________________
The Four Famous Great Journeys of Guru
Nanak Dev
1. On the first journey,Guru Nanak Dev visited Eminabad
where he stayed with a poor and low caste carpenter, Lalo. He chose to stay with Lalo in order to demonstrate that the laws of purity of the high castes are nothing but remnants of superstition. Next, he traveled to Haridwar (the holy city of Hindus), Delhi, Benaras, and Gaya, teaching the essence of true dharma. He concluded this first journey in Jagannath Puri, (temple). Jagannath is the foremost sacred pilgrimage place for Hindus. There he taught how to perform the true arati (ritual devotional song of dedication) of God (Kartar, the Creator), not a mere ritual. On the second journey Nanak set out toward the south. He taught his way of devotion in Arbudgiri (Koh Abu), Setubandh Rameshvar, Singhal Dweep, and other
prominent places in the South of India. 3. On his third journey Nanak visited Sarmaur, Hemkut,
Gourakhpur, Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet. On this journey
his teaching focused on the way to meditate on one God. 4. The fourth journey was toward the west. Many stories
are told about this portion of Nanak's travels. Nanak
285
