RAS question
Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, was born in which year?
Correct answer: (B) 1469.
Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus, was born in 1469 AD in Talwandi, later called Nankana Sahib.
Explanation
Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469 AD in Talwandi, later called Nankana Sahib, in present-day Pakistan; therefore, option B is correct. He founded Sikhism and was the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His teachings emphasized one God, human equality, honest work, remembrance of God and sharing with others. These principles are expressed as Naam Japna, Kirat Karni and Vand Chhakna. Because he was born in 1469, his life and teachings belong to the late medieval Bhakti-Sufi period in north India. This makes clear that he was born after the earlier saint-poets but before the sixteenth century.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 1440 is too early because Guru Nanak Dev was born in 1469.
- (C) 1398 is associated with the approximate birth year of Kabir, not with Guru Nanak Dev, who was born in 1469.
- (D) 1532 falls within the later part of Guru Nanak Dev's lifetime, 1469-1539, but it is not his birth year.
Concept
This tests understanding of the chronology of major religious and social movements in medieval India and their founders. In RAS, linking birth years and places with major teachings helps identify broader intellectual traditions and distinguish the Bhakti and Sikh traditions.