abhedananda-inda her people

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AND HER-

PEOPLE


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CORNELLUNIVERSITYLIBRARY

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DS 423.A 14 "'"""'"""'""'"'''India and her people.

3 1924 014 268 886


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Cornell UniversityLibrary

The original of tliis book is intine Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions inthe United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924014268886


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SWAM! ABHEDANANDA


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I N D IANn

i 1 E 1-^ l'> E O P L EHY

''" ' '^'^lA SOCIETY

URiS Uat^ARY


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IndiaANDHer PeopleBY

SWAMI ABHEDANANDAAuthor of "Self-Rnowledge," "How to be a Yogi," "Spiritual Unfold-

ment," "Divine Heritage of Man," "Philosophy of Work"' etc.

PUBLISHED BYTHE VEDANTA SOCIETYNEW YORK

URIS LiBRARY


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PS

COPYKIGHT, igo6, BY SWAMI ABHBDANANDABNTBRED AT STATIONERS* MALL. ALL RIGHTS KBSBRVBD.

s.'f'/iiVJ Ba lUy

ROBERT DRUMMOND, PRrNTER, NEW YORK


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TO THEPEOPLE OF INDIA

WITH DEEP FELLOW-FEELING\ AND

EARNEST PRAYERS FOR THE RESTORATIONOF THEIR ANCIENT GLORY

ANDNATIONAL FREEDOM


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INTRODUCTION.

I AM very glad to learn that the course oflectures, recently delivered before the BrooklynInstitute of Arts and Sciences by Swami Abhe-dananda, is to be published. These lecturesConstitute an exceedingly valuable descriptionof the social, political, educational, and religiousconditions of India. They contain preciselywhat the American wants to know about India.Delivered, as they were, by a native of India,they are not colored by foreign prejudices. Iam impressed, by what I heard of the lectures,with the fact that in the hurry and bustle ofour' Western civilization we have a great dealto learn from the East. ^

Franklin W. Hooper,Director of the Brooklyn Institute of Artsand Sciences.

Brooklyn, N. Y., April 26, 1906.3


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PREFACE.

The first six lectures contained in this volumewere delivered before the Brookl}^! Instituteof Arts and Sciences. As my limited timedid not permit me to describe at length thestatus of Hindu women, I have added a separatelecture on "Woman's Place in Hindu Religion"to complete the subject.My main object has been to give an impartial

account of the facts from the standpoint of anunbiased historian, and to remove all misunder-standings which prevail among the Americansconcerning India and her people. I have citedHindu, American, and European authorities tosupport my statements, and I beg to acknowledgemy indebtedness to those writers from whomI have quoted, especially to Mr. R. C. Dutt, C.I.E.,for numerous valuable facts and statistics col-

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PREFACE.lected by him through years of tireless researchin England, and embodied in his historical works,"Civilization in Ancient India," "EconomicHistory of India," and "India in the VictorianAge."

The Author.New York, May 15, 1906.

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CONTENTS.

PAGEI. The Prevailing Philosophy of To-day 9

II. The Religion of India To-day 48III. The Social Status of the Indian People: their

System of Caste 87IV. Political Institutions of India 116V. Education in India 170VI. The Influence of India on Western Civilization,

and the Influence of Western Civilization onIndia 216

VII. Woman's Place in Hindu Religion. 2517


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.

THE PREVAILINQ PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.Centuries before the Christian era, nay, long

before the advent of the prophet and founderof Judaism, when the forefathers of the Anglo-Saxon races were living in caves and forests,tattooing their bodies, eating raw animal flesh,wearing animal skins,in that remote antiquity,the dawn of true civihzation broke upon thehorizon of India, or BMrata Varsha, as it is calledin Sanskrit.The ancient Vedic sages had already perfected

their lofty system of moral philosophy, and theirfollowers were well-established in the practiceof the ethical and spiritual teachings of the


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.Vedas even before Moses* had reformed thelawless and nomadic tribes of Israel by givingthem the ten commandments in the name ofJahveh. And while thinkers among the Semitictribes were still tr3dng to explain the origin ofthe human race and of the universe throughthe mythological stories of creation collectedfrom the Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Babylonians,and Persians, the Aryan philosophers of Indiahad already discovered the evolution of theuniverse out of one eternal Energy, and of manfrom the lower animals.Many people have an idea that India is in-

habited by idolatrous heathens, who have neitherphilosophy, ethics, science, nor religion, andthat whatever they possess they have acquiredfrom the Christian missionaries; but, since theParliament of Religions at the World's Fair in

* According to the best authorities of the presentday, Moses lived about the fourteenth century B.C. Dr.Kuenen says: "The Xodus is accordingly placed byone in B.C. 1321, by another in B.C. 1320, and by a thirdin 1314 B.C. Of course, perfect accuracy on this pointis unattainable. With this reservation I accept theyear 1320 b.c. as the most probable."Religion of Israel,Vol. I, p. 121. ,

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.Chicago in 1893, the educated men and womenof this country have cast aside all such erroneousnotions. They have learned, on the contrary,that India has always been the fountain-headof every system of philosophy, and the homeof all the religious thought of the world. Themajority of Oriental scholars, like ProfessorMax MuUer and Professor Paul Deussen, as alsoadvanced students in America, have now cometo realize that from ancient times India hasproduced a nation of philosophers, and that allthe phases of philosophic thought, whetherancient or modem, can still be found thereto-day. Victor Cousin, the eminent French phi-losopher, whose knowledge of the history ofEuropean philosophy was unrivalled, writes:"When we read the poetical and philosophicalmonuments of the East,above all, those ofIndia, which are beginning to spread in Europe,we discover there many a truth, and truths soprofound, and which make such a contrast withthe meanness of the results at which the Euro-pean genius has sometimes stopped, that weare constrained to bend the knee before the

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLK.philosophy of the East, and to see in this cradleof the human race the native land of the highestphilosophy." * And elsewhere he declares that" India contains the whole history of philosophyin a nutshell."You wiU find no other country in the world

where, from prehistoric times down to the presentday, philosophy and religion have played soimportant a part in forming the character ofthe nation as they have done in India. Indiais the only country where, at least two thousandyears before the Christian era, public assemblies,philosophic conventions, and religious congresseswere held under the auspices of the reigningmonarchs; and in these active part was taken,not cftily by priests, philosophers, and scientists,but by kings, military commanders, soldiers,merchants, peasants, and educated women ofthe higher classes. As early as the Vedic period,which dates from 5000 to 2000 B.C., the ancientSeers of Truth asked the most vital questions,and discussed problems that have troubled the

Works, Vol. I, p. 32.12


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THE PKEVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.minds of the great philosophers of all ages.In those questions we can discern the develop-ment of their intellectual powers, and theirinsight into the true nature of things. Theyinquired: " When death swallows the wholeworld, who is the deity which shaU swallowdeath? What part of man exists after death?What becomes of the vital forces when a mandies? What is the nature of the soul? Whereis the foundation and support of this universe?What is the essence of being? What is therethat governs all things and yet is separate fromeverything?" In trying to answer these andother problems of similar nature, the ancientthinkers discovered the laws of thought andtraced the causes of phenomena, appl37ing therules of logic and reason at every step.This was the beginning of philosophy in India.The minds of those truth-seekers were abso-lutely free from aU limitations of doctrines,dogmas, and creeds. They never asked whattheir belief was, or whether they had faith in apersonal God; but the burning questions forthem were, how to acquire true knowledge of the

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.universe, of its origin and cause, how to knowthe real nature of their sotals, and how to solvethe problems of hfe and death. At that timephilosophic and religious thought began to fer-ment as actively and universally in the atmos-phere of India as we find to-day in Westerncountries. Some of the answers given to thesequestions by the unbiassed thinkers of thosedays are truly astounding; it seems as thoughthe ancient Seers of Truth had anticipated theconclusions of Plato, Spinoza, Berkeley, Hume,Hegel, Schopenhauer, Herbert Spencer, Haeckel,even centuries before their existence.During the pre-Buddhistic period, or before

the sixth century B.C., India gave rise to agreat variety of philosophical systems, some ofwhich were atheistic, agnostic, nihilistic, mate-rialistic, while others were pluraUstic, dualistic,or monotheistic, qualified non-dualistic, idealis-tic, spiritualistic, monistic systems of thought,such as are common in Europe and Americaat the present time. In fact, the natural ten-dency of the Hindu mind from the very beginningwas to search after the unchangeable Reality


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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.of the universe, to trace the source of all phe-nomena, to understand the purpose of earthlyexistence, and, above all, to know what relationthe individual soul bears to the Universal Being.Animated by an intense longing and guided byunswerving love for Truth, the ancient thinkersdiscovered many of the natural laws, and ration-ally explained them, without fearing contradic-tion or persecution; for freedom of thought hasalways prevailed among all classes of people inIndia.These sages understood the process of cosmic

evolution from a homogeneous mass into thevariety of phenomena, and rejected the theoryof special creation out of nothing. In one ofthe Upanishads we read that a sage, after ex-plaining the mystery of Creation to his son,said: "My dear child, some people think thatthis world has come out of nothing, but how cansomething come out of nothing?" Thus we seethat, unlike the Hebrews, the Hindu thinkersdid not believe in special creation, but fromancient times maintained the theory of gradualevolution. It has often been remarked that the

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.doctrine of, evolution is the marvel of modemtimes, and that it was unknown in the past ages,but the students of Oriental Hterature are wellaware that it was well known to the Hindus ofthe Vedic ages. Professor Huxley admits thiswhen he says: "To say nothing of Indian sages,to whom evolution was a familiar notion agesbefore Paul of Tarsus was bom." * And SirMonier Monier WiUiams, in his " Brihminismand Hinduism," declares: " Indeed, if I maybe allowed the anachronism, the Hindus wereSpinozites more than two thousand years beforethe existence of Spinoza; and Darwinians manycenturies before Darwin; and evolutionists manycenturies before the doctrine of evolution hadbeen accepted by the scientists of our time, andbefore any word like ' evolution ' existed in anylanguage of. the world." This statement isabsolutely correct. If we study the philosophicalsystems of the great thinkers and Seers of Truthof ancient India, we shaU. fiijd the most wonder-ful discoveries that have ever been recorded inthe whole history of philosophy.

* Science and Hebrew Tradition, p. 150.16


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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.In their attempts to solve the mysteries of

the phenomenal world, Hindu Seers of Truthdeveloped six principal systems of philosophy,each having numerous branches of its own.One school traces the origin of the universe to thecombination of atoms and molecules. It isknown as the Vaisheshika philosophy of Kandda.The system of Kandda divides the phenomenaluniverse into six Paddrthas, or categories, whichembrace the whole realm of knowledge. Theyare these: (i) Dravya, or substance; (2) Guna,or quality; (3) Karma, or action; (4) S^mdnya,or that which constitutes a genus; (5) Vishesha,or that which constitutes the individuality orseparateness of an object; and (6) Samavaya,coherence or inseparability. According to some,Abhava, or non-existence, is the seventh sub-stance.Each of these, again, is subdivided into vari-

ous classes. There are, for instance, nine sub-stances: (i) earth; (2) water; (3) light; (4) air;(5) ether; (6) time (Kdla); (7) space (Dish);(8) self (Atman); and (9) mind (Manas). Thesesubstances, again, cannot exist without qualities,

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.of which there are seventeen: color, taste, smell,touch, number (that by which we perceive oneor many), extension or quantity, individual-ity, conjunction, priority, posteriority, thought,pleasure, pain, desire, aversion, and wiU. Thesubstances are affected by five kinds of action:(i) upward motion, (2) downward motion,(3) contraction, (4) expansion, (5) movementfrom one spot to another. All the objects ofknowledge must be either substance, quality,or motion.According to KanMa, the first four substancesare non-eternal as aggregates, but are made up

of minute invisible atoms (anus) which areeternal. They exist as inorganic and organicmatter, or as instruments of sense-perceptions.KanMa describes atoms (anus) as indivisibleparticles of matter which possess no visible di-mensions. On this point he agrees more withmodem European scientists than with Greekphilosophers, who gave visible dimensions toatoms. The first aggregate of these atoms isof two (anus). It is called Dyanu, or molecule,which is stiU invisible. The aggregate of three

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.molecules or double atoms forms a Trasarenu,which has visible dimension. These aggregatesof composite atoms are destructible, while singleatoms are indestructible by nature. How re-markable it is to see that the conception ofatoms and molecules arose in India centuriesbefore the time of Empedocles and Democritus!And the latest atomic theory of European sciencehas not in any way surpassed that of ancientIndia.

Furthermore, the Vaisheshika system main-tains that these atoms are not created by God,but are co-eternal with Him. The power,however, which combines two atoms and makesaggregates of atoms, comes from God, who ispersonal, who possesses knowledge, desire, andwiU, and who is the one Lord and Governor ofaU phenomena. According to this system, ether,time, space, Atman or Self, and mind or Manas,are eternal substances of nature. Mind orManas is described as infinitely small, like anatom (anus); but it is distinct from Atman orSelf, which is vast (Vibhu). Although mind andAtman or Self are eternal, stiU they are innumer-

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THE PKEVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.reasoning or confutation; (9) Nimaya, or con-clusion; (10) Vdda, or argumentation; (11)Jalpa, or sophistry; (12) Vitand^, objection; (13)Hetvibhgsa, or fallacies; (14) Chhala, quibbleor perversion; (15) J4ti, or false analogies; and,(16) Nigrahasth^na, or unfitness for arguing.The correct knowledge of each of these is the aimof this school. According to Gautama, the meansof knowledge are four; (i) sensuous perception;(2) inference; (3)analogyj (4) Shabda, or verbaltestimony.The objects of knowledge are twelve in num-

ber; Self or Atman, body, organs of senses,objective perception, intellect (Buddhi), mind(Manas), will, fault, state after death, retribution,pain, and final emancipation. These objects,as weU as the means of knowledge, which aredescribed singly and elaborately, form thefundamental principles of the philosophy ofNy^a, while the rest of the Padirthas belongto the system of logic which it expounds. There-fore it is both logic and philosophy. Gautamais caUed the Aristotle of India. He was thefounder of Hindu logic, which has gradually

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.sciences, The Hindus invented logic, the Greeksperfected it." * We must not forget the historicalfact that there was a close intercourse between theGreeks and the Hindus from the time of Pythag-oras, who, it is said, went to India to gatherthe wisdom of the Hindus. Alexander himselfwas so deeply impressed, when he heard aboutthe Hindu philosophers, that he desired to maketheir acquaintance. It is also said that hebrought many Hindu philosophers back toGreece with him. These two schools of phi-losophy, the Vaisheshika and the Nyiya, sup-plement each other, and have at present manyfollowers in some parts of India, especially inBengal and among the Jains.Then comes the Sinkhya system of Kapila.

Kapila lived about 700 B.C. He is called thefather of the evolution theory in India. Hissystem is more like the philosophy of HerbertSpencer. He rejected the atomic theory bytracing the origin of atoms to one eternal cos-mic energy, which he caUed Prakriti (Latin,Procreairix, the creative energy). He main-

* Civilization in Ancient India, Vol. I, p. 292.23


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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.aside as accidental coincidences, but such coin-cidences are too numerous to be the result ofchance." And again he writes: "Neo-Pla-tonism and Christian Gnosticism owe much toIndia. The Gnostic ideas in regard to a pluralityof heavens and spiritual worlds go back directlyto Hindu sources. Soul and light are one inthe S^khya system, before they became so inGreece, and when they appear united in Greeceit is by means of the thought which is borrowedfrom India. The famous three qualities of theS^khya reappear as the Gnostic 'three classes.'"*

In his "Hindu Philosophy," John Daviesspeaks of KapUa's system as the first recordedsystem of philosophy in the world, and caUs it"the earliest attempt on record to give ananswer, from reason alone, to the mysteriousquestions which arise in every thoughtful mindabout the origin of the world, the nature andrelations of man and his future destiny." Fur-thermore, Mr. Davies says, in reference to theGerman philosophy of Schopenhauer and ofHartmann, that it is "a reproduction of the

* Religions of India, pp. 559, 560-25


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.

philosophic system of Kapila in its materialisticpart, presented in a more elaborate form, buton the same fundamental lines. In this respectthe human intellect has gone over the samegrotmd that it occupied more than two thousandyears ago; but on a more important questionit has taken a step in retreat. Kapila recog-nized fully the existence of a soul in man, form-ing indeed his proper nature,the absolute ofFichte,distinct from matter and immortal;but our latest philosophy, both here and in Ger-many, can see in man only a highly developedorganization." *

It is most starthng to find that the ulti-mate conclusions of this S^khya system har-monize and coincide with those of modern science.It says: (i) Something cannot come out of noth-ing; (2) The effect lies in the cause, that is,the effect is the cause reproduced; {3) Destruc-tion means the reversion of an effect to itscausal state; (4) The laws of nature are uni-form and regular throughout; (5) The buildingup of the cosmos is the result of the evolution

* Preface to Hindu Philosophy.26


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>: THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.patent evidence. These and various other mentalfunctions are minutely described by Patanjali.After explaining aU the modifications of theChitta, Patanjali shows the method by whichabsolute control over mind (Manas), intellect(Buddhi), Chitta, and egotism (Ahankdra) canbe attained. For the highest aim of his phi-losophy is to separate the Purusha from Prakriti,with which it is at present closely related; andto make it reach Kaivalya, or final emancipationfrom the bondage of nature and its qualities.

Patanjali also explains the science of concen-tration and meditation, the science of breath,clairaudience, telepathy, and various otherpsychic powers, and shows the way by whichone can attain to God-consciousness in this life.There is no system of psychological philosophyin the world so complete as the psychology ofPatanjali. The modem psychology of Europe,strictly speaking, is not true psychology, becauseit does not admit the existence of Psyche, the soul;as Schopenhauer says: "The study of psychologyis vain, for there is no Psyche." It may becalled physiological psychology, or somatology, as

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IKDIA AND HER PEOPLE.my friend, Professor Hiram Corson, of CornellUniversity, calls it. True psychology you willfind to-day in the Yoga system of Patanjali.This philosophy has stiU many followers indifferent parts of India.There is yet another school of philosophy,

called the Purva Mimdnsa of Jaimini. Theword "Mimosa" means investigation, and"Purva" means former or prior. This systemexamines the various injunctions of the ritualisticportion of the Vedas (Karma K^nda), and pointsout that the highest duty of man is to followthose injunctions as strictly as possible, for theyare the direct revelation of the Supreme Being.According to Jaimini, the words of the Vedas areeternal, and the relation of these words to theirmeaning is also eternal; so the Vedas had nohuman origin. This system of philosophy ex-plains the authoritative sources of knowledge,the relation between word and thought, andhow this world is the manifestation of the word.We see a cow because there is in the Vedassuch a word as "cow" (in the Sanskrit Gau).If the word cow did not exist, the material

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.object as cow would be non-existent. We maylaugh at such conclusions at present, but whenwe go deep into the subject and try to under-stand the relation which lies between thoughtand word, we shall realize the truth of suchstatements. The sun exists because there isthe word "sun" in the Vedas; that is, the sunis nothing but a part of the manifestation ofthat Logos or eternal thought form which existsin the cosmic mind.

Purva MimSnsa may also be called the phi-losophy of work. It describes the true natureof duty and of daily works, sacrificial, ritualistic,and devotional. Through it we can understandwhich is right work and in what way it shouldbe performed to produce certain results. Forinstance, if we wish to go to heaven we shallhave to perform certain acts and those acts wiUcreate a certain unknown or imperceptible re-sult, which will be rewarded or manifested inthe form of our going to heaven. Now, howdo these things happen? What is the law?And if we perform that very act in some otherway, what defects would be produced in the

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.result? All these minute points are discussed.You may throw them away as speculation, butthose who beheve in the efficacy of prayers, inthe law of action and reaction, of cause andsequence, cannot reject them as mere specula-tion, because there is some truth in them. Wecannot deny it. Every thought that we thinkor every movement of the body that we make,must produce some result somewhere in someform. What are those residts? How will theyaffect our being? We are too busy to think ofthese subtle problems now, but there are thinkerswho can explain a great deal on these higher andfiner lines of nature. Referring to the logic of thissystem. Professor Colebrook says: "Each caseis examined and determined upon general prin-ciples, and from the cases decided the principlesmay be collected. A well-ordered arrangementof them would constitute the philosophy of law;and this is, in truth, what has been attemptedin the Mimdnsa." This being an orthodox phi-losophy, it appeals to the students of the Vedas,and especially to the BrShmin priests.

Lastly comes the Uttara Mimdnsa, or the32


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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.system of Vedanta. This is the most popularphilosophy of India to-day. Since the declineof Buddhistic philosophy in India, Vedanta hasbecome most prominent and most powerful,having a large following among all classes ofpeople, from the priests down to the pariahs.Among the six schools, the Vedanta philosophyhas reached the highest pinnacle of philosophicthought which the human mind can possiblyattain. A careful study of these differentsystems shows that they contain all the highesttruths which were known to the ancient Greekphilosophers of the Pythagorean and Eleaticschools. Professor E. W. Hopkins says: "BothThales and Parmenides were indeed anticipatedby Hindu sages, and the Eleatic school seemsto be but a reflection of the Upanishads. Thedoctrines of Anaxamander and Heraclitus wereperhaps not known first in Greece." * FredericSchlegel writes: "The divine origin of man, astaught by the Vedanta, is continually inculcated,to stimulate his efforts to return, to animatehim in the struggle, and incite him to consider a

* Religions of India.33


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.of them has ventured to deny the apparentreality of the ego, of the senses, of the mind, andof their inherent forms. In this respect Vedantaholds a most unique position among the phi-losophies of the world. After lifting the Self orthe true nature of the ego, Vedanta unites itwith the essence of Divinity, which is absolutelypure, perfect, immortal, unchangeable, and one.No philosopher, not even Plato, Spinoza, Kant,Hegel, or Schopenhauer, has reached that heightof philosophic thought. Professor Max Miillerdeclares: "None of our philosophers, not except-ing Heraclitus, Plato, Kant, or Hegel, hasventured to erect such a spire, never frightenedby storms or lightnings. Stone follows on stone,in regular succession after once the first stephas been made, after once it has been clearlyseen that in the beginning there can have beenbut One, as there will be but One in the end,whether we call it Atman or Brahman." *Although Vedanta has united heaven and

earth, God and man. Brahman and Atman, stillit has destroyed nothing in the phenomenal

* The Six Systems of Indian Philosophy, p. 239.36


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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY Ot TO-DAV.world. It accepts all the ultimate conclusionsof modem science; but at the same time it saysthat Truth is one and not many, yet there canbe many expressions and various manifestationsof the one Truth. Furthermore, it maintainsthat the aim of the higher philosophy is not merelyto ascertain the established conjunctions of eventswhich constitute the order of the universe, or torecord the phenomena which it exhibits to ourobservation and refer them to the general laws,but also to lead the human mind from therealm of the knowable to that which i^ beyondthe knowable. We are now living in the realmof the knowable; but that which teaches simplythe laws which govern the knowable phenomenais not the highest kind of philosophy. We mustknow the laws of the knowable, yet at the sametime we should aspire to go beyond the knowableand plunge into the realm of the Infinite. Ifany philosophy can help us in this attempt, thenit must be higher than the ordinary system whichkeeps us within the limits of the knowable.Vedanta philosophy guides us above all knowableobjects of perception, ' and directs our souls

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THE PKEVAttlNG PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.vital problems which perplex the minds of thegreatest philosophers as unsolvable mysteries.Herbert Spencer does not explain aU theseproblems, but without finding their true solutionour lives will not be worth living. We mustfind an explanation, we must solve aU theproblems which disturb the peace of our souls;and if any system will help us, we will study it,follow its teachings, and satisfy our questioningminds. Secondly, true philosophy must investi-gate the leaha of knowledge and trace its source.You know that you are sitting here and hstening;where does this knowledge come from? Theminds of even the greatest thinkers have becomeconfused in trying to answer this question. Aphilosophy which does this is called Epistomology.The philosophy of Kant, Hegel, Fichte, andothers has performed this function. In his"Elements of General Philosophy" GeorgeCroom Robertson says; "Epistomology is justphilosophy, because it deals with things, dealswith being; it deals with things going beyondbare experience, but it treats of them in relationto the fact of knowing. Thus an epistomologist

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.function, true philosophy lays the foundation ofthe highest form of monistic religion. No phi-losophy in the world performs these three func-tions so satisfactorily as Vedanta. Hence wemay say that Vedanta is the most complete ofall systems.

Philosophy and religion must always be in per-fect harmony. Ernest Haeckel, in his "Riddleof the Universe," tries to give a foundation tomonistic rehgion; but his monism is one-sided,because he says that the ultimate substance ofthe universe is unintelligent. His insentientsubstance may be compared with Kapila'sPrakriti, which is eternal and uninteUigent.According to Vedanta, however, the final sub-stance of the universe is Brahman, which is Sator absolute existence. Chit or absolute intelli-gence, and Ananda or absolute bliss. Vedantateaches that that which is the substance of oursouls must possess intelligence, consciousness,and blissfulness. Thus Vedanta lays the truefoundation of a universal religion which ismonistic or non-dualistic. The monistic religionof Vedanta does not admit the Sankhyan theory

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INDIA AND HEE PEOPLE.of the plurality of Purushas, or individual souls,which are eternal and infinite by nature, but onthe contrary, by following the strict rules of logic,it establishes that the Infinite nfiust be one andnot many. From one many have come intoexistence, and the individual souls are but somany images or reflections of the AbsoluteBrahman. It teaches that the true nature ofthe soul is Divine. From the Absolute Brahmanthe phenomenal universe rises, and in the endreturns into the Brahman. The religion ofVedanta admits the existence of Iswara, thepersonal God, who is the first-bom Lord of theuniverse, who starts the evolution of Prakriti, wholoves all living creatures and can be loved andworshipped in return. In Vedanta the Prakritiof the S^nkhya philosophy is called Mkyt, whichis the divine energy of the Absolute Brahman.Mdyd does' not mean illusion, as some scholarsthink; but it is that power which produces time,space, and causation, as also the phenomenalappearances which exist on the relative plane.Thus we see that the system of Vedanta is bothphilosophy and religion. Of the tree of knowl-

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY 03? TO-DAY.edge, philosophy is the flower and reUgion isthe fruit, so they must go together. Rehgionis nothing but the practical side of philsophy,and philosophy is the theoretical side of re-ligion.

In India a true philosopher is not a mere specu-lator but a spiritual man. He does not believein certain theories which cannot be carried intopractice in every-day life; what he believes helives, and therefore practical philosophy is stillto be found in India. For example, an Indianphilosopher who foUows KanMa, and believes inthe existence of a personal God as the essence ofhis soul, does not merely accept this theoretically,but he tries to realize it in his daily life. ABuddhist, again, will explain all the most abstruseproblems, and at the same time you wiU see that heis living out his behefs. So with a follower ofthe Sankhya system, or of Vedanta: they arenot mere speculative philosophers, but they livespiritual lives and strive to attain God-conscious-ness. In India, if any one writes volvmiinousworks and leads a worldly life, he is not con-sidered a true philosopher; but in the West a

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.their statements as unscientific and irrational.Similarly they will not listen to other Christiandogmas, like infant damnation, eternal perditionof the heathen, etc.The philosophy and religion of Vedanta

embrace aU the sciences and philosophies ofthe world, accepting their latest conclusions, andclassify them according to their order of merit.Consequently the universality of Vedanta isunique and unparalleled. In this system the peo-ple of India find the ultimate truths of all sci-ences, of all philosophies, as well as of all religions.It is so popular because it solves the problemsconcerning the origin and final aim of earthlylife, fulfils the highest aspiration of humansouls, and inculcates that the true nature ofthe soul is immortal by its birthright. Vedantamaintains that, if the soul were mortal by nature,it could never become immortal, for that whichcould be made immortal could be unmade.This is an argument which cannot be refuted,and it has taken such hold of the logical mindof the Hindus that, even when they are con-verted to other faiths, they cannot believe that

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THE PREVAILING PHILOSOPHY OF TO-DAY.philosophy leaves to every man a wide sphereof real useftilness, and places him under a lawas strict and binding as an3rthing can be in thistransitory life; it leaves him a Deity to wor-ship as omnipotent and majestic as the deitiesof any other religion. It has room for almostevery religion; nay, it embraces them all." *

* Three Lectures on Vedanta Philosophy.47


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THE RELIGION OF INDIA. TO-DAY.Christians. 2,923,241Mahometans 625458,077Jews 18,228Parsees 94,190Buddhists (chiefly in Burmah) .... 9,476,759Jains 1,334,148Sikhs 2,195,339Hindus 207,147,026

The Jews are scattered in large cities likeBombay, Poona, and Calcutta. The Parseesare to be found in the Bombay Presidency; butin India proper there are very few Buddhists.Besides these, there are about six hundredthousand Aboriginal non-Aryans who are ances-tor or spirit-worshippers. The majority of thepopulation are known as Hindus and theirreligion is called Hinduism. The words "Hindu"and " Hinduism," however, are entirely of for-eign origin. In ancient times, when the Persiansand Greeks invaded India, they came across ariver in the northwest of India which was calledin Sanskrit " Sindhu " (the Indus of moderngeography), but, in Zend and in Greek, "Hindu."Consequently, those who inhabited the banks

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.Some people may think that it is a naturalreligion; but if we trace the origin of all so-caUed supernatural religions, we shall find thatthey were in some way connected with India,the home of all the religious systems of theworld, and that, when other countries andother nations had no religion at all, the eternalreligion of the Hindus not only prevailed butwas fully developed.Under the name of Hinduism there still exists

in India to-day a system of religion which em-braces all the religious thought of the world.It stands like a huge banyan-tree, spreadingits far-reaching branches over hundreds of sects,creeds, and denominations, and covering with itsinnumerable leaves all forms of worship,thedualistic, qualified non-dualistic, and monisticworship of the One Supreme God, the worship ofthe Incarnation of God, and also hero-worship,saint-worship, symbol-worship, ancestor-worship,and the worship of departed spirits. It is basedupon the grand idea of universal receptivity.It receives everything. It is like an immensehospitable mansion which welcomes all wor-

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.shippers, from the lowest to the highest, allbelievers in the existence of God, and which hasnever refused admission to any sincere applicantfor spiritual freedom. The prevailing religionof India may be compared to a vast mosaic,inlaid with every kind of religious idea andevery form of worship which the human mind canpossibly conceive. If any one wishes to studythe history of the gradual evolution of the worshipof the One Supreme Being step by step, fromits lowest to its highest phase, let him go toIndia and study the living history of religions.Let him simply watch the lives of the followersof existing sects, for Professor Max Miiller says:"No phase of religion, from the coarsest super-stition to the most sublime enlightemnent, isunrepresented in that country."

This universal religion, strictly speaking, isneither Hinduism nor Brdhminism, although ithas been called both, as well as by still othernames. But why should we call it Brdhminism?The term, which is an invention of the Christianmissionaries, has no meaning to the Hindus,because no Brahmin was its founder. This

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.eternal religion, indeed, is nameless and it hadno founder. Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christi-anity, Mahometanism, had their founders andwere built around the personality of thesefounders; but the religion of the Hindus is notlimited by any book, or by the existence or non-existence of any particular person. If we studythe words of the earliest-known Rishi, or Vedic"Seer of Truth," even he alludes to others whohad seen similar truths before him. It is forthis reason that the religion of the Indo-Aryansnever had any special creed or dogma or theologyas its guide. Everything that harmonized withthe eternal laws described by the ancient Seersof Truth was recognized and accepted by themas true.From the very beginning this religion has been

as free as the air which we breathe. As airtouches all flowers and carries their fragrancealong with it wherever it blows, so the Sandtanareligion takes in all that is true and beneficialto mankind. Like the sky overhead, it embracesthe spiritual atmosphere around aU nations andaU countries. It is a, well-known fact that this

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.eternal religion of the Hindus surpasses Zoro-astrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Mahome-tanism in its antiquity, grandeur, sublimity, and,above all, in its conception of God. The Godof the Hindus is omnipresent, omnipotent,omniscient, aU-merciful, and impersonally per-sonal. He is not like the extra-cosmic Creatoras described in Genesis, but is immanent andresident in nature. He is more merciful, moreimpartial, more just, more compassionate, thanJahveh, the tribal god of the sons of Israel.The God of the Aryan religion is more benevolentand more unlimited in power and majesty thanthe Ahura Mazda of the Zoroastrians. You willfind monotheism at the foundation of everyreligious structure, and other nations do notgo beyond this; but the Indian people are notsatisfied to stop with monotheism; they wantsomething higher.The religion of the Indo-Aryans of to-day

can be classified under three heads,duahstic,qualified non-dualistic, and monistic. The firsttwo, that is, the dualistic and qualified non-dual-istic phases, have given foundation to the various

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THE HELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.sects of worshippers who are known as Vaish-navas, Shaivas, Shdktas, Ganapatyas, Sauryas;of these, the last two sects have become almostextinct at the present time. The majority ofHindus, both men and women, are either Vaish-navas, Shaivas, or Shdktas.The Vaishnavas are those who worship the

Supreme Being, the all-knowing, all-loving, andomnipotent Lord, Governor, and Protector ofthe universe, under the name of Vishnu. Vishnuis the name of the second person of the HinduTrinity, the Uteral meaning of the word being"all-pervading," "omnipresent." According tothe Hindu belief, Vishnu, or the Lord of theuniverse, is both personal and impersonal. Inhis impersonal aspect he pervades the universe,interpenetrates the atoms and molecules, andfills the infinite space like the glorious light ofthe self-effulgent sun. In his personal aspecthe dwells in the highest heaven. The personalLord of the universe also incarnates Himself onthis earth in every age to establish the eternalreligion and to help mankind. "Whenevertrue religion decHnes and irreligion prevails,

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.says the Lord, I manifest myself to establishtrue religion and to destroy evil." *Some people think that this idea of the incar-nation of God was borrowed from the Christians;but it can be proved, on the contrary, that itexisted in India centuries before Christ was bom.In fact, India is the home of this belief, whichwas afterwards adopted by other religions.The Hindus maintain that since the beginning ofthe world God has incarnated many times, andwill come again and again. They have recog-nized many incarnations in the past, and believethat there will be many in the future. On thispoint they differ from the Christians, who believethat there was only one incarnation, and thatthat was the first and the last. According to theHindu faith, God can manifest in any place atany time, because His powers are unlimited.If we limit Him by saying that there has beenonly one incamE^tion, then we make Him finite;but as He is Infinite in His powers, in His glory,and in His manifestations. He ought not to belimited by time, space, or nationality. His love

* Bhagavad Gita, Ch. IV, v. 7.56


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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.for all nations is equal, and whenever and whereverHis manifestation is necessary, there He naturallydescends. These incarnations are called in Sans-krit Avatdras, which means the descent of theSupreme Being for the good of humanity.R^a, the hero of the great epic Rimdyana,

for instance, is regarded as one of the great in-carnations of ancient India. To-day, in variousparts of the country, especially in the north-western provinces and in central India, there aremilUons and millions of souls who worshipRSma as the Saviour of mankind, who lookupon him as the ideal son, the ideal king, the idealfather, and the ideal husband; who repeat hisholy name with the deepest feelings of love anddevotion; who chant his praises in the morning,at noon, and in the evening; who sing songsdescribing the exploits of this great Avat^ra;who every day read a portion of the Rdm^yanain Sanskrit or in Hindustanee, or in any othervernacular; and who in their daily life followthe teachings and the high moral and ethicalideals exempHfied in the character of Sri Rdma,the embodiment of Truth eternal. For the sake

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.of tnithfillness, R^ma abandoned his throne,went into the forest, and lived there for fourteenlong years, practising austerities in order to setan example of perfect truthfulness. His consortSita, the noblest, purest, and most perfect idealof womanhood that India has produced, is nowthe exalted spiritual ideal of every Hindu woman,old or young. Those who have read the Rimd-yana will remember the unparalleled character ofSit^, the ideal wife and mother. She was themost wonderful character that the world hasever seen. To show her faithfulness to her lord,she sacrificed everything; she was, indeed, Hkethe personification of loyalty and purity. Hanu-mdn, again, who is erroneously called by theChristian missionaries the monkey god, representsthe ideal devotee and the perfect embodimentof faith and devotion; and whenever a worship-per of Rdma thinks of these qualities, he holdsHanum^ as the ideal before him. Those whoworship R^a are known as Rdmdt Vaishnavas.They regard RSma and Vishnu as one.Then there are many millions of Vaishna-

vas all over India who worship Krishna, theS8


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.This is a difficult thing for Western minds tograsp, and for that reason they think the Hinduspolytheists. But they are not polytheists. Theyworship One God under different names andforms. R4ma was the incarnation of Vishnu,and so was Krishna. In their spiritual essencethey are one and the same, but in their mani-festations they are different. Both have theirstatues in all the big temples of India, just aswe see the images of Christ and Mary in theCathedrals of Christendom. The Christian mis-sionaries, however, not understanding the Hinduform of worship, have misrepresented thesestatues and called them idols. Here let meassure you that there is no such thing as idol-worship, in your sense of the term, in any partof India, not even among the most illiterateclasses. I have seen more idolatry in Italythan in India. The Italian peasants even beatthe Bambino when their prayers are not answered,but in India you wiU not find such spiritual dark-ness an5where. There the people worship theIdeal, not the idol. Statues and figures are keptin the temples as reminders of the deeds of the

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.great Saviours. It is the memory, the spirit,of R^ma and Krishna, which the Hindus worship;but if you ask a Brahmin priest whom he wor-ships, or where is Krishna, he will tell you thatLord Krishna dwells ever5rwhere; he is theSoul of our souls, the Heart of our hearts. Heis not confined to any particular form made ofwood or stone. Is this idolatry? If so, whatkind of idolatry is it? It is very easy for anyone to say that it is the worship of a false god,or of an idol; but if a person will look beneaththe surface and inquire of the Hindus them-selves, he can readily discover how mistakensuch assertions are. If the Hindus are idol-worshippers because they show respect to theirSpiritual Masters, like Krishna and Rdma, whyshould not the Christians be called idolaterswhen they show respect to Christ, kneeling downbefore his statue or picture? If the Hindu isidolatrous because he fixes his mind on somereligious s3mibol, like the cross or triangle orcircle, why should not the same term be appliedto the Christian when he thinks of the crucifixand keeps it on the altar? ^

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.Images and s5mibols are also used in Hindu

temples as aids to the practice of concentrationand meditation. This is a peculiar mode ofworship common among the Hindus. Theremay be no outward signs of worship. A manwill perhaps sit cross-legged on the floor, closehis eyes, and remain as motionless as a statue:his devotion will aU be internal. He wiU with-draw his mind from the external world and fixit upon the Supreme Being; but the starting-point of his concentration and meditation wiUbe these symbols and figures, because the natu-ral tendency of the mind is to go from the con-crete to the abstract and then to the Absolute.So there may be many symbols in the temples;the cross, for instance. The cross was a religioussymbol in India long before Christ was bom.The swastika is the oldest of all forms of thecross, and that we have in India to-day. Thenthere is the triangle, which S5anbolizes theHindu Trinity; the circle, which representsinfinity; and there are many other symbols, allof which are considered extremely helpful tobeginners in concentration and meditation.

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.The Hindus regard Krishna as the ideal incar-

nation of Divine Love. His mission was toestablish Divine Love on this earth, and showthat it can be manifested through all sanctifiedhuman relations. What Krishna has done inIndia, and how he has impressed the minds ofthe people, we cannot understand here. Wemust go to India to see that; we must go toMathurd, where Krishna was bom, or to Vrin-d^van, where he played as a shepherd-boy, tofind how the Vaishnavas revere and worshiphim. The worship and devotion which we seeto-day in India cannot be found in any otherpart of the world. I have travelled throughmany countries in Europe, and almost all overthe United States and Canada, but I have notseen the pathos, the spiritual fire, that I havefound among the Vaishnavas in India. Godcan be worshipped not only as the Master, butalso as a friend, as a child, as a husband,thatis what they teach. They bring Him closerand closer, and make Him the closest and near-est to our being. Time wiU not permit me togo into the details of the method of worship

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DSTDIA AND HER PEOPLE.which these Vaishnavas practise, but I canat least tell you that there are thousands andthousands of Hindu women who look uponKrishna, the Saviour of mankind, as their ownchild. They do not care for a human child;they want God as their child, and they con-sider themselves as the mother of Divinity.This is a unique thing. The mother of God!How much purity is required to make a womanthink of herself as the mother of Divinity or ofa Divine Incarnation! And this is their ideal.I am not exaggerating; I have seen with myeyes such wonderful characters, and I haveseen them nowhere else.These Vaishnavas, or worshippers of Krishna,

can be subdivided into seven different denomina-tions: The followers of Sankir^charya, the greatpreacher and commentator of monistic Vedanta;the followers of RSm^uja, another great preacherand commentator, who lived in the southern partof India, and whose followers are known asqualified non-dualists; the followers of Madhv^-ch^rya, the preacher of the duaUstic school;and the followers of Chaitanya, of Ballavd-

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TBCE EELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.cMrya, of Rlini^anda, and NimbicMrya. Eachof these was an ideal prophet, spiritual leader, andcommentator of the philosophy of Vedanta, asalso the founder of a denomination which stiUhas millions of followers all over the country.They differ only in the minor peculiarities oftheir doctrines, beliefs, and modes of worship;but they all agree on one point,that Krishnawas the greatest of all Divine Incarnations, thathe was the Saviour of mankind and the Re-deemer of the world.The worshippers of Krishna and of Vishnu

or R^a are all vegetarians; they do not touchmeat, because non-kiUing is their ideal. Theycannot kill any animal for food. They neverdrink any intoxicating liquor, neither the mennor the women. That is a very difficult thingto find anywhere else. They practise non-resistance of evil, which was taught not onlyby Krishna, but by Buddha and afterwardsby Christ. Their religion makes them loving,not only to human beings, but to all livingcreatures, and pure and chaste in their morals.They practise disinterested love for humanity;,

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.they will sacrifice everything for the good ofothers, because their Ideal, their Master, wasthe sin-atoning Krishna, who sacrificed every-thing for the good of the world. There are nocaste distinctions among the Vaishnavas. Ma-hometans and Pariahs have often become fol-lowers of this faith. Krishna has indeed givento earnest and sincere souls among the Hinduswhat Jesus the Christ has given to Christendom,and there is a great similarity in the belief andmode of worship of the Vaishnavas and thoseof the most devout followers of Jesus.As the Vaishnavas regard Krishna and R4ma

as their Ideals, so there are Hindus who lookupon other manifestations as their Ideal. TheShaivas, for example, worship Shiva, the thirdperson of the Hindu Trinity. Shiva representsthe ideal of renunciation and absolute freedomfrom worldhness. He is revered by the Hindusas the embodiment of contemplativeness andYoga; he is therefore worshipped by the Yogis,saints, and sages of all sects. They repeat thename of Shiva with tears of love and devotionstreaming from their eyes; they forget ever5rthing

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.of the world when they utter his sacred name.Shiva and Vishnu, again, are one and the samein their spiritual essence; they are two mani-festations of the One Infinite Being who iscalled Brahman in the Vedas. A Vaishnavacan worship Shiva in the same spirit as he worshipshis own Ideal Vishnu, and a Shaiva can worshipVishnu in the same spirit as he worships his ownIdeal, Shiva; because they know that He whois Vishnu is Shiva and He who is Shiva is Vishnu.

Shiva represents, as I have already said, con-templativeness. Yoga, renunciation and absolutefreedom from worldliness. As Vishnu is adornedby the Vaishnavas with aU blessed qualities, withaU that is beautiful, all that stands for wealth,prosperity, and success in life; Shiva, on thecontrary, is adorned with all that is ugly, horrible,and awe-inspiring. His beatific form is encircledby venomous snakes of evil, misfortune, andworldliness; but they cannot injure Him. Shivadwells in the Shmashdna, where horrors of deathand destruction surround Him, but they cannotfrighten Him or disturb His blissful Sam^dhi.He is the ever-undaunted conqueror of all dread,

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INDIA AND HEE PEOPIE.danger, passion, and distress. He is attendedby gEosts and wicked spirits, but they cannothurt Him. Shiva renounces the world for thegood of humanity. Voluntarily He takes uponHimself the burdens, anxieties, sufferings, andpains of all humanity, and swallows the deadliestpoison to bestow immortality upon His earnestfollowers and true devotees. His consort, theDivine Mother of the universe, is His only com-panion in austerities and penances. He hveswhere nobody cares to go, and He accepts thetiger-skin and the ashes from crematories asHis ornaments. He is the ideal of the Yogis.If any one wishes to see and understand whatrenunciation means, let him go to India andstudy the worship of Shiva. He has manyforms, many incarnations, and there are manysymbols connected with His life. The Shaivasworship the snow-white form of Shiva, whichS5rmbolizes purity and freedom from aU taintor worldliness, the form of Him who is theMaster of the universe. Shiva can be worshippedunder all circumstances. If a follower of Shivacannot find a terhple, he may sit under a tree;


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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.he does not need any form, statue, or symbol;he simply closes his eyes and meditates uponShiva as the Lord of the universe, beyond goodand evil, beyond all relativity, the embodimentof the Infinite and Absolute Being.The Vaishnavas and Shaivas, as we have just

seen, regard the Lord of the universe as masculineand give Him masculine attributes; but thereare Hindus who give to God feminine attributesand call Him the Mother of the universe. Indiais in fact the only place in the world where Godis worshipped as the Mother, and where allwomen are considered as representatives ofideal Divine Motherhood. Some people thinkthat the Hindus deny salvation to women, butno Hindu ever imagined anything so crude;on the contrary, womanhood is attributed byhim to the Lord of the universe. He knowsthat the soul is sexless, and that it manifests onthe physical plane as a man or a woman only tofulfil a certain purpose in life. The BhagavadGita says: "All men and women, whether theybelieve in God or not, are bound sooner or laterto reach perfection."

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.Those who thus worship God as the Mother are

known as Sh^ktas, the worshippers of Shakti,Divine Energy, the Mother of all phenomena.These Shdktas beUeve that the Mother of theuniverse manifests Her powers from time totime in human form and incarnates as a woman.There have been various feminine incarnationscimong the Hindus. These Divine incarnationsof Shakti, or Divine Energy, are in differentforms, such as Kg,li, DurgS,, T^r^, etc. Foreignerscannot understand the meaning of these sym-bolic figures, used as aids to concentration andmeditation at the time of worship, and theythink, "How hideous these forms are!" Ofcourse some of them are hideous to Westerneyes, but to the Hindus they are spiritual sym-bols; for the people of India are not merelyoptimistic, they recognize both sides. They arebrave. They do not deny the evil side of theworld; they take that also, and adorn the Motheron the one hand with evil, murder, plague, andthe most horrible things, while, on the otherhand, they represent Her as overflowing withblessings and all that is good and beautiful.

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.Those who have only optimistic ideas shut theireyes to evils and misfortunes and curse eitherGod or Satan when these come upon them;but among the worshippers of the Divine Motheryou will find both men and women, who in timeof distress face danger bravely, and pray to Herwith unflinching faith and whole-hearted love,recognizing Her grandeur and Divine powereven behind misfortune and calamity.The whole truth of the Sdnkhya philosophy *

is symbolized in the Shakti-worship, or theworship of Divine Mother. You wiU rememberthat the S&ikhya believes in the evolution ofthe world and of the whole universe out of oneEternal Energy, while the individual soul isknown as Purusha, the Infinite Spirit. So Shivarepresents Purusha, the formless Infinite Spirit,and His consort or Shakti is that Eternal Energy,which is caUed in Sanskrit Prakriti. The imionof the male and female principles of Divinity isthe beginning of cosmic evolution. Here youwiU notice how the ultimate conclusions ofscience have been symbolized by the Hindus and

* Described in previous lecture.71


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE,made iiito objects of devotion and worship.Ask how the evolution of the world began andthey will show you the symbol of the Purushaand Prakriti. The religion of the Hindus, infact, embraces science, logic, and philsosophy.They think that that which is unscientific, illogical,and unphilosophical cannot be called religious;so they take the scientific truths, make symbolsout of them, and, relating them to the EternalBeing, they use them as the most helpful objectsfor devotion and worship. The Hindu mind isvery inventive along spiritual lines. It givesits inventive genius fuU play in the spiritualfield. There is no other religion in the worldwhich is so rich in mythology, s5nnbology, rituals,and ceremonials, and which possesses so manyphases of the Divine Ideal, as the SandtanaDharma, or the Eternal Religion of the Hindus.Its followers are freely allowed to choose theirideals in harmony with their thoughts andspiritual tendencies. They believe that oneparticular set of doctrines and dogmas cannotsatisfy the aspirations of all human souls. Asone coat carmot fit all bodies, so one particular

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.ideal cannot fit all minds, cannot suit all thespiritual tendencies of all nations in all countries.Do we not see how Christianity has failed inthat respect when it has tried to make the wholeworid adopt one ideal? Do we not see to-dayhow, among the followers of Christianity, thereis a constant fight and struggle for lack of abetter understanding of their religious ideal?Human minds need variety; and the paths whichlead to the supreme goal should vary accordingto the tendency, capacity, and spiritual develop-ment of the individual. Therefore the eternalreligion of the Hindus prescribes no set path,but offers various ones to suit different minds,the path of right knowledge and right dis-crimination (Jn0,na Yoga); of concentration andmeditation (R^ja Yoga); of work for work'ssake (Karma Yoga); and of devotion andworship (Bhakti Yoga). Each one of these,again, has various branches. Thus we see thatthe Hindus alone have succeeded in giving tothe world a religion which fits all minds and aUtendencies under all conditions,a religion whichpreaches the worship of one God, the Infinite

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nSTDIA AND HER PEOPLE.Being, under a variety of names and ideals.Truth is one, but its manifestations are many.This noble and sublime conception has madethe Hindus extremely tolerant towards otherfaiths and other forms of worship outside theirown; for they consider that all seligions, sects,and creeds are like so many paths which lead tothe same goal.Those who do not understand the Hindu

mode of thought have called it Pantheism;but it is the worship of One Universal Spirit,which is infinite, omnipotent, aU-merciful, im-personal and yet personal. If you call it Pan-theism, then you use the term in the wrongsense. Pantheism never means that. WhenI think that this table is God, or, if I considerthat God has become this chair, then it wiU bePantheism. But if I believe in One God, whopervades and interpenetrates the atoms andmolecules of the chair and the table, or anyother object of the world, then that wiU bethe worship of the One Supreme Being, who isinfinite and aU-pervading.True religion, according to the Hindus, does

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THE RELIGION OF INBIA TO-DAY.not consist in belief in a certain creed or setof dogmas, but in the attainment of God-con-sciousness through spiritual unfoldment. It isbeing and becoming God. It is the subjuga-tion of selfish love and desire for self-aggrandize-ment, and the expression of Divine love, truth-fulness, and kindness to all. The object of sucha religion is the freedom of the soul from thebondage of the world. A Hindu is not limitedby sectarian doctrines and dogmas; he can goanywhere, worship any ideal that suits him andmake that his chosen Ideal. As long as hebelieves in One God, there is no danger, he willhave salvation; and this salvation can beattained in this life.

Outside of the Vaishnavas, Shaivas, andSh^ktas, we find Hindus who follow otherphases of religion. In the Punjab, the north-western province of India, for instance, thereis a large population which is known as Sikhs.The word "Sikh" is derived from the Sanskrit"Shishya," which means "a disciple"; and theSikhs are so called because they are disciplesof their master, Guru Nanaka, who was a con-

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.temporary of Luther. Gum Ninaka was agreat soul. He is regarded to-day by his disciplesand followers as the manifestation of Divinity,and he left sayings and teachings. These arewritten out in a book, and this book the Sikhshold in the same light as the Christians theirBible, the Mahometans their Koran, and theorthodox Hindus their Vedas. It is to themthe revealed word of God. They put it uponan altar, bum incense before it, and worship itas the word of God. They cannot bear anyother form or S5anbol or image, or the statue ofany incarnation or manifestation of Divinity.They are as fanatical as the Protestant ChristiEinsin their attitude towards forms and images.They observe no caste prejudice; they are verybroad and liberal-minded, and will accept thefollowers of any faith in their religion. At onetime they converted hundreds of Mahometansand made them Sikhs. Their book is called the"Grantha-S^ib," or the Great Scripture, andcontains the most sublime moral and spiritualideals, which harmonize with the teachings ofthe Vedas. They believe in One Supreme God

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.who is formless. As the Mahometans believein Allah, the One Formless Being, who cantake no form, so these Sikhs believe in thesame way. Perhaps Sikhism arose in Indiathrough the influence of Mahometanism. It isone of the recent sects.

Besides these orthodox Hindus, there are Jainsand Buddhists. The Jains have their ownScriptures and their own prophets, PSrswa N^th,Adin^th, Mah^vira N^th, and many others, whoare called Tirthankaras (perfected souls). Theseare great and immortal spiritual leaders whocame down to teach mankind; any one who fol-lows their teachings wiU reach absolute freedomfrom this world of imperfection. Jainism arosein India about the same time as Buddhism.Buddha lived about 557 B.C. He was the founderof the great religion which has civilized thelarger portion of Asia, which predominates inChina and Japan, which has made the Japanesea great nation, and which prevails to-day inTibet, Siam, Burmah, Ceylon, Sumatra, Java,and many other Asiatic countries. But theorthodox Hindus regard the Jains as agnostics

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.-teaches that there is one existence, one reality,one truth, one substance, in the whole universe.All the distinctions and differentiations whichwe perceive with our senses are phenomenal,therefore transitory and unreal. This One Sub-stance is called by various names. In the Vedaswe find the first mention of this universal andeternal law of unity in variety. In the RigVeda, which is the oldest Scripture of the world,we read: "That which exists is One; men callit by various names." Men worship it indifferent forms, under different names. Thesame Substance, the Absolute Eternal Being,manifests itself as Brahm4 the Creator, Vishnuthe Preserver, Rudra the Destroyer, and Shaktithe Divine Mother. The same Eternal Being isworshipped as Allah by the Mahometans, Fatherin Heaven and Christ by the Christians, Buddhaby the Buddhists, Jina by the Jains, AhuraMazda by the Zoroastrians, Ti-Tien by theChinese, and Shiva, Divine Mother, or Brahman,by the Hindus. The substance is one, althoughthe names may vary. As the one substancewater is called in different languages by different

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.names, such as aqua, wasser, eau, agua, p^,vdri, jalam, etc., so the One Infinite AbsoluteBeing is worshipped under different names indifferent countries. This phase of religion uni-fies all sects and creeds; and, putting each in the .place where it belongs, it builds up the universalreligion, which is not confined by any particularbook or Scripture, but embraces all the Scrip-tures of the world. Its principal teaching isthat the individual souls are not bom in sinand iniquity, nor have they inherited as a birth-right the sins of some fallen man who was temptedby an evil spirit called Satam. On the contrary,it tells us that aU men and women, irrespectiveof their color, creed, or religious beliefs, are chil-dren of Immortal Bliss, sons . of immortality;that each individual soul is immortal by itsbirthright, will attain to immortality, and con-tinue to remain immortal forever. For if thesoul were not immortal by nature, it could notbe made so by any being, however powerful.Each soul is a storehouse of infinite potentialitiesand possesses infinite possibilities. It was notcreated out of nothing, nor by the will of some

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.creator; but it is eternal, beginningless andendless. That is the teaching; and it declaresthat we are not helpless victims of our parents'sins, but that our present condition is the resultantof our past deeds, and that our future state willbe the result of our present actions. Parentsdo not create the souls of their children; theyare but the channels, the instruments throughwhich the individual souls incarnate or manifestthemselves on the physical plane. This ispopularly known as the doctrine of Reincarna-tion, which means the remanifestation on thisearth of the individual soul, or the germ of life,according to its desires and tendencies, whichwill determine the conditions of its existence.The Hindus accept the law of Karma and donot believe that God creates one man to enjoyand another to suffer, nor do they maintainthat He punishes the wicked and, rewards thevirtuous. Punishment and reward are but thereactions of our own actions. Each iridividualsoul reaps the fruits of its own acts, either hereor in some other existence.

This xmiversal religion may be called the81


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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.*' Science of the Soiil." As modem science doesnot deal with dogmas and does not insist uponbelief in the authority of any person or book,but depends entirely upon correct observationand experience of the facts of nature to discoverthe laws which govern the phenomena of theuniverse, so the monistic religion does not dealwith dogmas and creeds, but explains throughlogic and reason the spiritual nature of manor the true nature of the soul. It describes theorigin, growth, and process of its gradual evolutionfrom the minutest germ of life up to the highestspiritual man, as Christ or Buddha or Rima-krishna; for it claims that all souls will becomeperfect in the course of evolution. Each indi-vidual soul, however imperfect it may be atpresent, is bound in the end to attain perfectionand become divine. It teaches that the humansoul in the progress of spiritual evolution passesstep by step from dualism or monotheism toqualified non-dualism, and ultimately reachesthe spiritual height of absolute non-dualism ormonism. So long as a soul is on the plane ofduality, or of monotheism, it believes in a God

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THE RELIGION OF INDIA TO-DAY.who dwells outside of nature, who is extra-cosmic, who, as the Creator of the universe,creates something out of nothing, and who isfar, far away from us. We cannot reach HimHe is too high, too great, too distant. He isthe Master and we are His servants; we mustworship Him in that relation. But when weapproach nearer to the Infinite Being, we gradu-ally begin to see that He is not so far from us,that He is immanent and resident in nature.He is near us; why should we consider Him asbeyond, far out of our reach? Then we cometo that phase which is called qualified non-dualistic. In this we realize that God is onestupendous whole and we are but parts; eachindividual soul is a part of the Infinite Being.But when the soul rises stiU higher, it transcendsall relativity and plunges into the realm of theAbsolute. There, forgetting all names and forms,it reaches absolute oneness with Divinity, andthen it declares: "I and my Father are one."In that state the soul becomes perfected; allthe divine qualities and divine powers begin toflow through it, and it is transfigured into

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.Divine Glory. Then it becomes Christ-likejit reaches that state which is represented bythe word "Christ."The word "Christ", according to the universal

religion, means a state of spiritual perfection,of spiritual realization or attainment of onenesswith the Supreme Being. Whosoever reachesthat state becomes Christ. And this imiversalreligion teaches that each individual soul isa potential Christ, is potentially divine, and thatpotentiality will become actual when the soulawakens to the consciousness of its divine glory.When, transcending all bondage, all laws ofthe relative, phenomenal world, it comes, faceto face with the Absolute, it reaches the heightof monistic religion, then it wiU be Christ, thenit will be Buddha, "the Enlightened One"orhe who has attained to spiritual enhghtenment.According to this religion, when Jesus attainedto that state, He became Christ; when Buddhaattained to that state, He was held by theworld as the Saviour of mankind, as the Re-deemer. This universal reUgion brings greatcomfort and consolation to us, because it assures

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLjb,.in India. The tidal wave of this universalreligion, rising from R^akrishna as its centre,has inundated the whole spiritual field of Indiaand is rapidly spreading aU over the world,creating a revolution in the world's religiousthought, which wiU surely produce wonderfulresults in time to come.86


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m.THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIANPEOPLE: THEIR SYSTEM OF CASTE.In the last lecture we saw how the Indo-

Aryans hold the loftiest ideal of absolute freedomin their religious behef. From time inunemorialthey have shown perfect toleration toward thefollowers of every faith, and no religious perse-cution has been recorded in the whole historyof India. Even atheists and agnostics havebeen allowed to live unmolested. Although theMahometans and the Christians hate the Hindus,stiU the Hindus do not persecute them, but livein absolute peace and harmony with them.India is indeed the home of universal toleranceand religious freedom. In their social life, onthe contrary, the Hindus are more restricted

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.than any other nation of the world. Their so-ciety is different from that of Europe or America;its laws are more rigid and binding. They willnot associate or intermarry with the Mahometansor Christians, not however because of theirreUgious beUefs, but on account of their socialideals.The Hindu people are extremely conservative

in their manners and customs, perhaps more -sothan the Chinese or Japanese; and this con-servatism has been the outcome of long-standingforeign rule and of continuous inroads and in-vasions by foreign nations. We ought not toforget that India was first invaded by theGreeks, then by the Scythians, and afterwardby MongoUans, Tartars,' Mahometans, and lastlyby the Portuguese, the Dutch, and other Chris-tians. These powerful nations fell upon Indialike avalanches, devastating the land of itswealth and prosperity and destro5nng the glori-ous mommients of the Indo-Aryans. Theycame not to help the Hindus, but to plundertheir country and rob them of their valuablepossessions. What nation could withstand such

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THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.successive invasions and survive such repeateddisasters without possessing a tremendous powerof conservatism? The Egjrptians, Persians, andother nations which were unable to conservethemselves in time of need have been swept outof existence. This power of conservatism whichhas been so marvellously displayed by the Hindupeople is indeed a great lesson to the civilized,world. It has kept the nation alive, and has;protected the Aryan blood and Aryan literatureby creating impregnable social barriers which-the destructive forces of successive invadershave never been able to break through.No foreign power can demolish the social.^

structure of the Hindus. It has stood for ages,firm like the gigantic peaks of the Himalayas,,defying the strength of aU hostile forces, becauseits foundation was laidnot upon the quick-sand of coramercialism, not upon the quagmireof greed for territorial possessions, but uponthe solid rock of the moral and spiritual lawswhich eternally govern earthly existence. Theancient founders of Hindu society were not likethe robber-barons or ambitious political leaders

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XHE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.clans and each clan has its own peculiar customsand rules. These clans, again, are made up ofnumerous families, "Kula", and the membersof these families are the individual units. Themembers of the family are governed by the"Kula-Dharma" or family customs, the familiesmust obey the clan family customs, and theclan families must be governed by the rules ofthe community. The members of the familyenjoy absolute freedom in everything that isapproved of by the other families of the sameclan. If the common opinion of the majorityof the families of one clan be against any actof violation of its long-standing custom, then itshould not be performed. If any one dares toviolate such custom, then he forfeits aU theprivileges which he may have in his family lifein the community. He will be deprived of socialintercourse and relationship with the clan familyand of the protection of the community.

This clan family is called in Sanskrit "Gotra".There is no English word by which I can translatethis term, the literal meaning of "Gotra" being"lineage", that is, the descendants of common

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.ancestors. Originally there were about twenty-four Rishis who were Gotra-makers or makers ofclans. They were all sages and Seers of Truth,who Uved in the Vedic period and were inspired.The hymns of the Vedas and other holy Scrip-tures in India came through them, and theywere leaders as well as clan-makers. We aUtrace our descent from these great Rishis.Again, the community of many clans is called

in Sanskrit "JS'ti", Greek "Genus", Roman"Gens", or the patriarchal family in the largestsense of the term. Each community consistsof many clans, which live together, obe3dng thelaws of the community. The rules of proprietyand impropriety, marriage ceremonies and funeralrites, rituals and ceremonies, amusements andoccupations, professions and industries, nay, allthe details of social life must be in perfectharmony with the laws and customs which havebeen handed doWn through generations to theexisting communities. These social laws arecalled "J^ti-Dharma", or the duties of a JMior community. Each clan family, from thelowest Pariah to the highest Br^limin, is guided

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THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.and governed by the JS,ti-Dharma. No position,profession, or industry can be accepted by anymember of a community if the community as abody disapproves of it. If any member wishesto fulfil a desire, he must first consider whetherit is in perfect harmony with the customs of thefamily (Kula-Dharma), then with the duties ofthe clan family (Gotra-Dharma), and lastly withthe laws of the community (Jdti-Dharma); and,after establishing harmony with all these, he cando what he pleases. In case of difference ofopinion, whatever the community decides forthe family and the individual they must im-plicitly obey. The leaders of the community arethe final authorities. The individual sacrificeshis freedom for the sake of the family, theinterest of the family is merged into that of theclan, and the clan sacrifices its interest for thecommunity.

This is a peculiar system of government, butit has existed in India for many centuries. AHindu from the time of his birth up to his lastmoment lives a life which may be called a lifeof self-sacrifice. Whether a man or a woman,


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THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.bers of the same community, neither will hisinvitation be accepted by them. At the timeof birth, death, or wedding he will be left aloneand absolutely friendless in the world. Noother community will take him. Nor can hejoin another clan, because his birthright preventshim. Such is the rigidity and power of thecommunal form of social government among theHindus.

Outsiders and foreigners do not understandthis government, because they do not belong toany community, and those who do not belongto a community cannot know anything of it.These are unwritten laws. You wiU not findthem in books; but the unwritten laws are morebinding than the written laws. Strangers whogo to India cannot see the reason why the mem-bers of different commimities under the nameof BrUhmin, Kshatriya, or any other caste do notintermarry or have free social intercourse withone another. There are, for instance, BrShminsall over India; but a Brihmin of Bombay willnot intermarry with the Br^mins of Calcutta,or Madras, or the Punjab. Why? Because

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THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.for example, his duty is to help first his ownfamily, then all the families of his own clan, thenother families of the same community. He canthen extend his charitable and philanthropicworks to the members of other communitiesor do anything for the good of the public ingeneral. Each community is like one familyand tremendous unity exists among its mem-bers. For this reason, there never was anyneed in India of such philanthropic organizationsand asylums as you have in Europe and America.Orphanages, poorhouses, and charitable ' insti-tutions were not necessary, because the com-munity took care of its own poor and its ownorphans. You put the poorer classes in asylums;but we take them into our homes, feed them, andclothe them. That is our duty, because they areour brothers. No grander system was everestablished in the world. ,Hindu leaders of society, after trying various

methods, discovered that this form of socialgovernment was the best suited for the Hindupeople. Their idea was that if all the existingcommunities into which the whole Hindu popu-

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.lation is divided enforced these moral and spirituallaws among the members of the different familiesthen the whole nation would be moral andspiritual; just as the whole street will be cleanif every one keeps the front of his house clean.Thus they started from these individual unitsand built up a system upon natural laws, makingone family of the whole nation.But these communities at present are not

perfect. They have now become fixed entities;their laws, rules, and ideals have lost their flex-ible nature and have become so rigid and bindingthat they cannot be changed, for they areconsidered to represent the highest and bestideals. But the individual living within thelimits of the community may change his ideasand adopt new ones, better suited to immediateconditions, which will put him at variance withthe communal life and alienate him from hisclan family. Herein lies one of the seriousdefects of the present system. This govern-ment by community, however, is more effectiveand beneficial than the church government suchas we find in this country. Why? Because

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THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN PEOPLE.social questions must be kept separate fromreligion; otherwise there will be religious dis-sension and persecution. And this is the secretof religious toleration in India. Religion isnever interfered with on account of social affairs.As I explained in my last lecture, the Hindus areabsolutely free to choose any form of worshipthey like, but that has nothing to do with theirsocial status. The government by community,however imperfect it may be, has at least thisadvantage,that it gives freedom in religion andconfers upon all the members of these com-munities equal rights, equal privileges, and equalopportunities. Both men and women are al-lowed the same right to discuss and vote uponany disputed question.Each community has its aristocracy, middle

classes, and lower classes. The lower and middleclasses aspire to rise to the higher ranks of thecommunity and expect favor, help, and supportfrom the superior classes. A man may possessenormous wealth in the community, but he cannever change his birthright. Neither will hechange his clan (Gotra) or community (Jdti).

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INDIA AND HER PEOPLE.No other clan will accept him as a member, noother community will give him better privilegesor protection. The social status of a Hindudepends upon the rights which he or she hasacquired by birth in the family, clan, and com-munity. There was, for example, a communityof fishermen. A lady in that community in-herited a large estate. In India the women holdproperty, manage their own estates, and in such,matters have great freedom. Now this ladyhad unusual power and ability and she managedher property most admirably. She built temples,performed other charitable and philanthropicworks, and did incalculable good by her exampleto all the members of the families and clans ofthe same community. She was considered to belike the queen of that community. All of itsmembers honored and respected her as thejewel of their society, as did the communities ofBrahmins and other castes; but she never thoughtof changing her clan or of rejecting the lawsand customs of her own community.These communities, again, are subdivisions of

larger classes, which are known in English as100


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THE SOCIAL STATUS OF THE INDIAN JEOPLE."castes." The word "caste" has

abhedananda-inda her people

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