Guru Nanak Meets Bahlol In Baghdad

Baghdad was, in Nanak's time, a centre of Muslim culture - it was home to pirs and sufi fakirs. Guru Nanak stayed in Baghdad for four months and interacted with the holy men there, one of whom was Bahlol.

Guru Nanak sang of the infinity of God and His infinite creation. Bahlol said that the Qur'an had mentioned seven earths and seven heavens only. Guru Nanak urged that the universe was not confined to seven earths and seven heavens but had millions and millions of planets and worlds and the Guru greeted all in the name of Sat Kartar.

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Guru Nanak: Founder of the Sikh religion in the fifteenth century.

(See also: Guru Nanak, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Udasis: Guru Nanaks order of ascetics are called Udasis. They correspond to Sannyasins and Vairagis. They are indifferent to the sensual pleasures of this world (Udasina). Hence they are called Udasis.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

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The Guru occupies a strategic relevance in the Sikh society, as the guidance of the Guru towards the attainment of Moksha -release - is absolutely essential. He is only a shade lighter rather than the supremacy of the Almighty. Here is a brief description of the ten gurus of Sikhism.

Read more here: » Sikhism: The Ten Gurus of Sikhism

It is paradoxical that while prophets and sages of all religions preached love, priests have often preached hatred of those who did not subscribe to their brand of God. Unfortunately, disrespect for another's faith whips up communal passions.

Founders of various religions were simple and humble people. Buddha, Mahavir, Jesus, Prophet Mohammed, Guru Nanak and Krishna all promoted peace and harmony. None exhorted their followers to build temples, churches or mosques - these were created many centuries after the death of the founders.

(See also: Religion and tolerance, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

India needs rejuvenation. This rejuvenation will come only with the revival of our great Indian ideals. India needs shakti. For this, extensive re-building needs to be initiated for the country to acquire physical, mental and spiritual strength.

For creating this stupendous energy, India needs a new spiritual awakening. A new direction. The inspiration for such an awakening could come from a prophet of peace, for instance, someone like Guru Nanak, who proclaimed: "Love the saints of every faith, Put away the pride! The essence of religion is Humility, service, and sympathy.  Not fine clothes, Not the yogi'sgarb and ashes, Not the blowing of horn, Not the shaven head, Not long prayers...".

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The path of spiritual progress leading to Self-realisation, propagated by Gurudeva Mangatram is the Surat Shabd Yoga, the path advocated by a number of spiritual teachers like Vasisht and Patanjali in ancient times and saints like Kabir and Guru Nanak in mediaeval times.

Gurudeva's teaching includes the themes of bhakti yoga, gnana yoga, nishkam karma yoga and surat shabd yoga . At this stage of experience, the moolmantra was revealed unto young Mangat: Om Brahman alone is being, without shape and form, One without a second, all pervasive, blessing incarnate. To him, the Supreme Lord, we offer our salutations.

(See also: Gurudeva Mangatram, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Idol worship, caste and ascetic austerity had no place in Nanak's religion. He believed in one God, Ek Omkar ; singing His praises was the best way of devotion. He advocated listening to kirtan or hymn singing and set his compositions to music in suitable ragas or melodies.

Nanak was 27 when he went out to spread the Name of God expounding the message of 'true path'. With Mardana as companion, he travelled throughout the country, going as far as Tibet in the north and Sri Lanka in the south. He even visited Mecca. Wherever he went, his hymn-singing drew large crowds. Mardana would faithfully reproduce notes on the rabab as Nanak sang his way to the hearts of the listeners.

(See also: Nanak, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Jains feel that the values like love, joy and peace can be achieved only through caring for others, understanding the pain of others and reaching out to other human beings. Anger, confusion, egoism and intolerance cause harm to one's self and to the 'other'. But the negative energies suffocate, choke, distress and disturb. Love should not be in the form of words alone. It should reach out to people who need peace, mercy, joy, comfort, sympathy, food, clothing and medicines. This is love in its active, not passive manifestation, but true love is forgiveness for self sake.

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A striking feature of the Adi Granth - popularly called the Guru Granth Sahib - is its distinctly lilting literary flavour, eloquently described as the "musicalisation of thought".

Even as one pays homage to Guru Granth Sahib, on the 400th anniversary of its being established as the Holy Book and as the eternal Guru of the Sikh faith, one is struck by the rich literary underpinnings of this compilation and the systematic manner in which each part has been set to music.

(See also: Adi Granth, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Bhakti is founded in a spirit of universal fellowship and poetry is one more expression of this same fellowship. The verses of Mirabai, Tulsidas, Kabir, Ravidas and Tukaram are quoted frequently by people from all strata of life. Their poetry expresses concern about life: its difficulties, the loneliness, hypocrisy and pain. The bhakti poets seek God's help to sustain them on this difficult journey. So even today, through their poetry, the bhakti saints continue to influence our daily lives.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

In Sikhism Vaṇḍ Chakkō (Punjabi: ਵੰਡ ਛੱਕੋ) is a technique and method which means share it as you consume it. This could be wealth, food. etc. Gurus: Guru Nanak Dev | Guru Angad Dev | Guru Amar Das | Guru Ram Das | Guru Arjan Dev | Guru Har Gobind | Guru Har Rai | Guru Har Krishan | Guru Teg Bahadur | Guru Gobind Singh | Guru Granth Sahib | Sikh Bhagats Philosophy:

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A journey, in this case Guru Nanak's travel to many areas, going from the Punjab, to Mecca, Tibet, all the way to Rome, south of Russia, south of China, etc. ...

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Guru Angad Dev (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅੰਗਦ ਦੇਵ) (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552) was the second of The Ten Gurus of Sikhism. He became Guru on 7 September 1539 following in the footsteps of Guru Nanak, who was the founder of the Sikh religion. Before becoming the second Guru, he was known as Lehna. This second Sikh Guru contributed the following to the people of the world: To do Niskam Sewa Selfless Service to humanity. Completely surrender to the Will of God. Disapproval of exhibitionism and hypocrisy. Standa ...

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Sikhism was established by ten Gurus, teachers or masters, over the period 1469 to 1708. These teachers, believed to be sent from God for the troubled people of the land, were enlightened souls whose main purpose in life was the spiritual and moral well-being of the masses, or the equivalent of Prophets & Messiahs of the other major respective monotheist religions. Each master added to and reinforced the message taught by the previous, resulting to the creation of the religion of Sikhism. Guru Nanak was the first Guru and Guru Gobind Singh the final Guru in human form. When Guru Gobind Singh left this world, he made th ...

Including:

• The Sikh Gurus - The Ten Gurus of Sikhism

Read more here: » The Sikh Gurus: Encyclopedia - The Sikh Gurus

Waheguru (Punjabi: ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ) means "The Wonderful Lord" in the Punjabi language. God has many names in Sikhism and Waheguru is probably the most important. Others words for God are: Ek Onkar, Onkar, Satguru, Satnaam (true name), Akal-Purkh, Hari, Raam and Pritam. Gurus: Guru Nanak Dev | Guru Angad Dev | Guru Amar Das | Guru Ram Das | Guru Arjan Dev | Guru Har Gobind | Guru Har Rai | Guru Har Kri

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Bhagat refers to a Holy Person who leads humanity towards God. A Bhagat is an Eastern equivalent to a Christian Saint. A Bhagat may also be a Guru in which case he would have a huge following or Sangat. A Bhagat does not usually preach to attract supporters but preach to highlight injustices in practises of the world. In Sikhism, there are over 15 Bhagats who came before the birth of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1469. The teachings of these Sikh Bhagats are given the same prominence in the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book as the t ...

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Guru Gobind Singh (Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ) (Patna, Bihar, India, December 22, 1666 – October 7, 1708, Nanded, Maharashtra,India) was the tenth and last of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Guru on November 11, 1675 following in the footsteps of his father Guru Teg Bahadur. Before he died, he nominated the Guru Granth Sahib as the next perpetual Guru of the Si ...

Including:

• Guru Gobind Singh - Audio

Read more here: » Guru Gobind Singh: Encyclopedia - Guru Gobind Singh

Una is one of the Districts of Himachal Pradesh, and shares its border with Punjab. The terrain is plain with small hills. Una has been identified as a main industrial hub, as the city finds its place on a roadmap for future industrial sprees. Over the years, Una has turned into transit town for travelers going to the Buddhist town of Dharamsala or the Himalayas. Una is home to the "Killa", which is a historical fort, ancestral home of the descendants of the ...

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