1 60 A Short History of the Sikhs.
2 it was based on the principle of equality as taught
3 by Guru Govind Singh. The clans varied both in
4 size and importance, but all sirdars were regarded
5 as of equal rank ; and though one amongst them
6 was selected by common consent to be the leader
7 of the confederacy, his authority was strictly limited
8 to matters affecting the general policy of the Khalsa,
9 and even here his duties were those of a superin-
10 tendent rather than a ruler. In the constitution of
11 the clans or mists, as these minor associations were
12 termed, the same principle held good. There were
13 no degrees of rank, and no tables of precedence.
14 Membership of a misl conferred political, religious,
15 and social equality. The qualifications looked for
16 in a leader were personal courage and military skill.
17 A proved man-at-arms needed neither wealth nor
18 high birth to support his claims to the office of
19 sirdar, which, as in the case of Jassa Singh the
20 carpenter, was frequently conferred on men of
21 humble and obscure origin. The profession of arms
22 was regarded as the most honourable of all occupa-
23 tions. Military service was entirely voluntary : it
24 could be entered or abandoned at will ; and the man
25 who was dissatisfied with his position under one
26 leader could leave him and transfer his allegiance
27 to another. The fruits of conquest, whether land,
28 money, or property, were shared equally by those
29 who had taken part in their capture ; and it was
30 the duty of the sirdars to see that the distribution
31 was justly carried out.
32 The larger misls were twelve in number ; and
33 their names, derived from those of famous sirdars or