1 26 A Short History of the Sikhs.
2 a political organization, and grew into a powerful
3 kingdom, they were, and are, before all else, a
4 religious sect. The word sikh signifies " disciple,"
5 and was the name given by Nanak to his followers,
6 and the designation applies only to those who hold
7 the faith of the Khalsa.1 The theological anji moral
8 teaching of Nanak differed little from that of his
9 successors, though many years elapsed before Sikhism
10 ~j was fully developed. His writings constitute the
11 most authoritative portion of the Granth Sahib, and
12 are looked upon by all Sikhs as the foundation of
13 their faith.
14 " There is but one God, whose name is true, the
15 Creator." 2 These are the first words of the Granth
16 Sahib, and they epitomize the teaching of the whole
17 book. This fundamental truth, the unity of the
18 Supreme Spirit, Nanak made the basis of his doc-
19 trine. God is one. He is the God, not of the
20 Hindu, not of the Mussalman, not of the Christian,
21 but of mankind. Under whatsoever name He is
22 worshipped — Jehovah, Allah, or Ram — he is " The
23 i I One," invisible, eternal, uncreated. And since there
24 % y> is but one God for all men, all men are equally His
25 iw,/A S** servants. Hence all distinctions of caste, by which
26 - one man claims superiority in the eyes of God over
27 ^ his fellows, are worthless and meaningless. Know-
28 '.' ledge of God is the most important of all knowledge.
29 It is not for the Brahmin alone, but for all, and all
30 v>
31 1 Khdlsa, literally "pure," "sincere," is the name of the Sikh
32 commonwealth or brotherhood. " Wah! Wah! Ourtiji M Khdlsa!"
33 ("Victory! Victory to the Khalsa of the Guru!") is the formula
34 pronounced by every Sikh at his baptism.
35 a The $ikh Religion, by Max Arthur Macauliffe (vol. i. p. 195).