April 15, 1469, three hours before dawn, the village of Talwandi, about forty miles south-west of Lahore, witnessed the birth of one of the greatest spiritual leaders of all times. When the child was born, a flash of light filled the home of father Mehta Kalu Chand Bedi and mother Tripta. And when he took his first breath, the child gently laughed like a saint.

Nanak was born into a society that was in the grip of religious orthodoxy and empty ritualism. Society was further crippled by infanticide, child marriage, subordination of women and a rigid caste system. A gifted child and deeply spiritual from an early age, Nanak amazed his teachers by quickly learning the alphabet and the scriptures. He was soon composing poems praising God. Before he entered his teens, Nanak started to question the traditional religious ceremonies and superstitions of people around him.

Believed to have attained enlightenment around the age of twenty-seven, Guru Nanak spent the next twenty-three years travelling as far as Sri Lanka, Tibet, Assam and Mecca to spread his message.

Guru Nanak and his teachings brought in a period of social change, and spiritual and religious enlightenment. His message was simple and based on ethics, social responsibility and, social justice. He asked his followers to worship one God, control worldly desires, treat everyone equally, work honestly, share with the less fortunate and serve the community. His followers were also to refrain from all forms of external piety and ritualism.

Guru Nanak was a divinely inspired poet. His teachings come to us in 974 hymns composed by him. This divine poetry is compiled in the Sikh holy book Sri Guru Granth Sahib and is considered the revealed word of God by his followers.

This is the first volume in the series of five books. It covers Guru Nanak's life from birth to until his enlightenment.

Some of the episodes in this book:

- Political and religious conditions before Guru Nanak’s birth.
- Guru Nanak’s birth and happenings related to it including Daulatan Dai and Pundit Hardayal.
- Guru Nanak’s benevolence as a child.
- Early education in the school of Pundit Gopal and Pundit Brijnath including early compositions of Gurbani.
- Education in Maulvi Qutub-u-din’s madrasa.
- Refusal to wear jenau, the sacred thread.
- God’s miracles around Guru Nanak when he is in the forest surrounding Talwandi and when he grazes the cattle.
- Hardas, the village physician, is called in when Guru Nanak falls sick.
- Sacha Sauda - Guru Nanak’s father Mehta Kalu sends him for his first trade.
- Bibi Nanaki, Guru Nanak's sister, leaves Talwandi for Sultanpur after her marriage.
- Guru Nanak marries Bibi Sulakhni. They have children.
- Guru Nanak leaves for Sultanpur to work for Nawab Daulat Khan in his Modi-khana.
- Complaints of embezzlement against Guru Nanak are proven to be wrong.
- Guru Nanak disappears in the Bein River and meets Akalpurakh Waheguru.
- Akalpurakh Waheguru anoints Nanak as the Jagatguru and asks him to spread His glory.
- Guru Nanak returns to Sultanpur and declares that all humans are children of One God.
- Almost every page reveals some facet of Guru Nanak's teachings and philosophy.