Guru Nanak Quotes

Burn worldly love, rub the ashes and make ink of it, make the heart the pen, the intellect the writer, write that which has no end or limit.

Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God.

He who has no faith in himself can never have faith in God.

Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you.

The world is a drama, staged in a dream

I am neither male nor female, nor am I sexless. I am the Peaceful One, whose form is self-effulgent, powerful radiance.

Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truely die.

Speak only that which will bring you honor.

those who have loved are those that have found God

For each and every person, our Lord and Master provides sustenance. Why are you so afraid, O mind? The flamingos fly hundreds of miles, leaving their young ones behind. Who feeds them, and who teaches them to feed themselves? Have you ever thought of this in your mind?

What should the yogi have to fear? Trees, plants, and all that is inside and outside, is He Himself

Even kings and emperors, with mountains of property and oceans of wealth - these are not even equal to an ant, who does not forget God.

Your Mercy is my social status.

Owing to ignorance of the rope the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the Self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the Self.

I am neither a child, a young man, nor an ancient; nor am I of any caste.

He who regards all men as equals is religious.

There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.

Whatever kind of seed is sown in a field, prepared in due season, a plant of that same kind, marked with the peculiar qualities of the seed, springs up in it.

Nanak, the whole world is in distress. He, who believes in the Name, becomes victorious.

In this world when you ask of happiness Pain steps forward

Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you

Realization of Truth is higher than all else. Higher still is truthful living.

There is but one God. True is His Name, creative His personality and immortal His form. He is without fear sans enmity, unborn and self-illumined. By the Guru's grace He is obtained.

O Nanak, if a blind man goes to assay jewels, he shall not know their worth and shall return after making an exhibition of himself.

In this world when you ask for happiness Pain steps forward

Wherever the Protector of all keeps me, there is heaven.

Imhotep never attended university, but was the father of medicine. Nimrod never attended military academy, but was the father of conquests. Noah never attended seminary, but was the father of prophecy. Guru Nanak never attended university, but inestimable admire him. Mohammed never attended university, but innumerable honor him. Buddha never attended university, but incalculable praise him. King David never attended university, but numberless respect him. King Solomon never attended university, but endless celebrate him. King Jesus never attended university, but countless worship Him.

Coming of age in such an environment, the educated elite of Punjab ends up disowning, in fact, ridiculing anything Punjabi, which includes the poetry of Baba Farid, Guru Nanak, Shah Hussain, Waris Shah and Bulleh Shah. Whereas the educated elite can quote verses from Shakespeare and T. S. Eliot, they are completely unaware of their local poets.

They, who have no eyes in their face, are not called blind. They alone are blind, O Nanak, who stray away from their Lord.

Before becoming a Muslim, a Hindu, a Sikh or a Christian, let's become a Human first.

All dishonest earnings are the blood of the innocent. Honest earnings are like sweet milk and make the mind pious.

All these stories of Janamsakhi were like an artistic instrument that was yielded more to spread Nanak’s spiritual sovereignty as a mystical prophet than as an effective teacher in flesh and blood. In the midst of ignorance and mystical craving, they provided a simple method to guide people, or rather allure them to a newly formed religious path by sermonizing through stories of mystical non-sense.

Like Guru Nanak after him, Baba Farid suggested that at a basic level a Muslim and a Hindu were the same, sharing the joy and pain of being human.

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 into the Bedi clan of the Khatri caste of Hindus in a Punjab which had seen Timur’s brutal invasion only seventy years earlier.

Nam acts like a balm that heals the wounded soul, wounded by sin, grief or distress in life.

Lawrence dented a practice among some in the Bedi clan of killing baby girls. The justification for the practice was this. The clan that produced Guru Nanak would lose prestige if its girls married into inferior clans; if they married within the clan, it would be like incest. The only solution was to kill the girl-child.

Today, 500 years since Guru Nanak began to preach, it is still common to find families with both Sikh and Hindu members.

His monotheism left no place for apparent polytheism. We know that a fundamental Hindu teaching is that God is one: Truth is One; sages call it by many names such as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Yama, Garutman, or Matarishvan. (Rig Veda: 1:164:46) The Yajur Veda, another important scripture, expresses the same truth as follows: For an awakened soul, Indra, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Aditya, Chandra – all these names represent only One spiritual being. (32:1) These words lie at the heart of the religion but for many devotees and non-Hindu observers the reality seems to be polytheistic. The pictures and images which may be seen in a mandir, ranging from Rama and Hanuman, to Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Guru Nanak and Gandhi, might convey this message to the uninformed, rather than one of diversity within unity which is at the heart of Hinduism. Certainly that seems to have been true of the village Hinduism that Guru Nanak experienced.

Guru Nanak asked those who considered women impure and incapable of spiritual liberation, mukti: Why do you condemn woman, the one from whom great men and kings are born? It is through despised woman that we are conceived and born; it is to woman that we become engaged and married; woman is our lifelong companion who perpetuated the race. (AG 473)

Sometimes it is said that Guru Nanak attempted to blend the best of Hinduism and Islam in a new religion that would appeal to both communities and bring them together. A moment’s reflection will enable us to realize the inadequacy of this suggestion. Who is to define the ‘best’ of any religion, first of all? (Usually a Westerner using liberal Christianity as the criterion.) Secondly, there was no possibility of bringing together those who followed the teachings of the Vedas and the ministry of the brahmins, with those for whom the Qur’an was authoritative. It is, in fact, unlikely that Guru Nanak wished to create a religion at all, bearing in mind his comments on the inadequacy of religion!

For God there is no Hindu and no Muslim; all of us are His children, equal human beings.

Guru Nanak taught his lesson in a simple way. He gave Duni Chand a needle and told him that he would take it from him in the next world. This made the merchant think and realise that he could not take any of his worldly possessions with him to a life after death. He asked for the Guru’s advice about what to do with all his material wealth. “If you give in the name of God and put food into the mouths of needy persons, only then will you have credit to take with you in your next life,” replied Guru Nanak.

If you give in the name of God and put food into the mouths of needy persons, only then will you have credit to take with you in your next life,

He is beyond need and desire; He cannot be appeased, because He is never angry. Those who understand and remain in His Will are happy.

At Mecca, Guru Nanak lay down to rest. He fell asleep and at some point, his feet happened to point in the direction of the Kaaba. A Qazi admonished Guru Nanak: “Who is this sleeping infidel? Why have you, O sinner, turned your feet towards God?” he said. To this Guru Nanak retorted: “Turn my feet in the direction where God is not.

Religion consists not of mere words. He who looks upon all men as equal is religious,” says Guru Nanak.

This God was not to be found in remote temples or far away places. He is immanent, thus found everywhere.

When Guru Nanak reached Multan, the local pirs, or holy men, gave him a bowl of milk which was full to the brim indicating that the town was already full of holy men and that it did not have space for another. The Guru took a jasmine flower and put it on the bowl of milk. The flower floated, without the milk spilling over. The traditional interpretation of this is that Guru Nanak had shown that one more man of God would only add to the fragrance of the garden. However, it can also be seen as saying that the milk of knowledge, if contained in a bowl, can go bad whereas the fragrance of knowledge, unfettered in any way, spreads far and wide.

Place Person Kapilvastu Gautam Buddha Macedonia Alexander, the Great Jalianwala Bagh General Dyer Anand Bhawan Jawaharlal Nehru Chittore Maharana Pratap Haldi Ghati Maharana Pratap Sabarmati Mahatma Gandhi Sitab Diyara Jai Prakash Narayan Shantiniketan Rabindra Nath Tagore Talwandi Guru Nanak Sevagram Mahatma Gandhi Pawapuri Mahavir Kushi Nagar Gautam Buddha Ibrahim Patti Chandra Shekhar Lumbini Gautam Buddha Mecca Prophet Mohammed Waterloo Napoleon Bonaparte Porbandar Mahatma Gandhi Bardoli Sardar Patel Fatehpur Sikri Akbar, the Great Puducherry Aurobindo Ghosh Belur Math Rama Krishna Paramhans Pawanar Vinoba Bhave Seringapatnam Tipu Sultan Kundgram Mahavir Jeeradei Dr. Rajendra Prasad Cuttack Subhash Chandra Bose Trimurti Bhawan Jawaharlal Nehru Jerusalem Jesus Christ Corsica Napoleon Bonaparte Trafalgar Nelson

Shah Fakir, Hindu Da Guru, Musalman Da Pir.” It means Guru Nanak Dev was a saintly person whom both, the Hindus and the Muslims, claimed as their own religious leader.   Teachings: Guru Nanak Dev taught us that there is only one God, free from the bondage of birth and death. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. We should always remember God. Repetition of His Name is cure for all ailments. God is not to be degraded by making images of Him and worshipping them. To be one with God is the aim of life and to attain

All of his (Nanak's) progressive thinking attained absolution at the age of 30, when he had the transcendental experience, quite similar to that of Mohammed and Joan of Arc, that was about to rock the very foundation of orthodox Hinduism in India.

Nanak’s encounter of God and God’s court was in fact a profound hallucinatory Near-Death Experience caused by drowning that strengthened his pre-conceived notion of a rational, compassionate and unorthodox society.

The entire Granth Sahib, which is the central scripture of Sikhism, is basically an elaboration of the Mool Mantar.

Though it was a son, brother and husband who entered the river, the mythic initiation endows him with his fundamental humanity. Located in the amniotic waters, he goes through the process of physical drinking, which gives him the metaphysical insight into the Divine. He responds in a sensuous, poetic outpouring, and is honored with gender-inclusive clothing from the Divine court. Unlike other initiation rites, there are no additions to or subtractions from the body: no tattoos, circumcision or scarring marked his transition. In Guru Nanak’s case, his new identity is marked by the unity of bana (the material cloth) and bani (poetry); sirpao (dress) and nam (word).

desert is not satisfied by rain, and the fire is not quenched by desire. The king is not satisfied with his kingdom, and the oceans are full, but still they thirst for more. O Nanak, how many times must I seek and ask for the True Name?  || 1 ||   SECOND

let good deeds be your distillery, and let Truth be the molasses you ferment; make the most excellent wine of Truth. Make virtue your bread, good conduct the ghee, and modesty the dish of meat. As Gurmukh, these are obtained, O Nanak; consuming them, evil and corruption depart.

The body is the bottle, self-conceit is the wine, and desire is the company of drinking buddies. The glass of the mind’s longing is filled to overflowing with falsehood; the Messenger of Death is the bartender. Drinking in this wine, O Nanak, one takes on countless vices and corruption. So make spiritual wisdom your molasses, and the Praise of God your bread; let the Fear of God be the dish of meat. O Nanak, this is the true food; let the True Name be your only Support.  || 2 ||   If the human body is the

As the moth falls into the lamp, as the thief steals without hesitation, as the elephant is trapped by its sexual urges, as the sinner is caught in his sins, as the gambler’s addiction does not leave him, so is this mind of Nanak’s attached to the Lord.  || 8 ||   As the deer loves the sound of the bell, and as the song-bird longs for the rain, the Lord’s humble servant lives in the Society of the Saints, lovingly meditating and vibrating upon the Lord of the Universe.

Babur was more than ordinarily ruthless. He pursued to the limit the concept of Jihad- a total war for the annihilation of his adversaries as prescribed by Islam of which he was a practitioner. He was a product of his age and environment, and that is exactly how we must see him. Whitewashing his blood-soaked record to turn him into a figure of chivalry and prince charming is an exercise in juvenile fantasy. Babur saw ruthlessness as a virtue, and terror as a useful tactical tool. In this he was a true descendant of Timur and Chengiz Khan- both of whom were his ancestors. Guru Nanak's eyewitness account gives a better picture of Babur and his methods than almost any modern history book. The same holds true for the Baburnama: it is a primary source of great importance that goes to demolish romantic tales about him.- NS Rajaram quoted in Rushdie's book.

Guru Nanak preached a simple message of making an honest living (kirat Karna), praise the Universal God (Naam Japna), and charity or sharing the fruits of honest earnings with the needy (Vandh Chhakna). He further stated that all men are equal (Casteless Society), and women are equal to men (Equality of women), and all should live a truthful life. He firmly believed and preached the equality of

Jesus, Confucius, Mohammed, Buddha, Mahavira, Guru Nanak, Plato, Socrates, Marx, and many others, have conveyed approaches to life that were captured in books such as the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, the Talmud, the Quran, the I Ching, the Five Books and Four Classics, the Analects, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Brama Sutras, Meditations, Republic, Metaphysics, The Wealth of Nations, and Das Kapital. These, together with the discoveries of scientists, artists, politicians, diplomats, investors, psychologists, etc., all encountering their realities and adapting to them in their own ways, are what determines a people’s culture.

Jeg er bare en av mange, sier Walsch. Vi har alle det samme budskapet; Chopra, Williamson, Redfield, Zukav, Coelho, Osho, "and you name'em". Og for den saks skyld; Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Guru Nanak, Konfutze, Shakespear, Jung osv. -alle formidler fra den samme kilden og den samme essensen.

The call to love beyond our own flesh and blood is ancient. It echoes down to us on the lips of indigenous leaders, spiritual teachers, and social reformers through the centuries. Guru Nanak called us to see no stranger, Buddha to practice unending compassion, Abraham to open our tent to all, Jesus to love our neighbors, Muhammad to take in the orphan, Mirabai to love without limit... It is the ancient Sanskrit truth that we can look upon anyone or anything and say: Tat tvam asi, 'I am that.' It is the African philosophy: Ubantu, 'I am because you are.' It is the Mayan precept: In La'Kech, 'You are my other me.

Guru Nanak named as his successor a disciple, Lehna, a Khatri of the Trehan clan, who became known as Guru Angad.

Bedis, Sodhis, Trehans and Bhallas coming down from Guru Nanak, Guru Ram Das, Guru Angad and Guru Amar Das,

Wherever the Protector of all keeps me, there is heaven.