impressed and moved by the profundity of the hymns. Desiring to have a darshana of Guru Nanak, he arrived at Kartarpur. While searching for Guru Nanak, he encountered an elderly man working in a field.

Approaching the latter, Lehna asked him if he knew the whereabouts of Guru Nanak. The farmer replied, “Let me finish my work in this mustard field, and I will take you there myself.” Lehna asked the farmer, “Do you know if he meets visitors who are strangers? What does he look like? Does he live quite far from here?” The farmer smiled and responded to all the questions. When the farmer finished his work, he asked Lehna to mount his horse as he must have been tired walking a long distance from Khadur. Then, the farmer pulled the horse gently by its reins and walked them to the house of Guru Nanak.

Lehna entered the house and was ushered in to the room of Guru Nanak by his disciples gathered outside.

When he entered the room, he was shocked to see that the farmer who had led him to the house now sat on the Guru’s seat! Lehna felt very bad and he apologized to the Guru, “Gurudev, I did not realize that it was you doing the farming work in the field. I should not have let you walk while I myself came here on your horse.” Guru Nanak smiled and said, “You do not have to feel sorry for anything. You are my guest, and it was my duty to take care of you.”

Lehna had tears in his eyes and he asked for forgiveness multiple times. He asked Guru for permission to stay with him, so that he can serve him. Guru Nanak could see that Lehna had the spark of spirituality in him, and so he obliged. After a few years, Lehna succeeded Guru Nanak as Guru Angad, the second spiritual head of the nascent Sikh community.