Nanak's words are registered in the form of 974 poetic hymns, or shabda, in the holy text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, with some of the major prayers being the Japji Sahib ( jap, 'to recite' ji and sahib are suffixes signifying respect) the Asa di Var ('ballad of hope') and the Sidh Gosht ('discussion with the Siddhas'). With this concept, he would set up a unique spiritual, social, and political platform based on equality, fraternal love, goodness, and virtue.

Nanak is said to have travelled far and wide across Asia teaching people the message of ik onkar ( ੴ, 'one God'), who dwells in every one of his creations and constitutes the eternal Truth. His birth is celebrated worldwide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Katak Pooranmashi ('full-moon of Kattak'), i.e. Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539 Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ pronunciation:, pronunciation), also referred to as Bābā Nānak ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.