1 156 THE RELIGION OF THE SIKHS.
2 proselytism by sundry fortunate accidents, which
3 impressed the people with a confidence in their
4 enjoyment of the immediate patronage of the
5 Almighty.
6 AmERA Dos dying at Umritzar, his son Ram
7 Dos assumed the office of teacher of the tenets of
8 Nanac, and continued to fulfil its duties until the
9 day of his death. He was succeeded by his son
10 ARJUNMAL, who improved upon the work of the
11 great founder of the religion, and compiled a
12 volume called the Granth, or book, which thence-
13 forth became the Bible or sacred guide of the
14 people of the Punjaub. But ArsunmaL made
15 enemies in the preparation of this work. Refus-
16 ing to admit the writings of a furious Hindoo
17 zealot into the Grant’h, on the ground of their
18 inconsistency with the pure doctrines he con-
19 sidered himself bound to inculcate, a plot was
20 formed to procure his arrest and imprisonment,
21 which terminated in his death or assassination.
22 Hitherto the progress of the Sikh religion had
23 been one of peace; it was now to be maintained,
24 if not disseminated, by fire and sword. The
25 Sikhs, incensed at the treatment of ArsJUNMAL,
26 took arms under his son Har Govinp, and made
27 war upon the Mahomedan rulers of the Punjaub.
28 The strife was bitter as long as it lasted, and laid
29 the seeds of the irreconcilable hatred which to
30 this hour subsists between the Sikhs and the