Introduction
The life of Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, which is the youngest religion of the world, has always fascinated would-be biographers. This fascination arises from the desire to probe the mystery of a remarkable life a man who revelled in his ordinariness, who denied that he was in any way a saint, a saviour, or a redeemer, and who never claimed any divine inspiration. Yet, through his teachings, his personal example, and his influence on mankind, he attained great divinity. Nanak was admired, loved and respected even in his lifetime. His name was inscribed as "Hazrat Rab-i-Majib, Baba Nanak Faqir Aulia" (Anand Acharya, Snow Birds, [London 1919], p.182), on a memorial in Baghdad. In the Punjab, his Hindu disciples called him Satguru Nanak Dev while his Muslim followers referred to him as Hazrat Nanak Shah. To the yogis he was Nanak Nath, while to the Buddhists he was Nanak Lama, Bhai Gurdas said of him: "God the Bountiful heard the wail of suffering humanity and sent Guru Nanak to the world" (Var 1.23). Mehrban writes: "He does not look like a man of the world to our good luck, we are meeting in him God Himself" (Sodhi Mehrban, Janamsakhi: Shri Guru Nanak Dev, 1620, [Amritsar 1962], p.296). The chronicles also tell us that whosoever met Nanak said "never in their lives had they met a man so near God" (Sham Singh, The Seekers' Path, p.xiv). Perhaps the most comprehensive summing up of Nanak's personality, his role in the social and religious reform of his period, Nanak There have been numerous efforts to correct the balance, all resulting in biographies of Nanak. Historians like Karam Singh looked for hitherto undiscovered documents containing references to Nanak. They visited old families and antique dealers, examining private collections and looking for new source material on Nanak's life. They sifted through traditional and legendary accounts and looked for corroboratory evidence in Bhai Gurdas' account and in Nanak's bani. From this, they built up a fairly comprehensive account of Nanak's life which served as a basis for the numerous biographies that have been attempted since, both as individual works and as part of more comprehensive histories of the Sikh religion and people. "Nevertheless, when we put together all the material, check one with the other, discard the miraculous, delete the accretion of the credulous, we are still left with enough to recreate a life story with a fair degree of authenticity" (Singh, Khushwant, A History of the Sikhs, vol. I p.303). Roopinder Singh, at the beginning of his remarkable book Guru Nanak: His Life and Teachings, asks: "Why another book on Nanak?" My only justification for retelling a story that has already been told so often is the firm belief that a story as beautiful and inspiring as Nanak's needs to be retold as often as possible. I have tried to write in simple language and in an easy, readable style, culling from the work of other writers before me. If a fraction of the great charm of this story can communicate itself to the reader, the effort will have been worthwhile.
About The Author
Harish Dhillon completed his post-graduation and doctorate in English literature from Lucknow University, where he was a lecturer for seven years. In 1971 he went to Lawrence School, Sanawar, to teach English and went on to become the principal at Yadavindra Public School, Patiala, in 1987. He went back again to Sanawar as headmaster in 1995 and then moved to Yadavindra Public School, Mohali (Chandigarh) as principal in 1999, In the 1970s, he wrote and published two novels, The Wayside Tree and The Right to Die, and a book of critical essays on Indian writers in English The Alien Voice. His other books include The Lives & Teachings of the Sikh Gurus, Love Stories from the Punjab, After the Storm (a collection of short stories), The Legend of Banda Bahadur, The Living Saint (a biography of Bhagat Puran Kali Saver (short stories in Punjabi).
About The Book
GURU NANAK was born 550 years ago, during a period of political and religious turmoil in India. Tension between Hindus and Muslims had escalated, leading to a greater polarization of the two religions. Guru Nanak created a synthesis of Hinduism and Islam with the belief that God is one. He advocated a casteless society based on truth, brotherhood and equality. He spent twenty-three years travelling not only in India but also in Tibet, Ceylon and the Central Asian countries of Arabia, Iraq and Iran, preaching the truth as he had perceived it and showing mankind the path to salvation. This book, part of the Spiritual Masters series, tells the fascinating story of a unique messiah who showed a gentle, peaceful, humanistic path towards religion. The world has a greater need for Nanak's message and teachings now than ever before.
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