2U ■ . . SKETCH OF THE SIKHSl 



" is to- revenge the death of my father; the other to destroy the miracles 



*' of MUHAMMED./' - ' 



Har Govind is reputed, by some authors, to have been the first who 

 allowed his followers to eat* the flesh of animals, v,'ith the exception of 

 the cow; and it appears not improbable, that he made this great change in 

 their diet, at the time when he efFe6led a still more remarkable revolution' 

 in their habits, by converting a race of peaceable enthusiasts into an in- 

 trepid band of soldiers.-f- He had five sons, Ba'bu' Gu'ru'daitya, Saurat 

 Sink, Te'gh Baha'dur, Anna Ray and Atal Ray. Tlie two last died- 

 without descendants, Saurat Sinh and Te'gh Sink or Te'gh Bahadur, 

 were, by the cruel persecution of the Muhammedans, forced to fly into the 

 mountains to the northward of the Penjdb. His eldest son, Gurudai tya, 

 died early, but left two sons, Da'harmal and Har Ray, the latter of 

 whom succeeded his grand-father, who died in the. year A. D. 1644, and 

 of the Samvat 1701. It does not appear that Har Ray enjoyed much 

 temporal power, or that he entered into any hostilities with the Muham- 

 medans : his rule was tranquil, and passed without any remarkable event; 

 owing, probably, to the vigor which the Muhammedan power had attain- 

 ed, in the early part of the reign of Aurungzeb. At his death, which 



the son of Arjunmai^^ and Go'vi^nd, the last and greatest of the Sikh Gurus, the son of 

 Te'gh Bahadur. In the Persian sketch which Major Browne translates, the name of 

 Har Go'vind is not mentioned. The son of Arjunmai, is called Gu'ru'JIa'm Ra'Yj whicll 

 is obviously a mistake of the author of that manuscripta 



* Na'nac had forbidden hog'& flesh, though a common species of food among the lower 

 tribe of Hindus^ incompliance with the prejudices of the Muhammedans^ whom it was his 

 great wish to reconcile to his faith, by every concession and persuasioia. 



t It is statedy by a Sikh author named NitN% that Hah Go'vind, during his ministry^ 

 established the practice of invoking the three great MindA deities, Brahma'j Vishnu ansJ 

 Siva j but this is not confomed by any other authority whiyh I have seen. 



