Kartarpur corridor: The place where Guru Nanak practised and perfected what he preached

He spent the next 10 years at Sultanpur Lodhi where he attained enlightenment. “For the next 20 years, he traveled widely crisscrossing nations,” says Grewal. He came to Kartarpur rich with experiences gained from his interactions with rulers, common people, clergymen, and thinkers.

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The janam sakhis (birth stories) on Guru Nanak’s life say he was offered a piece of land by a Karori (administrator of a pargana) who was initially against him, but later became his disciple. Guru Nanak called it Kartarpur, and started living there with his parents, wife Mata Sulakhni and two sons, Sri Chand and Lakshmi Chand, thus demonstrating that he preferred the life of a householder to that of an ascetic.

THE GOAL OF LIFE

Nanak believed the supreme purpose of human life is to gain enlightenment or a state of union with God. It was at Kartarpur that he taught his followers the way to liberation by practising it. Grewal, who based his earlier book ‘Guru Nanak in History’ on Nanak’s compositions, says, “He did not favour a life of renunciation. On the contrary he felt that you can take up additional responsibilities after liberation, for then you know that your life is not meant for you alone but for the welfare of others.’’

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He wrote, “Ghaal khaye, pich hathon de, Nanak raah pehchane se (a person who works hard and shares the fruits of his labour can recognise the true path)”.

THE PATH

At Kartarpur, Guru Nanak practised what he preached – naam japo, kirrt karo, wand chhako (worship, work, and share) -as the path to liberation.

He and his followers cultivated the land at Kartarpur and also reared cattle. As per the janam sakhis, Nanak used to bring his cattle to graze at the well of Ranjita Randhawa, a landlord at Pakhoke Randhawa, now called Dera Baba Nanak from where the corridor starts, just 5-odd kilometres from Kartarpur.

Nanak believed in the importance of singing the praises of God as a way to gain liberation. He set up a dharamsal (a place where dharma or merit is earned) at Kartarpur where he and his followers would sing his compositions in the morning and evening.

Grewal says for 200 years, such places continued to be called dharamsal and it was only in the 18th century that these were called gurdwara (a place where Guru lives). “Nanak used the word dharamsal as a metaphor for earth where human beings had an opportunity to gain liberation,” says Grewal.

Besides kirtan (praise of God), Nanak also introduced his followers to ‘katha’, exposition of his composition or other issues.

It was at Kartarpur that Nanak started the concept of ‘langar’, a community meal prepared in a community kitchen where everyone would sit on the floor and eat together regardless of their social background.

As his followers began to swell, and people from afar came to visit him, they started gathering in large numbers on occasions like Diwali and Baisakhi. Historians says this is the reason the Khalsa was founded on Baisakhi day.

Guru Nanak’s compositions, including Japuji Sahib were the starting point of Granth Sahib, the holy book containing the compositions of gurus and other saints.

‘’It was at Kartarpur that Nanak gave the three Gs – gurdwara, the granth, and the guru himself – that underpin the Sikh faith,” says Grewal.

GURU-DISCIPLE TRADITION

It was also at Kartarpur that Nanak chose his successor in Angad Dev. While this was not new, he made the guru and disciple interchangeable. “He installed Angad on his seat by offering him a token sum of 5 kauris (shells used as currency) and a coconut, and then bowed before him. The guru thus became a disciple, and the disciple the guru,’’ says Grewal.

To sum up, Nanak believed that spiritual life is better pursued as a householder, for it allows you to help others. It was at Kartarpur that he gave the distinctive feature of Sikh identity – service before self.

Nanak preached that every human being, regardless of his family, caste, creed or gender, can attain liberation by following the three principles of work, worship and sharing. “His programme was of universal liberation and redemption.’’

This path, he practised and perfected at Kartarpur, where he breathed his last on September 22, 1539.

THE MAUSOLEUM

Baba Sukhdeep Singh Bedi, who claims to be the 17th generation descendant of Guru Nanak Dev, says when he passed away, both Hindus and Muslims wanted his remains. According to the janam sakhis, when they removed the white sheet, they found ‘phul’ (flowers) that they divided amongst themselves.

Historians say the flowers are a metaphor for remains. Bedi says they divided the white sheet and flowers into two. While the Muslims buried these under a mazaar, the Hindus put these in an urn and buried it alongside. Gurdwara Darbar Sahib came up on this place and the locals still pray at the mazaar there.

But a few years later, when the place got flooded, Nanak’s son Sri Chand dug up the urn and brought it to Pakhoke Randhawa (Dera Baba Nanak) where Gurdwara Dera Sahib was built on it. The well that Nanak used to frequent is also in the compound of this gurdwara.

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Over time, Nanak’s followers started observing the day of his enlightenment as his birth anniversary even though he was born in April in 1469. As Bhai Gurdas, a Sikh scholar in the early 17th century, put it, “Mitti dhund jag chaanan hoya, satguru Nanak pargatya (The darkness was dispelled and it was all light when an enlightened Guru Nanak appeared on the earth)”.