Guru Angad (31 March 1504 – 29 March 1552; and chose Angad as the second Sikh Guru.

After the death of Nanak in 1539, Angad led the Sikh tradition. He is remembered in Sikhism for adopting and formalising the Gurmukhi alphabet. He was the son of a small but successful trader named Pheru Mal. His grandfather was named Baba Narayan Das Trehan.

At age 16, Lehna married a Khatri girl named Khivi in January 1520. They had two sons, Datu (b. 1535) and Dasu (b. 1542), and one or two daughters, Amro (b. 1526) and Anokhi (b. 1535), depending on the primary sources.

Selection as successor

thumb|[[Guru Gaddi|Gurgadi ceremony of Angad being proclaimed as the next guru. Fresco from Gurdwara Baba Atal, Amritsar.]]

Several stories in the Sikh tradition describe reasons why Lehna was chosen by Guru Nanak over his own sons as his choice of successor. One of these stories is about a jug which fell into mud, and Nanak asked his sons to pick it up. Nanak's sons would not pick it up because it was too dirty or menial a task. Then he asked Lehna, who however picked it out of the mud, washed it clean, and presented it to Nanak full of water. Lehna was selected as the successor of Guru Nanak on 14 June 1539 but his formal installation ceremony occurred later that year on 7 September 1539.

After Nanak died on 22 September 1539, Guru Angad unable to bear the separation from Nanak retired into a room in a disciple's house in a state of Vairagya. Baba Buddha later discovered him after a long search and requested him to return for Guruship. The Gurbani uttered at the time, "Die before the one whom you love, to live after he dies is to live a worthless life in this world".

Relationship with the Mughal Empire

The second Mughal Emperor of India Humayun visited Guru Angad at around 1540 after Humayun lost the Battle of Kannauj, and thereby the Mughal throne to Sher Shah Suri. According to Sikh hagiographies, when Humayun arrived in Gurdwara Mal Akhara Sahib at Khadur Sahib, Angad was sitting and teaching children. The failure to greet the Emperor immediately angered Humayun. Humayun lashed out but the Guru reminded him that the time Humayun needed to fight, he had lost his throne and ran away. Now, the time that Humayun did not need to fight he sought to attack a person engaged in prayer. In the Sikh texts written more than a century after the event, Angad is said to have blessed the emperor, and reassured him that someday he will regain the throne. Angad died on 29 March 1552. According to one story, Dattu, one of Angad's two sons, travelled to Amar Das' court and kicked the new guru as he was unhappy that the guruship went to Amar Das, with the guru responding in a humble manner.

Influence

Gurmukhi script

thumb|Gurmukhi inscription claimed to have been handwritten by Guru Angad to teach children at Khadur Sahib the glyphs ūṛā to ṇāṇā, ca.1539–1552

Guru Angad is credited in the Sikh tradition with the Gurmukhi script, which is now the standard writing script for Punjabi language in India, The original Sikh scriptures and most of the historic Sikh literature have been written in the Gurmukhi script.

Angad standardised and made improvements to the scripts of the region to create the Gurmukhi script. Examples of possible forerunners of the script including at least one hymn written in acrostic form by Guru Nanak, and its earlier history is yet to be fully determined.

Angad also wrote 62 or 63 Saloks (compositions), which together constitute about one percent of the Guru Granth Sahib, the primary scripture of Sikhism. Rather than contribute hymns, Angad's importance was as a consolidator of Nanak's hymns. Sikh scholars themselves, such as Kahn Singh of Nabha (1930), G. B. Singh (1950), Piara Singh Padam (1954), and G. S. Sidhu (2004), have documented Gurmukhi prior to the arising of Sikhism. He also set the rules and training method for volunteers (sevadars) who operated the kitchen, placing emphasis on treating it as a place of rest and refuge, being always polite and hospitable to all visitors. started a Mall Akhara (wrestling arena) system where physical exercises, martial arts, and wrestling was taught as well as health topics such as staying away from tobacco and other toxic substances. He placed emphasis on keeping the body healthy and exercising daily. Typically the wrestling was done after daily prayers and also included games and light wrestling.

Biography of Nanak

thumb|Illustration of Guru Angad and Bhai Bala, with the Bhai Bala Janamsakhi being put into writing, lithograph print, from the 'Pothi Janam Sakhi Bhai Bale Ji Ki', circa mid-to-late-19th century

It is said that Guru Angad commissioned the compiling of a biography covering the life of his predecessor, Guru Nanak.

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File:Guru Nanak with Bhai Lehna, who is getting dirtied by carrying weeds overhead.jpg|Guru Nanak (left) with Bhai Lehna (right, who would later be known as Guru Angad).

File:Guru Angad taking-leave of Guru Nanak, painting from an 1830's Janamsakhi (life stories) 05.jpg|Guru Angad taking-leave of Guru Nanak, painting from an 1830's Janamsakhi.

File:Bhai Bala Recites the Life Story of Guru Nanak to Guru Angad and Onlookers.png|Bhai Bala (left) recites the life story of Guru Nanak to Guru Angad amid onlookers. Janamsakhi painting.

File:Guru Angad painting.jpg|Miniature painting of Guru Angad.

File:Guru Angad drawing from early 19th century.jpg|Guru Angad drawing from early 19th century.

File:Guru Angad, the Second Sikh Guru (1504-52), Seated on a Terrace Beneath a Canopy With an Attendant.png|Guru Angad Seated on a Terrace Beneath a Canopy With an Attendant, Punjab Plains, circa 1830.

File:Gurmukhi inscription handwritten by Guru Angad Dev, the second Sikh guru.jpg|Gurmukhi inscription handwritten by Guru Angad Dev

</gallery>

See also

  • Guru Granth Sahib
  • List of places named after Guru Angad Dev

References

Bibliography

  • Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, SIKH HISTORY (in English) in 10 volumes, especially volume 1 (published by Singh Brothers Amritsar, 2009–2011).
  • Sikh Gurus, Their Lives and Teachings, K.S. Duggal
  • First Gurbani by Guru Angad
  • sikh-history.com