Sikh gurus

The Sikh Gurus  (Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established this religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. He was succeeded by nine other gurus until, in 1708, the Guruship was finally passed on by the tenth guru to the holy Sikh scripture, Guru Granth Sahib, which is now considered the living Guru by the followers of the Sikh faith.

Guru: Etymology and Definition

Guru (,  ; , Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ, IAST: guru) is a Sanskrit term for a "teacher, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. Bhai Vir Singh, in his dictionary of Guru Granth Sahib describes the term Guru as a combination of two separate units: "Gu;(ਗੁ)" meaning darkness and "Rū;(ਰੂ)" which means light. Hence, Guru is who brings light into darkness or in other words, the one who enlightens.

Bhai Vir Singh's definition provides further insight about Sikhism itself and explains why Guru Granth Sahib is considered the living Guru. The word Sikh is derived from the Sanskrit term shishya(Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ) which means a disciple or a student. Thus, Sikhs have a student-teacher relationship with their Gurus since their teachings, written in Guru Granth Sahib, serve as a guide for them.

The Gurus

Timeline of Sikh Gurus

Pedigree of Sikh Gurus

See also
 History of Sikhism
 Khalsa Panth

References

Notes

External links