Guru Nanak Dev ji – Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Before the Arrival

This series is to talk about the life of Guru Nanak Dev ji. We will go through all the incidents, misconceptions, sources and references to understand the teachings of Guru Sahib and his life. But before going on that, let’s just familiar ourselves the reason behind the arrival of Guru Nanak Dev ji and some misconceptions about Sikhism.

Whenever a godly person came on this earth, miracles always happened. The powers are associated with the godly people. Singhs often said that you can’t segregate the sunlight from the sun; if the sun is there, the sunlight will always be there, but, of course, the clouds sometimes stop the sunlight to go through. The daylight makes sure the existence of sunlight. The same is true for the godly people and the powers. Incidents of the past are very hard to understand, especially when the miracles happened, to every person who’s not reached to the stage where everything’s possible.

In the lives of the Sikh Gurus, so many unimaginable incidents occurred that can’t be described by a human brain. These days all the miraculous occurrences of the events are said to be merely the devotion of Sikhs towards their Gurus to prove them people-with-powers. These individuals have failed to comprehend the vast reasons associated with the incidents. Guru Sahib had all the powers that ever existed in the world, or the ones which were never shown by anyone, Guru Sahib was complete. So is Guru Granth Sahib ji – the current Guru of Sikhs – the religious scripture, which’s compiled by Guru Arjan Dev ji, and then Guru Gobind Singh ji (this part of the history will come in the later parts, and the reasons of compiling Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji.)

Waheguru ji sends someone who can drive the people to a good path, so that the reason behind the birth of a human being is fulfilled. In different civilizations around the globe, many deities/peers/gurus/ were sent by Waheguru for a reason. Many times, the followers of the deities called them the only god who’s powerful than the other gods, and the creator and destroyer of the world. Especially in the Greek and Indian history, the deities were described as powerful as Waheguru/God/Ram/Allah. The wars and riots sometimes happened because of the only reason of telling whose god was powerful.

A bani of Dasam Guru Granth Sahib ji (another scripture of Sikhs, written by Guru Gobind Singh ji), Bachitar Natak, explains the other people sent by Waheguru to start the religion of His to make the people Complete again, to achieve the Oneness, to achieve Liberation from the cycles of birth and death. Each time Waheguru sent someone on this earth, they started their own paths, steering the lives of men to a different direction. The names are not limited to Brahma, Vishnu, Shivji, but the materials that gave the men necessary ways to survive in the world, like the sun, moon, air. In the tika (translation of gurbani in the Punjabi words which are common in this time) of Dasam Guru Granth Sahib, it’s written in a note that in the puranas, eight witnesses were created: earth, sky, moon, sun, fire, air, Brahma and Dharamraj, but the people started worshipping them, forgetting Creator of all. Even these deities felt ecstasy when a person worshipped them, and they gave boons to the worshippers, sometimes cursed others.

ਜਬ ਪਹਿਲੇ ਹਮ ਸ੍ਰਿਸਟਿ ਬਨਾਈ ॥ ਦਈਤ ਰਚੇ ਦੁਸਟ ਦੁਖਦਾਈ ॥
ਤੇ ਭੁਜ ਬਲ ਬਵਰੇ ਹ੍ਵੈ ਗਏ ॥ ਪੂਜਤ ਪਰਮ ਪੁਰਖ ਰਹਿ ਗਏ ॥੬॥
ਤੇ ਹਮ ਤਮਕਿ ਤਨਕ ਮੋ ਖਾਪੇ ॥ ਤਿਨ ਕੀ ਠਉਰ ਦੇਵਤਾ ਥਾਪੇ ॥
ਤੇ ਭੀ ਬਲ ਪੂਜਾ ਉਰਝਾਏ ॥ ਆਪਨ ਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਮੇਸਰ ਕਹਾਏ ॥੭॥
ਮਹਾਦੇਵ ਅਚੁੱਤ ਕਹਵਾਯੋ ॥ ਬਿਸਨ ਆਪ ਹੀ ਕੋ ਠਹਿਰਾਯੋ ॥
ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਆਪ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਬਖਾਨਾ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੋ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਨ ਕਿਨਹੂੰ ਜਾਨਾ ॥੮॥
ਤਬ ਸਾਖੀ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਅਸਟ ਬਨਾਏ ॥ ਸਾਖ ਨਮਿਤ ਦੇਬੇ ਠਹਿਰਾਏ ॥
ਤੇ ਕਹੈ ਕਰੋ ਹਮਾਰੀ ਪੂਜਾ ॥ ਹਮ ਬਿਨ ਅਵਰ ਨ ਠਾਕੁਰੁ ਦੂਜਾ ॥੯॥
ਪਰਮ ਤੱਤ ਕੋ ਜਿਨ ਨ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥ ਤਿਨ ਕਰਿ ਈਸਰ ਤਿਨ ਕਹੁ ਮਾਨਾ ॥
ਕੇਤੇ ਸੂਰ ਚੰਦ ਕਹੁ ਮਾਨੈ ॥ ਅਗਨ ਹੋਤ੍ਰ ਕਈ ਪਵਨ ਪ੍ਰਮਾਨੈ ॥੧੦॥
ਕਿਨਹੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਪਾਹਨ ਪਹਿਚਾਨਾ ॥ n@wiq ਕਿਤੇ ਜਲ ਕਰਤ ਬਿਧਾਨਾ ॥
ਕੇਤਕ ਕਰਮ ਕਰਤ ਡਰਪਾਨਾ ॥ ਧਰਮਰਾਜ ਕੋ ਧਰਮ ਪਛਾਨਾ ॥੧੧॥
ਜੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸਾਖ ਨਮਿਤ ਠਹਰਾਏ ॥ ਤੇ ਹਿਆਂ ਆਇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਕਹਵਾਏ ॥
ਤਾ ਕੀ ਬਾਤ ਬਿਸਰ ਜਾਤੀ ਭੀ ॥ ਅਪਨੀ ਅਪਨੀ ਪਰਤ ਸੋਭ ਭੀ ॥੧੨॥
ਜਬ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੋ ਨ ਤਿਨੈ ਪਹਿਚਾਨਾ ॥ ਤਬ ਹਰਿ ਇਨ ਮਨੁਛਨ ਠਹਿਰਾਨਾ ॥
ਤੇ ਭੀ ਬਸਿ ਮਮਤਾ ਹੁਇ ਗਏ ॥ ਪਰਮੇਸਰ ਪਾਹਨ ਠਹਿਰਏ ॥੧੩॥
ਤਬ ਹਰਿ ਸਿੱਧ ਸਾਧ ਠਹਿਰਾਏ ॥ਤਿਨ ਭੀ ਪਰਮ ਪੁਰਖ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਏ ॥
ਜੇ ਕੋਈ ਹੋਤ ਭਯੋ ਜਗਿ ਸਿਆਨਾ ॥ ਤਿਨ ਤਿਨ ਅਪਨੋ ਪੰਥੁ ਚਲਾਨਾ ॥੧੪॥
ਪਰਮ ਪੁਰਖ ਕਿਨਹੂੰ ਨਹ ਪਾਯੋ ॥ ਬੈਰ ਬਾਦ ਅਹੰਕਾਰ ਬਢਾਯੋ ॥
ਪੇਡ ਪਾਤ ਆਪਨ ਤੇ ਜਲੈ ॥ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੈ ਪੰਥ ਨ ਕੋਊ ਚਲੈ ॥੧੫॥

Later Sidhs were sent on the earth, they started their own path. Those who started reading the Smritis and got attached to them, they forgot about Waheguru. Gorakh Nath followed the same path, then Mohammed.

After the continuous plundering of the Mughals and other kings, there’s a terror in the world, not only limited to India. Kings had become cruel, guards were killing and plundering the small shops, men and women had become licentious, forceful conversions were taking place, women of the land of the vanquished armies were taken by the victorious armies to sell or to please themselves, the followers of the religions were debating each other whose religion was better, etc. Bhai Gurdas ji mentioned about the then different types of religious people in his vaars.

ਭਈ ਗਿਲਾਨਿ ਜਗਤ੍ਰਿ ਵਿਚਿ ਚਾਰਿ ਵਰਨਿ ਆਸ੍ਰਮ ਉਪਾਏ ।
ਦਸਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਸੰਨਿਆਸੀਆ ਜੋਗੀ ਬਾਰਹ ਪੰਥਿ ਚਲਾਏ ।
ਜੰਗਮ ਅਤੇ ਸਰੇਵੜੇ ਦਗੇ ਦਿਗੰਬਰਿ ਵਾਦਿ ਕਰਾਏ ।
ਬ੍ਰਹਮਣਿ ਬਹੁ ਪਰਕਾਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਸਾਸਤ੍ਰਿ ਵੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਣਿ ਲੜਾਏ ।
ਖਟੁ ਦਰਸਨ ਬਹੁ ਵੈਰਿ ਕਰਿ ਨਾਲਿ ਛਤੀਸਿ ਪਖੰਡ ਰਲਾਏ ।
ਤੰਤ ਮੰਤ ਰਾਸਾਇਣਾ ਕਰਾਮਾਤਿ ਕਾਲਖਿ ਲਪਟਾਏ ।
ਇਕਸਿ ਤੇ ਬਹੁ ਰੂਪਿ ਕਰਿ ਰੂਪਿ ਕੁਰੂਪੀ ਘਣੇ ਦਿਖਾਏ ।
ਕਲਿਜੁਗਿ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਭਰਮਿ ਭੁਲਾਏ ॥੧੯॥
ਬਹੁ ਵਾਟੀ ਜਗਿ ਚਲੀਆ ਤਬ ਹੀ ਭਏ ਮੁਹੰਮਦਿ ਯਾਰਾ ।
ਕਉਮਿ ਬਹਤਰਿ ਸੰਗਿ ਕਰਿ ਬਹੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਵੈਰੁ ਵਿਰੋਧੁ ਪਸਾਰਾ ।
ਰੋਜੇ ਈਦ ਨਿਮਾਜਿ ਕਰਿ ਕਰਮੀ ਬੰਦਿ ਕੀਆ ਸੰਸਾਰਾ ।
ਪੀਰ ਪੈਕੰਬਰਿ ਅਉਲੀਏ ਗਉਸਿ ਕੁਤਬ ਬਹੁ ਭੇਖ ਸਵਾਰਾ ।
ਠਾਕੁਰ ਦੁਆਰੇ ਢਾਹਿ ਕੈ ਤਿਹਿ ਠਉੜੀ ਮਾਸੀਤਿ ਉਸਾਰਾ ।
ਮਾਰਨਿ ਗਊ ਗਰੀਬ ਨੋ ਧਰਤੀ ਉਪਰਿ ਪਾਪੁ ਬਿਥਾਰਾ ।
ਕਾਫਰਿ ਮੁਲਹਦਿ ਇਰਮਨੀ ਰੂਮੀ ਜੰਗੀ ਦੁਸਮਣਿ ਦਾਰਾ ।
ਪਾਪੇ ਦਾ ਵਰਤਿਆ ਵਰਤਾਰਾ ॥੨੦॥

There’s always a reason when someone with powers was sent by Waheguru.

This time when the sins were sprouting out of the earth like plants, Waheguru Himself came on this earth. There’s no one else who could have shown the Path of Truth in this Dark Age. People’d already relinquished their religions and good deeds, teaching them the Truth had become very vital in this age of Darkness. There’s a story too that Dharti asked Waheguru to come on this earth because the people’s sinful acts were not tolerated by her, especially when the number of those people was gradually increased.

Guru Nanak Dev ji was the founder of Sikhism (Sikhi, in Punjabi), the first guru of Sikhs. The birth of the guru would be talked in the next chapter.

Let’s talk about some misconceptions.

It’ll not require an intensive study of the religions to come to a point that no religion comes out of another religion. I really want to make this point here before moving to another point. A few people studied the Sikh scriptures and pointed it out that it’s part of Hinduism. Those whose laborious work on the history and religions are produced and read by the vast majority of people denied this point. A religion is a set of beliefs followed by a follower. A person not following or practising the rules is not said to be the religious person. Sikhs have a very different tradition and beliefs than other religions of the world. Although there are many similarities too.

Followers of a group even said that Guru Nanak Dev ji’s guru was Bhagat Kabir ji; others said it’s Sant Reinn ji. These two points will be thoroughly discussed as we continue our journey to learn about the Sikh Gurus and the religion started by Guru Nanak Dev ji and nurtured by all the other Sikh Gurus, who were not different than Guru Nanak Dev ji.

Second type of people are the ones who say Guru Nanak Dev ji was inspired by the Muslims or teachings of Islam as he was talking about One God, not like Hinduism where there were multiple gods, not only limited to that but also in the Greek mythology. The other reason these people have is that Guru Nanak Dev ji went to Mecca, a holy place of Muslims, where only Muslims are allowed. According to them, if Guru Nanak Dev ji was not a Muslim, he wouldn’t have been allowed there. There’s no doubt that Guru Nanak Dev ji went to Mecca and a miraculous incident happened there, but it didn’t add up to uplift the claim of others to portray him as a Muslim, because in the bani of Guru Nanak Dev ji, he mentioned many verses that showed that he didn’t believe in the way of Islam. Also, he didn’t deny everything. And the point of going to Mecca without being a Muslim is not much valid as in the earlier times it’s not as strict as it’s been these days.

In his life, Guru Nanak Dev ji had met many people of different religions to teach them the path of Truth. From Muslims to Hindus to Christians (some even say that Guru Nanak Dev ji met the Pope of that time) to the small tribes of distant lands, and he taught them the Truth, sometimes using their religious texts, like if meditating on the name of Waheguru is not required then it’s written in their texts too and they are not following it, so sometimes those who are trying to point out that Guru Nanak Dev ji followed their religion get the verses of his to say here it’s clearly mentioned that Guru Nanak Dev ji revered those texts. Which is false.

There are references of the religious books of Islam and Hinduism in Guru Granth Sahib ji. In a book named Hum Hindu Nahi, Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha wrote Guru Nanak Dev ji and other Sikh Gurus used the examples from others’ texts to teach them. Like if in the Vedas, meditating on Waheguru’s name is the pinnacle of achieving Oneness, Guru Sahibaan had the same philosophy so they wrote it down; and in Islam, if the Angel of Death, Ajrail Farshita, is mentioned, the name was used to put the men on the right path. The foundational beliefs of Sikhism are there in gurbani, if some of them are there in other religions too there shouldn’t be any issue with that; but if something is not according to Sikhism, it’s shunned by the Sikh Gurus. Guru Nanak Dev ji couldn’t have said to a Hindu that he should follow Islam, or give the examples from Vedas to a Muslim, as the person might not have understood or followed the text. His beliefs were different.

Some inexperienced people even say some of the verses in Guru Granth Sahib ji were surely for the people of other faiths, not Sikhism, this is where they are wrong. The whole gurbani is for the Sikhs, and for the world to learn from the teachings of Guru Sahibaan. If it’s written the Vedas talk about meditating on the name of Waheguru, it’s not only for the Hindus; if the Angel of Death is talked about, it doesn’t mean it will take only the Muslims after death. Actually, the names are different in different religions. Some call the Angel of Death and others yamdoot.

Now comes the second part, which is his lineage. In the recent years, I think it’s after 2001 and before 2010, some year that I am not able to recall, someone said that Guru Nanak Dev ji was from the family of Luv and Kush – the sons of Ram Chandra, an incarnation of Vishnu. That gave a chance to the Hindu fanatics to disseminate it using the Sikh scriptures, which they have been doing it for years, but it gave them another chance to claim that Sikhs were Hindus or more importantly Guru Nanak Dev ji was a Hindu.

That’s why I mentioned it earlier that a religion is defined by the teachings of the religious scripture. The religion is not your DNA but the beliefs to help you experience Waheguru and achieve Oneness.

Few misled ‘Sikhs’ say it too. And the objective behind that is to dismantle the Sikh scripture – Dasam Guru Granth Sahib ji. This granth had the bani of Guru Gobind Singh ji and it showed the frailty of the rituals of other religions, and most importantly broke the very bond, which people somehow saw without any knowledge, that convinced the people that Sikhs were not different but same as them (depends on the religious people here who they are and what they want Sikhs to look like.) All the gods of the religions were showed just as insects in the bani of Guru Gobind Singh ji (even in Guru Granth Sahib ji, but mostly people find the words resembling with theirs and claim them to be same.) Rituals like reading the Vedas, Puranas, Quran, etc., are just a wastage of time if a person doesn’t meditate on His Name.

The words in gurbani, like Ram, Murari, etc., which resemble with Hindu texts were vehemently disintegrated and showed the truth about their origin and who they were. Some Sikh scholars said that there’s a large group behind the misled ‘Sikhs’ who are just the pawns of this big game of merging Sikhs into other ‘religions.’ I agree with them because simple definitions can segregate the religions.

So we were talking about the lineage of Guru Nanak Dev ji. In Dasam Guru Granth Sahib ji it’s mentioned, and the Sikhs agree with it too that the lineage of Guru Nanak Dev ji was from the son of Ram Chandra, there’s no dubiety in that. But the point of associating Guru Sahib to Hinduism is iniquitous and not valid.

Let’s understand it with an example. A child who is just born doesn’t have a religion until he follows it. If a child who is born in a religious family, it doesn’t automatically make him the follower of that religion. However, it can be said that the child was born in a religious family but linking him to the religion even though he’s not following the rules and rituals is wrong to that extent which can’t be described in words. It’s like saying a kitten is the follower of a religion because its caretaker/master follows it. It sounds so wrong, right?

And the principle reason of Guru Gobind Singh ji’s writing saying this we almost forgot. He mentioned it clearly that those who followed/read the Vedas/Bed were called Bedis. It’s more of like a profession than the profound beliefs of many.

ਜਿਨੈ ਬੇਦ ਪਠਿਓ ਸੁ ਬੇਦੀ ਕਹਾਏ ॥

ਕਾਲ ਰਾਇ ਜਿਨਿ ਨਗਰ ਨਿਕਾਰਾ ॥ ਭਾਜ ਸਨੌਢ ਦੇਸ ਤੇ ਗਏ ॥
ਤਹੀ ਭੂਪਜਾ ਬਿਆਹਤ ਭਏ ॥੨੮॥ ਤਿਹਤੇ ਪੁਤ੍ਰ ਭਯੋ ਜੋ ਧਾਮਾ ॥
ਸੋਢੀ ਰਾਇ ਧਰਾ ਤਿਹਿ ਨਾਮਾ ॥ ਬੰਸ ਸਨੌਢ ਤ ਦਿਨ ਤੇ ਥੀਆ ॥

And the foundational belief of Brahmanism is the caste system. These verses broke them too.

Before mentioning this, Guru Sahib wrote about the wars between the families of Luv and Kush and how they spilled blood for the throne, and eventually only handful of villages were left for them. Dr. Jodh Singh said in one of his lectures the vital information that we missed here i.e. Guru Sahib said even the families of Luv and Kush couldn’t stand together when it comes to power and they started killing each other, brother vs brother. Then he compared this before the incidents of the Khalsa Raj, how the Sikh Misls were battling with each other for power. Later Maharaja Ranjit Singh united all to form the Khalsa Raj.

The comparative study of different religions and how we see the similarities and learn from them is so amazing. Giani Kartar Singh ji Khalsa Bhindrawale once told the story of Prophet Mohammed. He said we should learn from everyone, without caring about their religions and countries, but we should only revere gurbani. Then he gave a very beautiful example. He said if a person wants to drink a cup of milk, he won’t care if the buffalo which’s milked was the buffalo of a Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, or Christian. He just wants to drink milk without caring about the religion of the buffalo’s caretaker. Same is true for those who want to learn something that makes them a better person. That’s why Guru Gobind Singh ji wrote many stories in Charitropakhyan to tell the Khalsa to be aware of hoodwinks in the societies, cultures and politics. And the stories were not limited to the characters in India.

Anyways, an ancestral line of any person will definitely go to an earlier civilization, it might be currently present or ceased to exist. There might have been hundreds of civilizations that don’t exist these days. Many of us, human beings, would never find the origin of our bloodline, or if it exists it might have been mixed with other civilization’s ancestral line. Marriage among different clans were common those days, for power or rule. If Guru Nanak Dev ji’s ancestors were from the family of Ram Chandra, it doesn’t make him the followers of that clan or belief. Have you heard of any Christian saying that Jesus Christ was a Jew and he preached not the new but old covenant? Or Muslims saying that Prophet Mohammed preached what Qureshi were following? No.

We can take the example of Ram Chandra too. Ram Chandra’s father was Dasharatha, his father was Ajj, his father was Raghu. From Raghu the name Raghuvanshi came into picture. But who was Raghu’s father? Many won’t even know this. It’s Dileep. Why Ram Chandra’s family or his lineage is not known as Dileepvanshi? Why Raghuvanshi? If the name was not Dileepvanshi but some other name, then why it’s changed to Raghuvanshi? Because the names change with time. The old traditions get changed and new ones are adopted.

Same is with the first Sikh Guru. Guru Nanak Dev ji. He’s born in a family which’d the ancestral bloodline back to Ram Chandra, but it didn’t make him a follower of the society which’d been practising everything which’s mentioned in the Vedas and Smritis. As we go with the other chapters, we will know how Baba Mehta Kalu ji (Baba Kalyan Chand ji), Guru Nanak Dev ji’s father, did all the rituals performed by his parents, and the other people throughout the Dark Age and before that; Guru Nanak Dev ji would question everything and wouldn’t allow them to do these rituals, if they don’t let them get close to Waheguru.

In Sikhism, there’s no hatred towards a saint or deity of other religions. The reason behind not allowing to call Guru Nanak Dev ji a Hindu is very simple. He’s not the one. If he’s a Hindu he wouldn’t have gone to different religious places of the religions and told them to abolish the rituals performed by them. Those who are trying to link Guru Nanak Dev ji to Hinduism are naïve who’ve no understanding of religion and belief system that’s been on this earth for so long. Same is true for those who are claiming the Guru was a Muslim.

Guru Nanak Dev ji was neither a Muslim nor Hindu, he started a totally different religion, which might have similarities with others’ too, no doubt, but it doesn’t make Sikhism one of them. Two examples that we can take here. First one from Bhai Gurdas ji’s vaara, other one from Guru Gobind Singh ji’s Bachitar Natak.

ਮਾਰਿਆ ਸਿੱਕਾ ਜਗਤ ਵਿਚ ਨਾਨਕ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਪੰਥ ਚਲਾਯਾ॥

ਚੌਪਈ ॥
ਤਿਨ ਇਹ ਕਲ ਮੋ ਧਰਮੁ ਚਲਾਯੋ ॥ ਸਭ ਸਾਧਨ ਕੋ ਰਾਹੁ ਬਤਾਯੋ ॥
ਜੋ ਤਾਂ ਕੇ ਮਾਰਗਿ ਮਹਿ ਆਏ ॥ ਤੇ ਕਬਹੂੰ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਪ ਸੰਤਾਏ ॥

We can have so many arguments and reasoning, eventually we Sikhs are going to believe in gurbani. If gurbani says Guru Nanak Dev ji started a new religion, then he did.

Chapter 2 – The Birth