2&S SKETCH OF THE SIKHS. 



Biseless tinsel and false ornaments, and to establish its complete deptn- 

 ience upon the great creator of the universe^ He speaks every where of 

 MuHAMMED, and his successors, with moderation; but animadverts boldly 

 ©nwhat he tonceives to be their errors,; and, above all^ on their endea- 

 ¥0Ufs|@; propagate their faith by the swords 



'"JIs'^N^a'nag made no materia! invasion of either the civil' or religious 

 usages 'of t!fe- JfzWte, a'nd as his only desire was to restore a nation who 

 had degenerklSd ffte' their original pure worship* into idolatry, he may 

 _fce considered more in the light of a reformer^ than of a subverter of the 

 Hindii religion; and those »S'z1/l? who adhere to his tenets, without admit- 

 ting those of Gu^iiu'Govind, are hardly to be distinguished from the 

 great mass of Mrt^izi population,; among whom there are many sects who 

 differ^ much more than that-of Na'nac, from the general and orthodox 

 worship at pre-sent established in /?2^/^o '^''■■■' '-■• 



The first successors of Na'nac appear to have taught exadlly the same 

 do6frine as their leader ; and though Har Govind armed all his follow- 

 ers, it was on a principle of self defence, in which he was- fully justified^ 

 even by the -usage of the Hmdus. -It was reserved for GuRu^G6vIND to 

 give a new cl}ara.6];er tQ the religion of his followers, not hy making any 

 material alteration. in 4he tenets of Nanac^ but by establishing mstitutioos 

 and usages, which not only separated them from other Hindus, but which^ 

 By the complete abolition of all distinction of casts,, destroyed^ at one 

 blow, a system of civil pohty, that, from being interwoven with the reli- 

 gion of a weak and higotted race^ fixed the rule of its priests upon a basis 

 that had withstood the sliock of ages. Though the code of the Hhidus 



* Tlie most ancient Hindus do^ not appear to liaye paid adoration to idr^Is ; but thougli 

 thej adored God, ih^j -worsbipped tlie sun and elements. 



