THE FOUNDER OF SIKHISM

THE FOUNDER
THE FOUNDER OF SIKHISM IS GURU NANAK DEV JI.
HIS BIRTHDAY IS CELEBRATED BY SIKHS ON APRIL 14TH BY THE NANAKSHAHI
CALENDAR.
HE IS THE FIRST OF THE TEN SIKH GURUS.
HE WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST RELIGIOUS INNOVATORS OF ALL TIME.
NANAK IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY A "POWERFUL SPIRITUAL
EXPERIENCE THAT GAVE HIM A VISION OF THE TRUE NATURE OF GOD.

HIS HISTORY
HIS FAMILY WERE HINDUS.
HIS ELDER SISTER: BEBE NANAKI.
HIS FATHER: MEHTA KALU.
HIS MOTHER: MATA TRIPTA.
GURU NANAK DEV JI JOB WAS LOOK AFTER A HERD OF LIVESTOCK.
HE LIVED IN THE VILLAGE OF TALWANDI, WHICH IS NOW CALLED NANKANA
SAHIB.

HIS HISTORY
GURU NANAK HAD A MIRACULOUS OCCURRENCE WHEN HE WAS YOUNG.
HE AMAZED HIS TEACHERS WITH SPIRITUALLY POETIC COMPOSITIONS.
REFUSED AS A CHILD TO WEAR THE RITUALISTIC SACRED THREAD CALLED A
JANEU.
GURU NANAK DEV JIS FATHER THOUGHT HIS SON'S SPIRITUAL WAYS TO BE
IRRESPONSIBLE.
HIS IDEA OF BEING A MERCHANT AND EARNING PROFIT WAS TO FEED THE
HUNGRY.

HIS HISTORY
NANAK WAS LATER MARRIED TO MATA SULAKHANI JI.
HAD TWO SONS, BABA SRI CHAND AND BABA LAKHMI DAS.
WAS LATER MANAGER OF THE GOVERNMENT GRANARY BUT NO FOR LONG.
WHEN HE WAS 28 YEARS OLD, HE WAS GONE FOR THREE DAYS. WHEN HE
REAPPEARED, HE STATED, "THERE IS NO HINDU AND NO MUSLIM. FROM
THAT DAY ON, HE SPREAD THE MESSAGE TO EVERYONE.

HIS JOURNEY
HE BEGAN HIS MISSIONARY WORK WITH BHAI MARDANA JI.
THEY EMBARKED ON A MISSION TO PREACH THE CONCEPT OF ONE GOD
OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 25 YEARS.
HE JOURNEYED THROUGHOUT INDIA, SRI LANKA, VISITING EASTERN INDIA,
TOURING PARTS OF TIBET AND CHINA, AND MAKING INROADS INTO THE ARAB
TERRITORIES ( MECCA, MEDINA, ETC).
LATER ON, WHEN GURU NANAK DEV JI RETURNED TO KARTARPUR, THESE
WERE THE YEARS WHEN MOST OF THE GURU'S DISCIPLES RECEIVED
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTIONS FROM HIM.

COLLECTION OF THE HYMNS

MANY DEVOTEES COPIED THE DAILY PRAYERS AND HYMNS.
THESE COLLECTIONS WERE CALLED BANI POTHIS (BOOKS OF HYMNS)

THE NEXT GURU

ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1539; GURU NANAK PLACED FIVE PAISE (INDIAN
CURRENCY) BEFORE BHAI LEHNA AND BOWED TO HIM IN TOKEN OF HIS
SUCCESSION TO THE GURUSHIP.
HE PLACED THE UMBRELLA OF SPIRITUAL AUTHORITY OVER BHAI LEHNA'S
HEAD. THUS, HE CREATED ANOTHER NANAK AND CALLED HIM GURU ANGAD
DEV JI
THE BANI POTHI COMPILED DURING HIS LIFE TIME WAS PASSED ON TO THE
SECOND GURU.

THE 10 GURUS
GURU NANAK DEV JI
GURU ANGAD DEV JI
GURU AMAR DAS JI
GURU RAM DAS JI
GURU ARJAN DEV JI
GURU HARGO BIND JI
GURU HAR RAI JI
GURU HARKRISHAN JI
GURU TEGH BAHADUR JI
GURU GOBIND SINGH JI

GURU GRANTH SAHIB JI (ETERNAL GURU)