Guru Nanak Dev Ji was the founder of the Sikh path and the first of the ten Gurus. He taught that there is One Divine reality present in all creation, to be remembered through Naam, honest work and sharing, and he rejected empty ritual and the divisions of caste and creed. His hymns open Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, beginning with the Mool Mantar and Japji Sahib.
- Born
- 1469, Rai Bhoi di Talwandi (today Nankana Sahib, Pakistan)
- Parents
- Mehta Kalu Ji and Mata Tripta Ji
- Guruship
- Founder of the Sikh path; passed the Guruship to Guru Angad Dev Ji in 1539
- Joti jot
- 1539, Kartarpur (today in Pakistan)
- Family
- Wife Mata Sulakhni Ji; sons Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das; elder sister Bebe Nanaki Ji
Life
Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born in 1469 in Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, a village west of Lahore now known as Nankana Sahib. His father, Mehta Kalu Ji, was a village revenue official, and his mother was Mata Tripta Ji. His elder sister, Bebe Nanaki Ji, is remembered in Sikh tradition as one of the first to recognise the spiritual depth of her younger brother.
According to the janamsakhis — the traditional life-stories written down in the generations after him — the young Nanak questioned rituals he found hollow, and once spent money given to him for trade on feeding hungry holy men, calling it the sacha sauda, the true bargain. These stories are cherished in Sikh homes; historians treat them as tradition that conveys his character rather than as dated records.
As a young man he worked in Sultanpur Lodhi, where Bebe Nanaki Ji and her husband lived, and married Mata Sulakhni Ji; they had two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. Tradition tells that after bathing in the Vein (Bein) river he disappeared for three days and returned with the message that there is neither Hindu nor Muslim — that before the Divine, labels matter less than truthful living. From this point his public mission began.
For many years Guru Nanak Dev Ji travelled widely, usually accompanied by the Muslim musician Bhai Mardana, singing his hymns and meeting yogis, Sufis, pandits and ordinary people. Sikh tradition remembers these journeys as the Udasis and describes travels across the subcontinent and beyond. Historians agree he travelled extensively, while the exact routes and destinations described in the janamsakhis are traditional.
In his later years he settled at Kartarpur on the banks of the Ravi, where a community lived by his teaching: rising early for remembrance, farming and working honestly, eating together in langar, and singing the Guru's hymns. Before his passing in 1539 he chose his devoted Sikh Bhai Lehna, naming him Angad, as his successor — choosing by devotion rather than by family.
Historical context
Guru Nanak Dev Ji lived in a Punjab ruled by the Lodi Sultans and then invaded by Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty. Society was divided by caste, and religious life was often dominated by ritual and by the authority of priests and rulers. His hymns speak directly about this world — including the suffering caused by Babur's invasion, in the verses known as Babarvani.
His teaching drew people from Hindu and Muslim backgrounds alike, yet it was a distinct path of its own: centred on the One Creator, on the Guru's Word (Shabad), and on a life of householding rather than renunciation.
Major contributions
The foundation of Sikh belief
His Mool Mantar and Japji Sahib set out the core Sikh understanding of the One Divine — without fear, without enmity, beyond time — and of living within the Divine order (Hukam).
Naam, honest work and sharing
He taught a balanced life of remembering the Divine (Naam japna), earning honestly (kirat karni) and sharing with others (vand chhakna), within family life rather than by withdrawing from the world.
Sangat and langar
At Kartarpur the community sat together as equals in the sangat and ate together in the langar, a practice that challenged caste barriers and became central to Sikh life.
Equality and dignity of all
He spoke against caste pride and questioned the lower status given to women, asking why anyone should call lesser the one from whom kings are born.
Succession by merit
By passing the Guruship to Bhai Lehna rather than to a son, he established that the Guru's light passes to the one most fit to carry it.
Important events
- 1469
Birth at Talwandi Historical record
Born to Mehta Kalu Ji and Mata Tripta Ji at Rai Bhoi di Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib.
- Youth
The true bargain (Sacha Sauda) Traditional account
Tradition tells that he used money meant for trade to feed hungry holy men, calling it the only true bargain.
- c. 1500
The Vein river experience Traditional account
According to the janamsakhis, after bathing in the Vein near Sultanpur Lodhi he was absent for three days and returned proclaiming that there is neither Hindu nor Muslim.
- c. 1500–1520s
Years of travel Historical record
He travelled widely with Bhai Mardana, sharing his hymns with people of many backgrounds. That he travelled far is widely accepted; the specific journeys are recorded in tradition.
- Travels
The Mecca episode Traditional account
Janamsakhis tell that at Mecca, rebuked for sleeping with his feet towards the Kaaba, he asked to be turned towards where the Divine is not — teaching that the Divine is everywhere.
- c. 1521
Babur's invasion Historical record
His hymns known as Babarvani, preserved in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, lament the suffering caused by Babur's attacks on Punjab.
- 1539
Guruship to Guru Angad Historical record
At Kartarpur he installed Bhai Lehna as Guru Angad Dev Ji, shortly before his own passing.
Teachings & Gurbani
One Divine reality
The Mool Mantar describes the One who is Truth, Creator, fearless and without enmity, beyond time and birth — realised through the Guru's grace. Everything else in Sikh teaching grows from this.
ੴ ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
Ik Oankaar Sat Naam Kartaa Purakh Nirbhau Nirvair Akaal Moorat Ajoonee Saibhan Gur Prasaad.
There is One — the single reality behind everything. Its identity is Truth. It is the Creator, present in what it creates; without fear and without enmity; beyond time; never born; self-existent. It is realised through the Guru's grace.
ਇੱਕ ਹੀ ਹੈ — ਸਭ ਕੁਝ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ ਇੱਕੋ ਅਸਲੀਅਤ। ਉਸ ਦੀ ਪਛਾਣ ਸੱਚ ਹੈ। ਉਹ ਕਰਤਾ ਹੈ, ਆਪਣੀ ਰਚਨਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਵੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ; ਡਰ ਤੋਂ ਰਹਿਤ ਅਤੇ ਵੈਰ ਤੋਂ ਰਹਿਤ; ਸਮੇਂ ਤੋਂ ਪਰੇ; ਕਦੇ ਜਨਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੈਂਦਾ; ਆਪਣੇ ਆਪ ਤੋਂ ਹੈ। ਉਹ ਗੁਰੂ ਦੀ ਕਿਰਪਾ ਨਾਲ ਅਨੁਭਵ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ।
Earn honestly, share freely
Guru Nanak Dev Ji praised the one who works for what they eat and gives part of it away with their own hands — spirituality lived in the market, the farm and the kitchen.
ਘਾਲਿ ਖਾਇ ਕਿਛੁ ਹਥਹੁ ਦੇਇ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਰਾਹੁ ਪਛਾਣਹਿ ਸੇਇ ॥੧॥
Ghaal khaae kichh hathahu dee. Naanak raahu pachhaaneh se.
One who works for what they eat, and gives some of it away with their own hand — says Nanak, such a person recognises the true path.
ਜੋ ਮਿਹਨਤ ਕਰਕੇ ਖਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਅਤੇ ਉਸ ਵਿੱਚੋਂ ਕੁਝ ਆਪਣੇ ਹੱਥੀਂ ਦਾਨ ਕਰਦਾ ਹੈ — ਨਾਨਕ ਆਖਦੇ ਹਨ, ਅਜਿਹਾ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਸੱਚਾ ਰਾਹ ਪਛਾਣਦਾ ਹੈ।
Dignity of women
In Asa di Vaar he asked why women should be called lesser when all people, even kings, are born of them — a bold question in his time and a guide for ours.
ਸੋ ਕਿਉ ਮੰਦਾ ਆਖੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਜੰਮਹਿ ਰਾਜਾਨ ॥
So kiu mandaa aakheeai jit janmeh raajaan.
Why call her lesser, from whom even kings are born?
ਉਸ ਨੂੰ ਮਾੜਾ ਕਿਉਂ ਆਖੀਏ, ਜਿਸ ਤੋਂ ਰਾਜੇ ਵੀ ਜਨਮ ਲੈਂਦੇ ਹਨ?
Lessons for modern life
Question what is hollow
Guru Nanak Dev Ji respected sincere seekers of every background but questioned rituals without inner meaning. You can do the same — kindly, and starting with your own habits.
Faith that works for a living
His path did not ask you to leave home or job. Honest work and generous sharing are themselves part of spiritual life.
Conversation over conflict
He met people very different from him and talked with them. In a divided world, listening and dialogue remain powerful tools.
Relevant places
- Gurdwara Janam Asthan
Marks the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. - Gurdwara Ber Sahib
Associated with the Vein river and his years in Sultanpur. - Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur
Where he lived his final years and passed away. - Gurdwara Sri Dera Baba Nanak
Town across the Ravi from Kartarpur, closely linked with his memory.
Further reading & sources
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji
- Vaaran Bhai Gurdas
- The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, Punjabi University Patiala (ed. Harbans Singh)
- W.H. McLeod, Guru Nanak and the Sikh Religion