The Sikh gurus ( Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ) are the spiritual masters of

Sikhism Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

, 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 Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated w ...

, the founder of Sikhism. He was succeeded by nine other human gurus until, in 1708, the '' Guruship'' was finally passed on by the tenth guru to the holy Sikh scripture,

Guru Granth Sahib The Guru Granth Sahib ( pa, ਗੁਰੂ ਗ੍ਰੰਥ ਸਾਹਿਬ, ) is the central holy religious scripture of Sikhism, regarded by Sikhs as the final, sovereign and Guru Maneyo Granth, eternal Guru following the lineage of the Sikh gur ...

, which is now considered the living Guru by the followers of the Sikh faith.

Etymology and definition

''Guru'' (, ; sa, गुरु, Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ, IAST: ''guru'') is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

term for a "

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Ex ...

, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. Bhai Vir Singh, in his dictionary of

describes the term

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

as a combination of two separate units: "Gu;(ਗੁ)" meaning darkness and "Rū;(ਰੂ)" which means light. Hence,

is who brings light into darkness or in other words, the one who enlightens. Bhai Vir Singh's definition provides further insight about

Sikhi Sikhism (), also known as Sikhi ( pa, ਸਿੱਖੀ ', , from pa, ਸਿੱਖ, lit=disciple', 'seeker', or 'learner, translit=Sikh, label=none),''Sikhism'' (commonly known as ''Sikhī'') originated from the word ''Sikh'', which comes fro ...

itself and explains why

is considered the living Guru. The word Sikh is derived from the

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

, serve as a guide for the Sikhs.

The gurus

Timeline

ImageSize = width:720 height:auto barincrement:35 PlotArea = left:150 bottom:20 top:0 right:0 Period = from:1469 till:1708 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal Colors = id:1 value:orange id:2 value:blue id:3 value:blue id:4 value:darkblue id:5 value:purple id:6 value:yellow id:7 value:claret id:8 value:powderblue id:9 value:magenta id:10 value:blue ScaleMajor = increment:25 start:1475 BarData= bar:Nanak text:"Guru Nanak Dev (1469–1539)" bar:Angad text:"Guru Angad Dev (1504–1552)" bar:Amar text:"Guru Amar Das (1479–1574)" bar:Ram text:"Guru Ram Das (1534 –1581)" bar:Arjan text:"Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606)" bar:Hargobind text:"Guru Hargobind (1595–1644)" bar:Har text:"Guru Har Rai (1630–1661)" bar:HarK text:"Guru Har Krishan (1656–1664)" bar:Tegh text:"Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)" bar:Gobind text:"Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708)" PlotData= bar:Nanak from:1469 till:1539 color:1 bar:Angad from:1504 till:1552 color:2 bar:Amar from:1479 till:1574 color:3 bar:Ram from:1534 till:1581 color:4 bar:Arjan from:1563 till:1606 color:5 bar:Hargobind from:1595 till:1644 color:6 bar:Har from:1630 till:1661 color:7 bar:HarK from:1656 till:1669 color:8 bar:Tegh from:1621 till:1675 color:9 bar:Gobind from:1666 till:1708 color:10

Pedigrees

Listed names and relations might vary from source to source since different aspects of Sikh history have been written by many different individuals over the course of past six centuries

Notes

References