SfcEtCH OF THE SIKHS. g!7 



lay aside theif peaceable haHitS','- to graft the resolute ccfiira'g^ 63F the sbl^^ 

 dier on the enthusiastic faith of the devotee, to swea^? '"eternal war- with the 

 cruel and hsiughty Mukammeddns, and to devote thernselves-. t(5 5/^^/, zs- 

 the only means of obtaining every blessing that' this worM> or thatto> 

 come, could afford to tn<5rtals, ' ^1 ^t^'^^^ l^mnmtsz sd lliv^ 



This was the do61^rine of Gu'ru' Go vind, the son of Te'gh BehAjDUR j;'^ 

 who, though very young at his father's death, had his mind embued with 

 the deepest horror at that event, and cherished a spirit of implacable re- 

 sentment against those whom he considered as his murderers. " Devotin^^ 

 his life'tQ this objea, we find him, when quite a youth, at the1iead^oT''l' 

 large party of his followers,' amid the hills of Snnag<ir, ^Nhere'^]ie'giVe 

 proofs of that ardent and daring mind, which afterwards raised him iQ> 

 such eminence. He was not, however, able to maintain himseTf against 

 the prince of that country, with whom he had entered into hostilities r'^^*^^^ 

 being obliged to leave it, he went to the Penjdb, where he AJvfe ¥aPmly" 

 ■welcomed by a Hindu chief in rebellion against the govern m^rit. This 

 chief gave Go'vind possessidn of 'Mdtkav'dl* and several other villages^ 

 where he settled with his follower^,' '^nS' i-epaid Mi'b^fefaaidr, by aiding- 

 Iiim in his depredations, ■ Go'vind appears, at this Mlil^'flt;^to haifebfeen 

 universally acknowledged iy tM SikJis,' as their .S^i-phri'b^chtef^'sprri^ 

 fual leader; and he used the influence which that' station, 'hi^ sliflenngs, 

 and the popularity of his cause, gave him, to effedl a complete ch^ange riir 

 the habits and religion of his countrymen.^ It WQuld jbe, tedious and 

 useless to follow the Sikh writers through tliose vplumesi ci^-^f^l^lc^/ Jil 



* A town on the Satl6j. 1 - 



: aori i : 

 + Guru' Go'vind is slated, by .1 SiJch autlior of rcspoclabilify, B'riAi Gt'nu' DaIS ' 



B*hale', tohavcbwn fourteen years of age -when his father was put to death- 



Ggg 



