When Satguru Nanak emerged, the fog cleared and there was light
As if the sun rose and dispelled the darkness
— Bhai Gurdas
Born into an age of darkness, tyranny, and broken faith. He came to remind a fractured world that all human beings are children of One God.
In the fifteenth century, India was in the grip of one of its darkest ages. For over five hundred years, murderous invaders from the west had looted, massacred, and left the Punjab in ruins. The kings of the land had become instruments of oppression. In Guru Nanak's own words:
The Dark times are like a knife, and the kings are butchers
Righteousness has taken wings
In this dark night of falsehood, the moon of Truth is nowhere to be seen.
— Raag Manjh, Guru Nanak
The Hindu majority lived under absolute domination, paying jizya tax simply to protect their lives. A rigid caste system divided society from within. Brahmins promoted superstition and blind ritual. Muslim Qazis enforced a harsh orthodoxy. Women had no standing. The poor had no voice.
Into this darkness, a child was born in Talwandi in 1469. His name was Nanak.
From his earliest years, it was clear that Nanak was unlike any child before him. He confounded his teachers. He questioned the empty ceremonies that passed for religion. He refused the sacred thread — the janeu — that would have marked his place in the caste hierarchy. He disappeared into the forest to meditate. And then, at the age of twenty-seven, he walked into the Bein River and did not come out for three days.
When Guru Nanak emerged, he carried a declaration that would change the world: There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim. All are children of One God.
He would spend the next twenty-three years walking — to Sri Lanka, Tibet, Assam, Baghdad, and Mecca — carrying that message to every corner of the known world. His teachings were radical in their simplicity: worship One God, live truthfully, serve others, treat all as equals. His 974 hymns, composed in the divine language of Gurbani, are enshrined in Sri Guru Granth Sahib — the eternal living Guru of the Sikhs.
This first volume covers Guru Nanak's life from birth through his enlightenment — the foundation upon which one of the world's great faiths was built.
What's inside:
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The Age: The political and religious conditions of fifteenth-century India — and why the world was ready for Guru Nanak
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The Birth: Guru Nanak's arrival at Talwandi and the signs that accompanied it — including the accounts of Daulatan Dai and Pundit Hardayal
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The Child: Early episodes of his extraordinary benevolence, his rapid mastery of learning, and his earliest compositions of Gurbani
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The Refusal: Guru Nanak's rejection of the janeu — the sacred thread — and what it meant for the age he was born into
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The Miracles: God's grace around Guru Nanak in the forests of Talwandi and in the fields where he grazed cattle
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Sacha Sauda: His father's first trade mission — and the lesson Guru Nanak taught about true commerce
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The Disappearance: Guru Nanak enters the Bein River — and returns with a message for all of humanity
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The Declaration: Almost every page reveals a new facet of Guru Nanak's teachings and philosophy — drawn directly from Gurbani
Perfect for:
- Children aged 7 and up (and the adults reading alongside them)
- Gurdwara Sunday school programs and Sikh Studies classes
- Parents and grandparents wanting to pass the life and teachings of Guru Nanak to the next generation
- Anyone curious about the origins of the Sikh faith and the extraordinary life of its founder
Book details:
Paperback · English · Published 2012 · Publisher: Sikh Comics
Volume 1 of 5 — covering Guru Nanak's life from birth to enlightenment. Also available as a complete five-volume set.
An illustrated Sikh children's book bringing the life and teachings of Guru Nanak to vivid life — one sakhi at a time.
Begin the journey with Volume 1 and follow Guru Nanak's extraordinary life across all five volumes. Part of the Sikh Comics series — explore the full collection.
Also available in Punjabi — ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ - ਪਹਿਲੇ ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ, ਭਾਗ ੧ (Guru Nanak Dev Ji — Pehle Sikh Guru, Bhaag 1)
