“There is but One God, The Supreme Truth; The Ultimate Reality, The Creator, Without fear, Without enemies, Timeless is His image, Without Birth, Self Created, By His grace revealed.”
Guru Nanak, the founder and the first Guru of the Sikh community taught people how they could live good, simple lives which would bring them closer to God. The following is the gist of Guru Nanak’s thoughts and teachings.
God – God is the essence in all of Nanak’s teachings. Guru Nanak believed that there is only one God, and that God is without form; God is neither born and so cannot die; God is Truth, so to behave in an untruthful manner would be to go against God.
Religion – Guru Nanak believed that true religion is a way of life. He was against the rites and rituals. He believed that when we worship God, it is not necessary to deify pictures or statues, as God is without form.
Guru – Nanak stressed on the importance of the Guru in a common man’s life. The Guru would help the disciple to understand God and to love him; the disciple must obey the Guru and follow his teachings and instructions with complete and unquestioning faith.
Prayers – It is only through our good deeds and actions that we can come close to God. True prayers are good actions and good deeds to others.
Leading Life – Guru Nanak taught that it is essential for every man to perform the duties of a householder – earning a living, getting married, bringing up one’s children, taking care of the parents, contributing to the society. He believed that there was no real good in giving up the world and living an isolated life. Instead man must live in equanimity and purity amongst the impurities of the world. He summed up this way of life by saying that people should work honestly, pray sincerely and be charitable.
Equality of Humans – Nanak did not believe in the caste systems. The crux of his teaching is “Equality of Humans”, without distinction of religion or creed. Guru Nanak preached that all his followers must sit together, without consideration of their wealth, social status or their caste, and became one united sangat by praying together and taking part in kirtan. The langar, a free kitchen in which food is served to all those who come to seek the blessings of the Guru, is the most visible representation of equality of humans.
Guru Nanak said, “We must be firm in our faith, our hearts must be clean, we must not have any greed or pride. We must not be troubled by life or death. We must accept the will of God. We must be unselfish and kind to all.”
Written and Compiled by – Jayesh R. Tekchandaney, tekchandaney@gmail.com
Sources and Acknowledgements
“The Lives And Teachings of The Sikh Gurus”, by Harsh Dhillon