The living word: How Guru Nanak’s voice became the eternal Guru

More than five centuries ago, amid the fields of Punjab and the tumult of empires, a simple man with a luminous vision began to sing. His words were not sermons but songs – flowing like rivers from the depths of divine realization.
That man was Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539), the founder of Sikhism – a saint, poet, philosopher, and reformer who spoke of oneness beyond religion, of truth beyond ritual, of humanity beyond caste.
But Guru Nanak did not merely preach. He composed Shabads – sacred verses – that carried the vibration of the Infinite. Each word was a drop from the ocean of his enlightenment. These verses, sung with his companion Bhai Mardana on the rabab, became the living heartbeat of a new spiritual path – the Sikh way of devotion, equality, and service.
Today, those very words live on in the Guru Granth Sahib, the eternal scripture and spiritual guide of the Sikh faith. It is not just a book, but a living embodiment of the Guru’s consciousness – the eternal light (Jyot) passed from Guru Nanak to all who seek truth.
From Guru’s Lips to Living Scripture
Guru Nanak’s compositions were collected and preserved by his disciples, forming the earliest body of Sikh hymns known as Bani. These verses were not confined to any single language – he used Punjabi, Persian, Sanskrit, Braj, and Marathi – reflecting his universal message that the Divine speaks in every tongue.
When the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, compiled the Adi Granth in 1604, he placed Guru Nanak’s hymns at its heart. He also included the verses of other Sikh Gurus and of saints from diverse backgrounds – Hindu bhaktas like Kabir and Namdev, and Muslim mystics like Sheikh Farid and Bhagat Ravidas. This inclusivity was itself a declaration: truth is not owned by any one faith.
The Guru Granth Sahib thus became not just the scripture of the Sikhs, but a universal chorus of divine voices – a collective song of humanity seeking the One.
The Guru Lives in the Word
In 1708, before leaving his physical form, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Sikh Guru, bestowed the Guruship upon the Guru Granth Sahib, declaring:
“Sab Sikhan ko hukam hai, Guru manyo Granth.”
(“To all Sikhs, the command is: Recognize the Granth as your Guru.”)
With this act, the line of human Gurus ended, and the living spirit of the Guru continued in the form of the sacred word. From that moment on, the Guru Granth Sahib became the eternal, guiding presence for the Sikh community – revered not as a text, but as the living Guru itself.
To this day, Sikhs bow before the Guru Granth Sahib not in idolatry, but in reverence to divine wisdom – acknowledging that the same light which shone in Guru Nanak shines through these words.
Each hymn, each page, each verse is not read but experienced – sung in kirtan, contemplated in Simran, and lived through Seva.
Seva: The Living Legacy of the Guru
If the Guru Granth Sahib is the spiritual heartbeat of Sikhism, Seva (selfless service) is its pulse – the practical expression of the Guru’s teaching.
Guru Nanak taught that true worship is not in ritual, but in serving others as a form of serving God. He said:
“Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living.”
That truth comes alive in every Sikh who offers food in a Langar, carries water for pilgrims, or volunteers in hospitals and disaster zones. From feeding the hungry during global crises to rebuilding homes after floods and earthquakes, Sikhs across the world embody Nanak’s message that the Divine resides in every being.
Seva is not charity – it is equality in action. When one kneels to wash another’s feet, or serves a stranger food in the Langar hall, there is no giver and no receiver – only the One acting through many.
In this way, the word of the Guru becomes flesh through service. The verses of the Granth are not merely recited; they are lived in kitchens, fields, relief camps, and homes across the world.
The Music of the Infinite
Guru Nanak’s words were never meant to be read silently – they were meant to be sung. The Guru Granth Sahib is organized by ragas (musical measures), each designed to evoke a spiritual emotion.
From the dawn melody of Asa di Var, awakening hearts to gratitude, to the serene tones of Rehras Sahib at dusk, these hymns create a rhythm of remembrance throughout the day.
Wherever the kirtan (devotional singing) flows – whether in a small village Gurdwara or at the Golden Temple in Amritsar – it carries the same vibration: the call to awaken to the One.
This sound current (Naad) is itself a form of Seva – for when one sings from the heart, one uplifts others in love and unity.
The Eternal Message: Ik Onkar
At the heart of the Guru Granth Sahib lies the opening verse – the Mool Mantar, revealed by Guru Nanak:
“Ik Onkar, Satnam, Karta Purakh, Nirbhau, Nirvair…”
(“There is One Creator, whose name is Truth, the Creator without fear or enmity…”)
These few lines contain the essence of Sikh philosophy – a universal spiritual declaration that transcends creed and culture.
It tells us that the Divine is not a deity belonging to one faith, but the underlying essence of all that exists – beyond gender, beyond form, beyond division.
That vision continues to guide millions today – from temples and mosques to meditation halls and interfaith movements – wherever people seek the truth of unity in diversity.
The Word That Walks the Earth
In every Gurdwara, the Guru Granth Sahib is not kept on a shelf but enthroned, covered with silken cloths, fanned with devotion, and carried in procession like a living master.
When opened each morning (Prakash) and closed at night (Sukhasan), it symbolizes the rising and resting of divine wisdom in daily life.
In these rituals, the Sikh community does not worship paper and ink – it honors the eternal consciousness that flows through those words.
Each reading from the Granth, called a Hukamnama, is taken as divine guidance for the day – a dialogue between the Infinite and the human heart.
And in every act of Seva – whether it is cleaning the Gurdwara floor, planting trees, or serving Langar – the words of the Guru Granth Sahib find their truest expression.
A Light for All Humanity
Guru Nanak’s vision was never limited to one community. He spoke for all seekers who longed for truth and justice, love and liberation.
The Guru Granth Sahib, compiled from voices across religions and castes, stands as a monument to the universality of the human spirit.
Today, when one listens to the shabads being sung at dawn in Amritsar, or watches Sikh volunteers feeding thousands at airports and disaster zones, one witnesses something profound:
The Guru still lives – not as a figure of the past, but as a living light in the present. That light shines through every act of Seva, every song of devotion, every humble offering to humanity.
The Guru Is Still Speaking
Five centuries after Guru Nanak walked the earth, his voice continues to echo – in the rhythmic recitation of Japji Sahib, in the laughter of children serving Langar, in the silence of meditation.
The Guru Granth Sahib is not history; it is living presence.
Every word is a spark of eternity.
Every act of Seva is a verse in motion.
And together, they remind us of what Guru Nanak came to teach:
That there is no separation between God and creation, no wall between prayer and action –
only the radiant truth that the Divine lives in every heart and every deed.
“As fragrance abides in the flower, and reflection in the mirror – so does the Divine dwell in all.” — Guru Nanak Dev Ji