Guru Nanak Jayanti is a festival of the Sikh community. It is held to commemorate the birth of Guru Nanak Dev. He is believed to be born in Poornima (full moon) in Kartika (the 8th month of the Indian calendar), November 30, 2020.
Guru Nanak Dev:
Guru Nanak Dev was born in Talwandi Rai Bhoe village near Lahore in 1459 and later changed his name to Nankana Sahib. He is the first of the ten masters of Sikhism. Beginning in the 16th century, inter-faith dialogues began, and he conducted dialogues with most religious sects at the time. He Wrote the works in “Adi Glens” compiled by Guru Ariyan (1563-1606), the fifth Sikh master. He died in 1539 at Kartarpur, Punjab.
Contributions of Guru Nanak Dev:
– After the 10th Sikh master Gobind Singh (1666-1708) made additions, it was called Gran Granth Sahib.
– The “Nirguna” (dedication and worship of the invisible God) form of bhakti is promoted.
– Rejected sacrifices, ritual baptisms, image worship, austerity policies.
– Establish rules for congregation worship (Sangat) involving collective recitation.
– Communicate the basic slogan of “Ek Onkar” to his followers and insist on treating all people equally without discrimination based on caste, creed and gender.
The meaning of Gan Nanak experts to modern India:
Building an equal society: His idea of equality can be inferred from the following innovative social systems he endowed:
– Langar: Group cooking and food sharing.
– Pangat: Eat food regardless of caste.
– Sangat: Collective decision-making.
Social Harmony: According to him, the entire world is created by God, and all people are equal. There is only one creator in the world, namely “Ek Onkar Satnam”. Besides, forgiveness, patience, patience and kindness are the core of his teaching.
Build a just society: He defined the motto of “Work, Worship and Share” as “Kirat Kahlo, Nam Japo and Van Chaco”. He advocated that karma is the foundation of Buddhism. He transformed idealism into an ideology of social responsibility and social change. He advocated the concept of “Dasswand”, or donated one-tenth of his income to people in need.
Gender equality: According to him, “both men and women enjoy God’s grace and bear the same responsibility for their actions towards him.” Respect for women and gender equality may be the most important life lessons.
Bring peace: According to Indian philosophy, a guru is a person who provides lighting, dispels doubts and shows the right path. In this case, the ideas of Nanak Development Master can help promote global peace, equality and prosperity.
In 2019, the 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev’s birth, the opening of the Kartarpur corridor was an important step to ease the tension between India and Pakistan.
