In 1469 the tiny village of Talwandi, forty miles sout-west of Lahore, witnessed the birth of one of the greatest spiritual leaders of manking and the founder of India’s youngest major religion, sikhism. Born into a society caught in the throes of orthodoxy and ritualism and further crippled by child marriage, infanticide and a rigid caste sytem, Guru Nanak was to become the harbinger of a period of social, spiritual and religious enlightenment. Deeply spiritual from an early age, Nanak spent his early years in meditation and in the company of hermits, and is believed to have attained enlightenemtn at the age of thirty. His teachings, which stressed the omnipresence of the One God, and the importance of love, equality, compassion and commnity service, appealed to Hindus and Muslims alike. Along with hsi companion and disciple, Mardana, Nanak spent twenty-three years in travel, which took him to places as far afiedl as Sri Lanka and Mecca, to spread his message.

About Author :�

Navtej Sarna has contributed short stories to the BBC World Serivce, London Magazine and the anthologies Signals and Signals 2. His book reviews appear in the Times Literary Supplement, Biblio and other journals.

Contents :�

Acknowledgements Introduction The Stars Herald a Prophet The Dark Times The Early Years The Divine Call at Sultanpur And the Baba Went Along the Way.. As Far as the Land Stretched.. And Then he Climbed Summer… And Then the Baba Went to Mecca… Kartarpur The Teachings The Hymns