Divine Light of Saint Guru Nanak Dev ji
Guru Nanak Dev ji is a revered saint, popular for his teaching that ‘GOD IS ONE’. Guru Nanak is said to have travelled far and wide across Asia and Middle-East to spread the message of ik onkar (meaning ‘one God’), who is the eternal truth and dwells in every creation.
Born on the Full Moon day of the Hindu lunar month “Kartik” (mostly falls in October-November), he focused his life to preach the profound truth that God is the Supreme one, who is all Powerful, Formless, Fearless, Without hate, Self-Existent, the Incomprehensible and Everlasting creator of all things, and the Eternal and Absolute Truth.
TEACHINGS
“I bow at His feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the way.”
– Guru Nanak
His teachings were simple, based on love, equality, fraternity and virtue which enabled people to see the divine truth and open the light within themselves. Guru Nanak Dev ji is one of those rare saints who is revered by people from most religions in the world. His devoted followers formalised the religion of Sikhism, the foundation of which is the teachings of Guru Nanak.
He preached three key aspects to be imbibed as the pillars of life for every human being:
- Being in devotion to Almight: ‘Naam Japna‘ arouses the want to connect with the Divine by focussing and meditating on God’s name by reciting, chanting, singing and constantly being in obeisance to the almighty. By being immersed in the praise and appreciation of the one eternal creator ‘Waheguru‘, a follower is able to lead a life of righteousness.
- Honest Living: ‘Kirat Karo‘ means to make an honest livelihood without exploiting anyone or doing any fraud. One should stay truthful at all times and fear none but the Supreme Light.
- Sharing and caring: ‘Vand Chakko‘ invokes the energy of sharing. It means to share with others and help the ones in need. The message is that one must always contribute towards the upliftment of the community. It was Guru Nanak who established the tradition of having a free communal kitchen in the form of ‘Langar’ service to serve food to everyone with equality.
GURU NANAK GURPURAB
The full moon day in the month of Kartik (November), is a day to celebrate the holy light of the great saint and philosopher Guru Nanak Dev ji. His sole focus was to show the world that it is a Guru who helps us to discover ourselves. His honouring day is called ‘Guru Nanak Gurpurab’ or ‘Guru Nanak Prakash Purab’ meaning the ‘Day to honouring the divine light of saint Guru Nanak’.
Honouring the evolved saint, Guru Nanak is of immense significance for anyone who seeks to Open the Light within themselves. Every year on the Full Moon of Kartik month people celebrate Guru Nanak’s teachings and express their gratitude by honouring him through prayers, praises and hymns. Special food distribution, ‘Langar’ is also organised on this occasion.
This year the auspicious day to honour the profound saint, Guru Nanak Dev ji falls on the coming full moon day of Tuesday, 8th November 2022.
To participate in the OPEN THE LIGHT WITHIN Movement, you can honour a candle by going to >> https://openthelightwithin.org/honoring/‘
