Sikh Beliefs and Gurus
Core beliefs Monotheist: Believe in one God, known as Waheguru (“Wonderful Lord”) Waheguru has never walked Earth in a human body. Is omnipresent, however, and prayers can be sad at any time. Believe that God made and loves all people. Anything that promotes inequality is not of God.
Kirat Karni “Dignity of one’s labour” A person’s word must be legal and ethical Serving others through charity (seva) is also considered important A vegetarian meal called a langar is part of every Gurdwara service. Meal is served by volunteers as part of seva
Afterlife People are accountable to Waheguru for their actions Souls are reincarnated, with Waheguru determining the next form of life Can be released from cycle through devotion to God, and achieve release, called mukti
Gurus There are 10 “gurus” or spiritual guides in Sikhism, men whose statements and actions form the core beliefs of Sikhism. The Sikh holy text, the Guru Granth Sahib, acts as the final guru or teacher.
Guru Nanak 1469-1539 Founded Sikhism Spiritual revelations recorded as hymns in Guru Granth Sahib (974 hymns) Promoted equality, including equality of women Rejected authority of Vedas Started tradition of Langar meals
Guru Angad 1504-1552 Spiritual revelations in Guru Granth Sahib (63 stanzas) Strengthened the base of Sikhism Standardized the script used to write the Guru Granth Sahib and the Punjabi language (Gurumukhi) Opened schools
Guru Amar Das 1479-1574 Wrote 869 verses of the Guru Granth Sahib Preached against the Hindu ‘sati’ system (wherein women used to burn themselves alive at their husband’s funeral pyre) and against the Muslim ‘purdah’ (a veil sometimes worn by Muslim women).
Guru Ram Das 1534-1581 638 hymns in the Guru Granth Sahib Composed a code of marriage unique to Sikhism Laid the foundation stone for Amritsar Decried caste system
Guru Arjan 1563-1606 Compiled the Guru Granth Sahib in August of 1604 Contributed 2000 verses to Guru Granth Sahib Built a house for lepers First martyr of Sikh religion, tortured and executed on the orders of Mughal emperor Jahangir
Guru Har Gobind 1595-1644 Started practice of maintaining an army of warrior-saints Waged war against Jahangir and Shah Jahan
Guru Har Rai 1630-1661 Sheltered Dara Shikoh, heir of Shah Jahan Persecuted for charges of anti- Islamic blasphemy for verses of Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Har Krishan 1656-1664 Died at the age of 8 due to smallpox, while healing the sick during an epidemic
Guru Tegh Bahadur 1621-1675 Opposed forced conversions of Hindu pandits by Muslims Was imprisoned, tortured and executed as a result. Contributed many hymns to Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Gobind Singh 1666-1708 Founded the Khalsa (initiated Sikhs). Foundation of Khalsa celebrated in a festival called Vaisakhi Passed on Guruship to the Guru Granth Sahib
Guru Granth Sahib 1708 - The collected wisdom andf teachings of the previous ten gurus Declared by Guru Gobind Singh to be the final Guru, for all of eternity