Nation celebrates Guru Nanak’s 543rdbirth today anniversary

New Delhi: The birthday of Guru Nanak Devji- the founder of the Sikh religion- is being celebrated across the country on Thursday.

Today is the 543rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev- the first Guru of the Sikhs. Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in the present Shekhupura district of Pakistan.

President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday greeted the nation saying, “On the auspicious occasion of the birthday of Guru Nanak Devji, I extend my greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens."

May all of us strive to practice the revered Guru's noble teachings in our daily lives and strengthen the bonds of unity and oneness in our society," she said.

Vice President Hamid Ansari also extended his greetings.

In his message, Ansari said, "The divine teachings of Guru Nanak Devji contain the message of peace, harmony and righteousness. On this joyous occasion let us follow his ideals of humanism and social equality that inspire us to move towards a peaceful and just society."

Meanwhile, about 8,000 Sikh pilgrims from various countries, including India, Afghanistan and Britain, have arrived in Pakistan to join celebrations marking the 543rd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Among the 'yatris' or pilgrims are over 3,000 Sikhs from India who travelled across the border in three special trains.

The pilgrims will visit Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib at Hasanaadal, Dera Sahib and other holy sites.
marks the birthday anniversary of the Shri Guru Nanak Devji (1469 – 1539 CE) and is known as GURPURAB. This day is one of the most auspicious days to those who follow his teachings. On this day the words (baani) and the life of the first Guru of Sikhs is contemplated upon. Here’s a look at the essential teachings of Guru Nanak Devji found in the famous Mool Mantar ~‘Ik-Onkar’ from his composition the “Japji Sahib”.

Guru Nanak Devji was born to Mehta Kalyan Das Bedi and Tripta Devi in 1469, in the village of Talwandi also known as Nankana Sahib. This village is near Lahore in present day Pakistan.

The life of a Guru or a Prophet is a blessing to the disciple and becomes a message in itself. As the word (baani) of a Prophet becomes a scripture for the followers, so did the words of Guru Nanak Devji, the Adi Guru of the Sikh panth, got immortalized in the Shri Guru Granth Sahib – the scripture of the Guru’s followers.

Writing about Guru Nanak Devji, Swami Vivekananda wrote: “Guru Nanak was born in the sacred land of India. He gave a message of love and peace of the whole world and preached the same through his teachings. He was full of affection for everyone and his arms were always outstretched as if to embrace the whole world...”

On an auspicious day like Guru Nanak Devji’s birth anniversary, the Guru’s teachings need sincere listening to and contemplation upon, in order to commemorate the blessing of his birth - because a Guru is ultimately known for his teachings. A spiritual opportunity would be missed if the Guru’s words are not fully understood and just ritualistically chanted.

The origins of the Sikh tradition lie in the spiritual and social teachings of Guru Nanak Devji who taught that the union with God is through Guru’s grace and direct personal experience and he emphasized meditation on the God’s name (Naam), to live with an inner awakening of God and an outer service by righteous means.

The Shri Guru Granth Sahib the scripture of the Guru’s followers has 5894 hymns of which 976 hymns (17%) are composed by Guru Nanak Devji. Of the many teachings through his hymns, the “Japji” revered as the ‘Japji Sahib’ appears at the very beginning of the Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

The “Japji Sahib” is recited every morning by the Sikh-faithful and is considered as a concise summary of his teachings. The compilation of Japji Sahib consists of the famous Mool mantra - The symbol of ‘Ik-Onkar’ is also an emblem for Sikhs and is found on Gurdwaras. The Mool mantra ‘Ik-Onkar’ is the first series of truth-affirmations and is considered the essence and basis of Sikh panth.

Cutting across the barriers of caste and creed, encompassing followers and non-followers, leaving behind an eternal message of peaceful co-existence of mankind as a whole, the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji are a logical path leading to salvation through love, compassion, mercy, benevolence, forgiveness, non-violence and renunciation of materialistic desires.