Baba Guru Nanak (1469-1539) was born in a Hindu merchant family in a village called Nankana Sahib near the river Ravi in the predominantly Muslim Punjab. He trained to be an accountant and studied Persian. He was married at a young age but he spent most of his time among Sufis and bhaktas. He also traveled widely. The message of Baba Guru Nanak is spelled out in his hymns and teachings. These suggest that he advocated a form of nirguna bhakti. He firmly repudiated the external practices of the religions he saw around him. For Baba Guru Nanak, the Absolute or “rab” had no gender or form. He proposed a simple way to connect to the Divine by remembering and repeating the Divine Name, expressing his ideas through hymns called “shabad” in Punjabi, the language of the region. Baba Guru Nanak would sing these compositions in various ragas while his attendant Mardana played the rabab. Baba Guru Nanak organized his followers into a community. He set up rules for congregational worship (sangat) involving collective recitation.

Who was appointed by Guru Nanak Dev Ji as his successor?

Guru Angad Dev

Baba Guru Nanak appointed one of his disciples, Angad as his successor.