It is not easy to answer. While in Sultanpur, he disappeared for three days. Then he said, "Na Ko Hindu, Na Musalman(There is no Hindu or Muslim in this world, all are God's children). Then he uttered Sikh Mool Mantra. There after he perform four long journeys to the world with his companion Mardana and blessed people. At last he settled at the place called Kartarpur and worked as a farmer. Here in Kartarpur he initiated Lehna as Anged and declared him Guru after him.
To understand Guru Nanak's Sikhism you have to understand Hinduism. Hinduism is not Christianity and Islam which are codified religions, and have a book and a prophet. Hinduism has originated from various rituals tribal customs and social life over the centuries. Hinduism has 1000?s of Gods and Goddesses and various diverse thoughts.
Predominant amongst these thoughts is a way of life called Sanatan Dharma which more than 60% of the Hindus follow, and this is generally mistaken as Hinduism, and the other thoughts are treated as offshoots of Hinduism. The real truth is that Hinduism means Sanatan Dharma AND all the other thoughts. Sikhism is but one of these thoughts.
Firstly, the British with their policy of divide and rule, and secondly, political turmoil and hatred between Hindus and Sikhs has put the idea of a separate identity in the mind of us Sikhs. Many of my co-coreligionists will say ? but we have different ideas as compared to Hinduism. Sure - I agree that we are different in ways but there are 50 ? 100 major different thoughts within Hinduism and we are BUT one of them.
Do you understand ? Whereas fundamentalist Sikhs we say that we are 1 amongst 7 great world religions the fact is that there are actually 4 great religions. One - Christianity has various branches - Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Adventist, etc. Second ? Islam has various branches - Shia, Sunni, Ahmediya etc. There is Judaism and finally Hinduism ( which is a collection of various beautiful thoughts like Buddhism, Sanatana Dharma, Sikhism, Jainism, Arya Samajists, Vaishnav, Shaivaites Manbhum, Santhal etc )
So Sikhism is born out of Hinduism. Guru Nanak was born a Hindu, he was a traveling holy man who followed a custom of Sant Mat ( or Saint Tradition ) quite popular amongst saints those days. It was a thought he inculcated in his believers and told them to learn it. His believers were called Sikhs as Sikh means ? ?to learn? We had 9 more Gurus. Yes Guru Nanak also took some minor feedback from Islam but that is the nature of Hinduism ? to absorb from everyone.
THIS IS A LONG BUT INTERESTING ,
COME ON ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS READ ;
First of all I would like to make it clear Guru Nanak never started Sikhism by his own will , He himself admits that he has done it with the will of God ;
Guru Nanak was born in a HIndu family , & during those days there was a social , religious , political chaos in India ;
Authority of Religion was in hands of those who didn't even knew the A B C of their own religion ; Hinduism & Islam was filled with unnecessary rituals & useless worship practices which Guru Nanak openly defied ;
When Guru Nanak was a child , a pundit was called for putting the sacred Hindu thread around his neck , just like Muslims practice circumcision , So Guru Nanak stops pundit from putting on him the sacred thread ;
Pundit tries to explain how important it is , But Guru Nanak , the enlightened soul told the pundit that he would accept a thread that would never get soiled , broken & old ; Pundit said he has no such thread ; So Guru Nanak told the pundit that make honesty your holy thread , & good virtues the knot ; Pundit was impressed & right on that day Guru Nanak Sahib declared MY RELIGION IS NOT HINDUISM ; IT IS SOMETHING ELSE ;
So , when he grew up , he once went inside a river to bath in as usual ; But , he stayed in for 3 days , His mates thought he had died , After 3 days , he rose from the waters with enormous light around him & then he said the foll " THERE IS NO HINDU , THERE IS NO MUSLIM " ;
& from then started Sikhism ;
WE SIKHS LIKE MUSLIMS DON'T BELIEVE GURU GRANTH SAHIB TO BE A MANS WORD , BUT IN FACT DIRECTLY REVEALED FROM GOD ;
Guru Nanak has been getting revelation from God , the almighty since his childhood , & he kept on getting throughout his life ;
Many Muslims Question how can Guru Granth Sahib be gods word ; They challenge us to prove it ; There s nothing to prove it ; There are innumerable verse from scriptures that say they have been revealed from God ;
Some verses:
" Just as the masters words come , So do I speak , I don' speak on my own " - Guru Nanak ;
" The word of the lord has come , My sorrow & worry has been erased " & innumerable verses to prove that its gods word
How did Guru Nanak Dev Ji start sikhism?
