Question

What did the terms ‘nam’, ‘dan’ and ‘isnan’ mean?

Answer 1

Hint: Sikhism is one of the youngest religions of the world. It’s founder Guru Nanak laid down the principles of Sikhism,which were later on expanded by the other nine Gurus.

Complete Step by Step answer:
Founded in the 16th century, Sikhism was a progressive religion for its time. To understand the meaning of the terms ‘nam’, ‘dan’ and ‘isnan’,one needs to look into the teachings of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak emphasized the worship of One God. He believed that one could attain liberation irrespective of one’s caste creed gender. His idea of liberation was one which was to be achieved through pursuit of an active life and by fulfilling social commitments.He used the terms ‘nam’, ‘dan’ and ‘isnan’ to describe the essence of his teachings. Nam means right worship, dan means welfare of others and isnan means purity in conduct.Guru Nanak advocated a form of Nirguna Bhakti and hence for him one could connect to the Divine by remembering and repeating the Divine Name
He emphasized on ‘dan’ or charity too. The spirit of sharing and giving is important in Sikhism. Sikhism expects its adherents to share their wealth. Langar is an example of this.Nanak also believed that instead of leading a saintly life, one should lead a householder's life to attain liberation. Though the term ‘isnan’ literally means ‘holy bathing’ ,it is asking the Sikhs to practise cleanliness, which is the necessity to keep clean and tidy for reasons of hygiene and not just ritual washing. It also throws light on purity of conduct and on the need of pursuing an honest living.

Note: Guru Nanak’s teachings are now remembered as naam japan, kirat karna and vandh chakna. This also means right belief and worship, honest living and helping others. These are often called the three pillars of Sikhism.It is also important to note that it was Guru Arjan who compiled the hymns of Guru Nanak and his four successors into the Adi Granth Sahib. It was only in the 17th century that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, included the compositions of the ninth Guru and this scripture was then called the Guru Granth Sahib.