At every place he stopped, he taught. The method was consistent: he challenged empty ritual, caste discrimination, and the separation of people into those whom God favoured and those He didn't. He sang rather than preached — his compositions, the Gurbani, were set to ragas and are still sung today in exactly the same musical forms. He ate with untouchables when Brahmins refused to. He questioned the Qazis in Mecca. He sat with both Hindu merchants and Muslim rulers and told both of them versions of the same thing: what you're doing in God's name has nothing to do with God.

His three core principles are remembered in the phrase *Naam Japo, Kirat Karo, Vand Chakko*: Meditate on the divine name. Work honestly. Share what you have. The Langar tradition — the free community meal in which everyone sits on the floor together regardless of rank — is the direct institutional expression of *Vand Chakko* (sharing).

The Guru Granth Sahib — the living scripture of the Sikhs, which includes Guru Nanak's own compositions alongside those of other Sikh Gurus and saints of different faiths (including the Bhakti saints Kabir, Namdev, and Ravidas) — was compiled over subsequent Guru periods and is treated as the eternal, living Guru. The Akhand Path performed during Gurpurab — a continuous 48-hour uninterrupted recitation of the entire Guru Granth Sahib — is the deepest form of communal worship in Sikhism.

Two days before (November 22): The Akhand Path begins — a continuous, uninterrupted recitation of the entire Guru Granth Sahib by relay readers who take shifts. The reading takes 48 hours and concludes on the morning of Gurpurab day.

The day before (November 23): Nagar Kirtan — the great procession through the streets of the city. The Panj Pyare (the Five Beloved Ones, representing the five who volunteered at Guru Gobind Singh's call) lead the procession, followed by the Guru Granth Sahib on a decorated palanquin. Shabads (hymns) are sung throughout. In cities like Amritsar, Delhi, and Kolkata, these processions can stretch for kilometres.

Gurpurab day (November 24): The Akhand Path concludes in the morning with the Bhog ceremony. Morning prayers (Nitnem) are performed. Katha (religious discourse) and Kirtan continue through the day. Langar runs continuously — in major Gurdwaras, this means tens of thousands of meals served over the course of the day. Kada Prasad is distributed to every visitor.

Gurdwaras are illuminated from the night before — the light installations at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and at Gurdwaras worldwide are the visual signature of the festival.