At the age of sixteen, Nanak moved to a larger town where his relations moved and got a job there. He acquired a small following, who gathered to hear him pray. His sister in law, though she admired him, felt that he needed a wife and children. At the age of nineteen Nanak was married.

Guru Nanak meditating under a tree.

He began to feel restless, and needed to travel, to expand his knowledge of religion. The first of his travels started in the summer of 1496. He headed eastward, and to southern India, and for his second journey went to Tibet, Mecca, Baghdad and Kabul.

After this, and many religious encounters, his ideas began to become clear. He believed in one God, without shape or physical body, but made up of goodness and truth.  He often got people angry, with his views on Hinduism and Islam. He had no fear of the caste system, and respected those of the lower castes no less than of the higher ones.

At this point, he had quite a few converts and followers, most of whom were farmers from the Punjab. He brought his many followers to the city of Kartarpur. He taught non sexism, racism or discrimination against other religions. He wrote a total of 974 hymns which are in the Guru Granth Sahib. He founded Sikhism, a huge achievement in his lifetime. He died on the 7th of September, 1539, in Kartarpur.

Someone reading from the Guru Granth Sahib, where 974 of Nanak's hyms are.