Guru Nanak Dev
Guru Nanak Dev was born on April 15, 1469 to a small Hindu family. He recieved a formal education, and was hailed for his learning abilities and questioning of teachers. At age 13 he refused the sacred cotton thread of Hinduism which marked him as a rebel. Eventually, he was forced into marriage in an attempt to get him to conform to the Hinduist traditions, and although he loved his wife, this did not stop him. One day, he fell into a river while bathing and reportedly drowned. He appeared three days later, claiming to have had a visitation from God. He claimed there was only one God. He proceeded to travel across the country spreading his new word of Sikhism. He went on four great journies, the first to Kurukshetra, the second almost to Sri Lanka, the third to Tibet, and the fourth to Baghdad. On all of these, he gained followers through mostly his actions, not words. He debased local superstitions, pointing out flaws in traditional beliefs of God. One particular occassion was his stay over at Saidpur. he chose to stay with a carpenter, Lalo, rather than the local chief, Bhago. When he refused Bhago’s invitation, Bhago became angry, asking how the peasants wares were better than his. Nanak proceeded to take a piece of Lalo’s food in one hand, Bhago’s in the other. When he squeezed Bhago’s, blood came out, and milk came out of Lalo’s. This signified that where Bhago’s food was earned by exploiting peasants, Lalo’s bore the milk of hard labor. Guru Nanak eventually retired to Punjab, his original town, with his wife and two kids. in 1532 he was approached by Lenha, who became his apprentice. Guru Nanak died in 1539, on September 22. Thorughout his life, Nanak preached honesty and a certain skepticism about superstitions. He successfully established the foundation and ideal behind Sikhism.
