Founded by the mystic-poet-philosopher Guru Nanak (1469-1539), Sikhism is one of the world’s most humane and egalitarian faiths, and also one of the youngest. From Punjab, his birthplace, Nanak took his message of ‘Ek Onkar’—’One God’—to many parts of the Indian Subcontinent and the rest of Asia, travelling long distances. The One God, he preached, is Truth and is Eternal, and pervades all that exists—every being and all matter. This shared divinity makes everyone equal, and therefore to serve humanity is to serve the One God. This carefully chosen selection comprises those of Nanak’s hymns that communicate the essence of this egalitarian and deeply human religious philosophy. They are arranged in four thematic sections:
One God and Remembrance of His Name
Creation of the Universe
Universal Equality and Justice
Rejection of Ritualism and Superstition
Nirmal Gill’s sensitive and fluent English translations of these hymns—together with the originals in Gurmukhi script and Roman transliteration—bring the heart and soul of Guru Nanak’s timeless message to modern readers.