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 simply '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 that reset everything: 'There is no Hindu, there is no Musalman.' The One he sang — Ik Onkar — is truth beyond every label; his path, honest work, remembrance of the Name, and sharing what one has.
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 →