Guru Nanak Dev

Guru Nanak Dev Ji was born on 15th April 1469 into a Hindu Khatri family of the highest caste,in the village of Rāi Bhōi dī Talwandī, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore, Pakistan. Today, his birthplace is marked by Gurdwara Janam Asthan. His father, Mehta Kalyan Das, popularly known as Mehta Kalu, was the patwari of crop revenue for the village of Talwandi in the employment of a Muslim landlord of that area, Rai Bular Bhatti. Guru Nanak's mother was Tripta Devi and he had one elder sister, Bebe Nanaki.

At the age of five years Nanak is said to have voiced interest in divine subjects. At age seven, his father, Mehta Kalu, enrolled him at the village school as was the custom.Notable lore recounts that as a child Nanak astonished his teacher by describing the implicit symbolism of the first letter of the alphabet, which is an almost straight stroke in Persian or Arabic, resembling the mathematical version of one, as denoting the unity or oneness of Other childhood accounts refer to strange and miraculous events about Nanak witnessed by Rai Bular such as a poisonous cobra being seen to shield the sleeping child's head from the harsh sunlight.

Guru Nanak Dev's teachings can be found in the Sikh scripture Guru Granth, a vast collection of revelatory verses recorded in Gurmukhi. From these some common principles seem discernible. Salvation or liberation depends on the grace ('nadir'- glance) of God alone and although outside the power of the individual, manifests through the individual whom is seen to be unceasing in their efforts. Religious awakening is compared to undergoing a living death.

Sikh Guru Sahib

Guru Nanak Dev put the greatest emphasis on the worship of the True Name . One should follow the direction of awakened individuals rather than the mind the latter being perilous and leading only to frustration........... Guru Rajneesh Rishi says.