The advent of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1469 came at a time of socio-political necessity. India had fallen on evil days. There was no security of life and property

Guru Nanak:The Prophet of the Poor and

the Deprived

Jeeu Kar suraj nikaleya, taare chhipe andher paloa. (Bhai Gurdas Var 1/27)

15th April, 1469 Baisakh sudi 3, Samwat 1526 Mata Tripta Ji and Mehta Kalu Ji Raipur (Rai-Bhoi-di-Talwandi) Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan) 30 miles southwest of Lahore Sister - Nanki Ji (Jairam) Rai Bular

15th century India

A Land divided by Religion ….

Where the poor were exploited by the rich ….

sloku mÚ 1 ]Shalok, First Mehl:

kil kwqI rwjy kwsweI Drmu pMK kir aufirAw ]The Age is like a drawn knife,

the Kings are butchers,The law hath taken wings and flown away,

kUVu Amwvs scu cMdRmw dIsY nwhI kh ciVAw ]In the dark night of falsehood,

I can nowhere see the rising of the moon of Truth.Guru Granth Sahib, Majh 145

OPPRESSION

Guru Nanak Dev Ji rang the alarm-bell and saved masses from fake religions. Religion then was either by form of ritual or hypocrisy. He released people from the rut of formalism and the parrot-like repetition of scriptures.

Rigid in Religious Practices Strict Rituals Untouchables – Poor and Low Caste Hindus

sloku mÚ 1 ]Shalok, First Mehl:

imhr msIiq isdku muslw hku hlwlu kurwxu ]Let mercy be your mosque, faith your prayer-mat, and honest living your Koran.

srm suMniq sIlu rojw hohu muslmwxu ]Make modesty your circumcision, and good conduct your fast. In this way, you shall be a true Muslim.

krxI kwbw scu pIru klmw krm invwj ]Let good conduct be your Kaabaa, Truth your spiritual guide,

and the karma of good deeds your prayer and chant.

qsbI sw iqsu BwvsI nwnk rKY lwj ]1]Let your rosary be that which is pleasing to His Will. O Nanak, God shall preserve your honor. ||1||

RELIGION

•Division of men into classes, castes and communities.• For him, all men were equally worthy of respect

Guru Nanak Dev Ji challenged

slok mÚ 1 ]Shalok, First Mehl:

PkV jwqI PkVu nwau ]Pride in social status is empty; pride in personal glory is useless.

sBnw jIAw iekw Cwau ]The One Lord gives shade to all beings.

Awphu jy ko Blw khwey ]You may call yourself good;

nwnk qw pru jwpY jw piq lyKY pwey ]1]O Nanak, this will only be known when your honor is approved in God's Account. ||1||

Sri, pg 83

jwxhu joiq n pUChu jwqI AwgY jwiq n hy ]1] rhwau ]Recognize the Lord's Light within all, and do not consider social class or status;

there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter. ||1||Pause||Asa, pg 349

CASTE

He did not distance himself from ordinary people by staying in the houses of the rich. (Bhai Lalo and Malik Bhago) “One receives in accordance to what one does. As one sows so one eats" The cornerstone of his teachings was equality. He said in the eyes of God Everyone is born equal . In a society deeply divided by religion and caste,where the common people faced exploitation and intolerance, his message gave them strength. “Sabh meh jot, jot hai so-e’.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji stressed the uniqueness of each individual and wanted him to progress through a process of self-discipline. The discipline was three-fold: physical, moral and spiritual. The physical discipline included acts of service and charity, while leading a householder's life;

At Sultanpur ( Nawab Daultat Khan) Storekeeper and Accountant Work, Prayer and Helping the needy Tera-Tera (Number 13 – I am thine) First words after enlightenment

“There is no Hindu and No Musalman” Four Udassis (40 years)

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Sacha Sauda (Profitable “True” Bargain) What better bargain than to feed the poor and the hungry

POOR

&

HUNGRY

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•Moral discipline included righteous living and rising above selfish desires; •Spiritual discipline included the belief in only the One Supreme Being, (the Timeless Almighty) and the exclusion of the Pantheon of gods and goddesses, in whom they had formerly believed.

The Gurus brought a course of discipline to their Sikhs that lasted for a period of nearly 230 years till the creation of the Khalsa SIKH, the ideal man of Tenth Guru.

• Guru Nanak Dev Ji opposed political tyranny and subjugation.

• He raised his voice against Babar's invasion and the tyrannical deeds perpetrated by his army in India.

Lord, You took Khurasan under Thy wing,But yeildest India to the invaders’ wrath.Yet Thou takest no blame;And sent the Mughal as the messenger of death.Where there was such suffering, killing, such shrieking in pain,Did you not, O God, feel pity ?

rwgu Awsw mhlw 1 AstpdIAw Gru 3Raag Aasaa, First Mehl, Ashtapadees, Third House:

<> siqgur pRswid ]One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

ijn isir sohin ptIAw mWgI pwie sMDUru ]Those heads adorned with braided hair, with their parts painted with vermillion

sy isr kwqI muMnIAin@ gl ivic AwvY DUiV ]those heads were shaved with scissors, and their throats were choked with dust.

mhlw AMdir hodIAw huix bhix n imlin@ hdUir ]1]They lived in palatial mansions, but now, they cannot even sit near the palaces. ||1||

Awdysu bwbw Awdysu ]Hail to You, O Father Lord, Hail to You!

Awid purK qyrw AMqu n pwieAw kir kir dyKih vys ]1] rhwau ]O Primal Lord. Your limits are not known; You create, and create, and behold the scenes. ||1||Pause||

BABAR

VANI

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jdhu sIAw vIAwhIAw lwVy sohin pwis ]When they were married, their husbands looked so handsome beside them.

hIfolI ciV AweIAw dMd KMf kIqy rwis ]They came in palanquins, decorated with ivory;

auprhu pwxI vwrIAY Jly iJmkin pwis ]2]water was sprinkled over their heads, and glittering fans were waved above them. ||2||

ieku lKu lhin@ bihTIAw lKu lhin@ KVIAw ]They were given hundreds of thousands of coins when they sat,

and hundreds of thousands of coins when they stood.

BABAR

VANI

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grI Cuhwry KWdIAw mwxin@ syjVIAw ]They ate coconuts and dates, and rested comfortably upon their beds.

iqn@ gil islkw pweIAw qutin@ moqsrIAw ]3]But ropes were put around their necks, and their strings of pearls were broken. ||3||

Dnu jobnu duie vYrI hoey ijn@I rKy rMgu lwie ]Their wealth and youthful beauty, which gave them so much pleasure, have now become their enemies.

dUqw no PurmwieAw lY cly piq gvwie ]The order was given to the soldiers, who dishonored them, and carried them away.

BABAR

VANI

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However, the imprisonment of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and the wonderful way in which he conducted himself and performed the tasks assigned to him in the camp awakened the soul of the the Mughal invader

• The Guru emphasized the dignity of the individual and his right to oppose injustice and oppression.

• His main task, however, was to turn men's minds to God.

•Guru Nanak Dev Ji opposed mere ceremony and ritualism as dead

wood. •True religion is purposeful and

extols conscientious living, and not the tread-mill of ritual.

•

Other than for Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the lamp of spiritualism would have been extinguished

The right way to live life was put in very simple words:

Kirt Karni (Do Good Work ) Vand Chako (Share what

you earn with the poor) Naam Japo (Recite the name

of the God)

Salvation could not be attained by practicing rituals, idol worship or by going on a pilgrimage. It can achieved by reciting the God’s name and by leading a simple, just and truthful life of a householder and carry out all social responsibilities. In the eyes of God, all human beings are equal. All religions how the path to discover the Truth.

SUMMARY

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