Introduction To 'Guru Nanak's Relationship With Lodis And Mughals' By Gurmit Singh

Guru Nanak was born in 1469 A.D. at a village named Rae Bhoe di Talwandi. which was later on named Nankana Sahib (Now in Pakistan). He spent fifteen years at his birth place, after which he was sent by his father, Mehta Kalu to Sultanpur Lodi where Jai Ram, Nanak's brother-in-law, was serving as Dewan (Minister) to Nawab Daulat Khan Lodi, Subedar (Governor) of Sultanpur province. Jai Ram got Nanak appoint­ed as Modi (Store Keeper) in the service of the Nawab in 1485. This was a modestly respectable post, but demanding a high standard of honesty. Nanak discharged his duties with admir­able honesty and served for about fifteen years. During this period, Nanak's detachment towards the world grew deeper and deeper with the passage of time-although he continued to lead a house-holder's life and two sons were born to him: Sri Chand in 1493 and Lakshmi Chand in 1496. During the period of service Nanak passed most of his spare time in Bhakti (Devotion). He would hold 'Kirtans' in the evenings, and would sing his own devotional compositions at these spiritual gather­ings-all the people present joining in the singing.

ln 1499 or 1500 Nanak gave up his worldly duties and start­ed on his first travel (called 'Udasi') to spread his spiritual message and mission to the world. So the year 1500 A.D. can be taken as the year in which the Guruship of Nanak started in a regular way.

After Guru Nanak, there came nine Gurus, the last being Guru Gobind Singh whose soul merged in the universal soul in 1708 at Nanded (Maharashtra). Guru Gobind Singh declared, before leaving off his mortal body, that after him the Sikh scripture, Granth Sahib, should be regarded as 'Guru' and that there would be no personal Guru in future.

Thus the period of personal Guruship may be taken to cover about 208 years, i.e. from 1500 to 1708 A.D.