The pilgrim of peace: Guru Nanak’s 4 Udasis

When the Kali Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi released Guru Nanak Dev Ji from its mysterious embrace, he emerged not just as a man transformed, but as a messenger of the Eternal.
That revelation marked the beginning of one of the most extraordinary odysseys in spiritual history – the four great Udasis, or missionary journeys, undertaken by Guru Nanak across India and beyond. Over two decades and tens of thousands of miles, the Guru traversed mountains, deserts, and seas – from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka, from Mecca to Assam – spreading a message that transcended religion, caste, and creed.
Each journey – each Udasi – was not merely travel; it was a pilgrimage of peace, a dialogue with humanity, a revolution of compassion.
The First Udasi (1500-1506 CE): The Awakening of the East
The first journey took Guru Nanak eastward from Punjab through Delhi, Ayodhya, Banaras, Puri, Bengal, and up to Assam and Nepal. Accompanied by his faithful companion Bhai Mardana, a Muslim minstrel, he sang verses that awakened minds dulled by empty ritualism.
In Varanasi, he questioned the scholars and priests who had reduced spirituality to mechanical recitations. “Why chant mantras when compassion is forgotten?” he asked gently, reminding them that rituals without love are barren.
At Jagannath Puri, the priests invited him to witness the grand aarti (ritual offering of lamps). Instead, Nanak closed his eyes and sang his own aarti – not to an idol, but to the entire creation:
“The sky is the platter, the sun and moon are lamps;
The stars are pearls, the breeze is incense.”
It was a vision of the cosmos itself worshipping the Divine – a poetry that erased boundaries between temple and world.
Lesson from the First Udasi:
True worship lies not in ritual, but in wonder – in seeing the Divine in all creation.
The Second Udasi (1506-1513 CE):
The Message of the South
Guru Nanak’s second journey carried him deep into southern India – through Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Rameswaram, and across the sea to Sri Lanka (Ceylon).
In the South, he met kings, yogis, and saints. At Rameswaram, where Lord Rama was believed to have built a bridge to Lanka, Guru Nanak reminded devotees that no bridge is holier than one built by love.
In Sri Lanka, he met King Shivnabh, who, moved by Nanak’s wisdom, renounced his arrogance and embraced humility. The Guru taught that liberation was not found in renunciation, but in truthful living amidst the world.
Lesson from the Second Udasi
The path to God does not require withdrawal from life – it requires engagement with life through honesty, compassion, and humility.
The Third Udasi (1514-1518 CE):
The Call of the Mountains
The third journey led Guru Nanak northward – into the silence of the Himalayas, where he met ascetics, siddhas, and hermits who claimed spiritual superiority through seclusion.
At Mount Sumer, he encountered yogis who believed enlightenment could be achieved by abandoning worldly duties. Guru Nanak, clad simply and carrying no possessions, told them:
“The world is not to be renounced, but to be transformed through righteousness.”
He taught the Siddhas that true discipline is not in twisted limbs or breath control, but in controlling the mind and living truthfully amid temptation.
Lesson from the Third Udasi
The real ascetic is not one who flees the world, but one who lives in it with integrity and grace.
The Fourth Udasi (1519-1521 CE):
The Pilgrim of Oneness
Guru Nanak’s final great journey took him westward – across the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan, Persia, Mecca, and Baghdad. This was the most daring of all, for he entered lands bound by strict religious orthodoxy.
In Mecca, legend says, he was found sleeping with his feet pointing toward the Kaaba. When rebuked, he calmly replied, “Then turn my feet in the direction where God is not.” The astonished caretakers realized – the Divine is everywhere.
In Baghdad, he met spiritual leaders who, after initial skepticism, bowed to his universal message. His dialogue with Pir Dastgir and Bahlol Dana became famous – a conversation of light between souls.
Through this journey, Guru Nanak united East and West, Hindu and Muslim, saint and scholar – all through the gentle power of truth.
Lesson from the Fourth Udasi
God has no religion, no language, and no geography. To know the Divine, one must first know humanity.
The Pilgrim Returns:
Kartarpur and the Final Message
After two decades of wandering, Guru Nanak returned to Punjab and founded Kartarpur Sahib, the world’s first Sikh commune. There, he sowed the seeds of the Sikh way – the Three Pillars of Sikh Living: Naam Japna (Meditation on the Divine Name), Kirat Karna (Honest Living), Vand Chhakna (Sharing with Others).
It was as if the lessons from all four Udasis had crystallized into a living example – a community without discrimination, where men and women worked, prayed, and ate together as equals.
Kartarpur was not just a village – it was the world Guru Nanak had envisioned through his journeys: a world of Oneness, equality, and love.
The Enduring Footsteps
Guru Nanak’s travels covered over 30,000 miles – without armies, wealth, or scriptures. His companions were humility and song; his message, the eternal truth of unity.
Through forests, kingdoms, and deserts, he carried a lamp lit by love – challenging kings and comforting peasants, dissolving boundaries that still divide the world today.
His Udasis were not missionary expeditions; they were journeys of awakening – journeys that transformed humanity’s understanding of God and self.
Lessons from the Pilgrim of Peace
– Oneness of All: Divinity flows through all – beyond religion or race.
– Truthful Living: Spirituality is proven through conduct, not appearance.
– Equality: No one is high or low; all are equally divine.
– Compassion in Action: Service (seva) is the highest form of devotion.
– Fearless Inquiry: Questioning is not rebellion – it is the path to wisdom.
The Eternal Journey
More than five centuries have passed, yet Guru Nanak’s footsteps still echo across continents. Every Gurdwara, every Langar, every act of seva – carries forward the legacy of that Pilgrim of Peace who walked the world to remind us that “Ik Onkar” – There is One Eternal Reality.
The world he envisioned – without borders, without prejudice, without fear – remains the destination toward which humanity still walks.
Because the journey of Guru Nanak never truly ended.
It continues – in every heart that dares to see all beings as one.