"Far from wife and son am I, far from land and wealth and other notions of that kind. I am the Witness, the Eternal, the Inner Self."
Guru Nanak Dev Ji founded the Sikh faith in rural Punjab during the mid 15th century. Discontent with the elusive values and hollow rituals of the Brahamanic Hindu tradition, he set forth on many journeys throughout his life to achieve a true union with God. The Guru’s travels are known to us as Udasis, in which he sought to spread the divine message of the Almighty and bring healing to a world stricken by the fires of Kalyug. He was accompanied by a Muslim bard named Mardana and a Hindu named Bhai Bala. It is recorded that four great Udasis were undertaken by Guru Nanak and his companions throughout the Guru’s life. He traveled throughout India, conversing with religious sages of the age and visit innumerable centers of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Sufi, Yogi and Sidh learning. His mission knew no boundaries or borders and he even completed the Muslim Hajj by traveling to Mecca.
This painting was inspired by a map that I saw showing Guru Nanak Dev Ji's travels across India and deep into Eurasia. It would be an astounding feat in any time, but more so in the war torn and turbulent 15 Century. More than anything I wanted to express the vast and lonely expanses that the Guru and his companions had to traverse through to go from one settlement to another. This painting contemplates the loneliness of the vast physical distances he traveled and the greater spiritual boundaries he crossed in his life time.
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