Sikhism 

• Guru Nanak (20 oct 1469-7 May 1539) is the founder of Sikhism and first of the ten sixth Gurus. 
• He was born in the village of Talwandi, now called Nankana Sahib, near Lahore in present day Pakistan. 
• His parents, Mehta Kalu and Matta Tripat, were Hindus and belonged to the merchant caste (Khatri). 
• Sikhism was established and developed by ten Gurus during the period 1469 to 1708. 
• Guru Nanak dev was the first Guru and founder of Sikhism and Guru Gobind Singh the final Guru in human form. Guru Gobind Singh designated the Sri Guru Granth Sahib the ultimate and final Sikh Guru. 
• Langar system was started by Guru Nanak Dev. 

Timeline of Sikh Gurus 

1. Guru Nanak 

2. Guru Angad 

3. Guru Amar Das 

4. Guru Ram Das 

5. Guru Arjan 

6. Guru Hargobind 

7. Guru Har Rai 

8. Guru Har Krishan 

9. Guru Tegh Bahadur 

10. Guru Gobind Singh 

Second Guru: – Guru Angad Dev (1504-52) 

• Nanak chose his successor not to his son but Angad his chief disciple (Lehna), to carry on the work as the second Guru. 
• Developed Gurumukhi, the script used for the Punjabi language and composed 62 hymns that were later included in the Guru Granth Sahib. 
• Establish Guru Gaddhi (Throne) at Khadur. 

Third Guru: – Guru Amar Das (1479-1574) 

• Became Guru at the age of 73. 
• Organised three annual gatherings for Sikhs, set up the first pilgrimage site at Goindwal Sahib and introduced Sikh rituals for birth and death. 
• His most famous hymn, Anand Sahib is part of Sikh daily ritual. 
• Established missionary centers to spread the message and was so well respected that the Mughal emperor Akbar visited him. 

Fourth Guru: – Guru Ramdas (1534-1581) 

• Amar Das appointed his son-in-law Ram Das to succeed him, establishing a hereditary succession position of Guru. 
• Founded Amritsar, the holy city of Sikhism. His followers dug the pool that became the holy lake surrounding the Golden Temple. 
• Composed the Lavan Marriage hymn, still used in Sikh Marriages. 
• He also built a tank for water at Amritsar in Punjab, which after his death, became the holiest centre of Sikhism. 

Fifth Guru: – Guru Arjan Dev (1563-1606) 

• He was Ram Das’s Son. 
• Collected the hymns of previous Gurus and added 2616 of his own to form the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism. 
• Built the original Golden Temple and was tortured and killed in Lahore by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1606 for alleged complicity in a rebellion. 
• He was an acclaimed poet like Guru Nanak. 

Sixth Guru: – Guru Hargobind (1595-1644) 

• The son of Guru Arjun 
• Proclaimed that the Guru is a military leader as well as spiritual leader, leading to conflict with the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. 
• In response to Ram Das execution the next Guru, Hargobind militarized and politicized his position and fought three battles with Mughal forces. 
• He is credited with founding the Sikh military tradition. He dressed as a warrior and introduced a more militant tone to the religion, under him fighting injustice him became a duty. 
• Hargobind also established at Amritsar, in front of the Golden Temple, the central Shrine devoted to Sikhism, the throne of the Eternal God (Akal Takht) from which the Guru dispensed justice and administered the secular affairs of the community. 

Seventh Guru: – Guru Har Rai (1630-1661) 

• Grandson of Guru Hargobind 
• He supported the moderates Sufi influenced Aurangzeb as the two brothers entered into a war of succession to the Mughal Empire throne. 
• His elder son Ramraya went to Aurangzeb court. 

Eighth Guru: – Guru Har krishan (1656-1664) 

• Younger son of Guru Har Rai. 
• Guru Har Krishan died at the age of eight of smallpox and is known best for refusing to meet with Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. 

Ninth Guru: – Tegh Bahadur (1621-75) 

• Great uncle of Guru Har Krishan. 
• Was barred from Amritsar by Sikh rivals, so founded the Sikh center of Anandpuri. 
• Battle of Kartarpur (1675). 
• Was beheaded in Delhi by Muslims for helping Brahmins avoid forcible conversion to Islam. 
• Beheaded on a site that later became an important Gurudwara (abode of the Guru, a Sikh temple) on Chandani Chauk, one of the old city. 

Tenth Guru: – Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) 

• Son of Guru Tegh Bahadur. 
• Second only to Guru Nanak in importance, he is often shown prominently next to Nanak in Sikh art. 
• Resisted oppression by Mughal and Hindu authorities, exemplifying the Sikh ideal of the heroic Saint-Soldier. 
• Founded the Khalsa Panth (1699) and Sikh batism, composed many poems, and nominated the Sikh sacred text as the final and enduring Guru. 
• Guru Gobind Singh is responsible for the “Five Ks” and the turbaned appearance of Sikh males. 
• He introduced the custom of carrying a large curved dagger in a silver sheath, wearing a turban, carrying a comb and never cutting the hair or beard. 
• The “Five Ks” – Uncut hair (kesh), a long knife (Kirpan) a comb (Kangha), a steel bangle (Kara), and a special kind of breeches not reaching below the knee (Kachha). 
• Male Sikhs took on the Surname Singh (meaning Lion), and women took the surname Kaur (Princess). All made vows to purify their personal behaviour by avoiding intoxicants, including alcohol and tobacco. 
• Guru Gobind Singh has four sons, Jarawar Singh, Fateh Bahadur, Ajeet Singh and Jhunjhar Singh. 
• Guru Gobind Singh and his allies fought five battles with Aurangzeb. 
• After battle of Anandpur-Jarawar Singh & Fateh Bahadur captured & elected alive in wall. 
• And in an another battle Aurangzeb killed remaining two sons of Gobind Singh Ji. 
• But Guru Gobind Singh never surrendered against Mughal Emperor. 

Sikhs beliefs about God, Karma, death and Rebirth 

God: – 

• There is only one God. 
• God is without form or Gender. 
• Everyone has direct access to God. 
• Everyone is equal before God. 
• Empty religious rituals and superstitions have no value. 
• Sikhs believe that God is inside every person, no matter how wicked they appear and so everyone is capable of change. 

Living in God and Community: – 

• Sikhs focus their lives around their relationship with God, and being a part of the Sikh community. 
• The Sikh ideal combines action and belief. 
• To live a good life a person should do good deeds as well as mediating in God. 

God and the cycle of Life: – 

• Sikhs believe that human spend their time in a cycle of birth, life and rebirth. 
• They share this belief with followers of other Indian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Budhhism and Jainism. 
• The quality of each particular life depends the law of Karma. Karma sets the quality of a life according to how well or badly a person behaved in their previous life. 
• The only way out of this cycle, which all faiths regard as painful, is to achieve a total knowledge of and union with God. 

The three duties: –  

• The three duties that a Sikh must carry out can be summed up in three words : Pray, Word, Give 

Nam Japna: –  

• Keeping God in minds at all times 

Kirt Karna:- 

• Earning an honest living. Since God is truth, a Sikh seeks to live honestly. This doesn’t just mean avoiding crime, Sikhs avoid gambling, begging, or working in the alcohol or tobacco industries. 

Wand Chhakna:- 

• Literally sharing one’s earning with others. 
• Giving to charity and caring for others. 

The five Vices: 

Sikhs try to avoid the five vices that make people self-centered, and build barriers against God in their lives. 

• Lust 
• Consciousness and greed 
• Attachment to things of this world 
• Anger 
• Pride 

If a person can overcome these vices they are on the road to liberation. 

The five Virtues 

Sikhs must develop the virtues, which are: – 

• Truth and truthful living – Satya 
• Compassion and Patience – Daya 
• Contentment – Santosh 
• Humility and self control – Nimrata 
• Love – Pyare 

Guru Granth Sahib 

• Guru Granth Sahib or Adi Sri Granth Sahib ji (also called Adi Guru Darbar) is more than just a scripture of Sikhs, for the Sikhs regard and respect the Granth (holybook) as their living Guru. 
• The revealed holy text spans 1430 pages and contains the actual words spoken by the founders of the Sikh religion (the 10 Gurus of Sikhism). 
• Guru Granth sahib was bestowed the Guruship by the last of the human form Sikh masters, Guru Gobind ji in 1708. 
• Also included the writings of other contemporary saints from Hinduism and Islam, who believed in the unity of God and denounced superstition and caste.