Guru Nanak Dev (April 2007)

Guru Nanak ji was a poet singer who founded Sikhism and was the first of the ten gurus of Sikhs. He was born in 1469 in Talwandi, Punjab (in present day Pakistan). He preached that there was one God. He was able to remove many objectionable religious practices. Both Hindus and Muslims came under the influence of his teachings and his disciples belonged to both the groups.

Contributions:

1.     He formalized the three pillars of Sikhism.

a.     Naam: Meditation on God and reciting and chanting of God’s name

b.     Daan: To honestly earn from one’s physical and mental effort while accepting God’s gifts and blessings.

c.     Ishaan: Share and consume together.

2.    Equality of Humans: Guru Nanak preached against discrimination and prejudices due to race, caste, status, etc.

Equality of Women: In about 1499 when the world offered no status or respect to the woman, Guru Nanak elevated the position of women.  He promoted the equality of women from the 15th century.