28i SKETCH 'OF THE.'SIKHS; 



.L The sbove. passages will conve^r'anNidealoCthatimpressibn which Gu'« 

 Eu' GoyiND gave his followers of his: divinfe .missiQa/; I shall shortly enuw 

 Hierate those alterations he made in the usages of the Sikhs, whom it was 

 Ills objecl to render, through the means of Veligious enthusiasm, a war- 



/C^ «- 



like race, 



... . : :■:::■::■ h-v: x^ai -erh ,:.k-^ol odi I., . ^^ ^ . :,s£r^ lo ^r;:^;^!^,'! ^» 



"v,,Thou.gh- Gu'RU^:G6vI|$;p.Mfs^brolJght.l§pJ?l %e,5reljgloi:| of I^a'nac, -he^ 

 appears/ from having been educated amqpg;,the :j^5??^^. pf ipsts of MjJ^sr^ 

 to have been deeply^ tainted with their superstitious belief; and he was^ 

 IDerhap's/ induced by considerations of "policy, to lean still" more strongly 

 to their prejudices, in order to induce them to become converts to that 

 religious military community^ by means of which it was Us objecl te 

 destroy the Muhammedan fov^etX'^---'''^ ^ "^^^-'^-^ ""^'^ i^.mauu 



The principal of the religious institutions of Gv\v Govind, is that 

 of the Pahat, the-ceremony by H^vhich a convert^i^-tnltfa ted Into the tribe of 

 'iS/M!j; ■ or, 'Clbre properly speakiiig; ^^tbat 'M^ 'ShM.' ''tYie'mes.oln^ i:^ tlri 

 Instilutton is to make the convert a membe^ v>f >he KhUha, o-r ^M-'ee^m- 

 snonwealth^ which he can only becomfe^' by '(assenting 't^- certain obser- 

 vances ;- the devoting, himself to arms 'f<5f the defence. jof'- the common- 

 :%vealth, and the destrudlionof -its' enemiefeY/the'wearlng'hi^ 'hair, and pii«:= 

 lijig^ion a blue>dre5s.* ,'... 1 j>j -r. \ S 



..y. 



* li has been before stated that all the followersi of Go '-vind do not novji wuar lhe"blti» 

 flress, but tliey ain^ear (l)eir liiur; dJid ^heir fcaious regard of it j? .nol 'C be described, 

 "Three inferior agents of Sikh chiefs -^verc one day irx rdj i&nt) one of them -^vas a KMlsa 

 Sinh, and the two other^ of- th^/^i^Msa tribe of 5//?^,. > i yva§ laughing and jokring with thd 

 Kkalsa Sinh, vho said he had been oidered to at(e;id mp fo Cu^'uHa. Among other subjects 

 of our mii<h, I railictr him on I'rusiing Ijimsclt so mvxSi mi nij po\\er, *' Why, ^^ hat is 

 *^ the worst," said he, ''i thai you can-do tof.mc, -wbcB ram at *,uch a distance from home ?" 

 I passed my hand across my chin^ imitating the^a^^ j>| shaying. The man's face wa^in aa 



