Guru Nanak Quotes

Guru Nanak travelled far and wide teaching people the message of one God who dwells in every one of God’s creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. He setup a unique spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternity love, goodness, and virtue .

Nanak describes the dangers of egotism (haumai- “I am”) and calls upon devotees to engage in worship through the word of God. Naam, implies God, the Reality, mystical word or formula to recite or meditate upon (shabad in Gurbani), divine order (hukam) and at places divine teacher (guru) and guru’s instructions) and singing of God’s qualities, discarding doubt in the process. However, such worship must be selfless (sewa). The word of God, cleanses the individual to make such worship possible. This is related to the revelation that God is the Doer and without God there is no other. Nanak warned against hypocrisy and falsehood saying that these are pervasive in humanity and that religious actions can also be in vain. It may also be said that ascetic practices are disfavoured by Nanak, who suggests remaining inwardly detached whilst living as a householder.

Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.

God is one, but he has innumerable forms. He is the creator of all and He himself takes the human form.

I am neither a child, a young man, nor an ancient; nor am I of any caste.

Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die.

Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God.

Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss.

I bow at His Feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the Way.

The production of children, the nurture of those born, and the daily life of men, of these matters woman is visibly the cause.

Sing the songs of joy to the Lord, serve the Name of the Lord, and become the servant of His servants.

The production of children, the nurture of those born, and the daily life of men, of these matters woman is visibly the cause.

That one plant should be sown and another be produced cannot happen; whatever seed is sown, a plant of that kind even comes forth.

I am not the born; how can there be either birth or death for me?

Offspring, the due performance on religious rites, faithful service, highest conjugal happiness and heavenly bliss for the ancestors and oneself, depend on one’s wife alone.

Owing to ignorance of the rope the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the Self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the Self.

From its brilliancy everything is illuminated.

One cannot comprehend Him through reason, even if one reasoned for ages.

Thou has a thousand eyes and yet not one eye; Thou host a thousand forms and yet not one form.

Through shallow intellect, the mind becomes shallow, and one eats the fly, along with the sweets.

Whatever be the qualities of the man with whom a woman is united according to the law, such qualities even she assumes, like a river, united with the ocean.