Guru Nanak Dev Ji
Guru Nanak Jayanti
Gurpurab: the first Guru's light, kept with prayer, procession, and the open kitchen.
Tithi: Kartik Purnima
In the simplest words
Prakash Parv, the birthday of Guru Nanak, whose first teaching was 'there is no Hindu, no Musalman: there is One'. Langar feeds everyone, equally.
The story & purpose
Born at Talwandi, now Nankana Sahib, in 1469, Nanak emerged from three days' disappearance in the river with one sentence: 'There is no Hindu, there is no Musalman.' The One he sang, Ik Onkar, is truth beyond every label; his path is honest work, remembrance of the Name, and sharing what one has.
The rest of the story
Gurpurab is kept with the akhand path, the Guru Granth Sahib read unbroken for forty-eight hours, prabhat pheris at dawn, nagar kirtan behind the Panj Pyare, and langar where every caste and creed eats in one row. Kartik Purnima gives Hindus and Sikhs a shared night of lamps.
What is done
Akhand path
The 48-hour unbroken reading concluding on the morning of the Gurpurab.
Nagar kirtan
The Guru Granth Sahib processes under a flower canopy with shabad and seva.
Langar
The open kitchen for all, the day's living heart; lending hands is the truest attendance.
Best timings
Prabhat pheris before dawn; diwan and langar through the day; lamps at night.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition; for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
The Golden Temple's illuminated reflection tonight is one of India's defining images.
Nanak's four udasis, great journeys, reached Assam, Lanka, Tibet, and Mecca.
His hymns sit within the Guru Granth Sahib beside Kabir, Ravidas, and Farid, the subcontinent singing together.
Mantras of this festival
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः
Shanti mantra — threefold peace
Begin jaap →सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिनः सर्वे सन्तु निरामयाः । सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु मा कश्चिद्दुःखभाग्भवेत् ॥
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah
Begin jaap →गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः । गुरुः साक्षात् परब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥
Guru Brahma — salutation to the teacher
Begin jaap →