Another great preacher of the Bhakti cult was Guru Nanak. He was a great saint and a religious reformer, who proved to be the most celebrated of all the Bhakti reformers. He was born at Talwandi (modern Nankanasahib) in Pakistan in A.D. 1469. He was born in a Hindu family. His father was a trader. He received his early education at a village school. From his childhood he developed a religious bent of mind, free from all the worldly pleasures and common vices of the age. For some time he was engaged in the profession of his father but without any success. After his marriage at the age of eighteen he came to Sultanpur and remained in charge of a stone house of charity maintained by Sultan Daulat Khan Lodi. But soon he developed a hatred for family life and for his job.
At the age of thirty he holy place of India so as to far as Mecca and Medina to he associated himself with became well versed with the 1538 at Kartarpur.
Guru Nanak elaborately preached the concept of one God as enunciated in the ancient Vedic literature and also advocated by muslims. His first memorable statement was “There is no Hindu and no Musalman”. He believed that there is only one God and there is none that can claim equality with him. He is “Almighty and Omnipresent. He is merciful, kind, even to sinners.”
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He did not recognise the Vedas and the Quaran. He condemned caste distinctions, idol worship, rituals and ceremonies. He held that love and devotion to one God was the only means of attaining His grace and blessings. To him “good deeds alone are counted in God’s court”. He felt that “God is one, is without form, eternal and ineffa ble” “He may be given different names by different religions but God cannot be two.” His teachings created an atmosphere of harmony between the Hindus and Muslims.
Guru Nanak asked his followers to recite the word “Satnam” or the “True Name”, while performing their worldly duties.
He, like Kabir, also believed in the Hindu concept of Karma, Sanskara, Maya and Moksha. In his opinion, only good actions can lead to realisation of God. Religion does not consist in visiting sacred places or bathing in the Ganges. It consists in leading a life of purity and love for all creatures. In one of the verses of Japji Sahib he said :
“Words do not the saint or sinner make. Action alone is written in the book of fate.”
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He also denounced the caste system. Nanak stressed on the role of the Guru. He attached great importance to spiritual guide or Guru in the realisation of God. In his own words, “Without the G noone can attain God. Under the Guru’s instruction, God’s word is heard; under Guru’s instruction, knowledge is acquired”. He therefore nominated his successor during his lifetime. Nanak acknowledged Kabir as his spiritual Guru. He nominated a disciple Angad as his successor.
Nanak occupied a place of distinction in the history of Indian religion. His teachings contributed to the synthesis of fundamental principles of Hinduism and Islam. Hindus and Muslims in large numbers became his disciples. They came to be known as Sikhs. His teachings are incorporated in the Granth Sahib, the holy scripture of Sikhs.
Thus the moral teachings of Nanak and his idea of universalism brought a moral awakening in India.