Guru Nanak:

The Prophet of the Poor and the Deprived

Jasmit Singh
Jasmit.singh@sikhcoalition.org

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Main Ideas
• Cared for the poor and the destitute
• Spoke strongly against oppression of any kind
• Against the divisions of religion and Caste
• Equality of all men and women
• Spoke for social justice and change
• His relevance in the world today

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Jeeu Kar suraj nikaleya, taare chhipe andher paloa.
(Bhai Gurdas Var 1/27)

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15th April, 1469
Baisakh sudi 3, Samwat 1526
Mata Tripta Ji and Mehta Kalu Ji
Raipur (Rai-Bhoi-di-Talwandi)
Nankana Sahib (now in Pakistan)
30 miles southwest of Lahore
Sister - Nanki Ji (Jairam)
Rai Bular

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15th century India

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A Land divided by Religion ….

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Where the poor were exploited by the rich ….

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Rigid in Religious Practices
Strict Rituals
Untouchables – Poor and Low Caste Hindus

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O
P
P sloku mÚ 1 ]
Shalok, First Mehl:
R
E
kil kwqI rwjy kwsweI Drmu pMK kir aufirAw ]
S The Age is like a drawn knife,
S the Kings are butchers,
I The law hath taken wings and flown away,
O
N kUVu Amwvs scu cMdRmw dIsY nwhI kh ciVAw ]
In the dark night of falsehood,
I can nowhere see the rising of the moon of Truth.
Guru Granth Sahib, Majh 145

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P
O Sacha Sauda (Profitable “True” Bargain)
O What better bargain than to feed the poor and the hungry
R

&

H
U
N
G
R
Y

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At Sultanpur ( Nawab Daultat Khan)
Storekeeper and Accountant
Work, Prayer and Helping the needy
Tera-Tera (Number 13 – I am thine)
First words after enlightenment
“There is no Hindu and No Musalman”
Four Udassis (40 years)

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He was a people’s Guru. His pulpit
was the courtyard of a farmer’s thatched
cottage. His temple was open sky. He
would share the simple meals with the
farmer.

He did not distance himself from ordinary people by staying in

the houses of the rich. (Bhai Lalo and Malik Bhago)
“One receives in accordance to what one does. As one sows so one eats"
The cornerstone of his teachings was equality. He said in the eyes of God
Everyone is born equal . In a society deeply divided by religion and caste,
where the common people faced exploitation and intolerance, his message
gave them strength.
“Sabh meh jot, jot hai so-e’.
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R
sloku mÚ 1 ]
E Shalok, First Mehl:
L
imhr msIiq isdku muslw hku hlwlu kurwxu ]
I Let mercy be your mosque, faith your prayer-mat, and honest living your Koran.
G
srm suMniq sIlu rojw hohu muslmwxu ]
I Make modesty your circumcision, and good conduct your fast. In this way, you shall be a true Muslim.
O
krxI kwbw scu pIru klmw krm invwj ]
N Let good conduct be your Kaabaa, Truth your spiritual guide,
and the karma of good deeds your prayer and chant.

qsbI sw iqsu BwvsI nwnk rKY lwj ]1]

Let your rosary be that which is pleasing to His Will. O Nanak, God shall preserve your honor. ||1||

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C slok mÚ 1 ]
Shalok, First Mehl:
A
S PkV jwqI PkVu nwau ]
Pride in social status is empty; pride in personal glory is useless.
T
E sBnw jIAw iekw Cwau ]
The One Lord gives shade to all beings.

Awphu jy ko Blw khwey ]

You may call yourself good;

nwnk qw pru jwpY jw piq lyKY pwey ]1]

O Nanak, this will only be known when your honor is approved in God's Account. ||1||
Sri, pg 83

jwxhu joiq n pUChu jwqI AwgY jwiq n hy ]1] rhwau ]

Recognize the Lord's Light within all, and do not consider social class or status;
there are no classes or castes in the world hereafter. ||1||Pause||
Asa, pg 349

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 mÚ 1 ]
W First Mehl:
O BMif jMmIAY BMif inMmIAY BMif mMgxu vIAwhu ]
From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married.
M
E BMfhu hovY dosqI BMfhu clY rwhu ]
Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come.
N
BMfu muAw BMfu BwlIAY BMif hovY bMDwnu ]
When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound.

so ikau mMdw AwKIAY ijqu jMmih rwjwn ]

So why call her bad? From her, kings are born.

BMfhu hI BMfu aUpjY BMfY bwJu n koie ]

From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.

nwnk BMfY bwhrw eyko scw soie ]

O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman.
Guru Granth Sahib, Asa 473

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He was a perceptive communicator who realized that the people who came
to listen to him were often illiterate. He spoke in simple language that
ordinary people could understand and sang to them and shared in their
ordinary sorrows and joys. He would use humor (needle to Dhuni Chand)
and analogies from their daily lives in their spoken language to explain
the Word to them.
hir iqsu ibnu koeI nwih fru BRmu Bau
dUir kir ]
Without that Lord, there is no other at all. Remove your
fear, doubt and dread.
hir iqsY no swlwih ij quDu rKY bwhir Gir
]
Praise that Lord who protects you, inside your home,
and outside as well.

"To be possessed by any fear but God's is

vain; all other fears are but phantoms of
the mind"SJSU Symposium
Zahiruddin Mohammad Babar
Born – 14 February 1483 in
Andijan, Central Asia
11 years old when he inherited
Ferghana (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan)
Descended from Timur on
father’s side and from Genghis Khan
on his mother’s.
April 1526. Defeated Ibrahim
Lodhi at the Battle of Panipat
Marched towards Delhi and
declared himself Padshah of India.
Guru Nanak at Saidpur
(Eminabad)

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Lord, You took Khurasan under Thy wing,
But yeildest India to the invaders’ wrath.
Yet Thou takest no blame;
And sent the Mughal as the messenger of death.
Where there was such suffering,
killing, such shrieking in pain,
Did you not, O God, feel pity ?

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B rwgu Awsw mhlw 1 AstpdIAw Gru 3
Raag Aasaa, First Mehl, Ashtapadees, Third House:
A
B <> siqgur pRswid ]
A One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:

R ijn isir sohin ptIAw mWgI pwie sMDUru ]

Those heads adorned with braided hair, with their parts painted with vermillion

V
sy isr kwqI muMnIAin@ gl ivic AwvY DUiV ]
A those heads were shaved with scissors, and their throats were choked with dust.
N
mhlw AMdir hodIAw huix bhix n imlin@ hdUir ]1]
I They lived in palatial mansions, but now, they cannot even sit near the palaces. ||1||

Awdysu bwbw Awdysu ]

Hail to You, O Father Lord, Hail to You!

Awid purK qyrw AMqu n pwieAw kir kir dyKih vys ]1] rhwau ]
O Primal Lord. Your limits are not known; You create, and create, and behold the scenes. ||1||Pause||
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B
jdhu sIAw vIAwhIAw lwVy sohin pwis ]
A When they were married, their husbands looked so handsome beside them.
B
A hIfolI ciV AweIAw dMd KMf kIqy rwis ]
They came in palanquins, decorated with ivory;
R
auprhu pwxI vwrIAY Jly iJmkin pwis ]2]
water was sprinkled over their heads, and glittering fans were waved above them. ||2||
V
A ieku lKu lhin@ bihTIAw lKu lhin@ KVIAw ]
They were given hundreds of thousands of coins when they sat,
N
and hundreds of thousands of coins when they stood.
I

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B
grI Cuhwry KWdIAw mwxin@ syjVIAw ]
A They ate coconuts and dates, and rested comfortably upon their beds.
B
iqn@ gil islkw pweIAw qutin@ moqsrIAw ]3]
A But ropes were put around their necks, and their strings of pearls were broken. ||3||
R
Dnu jobnu duie vYrI hoey ijn@I rKy rMgu lwie ]
Their wealth and youthful beauty, which gave them so much pleasure, have now become their enemies.
V
A dUqw no PurmwieAw lY cly piq gvwie ]
The order was given to the soldiers, who dishonored them, and carried them away.
N
I

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S Salvation could not be attained by
practicing rituals, idol worship or by going
U on a pilgrimage. It can achieved by reciting
M the God’s name and by leading a simple, just
M and truthful life of a householder and carry
A out all social responsibilities. In the eyes of
R God, all human beings are equal. All
religions how the path to discover the Truth.
Y
The right way to live life was put in very
simple words:
Kirt Karni (Do Good Work )
Vand Chako (Share what you earn with
the poor)
Naam Japo (Recite the name of the God)

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