Gurpurab Shri Gurunanak Birthday

Transcription

1 Gurpurab Shri Gurunanak Birthday Prepared By: Version : 1.0 Prachi A Mahajan Dhan Guru Nanak- ik toohee Nir (Shapeless Birth-Less God is Great) The word Sikh means disciple or student (from Sanskrit shishya, Pali sekha). With their spirit of adventure and entrepreneurship skills, Sikhs have migrated from their homeland Punjab, the land of the five rivers throughout India and around the globe. There are today 25 million Sikhs. Evolving historically and geographically between South Asia and West Asia, Sikhism is currently the fifth-largest world religion. Its origins can be traced to Guru Nanak ( ), and it developed through his nine successor Gurus within a rich pluralist environment of northwest India. Sikhs believe in one Divine Being. Their sacred space is called the Gurdwara. Their sacred text is the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the center of all their rites and ceremonies. Sikh men can be recognized by their colorful turbans and Page 1

2 beards, and Sikh women by their neatly braided and styled hair, by their long shirts (kameez), loose trousers (salvar), and flowing scarves (dupatta). Sikhs greet one another (whether hello or goodbye) by joining their hands, and saying Sat Sri Akal (Truth is the Timeless One). Sikh religion began with the birth of its founder Guru Nanak in In present day, his birth is celebrated world-wide on 15th Kartika Puranmashi, the full-moon day (which falls on different dates each year) in the month of Katak, October November. The significant day is known as Gurpurab. We learn about his life from the Janamsakhis (birth stories), which were orally circulated sometime after the passing away of the Guru in Guru Nanak was born about 527 years ago (in 1469 A.D.) in a small village named Talwandi. The village is now called Nanakana Sahib after the Guru and is now in Pakistan. Nanakana means Nanak's village. The Guru's father Mr. Kalu was an officer and was known far and near. He was a kind man and everybody loved him. His mother was Tripta Devi. She lived a simple life and was very kind to the poor. She always remembered God. Guru Nanak was the second child in the family. The first child in the family was his sister Bibi Nanaki. When the child was born the nurse, named Daultan, came running to tell the news. She looked sad and frightened. "What is the matter Daultan? Why are you so sad?" asked Mr Kalu. "O sir, I am not sad, I am pleased to tell you that you have got a very handsome son in your family" replied Daultan. "But you do look sad Daultan. What's wrong with the child?" asked Mr Kalu once again. "Nothing's wrong with the child sir, but I have seen something very strange I never saw before," said Daultan. "What's that? Mr. Kalu asked in surprise. He looked upset too. "Children cry when they are born, sir," said Daultan. "But this child did not cry. He simply smiled." "There must be something wrong with the child then," said the father. "What should I do? "How should I know sir? I have never seen this happen before. But the most wonderful thing is the light," said Daultan, looking all the more surprised. "Light? What light?" asked Mr. Kalu. Daultan said, "I saw a dazzling light when the child was born. The light shone round his head like a star." Mr. Kalu was worried, so he ran to Mr. Hardyal. Hardyal was a Brahman and a wise scholar. At once he came with Mr. Kalu to see the strange child. He asked Daultan many questions and also saw the child. He thought for a time and then said, "Mr Kalu, you are very lucky to have this child. When he grows up, he will be a great man. He may be a king or a Guru." On hearing these words Bibi Nanaki was very pleased and she said, Page 2

3 "I am sure, father, he won't be a king. He will be a Guru. He will love everybody and give great ideas to the world. He will be a friend to all. People will remember him for a very long time. They will call him the Guru." Mr. Kalu, Hardyal and Daultan were all amazed at Nanaki's words. Bibi Nanaki's words came true. After 13 days, Pandit Hardyal Ji dressed the child Guru in a fine dress and named him NANAK NIRANKARI. Kalu Ji argued that this name was common for both Hindus and Muslims. To which Pandit Hardyal Ji replied: This child is no ordinary child but He is the greatest of all the incarnations and He will be worshipped by the whole universe as well as both Hindus and Muslims alike. There were many celebrations and rejoicings at the birth of--dhan Guru Nanak- ik toohee Nirankar(Shapeless Birth-Less God is Great). Pandit Hardyal Ji told Kalu Ji, that a supreme incarnation has been born unto you. He will be matched by no other. The incarnations Shri Ram and Krishna have been worshipped by Hindus alone but your son shall be worshipped by Hindus and Muslims alike. The child grew up to be a very wise man. This great man taught us to love everybody, black or white, rich or poor, man or woman. He said, "God is one, and we are all His children. So we are brothers and sisters in one family. God is our father. He loves us only if we love one another. If we do not love one another, our father God, is not pleased with us." There is this much-loved story of Guru Nanak refusing to wear the sacred thread that Hindu boys of his caste had to don to distinguish themselves from others. Nanak refused, saying that people should be distinguished by their deeds and individual qualities, and not by threads. Instead of an external thread worn on the bodies of the twice-born Hindu males, he proposes a thread made of the inner fibre of compassion for everybody. And these pearls of wisdom came from a young Nanak, aged only 11. The boy grew up special, lost in search of the true meaning of God, till he finally left home and family to find this truth. It was then that he began his crusade against the fanaticism, intolerance, meaningless rituals and discrimination of caste and sex that marked the two major religions of his time. He taught that Page 3

4 God was One, based on Truth, and that everyone, man and woman was equal in His eyes. On this simple wisdom, the tenets of Sikhism rest. As his fame grew, Baba Nanak became Guru Nanak, and tales of his miracles reached far and wide. On one occasion, while in Mecca, he fell asleep with his feet towards the mosque. He was woken up rudely and asked to shift his feet. Nanak asked the people to turn his feet in a direction where God did not dwell, if they thought his action was disrespectful. It is said that in every direction that his feet were turned, there was a mosque! Nanak later said: "To worship an image...yet to have the mind impure is all in vain." Another legend says that Baba Nanak disappeared under water for three days. He went in as a seeker, and came out initiated and completely changed, a Guru. Another magical tale revolves around his stay with a poor farmer, Lalo. A rich man of the area, Malik Bhago had also invited the Guru to stay with him, but the Guru chose to stay with Lalo. When Bhago demanded an explanation for this insult, Guru Nanak asked for chapattis from both Lalo and Bhago. Then, holding them in either hand, he squeezed the chappatis. Out fell milk from Lalo's chapattis, a symbol of his hard work, while drops of blood fell from Bhago's chapattis, standing for the money he made by torturing and exploiting the poor and the weak. Similar to the narratives of Buddha and Christ, the Janamsakhis show Guru Nanak as divinely configured, whose knowledge and inspiration were able to create a new religion. We hear about how most dangerous elements of nature protect him (such as a cobra offering its shade for the Guru to sleep), and are even controlled by him (Guru Nanak stops a boulder hurled at him with the palm of his hand). When he passed away, the shroud that should have been covering his body was simply hiding a bed of flowers, which both Hindus and Muslims then carried away to cremate or bury, depending on their respective death rituals. Janamsakhis portray Guru Nanak as rejecting the prevalent confines of caste, gender, religion, and ethnicity only to underscore that all human beings are equal. In words enshrined in Sikh scripture, he even condemns the customary practices that subjugated women purdah (the segregation and veiling of women) and sati (upper class widows obligated to burn alive on the funeral pyre of their husbands). Criticizing the prevalent dos and don ts, Guru Nanak opens the way for celebrating an egalitarian and just humanity. Guru Nanak eventually settled on the banks of the river Ravi. The first Sikh community grew in this beautiful landscape with Guru Nanak at the center. Men and women came to hear the Guru s words and practice the values of equality, civic action, and inclusivity. Engaged in ordinary occupations of life, they denied monastic practices and affirmed a new sense of family. Their pattern of seva (voluntary service), langar (cooking and Page 4

5 eating together irrespective of caste, religion, sex, or status), and sangat(congregation), created the blueprint for Sikh doctrine and practice. Literature, like all art, has profound influence in shaping worldviews, attitudes, and behavior. In order to bring about a moral transformation in their discordant society, the Gurus offered their sublime verse, the gurbani. They did not give any rules or prescriptions. In aesthetically uplifting rhythms, their lyrics evoke love for the Divine and inspire people to act morally towards their fellow beings. Sikhs believe in the One Divine Reality (Ikk Oan Kar) permeating each and every finite creature, and simultaneously transcending all space and time. The primary numeral One with its soaring geometric arc is a universal modality that everybody can tap into. This infinite One is beyond gender. It is named Truth, and is the creator of all beings. But more important than the belief in the One, is the living of Truth. Consequently, there is no division between the sacred and the secular, nor between religion and ethics. Sri Guru Arjan Sahib proclaims the Eternal Glory of Sri Guru Nanak Sahib in the following hymn: Gur Meri Pooja Gur Gobind Gur Mera Parbrahm Gur Bhagwant Gur Mera Deyo Alakh Abheyo Sarb Pooj Charan Gur Seyo Gur Bin Awar Nahi Main Thhaon Andin Japo Guru Gur Naon (Rahao) Gur Mera Gian Gur Ridey Dhian Gur Gopal Purakh Bhagwan Gur Ki Saran Raho Kar Jor Guru Bina Main Nahin Hor Gur Bohith Taray Bhav Paar Gur sewa Jam Te Chhutkaar Andhkaar Meh Gurmantar Ujaara Gur kai Sang Sagal Nistaara Gur Poora Payiaye Badhbhagi Gur Ki Sewa Dookh Na Lagi Gur Ka Sabad Na Metay Koiye GUR NANAK NANAK HAR SOYE - Sri Guru Granth Sahib(864) Page 5

6 Meaning: Guru is my worship and Guru is my Lord. Guru is my Lord Almighty and Guru is my Supreme Master. Guru is my imperceptible and inaccessible all Luminous Lord. All serve and worship my Guru's holy feet. Without Guru I have no other abode. Day and night I worship Guru's Name. Guru is my wisdom divine and I meditate on Guru in my heart. Guru is my Lord and Luminous Supreme Being. With folded hands I live under the sole shelter of the Guru. Without Guru I have none other. Guru is the Savior Ship ferrying across the dreadful ocean of existence. In the service of Guru one is released from Yama. Guru's Naam illumines the heart by dispelling all darkness. In the holy company of Guru all are saved. Perfect Guru is attained only through good fortune. Service of Guru wards off sufferings. Inviolable is the Guru's Word. Page 6