Guru Nanak

Nanak was born in village Talavandi in Pakistan in 1469. He was married at an early age by his parents, a common practice of the time, and had two children. However, he felt a strong call from the 'other world', with his close friend, Mardana, he would compose and sing verse, while Mardana played music. Nanak left his wife and children and went on a spiritual pilgrimage with his friend Mardana for twelve years; that included Mecca. During this time Babur the Moghul emperor invaded India. Nanak preached against the caste system and idol worship, and taught that one comes closer to God through prayer and meditation. Nanak gave great importance to the practice of japa, the repetition of the true name and wrote a long poem titled - Japji. After he died in 1538 his followers began calling themselves sikhs, which means disciple. Guru Nanak was a remarkable individual with unprecedented achievements. One of his main goals was to end the division between Hindus and Muslims, the movement he started did not achieve this, but evolved into a new religion call Sikhism.

from The Japji

   The Mool(root) Mantra

There is one universal God        
His Name is True         
The Creative Being Personified   
Without fear      
Without hate 
Timeless is His Image       
Beyond Birth and Death  
Self Illuminated  
Realized by the Grace of the true Guru 


Whatever pleases You is the only good done,
You, Eternal and Formless One. 
When the hands and the feet and the body are dirty,
water can wash away the dirt.
When the clothes are soiled and stained by urine,
soap can wash them clean.
But when the intellect is stained and polluted by sin,
it can only be cleansed by the Love of the Name.
Virtue and vice do not come by mere words;
actions repeated, over and over again, are engraved on the soul.
You shall harvest what you plant


Great is the Master, High is His Heavenly Home.
Highest of the High, above all is His Name.
Only one as Great and as High as God
can know His Lofty and Exalted State.
Only He Himself is that Great. He Himself knows Himself.
O Nanak, by His Glance of Grace, He bestows His Blessings. 
His Blessings are so abundant 
that there can be no written account of them.
The Great Giver does not hold back anything.


The Lord is true, true too His Name, 
infinite the expressions of devotion.
All beings unceasingly request boons, 
the Bounteous One bestows them.
Yet what could one give to gain access to the Giver, 
what words will open the door?
Meditate on the True Name at the ambrosial hour, 
ponder the Divine Greatness!
Through actions one gains this human dress, 
through grace alone the door opens.
Know this, says Nanak, 
the True One is all-encompassing, absolute.