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Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten gurus of the Sikhs. He was born in 1469 in Taiwandi, a village near Lahore in Pakistan. The Sikhs celebrate his birth every year on the Pooranmashi (full moon day)in the lunar month of Katak.
His father, Kalayan Das Mehta, also known as Mehta Kalu, was a local patwari (accountant) for crop revenue in Taiwandi. He lived with his mother, Mata Tripta and elder sister Bebey Nanki. Guru Nanak, from an early age, mastered in Vedas and Sanskrit and was enrolled in a Madrassa to study Persian and Arabic languages.
Guru Nanak married Sulkhni in 1487 and was blessed with two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das. In 1485, he was appointed as an official in charge of the government's grainery in Sultanpur. It was there that he came into contact with Mardana, a Muslim minstrel (Mirasi) and turned to spiritualism. His first statement after his prophetic communion with God was "There is no Hindu, nor any Mussalman."
Guru Nanak founded and formalized the three pillars of Sikhism:
1. Naam Japna or reciting, chanting, singing and remembering God's name and virtues.
2. Kirat Karni or doing good deeds, earning a honest, pure and truthful livelihood by hard labor for the benefit and improvement of the individual, their family and society at large.
3. Vand Chakna or giving charity to poor and needy and helping others in the community who need help.
Guru Nanak preached against discrimination and prejudices due to race, caste, status, etc. He also preached that there is ONE God and pleasing him should be the goal of every human. He also promoted women's rights and equality.
Guru Nanak is remembered by various names like Satguru Nanak, Baba Nanak, Nanak Shah Faqir, Bhagat Nanak, Nanak Kalandar etc. by people from different religions and cults.
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