Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti

• 08 Nov 2022

For Prelims: Guru Nanak Dev, Sikhism,

For Mains: Teachings of Guru Nanak Dev, Important Personalities

Why in News?

Recently, the 553^rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev was celebrated.

Who was Guru Nanak Dev?

• Birth:
  • In 1459 at Talwandi Rai Bhoe village near Lahore, which was later renamed as Nankana Sahib.
  • He was the first of the 10 Sikh gurus and the founder of Sikhism.
• Contributions:
  • Initiated inter-faith dialogue way back in the 16^th century and had conversations with most of the religious denominations of his times.
  • Wrote compositions which were included in the Adi Granth, compiled by Guru Arjan (1563-1606), the fifth Sikh guru.
    • This came to be known as Guru Granth Sahib after the additions made by the 10^th Sikh guru – Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708).
  • Advocated the 'Nirguna' (devotion to and worship of formless divine) form of bhakti.
  • Rejected sacrifices, ritual baths, image worship, austerities.
  • Set up rules for congregational worship (Sangat) involving collective recitation.
  • Gave the basic mantra of ‘Ek Onkar’ to his followers and insisted on treating all human beings equally, without discriminating on the basis of caste, creed and gender.
• Death:
  • In 1539 at Kartarpur, Punjab.

What is the Relevance of Guru Nanak Dev for Modern India?

• Building an Egalitarian Society: His idea of equality can be deduced by the following innovative social institutions, as given by him:
  • Langar: Collective cooking and sharing of food.
  • Pangat: Partaking food without distinctions of high and low caste.
  • Sangat: Collective decision making.
• Social Harmony:
  • According to him, the whole world is God’s creation, and all are born equal. There is only one universal creator i.e. “Ek Onkar Satnam”.
  • Apart from it, forgiveness, patience, forbearance, and kindness are the core of his teachings.
• Creating a Just Society:
  • He placed the motto of "kirat karo, naam japo and vand chhako" (work, worship and share) before his disciples.
  • He stood for karma as the basis of dharma, and he transformed the idea of spiritualism into the ideology of social responsibility and social change.
  • He advocated the concept of “dasvandh” or donating one-tenth of one’s earnings among needy persons.
• Gender Equality:
  • According to him, "Women as well as men share the grace of God and are equally responsible for their actions to him.”
  • Respect for women and gender equality is perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt from his life.
• Bringing Peace:
  • According to Indian philosophy, a Guru is the one who provides illumination, dispels doubt and shows the right path.
  • In this context, the ideas of Guru Nanak Dev can help promote peace, equality and prosperity across the globe.

Source: PIB