Top 96 Quotes & Sayings by Guru Nanak

Offspring, the due performance on religious rites, faithful service, highest conjugal happiness and heavenly bliss for the ancestors and oneself, depend on one's wife alone.

Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.

Let God's grace be the mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct.

I am not the born; how can there be either birth or death for me?

Me, the bard out of work, the Lord has applied to His service. In the very beginning, He gave me the order to sing His praises night and day. The Master summoned the minstrel to His True Court. He clothed me with the robe of His true honour and eulogy. Since then, the True Name had become my ambrosial food.

Owing to ignorance of the rope the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the Self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the Self.

Sing the songs of joy to the Lord, serve the Name of the Lord, and become the servant of His servants.

I am neither a child, a young man, nor an ancient; nor am I of any caste.

If the people use the wealth bestowed on them by God for themselves alone or for treasuring it, it is like a corpse. But if they decide to share it with others, it becomes sacred food.

Whatever be the qualities of the man with whom a woman is united according to the law, such qualities even she assumes, like a river, united with the ocean.

There are worlds and more worlds below them, and there are a hundred thousand skies over them. No one has been able to find the limits and boundaries of God. If there be any account of God, then alone the mortal can write the same; but God's account does not finish, and the mortal himself dies while still writing.

Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth, nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is meat and what is plant? Who knows where the sin lies, being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian?

That one plant should be sown and another be produced cannot happen; whatever seed is sown, a plant of that kind even comes forth.

Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of God.

Whatever kind of seed is sown in a field, prepared in due season, a plant of that same kind, marked with the peculiar qualities of the seed, springs up in it.

If there is one God, then there is only His way to attain Him, not another. One must follow that way and reject the other. Worship not him who is born only to die, but Him who is eternal and is contained in the whole universe.

Riches cannot be gathered without sin and evil means.

Asceticism doesn't lie in ascetic robes or in walking staff nor in the ashes. Asceticism doesn't lie in the earring nor in the shaven head nor blowing a conch. Asceticism lies in remaining pure amidst impurities.

Through shallow intellect, the mind becomes shallow, and one eats the fly, along with the sweets.

There is but One God. His name is Truth; He is the Creator. He fears none; he is without hate. He never dies; He is beyond the cycle of births and death. He is self-illuminated. He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning; He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True. He is also True now.

Thou has a thousand eyes and yet not one eye; Thou host a thousand forms and yet not one form.

From its brilliancy everything is illuminated.

Asceticism doesn't lie in mere words; He is an ascetic who treats everyone alike. Asceticism doesn't lie in visiting burial places; it lies not in wandering about nor in bathing at places of pilgrimage. Asceticism is to remain pure amidst impurities.

By singing the Guru's hymns, I, the minstrel spread the Lord's glory. Nanak, by praising the True Name, I have obtained the perfect Lord.

I bow at His Feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the Way.

The production of children, the nurture of those born, and the daily life of men, of these matters woman is visibly the cause.

Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss.

One cannot comprehend Him through reason, even if one reasoned for ages.

See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of Yogis; conquer your own mind, and conquer the world.

There is but One God, His name is Truth, He is the Creator, He fears none, he is without hate, He never dies, He is beyond the cycle of births and death, He is self illuminated, He is realized by the kindness of the True Guru. He was True in the beginning, He was True when the ages commenced and has ever been True, He is also True now.

I am a song bird, I am a meek song bird, I offer my prayer to the Lord.

Build the raft of meditation and self-discipline, to carry you across the river. There will be no ocean, and no rising tides to stop you; this is how comfortable your path shall be.

Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living.

Blessed, blessed is that body horse which meditates on the Lord God.

Like the juggler, deceiving by his tricks, one is deluded by egotism, falsehood and illusion.

Do not wish evil for others. Do not speak ill of others. Do not obstruct anyones activities.

Burn worldly love, rub the ashes and make ink of it, make the heart the pen, the intellect the writer, write that which has no end or limit.

From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. When his woman dies, he seeks another woman; to woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. From woman, woman is born; without woman, there would be no one at all.

For each and every person, our Lord and Master provides sustenance. Why are you so afraid, O mind? The flamingos fly hundreds of miles, leaving their young ones behind. Who feeds them, and who teaches them to feed themselves? Have you ever thought of this in your mind?

Those who have loved are those that have found God

With your hands carve out your own destiny.

The world is a drama, staged in a dream

The highest religion is to rise to universal brother hood; aye to consider all creatures your equals.

I don't die... He who is merged with the omnipresent is never gone.

God is one, but he has innumerable forms. He is the creator of all and He himself takes the human form.

False is the body, false are the clothes; false is beauty.

I am in constant bliss, day and night, egotism has been dispelled from within me.

There, where neither your children nor your spouse shall accompany you, the Name of the Lord shall emancipate you.

Even kings and emperors, with mountains of property and oceans of wealth - these are not even equal to an ant, who does not forget God.

The True One was there from time immemorial. He is there today and ever there you will find. He never died nor will he ever die. ... Look within, you will see Him there enshrined.

As fragrance abides in the flower As reflection is within the mirror, So does your Lord abide within you, Why search for him without?

Conquer your mind and conquer the world.

We are born of woman, we are conceived in the womb of woman, we are engaged and married to woman. We make friendship with woman and the lineage continued because of woman. When one woman dies, we take another one, we are bound with the world through woman. Why should we talk ill of her, who gives birth to kings? The woman is born from woman; there is none without her. Only the One True Lord is without woman

Emotional attachment to Maya is totally painful, this is a bad bargain.

Speak only that which will bring you honor.

Let God's grace be the mosque, and devotion the prayer mat. Let the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good deeds be your Kaaba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honour.

Dwell in peace in the home of your own being, and the Messenger of Death will not be able to touch you.

Be kind to all beings, this is more meritorious than bathing at the sixty-eight sacred shrines of pilgrimage and donating money.

Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is meat and what is plant Who knows where the sin lies, being a vegetarian or a non vegetarian

Those who conquer their minds are beings of renunciation and detachment. They are beings of renunciation and detachment they are lovingly focused on the True One, they realize and understand themselves.