The Ādi Granth, or the Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs (1877) · 37

' These duties are frequently inculcated. See Nand Lai's Rahit-nama, p. 7, 62, 64; p. 9, 73, 77, 79.

cxvi SKETCH OF THE RELIGION OF THE SIKHS.

Sikh religion.' No confidence -whatever should he placed in JogTs (who ai'e contemptuously called oRTi 7ZT. ear-cropt) and Turks.'

Towards the Sikh sectarians the same implacable hatred is evinced. A true Sikh should Abstain from all intercourse with the following people, who are accursed (excommunicated) by the Guru: (1) the Mine (?fts), the progeny of Pii'thlmall; ' (2) the Dhirmallle (Tf\d*1**^y). the progeny of Dhlrmall (see p. Ixxxii, note); (3) the Eamraie (TT^fdliTlS). the disciples of Eam-rai, the son of Guru Har-rai (see p. Ixxvi, 1. 27 sqq.); (4) the Masands, the former deputies of the Guru (see p. xciii, last line and note 2); (5) the head-plucked ones (ff|dj1^> »■«■ the Jainas, who are now called in the Panjab ^TTT^sft or Al+lf^o^, atheists). To these are added as equally heinous (6) those who kill their daughters (5^*ITB')-*

There are some other injunctions of minor importance, which are hardly worth mentioning, such as: not to blow out a lamp with the mouth; not to extinguish fire with water, from which one has been drinking; not to remain naked from the waist downwards at night; not to bathe without a 5^ (or breeches); not to distribute food without being fully di-essed, etc.

"We see from these minute ordinances, that the Sikh reformatory movement soon ended again in a new bondage, which was quite as tiresome as that which they had thrown olf. By precepts of this kind the Sikhs, the majority of whom consisted of rude and ignorant Jats, could morally but little be improved, as no provision whatever was made to raise them to a higher standard of education and culture, Guru Govind Singh being only intent on rendering them subservient to his will and on kindling their martial valour and hatred against the Muhammadans. We need there- fore not be surprised, that they soon surpassed their fellow-countrymen in all sorts of vices and debauchery, to which they added a rapacious and overbearing conduct, so that they became a regular scourge to the country, after they had succeeded in overthrowing the Muhammadan power. They could easily destroy by their martial fury an old weak establishment, but were not able to erect a new solid fabric upon its ruins, as they had not in themselves the necessary moral and intellectual capacities.

In conclusion we have to notice some denominations, which sprang up in the bosom of the Sikh community.

(1). I'he Udusis. This body was founded by Sirl Cand, the eldest son of Nanak. There are io\vc subdivisions amongst them, who only differ from each other by some outward signs. They no more marry,.after they have given up their household (fsifHTJ) and turned Fdasls {i.e. indifferent

' See Naud Lai's Ualiit-nama, p. 9, 80. The spreading of Sikbism I)y force of arms is here clearly enjoined. No wonder tlierefore, if the Sikhs became gradually more fanatical than the Af uhamraadaus. ^ Prahlad-rai says, v. 22:

srr^ sfz W3 3^7 71 7t ^T ^75 f%miftr ii ^ ■Pry?t f^ ttt sra "ut 7^37 ^ Yrrfs 11

" He should I>y no means put any confidence la au ear-cropt one and in a Turk. Who does not entertain love ttitli a Sikh, goes to hell."

^ We liiive stated p. Ixxx, note 1, that it was not quite clear, if Ram-das had t«o or three sons. But frcmi tlie Siklia <le liij dl villiia, p. 57, 1- 1.^ sqq., and a note of Sirdar Attar Singh to his translation of the Riihit-uania of Pralilad-rai, ]). 1, we find that he had three sous. The name of the eldest son was Pirthimall, that (if the second Arjiin, and that of the third Dliirmall. The Mine are therefore not the disciples of Dhir- mall, as siip])ose(l on p. l.xxxii, note 2, but the descendants of Piithimall, who had tried to poison his younger brother Arjun, on whom the Uuruship had been conferred, and who was therefore called by his father jft^fT ^3> ^ contemptible thief.

?w^»fra >^fl7 sn »ft% sn "^fRTt^ ii?5e ^ fe^ $ T^^ w[ tTtw 3t^% "mf^ ii

SKETCH OF THE RELIGION OF THE SIKHS. cxvii

to the world); they are therefore a society of monks, though they do not live together in monasteries. Some of them do not cut their hair, like the regular- Sikhs, some have short-cut hair (y |<J j\j>{T)> some wear long tufted hair (-rlrflQ), and some shave head and face. They practise the Hindu rites concerning birth, death,' marriage and Shradh, as all the old Sikhs did. They wear clothes dyed with red ochre (fu^HH^) find apply to theii' forehead a high Tilak. Their sacred book is the Adi Granth, whereas they reject the Granth of Govind Singh. Formerly they were vei-y strict in their religious duties and led an ascetic life, subsisting on coarse bread, baked on live coals (*r?orjt)' ■which they begged. As they obstinately advocated a mode of life, which was irreconcil- able with secular occupations, and as they refused to submit to the authority of the established Gurus, Guru Amar-das eliminated them from the Sikh community and they were thence no longer acknowledged as Sikhs, though they themselves never gave up this claim. The UdasTs have set up a Guruship of their own, and after the death of a Guru some disciple, whom the Guru has elected, assumes the spiritual authority; they address each other by the title of 3T'ff^ (Jbrother). Their devotional service is very simple; in the morning and evening they play a violin or a rebeck and sing a song of praise (oTid^J^) to the Supreme Lord, which is mostly taken from the Granth, imitating iu this way the simple worship of Baba Nanak.

The TJdrxsis were always a small body, as their principles found no favour with the population. Now-a-days they have much deviated from their former ascetic habits and have for the greater part taken to secular occupations, differing only by some outward tokens from other people. Some of them bore a hole through their privities and insert a large ring of iron or brass to prevent them from fornication (fy =JrJlc)).

(2). The Suthre (Sing. 7TMdl'< pure). Their founder is said to have been a Brahman, named Suca (^HT); they took their origin under Guru Har-rai.^ This body, -which is stiU. to be found in nearly every town of the Panjab, has greatly degenerated; they are notorious for their drunken- ness and debauchery, so that they have become a by-word in the Panjab, being just the contrary of what their name implies. It is stated, that they obtained from one of the former Emperors a written order, that every shopkeeper should give them one Paisa as alms; they wander there- fore continually about the Bazars, begging and clashing together two staves (337)- On their head and neck they wear a rope of black wool and keep two staves in their hand; to their fore- head they apply a Tilak of black colour. They perform the usual Hindu rites, make Shradhs and erect tombs over the ashes of a burnt corpse of a member of their order; the bones they collect and throw into the Ganga. "VTith meditation and worship they do not trouble themselves very much; they recite the verses of Nanak, which they partly learn by heart, and sing some praises in honour of the Devi. They visit the Dehras (shrines) of the ten Gurus and make offerings there. They all add the title of "Shah" (literally Kmg) to their names, as EavTl-shah, etc. They have a Guruship of their o-wn and receive novices (9'W|), but there is no order nor regular discipline among them; now mostly profligates and vagabonds join them. They are a public nuisance, like so many other mendicant orders, and disavowed by the Sikhs.

(3). The Bivune Sddk (f^e^l^ JITT, the mad saints). They keep their hair uncut, like the Sikhs, and wear on their neck a necklace of shells (;RT:f ^ *I"R5T) and on their turban a very large feather (o^MJII); they consist for the greater part of Jats and tanners (^HT3)- Their devotional service consists in muttering the true name (JT? STT)- Most of them are married, but some few remain also unmarried. In their other habits they are like the Sikhs and acknowledge the Adi Granth as their sacred book.

' They burn their dead, but always erect a tomb (j^fq) over their ashes, like the Jogis and Sanyasis. ^ Wilson, Religious Sects of the Hindus, p. 177, states, that they look up to Teg-bahadur as their founder. What authority he had for this statement is not mentioned l)y Iiim.

cxviii SKETCH OF THE EELIGION OF THE SIKHS.

(4). The Nirmale Sdclhu (ihe pure saints). These people were originally strict Sikhs and followed exclusively the Granth and the regulations of Goyind Singh; they stood in high esteem with the Sikh community and exercised great influence on the people. Formerly they used to wear white clothes and dwelt at Amritsar, Mukt-sar and other places, which are sacred to the Sikhs (as Damdama, etc.), but in the course of time they gradually relapsed into Hinduism by applying their mind to the Shastras and especially the Viidanta. In consequence of this internal change of mind their outward habits also underwent some changes; they deposed their white robes and adopted the common garb of the Hindu Faqirs, consisting of reddish-yellow clothes. They also now visit the holy watering-places on the Ganga and Jamna and conform to nearly all the Hindu rites. At the time of birth and death they perform the VOdic ceremonies and burn their dead, but do not use the Hindu mantras at weddings. They are now in a state of transition and deeply tinged with Hindu notions, so that they can no longer be considered as regular Sikhs. They live mostly together in separate societies under a Guru and choose celibacy; there is some learning cultivated among them and even Sanskrit studies are to some extent attended to. They do not beg, but live on the offerings of the people; they receive men of all castes into their society, as within the brotherhood no caste is acknowledged. They have a large establishment at Amritsar, where they are much respected by the people for the purity of their morals.'

(5). The Akal'is (the worshippers of the »K?T^, or Timeless Being). This body is said to have been instituted by Guru Govind Singh himself They were the zealots among the Sikhs, who watched over the purity of their religion and withstood firmly the innovations," which the Bairagt Bandfi, who after the death of Govind Singh assumed the leadership among the Sikhs in the Panjab, endeavoured to introduce into Sikhism. They wear blue chequered clothes and bangles or bracelets of steel round their wrists and fi-equently also a discus of steel on their turban. They established themselves in great numbers at Amritsar, where they assumed the direction of the religious ceremonies and acted the parts of defenders of the faith in the days of Sikh independency, as they assumed the right of convoking a Gur-mata (a national council, literally: the Guru's advice) and directing its consultations. Thus they became a formidable body, which was dreaded even by the Sikh chiefs, as they were always ripe for a fanatical outbreak. They lived on the offerings of the people, which they often extorted by force. As they were in fact more a political than a relit^ious body, their influence ceased with the destruction of the Sikh community, and now-a-days they are hardly taken notice of; they are gradually dwindling away like Sikhism itself, in whose bosom of late even an atheistic or materialistic sect has sprung up, that of the Guluh-dasis, who deny every creation and the existence of any Supreme Being. The old tough HindQism has therefore every prospect of outliving also this reformatory movement, which was impeded in its course and eventually rendered baneful by being made subservient to political interests.

' One Nlrmala Sadhu of the Amritsar establishment, Atma Singh, was for a considerable time my instructor.

- These innovations did not concern the doctrinal parts, but only some outward forms and customs of Sikhism. He endeavoured to induce the Sikhs to abandon their blue dress, to abstain from drinking liquors and Bhang (to wliich even Govind Singh bad been addicted) and from eating flesh. He tried also to make them exclaim: ^•S^ sf^ ^ (victory to religion!), -CdMt> ^ ^ (victory to the (Sikh) system!), instead of the exclamation ordered by Guru Govind Singh: ^Tvl W^^ "^ S^ (bravo, victory to the Guru!), ^^T tCTTSTT^ =7^ ^3 (bravo, victory to the Khiilsa!). As the bigoted Bauda insisted on these innovations, many Sikhs, especially the Akalis, who refused to comply with them, were put to death. After the defeat and cruel execution of Banda all these innovations were put aside again, except the blue dress, which only the fanatical Akalis retained.

The Adi Granth in its present state -was collected by Guru Arjun, as stated on p. Isxxi; after Arjua the verses of Teg-bahadur were added and one single Dolii-a of his son, Guru Guvind Singh, in answer to some Dohriis of his father. "We have no further information, how the writings of the predecessors of Arjun had been collected and preserved, and we must wholly depend for their authen- ticity on the testimony of Arjun himself.

Besides the writings of the Sikh Gurus, considerable extracts from the writings of famous Bhagats were also inserted in the Granth; the works of KabTr are still extant in India, as they were preserved by his disciples, the Kabir-panthls, who have a considerable establishment at Benares, but hitherto few selections only have been published of them, though they are far superior in form as well as in originality of thought to the versifications of the Sikh Gurus. The writings of the other Bhagats seem to be lost, as I was never able, in spite of manifold researches, to detect a trace of them; perhaps one piece or another may yet be found in progress of time.

Nearly all the panegyrics of the Bhatts were composed for the occasion and are abject flatteries, without any intrinsic value whatever; they were apparently all added by Guru Arjun himself.

The authors of the Granth are therefore the following:

(A). Sil-h Gurii^.—{1). Baba Nanak (ilah. I.). (2). Angad (ilah. II.). (3). Amar-das (Mah.III.). (4). Eara-das (ilah. IV.). (5). Arjun (ilah. V.). (6). Teg-bahadur (Mah. IX.). (7). Govind Singh (Mah. X.; only one Dohra. See Transl. p. 708).'

(B). Bhagats.— {\). Bem.= (2). Bhikan.' (3). Dhanna.^ (4). Farid (Shekh).* (5). Jaidev.' (6). Kabir.' (7). XamdC-v.' (8). Pipa.« (9). Kamanand.' (10). Ravidas.'" (11). Sadhna." (12). Sainu."= (13). Surdas." (14). Trilo6an."