another. Now must we, indeed, consider all these as pious men, and embrace their discordant sentiments? or must we regulate our conduct, with respect to religion, according to the Shasters? The truth is, to the name of pious men the following are entitled: Manoo, Jâgyabalkya, Bashisht'ha, Gotam,. Vyasa, and similar men:* these approved only the worship of the Supreme God. Why do you not consider, that if Vyâsa and the rest had worshipped gods, endued with hands and feet, &c. they would not have ventured to describe, in several passages in the Poorâns, these gods as exceedingly insignificant and subordinate, and as such who had been overcome in wars? They worshipped the Supreme God; therefore the Supreme God only ought to be worshipped. It is with you as with a flock of sheep: if one sheep jump into a stream or a well, then all the rest jump likewise into that stream or well, and are immediately drowned: now if these sheep were asked why they did so, they would answer, (if they could understand the question and had the power of speech,) "God has not given us the power of judging what is good for us and what not; consequently, when we saw one sheep jumping before us into the water, we jumped into the water likewise, with out minding whether we should hurt ourselves thereby, or even lose our lives." Thus also, if, seeing a young camel making its mouth bleed very much by eating thorns, we should ask it why it did so, it would say, (in case it could understand the question and had the power of speech,) "I have seen my ancestors making their mouths bleed by eating thorns; there fore I eat thorns likewise: for God has not given me the power of judging what is right and wrong." But what can be more melancholy, than that children of men, to whom God has given the power of judging what is good and evil, right and wrong, if they are asked why they give them• Hindoo Legislators, mentioned in the Vedas. selves up to such a line of conduct, whereby they make themselves a laughing stock in this world, and do to themselves exceedingly great injury in that which is to come, viz. why they consider as spiritual worship, and practise accordingly such things as these-snapping the fingers, dancing, playing with the fingers on the mouth, beating their sides, striking one another at certain festivals, and singing exceedingly disgusting and obscene songs; and why they reproach God by describing him as guilty of adultery, theft, deceit, voluptuousness, anger,covetousness, and similar crimes-should not be able to assign any reason for their conduct, but should only answer, like such sheep and camels and other unreasonable beasts, "Our forefathers did so, and therefore we do so likewise;" ĺ say, what can be more melancholy than this? For what difference remains, according to such declarations, between the children of men and the young ones of beasts? If you say-We will follow our inclinations. What reason have you to feel distressed about it? And what necessity is there for saying so much against it?— I reply-It is in a manner natural, to feel ourselves distressed, if we see others in distress; consequently our compassion is excited, by seeing into what a miserable condition you have brought yourselves by your perverse inclinations; and, as we feel compassion for you, it is our duty to check these evils. For we often see your aged and middle-aged men behaving themselves in a childish manner: viz. as children present food, beds, and other articles to images, thus these aged and middle-aged persons present food unto idols, which they afterward, considering it as having been left by them, enjoy with the greatest delight: they marry also male and female idols together. Now whose compassion should not be excited, by seeing aged and middle-aged persons acting in snch a childish manner? We often see a sensible man acting like a mad man. We see that, being alone in the room, he will now stamp with his left foot on the ground, now he will turn his hand round his head and snap with his fingers, now he will breathe with the greatest rapidity, now he will knock with his arms forcibly against his sides, now he will beat himself on his cheeks, now he will bend his fingers and hands and his whole body in various ways. Now who should not feel compassion, on seeing men endowed with understanding acting thus the part of mad men? That men should be capable of be daubing their face and hands, and all their limbs with mud or even blood, and fighting together or striking one another with their fists, and committing various such outrageous actions, and playing such gambols as you do before the gods at the festivals, considering these as religious actions, this is hardly credible. Who should not therefore feel compassion on seeing men acting in a manner so unworthy of men? When you substitute another person in the place of your favourite god, which is regarded by you as a thousand times greater than your Father; and make that person dance before you, and amuse yourselves by ridiculing and reviling him, through buffoons, are these works of devotion or of sport? Why do you not consider this? Now who should not feel distressed at seeing men engaging in such sport and buffoonery, with the view of performing a religious action? Further, in order to obtain the benefit which is thought to be derived from the Ganges, you dip your old sick parents, at midnight, in the month of December, into the water, and thus kill them; because, in that season, it is so exceedingly cold, and there is such a rough wind, that, even in case you should then keep a vigorous young man in the water for two hours, it would be no wonder if he died of it. Moreover, you burn your sisters, whether young or old, and your mothers, grand-mothers, daughters, daughters-in-law, &c. enticing them to consent to it by holding out to them the prospect of entering thereby into heaven, and tying them to the pile with ropes and bamboos. Now it is surely the duty of a benevolent man, if he thus sees others kill their fathers, mothers, wives, &c. to make a stand against such an abomination. What abominable things do not continually happen at the Ganges, in consequence of the women's resorting thither very early in the morning and in the day time, under the idea that this river has the power of blotting ont sins! What can be more shameful than that women, wearing one single cloth, should bathe themselves in the Ganges in company with a great number of the other sex? Moreover, what crimes are not occasioned by this, that women, under the pretence of making a pilgrimage, travel to a far country in company with thousands of strange men! Moreover, many images to which various powers are ascribed, and which are renowned for having, by their being set up in a house, made their owner to become rich, and for having delivered their worshipper from various calamities, are either stolen or sold: or, in case they consist of metal, molten; and the silver or gold, or any other metal of which they were made, taken. But the worshipper of such an image, if it becomes known that his god has been stolen or molten, is greatly ashamed thereof; and if he cannot find out the thief, how severely does he treat the Brahmin, or whomsoever else he has employed for performing the ceremonies requisite for its worship! Now to punish an innocent person is exceedingly criminal. Accordingly men by worshipping images do not only make themselves miserable in the world to come, but expose themselves, even already in the present world, to the universal scorn of men. If you say-The followers of Jesua Christ reject the worship of images, and are devoted to the adoration of God; therefore your religious system is like unto theirs. We are Hindoos; conse quently we adhere to the worship of images I reply-The professors of the Christian Religion are divided into two sects to one of them, the English and others belong, who never keep any images in their Places of Worship: to the other, the Portuguese and others belong, who are more numerous than the English and those of their sect; these have their Places of Worship full of images. Now, if, by rejecting images, our religion is, in your opinion, like unto that of the English; then, by making use of images, your religion is, of course, like unto that of the Portuguese: and, if this is the case, what cause have you for boasting of your religion? If you say-How can the worshippers of Brahmu perform worship with· out having a visible object before their eyes?— I reply-By beholding the skilful and wonderful construction and disposition of the world and the human body, we are convinced that an omniscient and infinitely-wise Supreme God is the author thereof, and delight ourselves in hearing concerning Him and meditating upon Him; for the world and the human body, which stand in a mutual relation to each other, and every part and member of which is intended for a certain use, could by no means be constructed in such a skilful manner, if it did not derive its origin from a Wise Creator. You find, in common life, cases similar to this: viz. a watch, or any other piece of machinery which is constructed with extraordinary skill, can never owe its origin to chance, or to a cause devoid of intelligence: therefore, seeing the excellency of a perfect work, we are convinced of the perfection of the great Author thereof. But we do not, like you, waste our time by moving our hands and feet, and our whole body, and by dancing, singing, and jumping in honour of images possessed of hands and feet and other members, which are either fancied in the mind or actually formed by hands; nor do we play like children in order to please such images. If you say It is evident from the construction of the world and of the human body, that there is an Author of the world; but if the manner of his existence is unknown, how can we firmly believe in him ?— I reply - On account of the mo tion and exertions of the body, we do firmly believe that there is a soul, which pervades the same; though it is not known of what nature that soul is, through which we conceive the idea of personality, and obtain the knowledge of all things. In the same manner, we are convinced, from a view of the creation and harmonious arrangement of the world, that there is an Author of the world, who pervades the same; though we do not know of what nature He is. Thus we are persuaded of the existence of many things, as, for instance, of time, space, &c. which you yourselves allow; though nobody can accurately determine of what nature they are. Thus it is also in the present instance: viz. we are persuaded of the existence of the Supreme God: but if we endeavour to find out His nature, we can only determine so much, that His nature can neither be comprehended by the mind nor expressed by language. If you say-We also grant, that the nature of the Supreme God can neither be comprehended by the mind, nor expressed by language; but that, which is beyond the reach of the human mind and language, cannot be worshipped ; therefore we consider gods possessed of a certain shape as God, and worship them accordingly I reply-If a person in his early youth should fall into the hands of robbers and be carried into a foreign country, and there should wish to perform any ceremony in remembrance of his father, he will by no means, in case he was unable to ascertain the shape of his father, perform the ceremony by calling a beast or bird "father;" but he will accomplish the rite, by using such terms as are applicable only to the male author of his existence. Thus it is also in the present instance: though it cannot be ascertained of what nature the Supreme God is, nevertheless He ought to be worshipped by thinking on Him as the cause and the ruler of the universe. Thus to hear about and to meditate upon Him is to worship Him; but to make such sport as you do when you say, "Come, sit down, put on clothes, rings, &c. smell this flower, eat, and then take your leave," which you call worship, this is certainly image worship, but not worshipping the Supreme God. If you say-The Vedanta approves of the worship of the Supreme Omnipresent God, but this does not apply to householders - I reply As in all other communities, there are persons of a strong and of a weak understanding, thus also, among householders, there arc both sensible men and fools: now in order to restrain all such fools from wicked practices, playing with images has been permitted to them; but upon sensible men, the worship of the Supreme God has been made obligatory. Accordingly, the command of worshipping the Supreme God refers also strongly to all householders. This is true, that all persons greedy of lucre are wont to affirm, that the command of worshipping the Supreme God does not refer to householders: but it is manifest what the reason thereof is: viz. most householders are opulent people; accordingly these Pundits derive much profit from their worshipping images, whereas they derive none from the worship of the Supreme God; for all the presents made unto the images, as jewels, clothes, &c. the offerings of food, the refreshments presented in the afternoon, the morning oblations, &c., all these things are for the profit of these men. Accordingly, the greater the number of images is, to the worship of which householders are blindly given, the greater is the profit which these men derive from them. Now men commit robbery, murder, and theft for their profits' sake; what wonder is it, therefore, that these covetous Pundits deceive householders in order to derive advantage from it? If you say You do not at all prac tise the duties which the worship of Brahmu requires: you call yourselves falsely the worshippers of Brahmu I reply-Our religion consists in this, to consider the Supreme God as one omnipresent and omniscient being; and to take care not to hurt ourselves or others, by giving way to our sensual inclinations: these two duties we have to fulfil, as far as it lies in our power; and we are gradually enabled, through exercise and exertion, to fulfil them perfectly. But, of all rites and ceremonies which your ceremonial law and image worship require, you do not observe the ten-millionth part. You ought to preserve a perpetual fire; but who does this? Of the bathing in the morning, the three daily devotions, the appointed fasts, the rules respecting eating and drinking, the order of abstaining from all intercourse with foreigners and low-caste people, what do you observe of all these things? Who observes the various numberless rites and ceremonies which are incumbent upon the devotees of the female and other deities? Accordingly, you do not observe the smallest part of your religious rites; nevertheless, out of spite, you accuse and reproach others for being deficient in acting up to their religious principles. If you say You worship the Supreme God in a certain way, and we also worship Him in a certain way; now if both ways of worshipping God are right, we both obtain the object which we seek for; and what proof is there, that one way is right and the other wrong? I reply-We worship God as the cause of the universe; accordingly we worship Him, to whom this great work is justly ascribed: consequently we must obtain our object: even according to your own faith, we cannot suffer any loss; for though Kâlee should be the cause of the universe, or though Vishnoo, Siva, or any other should be the author of the world, yet our worship would, on that account, by no means be in vain: as for instance, if you want to send ›a Letter by post to the King of Kâshee (Benares), and you write on the cover, " This Letter is to be delivered to the King of Kâshee,” then it will safely reach the King of Kâshee, whosoever he be: but if you write on the cover the name of some particular person, and if that person is not King of Kâshee, then the Letter will not be delivered to the King, but will be returned to you. Thus it is also in the present instance: according to different sects, different persons are said to be the authors of the world; yet, notwithstanding the incertitude arising from such a difference of opinions, you consider one particular person as the author of the world, and worship him as such: now if this person is not the author of the world, then your worship is without effect; but our worship can, in no case, be in vain. If you say-Whether the god possessed of a shape whom we worship be the cause of the world, or not; whomsoever we may worship in faith, we shall obtain our object thereby; for faith is the foundation of all things I reply-This is altogether wrong; for the faith which a believer is possessed of cannot alter the nature of another thing; as, for instance, if any body should drink milk mixed with poison, thinking it to be pure milk, it will by no means work like pure anilk, but it will produce the effects of poison, viz. it will kill him who drinks it. Thus also if a child or a grasshopper should touch the fire, thinking it to be pleasant and beneficial, it will surely, contrary to their belief, burn them. There might thousands of such instances be adduced. Accordingly, the nature of a thing can by no means be altered, through that which a man believes respecting it. Thus if we believe any perishable being to be the cause of the world, and worship it as such, this being will not thereby become the cause of the world, nor will your worship have on that account any efficacy-all is mere delusion. If you say-Whatever a Gooroo teaches his disciple, that is true: if we act according to his instructions, we shall obtain the object which we seek for— I reply-I call him a Gooroo, who gives good instructions which agree with the Shasters; for a real Gooroo is thus defined-" He who, by the application of the eyesalve of knowledge, dispels the darkness of ignorance, and enlightens the eyes of the understanding, he is a Gooroo." Let one, first, be a Gooroo according to the Shasters; then, his doctrine will also be productive of the wished-for consequences. He, that will professedly instruct any body in true wisdom without himself possessing a spark of it, and makes only disciples in order to enrich himself through the presents which are offered at festival-days and through the warm clothes which are given him, his instructions produce only sorrow and misery. Therefore Siva has said, "There is great abundance of such Gooroos, as spoil their disciples of their wealth; but a Gooroo, who delivers his disciples out of their troubles, is very rarely to be met with." Accordingly, by placing confidence in the instruction of a Gooroo, who teaches the worship of the Supreme God agreeably to the Shasters, eternal beatitude can be obtained otherwise, if one blind man lead another blind man, both will become miserable; as it is : X |