Guru Nanak Jayanti
This year Guru Nanak Jayanti ( Guru- Parv) is celebrated on Monday, 14th November, 2016.
The Sikhs celebrate Guru Nanak Jayanti as the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. The festival is celebrated across the world with great pride, honor and respect. Guru Nanak Dev was the first Sikh guru and founder of the Sikhism religion. Apart from the followers of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev was admired by Punjabi Hindus and Sahajdhari Sindhis residing across the Indian subcontinent for his noble words and deeds. The date of Guru Nanak Jayanti changes from year to year, depending upon the Hindu calendar.
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23rd November 2018 (Friday)
12th November 2019 (Tuesday)
30th November 2020 (Monday)
Preparations for the festival start well in advance. The festival is generally a three-day fair. It starts off with reciting the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, in the gurudwaras. The holy book is read for 48 hours non-stop, known as Akhand Path. This ends on the day before Guru Nanak Jayanti. A day before the festival, a procession is carried out starting early in the morning, called the Prabhat Pheris. The procession starts from the gurudwara and moves ahead towards the localities. Five armed guards, representing the Panj Pyares lead the procession carrying the Sikh Flag called Nishan Sahibs. They even carry a Palki (palanquin) which holds the Guru Granth Sahib placed firm and decorated with flowers.
As the procession proceeds, the followers sing shabads (religious hymns) while the local bands play religious music.
The day of Guru Nanak Jayanti begins at around 4 or 5 a.m. with singing Asa-di-Var (morning hymns) and hymns from the Sikh scriptures. This is followed by Katha which continues till noon. A lavish Langar or special community lunch is served to the people present at the gurudwara. People volunteer for this service as they consider it to be seva (service) and bhakti (devotion) towards Lord.
According to Hindu calendar, he was born in the month of Kartik, which falls between October and November each year. Sikh Guru's birthdays are known as Guru-purbs. Many people hold 3 days ‘Akhand’ Path or non-stop chanting of the Sikh Holy book, Guru Granth Sahib .Houses and Gurdwaras are decorated and lit up.
This year Guru Nanak Jayanti ( Guru- Parv) is celebrated on Monday, 14th November, 2016.
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Guru Nanak Jayanti -
2016-2020
14th November 2016 (Monday)
547th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak
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4th November 2017 (Saturday)
548th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak
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23rd November 2018 (Friday)
549th Birth
Anniversary of Guru Nanak
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12th November 2019 (Tuesday)
550th Birth
Anniversary of Guru Nanak
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30th November 2020 (Monday)
551th Birth
Anniversary of Guru Nanak
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The religious festival of Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated with immense splendor and grandeur throughout the world where Sikhs reside, especially in their homeland, Punjab and Haryana. The birthday of Guru Nanak Jayanti falls on Kartik Poornima, that is, the day of the full moon in the month of Kartik as per the Hindu calendar. The date usually falls in the month of October or November in the Gregorian calendar, but it varies each year.Preparations for the festival start well in advance. The festival is generally a three-day fair. It starts off with reciting the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs, in the gurudwaras. The holy book is read for 48 hours non-stop, known as Akhand Path. This ends on the day before Guru Nanak Jayanti. A day before the festival, a procession is carried out starting early in the morning, called the Prabhat Pheris. The procession starts from the gurudwara and moves ahead towards the localities. Five armed guards, representing the Panj Pyares lead the procession carrying the Sikh Flag called Nishan Sahibs. They even carry a Palki (palanquin) which holds the Guru Granth Sahib placed firm and decorated with flowers.
As the procession proceeds, the followers sing shabads (religious hymns) while the local bands play religious music.
The day of Guru Nanak Jayanti begins at around 4 or 5 a.m. with singing Asa-di-Var (morning hymns) and hymns from the Sikh scriptures. This is followed by Katha which continues till noon. A lavish Langar or special community lunch is served to the people present at the gurudwara. People volunteer for this service as they consider it to be seva (service) and bhakti (devotion) towards Lord.
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Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Guru Nanak Dev ji (the First guru, the founder of Sikhism) was born on 15th April, 1469 at Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present distrect of Shekhupura (Pakistan), now Nanakana Sahib. The Birthday of Guru Nanak Sahib is celebrated on 15th Kartik Puranmashi i.e. full moon day of the month Kartik. On this day the Birthday of Guru Nanak Sahib is celebrated every year. Guru Nanak's father, Mehta Kalyan Das, more popularly known as Mehta Kalu was the agent and Chief Accountant of Rai Bular. Guru Nanak 's mother was Mata Tripta, a simple, pious and extremely religious woman. Nanak had an elder sister, Nanki, who always cherished her younger brother.
Nanak was an extra-ordinary and different child in many ways. God provided him with contemplative mind and rational thinking. At the age of seven, he learnt Hindi and Sanskrit. He surprised his teachers with the sublimity of his extra-ordinary knowledge about divine things. At the age of thirteen, he learned Persian and Sanskrit and at the age of 16, he was the most learned young man in the region. He was married to Mata Sulakhni ji, who gave birth to two sons: Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. In November 1504, Guru Nanak's elder sister Nanaki ji took him to Sultanpurlodhi where her husband Jai Ram ji got him the Job of storekeeper in the Modikhana of the local Nawab, Daulat Khan Lodhi.
At the age of 38, in August 1507, Guru Nanak Sahib heard God 's call to dedicate himself to the service of humanity after bathing in "Vain Nadi" (a small river) Near Sultanpur Lodhi. The very first sentence which he ' uttered then was, " There is no Hindu, no Musalman". He now undertook long travels to preach his unique and divine doctrine (Sikhism). After visiting different places in Punjab, he decided to proceed on four long tours covering different religious places in India and abroad. These tours are called Char Udasis of Guru Nanak Sahib.
During the four journeys, Guru Nanak Sahib visited different religious places preaching Sikhism. He went to Kurukshetra, Haridwar, Joshi Math, Ratha Sahib, Gorakh Matta (Nanak Matta), Audhya, Prayag, Varanasi, Gaya, Patna, Dhubri and Gauhati in Assam, Dacca, Puri, Cuttock, Rameshwaram, Ceylon, Bidar, Baroach, Somnath, Dwarka, Janagarh, Ujjain, Ajmer, Mathura, Pakpattan, Talwandi, Lahore, Sultanpur, Bilaspur, Rawalsar, Jawalaji, Spiti Vally, Tibet, Ladakh, Kargil, Amarnath, Srinagar and Baramula. Guru Nanak Sahib also paid visit to Muslim holy places. In this regard he went to Mecca, Medina, Beghdad via Multan, Peshawar Sakhar, Son Miani, Hinglaj etc. Some accounts say that Guru Sahib reached Mecca by sea-route. Guru Sahib also visited Syra, Turkey and Tehran (the present capital of Iran). From Tehran Guru Sahib set out on the caravan route and covered Kabul, Kandhar and Jalalabad. The real aim of the tour was awakening the people to realise the truth about God and to introduce Sikhism. He established a network of preaching centres of Sikhism which were called "Manjis". He appointed able and committed followers as its head (preacher of Sikhism). The basic tenents of Sikhism were wilfully conceived by the people from all walks of life.
In the year 1520, Babar attacked India. His troops slaughtered thousands of innocent civilians of all walks of life. Women and children were made captives and all their property looted at Amiabad. Guru Nanak Sahib challenged this act of barbarity in strong words. He was arrested and released, shortly after making Babar realising his blunder. All the prisoners were also released.
Guru Nanak Sahib settled down at Kartarpur city (now in Pakistan) which was founded by him in 1522 and spent the rest of his life there (1522-1539). There was daily Kirtan and the institution of Langar (free kitchen) was introduced. Knowing that the end was drawing near, Guru Nanak Sahib, after testing his two sons and some followers, installed Bhai Lehna ji (Guru Angad Sahib) as the Second Nanak in 1539, and after a few days passed into Sachkhand on 22nd September, 1539.
Thus ended the wordly journey of this god-gifted Master (Guru) of mankind. He rejected the path of renunciation Tyaga or Yoga, the authority of the Vedas and the Hindu caste system. Guru Nanak Sahib emphasised the leading of householder's life (Grista), unattached to gross materialism. The services of mankind Sewa, Kirtan, Satsang and faith in 'One' Omnipotent God are the basic concepts of Sikhism established by Guru Nanak Sahib. Thus he laid the foundations of Sikhism. He preached new idea of God as Supreme, Universal, All-powerful and truthful. God is Formless (Nirankar), the Sole, the Creator, the self-existent, the Incomprehensible and the Ever-lasting and the creator of all things (Karta Purakh). God is infinite, All knowing, True, All-giver, Nirvair, and Omnipotent. He is Satnam, the Eternal and Absolute Truth.
As a social reformer Guru Nanak Sahib upheld the cause of women, downtrodden and the poors. He attacked the citadel of caste system of Hindus and theocracy of Muslim rulers. He was a born poet. He wrote 974 hyms comprising Japji Sahib, Asa-Di-Var, Bara-Mah, Sidh-Gosht, Onkar (Dakhani) and these were included in Guru Granth Sahib by Guru Arjan Sahib. He was also a perfect musician. He with the company of Bhai Mardana compsed such tunes in various Indian classical Ragas that charmed and tawed wild creatures like Babar, subdued saging kings, raved bigots and tyrants, made thugs and robbers saints. He was a reformer as well as a revolutionary. God had endowed him with a contemplative mind and pious disposition. Guru Arjan Sahib called him "the image of God, nay, God Himself".
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गुरु नानकदेव जी की रचनाएँ
** को काहू को भाई **
हरि बिनु तेरो को न सहाई।
काकी मात-पिता सुत बनिता, को काहू को भाई॥
धनु धरनी अरु संपति सगरी जो मानिओ अपनाई।
तन छूटै कुछ संग न चालै, कहा ताहि लपटाई॥
दीन दयाल सदा दु:ख-भंजन, ता सिउ रुचि न बढाई।
नानक कहत जगत सभ मिथिआ, ज्यों सुपना रैनाई॥
-- गुरु नानकदेव जी
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** जो नर दुख में दुख नहिं मानै **
जो नर दुख में दुख नहिं मानै।
सुख सनेह अरु भय नहिं जाके, कंचन माटी जानै।।
नहिं निंदा नहिं अस्तुति जाके, लोभ-मोह अभिमाना।
हरष शोक तें रहै नियारो, नाहिं मान-अपमाना।।
आसा मनसा सकल त्यागि के, जग तें रहै निरासा।
काम, क्रोध जेहि परसे नाहीं, तेहि घट ब्रह्म निवासा।।
गुरु किरपा जेहि नर पै कीन्हीं, तिन्ह यह जुगुति पिछानी।
नानक लीन भयो गोबिंद सों, ज्यों पानी सों पानी।।
-- गुरु नानकदेव जी
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** झूठी देखी प्रीत **
जगत में झूठी देखी प्रीत।
अपने ही सुखसों सब लागे, क्या दारा क्या मीत॥
मेरो मेरो सभी कहत हैं, हित सों बाध्यौ चीत।
अंतकाल संगी नहिं कोऊ, यह अचरज की रीत॥
मन मूरख अजहूँ नहिं समुझत, सिख दै हारयो नीत।
नानक भव-जल-पार परै जो गावै प्रभु के गीत॥
-- गुरु नानकदेव जी
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