Guru Nanak Dev
- Guru Nanak Dev (1469-1539) was born in a village, Talwandi Rai Bhoe, near Lahore (it was renamed later as Nankana Sahib).
- Guru Nanak Dev initiated inter-faith dialogue way back in the 16thcentury and had conversations with most of the religious denominations of his times.
- His written compositions were included in the Adi Granth compiled by Guru Arjan (1563-1606), the fifth Sikh guru.
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- This came to be known as Guru Granth Sahib after the additions made by the 10th guru Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708).
- In compiling the Adi Granth, Guru Arjan showed a remarkable commitment to pluralism while retaining the unity of thought initiated by Guru Nanak Dev.
Relevance of Guru Nanak Dev for modern India
Building an Egalitarian Society
- Even though India is an aspiring superpower, it’s caste hierarchy is still engraved in the societal order.
- Guru Nanak Dev''s vision of a casteless society in which there is no caste hierarchy can help to establish 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.
- These egalitarian practices had directly challenged the untouchability and the caste system and continue to do so.
Social Harmony
- Increased cases of intolerance, mob lynching and right-wing vigilantism, affects the secular nature and social harmony of the Indian society.
- Guru Nanak Dev''s concept of "Jeeye kaa ik daata" can address these issues.
- According to him, the whole world is God’s creation (Jeeye kaa ik daata) and all are born equal. There is only one universal creator i.e. “Ik Omkaar Satnaam.”
- This spirit of equality began with Guru Nanak Dev’s clear recognition that there is no distinction between a Hindu and Muslim. For him, no country was foreign and no people were alien.
- This philosophy is similar to the Sanskrit saying “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”that describes the whole world as one family.
- Apart from it, forgiveness, patience, forbearance, and kindnessare the core of Guru Nanak Dev''s teachings.
Creating a Just Society
- Inequality is the root cause of all social evils.
- Guru Nanak Dev 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 suggested that we earn by honest labour and share the earnings with the needy.
- He advocated the concept of “dasvandh”or donating one-tenth of one’s earning among needy persons.
- The selfless service to mankind known as“Seva” is central to the teaching of Sikhism.
- These ideals can help us in establishing a just society today.
Gender Equality
- Women have been the most oppressed sections of the society.
- Guru Nanak Dev argued that "How can women be inferior when they give birth to men?"
- 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 Guru Nanak Dev’s life.
Bringing Peace
- Relations between India and Pakistan are grim due to tensions over Kashmir and cross border terrorism.
- However, both the countries, keeping their political issues aside had inaugurated theKartapur corridor.
- Kartarpur corridor can become a starting point in the normalization of India-Pakistan relations, which will have an impact on the whole South-Asian region.
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Core Teachings of Guru Nanak and Their Relevance
- Vaand Chhako (Sharing): Its basic meaning is to share what we have, and consume it together. One should not be greedy and share its wealth with others in the community by charity.
- Relevance: His emphasis on selfless service through Sangat and Pangat calls for universal brotherhood and community services.
- It aims to promote tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful co-existence in society.
- It is relevant not merely for individuals, but also for making an egalitarian society and even peaceful world through promoting ideal international relations.
- Kirat Karo (Honest living): The term means to earn an honest, pure, and dedicated living by exercising one’s God-given skills, abilities, talents, and hard labour for the benefit and improvement of the individual, their family and society at large.
- Relevance: It is very important to create a just society. These teachings are important in promoting integrity and morality in government service with the absence of corruption and dishonesty.
- Naam Japo (Recite God’s name): It means one should recite and repeat God’s name by doing Kirtan (singing hymns), chanting, or Simran (meditating with mantra).
- Relevance: It focuses on leading a spiritual life with temperance, which would provide a solace in case of stress and anxiety.
- Sarbat daa bhalaa (Goodwill for all): It means to ask God for everyone''s happiness. He emphasised the concept of universal brotherhood. With this prayer, one requests the Lord for the welfare of the whole of humanity and not just of our own community or family alone.
- Relevance: The core of this teaching is to be kind and tolerant to others. Its emphasis on thinking about the goodwill of others rhymes with the Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam of Hinduism.
- No Discrimination: He opposed all artificially created divisions and all discrimination, both in word and deed.
- Relevance: The uniqueness of his deep philosophical insights emphasises ‘secularism’. He was among the first who said, there is no Hindu and Muslim and all are the creation of the Almighty. He was also against gender discrimination.
- Thus, his teachings are very effective to create an egalitarian and just society.
- Salvation through internal purification: According to him, salvation occurs from the heart, spirit, and soul and not from the pilgrimage and the Guru is the true source of knowledge and salvation, who shows the path of truth and enlightenment.
- Relevance: In this way, he supported spiritualism in place of ritual practices which is relevant today in the backdrop of commercialisation of religions and religious intolerance.
In present time, Guru Nanak’s teachings are important for living a virtuous life. In today’s intolerant world, his philosophy, based on equality and fraternity, are more relevant than ever.
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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.
Every person can learn a lot from the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev. Leaders of the world can also learn from his life and teachings so that meaningful dialogues between various communities can be initiated (especially in the conflict-ridden parts of the world). This will certainly propagate the ideas of peace, stability and cooperation, and make the world a better place to live in.
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