President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday greeted citizens on the eve of Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary, saying he showed people the path of unity, harmony and service.

The life and teachings of Guru Nanak Dev are an inspiration for all human beings, he said.

"He showed people the path of unity, harmony, fraternity, comity and service, and gave an economic philosophy to realize a lifestyle based on hard work, honesty and self-respect," Kovind said.

Guru Nanak Dev gave the basic mantra of Ek Onkar' to his followers and insisted on treating all human beings equally, without discriminating on the basis of caste, creed and gender, the president said.

His message of 'Naam Japo, Kirat Karo and Vand Chhako' contains the essence of all his teachings, he said.

"On the sacred occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary, let us resolve to conduct ourselves in a manner so as to emulate his teachings," Kovind said.

In a message, the president has said, "On the auspicious occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary, I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to all the citizens living in India and abroad, especially the brothers and sisters of the Sikh community", according to a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.