Guru Nanak (1469-1539)
Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism. In 1496 he founded the religion Sikhism.
His birthday is celebrated on April 14th. by the Nanakshahi calendar (The date according to the lunar calendar changes annually but is usually in November.)Nanak's religious ideas draw on both Hindu and Islamic thought, but are far more than just a synthesis. Nanak was an original spiritual thinker and expressed his thoughts in extraordinary poetry that forms the basis of Sikh scripture.
Sikh traditions teach that his birth and early years were marked with many events that demonstrated that God had marked him out for something special and was keeping an eye on him.
His family were Hindus, but Nanak soon showed an advanced interest in religion and studied Islam and Hinduism extensively. As a child he demonstrated great ability as a poet and philosopher.
In 1496, although married and having a family, Nanak set out on a set of spiritual journeys through India, Tibet and Arabia that lasted nearly 30 years. He studied and debated with the learned men he met along the way and as his ideas took shape he began to teach a new route to spiritual fulfillment and the good life.
The last part of his life was spent at Kartarpur in the Punjab, where he was joined by many disciples attracted by his teachings.
Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism. In 1496 he founded the religion Sikhism.
His birthday is celebrated on April 14th. by the Nanakshahi calendar (The date according to the lunar calendar changes annually but is usually in November.)Nanak's religious ideas draw on both Hindu and Islamic thought, but are far more than just a synthesis. Nanak was an original spiritual thinker and expressed his thoughts in extraordinary poetry that forms the basis of Sikh scripture.
Sikh traditions teach that his birth and early years were marked with many events that demonstrated that God had marked him out for something special and was keeping an eye on him.
His family were Hindus, but Nanak soon showed an advanced interest in religion and studied Islam and Hinduism extensively. As a child he demonstrated great ability as a poet and philosopher.
In 1496, although married and having a family, Nanak set out on a set of spiritual journeys through India, Tibet and Arabia that lasted nearly 30 years. He studied and debated with the learned men he met along the way and as his ideas took shape he began to teach a new route to spiritual fulfillment and the good life.
The last part of his life was spent at Kartarpur in the Punjab, where he was joined by many disciples attracted by his teachings.