1 HISTORY OP THK SIKHS. 73
2 of Manuk, and all the succeeding Gooroos to the
3 tune of Teghbuhadur who were scattered in the
4 Punjab. They were to search every town arid
5 village, so as to leave none behind. In a short
6 time vrist crowds from all parts of the Punjab
7 flocked around Govind, and when they were as¬
8 sembled, he stood up in the midst ot them and
9 addressed the people : “ My father Teghbuhadur His address,
10 ordered me to avenge his bigod, and with this view
11 1 have collected a large army, but money is re¬
12 quired forits maintenance. Now, my friends, every
13 one of you must prepare to obey my orders and
14 contribute money.
15 “ In the next place you must be all of one mmd>
16 and adopt the same manners, and have the same re¬
17 ligious belief. There must be no castes among you, b^tw ys
18 a& exist among the Hindoos. V ou must be all
19 equal, and no man greater than another. You
20 must place no belief in the shasters, or religious
21 books of the Hindoos. You must abstain from
22 visiting any of the places of religious worship, such
23 as the Ganges, Buddrenath, and pay no respect to
24 any of their gods: pay respect to Gooroo Narnik,
25 and to none else. The four castes of the Hindoos
26 are to be dissolved from henceforth.'’
27 A reformation of this character was eminently
28 calculated to please the lower castes of the Hindoos,
29 who would thus be at once raised to a level with
30 the Brahmins, whom they had been taught from
31 their earliest infancy to respect as their superiors in
32 every thing; moreover, the meanness of their origin