SKETCH -O'F THE SIKHS; Tti 



« Put oir armour," says Nan ac, "that vvill hiarm'iiO'Bne; let thy coat 

 <!*' of mail be that of understanding, and convert thy enemies to friends-. 

 «' Fight with valor, but with no weapon except the word of God/' All 

 the principles, which Nanac inculcated, were those of pure deism ; but 

 moderated, in order to meet the deep rooted usages' of that portion of 

 mankind which he wished to reclaim from error. Though he con- 

 demned the lives and habits of the Muhammedans, he Approved of the' 

 Koran* He admitted the truth of the ancient Vcdas, hnt contended that 

 the Hindu religion had been corrupted, by the introduction of a plurality 

 of Gods, with the Worship of images; which led their minds astray,' 

 from that great and eternal being, to whom adoration should alone 

 be paid. He, however, foltowed the forms of the Hm<fz/,5, and adopted^ 

 most of their doctrines which did not interfere with his great and lead- 

 ing tenet. He admitted the claim to veneration, of the numerous catalogue 

 o{ HindiiDe'vaSyTm^ Bhatds^ or lYi'iQvioY deities \ but he refused them 

 adoration. He held it impious to slaughter the cow, and he directed 

 his votaries, as has been s^eilj^t^ 'consider ablution as one of their primary 

 religious duties. 



Nanac, according to P^«/i6z ^authors, admitted the H^^4^ do,6lnne of 

 metempsyphosis. He heiieyed, that really good.^i^n w^iild ^^pjoy parad ; 

 tjiat those, who bad no. claim to the name of good, but yet were not bad, 

 \Yo,ul4 imdergo another probation, by revisiting , the world in the human 

 form: J^hd that the bad would animate tl;ie l?odies of animals, particularly 

 dpgs.and cats : but it appears, from the; sarx;a authoi^ities, that Na'nac was ; 

 acquainted with the Muhammedan dqdlrine, regar^ng- the fall oC,. man, and 



♦ This fact is admitted by Si7:h authors. It is, however, probable, that^N-VJf AC. Wis bjit 

 imperfectly acquainted uith the doclriucs ol' that YolumO. 



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