COMMON QUESTIONS

Who made Guru Nanak Dev a Guru?

Why does not someone like Guru Nanak come to earth in this time to stop wickedness, thefts, liars, etc.?


A teacher (Guru) is made by his students (disciples) as a father is "made" by his son. If there are no students, there is no teacher. Guru Nanak taught people how to live their life truthfully. The philosophy he preached was, "Truth is above all; highest is truthful living." The people found that his teachings lit the dark path of their lives. The masses, therefore, accepted him as the teacher, Guru. This is how he was declared a Guru. The popular saying about him is:

Nanak Shah Fakir; Hindu Ka Guru, Musalman Ka Pir.

"Nanak is a great holy man; both Hindus and Muslims accept him as their spiritual guide."

The mass acceptance of Nanak as a Guru took a long time. Therefore, no particular day can be named when the people accepted him as Guru from his very childhood, he had been teaching lessons to the people through the actions of his life. He taught us that the true bargain is sharing our earnings with the needy. The best company, he said, is the association of holy men who love God. At Sultan Pur, he preached that honest living is the right way to earn one's livelihood. Jealousy is a journey on the wrong path. Misappropriation of public stores and money is an anti religious act.

When he was working for the Nawab of Sultan Pur, Guru Nanak as usual went to the nearby river Bein to take his bath. He did not return for three days. The villagers and officials got worried and were anxious to see him alive. On the third day, when they saw him coming to the village, they immediately gathered around Guru Nanak. They asked him about his absence. He answered, "I have brought a message from the Master to deliver to you. There is no Hindu; there is no Musalman. (Humanity should not be classified as Hindus or Muslims) We, as human beings, are all His children, hence equal. We cannot be divided into different groups or castes, as high or low."

This formal sermon was given in 1499. After this, he quit his job and spent the rest of his life sharing this message with the people. That year may be accepted as the year of the beginning of his Guruship. Guru Nanak is regarded as having been formally accepted as a Guru from that time on. After declaring his message, the Guru decided to carry it to all the people in India and nearby countries. He traveled for about two decades to visit the holy places of different religions and explain his message to the people there.

It is good to know that many of you wish someone like Guru Nanak to be with us and guide us on the right path. Fortunately, not only Guru Nanak but all the Gurus and other Holy persons (Bhagats) are here with us today. We have only to "meet" them and "listen" to them.

Lessons given in the sacred Gurbaani are the 'Guru'.

A disciple, who obeys Gurbaani, will surely achieve the goal of human life.

Gurbaani is Guru (spirit of the Guru, message of the Guru). Reading Gurbaani is talking to the Guru because the words were actually spoken by the Guru. Whatever the Gurus and Bhagats told people was recorded by them in the form of holy hymns for the benefit of whole humanity. Now, it is for us to take advantage of Gurbaani, recite it, sing it, enjoy it and benefit from the directions mentioned there in for our guidance.

The original compilation of all these hymns, prepared by Guru Arjun Dev, is still available WITH US AT Kartarpur, Punjab. Later, to it were added the hymns of Guru Teg Bahadur and the scripture was authenticated by Guru Gobind Singh. The scripture is now called Guru Granth Sahib, and is respected as a living spirit of the Gurus.

Translations of Gurbaani are available in simple Panjabi, English, French and Hindi. People are welcome to read them and enjoy them. However, it is good if the seeker learns the Panjabi language so that he/she can recite and listen to the original holy words uttered by the God tuned persons and enjoy the spiritual bliss.

We know many people, during the Guru period and also after that, guided their lives on the path laid by Gurmat. Today, we have the original directions for the path as told by the Gurus. It is now for us to follow that path. The Guru tells us to live the life of Sewa-Siman and at the same time keep away from ego, lust, anger, greed and other vices. We learn this by reciting and singing Gurbaani. Let us make a beginning to live that life and we will find Gurus standing by us and guiding us on the right path.