With the decline of the Moghtil empire, the might of the Sikhs, in spite of their intermittent reverses, steadily increased, until, in 1764, they convened a general assembly, formally assumed the character of a substantive nation, and issued coin from which the name of the emperor was omitted. Their commonwealth was still denominated, as it had been by Govind, Khalse; and the component states of the federation, ordinarily said to have been twelve in number, were thenceforward distinguished as 3Iisls. Fore most in influence among these states was that of Sukarchakiyi, the chieftain of which was Mahil Sinh, for whose son, the famous Ranjit Sinh (Runjeet-Singh, q.v.), it was reserved to consolidate the Misls into a unity subject to his own undivided control. The virtual headship of Ranjit Sinh dates from the year 1805, though it was not until 1838 that lie attained the zenith of his ascendency. He died in the year following, at the age of 59. During. 1845 and 1846 the Sikhs ceased to exist as a nation; and their country has since been ruled by the English. Yet every loyal Sikh is still confident that his people is suffering but a transitory depression, and that it is destined to retrieve, and even to surpass, its bygone glory. In the meantime, the reputed son of a wife or con cubine of Ranjit Sinh, Dilip Sinh, is a pensioner of the British government, has pro fessed Christianity, and has taken up his abode in England.
Ethnologically considered, the Sikhs are, in large proportion, of Jilt origin; the Juts, whom sonic take to be one with the classical Getm. being a tribe extensively dif fused over the n. of India. But other Hindus have helped to swell their ranks, and also not a few Mohammedans. The ten gurus are accounted Kshatriyas, or of the second Brahmanieal caste, the martial. The descendants of these several races, from intermar riage and other causes, cannot, however, now be discriminated; and there is no division of the multiform population of India that strikes more than the Sikhs. as respects physi cal uniformity. For symmetry and comeliness, and, it may be added, for courage and powers of endurance, the lions of the Punjab are altogether remarkable.
Niluak's was, undoubtedly, by far the most successful of the repeated attempts which have been made to fuse together the incompatible dogmas of Hinduism and Islamism. None of the authors of these attempts seem, indeed, to have been acquainted with other than the mere surface of the two religions which they would have blended into one. With the Mohammedan, the existence of the Deity as a pure spirit, and his creatorship of the world, are fundamental postulates. On the other hand, the radical doctrine of the Hindu is pantheism, agreeably to which the universe, alternatively God, is a single eternal substance, tinder the twofold aspect of spirit and matter. These sets,of first principles, which Niluak and his fellow-reformers could never have clearly apprehended, are palpably impossible of reconciliation. Without rejecting all that is distinctive of his creed, no Hindu can assent to the theology of Islam; and, conversely, every intelli gent follower of the Arabian prophet must be aware that the monism and metempsycho sis of Brahmanism are utterly antagonistic to the leading positions of his own faith.
Govind, as we have seen, openly repudiated the notion of amalgamating Hinduism and Mohammedanism. An opportunity of becoming acquainted with his real views and those of Nilnak in their fullness has been provided for English readers by Dr. Trumpp's translation (London, 1817) of the Adigranth (the Original Record). The Granth con tains also extensive quotations from I:ubir and other predecessors of Nilnak. A sec ond Granth, hy Guru Govind Sinh, has not yet been translated. These 'voluminous compositions am metrical throughout, and are in an archaic Indian vernacular, older than Hindi and Panjabi. They are written in the same character as the Sanskrit, the values of the letters being altered. though their forms are retained.
Among the numerous divisions into which Sikhism, as a system of belief and prac tice, has ramified, two at least, apart from the great central sect, deserve specification.
First arc the Udfists, professors of indifference to mundane concerns; a sect whose origin is attributed to S'richand, a son of Moak. These recluses, whom A.mardas refused to recognize as genuine Sikhs, have, to this day, numerous disciples. The AkaHs sprang up just after the time of Govind. For extravagance of fanaticism, these Tshmaelites have, it is hoped, no rivals; and the style of their piety is comparable with that of a Thug.
As specimens of the superstitions of the Sikhs, it may be noted that, like the Hindus, they look upon the eating of beef as a deadly offense, and that, like the modern fol lowers of Zoroaster, they attach sinfulness to the act of extinguishing a light with the breath. Some illustrations of practical Sikhism may also be gathered even from the few remarks that have been made touching the gurus. It is not irrelevant to add, that Amard5.s humanely discountenanced the cremation of widows, and that Arjunmall com mitted suicide. The morality of ordinary Sikhs is as positively maintained by one class of writers as it is denied by another. Evidence should seem to show that the agricul turists among them are much on a par, as to correctness of life, with other Indian culti vators of the soil. As to their soldiers, however, it has been observed that they are deeply tainted with those repulsive impurities for which the Persians are so infamous. Though forbidden the use of tobacco, they arc under no restriction as concerns indul gence in bliang, opium, and intoxicating drinks; and it would be gross flattery to com mend them on the score of sobriety. As regards morality, there is reason to believe that they have greatly degenerated since the days of Govind.
The gross Sikh population has been most variously estimated by different statis ticians, some of whom compute it at considerably less than half a million of persons, while others deem a million and a quarter, or even a million and a half, to he not excessive.
For the most satisfactory extant treatment of the subject of this article, the reader is referred to rapt. J. D. Cunningham's history of the Sikhs. Sir J. Malcolm's Sketch of the Sikhs; The Asiatic Researches, vols. i. and xi.; the collective works of prof. H. H. vols. i. and ii. ; and The Calcutta Review, vols. xxxi. and xxxiii., may likewise be consulted with advantage. •