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 JI’S 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)