ISKETCH OF THE SIKHS, 201 



Chand, who founded thq se6l of Uddsi; arid his descendants are yet 

 known by the name of J^dnac Putrdk, or the childiren of Na'nac. 

 Lacshmi Das addifted himself to the pleasures of this world, and left 

 neither heirs nor reputation, ,,: : , 



Na'nac is stated, by all Sikh writers, to have been, frdm his childhood, 

 inclined to devotion ; and the indifference, which this feeling created to- 

 wards all worldly concerns, appears to have been a source of ccmtinual un- 

 easiness to his father; who endeavoured, by every effort, to divert his mind 

 from the religious turn which it had taken. With a view to effbdl this ob- 

 je6l, he one day gave Na'nac a sura of money, to purchase .-salt at one 

 village, in order to sell it at another; in the hope of enticing him to busi- 

 ness, by allowing him to taste the sweets of commercial profit. Na'nac 

 was pleased with the scheme, took the money, and proceeded, accompa- 

 nied by a servant of the name of Bala, of the tribe of Sand'hu, towards 

 the village where he was to make his purchase. He happened, however, 

 on the road, to fall in with some Fakirs, (holy mendicants,) with whom 

 he wished to commence a conversation ; but they were so weak, from want 

 of vi6luals, which they had not tasted for three days, that they could 

 only reply to the observations of Na'nac by bending their heads, and 

 other civil signs of acquiescence, Na'nac, affe6led by their situation, 

 said to his companion, with emotion, " My father has sent me to deal in 

 " salt, with a view to profit; but the gain of this world is unstable, and pro- 

 •' fitless; my wish is to relieve these poor men, and to obtain that gain 

 " which is permanent and eternal." His companion* replied," thy re- 

 " solution is good : do not delay its execution." Na'nac immediately 



* Bala Sand'hu, who gave tJiis advice, continued, through Na'nac's life, to be his 

 Jfavourite atteadivnt and disciple. 



Cog 



