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Life of Guru Nanak |
Guru Nanak was born in 1469, in a small village, Talwandi, in current day
Pakistan. He married at 12 years old and worked as an accountant, but he constantly
portrayed interest in a quest of spirtuality. In 1499, while bathing in the Bein
River, Nanak experienced the call of God. When he came from the river after 3 days,
he gave away his possessions and said, "There is neither Hindu nor Muslim." In other
words, God is greater than the divided opinions of religions. Nanak began to travel
where he taught and chanted hymns and established worship places. He settled in
Kartarpur with his followers and died around September of 1539. Before his death,
he designated one of his most devoted and spiritual followers, Lahina, to be his
successor as Guru, and thus the Sikh movement continued after Nanak's death with
a succession of Gurus.
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Portraits of Guru Nanak are common in the households of Punjab. Nanak wears
a saffron robe and a shawl. These are the traditional clothing of a person
who has chosen a spiritual path and remind people of Guru Nanak's foremost
role as a spiritual teacher, who humbles the proud and enlightens the devout.
He is always shown wearing a mukat, a crown-shaped turban. His half-closed
eyes represent spiritual ecstasy, the divine intoxication of mystical meditation.
He is always portrayed with a flowing white beard, which gives the impression of
of a wise old sage and is in accordance with the Sikh ideal of uncut hair.
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Guru Nanak and the Rich Man
Guru Nanak came to Lahore in current day Pakistan, where there was a rich man,
Duni Chand, who was holding a feast offered to Brahmins. He believed that
whatever he offered to the Brahmins would reach his father in heaven. Guru
Nanak gave Duni Chand a needle and said that he must give it back to him in
heaven. Duni Chand asked Nanak how it would be possible for him to take a needle
to heaven. Guru Nanak told him that it is not possible to take anything with
us; it is more important to be charitable to those living.
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Guru Nanak Visits Mecca
Nanak and his companions arrived at the Muslim city of Mecca. They went to
sleep in the precincts of the Great Mosque, and a passing Muslim official was
shocked to find that the visitors were sleeping with their feet pointing
towards the Ka'ba, the sacred shrine. At the Muslim's command, an attendent
siezed the legs of the visitors and dragged them away, and the Ka'ba moved too.
Guru Nanak said to the official, "God does not live in one place. He lives everywhere."
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