The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469.
Etymology and definition
Guru (, ; ,
Punjabi language: ਗੁਰੂ, IAST:
guru) is a
Sanskrit term for a "
teacher,
guide,
expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field.
[Stefan Pertz (2013), The Guru in Me - Critical Perspectives on Management, GRIN Verlag, , p. 2–3.] Bhai Vir Singh, in his dictionary of Guru Granth Sahib describes the term
Guru as a combination of two separate units: "Gu;(ਗੁ)" meaning darkness and "Rū;(ਰੂ)" which means light.
Hence,
Guru is who brings light into darkness or in other words, the one who enlightens. Bhai Vir Singh's definition provides further insight about
Sikhism itself and explains why Guru Granth Sahib is considered the living Guru. The word
Sikhs is derived from the
Sanskrit term
shishya (
Punjabi language: ਸਿੱਖ) which means a disciple or a student. Thus,
Sikhs have a student–teacher relationship with their Gurus since their teachings, written in Guru Granth Sahib, serve as a guide for the Sikhs.
According to Sikh beliefs, all the Gurus contained the same light or soul and their physical body was a vessel for containing the same essence. When one Guru passed, the successor inherited this light and that is why the Gurus are also referred to as Mahallah (house).
The gurus
|
|
| 1 | Guru Nanak | | 14 April 1469 [Officially observed on Kartik Purnima (October–November)] | Since birth | Nankana Sahib, Punjab, Delhi Sultanate | Bedi Khatri | Mehta Kalu | Mata Tripta | | Natural causes | Kartarpur, Punjab, Mughal Empire |
| 2 | Guru Angad | | 31 March 1504 | 7 September 1539 | Muktsar, Punjab, Mughal Empire | Trehan Khatri | Baba Pheru Mal | Mata Ramo | | Natural causes | Khadur Sahib, Punjab, Mughal Empire |
| 3 | Guru Amar Das | | 5 May 1479 | 26 April 1552 | Amritsar, Punjab, Mughal Empire | Bhalla Khatri | Tej Bhan Bhalla | Mata Lachmi | | Natural causes | Goindval, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 4 | Guru Ram Das | | 24 September 1534 | 1 September 1574 | Lahore, Punjab, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Baba Har Das | Mata Daya | | Natural causes | Goindval, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 5 | Guru Arjan | | 15 April 1563 | 1 September 1581 | Goindval, Punjab, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Guru Ram Das | Mata Bhani | | Execution by Mughal Emperor Jahangir | Lahore, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 6 | Guru Hargobind | | 19 June 1595 | 25 May 1606 | Amritsar, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Guru Arjan | Mata Ganga | | Natural causes | Kiratpur Sahib, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 7 | Guru Har Rai | | 16 January 1630 | 3 March 1644 | Kiratpur Sahib, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Baba Gurditta | Mata Nihal Kaur | | Natural causes | Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 8 | Guru Har Krishan | | 7 July 1656 | 7 October 1661 | Kiratpur Sahib, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Guru Har Rai | Mata Krishan Kaur | | Smallpox | Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 9 | Guru Tegh Bahadur | | 1 April 1621 | 20 March 1664 | Amritsar, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Guru Hargobind | Mata Nanaki | | Execution by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb | Delhi, Delhi Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 10 | Guru Gobind Singh | | 14 February 1666 | 11 November 1675 | Patna Sahib, Bihar Subah, Mughal Empire | Sodhi Khatri | Guru Tegh Bahadur | Mata Gujri | | Assassinated by Jamshed Khan and Wasil Beg on order of Wazir Khan | Hazur Sahib, Bidar Subah, Mughal Empire |
| 11 | Guru Panth[Sikh Rehat Maryada: Section Six, Chapter XIII, Article XXIII, a.] | | Vaisakhi, April 1699 | Kesgarh Qila, Anandpur Sahib, Punjab | Casteless | Guru Gobind Singh (spirtually) | Mata Sahib Devan (spiritually) | Whilst prevalent in the 18th century, this manner of guruship went into decline following the rise of Ranjit Singh and is seldom evoked today, being overshadowed by the Guru Granth. |
| 12 | Guru Granth Sahib | | 29 August 1604
| 20 October 1708 | Amritsar, Lahore Subah, Mughal Empire
| The central holy scripture of Sikhism, regarded as the final, sovereign and eternal Guru. |
Timeline
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bar:Nanak text:"Guru Nanak Dev (1469–1539)"
bar:Angad text:"Guru Angad Dev (1504–1552)"
bar:Amar text:"Guru Amar Das (1479–1574)"
bar:Ram text:"Guru Ram Das (1534 –1581)"
bar:Arjan text:"Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606)"
bar:Hargobind text:"Guru Hargobind (1595–1644)"
bar:Har text:"Guru Har Rai (1630–1661)"
bar:HarK text:"Guru Har Krishan (1656–1664)"
bar:Tegh text:"Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)"
bar:Gobind text:"Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708)"
bar:Granth text:"Guru Granth Sahib (1708–present)"
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bar:Arjan from:1563 till:1606 color:5
bar:Hargobind from:1595 till:1644 color:6
bar:Har from:1630 till:1661 color:7
bar:HarK from:1656 till:1669 color:8
bar:Tegh from:1621 till:1675 color:9
bar:Gobind from:1666 till:1708 color:10
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Pedigrees
[Listed names and relations might vary from source to source since different aspects of Sikh history have been written by many individuals over the course of past six centuries]
Base of operations
Guru Nanak founded Kartarpur (
Narowal District) in the 1520s and remained there until his death in 1539.
Nanak's successor, Guru Angad, made his native
Khadur Sahib his headquarters and remained there throughout his guruship from 1539 to 1551.
Guru Amar Das founded
Goindwal and resided there from 1551 to 1574.
Guru Ram Das established
Amritsar (now called Amritsar) and remained there from 1574 to 1581.
Guru Arjan also resided at Amritsar but also founded the settlements of Kartarpur (Jalandhar),
Hargobindpur, and Tarn Taran.
Guru Hargobind had Amritsar as his base from 1606–1628 but shifted to Kartarpur between 1628–1634.
Guru Hargobind founded
Kiratpur Sahib in 1634, where he remained until his death in 1644.
Guru Har Rai resided at Kiratpur during his guruship, as did Guru Har Krishan.
The next Sikh guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, founded
Anandpur Sahib in 1664 and remained there until 1675, yet also travelled to distant areas, such as Dhaka and Patna in eastern India.
The tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, remained at Anandpur from 1675–1704.
He founded the settlements of
Paonta Sahib (1685) and
Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda) in 1705, where he remained for two years until he journeyed down south to
Nanded, dying in 1708.
See also
Notes
