Skip to content
NitnemSahib.netNitnem Sahib

Guru Sakhi

Sakhis are stories about the life and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. These are short retellings in our own words, each followed by its lesson.

The sakhis come from the Janam Sakhi tradition, the accounts written down after Guru Nanak's time. Historians read them with care, because the details were added over the years. The stories are still loved for the lessons they carry. To read the traditional texts, see the Gur Balam Sakhian (Guru Nanak Dev Ji) in English or Puratan Janam Sakhi in the PDF library.

  1. Sakhi 1

    Sachcha Sauda: the true bargain

    Guru Nanak's father gave him twenty rupees and sent him to start a trade. On the way Nanak met hungry holy people and spent the money feeding them. He told his father that this was the true bargain, one that would last.

    Lesson: Seva and sharing with those in need are the real profit in life.

  2. Sakhi 2

    The river Bein at Sultanpur

    Guru Nanak went into the river Bein and did not come out for three days. When he returned he said that there is no Hindu and no Musalman, only God. The people around him were left to think about what that meant.

    Lesson: Faith is one. It does not belong to any single religion or caste.

  3. Sakhi 3

    Bhai Lalo and Malik Bhago

    A rich man, Malik Bhago, invited Guru Nanak to a grand feast. Nanak went instead to the home of Bhai Lalo, a poor carpenter, and ate his simple bread. When Nanak squeezed the rich man's food, blood came out. When he squeezed Bhai Lalo's bread, milk came out.

    Lesson: Honest work and a humble life are valued above wealth taken unfairly.

  4. Sakhi 4

    Water at Hardwar

    At Hardwar, people were throwing water toward the sun for their ancestors. Guru Nanak began throwing water toward the west, toward his fields in Punjab. When asked why, he said that if water can reach the dead by this ritual, then his fields can be watered from here.

    Lesson: Empty rituals do not carry us to God. Clear thinking and devotion do.

  5. Sakhi 5

    Mecca: feet toward the Kaaba

    In Mecca, Guru Nanak lay down with his feet toward the Kaaba. A keeper of the place objected. Nanak asked him to turn his feet to a direction where God is not. The keeper could not find one.

    Lesson: God is present everywhere, not in one building or one direction.

  6. Sakhi 6

    Sajjan the thug

    Sajjan pretended to be a holy man, and stayed in the homes of travellers so that he could rob them. Guru Nanak, who was also a guest, saw through him. Sajjan was so moved by Nanak's kindness that he gave up his crimes.

    Lesson: Truth and kindness can change even the worst heart.

These are retold summaries, not translations. Read the Gurmukhi and Punjabi originals in the library. Nitnem banis are on the Nitnem page.