Lives of the Gurus · 1st Guru

Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469–1539): Life, Four Udasis, Teachings, Bani and Sacred Places — Complete Exam Notes

Guru Nanak Dev Ji founded the Sikh faith and shaped the spiritual and social outlook of Punjab for the next five centuries. This guide follows his life in order — childhood at Talwandi, service at Sultanpur Lodhi, the long journeys, the settled years at Kartarpur — and then summarises his message, his compositions and the shrines connected with him. Practice questions at the end test the points examiners favour.

By PunjabExams Editorial Team · Updated 29 October 2026 · 8 min read · How we prepare guides

Life at a glance

His birth anniversary, Prakash Purab, is celebrated on Kartik Puranmashi (the full moon of Kartik, usually in November) according to long-standing tradition, even though some early sources place his birth in April.

Childhood at Talwandi

Talwandi was a village held by Rai Bular Bhatti, a Muslim landlord who, according to the Janamsakhis, was among the first to recognise the boy's spiritual gifts. The child was sent to a village teacher, a pandit and a maulvi, and he is said to have surprised each of them with questions about the purpose of learning. When the janeu (sacred thread) ceremony was arranged, he declined to wear it, asking for a thread of compassion and contentment instead — an early sign of his rejection of empty ritual.

Sacha Sauda — the "true bargain"

His father gave him twenty rupees to make a profitable deal. On the way, he met a group of hungry sadhus and spent the money on food for them, calling it the "true bargain". Gurdwara Sacha Sauda at Chuharkana (Pakistan) marks the place. The story is often quoted as the root of the Sikh practice of langar.

Sultanpur Lodhi and the call

As a young man he moved to Sultanpur Lodhi, where his sister Bebe Nanaki lived with her husband Jai Ram. He took charge of the modikhana (state granary/store) of Nawab Daulat Khan Lodi and was known for honest weighing — tradition says he would pause at the count of tera ("thirteen", also "yours") and keep repeating it, lost in thought of God.

Around the age of thirty, he went to bathe in the Kali Bein and disappeared for three days. On returning, his first words were "there is no Hindu and no Musalman" — meaning that people should be seen by their deeds, not by labels. From this point his public mission began. Gurdwara Ber Sahib stands at the spot; the rivulet was cleaned in a community-led effort in the 2000s.

The four udasis

Between roughly 1500 and 1521 he made four great journeys (udasis), mostly on foot, with Bhai Mardana.

At each place he joined debate with the holy men of that tradition. At Haridwar, seeing people throwing water towards the rising sun for their ancestors, he threw water towards the west, saying that if their water could reach the dead, his could reach his fields in Punjab. At Mecca, he is said to have lain with his feet towards the Kaaba and answered that God is in every direction.

Meeting with Babur

In 1521, during Babur's attack on Saidpur (Eminabad), Guru Nanak Dev Ji was taken prisoner along with others. Tradition holds that Babur, impressed by him, released him and the other captives. The hymns now called Babarvani describe the cruelty of the invasion with rare frankness, and are among the earliest Punjabi accounts of a historical event.

Kartarpur: a model community

After the udasis, the Guru settled at Kartarpur on the right bank of the Ravi. Here he lived as a householder and farmer, and the community followed a daily routine:

• early-morning recitation and singing of hymns (kirtan);
• honest work in the fields;
• a shared kitchen where all ate together;
• evening prayer and discussion.

This settled life showed that spiritual life did not require renunciation. It was at Kartarpur that Bhai Lehna of Khadur came, served the Guru with complete devotion, and was chosen as successor in preference to the Guru's own sons. The Guru renamed him Angad, "a limb of my own body".

Sri Chand, the elder son, became the founder of the Udasi order of ascetics, which later looked after many Sikh shrines.

Core teachings

1. Ik Onkar — there is one God, formless, beyond birth and death, present in all creation.
2. Naam japna, kirat karni, vand chhakna — remember God, earn honestly, share with others.
3. Equality — no caste is higher; he asked why woman should be called inferior when kings are born of her.
4. Against ritualism — pilgrimages, fasts and outward marks have no value without inner truth.
5. Seva and humility — service of others is service of God.
6. Grihasth — the householder's life is the right path, not withdrawal from the world.

His bani

Guru Nanak Dev Ji's compositions in the Guru Granth Sahib number close to a thousand hymns, set in 19 ragas. The best known are:

Places linked with Guru Nanak Dev Ji

• Nankana Sahib (Pakistan) — Gurdwara Janam Asthan, birthplace.
• Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala) — Gurdwara Ber Sahib.
• Batala (Gurdaspur) — Gurdwara Kandh Sahib, linked to his wedding.
• Hasan Abdal (Pakistan) — Gurdwara Panja Sahib, with a rock bearing a hand-print.
• Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur) — starting point of the Kartarpur Corridor, opened in November 2019 on his 550th Prakash Purab.
• Kartarpur (Pakistan) — Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, where he passed away.

Exam traps

• His father's name is Mehta Kalu, also written Kalyan Das; do not confuse with Bhai Mardana, his companion.
• The Udasi sect was founded by his son Sri Chand, while the udasis are the Guru's own journeys.
• Kartarpur of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is on the Ravi in Pakistan; Kartarpur near Jalandhar was founded later by Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

Key points to remember

• 1469 Talwandi → Sultanpur Lodhi (modikhana, Kali Bein) → four udasis → Kartarpur (d. 1539).
• Sacha Sauda — feeding hungry sadhus with twenty rupees.
• Babarvani — hymns on Babur's attack on Saidpur (1521).
• About a thousand hymns in 19 ragas; Japji Sahib opens the Guru Granth Sahib.
• Chose Bhai Lehna (Guru Angad Dev Ji) over his sons.

Practice questions

1. Q1. Guru Nanak Dev Ji worked in the modikhana of:

   • (a) Ibrahim Lodi
   • (b) Daulat Khan Lodi
   • (c) Babur
   • (d) Rai Bular Bhatti
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Daulat Khan Lodi — At Sultanpur Lodhi he managed the granary of Nawab Daulat Khan Lodi.

2. Q2. The 'Sacha Sauda' episode refers to:

   • (a) Buying land at Kartarpur
   • (b) Feeding hungry sadhus with money meant for trade
   • (c) His first udasi
   • (d) Meeting Babur
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Feeding hungry sadhus with money meant for trade — He spent twenty rupees on food for hungry sadhus and called it the true bargain.

3. Q3. The hymns of Guru Nanak Dev Ji describing Babur's invasion are called:

   • (a) Asa di Var
   • (b) Sidh Gosht
   • (c) Babarvani
   • (d) Barah Maha
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Babarvani — Babarvani describes the attack on Saidpur (Eminabad).

4. Q4. The Udasi sect was founded by:

   • (a) Bhai Mardana
   • (b) Sri Chand
   • (c) Lakhmi Das
   • (d) Bhai Bala
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) Sri Chand — Sri Chand, the elder son of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, founded the Udasi order.

5. Q5. Guru Nanak Dev Ji's hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib are set in how many ragas?

   • (a) 15
   • (b) 19
   • (c) 22
   • (d) 31
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) 19 — His compositions appear in 19 ragas.

6. Q6. The Kartarpur Corridor was opened on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev Ji's:

   • (a) 500th Prakash Purab
   • (b) 525th Prakash Purab
   • (c) 550th Prakash Purab
   • (d) 600th Prakash Purab
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) 550th Prakash Purab — It opened in November 2019, the 550th Prakash Purab.

Frequently asked questions

Who were Guru Nanak Dev Ji's children?

Two sons, Sri Chand and Lakhmi Das.

Where did Guru Nanak Dev Ji receive his call to preach?

At Sultanpur Lodhi, after immersing himself in the Kali Bein; Gurdwara Ber Sahib marks the place.

What is Sidh Gosht?

A composition recording Guru Nanak Dev Ji's dialogue with the yogis (Siddhas).

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