AI Generated Summary
- On the 10th day of the month of Assu, Guru Nanak Sahib bid farewell to this world forever and passed on the spiritual leadership (Gaddi) to Guru Angad Dev Ji.
- When he saw people offering water to the rising sun as a ritual, he turned and began offering water in the opposite (westward) direction.
- History bears witness to the fact that Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who spent his entire life guiding people away from empty rituals and toward devotion to the Divine, always taught to remain content in God’s will (Raza).
On the 10th day of the month of Assu, Guru Nanak Sahib bid farewell to this world forever and passed on the spiritual leadership (Gaddi) to Guru Angad Dev Ji. Since then, every year this day is observed as Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s Jyoti Jot Purab—the day he merged into the eternal light.
However, many people mistakenly treat this day as a form of Shraddha (ritual for the deceased), offering langar (communal meals) and other rituals in a way that resembles Hindu ancestral rites.
History bears witness to the fact that Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who spent his entire life guiding people away from empty rituals and toward devotion to the Divine, always taught to remain content in God’s will (Raza).
Currently, the Hindu calendar is observing the Shraddha period, during which people feed Brahmins in memory of their ancestors. This tradition existed even during Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s time. But Guru Nanak Dev Ji gave a profound message:
“If you truly love and respect your parents and elders, serve them, care for them, and honor them while they are alive. Performing rituals after death is nothing more than social showmanship. Once someone leaves this world, no one knows where their soul goes. So how can food, clothes, or offerings made during Shraddha actually reach them?”
Guru Nanak Dev Ji also conveyed a similar message in Haridwar. When he saw people offering water to the rising sun as a ritual, he turned and began offering water in the opposite (westward) direction. When questioned, he replied,
“I am watering my fields in Kartarpur.”
People mocked him, saying, “How can water reach your fields from here? They are too far!”
Guru Nanak Dev Ji used this incident to logically demonstrate that just as water offered here cannot reach Kartarpur, similarly, water offered to the sun does not reach it either. His message was simple:
“Don’t fall into the illusion of rituals. Do good deeds during your lifetime. Only your actions go with you.”
Our intention is not to hurt the sentiments of any religion, but Sikhism does not give place to such ritualistic practices.
However, it is disheartening to see that today, many Sikhs are also seen performing Shraddha for their ancestors. They invite Granthi Singhs (scripture readers) from Gurdwaras, serve them meals, and offer them clothes and gifts.
It is truly saddening that the same rituals from which Guru Nanak Dev Ji guided Sikhs away are now being followed once again by many in the Sikh community.
