Guru Nanak: The Discipline of Deeds
Professor Sunil Khilnani profiles Guru Nanak, the 15th-century founder of the Sikh religion.
Today's Incarnation is a poet who established one of the great world religions: Guru Nanak, the 15th century founder of Sikhism.
Like the Buddha and Mahavira, the founder of the Jain religion, Nanak was a wanderer. He spent 25 years on the road and is said to have travelled as far as Mecca and the Himalayas. But, unlike his predecessors, when he had achieved enlightenment he returned to his homelands in the Punjab. He taught his disciples that, rather than renouncing the world and retreating from it, they must use their faith to change it from within. Nanak's 'disciplined worldliness' emphasised the importance of work and family.
He also instituted an idea which is practised in Sikh temples all over the world. Sunil Khilnani visits the Gurudwara Nanak Piao in Delhi as they serve the langar, a meal provided by volunteers to anyone who comes, regardless of status, sex or religion. Everybody eats together in an equalizing act, a dispelling of the taboos designed to protect caste boundaries.
Sunil explores the life of a man whose ideas were polemical and provocative. In announcing that "there is neither Hindu nor Muslim" Nanak wasn't proposing a harmonious blend of religions. Instead, he was rejecting other paths and creating an entirely new religion, one which now has around 30 million followers.
Producer: Jeremy Grange
Original music composed by Talvin Singh.
Last on
More episodes
Maths expressed as poetry
Aryabhata is the 5th century Sanskrit mathematician who wrote his theories in verse.
What would the ancient sage and father of medicine's top tips for a healthy life be?
Broadcasts
- Wed 27 May 2015 13:45成人快手 Radio 4
- Wed 3 Feb 2016 14:15成人快手 Radio 4 Extra
- Thu 4 Feb 2016 02:15成人快手 Radio 4 Extra
Remarkable individuals who shaped India, and sometimes the world.
Incarnations - The Podcast
Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.
Incarnations: Art and Music
The artists who created the illustrations and music for the series.
Podcast
-
Incarnations: India in 50 Lives
The history of India told through the lives of 50 phenomenal people.