The Ten Sikh Guru's

[Leon]

The First Master: Guru Nanak (1469 to 1539)

The founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak was born on April 15, 1469 in the Western Punjab village of Talwandi. He was born to a simple Hindu family. His father Mehta Kalian Das was an accountant in the employment of the local Muslim authorities.

The Second Master: Guru Angad (1504 to 1552)

The son of a prosperous Hindu trader, Bhai Pheru, Guru Angad was an ardent devotee of the Hindu goddess Durga. Lehna, as he was known before becoming Guru was born on March 31, 1504 in the village of Matte-di-Sari but eventually his family moved to Khadur.

The Third Master: Guru Amar Das (1479 to 1574)

Guru Amar Das was born in the village of Basarke on May 5, 1479. He was the eldest son of Tej Bhan a farmer and trader. Guru Amar Das grew up and married Mansa Devi and had two sons Mohri and Mohan and two daughters Dani and Bhani. He was a very religious Vaishanavite Hindu who spent most of his life performing all of the ritual pilgrimages and fasts of a devout Hindu.

The Fourth Master: Guru Ram Das (1534 to 1581)

Guru Ram Das was born on September 24, 1534 to simple God-fearing parents, Hari Das and Anup Devi of Lahore. Known as Jetha meaning the first born, he was a handsome young man. When he grew up he could always be found in the company of religious men.

The Fifth Master: Guru Arjan (1563 to 1606)

Guru Arjan was the youngest son of Guru Ram Das and Mata Bhani. He was born at Goindwal on April 15, 1563. In 1579 Guru Arjan was eventually married to Ganga Devi daughter of Krishan Chand in 1579.

The Sixth Master: Guru Hargobind (1595 to 1644)

Guru Hargobind was born at Wadali village in June 1595 and was the only child of Guru Arjan Dev. He was invested with the Guruship on May 25, 1606 just days before his fathers martyrdom. From a young age he was educated in the sciences, sports and religion as his father had insisted. Baba Buddha was responsible for overseeing the Guru's religious teachings.

The Seventh Master: Guru Har Rai (1630 to 1661)

Guru Har Rai was born on January 16, 1630 in Kiratpur to Baba Gurditta the eldest son of Guru Hargobind. From a very young age he exhibited a sensitivity to all living things and endeared himself to his grandfather Guru Hargobind.

The Eighth Master: Guru Harkrishan (1656 to 1664)

Guru Harkrishan was born on July 7, 1656 to Guru Har Rai and Krishan Kaur. Before his death in October 1661 Guru Har Rai had appointed his younger son Harkrishan as the next Guru as opposed to his elder son Ram Rai who was in collusion with the mughals. Guru Harkrishan was only five years old when he received the guruship.

The Ninth Master: Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621 to 1675)

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind and Bibi Nanki and was born at Amritsar on April 1, 1621. From a young age Tegh Bahadur was trained in the martial arts of swordsmanship and horse riding as well as religious training by the wise Baba Buddha and Bhai Gurdas.

The Tenth Master: Guru Gobind Singh (1666 to 1708)

Guru Gobind Singh was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine. He contributed much to Sikhism; notable was his contribution to the continual formalisation of the faith which the first Sikh Guru Nanak Dev had founded.

[jesusrose]

Sikhism gave me the foundation to explore spirituality. Though I don't follow any religion today, my family's Sikh background is where it all began. It all started from the base teaching that 'God is One'.

If God is One, then all people are one. If we are all one, then we are all connected.

One Love. One Light.

Rose
xxx

[jesusrose]

Guru Nanak travelled and taught, making four long journeys. He went all over India, to Arabia and to the countries that are now called Iraq, Tibet and Sri Lanka. Finally he settled in Kartapur with a group of followers, the first Sikhs. The Hindu caste system divided people strictly into social groups but Guru Nanak taught that all people were equal. His followers came from all social groups but they learned, meditated, sang hymns and ate together. Just before Guru Nanak passed away he named one of his closest followers, Guru Angad to succeed him. Thereafter each of the ten Gurus nominated his successor.

Guru Angad made a collection of Guru Nanak's hymns and developed Gurmukhi ("From the mouth of the Guru") a writing system with which to record them. At that time the Punjabi language, spoken by most Sikhs, had no accurate written form. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev collected together the writings of the first four Gurus, some of his own and some from Hindu and Muslim holy men whose ideas agreed with the Gurus into a book called the Adi Granth. In 1604 the Adi Granth was installed in the Harimandir Sahib (Temple of God) in Amritsar where it remains today.

The tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh made the final additions to the Adi Granth and, declaring it complete, said that it should be the next and only Guru. It is called the Guru Granth Sahib. Every copy of the Guru Granth Sahib is an exact replica of the original and is always 1,430 pages long.