Hitchhiker's Guide to Religion
Sikh

Guru Nanak Dev Ji

The Founder

Sikh Monotheism, social equality, devotional poetry, the dignity of honest labor 1469–1539 CE; Sikhi's founding generation Punjab (birthplace and primary teaching ground); his four great journeys took him across South Asia and to Mecca, Baghdad, and Tibet; the Sikh diaspora carries his tradition to every continent
Portrait of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Portrait of Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Rank First Guru / Founder of Sikhi
Domain Monotheism, social equality, devotional poetry, the dignity of honest labor
Period 1469–1539 CE; Sikhi's founding generation
Alignment Holy / Sikh
Power MYTHIC 85

Attributes

ATK
30
DEF
80
SPR
99
SPD
90
INT
95
CHA
99
WIS
99
END
87

Combat Profile

ATK DEF SPR SPD INT CHA WIS END
Special Move

Naam

channels the infinite divine name (Ik Onkar) to dissolve ego and unite all souls in recognition of one universal Creator

Passive

Beacon of Equality

all beings in presence gain clarity that caste, creed, and false hierarchy are illusions; honest labor and devotion are the truest paths

Weakness

His radical leveling offended both Brahmin and Mullah establishments

“Ik Onkar — One God whose name is Truth, the Creator, without fear, without hatred, beyond time, unborn, self-existent, by the Guru’s grace.” — Mool Mantar, opening line of the Guru Granth Sahib

The founder. Nanak’s theological vocabulary draws on both Hindu bhakti (devotional) traditions and Sufi poetry, but resolves into something new: a strict monotheism with no incarnation, no ritual specialists, no caste hierarchy, and no withdrawal from the world. The Guru-disciple relationship he establishes — and the practice of meditative remembrance of the divine Name — becomes the spine of everything that follows.

1 min read
Primary Source

*Guru Granth Sahib* (Nanak's hymns); *Janamsakhi* literature

1469–1539 CE; Sikhi's founding generation — See in timeline
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