The story of a mystic…

He was born in a small rustic town in the Punjab province of Pakistan. He came at the time when Muslim rulers were ruling a predominantly Hindu country and the tension between the two religions were bordering on a break-down. He wandered around the world from an early age influencing people from all walks of life. His stories known as sakhis are still part of folk-lore of Punjab on both sides of the border.

Gurudwara Nankana Sahib in Punjab province of Pakistan where the mystic was born

One of his most famous sakhis that my Mom used to narrate me during those hot summer evenings of Jodhpur was when He left his house to go around the world. He was very close to his sister and he promised her that when she will remember him from her heart, he will come back to meet her. One day when she was making roti, it puffed and she started crying because she remembered how her brother loved puffed rotis and next thing she knew He standing outside the door asking her to serve the roti before it went cold. Maybe because I never had a sister, I always found this story the most heartwarming of all his sakhis.

Bibi Nanki, the mystic's sister, saying him goodbye before he left for his travel

He literally traveled around the world from Pakistan to South India to Sikkim to Kashmir to Ladakh to Tibet to Mecca to Iran to Iraq. Like a true mystic he learned from the world around him and passed his wisdom to his followers. He saw how people were discriminating around the world with each other. The world was divided between castes, between Brahmin and Shudras, Shias and Sunnis. Religion was being used around the world to divide people more than unite them. He himself believed in Raam as much as he believed in Allah.

The mystic with his two followers, Bala (a hindu) and Mardana (a muslim), on his numerous travels

Influence of women on his life started from the love he shared for his sister. His view of women can be rightly summed from one of his writings, where he said, “From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all. O Nanak, only the True Lord is without a woman.”

His stories have remained but his teachings have been forgotten. His followers are now more interested in saving the religion rather than understanding his teachings. The tension between Hindus and Muslims have only increased with time. While His remains, which turned to flowers when Hindus wanted to cremate his body and Muslims wanted to bury his body, still bloom in another rustic town of Pakistan.

Gurudwara Darbar Shib, Kartarpur, Pakistan, where the mystic turned into flowers

Happy Guru Nanak Jayanti !!