SKETCH OF THE SIKHS, g6? 



ed were unworthy of that God whom they both adored. He called upoEi 

 the Hindus, to abandon the worship of idols, and to return to that pure de-^ 

 votion of the deity, in which their religion originated. He called upon tha 

 MuhammedanSy to abstain from pra6tices, like the slaughter of cows, that' 

 were offensive to the religion of, the Hindus, and to cease from the per-*^ 

 gecution of that race. He adopted, in order to conciliate them, many of 

 the maxims which he had learnt from mendicants, who professed the 

 principles of the Silfi se6l,; and he constantly referred to the admireil 

 writings gf the qelebr^t.^d Muhoi^mmedan Kabir,* who was a professed; 

 ^<i(/?, and who inculcated th,e doc);rine of the equality of the relation of all 

 created beings to their creator. Na'nac endeavored, with all the poweiq 

 vf his own genius,, aided by such authorities, to impress both Hindus ^n^ 

 Muhammedans with a love of toleration, and an abhorrence of war; and 

 his life was as peaceable as his do(5trine. He appears, indeed, to havQ 

 adopted, from the hour in which he abandoned his worldly occupations, to 

 that of his death, the habits practised by that crowd of holy mendicahtSj 

 Sanydsis and Fakirs ^ with whom India swarms. He conformed to their 

 customs, and his extraordinary austerities-f are a constant theme of praise 

 with his followers. His works are all in praise of God; but he treats the 

 polytheism of the Hm^ws with respe6l, and even veneration. He never 

 shews a disposition to destroy the fabric, but only wishes to divest it of its 



* This celebrated Siifi, or philosopWcal, deist, liv.ed in the time of the eipperor Siie'r 

 Sha'h. He was, by trade, a weaver; but has written several admired works. Tliey are all 

 composed in a strain of universal philanthropy and benevolence, and above all he inculcated 

 Udigious toleKition, particularly between the Muhctmmedans and Hindus, by both of whom 

 ^ia(iTi,einpry is held in tlie highest esteem luid veneration. 



t Na'nac was celebrated for the manner in which he performed Tapasa, or austere devo- 

 tion which requires the mind to be so totally absorbed in the divinity, as to be abstracted 

 fVora every worldly thought, and this fojr us long a period us human strength is capable of 

 BUstainiu'T, 



