THOUGHTS OF RELIGION
RELIGION
All over the world men are following some form of religion and every one thinks that he has got the best form of it ever concerned or revealed to mankind. From the height of monism down to tree and serpent worship, every sect thinks that they have got the monopoly of truth and the rest of the world is in darkness. They argue that the grandest conception of divinity as to its qualities and functions, are all a special property to them. While the stories of gods' demigods in other religious bodies are mere myths are fables. Their own stories about gods and demigods are all reality and truth, and such incident actually happened. Ask a Semitic about the stories of Adam and Eve, of angels, “Cherubs and cherubim” he will at once say, that these things are truth, while the stories about Jupiter, Juno and Minerva are concoctions of human brains. In the Assyrian cosmogony the firmament is represented as Anu, and Ea was the name for the earth. By their union and adhesion the creation was made. The Semitic conception of Adam and Eve in their nude sky clad state came out of Anu and Ea. But when .Semitic stories are pointed out as the other form of the Assyrian court, the butlers, the musicians waiters, and dancers are only transplanted from the earthly soil to a position above the clouds and all these religious fables showing the tendency of the people for enjoyment which they could not derive actually in their earthly habitation, a follower of a Semitic school gets mortified and murmurs that his theology is assailed with some impious arguments. Their plea is that they are believing in such mode of thinking and have grown up in the line wherein they find peace and consolation. But to subvert their ingrained conception is to jeopardise their whole mental state and the sweetness and harmony of religion is shocked. And still more when the conception of angel is traced back to its Assyrian source where beaked headed human-faced winged man-god was worshiped and where also horse with two wings which in their turn become the angles or fairies and Borack of the Semitic school. And further on when the beaked headed winged god was traced to its original Egyptian source to Horus or the vulture god, a semite will fall flat and will weep and cry that he is worshiping a carrion eater vulture as the messenger of god. And yet amidst jumbling of facts and grotesque form of nature worship we find many pious men of high merit come out.
The miserable Semitic often chased by the Assyrians and the Babylonian, could not enjoy anything in their earthly existence and to satisfy their craving they put everything for the future and in the other world. But their mortifications on earth has made them to form a conception of Heaven, a place of morbidity and melancholia. And their Jehova is a revangeful person who will retaliate the offences done to “the chosen people”, for the Jews themselves were unable either to defend themselves or to pay back the offender in their own coin. Deferred enjoyment and deferred vengeance are the principle traits of the old Semitic school.
The Aryans tried to solve the problem of Divinity through gorgeous ceremonies, grand sacrifices and oblations. The outward snowy pomps much attracted the fancy of the mass and religion was considered as an object of forms and ceremonies. The Aryan ritualistic became so repugnant in the latter period that from horse and bull sacrifice they came to human sacrifice. And Julius Ceasar during his triumph after sacrificing the white bulls before Jupiter capitolimous decapitated the sister of Cleopetra and Versingetorie the gangliest chief of Bisancon.
These forms and ceremonies were multiplied according to the wealth of the monarch and private persons till the people got disgusted to such custom and panted for a change. In India six centuries before Ceasar, rose Buddha who tried to solve the problems by metaphysical reasoning as to the origin of the creation. He boldly declared to the world, “what is the good of bribing the gods if by one’s own merit, a person can attain liberation ? Forms and ceremonies are useless adjuncts to religion”.
From this period, we find that the fineness and precision and the doctrine became the leading part in religion and forms and ceremonies were tried to be cast away. But the reaction came later on and the Buddhists themselves stretched out their hands to form the image of Buddha and to worship it, till big temple and pompous rituality slowly crept in. And the struggle went on for several centuries between the school of pompousness of ceremony and the school for the purity of doctrine.
The Bamachari of India, the Rosicrucian of Europe, the Phoenician worship of Baal and Ashtoreth otherwise known as Bacchalian orgies and the Nusaris of Syria directly or indirectly formed themselves into a school in which they attempted to solve the problems of Divinity through procreation. All the different stages and formation of a human body from the protoplasm stage of the fetus up to the formation of a gigantic intellectual man, they take this to be the different stages in the creation of the ' universe. And how the Divinity is traceable, through all the variations in the forms when put into philosophic arguments. The Bamacharies might equally claim a place in the religious bodies of the world, though their ceremonies, are objectionable as debasing the human nature.
Another attempt was made to find out a response through the nature. People communed with trees and forests, mountains and valleys, rivers and plains and they got response there from.
The tree and serpent worship, the worship of the river and the fire are the first steps to arrive at philosophic conclusions about the Divinity and the creations. This is called the Natural religion which every one follows when at home and in private life. But in public discussion, the man take shelter of the philosophic doctrine of his particular school. Three fourth of the religion of any man or woman is Natural religion and the doctrinal portion is kept for quarrelling with a person of different sects. But all religions and the philosophies are the out-come and the gradual development of Natural religion - the original tree and serpent worship.
Though Natural religion is the fountain head of all the religions of the world, the recognised school developed into three branches, the ceremonial, the mataphysical and the personal aspect. A struggle went on for some time between the school of ceremony and the school of philosophy till the supremacy of a person came out which decided all the struggle of that period. And the principle was converged and concretised in the person, till at a latter period, the ceremonial, mataphysical and the personal aspect are made into a solid mass of the eminent man and man-god was proclaimed to the world. Buddha himself, denounced against the ceremonies and tried to uphold rightly the principle of philosophy, but his followers made him the central peg for all the varieties of conceptions, forms and ceremonies.
In Greece and Rome, the philosophic school and the ceremonial school were clashing against each other. And both were dissatisfied with one another till the advent of Paul brought out Jesus as the peace maker of the contest. For Paul, who declared in Aereopagus, “Whom has thou ignorantly worshiped him, have I come to declare unto you".
Though the ancient world prohibited much against man-worship and struggle to reach Divinity either through principle or through ceremony, but a time came all over the world when man was worshipped as the embodiment of principle and Divinity.
And why it happened ? What is religion ? These are the questions that naturally comes to a man.
Some men hold that forms and ceremonies are the paths to Divinity. But the people got dissatisfied with this dictum and practice as the procedure became mechanical without any life in it : no sweetness, no vivifying power, no ennobling effect was produced in the minds of the votaries. And people find no solace in this school and principle again the dryness, the morbidity was found out and the people revolted against this school. Every one began to clamor what is religion ? What is divinity? There must be something else other than principle and rituality. And what is that ?
A person after long pondering over the principle tries to indentify himself with the principle. The more he tries to forget his corporeal form and conditions, the more he is identified with the principle, the grossness is eliminated and the fineness of the inner self is brought out till the latent power in a man—the Prana, the unifying power is roused up which is called religion. This latent power or Prana is the most sacred object that can be conceived of, and a person is called sacred and holy because the Prana or the living religion is encased in his flesh.
Why a great scholar and philosopher, who has thought much of the problems of life, stands as a baby before a holy person who is himself an illiterate one ? The Philosopher has developed the outward casing the discriminating faculties. But the saint has developed the latent power. The spiritualitic philosophy looks to the world as dead innert substance which it analyse bit by bit and sees the life, the unifying power, which is underlying the whole creation. A. philosopher looks through the world as a form of picture or an outside object and draws out his theory by analysing the dead inert mass. For the Indian term “Darsan” does not mean philosophy
but visualising, but Greek term philosophy means love of knowledge, which brings out the two line of thought. A saint tries to see the universe both outside and inside. He analyse the creation, his own body and mind, and finds that the Prana is in outside, it is inside, it is everywhere. This is called realisation. In every atom, on every speck, it is the same thing. He sees it, he feels it, he visualises it. To him the world is a living mass and entirety and eternal life. The changes of forms are the ripples upon the calm sea of life. Hence a saint, having a different stand point of viewing the creation, gives a different version of external object which the philosopher fails to observe.
It is very often said : Think through the brain but do not keep the ideas locked up there but bring them down to the nerves. The philosopher always keeps his ideas in the brain and can well discuss upon any subject but not having brought down the ideas in the nerve cannot understand the vivifying force of their ideas. A saint though he might not conceive a very high idea but he has attempted to some extent and tried to bring down the trifling idea he has got into his nerves. He has attempted to make the ideas a part and parcel of his constitution, so he has realised the truth. He can talk with certitude and great force which is lacking in a philosopher. A philosopher in most cases a dealer, a shopkeeper of ideas. A saint is the master of the ideas. He has realised the truth. Though his ideas might be limited to a small extent.
The human body is composed of nerves standing layer after layer from the grosser to the finest nerve. The idea or the current of energy, as it passes through different stratum, gets transformation. The Philosopher looks to the world generally through the lower stratum of nerves and scarcely come to the final and deeper ones. Hence latent power or the Prana is scarcely developed in him which a saint tries to develop. It is a rare combination where a saint and a philosopher are combined in one person, the saint gets his initiative ideas from a philosopher and tries to realise them. A philosopher looks the wcrld as a picture in an art gallery and pronounces his opinion. Hence a great scholar sometimes bows down before an illiterate saint.
Two aspects of Divinity are to be found in the world,—the external and the internal one. The devotional school always tries to view the ego as external being from whom blessings are received and pious thoughts are sent up. This is called the path of devotion. The other path, the path of knowledge, tries to view the ego within one’s own self by analysing and eliminating the different stages of the mind. But whatever might be the difference in the procedure the result is very much the same. For, in the highest stages, the ideas are visualised and every nerve is attuned to some special idea. And ideas and the corporeal form and the nerve system are identified. Hence the latent power in man or the Prana is roused up. This Prana is to be found in every person but in a dormant state. The process of invocation makes the dormant Prana an active one.
In the dormant stage the Prana is enveloped with the desires or tendencies of the flesh. But when it is made active it tries to shake off the trammels of the body. The clamour of the body, as it subsides down, gives a free scope for the development of the Prana, till the conditions of the flesh are cut down ; for some times the Prana comes out in its full force. So Jesus said, “I have overcome myself’. And Buddha was called Jina or self-conquorer.
This prana in its onward progress and in its absolute state is what is called religion and divinity. But as the emanation passes through different layers of nerve made up for different purposes the expression or manifestation are very often assumed different aspects. It is for this reason, we find some differences between the recorded sayings of two prophets. If we try to approach a master mind through his language, we shall make a sad mistake in knowing the person. The right way of approaching a master is through the inner workings of his mind. Think of the different phases of his mind and try to correspond the same ideas, the sameness within yourself. This is called realising a prophet.
As for wordings and language, since the prophet is unable to give expression to the circumstantial incidents, the social stage, the climatic influences are all to be taken into consideration And though generally we try to understand a person through his utterances yet language is a poor medium of the expression of the human mind. Hence we fall out with each other and give different accounts of his life and multiply sects and start up different religions. The Prana is without language, without condition or cause. It is to be silently imbibed in, incorporated with ourselves and not to be talked of.
Ideas are current in the world from very ancient times. And hundreds of book will be found which are discussing. the ideas. And why no body gives any attention to such ideas ? Why we call such religion and ideas to be dead ones. When the old ideas come in contact with liberated person and become incorporated with his own self he infuses the Prana, the life, the vivifying power, of the religion to such ideas, and when the ideas are transmitted from the lips of such person the dormant lethargic forms are cast off. And activity is infused in such ideas become sanctified by the infusion of the Prana.
Any religious body where the number of such liberated persons, are to be found in galore is said to have life in it. It will expand, it will absorb and attract men. Mere argumentation or learning or grandeur of the place of worship or wealth and magnificence of rich potentates cannot stop the death knell of religion. The externalities are a mere grain of sand to a huge mountain. All books learning and quick power of argumentation are in many cases a hindrance to spirituality. The Prana is the only thing that can sustain religion. It is for this reason, we find a few homeless persons without any learning or social position but with deep in spirituality outturn the mental atmosphere of the world. And Jesus, a young man un- \known and of poor origin, locking at an old fisher-man nearly double his own age with many family ties asked him “Follow me and I shall make you a fisher of men”. And the fishmonger left off his net and became a wonderer with a wandering young man. This is called the attractiveness of the Prana -a corresponding breath of vibration is roused up in the other one.
And how do we know that the Prana is developed in the person'( His acts, his intonation, his ideas, his life are all of one accord. Nothing will contradict his ideas and actions. He shakes off his corporeal form and lives in the idea body. He himself becomes the ideas and the ideas are his form. The two entities are identified and hence under no circumstances a break is to be found. Hence, such men are truthful. And tremendous energies are given to his actions and utterances, more so through the glances of the eyes and the countenance of the face than by the expression of the verbal sound.
A question might be raised—who says that the man has developed the ideas of his mind and is a saint'( Has any body given him any certificate that he is a saintly man ? There is no shopkeeeping, a hating or patronising tone in spirituality. A spiritual man himself certifies that he is saintly and that is enough to satisfy and hush all mankind. What right has a slumbering man to question about the spiritualities of a saint. To know a saint is to become a saint.
When the Prana is roused up in a person, the intonation of his voice, the steadfast attractive glance of his eyes, the calm serene mood of his countenance, the affirmative tone in every gesture and posture and even in the wafture of the hand point out that he is a superior being - far ahead of the ordinary run of man. There is something majestic demeanor in every action. His utterances and actions all correspond to each other. Even in his jolly merry mood there is sweetness, gravity and uplifting effect and intonation. Even when he is in a wrath a sweetness is glossed over the harsh language. He becomes the centre of attraction.
It is not to be thought of that every tag-rag person can be a saint—far from it. Many scoundrels of the world pose themselves as saints and they are easily detected out. A hollowness is to be observed in every action, a selfish motive persuade them. And hence after a short period he recoils and is sent to oblivion, A special feature of a saintly person is that his voice has a sonorous rhythmical vibration. And according to the development of spirituality this sonorous effect this fullness of voice is found out. And on the contrary, the hollowness, the harshness of the tune of the person mark out an unholy man. The majestic appearance, loveliness, and attractiveness are the traits of a saint.
The deeper the mind .goes the finer are the nerves roused up proportionately. And the current of energy emanating from such a stratum often have a far reaching range. The amount of energy coming out of the grosser or peripheral nerves have for their action self-preservation and self- procreation, self-possession and very often bring out contradictory ideas and cross desires. The vibrations themselves are irregular and unrhythmical which produce a harshness and dissonance in its effects. The range, being limited and narrow, soon recoils upon the persons or at best temporarily effect a small group of persons hence such ideas are called the lower grade of desires. But the ideas or current of energy emanating from a deeper layer extend to a big range and are smooth and rhythmical in vibration. The ideas being enlivened with the Prana penetrates deep into the mind of the hearer and overcome his own ideas and rouses up the dormant Prana in the person. Hence we say we get a life when we come in contact with a saintly person and become holy with his association. .
The power of infusing Prana into other persons is called the transmission of power. The individuality, the centre of the person, is not annihilated but a sort of a coating or effluvium is kept over the individual ego or the centre of the person. It is not to be understood that the other person has lost his individuality. His individuality or the central ego is kept up as the same. But having received an external infusion of power he views the world in some better light. He becomes a double man, partly his own individuality and partly the medium of the new infused energy.
This power of transmission is not confined to a person only but the places are also affected. Why it is that in going to a sacred place or to a place of worship or to a shrine of a saint we become affected and feel strange current of holy and lofty thoughts are coming within us. The Divinity being transmitted from a saint lodged in the place and is kept up there in a vivid form. A new comer unconsciously coming to such a place is moved with the stored up energy there. But a properly attuned person fit to receive the full amount of energy will receive the greatest amount of benefit from such places. The Divinity is not in the flesh, not in the stone walls but it is a thing by itself. And the human corporeal form is the best medium of rousing up and transmitting this energy. And place of worship, any shrine, where this power is still kept' up we call them to be living places. Hence such places attract many persons and are considered as sacred sites. But the association of unholy person and unholy action will mar the Divinity from the place and gradually such shrines become dead places and will have no attractions for men.
From very ancient times people have marked out a gloss, a radiant feature, a halo around the person of a saint and in every country from time immemorial the statues of saints, and gods are made with a halo at the back ground. From the vibration we have the formation of colour, light and forms and so on. Every thing is coming out from the vibration of the Prana in its grossing down and we are accustomed to view the normal state of this vibration. This is our experience of the world. But when the Divinity is roused up in the person the finer particle of the system are made to vibrate in a rythmical way. A sort of glow is cast over the countenance in statues and in pictures to enhance this quality a big radiant back ground is made. But in reality a lovely mild, sweet, attractive gloss is cast. over the countenance of a holy person. It is for this reason that it is very often said a Divinity is very often seen in saints and pious people. When the same person is acting in his ordinary way there is no such radiant feature in him. But when the transcendental ideas or Divinity or Prana are roused up in him only at that time he becomes a saint. A radiant feature, a sonorous voice, an affable look and the spirituality of the inner self burst out from the casing of the flesh and surcharges him. There is a Divinity the hedges round a saint.
I do not hold the theory of inspiration or breathing through the nostril. This was the old Semitic conception when the Prana was taken as a form of air. It is the latent energy that must be developed from within and with or without external help this power might be roused up. The philosophic school or the “Jnanis" by analysing their own mind come to the Divinity. The devotional people look for the Divinity in the externality. The Divinity when roused up in a person makes him a saint but there is no reason that all should be classed in the same footing. The depth and fineness of the medium, the range of expansion are less considered. It is for this reason we have the category of a saint, a holy man, a divine man, a prophet or a liberated person And according to the fineness of the stratum the environment, the climatic effect' the expressions are modified to suit the age and the person. Hence, the life of a religion or the doctrine of a prophet has a period of life after which it falls away. The Divinity or the unconditional essence is kept up as an under soil current all along. But the conditional portion dealing with the circumstances, fade away hence we say a religious movements must fade away.
The Divine person brings out new truth and the new mode of viewing the world. He is to be approached through the mental working. But fortunately or unfortunately the mental workings are expressed through the language,—a poor medium of transmission. A body of men beginning to approach the master-mind through his wordings turn out to be commentators of the ideas. The theologians are the necessary, unavoidable barrier and curse to religion. So long there is life in the religion-men recourse take to practice it, there is no need of theologians. Freedom and unifying power is the motto to them. The theologians coming after a time trying to put the ideas in a solid basis build a hedge round the ideas and formulate doctrines for others and give their own interpretation to the writings and throttle out the religion. It then becomes orthodoxy, it then becomes bundle of doctrine. “Follow this or go out of the church.”
But without a theologian the mass cannot be guided. Hence the theologians are called the necessary and unavoidable evil to a religion. And when orthodoxy comes in and doctrine and dogmas become rampart, narrowness pervades the atmosphere, and everything becomes mechanical and the life extinct. A new movement, a new prophet, a new vivifying force is necessary to soothe the mind of the earnest seeker. The theologian in the name of sustaining religion rings the death knell of the religion.
The mass is very often moved and affected by the emotional effusion of a saintly man, take it the summumbonum at the expense of Divinity. The more a person is frenzical can dance and howl and shout and becomes frenzical the more he is applauded by the mass. In Egypt, in some parts of Syria, in Constantinople, in Persia and in different parts of India, such men are found in cart-load. The result is that they loose the steadiness, the nerve system becomes all shattered and to get freshness and continuity of excitement they recourse to strong narcotic, and in the reaction they become the most filthy person,
Slight little emotional nature as to the signing of hymn and dancing before images is not objectionable but when the effusion and elution of sentiment are carried to excess the man is ruined for ever. It is better to be a stoic than a Epicurean. The ebullition and effusion of sentiment must be snubbed down for it is most detrimental to spiritual growth. Calm, dignified unperturbed state of mind is the best course. The emotional part might be called a sauce to the rigid meditative mood. To break the satiating and monotonous state of the rigid life produced by calm meditative mood - little hymn singing are allowable. But it should be noted here that Buddha conddemned this as it leads to effiminacy.
MORALITY
In studying the biography of a saint we find morality the prom intent feature in the character. Why it is that though different saint disagree as to doctrine and mode of worship but they all unite in one point in insisting a person to be a moral one. Every saint, every preacher of religion puts great emphasis on the point of morality and always make it an adjunct of religion. An immoral person can never be a religious one so the dictum goes.
What are the points of unity amongst the saints and great men all over the world ? If we look to the precept and the conduct of different persons of different ages, no fixed standard or rule is to be found out, to find out the unity amongst all. I hold the theory that when the latent energy or the Prana is developed in a person, he gets the introspection and the final view of the world. And according to the higher flight of this Prana various grades of observation and opinion of the creation are to be found.
It is for this reason every person calling himself to be a moral one though his conduct and doctrine differ from others, and all precepts, doctrine and dogmas are formed to preserve this Prana or the latent power in a person.
Morality is much associated with religion and no man is considered to be a religious one, unless his conduct conforms with the ideas of morality of that particular body. It is very often insisted that morality is the central point of religion. Doctrines and dogmas are considered to be secondary means to any religion.
Since the dawn of civilization men are observing the changeable nature of the social environments and though they struggle much to establish a permanency of the evanescence yet with all their efforts they could not find any solution to it. At last they turned their minds to religion if only they can find response there. But the ceremonial and the ritualistic portion were so pompous and multifarious that the people get shocked at the complication of the ceremonies and tried to discover what was the real centre,—the real cause for which they were struggling so much. The discovery of the knowledge of ego and its nature gradually began to dawn upon them and from the external they turned their attention to internalities
This was the grandest discovery of the ancient masters who with their keen acumen analysed, classified and noted all the various shades and disposition, and found the ego was the centre of all religion and all philosophy. That was the first declaration that was preached to mankind,—a bold deviating and recession from the outside to the inside world. The ego is to be attempted, realised, and translated into every action of life, that was made the basic principle of religion. Any doctrine, that helped to reach, to develop, and to realise the ego, was considered as reality, anything that retarded it or deviated from this path was considered as impurity, and was expunged out from the social institutions.
Philosophy deals with the nature and the condition of the ego, as we observe it from the lowest stratum, onward to the highest climax, the same object when viewed through the grossest peripheral nerves produces the tendencies of self-preservation and self-procreation and self-possession. But when the gross nerves are passed over and the mind reaches the finer nerves the grossness of the condition are fast fading away and clearness shine forth. It is not to be argued here that the lower stages are faulty and the higher ones are truth and realities, but the latter is the natural development of the former by the natural law of evolution, which has a teleological impetus to reach the still higher stages to bring out the acme. Metaphysics deal purely with the nature of the ego and there it stops.
Ethics deals with the relation of the ego to the outside world and deals much with the manifestation of the ego and preservation of energy in its best form. It deals also with the conditions and selects out the higher one by eschewing the lower ones. The preservation and the stability of the manifestation of the ego is the central point in it.
Religion is the combination of the knowledge of the ego and its manifestation or relation with the rest of the mankind. Hence both metaphysics and ethics must be combined to form a religious system. The one without the other can never be called religion. But the central principle of the two branches of the mental activities is the rousing up of the Prana or the latent Energy inherent and dormant in every individual. This Prana when roused up gives a firmness and real vision of the manifested and the unmanifested. Morality means the different conditions of the minds to preserve the Prana that is already roused up. In the metaphysics we deal with the Ego in its several layers or grades from the grosser to the finer stages and how the outside world might be observed in its various stages of transformation, Morality or Ethics deals with that, when the Prana is roused up and passing through the different stages on layers what would be the desirable or undesirable relation or the external objects to the Ego. Here the effective relation is the main point. The whole leading aspect is how by certain rules and conditions the “Prana" might not only be preserved but developed to its highest stages. If metaphysics be called the mere observing aspect, Ethics might be called the relative aspect of the Ego or the Prana to the outside world and deals much with the merit or demerit of the object or idea in its relation to the Prana. It is a mere different aspect of viewing the Ego in its aspect of manifestation.
The Indian Psychologists divide the mind and the nerve system into six layers. The current of energy, when passing through different layers, gives different views and aspects of the gross externalities and grossness and fineness are marked thereon. Hence in our opinion of the world we give different version of the manifestation and every opinion is correct according to the stand point of viewing by the observer. In dealing with Ethics the very same thing happens. When the mind is in the region of Kama Loka or region of Desire, our ideas tend towards self-preservation and self-procreation and self-possession. Ethics or morality will be to regulate the relation from this region to the outside world.
In the region of Rupa Loka or the Region of Forms, the: ideas are coming when the world appears to be in the shape of pictures or forms which are affecting the_Ego The moral code there should be to preserve and devolop the Prana from this stage to the* third one and soon we have the region of Bhava Loka— or the region of ideas. The next higher one is the region of Gnana Loka or the region of Knowledge. Then comes the Anandamoy Loka or the region of Bliss and the final one is the complete knowledge of the absolute Ego.
I do not agree with Western thinkers who always try to put the whole thing from one stand point. Generally they start their theory from the basic principle or the Kamaloka and try to judge all the different grades through the same standard. So far they issue out their dictum from this region, and take view of the world coming under its scope, it is right. But when they try to encompass the higher grades under the same rules and conditions, I differ from them.
To preserve the Prana some take continence to be the best effective means, so far so by itself, it is good but that it is the only means and married life is faulty is not the real truth. In every phase of life this power might be attained.
When the Prana or Divinity is roused up in a man he proceeds in his own line and much of the social conventional rules are distasteful to him. Hence he has many aberrations which to an ordinary mortal is all defective. But to him these things are of no consequence. There is a sweetness, a force, a vivifying power even in his arbitrative actions. The whole tendency is the preservation of the Prana when it is roused up and hence religion and morality are much associated and reality is the same, in the two different aspects.
The Western thinkers always talk about social morality how to keep a friendly relation between different persons and various theories are started to explain this assumption. So far as the relation of man to man is taken into consideration the theories and explanations are all right. But it is not the whole truth by means of which we can explain the higher stages. The social relation of morality comes under the heading of Ethics and rules and regulations are made to sustain society in certain organisation. But my point here is to show the relation between religion and morality and I hold the view that the Prana or the Divinity when roused up in a person should be preserved and developed and every active ideas and means both internal and external that are helping in the line is called morality. That which retards that which deviates and destroys it is immoral. The Divinity should be manifested in every form and—every object.
DOCTRINES
Whensoever the divinity in a person is roused up, people from all corners flock around him to get a touch of the divinity so roused up in the person. Every one is an ardent admirer of the central one—the master and such people form a community amongst themselves with the master in the central place. All these men are sincere and true to the principles. The master no doubt, gives his ideas equally to all so that all might come up to the same high level. The capacity of men to receive in the spirit and the divinity is variable. The one class of persons look to the inner working of the mind and try to approach the divinity in some incorporeal form. They start with the idea that the body is the mere casing ; the ideas are the only things to be studied and through the idea-body they try to approach the divinity without a name and a form They are the silent workers who take the master to be a model, a prototype and try to formulate their lives and conduct in the parallel lines with the life of the master. They look upon the master as the guide' line by following which direction they might be equally so or at least come to some near point of the master. All the externalities are considered as secondary or unimportant points but the divinity which the master himself has is the point to be aimed at and realised. From the relativity they try to arrive at the absolute.
Another class of men who come in contact with the master they take his body, his associations and his ideas as the summumbonum. The inner workings of the other school they have not much taste to discern but the every day life of the master, his utterances, his gestures and postures, even the daily life in details are taken as the goal to be arrived at The master is taken as the embodiment of the divinity and the concreteness and the conditional portions are taken for the absolute and the unconditional. This school tries to take up a mental photo of the working and expressions of the master and so the aim is to preserve the memory of him. Abstract conception they have no liking for. Concreteness is what they think best. The Divinity that was inside the flesh, but other than the flesh, they do not care much. But the flesh is identified with the divinity and their whole mental aptitude is the associations and preservation of the flesh and the incident connected with the flesh and the manifestation. The unmanifested one they do not like to know but only the manifested portion they care much. If the former school tries to approach the divinity in its absolute state taking the master to be a guide and a prototype whose mental workings are to be searched and realised, the later school take the master to be the summumbonum and he is himself the divinity and the goal and his manifested form and his associations to be rigidly preserved.
Many attempts and devices have been made to preserve the continuity of these schools of persons. And both these schools were attempting to have the divinity from their different stand points of view. And though they might agree in the name of the master but in the detail workings of these two schools they generally fall out and be little each other.
The question now turns upon between the schools of principle and the school of person. The bold and strong minded persons with the vigorous nerves and independent thinking always choose the path of thinking. Externalities and outward show of feelings they have no taste for but introspection and penetration into the deeper layer of mind are the things they like best. From the corporeal they try to go into the incorporeal from the divisible to the indivisible. Wholeness is their motto. Manifestation is a trifling thing. Showy, pompous thing they take a detrimental to the real workings of mind. They are the most vigorous brains of the time and are far ahead from the ordinary run of mankind.
It must not be thought of that they are less in their devotion and in their respect for the central figure but their respect is so solid that they do not like to express it to others. The inward softness is lost sight of one to the stern. Stoicism of the external features and expressions. one thing to be noted here is that when the mind rises in the right line to some higher level the other phases of the mind are equally developed though the prominence is given to one’s own natural brain. The devotional portion, the softness, the sweetness are equal in his heart but he suppresses them, lest they might produce any enervating effect. This is called the school of principle ; where the ideas, the laws of cause and effect, the source of every thing are rigidly analysed, discussed and attained to.
The other school or the school of devotion which takes a person as the central figure and nothing is higher than the person they argue his name, his associations, his place, the persons that he talked with, the things that he touched are all sacred to him. It is for his sake I live and move and Smile. He is my lord, my master, the pupil of my eyes, the smile of my lips. The very blood that courses through my veins the very heart of my heart, the very pith and marrow of my bones. I am his entirely, absolutely’’.
The devotional school taking up this to be their motto, rises up to some high level but concreteness and personality they can never shake off. Abstract conception and wholeness where the personality is shaken off and eliminated are things most distasteful to them Here in the two schools tight at with each other. The one school stigmatises the other as the nihilist and without any devotional principle in them and the other school reduces the devotionalist as inferior and man-worshiper. But whatever might be the differences between the two lines it must be admitted that both these schools have produced men of wonderful merit who are really a glory to mankind. Only the line of procedure is somewhat different.
These are the best aspects of the two schools which are praise worthy and above all blames but when abused and misused both the schools are turned out into a band of mischievous persons. The men of the school of principles having forgotten the real nature of the mind and the psychological aspects, learn by rote a few stray principles and quotations and always makes target about others in season and out of season. The ordinary men get disgusted with this band of idle talkers and try to avoid them. The divinity, the life, the Prana they could not find, only the husk of the dictums are taken in and much talked of. This is why people get disgusted with them- This want of divinity and the perception of Prana in the principles makes them a band of fanatics and brings on confusion and deterioration of this body and they turn out to be a band of babblers and dribblers till another man of living force is required to rouse up, to give vivifying power to the principle of the followers. Divinity is a thing required and without it every thing is dead and inert.
The other school takes the personality of the master as the summumbnum and every day working of the master when in flesh are tried to be repeated and thought of without giving any scope of enlarging the circle or free hand to go ahead of the limitation of the daily routine work. The whole system becomes a mechanical process and within a century or two every thing becomes mummeries and gibberish. A machine might be devised to go round all the routine works in a regular way but the main defect in this school is the effuse on of sentiments which became the prominent feature of the school, and when the mind is emotional, resoning forsakes the man ; and instead of doing good or going in the right pith many a time they make a slip or fall flat at the very threshold where they intend to find peace and consolation. The ebullition of feelings is the most detrimental to this school. It is the out come of weakness of the nerves and might be taken as temporal insanity. In its best form it brings an effeminacy and in its vicious forms it produces fanaticism. A person who likes to be a devout person must always avoid this effusion and ebullition of sentiments.
The school of principle deals much with the Psychological aspects which are eternal and permanent and applicable to all parsons, require very little hedging round to sustain and keep up the solidarity of this body. Any person can work out the principle and the ideas in his own mind in any secluded place. It is just a seining of the psychological steps of one’s own mind and 'the objects of observation in every way we think very little of external helps, and the internal observation is required to decipher and study the external. It is for this reason the school of knowledge have not much taste for doctrines and formalities. They try to dive deep into the essence and not to the casing of it.
The other school, the school of devotion dealing with a central person and having the object of perpetuating the memory and the daily life of the person is forced to recourse to formulate certain doctrines to hedge round and guard up the personality of the master. And in the lapse of time when new comers join the body who have not seen the master himself the pietiests formulate a body of rules keeping the details and minutes to keep up the routing work of the body.
During the life time of the master and even after his passing away the divinity or the Prana left by the Master worked out for sometimes and shaped and moulded men to some high level without being conscious of the secret workings of the spirit. After a laps of time this process goes on for sometimes and then the followers of the master having not the spirituality enough to translate to others, fall back and recourse to all hedging round and formulate laws that are the only means or sustaining the bodies. In the beginning of the movement the spirituality of the followers was sufficient to roust up divinity amongst others who came in contact with him but slowly the worldliness, the pride, the craving for wealth and power in the name of enhancing the glory of the master slowly creeps into the breast of the followers and pomp and show, wealth and power are substituted at the cost of spirituality. The former selflessness, the fervour of spirit, the simplicity are all slowly fading away and etiquattes and styles are gradually entering in and leading adherents to worldliness and pomp. In the beginning the followers themselves were devout persons and embodiment of spirituality but gradually the kernel is off and the husk is left. It is for the wonderful spirituality in the person that doctrines are formulated. The doctrine kills the individual but tries to keep up the community. It is the death knell of the movement and outwardly it is the means of expansion. When the spirit is off the dead carcass is decorated with wreath of roses. Aweful is the turning point and yet being delight all become intoxicated with joy what they have formulated the doctrine. Freedom is the life of religion. Subjection and servitude are real death of it. And how it happened '( In the beginning a living force was translated from one person to another and when the spiritualities fast sinking down men began to approach the master not to his inner workings of the mind but to the utterances. The master uttered certain dictums according to circumstances and the capacity of the hearer, the recorders having overlooked all the circumstances give out the bare dictums which the men of later period do not understand or comprehend and hence the grammar and dictionaries are called in to help in explaining the utterances of his master. And every one has his' own fable to enhance the glory of the poor departed one and this the pietist called as pious lies which has no fault in it and hence certain rules are required to be formulated for the guidance of the mass. In any movement when a body is formed by the hedging round of certain rules and doctrine within a few short years similar groups will form in different places in the same body and every one emphasising upon certain precepts of the master and giving his own version of the facts, forms a new group and thus sects are multiplied. So much so that though they take the name of the same central person yet they become the bitterest enemy of different sects, for an enemy means the former friend
In the experience of the world and history of civilization the pietists have done the greatest mischiefs to mankind. More lies and falsehoods and shedding of blood were done in the name of religion that any diplomat or a conqueror can think of. And seeing the deadliness and inertness of any religious movements a man of soft heart and of pure motive will be shocked at and will denounce all religion and condemn God and His paraphernalia as the most offensive devices of the human brain.
And rightly they think of it. For while the living force is out a body of dead mummeries and gibberish are followed out. The heart becomes dried up the man becomes callous and in the name of divinity and religion they try to build up their power and to wheedle out money from the poor ignorant mass. It is better to be a sincere atheist and agnostic than to be a mischievous pietist. The history of the Buddhist movements, the history of the Christian church are the best examples to illustrate these principles. In the conditional world we can not do without doctrines to keep up the continuity of the body but it is the shackle and manacle to the development of spirituality and individual growth. Hence it is necessary that after a few centuries the whole movement must be recast and again a spirit must be revived that the world might know what is divinity.
A question might be asked here what is the difference between a sage and a theologian ? A person who tries to approach the master in his working of the mind imbibe the principles that had moved the master to utter certain dictums he sees, he feels, he realises life in every thing outwardly. He is a dumb mute but internally inside he is a living force. A saint might follow a person or a principle and try to see the truth. The Prana is his object. Prana he realises and feels within himself. A theologian never having any introspection approaches the master through language and goes on commenting upon the saint adding his own fancy, the peculiar hobbies of his place and his own chaste personality, heredity and temperament lead him to mould and shape the doctrines according to his own likings. In reality he preaches himself in the name of the master. Whatever is tasteful to him he puts a sentence in the mouth of the master to conform his doctrine and whatever is distasteful to him he passes over as the master had no such views. It we are to judge the founder of any movement through the writings of the theologian we would most likely pronounce our opinion that no such person existed in history. It is a mere concoction of a ban I of mystery mongers and honest men will very often doubt the existence of the prophet. The theologians might be called the shopkeepers who sell out divinity and make the profession as a means of livelihood, traders of religion and divinity. The theologians are the unavoidable necessary evils to humanity.
With the advent of the theologians conies in ipsedixitism. The former covers the narrowness, the fervor and kindly and sweeter feelings are all fast fading away and terror and awe are pervading the whole mental atmosphere. The central person who during his life time and even a short time after was taken and looked as the best friend and a most intimate companion to whom all the joys and sorrows of the heart might be spoken out has now turned out to be an aweful swollen majestic one and every action, every utterance, every sentiment expressed towards him are all faulty and defective. The terror of the unseen one has taken hold of the mind of the adherents. A morbidity has set in. The former bold frank utterances and jolly mood of the adherents are fast fading away and terrorism and ipsedixitism are taking in the place of freedom. Wheresoever there is love there is freedom. Where there is want of love there is no freedom. The theologians issue out their dictums that may contradict the utterances of the prophet to an extent which is sacrilegious and whatsoever are recorded in the name of the prophet whether such thing actually happened or not must be taken as true and nothing to be gainsaid o: it. This is called ipsedixitism.
But psychology cares very little for ipsedixitism. Unchallenged truth is no truth. And what is ipsedixitism? And how do we know that the utterances of the author are truth ? This is a question. The mind of the person rising into the higher level feels the validity in the assertion of the prophet and hence he accepts the truth. The know ledge and truth of the assertion comes from one's own self. The Ego in its process of fineness corroborates with the assertion of the prophet hence by challenging the assertion the truth is found out. The Ego certifies the truth It is not the ipsedixitism which proclaims the truth, but the Ego certifies the validity of the assertion and corroborates the truth in it. But the theologians try to suppress the Ego by the terrorism of ipsedixitism which no strong minded thinker will allow or make any concession for. Ipsedixitism in most cases is a process of stifling the independence of an individual growth. Take the assertion to be paroled and corroborate with the growth and development of the individual Ego. The dictums of a prophet should be taken as a character whereby the growth of the individual Ego might get a helping hand. Bu; terrorism is the most pernicious thing for the development of the mind The downfall of any movement originates from ipsedixitis Better to be alone in the world and imbibe the divinity with one’s own self than to be with a group of men with ipsedixitism. Ipsedixitism is not an argument, nor a truth by itself but it is a corroborative evidence of what the other thinkers have thought out in that particular line and the truth of the assertion of the thinker is reflected by the thinkers of the past age. That is a spell. The theologians failing to find out argument for the assertions very often quote ipsedixitism and twist the quotation to suit his own fancy. This process must be snubbed down.
When the Prana or the life in a religious body gets a tendency of sinking down by the advent of new comers and unfit persons a little doctrinal portion is necessary to keep up the life of the body ; a little hedging is necessary. The young and untutored mind unable to grasp the high truth must pass through a doctrine for some times. The mind of a novice often staggers from point to point and talks much about varieties of ideas and various grades of truth without being able to understand the real import and intensity of the truth. The purpose of a doctrine is to train up the mind to some faxed point, to develop the attachment and sacredness first to the person, and through the person to the principles, and unless one school of thought is mastered and assimilated and made a part and parcel of one’s own constitution the young mind cannot appreciate and understand the sacredness of other schools. It is for this reason that doctrine is to some extent necessary where the personal influence is lacking. But where the personal influence is strong and vivifying doctrine and rules cannot find an entrance there. Doctrines might be called not the active but the passive mode of developing the mind of a person but a prophet or a founder of a movement who himself never formulates any doctrine. He is a living force himself and is scarcely guided by rules and regulations. His adherents after a lapse of time finding themselves different in the vivifying power form themselves in to cult and make rules and regulations for the guidance of their conduct and for those who are yet to come. They take this to be the easy path to approach the master. But in many cases they overlook the vivifying influence which the master emanated when in flesh. To deal with the mass and ordinary run of mankind doctrine is necessary to keep up the existence of the body lest the ordinary mind being unable to grasp the higher truth, make confusion in every thing and thus ruin oneself.
But it must not be asserted that doctrine is the summumbonum of truth. It is the path that leads to special aspect to truth and every doctrine of all the different sects in the world is equally valid and can pay equal attention if the votaries diligently and sincerely walk
out the path. The fanaticism and bigotry of sectarians claim that his special doctrine and path is the right one and the rest of the world is in fault. This is the most ridiculous thing coming out from an illiterate pietist. Troth lies not in the doctrine, not in the arguments, but it is above all. The doctrines are the mere conditions for belief in truths. Truth is unconditional—it is absolute. Every doctrine is truth. No doctrine is truth. It is a relative condition depending upon the mind and the action of the votaries.
But the theory that doctrine should be followed out all through life is faulty, begin with a doctrine, follow it out for sometime and then try to go beyond doctrine. Through doctrine to no doctrine. The doctrine is a limitation, a condition and in higher truth it never advance the mind and makes a willful deception for the development of the Ego. The divinity is to be attained. The Prana is to be realised. It is the living, the vivifying force that uplifts a man and there the doctrines and dogmas are so many bondages which retard the right progress of the self. Universality is the right thing. Indivisibility should be reached and divisibility should be eliminated. So that doctrine has good and bad sides according to different stages of the mind.
When after the disappearance of the master the same type of men are also found wanting, rules and regulations based upon the declarations of the master are taken as master himself. The sayings of the master and the master himself are identified at the expense of the vivifying force, which was the view and the nature of the founder. The doctrines, purporting to be behind the line drawn out by the assertions of the master are made the guidance for all, when a certain group of men take a special view of some of the assertions and draw out their own conclusion thereby. Many differ from this assertions and inferences and this set their minds at right. The individual liberty, the freedom, the higher uniting powers are all chalked out and the growth of the body is attuned at. The life of the body is sustained by all individuals and if any person by his independent mode of thinking and greater energy likes to assert himself he is out churched as an innovator and making a new sect. A rigid mechanical rules and regulations must be followed in and the authority of the man in power should be implicitly obeyed. This becomes the motto but to gainsay his authority and the truth and assertions are sacrilegious thing to the body. The orthodoxy is thus established.
The orthodoxy is a negative process and not a positive process. It is originated from terror and doubt. So long there is fervor and living force nobody is afraid of offending the other or making a foot step, for every one is sincerely seeking after truth according to his temperament and no interference is allowed. But the want of this light brings on suspicion upon the capacity and the motive of the different worker. Every one is afraid lest the other will give a mis-constructions of the ideas of the master and assert his own individual power and thus a dead cold hand is placed upon the head of every individual. The former fervor and enthusiasm which made the body expand in every direction, is curved down and stagnation sets in and the final decomposition and dissolution becomes inevitable. This is called the orthodoxy, so that it is entirely a negative and a preservative procedure.
But there is another aspect of viewing the orthodoxy. When there is too much of innovations and heterodoxies the mass becomes confused as to which line to be followed. They not having the power to discern the vivifying force takes only the effusion of sentiments of the leader and mistakes the hollow impracticable precepts for truth. The effusion of sentiments come out from the heated brains of the speaker and not the right solid truth, hence the mass become affected and moved with the workings of the sentimental man and is often led astray. Orthodoxy is a result of rigid old age of the body. As an old man is slow to change his opinion and suspicious of every young man and innovator and is always warning men to be cautious and move in the old line, the orthodoxy of a body gives the rigidity of in every detail of life and thus prolongs the continuity of existence of the group. This is the best aspect of viewing the orthodoxy. The Hindu society has withered out all storm on account of its rigid orthodoxy but it has shown a decided lack of the excessive power in this conditional world. What is true blessing in one case becomes the untrue and curse in another case. The only right thing is the attainment of the Prana of the Ego.
When a body who are following a person and not the principle sinks down in rigid orthodoxy, corruption sets in and sings of decomposition become rampant all through. The priest getting enormous power upon the ignorant mass abuse the sacred trust and become odious and offensive to all. And when the cry is raised all over the community a new movement is started to cast away the old putrefied orthodoxy, and new vivifying precepts are put in but the conditional world is so funny and amusing that again the old orthodoxy slowly creeps in and the old defects are again repeated. Change as much as you like but the old state is ever larking behind. We cannot put anything on permanent basis and the advent of new masters is necessary to give a life to mankind. The old orthodoxy is again repeated only by changing the names. And after labour and energy of several centuries the only difference made out is a priest for a priest. The manners, customs and nature of a people are all the same only the names are changed,—from Jupiter comes Jesus, from Diana comes Mary.
So far I have said about the good and the bad side of the doctrines. These are the unavoidable necessary evils in the society. Happy are they, glorious are they who try to reach the divinity and become themselves divine and give a helping hand, love and blessing to humanity.
FORMS AND CEREMONIES.
In tracing history of religion the primitive natural religion is the first thing that comes to us. The simple people in the delight of forest and glades and on the banks of the rivulets saw divinity in every thing in their transcendental moods and communed with the living force or the Prana in every thing. They looked into the forms and figures of objects but suddenly in their happy mood they were transported into the deeper layers and saw the essence and in the visualised state they talked with it, knowing it to be their companion. “In such high hour of visitation from the living God thought there is none, in exaltation it expires. He seeks no praise ; he offers no prayer No more there is I or you, myself or thyself or the outside world but One all pervading One.” This is called the happy moment.
Two classes of men started from this point. The one sect tried to find out the essence, the oneness in all the forms and figures that are presented before them. The introspection became deeper and deeper and the principles slowly dawned upon them. The other sect saw every form and figure to be a separate one and tried to find the essence in their particular form and the multiplicity of the essential being is thus made out. In studying the history of the Indian, the Greeks, the old Assyrians and the Egyptians this fact prominently comes out.
The Aryans living in happy lands brought out the idea of poetry and did some homage and respect to the unseen being visualized in the concrete form The semitics on the other hand living in a arid soil could not develop the faculty of poetry, stunted ceremony was a growth of their religion. The Aryan school was divided into two sections according to temperament of the men. The one school took up the principle as the essential beings of realising, the divinity and to practice it out in life : the principle must be ingrained in every atom of the constitution. The other party having a tendency to poetry tried to develop sweetness and received the blessings of the divinity through externalities.
The Semitics though in their early life tried to develop forms and ceremonies but the dryness of the soil without much variations in the natural aspect made them dry in mind as distinguish between old Assyrians and the AbraJianites. The natural surroundings reflected on their mind and so their theology developed into dry monotonous morbid school. It is neither the school of principle nor metaphysical aspect of viewing the divinity, neither it is the school of poetry which develops the grand ceremony. But it is a medium relation between the two. A class of morbid mythology which neither philosophy nor poetry can claim as its own. The barrenness of the surrounding is much reflected on their minds and on their theology.
When amongst the Aryans the two schools of principles and ceremonies were distinctly marked out, the royalty laid a helping hand to the school of ceremonies and by the munificence of these potentates grand and pompous ceremonies with the details and necessities of ceremonies gradually developed so huge and cumbrous that it staggers the human conception of the present day. The Jews being separated from the Assyrians in some early period became a wandering poor band and being always in terror of the Assyrian monarchs could not developed a conception of ceremonies and ritualities. They were forced to follow out simplicity and economy in every thing. But the natural inclination to enjoyment was not subdued. The school of principle finding out the evanescence of the material world eschewed all forms and ceremonies, qua lities and the mental tendencies for enjoyment and brought out rigid philosophic conception of the divinity. The Jews observing the grandeur of the Assyrian and the Babylonian court though they could not enjoy all the things of royalty on earth forced them to create their heaven above the clouds transforming the Assyrian and the Babylonian courts in the higher atmosphere and made the occupied dignitaries of the earthly court into their Jehoba, Cherubims. Seraphs, Diana. If any one likes to study the court ceremony and the officials of the Assyrian courts study the Jewish mythology. The one is synonym for the other. But when their earthly habitation chased as they were very Chenasherib and Nebuchatnezzar differed everything in their next world. Though the natural religion forms -a development among the Semitic school but it became a stunted shrub which neither can give shelter to a passer-by nor can be transplanted into different soil for beautifying a garden. Their philosophic conception is meager in comparison to that of the Indian and the Greek schools.
The Semitic theology when it entered into Aryan countries inhabited by the Greeks and the Romans and their provincials had to make much concession and Aryan ism inherent in the people made a tremendous assertion. Modified rigidity of the Semiticism made it the old Aryan school with few Jewish nomenclatures. The Europeans are Roman in politics, Greeks in Education and philosophy, Saxon in social matters and Jew in religion But there is much distinction between the Jewism of the Semitics and the Judaism of the Aryans. The Romans and the Greeks being of Aryan origin retained their old faith, manners, customs and their gods and demi-gods, had got a new nomenclature of the Jewish style. But the gods and demigods though got a new name but rebelled to be under the thralldom of the Semitic and again asserted their own independence and claimed the former forms and ceremonies and mode of worship. But these gods had to make the concession and compromise to suit the age and circumstances. Jupiter became Jehova, Diana became Madona. The old tree and serpent worship is still to be seen in every village in some disguised form as maypole, Lupercalia or the king and queen carnival and has a saint which is the other form of the old village god.
The devotional school of religion is divided into three sections—the metaphysical, the devotional and social. The metaphysical school is generally permanent in the body and deals about the nature and essence of divinity. But if the conception of divinity is changed the religious school is said to be a new one. For, the notion of divinity is not an absolute one but is a relative and giving directions sometimes even in details as to the working of the daily life of the adherents. But if the conception of divinity is assailed and new ideas are put in the whole fabric breaks down and some other system is raised up to suit the conception.
The devotional portion or the portion showing the sweeter feelings to the divinity is the natural out come of the metaphysical portion. Its special object is to have some sort of formal ceremony to give satisfaction to the conceived divinity. This portion depends much upon the climatic condition, the tendency of the votaries and the fancy of the people and that the religion is coming out from nature worship is clearly marked out here. The fancy, the wealth and the natural surroundings much modify the metaphysical conceptions of divinity and try to concretize every thing visible and delightful to the followers. In many cases arguments and the quotation of scriptures are invalid to convince the devotees. Their sole argument is it is pleasing and soothing in the person. Stop all arguments, consolation is the main thing. Here in much doctrines and dogmas are created to support the fancied delight of the persons and many fables and mythologies are made out to illustrate and give authority to the performance. The fanciful brain of the Aryans finds a full scope here in delineating the qualities and attributes of their supposed divinity and nice poetries, instructed fables might be drawn out from these schools.
The social portion has an important bearing to the above two section. It deals directly to the conduct of mankind, marriage, funeral, giving name to a child and various other functions of daily life must have a sanction from the established religion. The human nature is naturally averse to materialism and is prone to be connected with divinity in every thing. It is for this reason religious or divine sanction must be brought down to dignify and give validity to their daily life. Even in killing of a goat divine sanction must be quoted to regulate the form of destroying the life.
Some maintain that social laws cannot always keep a community in a solid form. The self-interest being strong in man loopholes will soon be found out to suit their conveniences but the sentiment specially the sentiment of religion is the most strong and permanent binding on humanity and to avoid all confusion and aberration in social life a social code is made out in the name of divinity to keep the ordinary mass under regulated form. I do not hold the view that terror of the unseen being as a cause of these so many ramifications in social life, real nature of man is divinity and this they like to see in every thing even in their posture of sleeping and cooking. Though fancy being an important element brings out sentiments which sometimes surcharges the real spirit and makes the outward casing as a most cumbrous one but if we dive deep into the matter there the real spirit is to be seen. Divinity is the real nature of man. Divinity is the real nature of the creation and the inner self of the person tries to see itself reflected not only in nature but in every details of actions.
A theory is started that religion requires the three orthodox sections —the metaphysical, the devotional and the social. Any school that cannot point out the three orthodox divisions is not be considered as religion. From the beginning two classes of men dealt with subjects of divinity. The one— the school of poetical men, the other the school of rigid argumentation. The fanciful men brought out the devotional school and they are majority in number when we take in the women folk of mankind. The school of rigid argument are always made of strong brain. They try to realise the divinity within themselves. And any thing that stands out as hindrance or bondage they mercilessly eschew as lesser truth hence these people are generally men of renunciation and solitary beings. But they have no living force in the religious world. They give life and continuity to any school of religion. The western thinkers being accustomed to absolute philosophers and theologians talk only by the brain and never try to bring the ideas down into their nerves have very poor conception of a nature of philosophy realised in the person. The man who has realised the divine truth within his own self is a philosopher and a saint combined in the same person. He is above all material and secular considerations Hence the school of principle is also a religious school. Buddha, Sankara who were the founders and advocates of this school and they themselves being men of renunciation social and ceremonial aspects of religion never come with their scope.
When in the ancient world the school of principles and the school of ceremonies were fighting against each other, the advent of a mighty genius gave solace to the sheathing world of the time. The two schools were become mechanical and lifeless and became a bundle of mummeries and gibberish. The mighty genius combined all the necessary things that might give peace and solace to mankind within himself and gave uplifting and purifying impetus to the society and men began flocking to him from all sides. All great religious leaders appealed to the inner self of the man—the divinity which is within oneself finds out relation to the divinity outside and from these two the necessary inferences the relations of mankind and the rest of the creation with the two entities. This is called the triangle of love - The individual ego the supreme ego, and the creation. This is the central point of any religion. This is the philosophy of any religion. The ceremonial and dialectic portion being too cumbrous, Buddha eschewed the former and boldly declared into the world ‘‘what is the go id of bribing the Gods ? What is the good of chanting the Vedas ? Liberation is possible without bribe or a broker”. This wonderful personality and vigorous thoughts put the society on a new basis. But the mind of men and the society are all interdependent and conditional. That which Buddha forbade to do they did the very same thing after his passing away. The statue of Buddha was set up as a central deity, big temples were erected for the habitation for their statue and pompous ceremonies were followed in.
One thing to be noted here is that thing what the prophets prohibited to do as detrimental to religious growth and following which precept the band developed into a big school is very often practised by the later follow wers and death begins with that. Buddha denounced pompousness of ceremonies, and preached renunciation,
His follower carried it out for sometimes, the living force of the band expanded intro a big body and again the gorgeousness of ceremonies and worldliness crept in, celibacy was changed for debauchery. Life was changed and extinct mummeries and gibberish set in. Christ himself the wandering precher, for he himself said “the foxes have their holes the fowls of the air have their nests but the son of man has no where to hide his head”. The early Christians rigidly followed out this principle. They were prosperous and got respect from the people. Slowly the worldly minded man crept into the body. Pompousness was followed in and putrefaction and corruption soon pervaded the whole atmosphere. I his is the case with every religious movement. That by which avoiding the party comes into eminence is the very cause of its death. And again a new movement is necessary to sweep away their abuses. The personal attachment to a leader to preserve the daily life and associations of the master has transformed the affection into outward manifestation of ceremonies. When the attachment is ardent without any tinge of terror or fear of fault, the ceremonies are all simple and natural. The leader is taken as the living one though not in flesh and simple things are done in a friendly way. Gradually the ardors is cooled down and fear of offending the august person comes in. Hence every device is adopted to ward off the wrath. Though originally started from sacredness it is degenerated into terror and as wealth comes in, big gigantic temples are raised. The living force, the spirit is gone and the bricks and the stone stand out as a sculpture of divinity and spirituality.
But the mass is moved with showy things. More pompous and gorgeous the ceremony becomes the more the mass is satisfied. It then becomes attractive to the common herd of mankind. But the best men always try to keep themselves aloof from such things. It is not to be denied that ceremonies are absolutely unnecessary. It is an embodiment and manifestation of love and reverence to the master. But the pompousness is most objectionable. The Aryan Mind is fond of poetry and without a little form and ceremonies, the mind of the devotional school can not be satisfied.
But one thing is to be always guarded against. This ceremony in the name of reverence is an outburst of fancy and when the fanciful state is once let loose, it knows no bound. The weak minded miracle-monger and mystehers a huge fabric of fables out of their heated brains and see buggies and hobgoblins everywhere and in the moving of every rat and mouse they see miracles and that the leader is serving some purpose through that rat. Religion then degenerates into mysticism and fables. And more the man can multiply fanciful stories and add varieties of ceremonies—sometimes most offensive to human sensibilities the more he is applauded and saintliness and divinity in a man is measured by the... effusion of sentiments and pious lies he can concoct. The death of the school is inevitable. The pietists are the most credulous people in the world. And when any thing is gainsaid, fanaticism and outburst of bitter feelings comes in. These weaklings do great mischief to mankind and put the founder into a laughable position before the rigid thinkers. Cau- suistic arguments are not waiting to support their fancies and hobbies. More mischief is done in the name of religion than in any thing else and more good is done by religion than any thing else. The personality, the purity, the vivifying power of a saint is more than building a huge temple. Help to make saints and divine men. It is better than pulling up stones or the ringing of tails. Divinity is to be sought after. The lifeless mummeries and gibberish are to be avoided.
CIVILIZATION THROUGH A PROPHET
The earliest people attempted to find out the Prana in every object and to give a suggestive impetus they formulated a series of ritualities called ceremonies. Gradually where men of intelligence and deep thinking power came in the observation of the Prana though generally crude language was put into proper dignified expressions with arguments and analogies to support the observation. It is thus the grand principles come out. The ceremonies being the external manifestations of the principles ran in a parallel line to keep pace with the principles. The two schools are thus become distinct but among the followers and the adherents much separateness is found out. The persons who discovered those principles are unknown sometimes a name is left to record all his biographies
The ancient masters were so absorbed with principles and the rival school called the ceremonies that they had no intention or inclination to set forth them as a discoverers to further truths. Civilization went on multiplying and various department of life were established and developed but persons are now unknown. The principles were above persons. The principles were living truth, the divinity before whom individuality is insignificant. It is for this reason the earliest civilisation is based on principles as recorded in books. And the books are taken as the highest authority and personal biography and the daily life of the discoverer were unknown and nobody cared to know about it.
A time came when the contention between the school of principle and the school of ceremonies came to a rival point, and each school tried to test its validity by vituperation. It is about this time a great master burst out and became the president and the dictator of the community.
A great man is out come of revolution, fulfils the revolution and is the father of future ages. All great men began their life with aberration, the first half of the life of any genius is full of eccentricities and incongruities. The consciousness of one's abilities and the tremendous energies stored up in the nerve failing to find out fit channel to display and vent it out often makes a genius a melancholy man in the beginning. His ideas being far ahead of the period and specially of his young friends and companions who are in most cases thoughtless youths cast a deep gloom upon his mind. Energy must come out in some organised form that it might be fit for work ; but the tender age of a genius, has not much experience of the world, does not know how to cope with the ordinary mode of thinking. He sees evils every where, his soft heart weeps for the misery of mankind, his youthful age makes him unfit for a leader, his lack of information makes his argument invalid in many cases, he does not know exactly where the evil lies and what remedy will do good to the people. The consciousness of superior abilities, the tremendous mental power in him and the unfitness for any work all goes to make his restless. His soft heart and mercy to every creature on earth together with his shackled state cast deep gloom upon his mind. No body can succor his weeping soul no man understands his aims and ambitions, the gloom then changes into a giant despair. He doubts his own abilities and surely believes himself to be a mad man as the certificate he gets from his companion, who seeing the incongruities in his life and different mode of thinking other than himself thinks him no other than a lunatic. The gaiety of the youth which his companions display are most unpalatable to him, while deep thinking and melancholy mode of his coming out of the pity for mankind is a ludicrous thing to youthful companion, but out of this tremendous mental fights he becomes out-wardly a crazy man, he seeks for a friend who can understand his thought or who has passed through that mode of thinking but scarcely he finds any. His gloom of mind makes a deep root ; he leaves homes and companions and every thing of this world, knows no law, nor regulation, social regulation for good or bad are equally distasteful to him. He become? alone in the world, and a monomaniac and secluded man and passes many a year in solitary places uninhabited by men. Thus out of great love of mankind he shun the society of mankind and when he has matured his thoughts, discern the right cause of the evils and what remedy will do good, he in a cheerful mood re-enters the society. The tremendous mental energy that he has generated in his mind, the different mode of viewing the world and bringing the same conclusion at every case make him a tremendous dynamo which no amount of opposition can stand against. He breaks down every opposition, uproots the evil, galvanising the society and puts it upon another basis and completes his life work.
The seething world clamoured for person who can lead them to some higher path from the dryness and deadness and insipidity of the exerted state of the society the clamour was fulfilled in a person who combined all the necessary requirements of the period in himself and gave a vivifying impetus to every ideas and actions. The person abjured his own personalities and talked only about the principle. But the people out of gratitude to the leader took his personality as a centre point to fix their mind in and to regulate their life to be in conformity with the life of the leader. It is through this the worship of man-god came in. In every great religious body of the present day this principle is followed out only in different names.
Three classes of mind are to be found, the mind of ordinary man is always at work with some external energy. The man begins his arguments as if some body is opposing him. In conversation, in business and in every day life he puts himself into the position of a fighter and always defending himself by attacking the imaginary enemy. This defensive measure in a man is so strong that he is protesting himself and lives of his descendants even for three or four generations yet to come. He is the only fighter getting no help from any body and the whole world is turned against him. The western thinkers sometime takes this aspect of the world and built up their philosophy there upon. When in the imaginary contest the man thinks himself victorious, he becomes 'joyous and merry, but when he is vanquished he becomes miserable and sorry. This is what the lowest grade of minds take a view of this world ; contention every where they see no cessation of fighting no peace any where. The mind sees the energy divided into two halves one the external, other the internal, external energy is ever trying to crush out the internal energy. The lower grade of minds always take this view of the world.
There is another class of mind higher than this grade where the individual self is taken as an observer and the rest of the world a mere living picture—panorama moving about of its own accord. And the observer is no way attached to any of the object visible in the picture. He observe the picture in a detach way he scan, he takes notes and smiles at the picture. Neither love nor hatred of any of the man. He is calm dignified unperturbed in his mind. Outwardly he might show some sympathy to any person but in his own nature is indifferent to all the consequences. This is the mental aptitude of a philosopher. He sees every thing, he am give the right suggestion in any question but is indifferent to the action and the consequences. It is not to be understood that the mind of a philosopher is dry and callous. To him no such thing occurs, the point is, what is truth and how this manifestation comes out. He always lives to the natural love of the mind.
But the highest grade of minds take wider distinct view taken all the varieties of mind within itself and can control them and tincture them with its own personality. All the persons who come in contact with him are flooded and swept away and are soaked even to the narrow but the tremendous out-burst of energy called love The Ordinary person judge one another by the merits and demerits. This class of men cares very little for such conventional division. The divinity or love rushes out from every pore of his skin and saturate all individual who are near about him. Men of opposite tendencies becomes the same before him. Demerits mean deficiency in one self but this dynamic centre of love and divinity fills up the deficiency and gives him in abundance and so- called man of merit is before him a grain of sand to a mountain. Hence this gigantic person transform every individual and develops them into their own distinct lines and through that special idiosyncrasy the divinity is reached. These men are called the prophets of the world. Divinity flow out from them and when touching different individual which gives an uplift to them.
Some are inclined to think that if we can understand the few ideas of a prophet we can understand all about him. The ideas are a mutilated form of energy applicable only to some individual or a small group of individual and there it ends. The ideas are conditional or restricted form of energy when some individual or some special object is taken into mind. It is the most trivial part of the mental work of a prophet, for a prophet might live without expressing any idea. And when people getting a few astray idea try to comment upon it without going into the deeper stratum, he makes a blunder and falls out with one another. This is how the theology and the ceremony are made out most degraded class in the religious world.
Others maintain that a prophet produces abundance of principles and these are the best mental representation of the person and it we can group them we can understand the prophet. But again the principles are differentiated and divisible from the mass of indivisibility. Though the principle deal with higher truth but still it is conditional. The prophet is neither the principle nor the ideas but he is the energy itself. Principles and ideas are formulated to make out an easy passage of the hearer to reach the individual want. And according to the mental aptitude and the receptivity of the hearer the same energy is transformed and modified to suit his special case. It is for this reason we very often see the contradictory ideas and precept of the same prophet. It is not the case that he is compromising the truth to make friendship with any crotchety person. But all the while is speaking out the same truth and trying to lead up the mind to the higher state and finally to the ego. The energy rouse out to him in torrents through love and divinity which sanctify every thing and points out the divinity.
The ordinary men are busy with self-preservation and self-possession and clamour out the whole life upon these two problems. The philosopher passes out his life in observing the facts of this world. A prophet tries other mission to fulfill. The whole world appears unto him a body of isolated men without any purpose or leader a band of orphan babies. The prophet stands out as the protector and takes the whole mankind as his protege. A prophet makes no distinction of nationality or particular but takes the whole human races as his own. To him the creeds and dogmas are immaterial objects and if man of any nature comes unto him all are sanctified to reach the divinity. While other men give out their mind as a combination of men and use the expression “We”, the prophet issues out his dictum as “I . He knows his superiority over all mankind and every man is part and parcel of his mental contribution. This expands his mind and bring out love and divinity for all. He is the real emperor and dictator of the human race.
But though a prophet always declares that he has come to fulfill and not to destroy and to some extent keep up the old manners, ambition and ideas but bring the resultant of the past thought world he starts a new union of his own which ultimately undermine the old mode of thinking. It is rightly said that a prophet is the greatest rebel in the world. He revolutionises the whole mental world without any person being conscious of this change.
Two schools of men judge the ideas of a prophet in two different ways. The adherent out of reverence for the great ;master blindly follow out and declare that the prophet has said a number of new and unheard of ideas while the opponent school assert that these thoughts were in the past age and might be found in the older records, the prophet has only uttered those ideas and claim the authorship for himself. Hence these men term out to be the opponent of the prophet. And both parties are true in their declaration.
The world is old, the ideas are old and nothing new can be said of it. The new-ness is to declare the old as old truth, old which has survived the ages as the external truth. And all the temporal and effeminate ideas are swept away. The prophet finds out the eternal principle which are permanent and will endure all future ages—this is his newness. The other point is, the ideas or principles become slumbering and sometimes dead. The prophet gives a vivifying impetus to those slumbering ideas and they jump out and again become active and efficient. He injects the Prana to the dying and decaying ideas and the ideas shaking off the lethargy becomes extremely active and sanctifying. This is the greatest thing which comes out of a prophet.
It is said that the prophet always talks of divinity and renunciation, what he has got to do with the civilization which deal directly with the various conditions of the human society ? The politicians are the best persons who make such rules for the guidance of the community. Civilization is coming through the prophet even taking an extreme case the Roman civilization, we find Numapompilius and the Sybsllies books were the guiding light of the early Roman civilization. The Greeks too were guided by the laws of Menus for in ancient time civil and ecclesiastical conditions were not different. The laws were a part of the religion. These were also the case with the Jewes and the Indians. Since the time of the prophet a different line is taken up through the prophet himself formulates no such theory of the civilisation he rouses up the divinity into every individual he comes into contact with—a better mode of viewing the world and the condition therein. Through this vivifying, power of the adherents of the prophet rush out into activity and according to their ability and aptitude o: mind they utilise the divinity or energy so infused into them to some practical shape and how a new path wherein higher objects might be attained at the minimum expenditure of energy and money. Through this self abnegation principal done for divinity and love for mankind—people get their eyes open.
A small band of men enlivened with their spirit wrought out mighty deeds and brings out a new life of civilization. It is thus through a prophet we have a new sort of liberation, art, culture, social relation and so on Even in th: war and politics the hand of a prophet is visible. Though the prophet doing nothing of any practical nature but he brings the energy personified takes the medium of person in the detail of actual life. Whole civilization of the world comes cut from the one fountain head of the prophet. The politicians tries to do the work of civilization but social connection and betterment of one’s own people at the cost of the neighbour is their mottows. Selfish motives and self-agrandisement are the mottows. Hence the works of a politician-; recoil and come into destruction after a lapse of time. But the civilization which is coming out of a prophet endures many rise and falls of many Empires so that judging minutely the whole history of civilization we fairly come to conclusion that civilization comes not through a politician or a philosopher, but through a prophet. The extra-attractiveness of a prophet hushes down all contentions and disagreements of ideas and combine the different minds into one apex hence the tremendous energy finds a fat channel of emanation, through this attuned and unified minds of the group of the individuals.
The prophets are the imperial men who with their tremendous form stand forth as the dictator and the protector of the human race. And all the human race is their protagy and make no distinction between one country and another. The saints are made for a particular locality or province. The prophets begin with the positive aspects of the mind and take up optimistic view of the world. It is for this reason thousands and thousands of men follow his precept and tike him as a standard of mankind. The saints in many cases express negative or pessimistic view. Die one being moved with the miseries of the human being produces an amount of energy that will cover all human race. Saint starts his career for his own liberation as he himself a weak one. Anyhow lies the great liberation through this negative idea though finally comes to the positive view. But his activity is intended for a locality or a province beyond which his energy or mental state produces no effect. Hence in other country and in other, province a saint is not much recognised. The other point to be noticed is that a saint deals much with manners and customs of the people and tries to emphasize upon these points. But the social institutions are intended for a small community hence other societies are slow to accept his teachings. But a prophet deals mainly with the internal principle of the self. Henc2 the precepts of a prophet are accepted by all.
As the saint deals much with social customs in his precepts, a pious man tries to concretise these social ritualistic ideas and tries to find out the divinity through these social habits Sacredness he sees much in the local institution, the more the ideas are put under limitation the less acceptable, they become for men of different temperaments. Hence a pious man is for himself and a few persons in the name of divinity are the best thing that can be followed out and the only precepts and dictum form divinity. It is in this way he comprehend the mind of a, prophet a narrow and cooped down into a village priest* And all the while the different grades of people taking in the name of the prophet and divinity and thinks himself to be actually following out the dictum. But fancy being an element in a religion, the matter gets so distorted that if the prophet is to come back he would not recognise his own followers. And that which he prohibited to do the people are rigidly following out that prohibition and in the name of the founder of the faith.
And by the gradual and slow teaching of the various head of the religious body a church doctrine is formed which is in most cases found to be more powerful and iron bounded wall than even the teaching and precepts of the prophet himself. In every organised religion the church doctrine is all in all, the prophet is taken as a mere figure head of the body and when any controversy is raised the quotation from the precepts of the prophet with his own interpretation taken the support of the special class of the church doctrine This is why a religious movement becomes lifeless
And why this happens ? There is a class of people who are of soft nature and by strong in brain put all their energy in preserving the daily life and incidents of the prophet. These noble men actually do a great thing to popularise the wonderful life of the leader. But gradually and a few generations after the followers lose the personal attachment to the master and the element of terror comes in. The rules for the conduct of life which the prophet has uttered is taken as the summumbonum as the exchange of the external principle of the ego. The higher principle having lost sight of, the conditional truth is taken and gradually fancy and dreams play an important part to formulate the religious movement. Hence gradually the life is out and religion is turned into mere formalities and gibberish and mummery. The vigorous, all comprehensive ideas are all faded away and niceties about doctrines and pun upon words become all in all.
A question might be raised why a religion fades away after a lapse of time. The eternal principles of a prophet are intended for all ages and will survive any lapse of time But these principles are intended for a few who are ht to accept them. But the majorities are busy with rules for the conduct of life which is turned into social moralities and forms and ceremonies. The orthodoxy is thus established and everything becomes mechanical and lifeless but in the distant future when new thoughts and new class of men are come up then archaic petrified ideas are found to be inefficient to cope with the requirements of the periods. Hence the whole church doctrines are overthrown and new movement is set on. But the new movement in its turn will follow the same path after a limited period. The energy when it is put through the conditions and made into applicable for special group of mankind will do great benefit in the beginning but when the purpose is served the value of these conditional truth become depreciated and acceptable to others. The eternal principle will survive all ages, the conditional truth will vanish hence we say a religion fades away after a lapse of time.
So far it has been shown that much of our civilization is coming through a prophet indirectly or through the medium of some worthy person. These men are doing great benefit to mankind and are real leaders of the human race. Though we cannot avoid the wonderful personality of a prophet it is better to rich the principle and the higher truth in the light of the prophet. But when the flesh body of the prophet is taken as the summumbonum and daily occurrences are taken as the only means of liberation the doctrine and the actions will do some benefit for a short period but will soon degenerate into mechanical. The best way to understand a prophet is to reach him through his mental working and to incorporate him into one's self.
ACTIVE AND PASSIVE IDEAS
In the undifferentiated state when the sameness is established all through, all distinctions vanish away. It is the state of being and not observing. When the differentiation comes in, the first distinction being the observer and the observed, the individual self becomes the observer and takes note of everything, the projected or externalised self becomes the divinity. Various mental relations like tie threads or rays of light are connecting between the two entities. These currents of energy are called ideas and according to the view we take about the notion and directions of these currents we classify or formulate the names of these with various groups of ideas.
Some maintain that our ideas are negative, the notion of an ink-case before me is that I am eliminating and separate the ideas from other objects and coming to the conclusion call the ink-stand. The chair, the pen, the paper and various other things are removed from the category and the last remaining one gives the conception of the inkpot. But question arises that in projecting the mind first observe all the different object and then coming to the ink-stand or I have first focusing my mind to the ink-stand and then expressing it in using different procedure. Hence is a confusion between Logic and Psychology. The psychological aspect is positive the logical expression is negative.
From this notion of positiveness of the ideas or current of energies either it is made to project forward or traced back to its starting point is always active. It is misnomer to call it a passive idea. The ego and the emanation from the ego are always active and never can be passive.
The term passive is used in the case of ideas to mark out the direction of the current. The flow and ebb of a river is active but they point out the motion of the current either forward or backward the term active or passive of the motion of the river is named.
In the religious world much confusion and mischief are wrought out through this negative or passive ideas' forcing ignorant people to act it in something which is impossibility. So man takes up the idea and tries to follow it for some time, but it never becomes congenial to him. Hence they rebel against Theism and become an agnostic or an Atheist or sometime degenerate into lunacy. But when active ideas are given to a young mind, the person easily comprehend the ideas finds out the truth in it and the divinity within himself soon rouses up.
In the religious world, morbidity, apathy and gloomy despondency is turned out to be an element of religion. And very few who by their strong mindedness can shake off these negativeness of ideas turn out to be the real great men and benefactors of humanity. Take any religion of the world, the first chapter begins with a number of precepts intended to be the cardinal points of that school and all are dealing with prohibition “do not do this do not do that”. The man gets confused and soon finds out a flaw in the wordings of the precepts and practices the very same thing which was intended to prohibit him. Instance might be cited here ‘‘I take the vow that I desist from shading blood", the first precept in the Buddhist theology. In Tibet and in the upper Himalayan regions the Buddhist gave casuistic interpretation to it. They generally kill the animal by striking on the head and not by a knife as to shed the blood. The wordings of the precepts are obeyed but the spirit is altered. Various such instances might be cited to show the nullities of negative expression. The positive expression and the positive ideas are the best thing to be followed out.
The Ego and its emanation the energy being the active the development of a man lies through the positive or active line. Self assertion is the cardinal principle in every individual. The Ego tries to shine out bursting all bondages and conditions. The way for A religious teacher is to take the adapt when this mind standing and to show him the right way in the positive line through all the various higher grades, to put himself or to transform himself into the position of the new comer and then developing the mind in his own line making the mind of the companion a paroled to his own self. Every ideas, every precept, every conception must be given in positive and active way. This state of the mind is sometime called sympathy. But sympathy in many cases gives a negative and depressed idea.
A set of ideas are made current in the world giving out extremely abject and depressed aspect of one’s Own self. Every individual ego is taken as sinful and the person is without any ability or worth in the world, that he has come to this world is an error of the divinity, his life is miserable and there is no change of his being of any use to mankind or to himself. This is the most prevailing of idea that is to be found in any body of men. The politicians assert that this mode of argumentation is to be supported because it is the best means of keeping the people into subjection. All men are of vicious temperament. The state is in most cases unable to cope with and check down the vices. Divine terrorism is to be preached to keep the body of men under control. The argument is so shallow that it required no explanation and yet actually hundreds of politicians are preaching doctrine of terrorism.
A second device is made by the priests called the terror of God. Their dictum is, if there be any individual assertion which is not palatable to the priest-craft at once come divine ostracism, and that it is Egotism and sinful and the wrath of God is sure to come upon him. But the wrath of God is so much drawn upon men by the priests for centuries that in the store room of God the amount of wrath is all finished and that the poor God become now a bankrupt.
When we feel the nearness of divinity and the connection between the individual self and the externalized self we call it love or attachment and when love becomes less it is converted into terror. The poor Jewes got this notion of divinity the one the God of love and the other the God of terror. And they could not reconcile the two aspects The one they called Good-God, the other they called Bad-God.
To support the theory of Bad-God they had to recourse to the theory of the doctrine of original sin wherein the Ego is taken as the most vicious thing by its own inertia and is always rebelling to the Good-God because the Ego has a tendency to knowledge which is the origin of all sins.This low debasing ideas of the Semitic did terrible mischief to mankind than even the swords of a conqueror. The worth of God at every step dogged the Semite. From these notion they have taken up dual theory one the caressing God, the other the tormenting God.
Expansion of the Ego or self assertion is the sinful act in such theory. A series of doctrine and casuistic assertion are made to check down the individual growth — a low vulgar abject depressed bundle of ideas they have cast into the world though the psychology is opposed to any depressing ideas. The Ego and the mind of the person is active and requires forward motion or if there: be any introspection or change of direction the active state is never deserted there. The thoughts must be active and vigorous but not low cringing debasing one.
Through this terror from the wrath of divinity and consequently the idea of self preservation by making some abject abeyance to the divine one. A set ot ideas are started called the humility or the aspect of devotion in its submissive stage. The foremost line of the prayer of such a school begins with ‘ Lord, I am thy slave, I am thy bondmaid, I am a sinner, I am extremely wicked” this is called the abject abeyance or rather mock humility. The terror of divine wrath to ward off the vengeance have wrought out a terrible havoc as to pulverise their brain. Always there pieteist are quacking and tremorous as if the God of wrath is to shook down at once and tear the body of men to pieces. It might be called a sort of nervousness or mental disease which has remained and undermined the mental constitution and the pietist and priest arc always applauding these classes of negative depressed ideas to the mass. Woe to the men who try to throttle down the poor human creatures. Self expansion and self-assertion are the natural line of the Ego. Break down every opposition and come out victorious or what the Lord Buddha said, “better to die in battle than to live vanquished”
The Jews started their mythology with the doctrine of original sins. The Christians added a further link to the bondage and introduced the theory of repentance and supplication, what is repentance? It is acknowledging the part sin or weakness of person. It is reminding the previous weakness and error which a man has gone through. Will the thinking of the weakness make him strong ? It is the same as the washing away a paper with a bottle of ink because there is a drop of ink some where. The mind goes through various gradation from lower to higher and every grade is true by itself in its own position and it is called a lower grade for we make comparison with still higher one but by itself it is not wrong. Psychology, Philosophy does not care for the Jewish thinking of original sin. The doctrine of repentance assert think of your past weakness. But the more you thinking yourself weak the weakling you shall be. And then the counterbalance supplication this is the right photo of a mental aspect of a depressed nation trodden under the Roman sway. Think of your mental strength shake off the timorousness and find out the grandeur of the self. We can do greater good to a weakling by pointing out his real strength by rousing up the divinity in him and giving up the lifting hand from his standing point and in his own line This is the best mode of stretching out a friendly hard and not rebuking and debasing. Any idea that is depressing or debasing a man is squashing the progress of a man. Any idea that is uplifting glorifying the ego, shows the self assertion, is helping the progress and better understanding the human onward march. We are not to glorify the God at the expense of depressing the ego, but we are to glorify the ego by self assertion that the divinity might be glorified of its own accord. To stop the self assertion and the expansion of the ego and teaching him depressness and objectness is to force a man to commit mental suicide. Many a poor mortal has either turned out to be a atheist or lunatic through this gloomy aspect of the self and were such depressing. The whole nation becomes a nation of women.
A question comes what is reliance ? Is it uplifting or debasing ? When the individual Ego has found out the externalised self and has visualised it a connection is established between the two entities. The current of energy in either direction making a connection with the two entities and turning it into continuity and oneness separated into two. This aspect of the mind is called reliance. The current of energy is coming from the external to the internal and also from the internal to the external. The one is touching the other this brings on gravity and majestic higher ideas. There is no cringing terrorism and debasing ideas in the person but expansion of the self is found every where. It is the same as the self expanding and asserting through an outer coating and medium of externalised sell. Hence in this state of mind a man talks and feels something on the higher nature and divinity shines forth upon his Lice. Reliance should not be confounded into repentance and supplication.
Though the negative and depressing ideas bring on degradation to many a mortal but if the line be continually proceeded on it, ultimately brings on self expansion and self assertion though the outward coating of the language may be a negative one. For the current of energy runs in the form of an ellipse and the continual negation will ultimately brings on affirmation. It is only in some few solitary cases that through continuity of negation a great man is made out, for the ideas when continued in a particular direction will ultimately come to the same point. But it is very dangerous for other to imitate this mode of thinking and thousands will sink if they attempt to imitate it. Any how if continued to its extremely it will bring on divinity though the way is dangerous.
When a person begin his ideas from love and reliance every sentence he utters, every idea he gives out are all full of vigor, strength and uplifting effect. Though there might not be any consistency in arguments yet the vigor, the strength is always to be found there. But men who come in contact with him, catch up the fire in the heart and feels strength and vigor in his every nerve. Every great prophet started his mission with some vigorous idea. The master will have his hand expended into a big community. The theologians are minor creatures neither having love nor reliance take up all the wordings of some book and being always hunted with terror of the unseen, give out low depressing ideas which become repugnant to every one, who hears it. The terrorism of God is so strong in them that in every movement, even in finger they are expressing the vengeance and wrath of divinity. The conception of divinity is the same as the conception of Ghost and evil spirit. Poor mortal all the terror he is speaking and denouncing and sent into hell every creature who accidently might not agree with him. These creature are the commission agents of hell and not the followers and adherents of a prophet. Love and justice pervade every department of society and every individual is wishing himself to come on the top by self assertion not at the risk of others but to uplift the humanity. The nation in such state always give up strong vigorous and uplifting ideas. Mighty intellect will shine forth and always will talk about the grandures of the soul and vigorous masculine ideas and new truth will be inculcated in this period. All the books, and the architectures all the paintings all the music all the manners and customs nay even the mode of warfare are of vigorous and ennobling ideas. Divinity thus run every where Divinity they understand. Divinity they become. This period of a nation will be prosperous when a multitude of master mind come into the people.
LOVE
The experience of mankind associates love much with religion when the more metaphysical theory of fineness of doctrine and dogmas are spoken to a person, he cares very little for it and flouts at these argumentative portions. He at once replies, these things I have read in the books and are too old things to attract our attentions. What is the new thing you can give to us. The speaker becomes silent the man goes to the second person less intelligent but he has love to give. The enquirer sits there and hears his conversation and becomes enamored and enchanted with his conversation. Doctrines and dogmas are for mere argumentation but the real spirit of religion lies in love. Wheresoever a man gets love, he becomes follower of the person. The expansion of religion or any idea is proceeding in the line of love.
Just observe a man coming in ; he talks about many things, next comes another person he too talks in his own way and a third person too comes in. Every one gives his own mind out and his own hobbies. But amidst these various conversation there is one central point which every mind is trying to express though in different languages. The man asking every person this question “do you love me ? ” l am knocking from door to door to know who love me. I am willing to sell my sell to any person who can buy me with love. I enquired .ii various person but all talked in a doubtful way. But can you give me love V But if the reply comes in a convincing affirmative way “Yes, I love you”. The man looks at the face for sometimes ; sometimes a few drop of tear tickle down from his eyes and gets a tremor for a little while and after a deep heavy sight he inwardly speaks out. “I have found the man, I must sell myself to him. The prince of this transaction is love. He becomes his shadow. The man becomes for ever bound to him. Nothing on earth can sever this sacred connection. A thoughtful man always observes this hankering for love for every person and the man who can give love to every person is taken as a saint or a prophet.
Whatever might be the mental state of the enquirer, but from the moment he gets love some thing imperceptibly enters into his body and works out slowly. Every thing is transformed into a new life, a new hope, a new mode of viewing the world comes unto him. A drunkard becomes a saint. The former inimical way of looking into the world and taking every idea, every object to be antagonistic vanishes from his mind in the twinkling of an eye. A friendly attitude comes in. Every creature on earth is his friend, every creature is blessing him, the sun from above, the sea from below, the air from all surroundings all sending up their blessings to the person. He get a new vigor in his mind and body. The head becomes cool, he breaths and sees amity every where. This is called the preaching of religion. This is called the expansion of the Ego. This is called love. The enquirer becomes the continuation of the master’s mind. It is the same mind with two endings making the master and the disciple.
All the emanation of the Ego are called the current of energy but there is a slight difference in the passages of the current Many forms of current of energy proceed in a strong vigorous way but love though a form of energy has this peculiarity and distinction with other forms of the class that, its passage is slow and soft and scarcely its course, is directly perceived in the beginning. It touches the softer elements in man and has a tendency in the beginning to make a person emotional In other words a special set of nerves are touched and affected by the onward course of this current of energy which has a tendency of slow imperceptible growth and also stupefied or put in abeyance the current of energy passing through different nerves. Its passage and course is secret and undetectable and it surcharges and tinges the current of energy passing through various nerves. If we take different classes of energy passing through various nerves, the peculiarity is always detected in the case of current of energy called love. It is for this reason love is often represented as a female and in mythology and poetry it is defined as some goddess or corporeal female figure.
The question might be asked how love comes in. The individual ego or the individual self bursting forth from the casing of the flesh tries to seek out its own dual self in every object. And according to the various strata it has to pierce through to seek its own self, the intensity of the expansion correspondingly becomes greater. The human flesh-medium being the nearest strata to pierce through brings on the affinity of flesh. Hence the achiness or suigenerisness of human love and man loves a tree, a tank, a dog, a horse and another human being and according to the nearness of the strata to the nature or the mediums of the flesh casing of the emanator, the flow of energy will be correspondingly intense. This is why one’s own child is better loved than his brothers sons. This is the origin and the power of expansion of the ego called love.
But every man is not going through all the metaphysical stages when he projects his own mind towards another. He might go through all states unconsciously but his real starting point is through personal attachment. The whole world is moving an I acting and keeping up its existence as a conglomerated state through this doctrine of personal attachment. In the case of ordinary men, the power of emanation of the Ego is less and its range is limited to a small extent, but in the case of person of fine attenuated nerves this power of expansion is intense. And ordinary man with less power of expansion coming in contact with a man of more expansive power is overlapped tinctured, diluted and absorbed by the greater energy. Hence they become continuity and sometimes apparently identity. This is called personal attachment or intense connection with another person.
The more we fell and perceive the nearness of Divinity in this personal attachment the more sacredness we fell for the other. Our notion of sacredness might be put in the language of love in the perception of the nearness of the Divinity. And through personal attachment the receiver of love is often bewildered and knows not how to measure the giver of love. The Divinity is perceived as if keeping out through the giver of love and in the last stage the Divinity and the person is identified. This long association or keeping up the sacredness of the memory of the central person is the last thing that can be expressed to the ordinary folk. And the solidarity of any body is based upon this strength and intensity of attachment to the central person. When the intensity of attachment is lessened the group crumbles to pieces and the body dissolves and finds out some other centre. This is called the law of association. It is the sound and the sweetest thing in the human mind. Doctrines and dogmas and the metaphysical conditions are considered trifling compared to this personal attachment.
The question now arises whether in the beginning through personal attachment we have the notion of Divinity, certainly it is not. The beginner starts in his course with some clamorous sentimental way not knowing what he is doing and is more emotional character. This emotion comes through the confusion of energies passing through different nerves not passing through the intended nerve, and every moment changing its stability. A little while after comes the reaction which foils everything and brings on dark doubt. The so called sentimental natures shirk off, and cut off all connection with the person. Only the men of steady nerves stand out. Then comes the strong rigid reasoning power. Every idea is poised or balanced against the other to find out their relative strength. The person in the attachment in this period gives the best example of analysing the different grades of the mind and the various intensity of the ideas. And when the rigidity of this analytical process is lulled over the contradistinction of ideas in devotion is passed through the real love or devotion is reached. It is wrong to suppose that from the outset we have the conception of Divinity through personal attachment but far from it. The more a man passing through the rigidity of the metaphysical portion the better he comes out as the man of devotion. He only comes out strong and victorious who has observed the different steps and the various aspects of love as an observer or an unattached rigid thinker. On the contrary the man who has started with real devotional spirit if not misguided on the way comes out to be a man of knowledge. But in many cases he overcomes with sentiment, he loses his aim and remains scoped in with his sentiment.
It is very often said that love, liberty, truth and justice are the four cardinal qualities to keep up a society. And when any of these qualities is found short a reaction will soon come in unless the loss of energy keeping up the stability of the society is filled up by new advent, the dissolution of the society is inevitable. We enumerate the qualities into four heads as distinct entities. But when we proceed in a Psychological way we find the one is coming from the other. The clamour for justice because some unpleasantness is done to a person whom we love. Our idea of Justice is another form of our idea of love to the community. Liberty too comes in the very same way. We clamour for liberty because the action of a beloved person is fabricated and hampered by some one else. Truth or existence in its. absolute state we cannot express neither can we know it in its own self. But in its emanation or the process of adhering and conglomerating different individuals we call it love so that love is the first emanation of the Ego,
The dualist thinker of softer nature argues out that the creation is coming through a personal god who has dissolved his own essence and has expanded it into various forms and shapes called this creation out of his intense love. The western thinkers always argue that in love we always require two entities to make a connection of the reciprocal. This view of love is true but deals only with the lower stratum of the nerve but when the same is viewed through the finer nerve or the higher portion of the nerve the two entities vanish away, the one entity remains. The expansion of the Ego or to put it into the language of devotion, the divine one dissolves himself or itself and bulging out forms this creation. And every created object is coming out and is transformed and is the continuation of the divine one. Hence in their great joy the Indian devotee ejaculate “chinmaya is divinity, chinmoya is this creation and chinmoya is every name and form.”
One peculiarity in the passage of love is that when we try to produce a straight line from one to another person the reaction is inevitable, but when we make a big parabola the apex bring the centre of personal attachment and through nerve we project the line and view the creation, the love becomes permanent. Parabolic course is the best to follow out. To put it in the devotional language the devotee cries out : “It is for his sake my mind spontaneously flows towards other. I cannot hate others because He never hates them. Every creature on earth belongs to Him I am of His and they are of mine.” It is thus the parabolic figure is drawn out. “His name, His association, His place, the person that he talked with, thethings that he touched are all sacred to me because they belongs to my beloved.” This is called the law of association or the personal attachment.
But there is one danger of these undigested attachment when the mind is not properly developed. The Divinity and the higher self or the Ego is found out bursting out the form and the association of ideas in the personal attachment, that is the right and the best form of love. But in the case of men who looks Divinity through terror and always supplicates to remove evils that are haunting them day and night and to give them nice delicious things according to their own choice, the personal attachment is degenerated into the severe type of bondage. A personal attachment is the best thing to uplift a person and is the worst thing, that is the most vicious thing to degenerate a parson into fanaticism and to bring on lunacy. Good is alloyed with evil. When the casing ot association is not pierced through to sour aloft the man looks to the utterances of the person which in most cases deals with rules for the conduct of life. And when this line of thinking as to other person the misguided men feels annoyed as if not palatable of his own conception and interpretation of the utterances and the narrowing down continually the man turning out to be a fanatic. First it to the people of other religion then to the different branches of his own religion and last of all everybody is considered a heretic. The greatest amount of mischief is done in the name of devotion and personal attachment. When once vitiated or viewed through the lower stratum of the nerve system and personal attachment becomes the source of evil.
And why it happens ? We get the conception of the world according to the different strata of the nerve through which the projection is made out. When it is done through the grosser nerve we have the gross material conception of the world when the same thing is done through the finer nerve the aspect is changed. The grossness gradually fades away and fineness appears unto us. In the case of personal attachment when the notation of daily life to keep up the memory and association of the central figure is kept up and turn into monotonous and mechanical routine and nothing more or less is allowed the ideas, the principle and the divinity are all disturbed only the physical form of the central one and his daily routine works are made the summumbonum of religion, it becomes a degenerated thing and putrefactions soon comes in. These things or a narrow group of association has the tendency to stupefy nerve system. The real Divinity is not perceived but a meshes of dead association only for the sake of association it becomes gross material things and fanatic and lunatic are breaded out of this thing. The real spirit is passed through all the grades and the development through association and personal attachment to a point where there is no association nor personal attachment, and then come back to view everything divine, holy through the ties of association but where that is wanted it becomes horrible fanaticism.
It is a right thing to start life with association of interdependent aspect of the world where one line or association is resting on the life and association of the rest. This interdependent state gives a steady growth in the onward course to development. But it must not be followed out all through. A state of mind comes in when the interdependence becomes bondage, non-dependence or absolute become a right thing to follow out. Then again come back to the former state when the interdependence becomes non-dependence and non-dependence becomes interdependence.
One thing to be guarded against sentiment and the exuberance of emotion in a person. These come out from the over excitement of some wrong nerve or sometimes a great amount or intensity of current made to pass through a nerve which is beyond its capacity of sustaining. This brings on the twisting, the temporal paralysing of the nerve. This brings on confusion and the aberration follows in the misguided emotional man, who are the most dangerous man in any society or community. Calm dignified state of the mind is the best thing to he followed out. But when the same current gets free passages through all the finer layers of the nerve the heat and the sweating and the burning sensation that is the felt in the beginning, is calmed down to coolness. And when the current passes into still deeper nerve coolness is turned into equilibrium. The real spirit of devotion must be distinguished from this clamorous sentiment of a fanatic or lunatic.
In dealing with the principle how love is associated with religion we must take into consideration the different aspects as to how the various persons looked to it. The poets always talk about love. The test class among them tries to find out a constancy through the evanescence or as they put it the permanent one through all his variations. There the divinity and the individual entity are described as two human beings going through wild pranks and frolics and jollities and by this the divinity is pointed out through sacredness and personal attachment. This is a path of devotion for certain class of men whose mind is attuned to this nature. It is sweet soothing and elevating. It takes the various detail of human life of social conditions from infancy to the old age and keeping up the personal attachment as the dominant feature and ruling element in all the actions. The Divinity is slowly arrived at through the concreteness to the state of identification. In its highest stage, it is attachment, it is detachment, it is beyond both. We find much poetry is made out from this conception of Divinity. But when the Divinity is lost sight of and only the flesh portion and the sentiment and ideas relating to it come into prominence it becomes carnality and most vitiated thing. A baser class of poets having no conception of Divinity describes only lust and carnality as a summumbonum of life, and for their followers the finer principle of religion is a path beyond their comprehension.
There is another mode of viewing love only for the sake of gain. This is no doubt the most shop-keeping view of love in its best form it might produce gratitude but generally it is not the case. But the higher form of love is to love a person or object for the qualities. It is in reality the worshiping of qualities as their centre ot the person or the object. It no doubt gives uplift to the man and makes him appreciate the qualities apart from the flesh or the material casing. This is the highest thing for ordinary mortal. But in the case of prophets and the higher developed mind we find quite a different thing from such person, love comes out like torments and inundates the whole surroundings it is called love for loves sake. The qualities having desire for its genesis, things are conditional. The love of a prophet takes no cognisant of the qualities and is never hedged round with condition for before him the giant and pigeon appear to be the same. Hence he cares very little for qualities and conditions. It is called love for love’s sake which is the best manifestation of the Divinity in its concretising form. It is for this reason a strong attraction and attachment is made to the centre of the emanation. The Christian conception “I thank the Lord for the good thing He gives me", cannot find any. place here for the Divinity or the divine one is not bettered or lessened by the reciprocity of love, gratitude. We can show love to a person who expects a return of love. Here, there are two kinds in love arising from the forward and the backward motion between the two entities. But in the case of Divinity or the divine being there is only one formed current which is called love for love's sake and no thanks giving or acknowledgement of receipt is required here neither it is philosophically possible.
So far it has been argued about the various aspects of love and its relation. This love is the best and the highest emanation and expansion of religion and Divinity as conjoining and cementing the different minds to some faxed centre. The ordinary man cares very little about the different conceptions of Divinity and the metaphysical nicety about it. All that he knows is because somebody loves him intensely and in a convincing way he must follow his conception or hobbies about Divinity. Divinity is not the first point that he aims at but that he gets love from a person is all in all to him. He sells himself to the giver of love and hence forth whatever might be the conception of Divinity of that person the receiver of it implicitly follow it out as the best thing that could be thought of. He never questions the validity of the arguments. This is how the conversion is made into this world proselytes are in religion. So that love is much associated with religion in this world and love is religion.
LIBERATION TO ALL
So long the man feels himself coped up in the casing of the flesh he feels himself isolated and miserable. His inward nature prompts and propels him to find out an outlet to burst out the trammels of the flesh and to seek out his own true nature. He tries and devices various means where to find peace and see his own real self. This struggle continues in various way sometimes in jolly mood sometimes in moody pensive attitude and at last he finds out his own self in an externalised form. This is called the visualisation of the Prana. The external object only helps to point-out reflections of his own self. Hence the object, the place and incident are all taken to be very sacred things. And sometimes through the law of association the object is taken as the externalised self as the person cannot always find out a clear and precise language to make a distinction between the object and the subject.
This visulisation of the Prana in whatever might be the stage is called liberation. It is said that this visualisation at first comes in an accidental or transient way. It is difficult to assign any immediate cause to it. It might be through accumulated internal energy but clear and precise explanation is very difficult to find out. Then comes a lull the man pants to see it again but scarcely we find it, a good deal of time passes away still the vision never returns. But when the intensity of the hankering comes to a maximum point the vision again returns in a flickering state. It is called the transitory vision which gives some hope and expectation that there is yet chance of the visitation. And after much hankering and agitation of the mind the finer nerves are opened out and the vision becomes stationary.
This concept is formed in some concrete way ; but abstract or non-qualif ied stage is not conccpt but reality and identification. From these two aspects we have got the two schools one is the school of knowledge and the other is the school of devotion. The school of knowledge argues out that the unconditional and non-qualified self is the only reality and the individual self or the emanation of energy which is coming out is a mere conditional truth which in its grossing stage form this creation. But in the fining process the manifestation gradually lades away the lower one becomes vanished and the absolute elements shine forth. This state they call to be absolute liberation and evey being in some way or other trying to attain that goal.
The school that is formed through the acceptance of the concept or concreteness, has much variation among themselves. This concept is the projection of one’s self in some externalised way. And according to the climatic effect, the natural surrounding anJ the temperament of the people or the individual, this concept or concreteness takes a special form. It might be called the highest acme of the natural religion. So long there is the concreteness we have the notion of adoration and worship. In actual reality it is not the absolute unconditional self that we are worshipping it is the energy in its concretised form that we are worshipping and adoring. This concretised form of energy is described sometimes as a female or a female deity. Among the Indians or as in some sects the energy or divinity is described as an old man with a long beard or a young man with shaggy head, crop beard and so on. The theologians clamour much to support the conception of his own special sect to verify the validity of the conception at the cost of the conception of the other schools. But philosophy is not theology. Its object is to find out essence of the principle running in every school of religion it never applauds or belittles any special school or sect.
The two main aspects are taken of this conception. The one aspect is to make individual self the powerful one and the externalised self a mere reflection. And various arguments are started from this aspect of view. The other school takes the externalised self as the main point and there from deduce the individual self and the creation. And between these extremities the internal and external self various grades and shades of conception are made and their relations are formed out according to the individual capacities of viewing the Prana. Herein lays the passivity and activities of ideas. The active ideas taking the externalised concept as the goal proceed, in a farm, steady steps with full reliance and conviction that by His grace “1 shall win Him”. The other school takes a passive attitude and belittles the individual self as insignificant thing and thereby proceeds in a supplicating mild tentative mood. Some school calls it the constancy and the evanescence the concretised Divinity is the constancy and the emanation is the evanescence. The evanescence is circling round and round like a merry ring making the constancy the central peg. The two are conjoined but never identified. The other school proceeds a little further and maintain that when viewing as emanation it is the continuity and in essence it is the same but when the notion of creation and creator comes in the two, are separate entities in other word. It is the one and two according to the aspect we take of it. All these various conceptions are much soothing and gives consolation to an agitated mind according to his temperament and his capacities. But the doctrine that the individual ego is sinful born of sin and is to wallowing in sin is a very low conception of the individual self and produces a debasing, a repugnant notion to the hearer.
The ancient Rishis of India observed this Prana in their Hema fare hence they gave a special name to it as “Jatabeda” or the Progenitor of knowledge. In a similar way they found out the Prana or essence in the River, in the firmament and in the Sun. They were transported out of delight at this Visio Beatifaca. Hence out of gratitude they express their sweeter feeling to this vision. The sacredness surcharge.! their mind and their every action was the adoration of their Prana so visualised in the object. It is not the material casing that they adore and worship but the essence that is encased in the material garb. This is the first record of the Aryan minds when the Prana or the Divinity is perceived* observed and visualised.
The ancient masters in their simple sweet emphatic language declared their experience and observation to mankind. Simple and powerful they were in body, simple and powerful they were in mind and their conception and expression ran in parallel to their mental constitution. No argumentation or doubtful question ever crept in their mind It is affirmation, it is reality, it is truth which they visualised and when argumentation came in different mode of expression were found out to put in consistent way such bold and grand declaration. This is called philosophy. The Indian term for it is “Darsan” or visualisation. It is not what western thinkers put in that philosophy begins with doubt and ends with doubt. The Indian takes a quite different aspect, they begin it from visualisation and point out the path to arrive at the visualisation.
It is very often said that erudite men for their knowledge of various books are the best person to talk of philosophy and that the lower class of men, the common herd of men for their deficiency of book learning has no right to talk of philosophy. But just contrary is the case. A man of erudition can talk about the various theories but if there be lack of observation he cannot be called a thinker, for what are the books? These are photos of the mind of the distant teacher. But without one’s own observation he cannot have the insight in the matter. The common herd of men have a keen power of observation though wanting in polished expression. These people are the real practical philosopher without the theories of philosophy.
In the natural religion the theory is started from the worship of natural object such as tree, serpent, water and so on the pure minds observe the Prana in a tree, in river in a mountain and hence they came out to be the great sages and teachers of mankind.
The theologians in their narrow bigoted ideas talked only about the particular mode of thinking of his own school and overlooked the other forms of worship. They maintained that liberation is the monopoly of his school and the conception of the other and the rest of the world is in darkness. This class of theologians are called the unavoidable evils of the society. Liberation lies in the observation of the Prana. Any person who has observed the Prana either in a tree or river or in his own self or in the externalised self is a liberated one but the man who fails to observe it is the bound-man. The external adjuncts are the mere suggestive thing to visualised the Prana. The nicety of arguments and the pompousness of the ceremonies or tall talks cannot make a man liberated. He that sees the Prana, realises it, incorporates it with his own nature is a liberated person so that every person who is willing and trying to visualise the Prana might be liberated even if he be a tree or serpent worshipper, for all the doctrines and dogmas and philosophy are mere mark to the real essence. Philosophy accept and acknowledges the right of every individual whatever the fanatical theologian might think off for the crudest and grandest conception dwindle into insignificance when compared to the visualisation of the Prana. Religion itself becomes a bondage compared to the Prana. And how it is known that a poor rustic with his tree and serpent worshipping form has turned out to be a liberated saint while a tall talking theologians is out of place. Talk with a simple man and within a few minutes in his simple language and similes and metaphor he will give a grand conception of the Divinity which will stagger the intellect even of an erudite. It is not the language that he is taking of but a living vivid essence which he has observed, realised and incorporated with his own self, he can incorporate and infuse the same into the mind of hearer. There is affirmation, convincing assertion with sweetness which hushes all doubts and which opens out a vista a new line of observation which the hearer never thought of.
The other traits in the character of the sage is that he has a charitable view of every mode of thinking and every school of religion. Push on the argument to some higher and abstract form he in some simple language will lead the mind to the highest acme without any sophistry or argumentation ; He is always full. And is never found wanting in any argumentation or the power of observing from the enquirer’s stand point of view. Convincing affirmation is the tone of his argument and doubt never comes in there. But the dominant feature of the person is intense and absorbing love that is coming out from him. The hearer is overcome with the intensity and reality of the love. Hence he is succumb to this illiterate sage.
The question now arises if liberation is birth right of every individual are all the liberated persons prophets \ Certainly not. That he has observed the Prana and developed the vital qualities enabled him to be classified among the sages, but according to the fineness of the nerve and the depth of the relative power of observation of the Prana, a holy man, saint, a liberated person and a prophet are named. Some observe the Prana but adding his own fancy form a conditional concept. Others make the concept a little more expansive but still there is condition in it and the highestone surpassing anl going through all conditions at last come to the stage of unification and identification. Hence in this mood on many occasion forget that there is a corporal casing of him call the flesh body but sees himself to be only the Prana, the self and nothing else. Hence in this mood they begin their dictum with the emphatic “I” and never siy we or some externalised being telling me so.
The other point to be noted is that according to the depth, the intensity aid the fineness of the observation of the Prana, the sage has the capacity of giving shelter to other individuals to put it in a metaphysical language a form of Parabola is nude round the person with himself being the focus of it. Within this range some can give shelter to one person other can give protection to twenty persons and as the range and dimension ot this parabolic form is expanded and the altitude is raised millions upon million can take shelter in and find peace within these enclosure. These master minds are called the Prophet and the heroes of humanity.
But the mind of people out of gratitude forgetting the Prana which the Prophet is driving at to show to others identify the essence and the person out of gratitude for the giver of such blessings. It is through this personal attachment to the august master we have the system of man- worship now prevalent all over the world. The poor theologian in his argumentative mood make clamorous assertion of all abstract and metaphysical conception and then when he comes down he is the first person to have the man- worship. And ceremonies and rituality are formed according to the temperament of the worshipper.
So that from the tree and serpent worship rising upto man worship and soaring aloft into the absolute conception of the Prana, every grade of thought, every mode of worship is right and true provided the devotee finds out the Prana therein, The observation of the Prana gives consolation to the persons.
PEACE AND BLESSING TO ALL
HOMOCENTRIC CIVILIZATION
- BY SRI MOHENDRA NATH DUTTA
CONTENTS
1. ELEVEN APHORISMS
2. HOMOCENTRIC CIVILIZATION
3. THE BANEFUL EFFECTS OF THEOLOGY
4. THE ANCIENT AND THE MODERN THINKERS
5. THE CENTRE OF MODERN CIVILIZATION
6. THEOLOGY AND THE MODERN SOCIETY
7. THE PAST AND THE PRESENT CIVILIZATION
8. THE MOTTOES OF THE FUTURE CIVILIZATION
9. THEOLOGY AND EDUCATION
10. THEOLOGY AND DIET
11. THEOLOGY AND TRADE
12. THEOLOGY AND POLITICS
13. CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION
ELEVEN APHORISMS
Nation is above religion.
Individual is above creed.
It is sin to keep a man idle.
It is sin to keep a land fallow.
Every person has right to live.
Every person has right to eat.
Every person has right to free speech.
Every person has right to be equal to his compeer.
Every person has right to free education.
Every person has right to free medicine.
Industrializethenation.
HOMOCENTRIC CIVILIZATION
Service
to man is higher than the study of theology—this is the motto. The old idea of
the civilized world was the study of theology and the ancient nations centred
their ideas of civilization on the basic principles of theology. Hence the
ancient nations, though developed their civilization, cast a morbid, gloomy
idea on the people themselves and to foreigners who came in contact with them.
But the centre of civilization is much altered. The development of
individuality has become a dominant feature in society, from theocentric aspect
the society is becoming homocentric. Formerly theology was the centre and
service to man was mere an orbit. Now the aspect is changed. Service to man,
development of individual, advancement of mankind have become the centre and
theology has been an orbit. Homocentric aspect of civilization is the motto of
modern civilization.
And
why it happens ? Theology deals with fanciful cosmology, cosmogony and theogony
which are contrary to modern science and philosophy. The ancient theology deals
with the birth of different demigods, their marriages, their espouses and
children, the functions and posts of different gods, and demigods and various
other things and occupations which we find in this world. The only difference
was that the human beings lived on this earth, the gods and demigods lived
above the clouds in some ethereal plane to induce and encourage men for some
actions beneficent to the priests and theologians. Many devices and stories
were made about heaven and hell and an intermediate region called purgatory.
Gift to the theologian would be considered a merit after death ; denial of gift
to the theologian would be considered a demerit and the soul of the person
after death would go to some imaginary region called hell. It is thus by
terrorism the priests, by spreading morbid ideas to the people, earned their
livings—and theological stories, ideas of societies, arrangements of social
relation were made according to the theological dictums. Even philosophy was
made subservient to the theological dictums. The whole social aspect was a
gloomy, morbid melancholia. Individual rights and assertions were totally
ignored. Everything was surcharged with theology and thus the downfall and
decadence came down to the people. By studying the theologies of different
nations, we find the fanciful ideas in different activities in human life.
And
what is theology ? The first portion is the metaphysical aspect of divinity.
The second portion is the devotional aspect of divinity and the third or the
last portion is the ritualistic or ceremonial aspect.
The
question now comes in whether we can keep up intact the ritualistic portion
after so many thousands of years when the dictums were first made. As the
social circumstances and environments are much altered and many foreign and
untoward circumstances have crept in, the ritualistic portion ought to be
modified to suit the altered circumstances. Life and vigour must be infused in
the people. The nation must have expansive ideas, but mere cooped-up and
crippled ideas cannot make a nation a living one. Deterioration, putrefaction
and morbid ideas will slowly come in and the nation will be changed into a
group of morbid human beings without any vigorous higher ideas in them. It is
for this reason, the ritualistic aspect of society should be modified, altered
and remodelled to suit the present circumstances. It is not theocentric aspect
of society but homo- centric aspect should be the motto of the age.
THE
BANEFUL EFFECTS OF THEOLOGY
Now
to speak of devotion which is considered as the second aspect of theology. The
present form of devotion is much detrimental to the growth of vigorous human
life. Cringing, wailing, lamenting, sobbing and despondency are the main
aspects of devotion. Devotion has practically come to a point where the man has
lost his own individuality and become a shadow of another unknown being. The
man always depends on the mercy of another. The idea of self-assertion,
self-emanation has been obliterated from him. He is a mere voice without any
substance in him. This is applauded as a sign of great devotion. It is thus
that a nation becomes a body of effeminate persons. The vigorous self-asserting
aspect of the human mind is totally smothered down and a living dead man is
created out of him. This is called the negative aspect of devotion when a
person sees demigods and imaginary beings lurking everywhere. This is called
the morbid aspect of devotion.
The other aspect is fanaticism. It is a sort of disease in the brain when a
person for some unseen being rushes to kill a fellow man. Fanaticism is the
most dangerous aspect of devotion, when for some trifling cause a person is
roused up to frenzy and paroxysm of rage. The person thinks that the whole
truth of the world, the whole idea of devotion is cooped up in his mode of
thinking. Any person who differs from him on his mode of thinking should be
killed. He thinks himself to be the only right man appointed by some unseen
being to establish the authority of the unknown one on this earth. But the
social circumstances are much altered and the old ideas of devotion should
accordingly be changed. Self-assertion, self emanation through some personal
attachment should be the motto of devotion. The homo- centric aspect should be
the main point and theocentric aspect should be the orbit. The superiority of
the self should be asserted and theology will be made subservient to the
grandeour of self.
Now
coming to the first point which is called the metaphysical portion in theology,
we are to examine whether metaphysics is correct or not, for many metaphysical
portions are assumed to be conceived through sentiments and fancied ideas. Many
of the metaphysical theories in theology are untenable. The question now comes
whether we are to change the metaphysical portion in theology. For, to change
the metaphysical portion is to change the foundation of theology. But the most
baneful aspect is that human society is attempted to be modelled after the form
of crude theology. Why not model theology after human aspirations and
conveniences.
Human
development, human advancement and conveniences should be the mottoes of the
age. Theology should be a secondary or minor aspect in social life.
The
question now comes in whether we are to take in verbatim the dictums of the
founder of theology. The founder, no doubt, thought over certain problems of
human life for the advancement of mankind. But in this mentation, social
circumstances, natural environments, external causes are to be considered. Then
comes the rolling of time. The future ages and future generations being imbued
with many changed circumstances and conditions, cannot follow out the dictums
of the founder. The social and devotional portions should be thoroughly
modified to suit the altered circumstances otherwise the whole of theology
becomes effeminate. The founder of theology has no right to dictate for all
ages. This is how the fallacy in theology creeps in. It is for this reason,
philosophy is antagonistic to theology. A philosopher will deride and laugh at
when any theological topic is raised. A philosopher thinks for the present
circumstances and his philosophy is based 011 reasoning and arguments on possibilities.
Theology tries to speak out in the form of mandates of some unseen being. Hence
the philosophers are antagonistic to theologians.
The
other point to be considered is the authority of the scriptures. The question
comes, who wrote the books, at what age and under what circumstances. Whether
the conditions of some five thousand years old are now tenable in the present
modified state of the living society. To tie up the living running society with
a rope of the past age is to cripple the living activity of the society or the
tethered rope will be torn asunder. To quote the authority of scriptures or
dictums of the past age and to attempt to apply the same theories to modern age
is a ludicrous thing. New thinkers, new philosophers must come up in modern
age, who will solve the problems of the modern age. The founders of theology
and the old scriptures should not be considered a dominant factor in a living
society. As circumstances are all changed, new thinkers will solve the
problems.
7. 2. 39.
THE
ANCIENT AND THE MODERN THINKERS
Many
in their arguments quote the authority of the scriptures. They maintain that
the ancient scholars had thought out everything that is knowable to mankind and
the modern people have nothing more to think of. This is just giving a blow to
the brains of the modern intelligent people. Why should the people very often
quote the authority of scriptures ? The ancient had their own mode of thinking.
Their social environments and other circumstances and inter-relations with
different nations were of another mode. The bread problem was not so keen. The
political circumstances were mild. The ancients made out the dictums in their
own light. Why should the same dictums be applied to the modern society ? It
becomes the incongruous mixture. The cardinal principles of the ancient masters
might be adapted to modified conditions. But the major portion of their dictums
should be rejected as futile and inapplicable. The modern people must think out
their own problems and apply their theories to societies that the nation might
get some vigorous ideas. Do not stick to the old dictums for the advancement of
a nation. That is a great mistake with many people.
The
other side of the question is, do not try to imitate the founders of theology.
Every individual has his own idiosyncrasy. Everyone must develop in his own
way. To imitate a person is to lose one’s own individuality and to become a
shadow of another. This never gives proper development to an individual. The
only thing is that we should have respect for others. Follow his mandates under
modified circumstances but the individuality and strong personality must be
kept up. This is called the personal attachment to a great man.( But
do not be an imitator.
Some
maintain that the bustling people are the best workers of the nation. But these
workers in their hasty mood often make mistakes. And instead of furthering the
cause of development, they, in their short-sighted way, retard the progress of
the nation. This is why confusion and bickering come amongst the people.
The philosophers are the highest workers of the nation. The thinkers, in their
calm solitary way, ponder over the various problems in human life and make some
possible solution out of the tangle of confused ideas. The executives or workers
take up the ideas, and adding their own energy and intelligence, apply the same
theories in social life. This is how a silent moody philosopher is the dynamic
centre of the nation. The thinkers for the nations are the greatest workers of
the nations. A man is to be judged not by his bustling and shoutings but by the
number and amount of new vigorous ideas which he gives to mankind. It is a
great mistake to judge a philosopher by the standard of the executives.
The centre of attraction becomes a
centre of repulsion. This is what we call the law of curvature. Applying the
same dictum to society, we find a strange thing. Theology once benefited
mankind. It brought out a kind of civilization of its own and helped much for
the development of mankind. But the aspect of human society is much changed.
The centre of attraction has now become a centre of repulsion. Formerly society
was theocentric ; theology was the centre of social life and every idea
emanated from and through theology. But, in modern time, this dynamic centre is
changed and homo- centric aspect of society has become the motto of the age.
Advancement of man, comfort and conveniences of man are the mottoes free from
entanglements and meshes of the unseen beings who issued out their dictums
through some ancient persons. The capricious dictums of the unseen being or
some ancient person will not be applicable to the modern age. The modern
thinkers take a bold stand and want to form society on homocentric basis. Formerly,
theology was the centre and the development of mankind •was the orbit. Now the
aspect is changed. Development of mankind has become the centre and theolpgy
has become an orbit or a minor point in social life.
8.
2.
39.
THE
CENTRE OF MODERN CIVILIZATION
Divinity
in man, service to mankind is the highest ideal of this age. The ancient looked
to divinity as a separate entity and lodged it in some ethereal plane above the
clouds and endowed the same divinity with innumerable imaginary qualities. Man
after death will go to some imaginary place called heaven. Anything that was
given to a theologian would be stored up in the rooms of the celestial abode.
There the donor after death will enjoy the gifts. The theologian was the medium
of transmission of gifts from the earth to the celestial abode, and if any
person incurred the displeasure of the theologian, he was sent to another
lodging called hell. The theologian exercised the power of sending a man to
either of the lodgings. The pandemonium was described as a horrible place of
torture. The description of pandemonium we can read in many of the theological
books. This is how the theologians wheedled out money from the ignorant mass.
Divinity and man were two separate entities.
Now
the aspect is changed. Divinity is to be sought, after all, in man. The
ethereal divinity is a mere reflection of the divinity in man. It is a mere
counterpart of the real nature in man. It is for this reason, man has become
the centre and the imaginary ethereal being has become a mere orbit. Service to
man is higher than the service to the ethereal beings. Hence the whole aspect
of viewing the thing is much changed. It is not from theocentric that
homocentric is bubbling out, but from homo- centric the theocentric is coming
out. Hence in the modern age theologians and scriptures have not much
value. /
The doctrine of original sin of
man as enunciated by the Semitic
school is a most atrocious theory. It
gives a tremendous blow to the progress of philosophy and science. This
doctrine of original sin should be discarded by all means. This is how the
difference between theocentric and homocentric ideas comes in. Instead of
denouncing man as a born sinner, why not preach the divinity in man.
Homocentric aspect is the best to be thought out.
The other aspect is, theology teaches submission, gloominess, insignificant
state of the self. Man is devoid of any power. The whole tendency was to make
the human race a group of slaves only to carry out the mandates of the theologians.
And the theologians got their prerogatives from some unseen divinity according
to the fanciful idea of the theologians. No independent thinking, no free idea
was allowed. Any independent thinking was considered a sin and the man was sent
to perdition.
This
idea emanated from the mode of living of the autocratic or the absolute ruler
of the state. The theologian got this idea from the earthly ruler and
transferred it to the etherial plane. The etherial monarch was only a prototype
of the earthly monarch, a mere representative or vicegerent of the earthly
potentate. But if we look to the nature of self, the divinity in man, we come
to the conclusion that self- assertion, self-emanation are the highest signs of
divinity. It is not egotism or vanity but it is egoism or the manifestation of
ego. In egotism there might be mistakes and different opinions between two
persons. This is the cause of disunion between two persons, but in egoism or in
the expression of divinity, there is unity amongst men. This is the cementing
element in society. The divinity in man should be proclaimed. The idea of the
etherial divinity is coming from the divinity in man. Hence the homocentric
aspect should be taken up and the theocentric aspect should be slowly
discarded.
To
speak of the theologians, they are to be considered as big babies of ancient
times though living in the modern age. They do not understand, recognise or
think of modern advancement. But they only talk about the aspect of society of
some past age, say, some five thousand years old. They are the big babies of
this age. The theologians are the necessary unavoidable evil to the society.
The whole aspect of the thinking world is changed. The theological aspect is to
be modified accordingly.
THEOLOGY
AND THE MODERN SOCIETY
Theology
deals with ancient ideas. Society is a living force. Now to discuss this
question we find that theology talks about things which happened in the past
ages. But by the rolling of several thousands of years, the society is much
changed. External and internal forces and other influences have much modified
the temperament and circumstances of the people. The foreign influences upon
any given nation are enormous. All nations must have their intercommunications
and exchange of thoughts with foreign people. So the national mind is broadened
and it looks upon the aspect of society in a different light. The nation is a
running stream and not a stagnant pool. But theology talks all about the things
of the past. No scope is given for future advancement. Hence the theological
ideas of the ancient days are not suitable to this modern age.
The
other point to be considered is that theology talks about the world after
death. What will happen to a man when his bodily life is finished, and all
forms of gloomy, moody ideas are put in to overawe the people for some future
life. It is thus that the national life is much depressed. The people are full
of despondency and despair. But society is a practical thing. A man must live
and must eat so long as he has a body. The practical problems of this life are
not solved in theology. Political economy and theology are two antagonistic
subjects. Hence theology should be taken as the curio of the past age. It is
how the ancient people thought in their own line and how the modern people
differ from the ancients.
Less theology in a nation is the best means of developing a nation. Too much
dose of theology has retarded the progress of Asian races. The Asian races are
too much under the influence of theologians. Whereas the western nations have
comparatively lesser theological influence. The western nations are practical
people. Hence they are prosperous in life. The Asian races, clinging too much
to theology, are called pious people. But piety is not the thing now required.
The Asian nations should bestir themselves to shake off the trammels of
theology. Theology has done great good to mankind. Theology has done great evil
to mankind. In the modern age, theology should be shovelled off into some odd corner
in a lumber-room. Theology should be considered a minor point in social life.
Bread problem and national liberty should be the first problem in the society.
Man
is above creed, nation is above theology is the dictum of this age. To make
the national life prosperous, the old dictums of the theologians of the past
should be chucked out. Theologians should not have much influence in the
national life. The ancient precedence of the old theologians should not be put
into arguments. Modern society must rise up as a living vital force out of the
ashes of the past age. 1 do not mean to make a cleavage between the ancient and
the modern world, but all the redundant, impracticable and useless precepts and
practices should be modified to suit the modern age.
The next point should be considered—how are we to adopt foreign theology into a
living free nation ? This is the most vital point in theological problems. The
theologians always try to proselytize a foreign nation with some social customs
and institutions of other races. The metaphysical portion of theology of the
other nation might be accepted in some modified form. But foreign customs,
ceremonies, institutions should be thoroughly rejected. The outlandish manners
and institutions of foreign nations should not be introduced into a free
people, for in imitating foreign manners and institutions, the national growth
of a people is much hampered. The foreign imitators in a nation are so many
dead people in a nation. This is the most baneful effect of theology. The Asian
nations are backward as they imitate the outlandish manners and institutions.
The metaphysical portion might be accepted in some modified form but foreign
institutions and ceremonies, manners, and habits should be thoroughly
discarded. The national life must be a free institution. Foreign manners,
institutions and ceremonies should have no place in the national life. As it is
baneful to stick to old institutions so it is equally baneful to introduce the
outlandish institution in a nation. The national thinkers must develop the
national institutions out of the national temperament. Do not be a slave and
imitator of foreign institutions and ceremonies. A free nation must be free
from all foreign mannerism.
THE PAST AND THE PRESENT CIVILIZATION
I
have said before in the previous lectures that the ancient civilization centred
round theology. That was the summumbonum of the idea of thinking. The
Assyrians, the Egyptians, the old Indians and many other races traced the
civilization from the conception of theology. How it happened ? According to
their postulates on the terrestrial globe, they conceived a place in the
celestial firmament where he, the king, would build his abode when his
corporeal form would be dissolved. And according to the status and
paraphernalia of the terrestrial potentate, they conceived a celestial
potentate who would have his. belongings there step by step. The luxury, the
civilization, and the authority of the terrestrial potentate increased ; the
celestial potentate embellished his court- adherents according to the ratio and
proportion, and vice versa. Thus one is the counterpart of the other. To put it
in other language, the celestial potentate became the reflex centre of the
potentate on earth. All the mandates and edicts that were issued by the
terrestrial' potentate were in the name of and by the sanction of the celestial
potentate. It was thus the ancient civilization took its cue from the
theocentric source and scarcely any trace is to be found there of the
homocentric aspect of civilization. Thus we find, the potentate is of divine
birth. The Aryans all over the world, wheresoever they settled traced their
origin from some effulgent being. Thus the Indians, the Romans,
the Greeks, the ancient Persians have, for
their first progenitor, some being effulgent in form. This is the origin of
Aryan mythology.
On
the other hand, the ne-Aryans ( not to be confused with non-Aryans )
traced their origin from some natural object. We find in the mythology of these
peoples that they trace their origin from such objects as monkey, bear, tiger,
crocodile, etc.; and they are known by the names of the “Tribe ofthe Bear”,
“Tribe of the Monkey”, “Tribe of the Crocodile”, and so on. Even serpents were
considered as prime ancestors of some tribe “The tribe of the Serpent.” It is
thus the theocentric aspect of civilization, in any form, might be traced.
From
this notion of theocentric ideas, the potentates became persons of divine
origin and along with the civil authority, a body of ecclesiastics were formed,
who also claimed divine origin. These ecclesiastics or theocrats became the
custodians and protectors of the ancient civilization.For whatever were
in written scripts were in the custody and guidance of the theocrats. The
struggle for power soon ensued between the civil authority and the authority of
the theologians.
In every country of ancient days, we find the struggle going on between the
civil and the ecclesiastical authorities. These stories were written in the
form of mythology the divine one from the celestial abode taking side with the
one or the other. It isthus the hereditary ecclesiastics were formed. All
records of the ancient world will give evidences of some hereditary
theologians. At least, the scriptures or the books that were in their hands were
written and interpreted according to their own conveniences. The main dominant
features, in these books, were that the theologians were the. only selected
people in the nation, who were to be looked after, and the rest of the nation
must trudge, toil and moil in the hot sun and in rain, only to keep up the
authority of the theologians. It is thus the national vitality of the people is
summed up, only to be concentrated in the hands of the few theologians who
became in turn the most powerful section of the nation. To trace the rise,
growth and downfall of the ancient nations, we must go through the authority of
the theologians. It is through the abuse of power of the theologians, the
ancient nations were ruined. Why the nations succumbed to foreign authorities
when defeated in a single battle ? Because the theologians became
narrow-minded, insolent and degraded. The bulk of the people were dissatisfied
with their authority and existence, and in a clamorous way resorted to
foreigners only to get protection from the oppressive theologians. Idea
conquers idea. A foreign army cannot subdue a nation. The foreign army being a
handful of men cannot subdue a big nation. When the national idea emanates from
these narrow-minded theologians, the nation becomes effete, down and
despondent.
The nation hankers for some vigorous ideas, broad views and social liberties.
It is for these reasons, the ancient nations change their theological
conceptions and adopt the social reforms of the foreigners. The theologians are
to be blamed for the downfall and disruption of the ancient nations. The bad
interpretation of theology is the cause of the downfall.
The
modern civilization starts with the ideas of homocentric conception. The
divinity in man, the liberty in man, the social equality of man are the mottoes
of the new civilization. In ancient civilization, the main point was that the
divine being was living above the clouds and was the absolute being in authority.
It is the same as the absolute authority of the potentate. The homocentric
aspect proclaims : find out the divinity in man, give him a free hand to
develop, remove all barriers that impede his progress and from the crumbling
dust of the society, a great man will rise up. Do not smother down the
aspirations of the mass. Conveniences of man, advancement of man, progress of
man, should be the mottoes. There should be no oligarchy in theology or in any
form of social status.
From
this conception of divinity in man,, in every individual, a new aspect of
social arrangement will be made. The old theo- centric aspect should be slowly
expunged and the homocentric aspect of the society must rear up its head upon
the old theocentric civilization. We need not have the old patriarchal form of
civilization. Bread problem is now the vital problem of the society. Why debar
others to have their chance to earn their bread ?
To
put it in other language, the major portion of the nation was steeped in
ignorance and was put into despondency and despair only to maintain the
authority of the old theological ideas. The objection is that the ancient
thinkers and theologians thought out all the problems of the future generation,
and thus the future generation has nothing more to think of, but only to follow
out the dictums of the ancient theologians. This is the motto of the older
classes of the people and they talk with the conception of the ancient
thinkers. But other internal and external circumstances have crept in. Bread
problem, social relations, internal and external forms are much changed so that
the old conception of society cannot hold good now. To strictly adhere to the
old precepts is to make a national suicide. The only possible means is to break
off the fetters and to adopt modern devices. Only one thing to suggest is that,
in ancient nations, a violent change should not be adopted. First, prepare the
mind of the people into the homo- centric aspect, and the theocentric aspect of
the people will fade away.
1
am not for violent changes in social matters, but an efficient progressive
method should be adopted to complete the task. It is thus the theocentric
centre will be changed into the homocentric centre, the centre of attraction
becoming the centre of repulsion. Thus the major portion of the nation known as
the mass will have full liberty and will enjoy all the social advancement that
the nation as a whole might rise. Theology will be the minor point in social
lives and the theocrats and theologians will be put along the common run of
man. This is the trend of the modern civilization. Oligarchy in any form must
not be tolerated. Nation for the miss and the mass for the nation.
THE MOTTOES OF
THE FUTURE CIVILIZATION
Divinity in man should be taken to
be the first point in the modern civilization. In the ancient civilization, the
unseen being was made the primal point to be arrived at and the development of
mankind was made the secondary or minor point. But in the new civilization, the
divinity in man is higher than the divinity in the unseen person. This should
be the motto. To serve mankind is higher than to serve the unseen divinity.
Service to mankind, attempts to develop the status of mankind are the right way
to worship the divinity. Mere litany, liturgy and all the ritualistic
ceremonies are inferior to the service of mankind. Human race must be made to
advance and should be put into a higher platform. This is the tendency of the
future civilization. The centre will be the man, service to mankind will be the
ritual and the orbit will be the unseen being. It is thus the new civilization
will differ from the old civilization.
The
question now comes, what is the standard of measuring the mind of a person.
Mere gloomy melancholy mood, fasting and austerity are not the standard of
development of human mind. But any mind that gives vigorous and all embracing
ideas for the benefit of mankind should be pronounced as the best mind. A great
man is one who gives greater amount of new vigorous ideas to the mankind for
the benefit of humanity. The masses are not to be deluded with grandeur and
hubbub. That is a mere puerile means of attracting the imagination of the mass.
But a silent thinker, living alone in some solitary place, ponders over the
problems of human life and finds out the right solution of the problems and is
the best benefactor of the mankind. Vigorous new ideas must be thought over and
given to the mankind that the mass might rise. The thinkers are the brain-power
in the nation. The executives merely carry out the ideas of the thinkers. A
mighty thinker is worth thousands of executives. To develop the new
civilization,'mighty thinkers, in every sphere of life, should be brought in.
Every sphere, in the activities of man, should be made a thorough one, and that
there is divinity in action should be proclaimed. Man is not to be
denounced as a born sinner but should be applauded as a spark of the divine
being. The morbid Semitic ideas have wrought much depression in the development
of mankind.
The less theology in the social life, the
better for the mankind. Theology and social advancement should be made into
two separate entities.
15. 2. 39.
THEOLOGY AND EDUCATION
To
trace the history of education from the ancient time, we find that theology was
the main subject of education. All the ancient nations of the world based their
civilization and national advancement upon theology. The theologians were the
powerful body in the society. They formed themselves into an oligarchy and
exercised much influence upon the nation. Even the ruler of the land was a mere
instrument in the hands of the theologians. The mass was neglected. They were
taken as goods and chattels of the theologians. It is thus the ancient
civilization was only one-sided, and certain families and groups enjoyed the
oligarchic power as their hereditary rights. Nobody could peep into their
sacred conclave. Even the ignorant people of the sacerdotal group enjoyed much
privileges over the society.
By the advancement of some mighty thinkers, a setback was formed. A majority of
men in the nation stood against the sacerdotal people and tried to snub down
the sacred conclave. But as the institution had become a dominant feature of
the society, in the new movement of democratic conception another group of
sacerdotal body was formed, who in another name formed the oligarchy of their
own. It is thus the old sacerdotal body or conclave of theologians dominated
over the society in another name and in a disguised form.
But
by this time, the people got disgusted with the theological doctrines and
procedure of the oligarchies. A new set of thinkers tried to solve the national
problems without the help of the theologians. In the first start the
theologians denounced the movements as impious and contradictory to the
established customs of the land. Thus the new movements, the new thoughts, the
new ideas and writings were stigmatised as quibbles as opposed to theological
precepts, and those who adhered to secular writings were considered as persons
of inferior positions. The whole literature of the land was divided into holy
and unholy books or as they were sometimes called ecclesiastical and secular
writings or divine and profane writings. It is thus the whole civilization of
the early part of any nation was a group of morbid ideas and melancholy
thoughts, only talking about the life after death. But national improvement,
advancement of the mass, and development of the various activities of the mind
were scarcely thought of. Coming down to the modern age, we find the denominational
education is still clinging to the national mind of the people. The ancient
idea of theological education is still to be traced in the denominational
education.
But
the world is much changed. Thoughts of the world are much widened and the
denominational education has become distasteful to the people. Bread problem
is the vital problem in the national life and theological education has no
scope to solve the bread problem. It is for this reason, the whole trend of
education should be in a different form. Industrial and scientific education
should be the main feature of education.
The other question to be considered is that sectarian education brings on
dissension in the nation. The nation is divided into several camps with
different ideas to be aimed at. So that the national mind and harmony are much
jarred. It is for this reason, sectarian education must not be followed.
Theological books might be read at home according to the creed and sect. But in
the public educational institution, sectarian vtews of any kind must not be
tolerated. Theology should be dissociated from the general education.
Industrial education, bread-earning education and scientific education should
be aimed at. In other words, the homo- centric aspect of education should be
the basis of learning and the theocentric aspect should be considered a minor
point. Even the old theological schools, maintained and conducted by the
theologians, should be thoroughly remodelled. Thus the indigenous schools will
be so changed as to tally with the ordinary public schools.
What
I mean is that history, science and other subjects should be introduced into
the schools. For it is not the aim of this age to make a body of theologians
who talk only about the stories of ancient age. They are quite ignorant of the
current modern age. Practically, they are the people of the past age though
living in modern times. The national energy, wealth and ambition are much
crippled by the old class of theologians. Hence theological education should be
totally separated from the ordinary national education. The nation must run in
a forward march to gain wider scope of activity. The old class of theology
retards the progress of mind. Hence the difficulty arises. I , therefore,
express my opinion that theological education should not be given in any public
school. It is a private concern of an individual. Theological education once
ennobled the nation. Theological education will now ruin and cripple a nation.
The next point to be considered is the unification of mankind through
education. Scientific education, advanced form of education and industrial
education are the three main features of education by which the different
nations might exchange their form of ideas with each other. But theological
education will divide the humanity into so many jarring camps. The unification
of mankind through education, equalising different races into one level should
be the aim of education. Industrial education as opposed to theoretical education
is now the best means, for, by this sort of education, the youths can earn
their own living in different parts of the world. This will give a common
civilization to the whole human race. For according to the standard of education
of a particular people, the position of the race is determind in the commercial
and scientific world. Some nations are called advanced nations where other
races are called backward nations. It is through the defective mode of
education, the Asian races are behind the western races, and theology has
stunted the growth of oriental nations. When the western nations are making
scientific discoveries and utilising the knowledge in their daily life and
national advancement, the oriental nations are still clinging to their own theological
ideas. Hence the oriental races are elbowed down by the western people in every
sphere of life.
Education should be imparted
according to the national needs and not what the old books say. The precepts of
the old books should not be considered as applicable to these days. The old
books, the scriptures, should be studied as steps for the advancement of the
national life. But it is not to be taken in as a mandatory authority in the
modern age. It is more a subject for national history than a guiding principle
in modern life. Bigotry and fanaticism should not be the point of education.
Boys and girls, men and women should be educated in modern line free from
theological bias.
Education should be practical and
not mystery-mongery. All that I mean is, theology should be separated from the
general education.
THEOLOGY AND DIET
The
influence of theology is so great in oriental countries that it has entered
into the articles of diet. In the oriental countries there are much
restrictions as to articles of food and the restrictions differ in the same
religion according to difference in sects and sex. The articles of food are
interdicted.
In the ancient world there was
much opulence. The foodstuff was abundant, the articles were cheap. With less
labour, the people could earn something and live on happily. So that the people
had enough leisure to waste their time on trivial subjects and made a long
discussion on the insignificant point. It is thus a huge mass of theology came
out from the leisurely idle brains. But the modern world is in a starving state
as the population has much increased in every country and the foreign trade and
commerce are sucking out the major portion of productions. So that the less
advanced indigenous people are practically starving. Yet the people are still
clinging to the old doctrines of restrictions in diet. Why not break down the
restrictions and live in a happy prosperous way ?
The
western nations have totally expunged all restrictions of food. They are roving
into different countries of the world and are actually the marauding sort of
people to despoil the local people of their productions. It is for this reason,
the western people are prosperous and healthy. The eastern people, being hedged
round with too many restrictions, remain idle at home, cooped up in a corner,
bemoaning their lots, starving and dying a slow death.
The western people are quadruple
in their composition. They are Greek in literature, Roman in politics and law,
Jew in religion and Saxon in their sociology. Though the western people
have adopted the
Jewish religion but they have rejected
the Jewish restrictions of diet The Jews, being an oriental people, have too
many restrictions on foodstuffs though they are living in western countries.
Touchable and untouchable objects, clean and unclean food, lawful and
unlawful diets are the main objects of discussion with the old classes of
theologians. The modern theologians are the direct descendants of the old
theologians and are pulling back the running, advancing society to the past old
age. Hence there is a tug-of-war between the section with advanced ideas and
the old, morbid, gloomy theologians. It is how the national energy is wasted
and the advancement of a nation in modern life is much retarded. There is
theology even in the killing of animals and birds, even in the peeling of
vegetables. It is a most ludicrous thing to think of such restrictions.
Theology
has entered into the ordinary sphere of undertaking a journey. The auspicious
and inauspicious day, hour and minute, the direction of the journey are all under
the direction of theology. So that the oriental races are ruined through the
huge mass of theology that is loaded in their heads. The western nations have
comparatively shaken off the burden of theology and have not many restrictions
as to the articles of diet or as to the auspicious moment to undertake a
journey. These are the differences between the eastern and the western races.
The old cumbrous civilization of the eastern races must be modernized to tally
with the running, prosperous, new civilization of the western races.
It
is thus the national life is hampered in every way. Climatic effect, local
circumstances should regulate diets. Hygienic and healthy food is the motto.
That which gives vigour and strength to a person should be taken as foodstuff.
Theology must not interfere with diet. The old theological ideas have no scope
in the modern age. So that theology should be kept as a separate entity from
all social problems. But the procedure should be slow and gradual and not
abrupt.
THEOLOGY AND TRADE.
Theology has extended its
influence even into trade. In the western countries where theology is confined
only in the place of worship, the national trade is unhampered by the canons of
theology. It is for this reason, the western people are prosperous in the
business world. In the oriental countries where theology is the dominant
feature of the society, theology will put in too many restrictions on trade.
Many of the articles of commerce are declared as unclean and untouchable. The
western traders coming into the oriental countries will utilise the unclean raw
materials and turn them into commodities or articles for the production of
wealth. This is the baneful effect of theology in all oriental countries. The
oriental nations though shrewd and have a great business capacity are often put
into restrictions by the laws of theology.
The dictum is, every raw material
should be utilised for the increment of national wealth. For instance, in the
oriental countries there are abundance of raw materials. The western people
have learned organisation. The foreign traders rob the oriental people of their
natural resources and enrich themselves at the cost of the producers. The theological
restrictions are so many ideas of superstition in the modern age. The ideas
were once beneficial in some past age when the society and social conditions
were different. There were then plenty of foodstuff, opulence everywhere and
there was no keen competition regarding bread problem. But as the social
conditions are much modified, the old theological restrictions are found to be
futile. The modern age should be guided by its own laws arid conveniences. Old
ideas, when found incompatible with the present state of society, should be
mercilessly rejected. Nation must rise, nation must live, nation must be
prosperous. Theological cries and denunciations are mere puerile talks.
Trade requires journey to foreign countries and mixing and dining with
foreigners. The old theologies in the oriental countries impose too many
restrictions about going to foreign countries. The oriental nations have
practically become stay-at-home people and the western people coming from far
off lands are utilizing the raw materials, buying them at a cheap rate. But if
the oriental people can go over to the foreign land and sell raw materials to
them, the price will be much higher.
The
other point is that, in trade and commerce, the traders, though come from
different countries, should dine together and have friendly intercourse with
each other. But the oriental theologies are a great drawback to such
facilities. Hence the oriental traders are looked down upon as men of inferior
civilization and low standard of living.
The
western people have comparatively shaken off the trammels of the medieval trend
of theology. Anyhow, in their trade relations, orientals are crushed down with
the loads of theology. Hence the western people are agile and prosperous
in trade. The oriental people are punctilious and are much poverty-
striken.
Theology talks only about
life after death, preparing the whole nation from early boyhood upto the time
of its death as to how to be able to go to heaven. Life after death is the only
reality and the earthly life is a mere curse ; and the people are suffering
miseries according to the demerits of the past life. The man is born only to
suffer in this world. It is predestined and everything is guided by fate.
There is no power in a man to exert himself or to attempt to better his
condition. It will be a sacrilegious act against theology. Born to suffer
misery and death is the trend of oriental theology. Only those who have merits
of previous birth can live happily. This is called reliance, this is called
renunciation. Human attempt is futile in everything. A sad melancholy gloomy
atmosphere is created in oriental societies. The blame is not on the people but
on the old class of theology. A man must live and must eat, and live
comfortably and happily so long he has got his body, wife and children. Talk
only about this present world and present life, and broom off the old theories
of happiness after death, of renunciation and resignation. These are the old
ideas that have ruined the nations.
Why prepare the nation for life after death ? But prepare the nations as
soldiers to fight the battles in everyday life. The present life is higher than
the life after death. Do not be swayed by the old superstitious theology but
try to live as a man and be equal to all other men of this world.
Self-assertion, self-manifestation should be the mottoes.
Theology should be separated from trade
and other aspects of society. It should be taken as so many curios in a museum
and not for daily use. The homocentric aspect of society should be the motto.
Theocentric aspect of society should be an object of the past. The present age
so requires it. There is no shirking, no stammering, no faltering in the
dictum.
THEOLOGY AND POLITICS.
Theology
is more or less a theoretical subject. It deals with life after death and
prepares the devotees in the world how to come to a certain state of existence
when the corporeal form is extinct. It keeps the mind of a man in constant
dread of the unseen, and restricts him on many occasions from being
enterprising or taking up any adventurous undertaking. It casts a gloomy,
melancholy idea upon the youthful mind ; and national enterprises or any
vigorous ideas are put out of the hedge as incompatible with the theological doctrines.
No new idea, no vigorous thought, no attempt to plunge into the unknown are
allowed in the code of theology. Every idea, every movement, every social
institution and relation must be made or framed according to the old antiquated
conception of the founder of theology. The national youth has no liberty to
think independently or according to the circumstances of the age or to
introduce any new ideas into the nation, as these would be denounced as innovations
and contrary to the established antiquated custom of the theologians.
Practically, these old antiquated theologians are smothering and thwarting the
youthful attempts of the nation. They are not accelerating the movement but
retarding the national endeavour in every respect. When viewed from this point
of national advancement, the old theology becomes a horrible thing to the
advancement of the national youth. Anyhow, theology deals with the old
conception and has a certain course of thinking.
Politics,
on the other hand, deals with the convenience of the nation. By intercourse
with the foreign nation either willingly or when enforced, or when people of
foreign nations and foreign ideas settle down in the country, the national and
social ideas of the country get a rude shock. The politicians or men of
practical knowledge think over the problem and try to find out some means of
solution how to grapple with the altered situation and to keep up the national
life in certain stages without being submerged or drowned by the inundation of
foreign ideas and customs. Politics try to solve the problems how to earn an
independent living for every individual and to keep up liberty of speech,
thought and action without doing injury to others. Politics deals with the convenience
of the people under certain circumstances and the rules are framed
accordingly, and as the circumstances are changing, the rules are changed from
day to day. Hence there is no fixity of rules in politics. It is a means of
convenience. Theology deals with fixity of ideas ; politics is changeable.
Theology is constant ; politics is evanescent. So, to introduce theology into
politics is a great blunder. Two ideas are running in quite two different lines
and, practically, one has nothing to do with the other.
The next point to be considered is that politics tries to unify the people of
the same race, same language, same origin into one body having the common
purpose of convenience, safety, protection and advancement. Theology, on the
other hand, divides the same people into groups and sub-groups known as sects.
It is a jarring note in the whole national life. The theologians on many
occasions are the greatest obstacles for the national advancement. Sects and
sub-sects might be allowed in theological groups as they talk about useless
jargons which are of no value in practical life. But in practical politics
where the national advancement is the main point, theology should be chucked
out. The western nations have more or less separated theology from politics and
are prosperous for this reason. In oriental countries, theology is mixed with
politics. Hence in every oriental country, we find so many inimical camps
fighting against each other upon theoretical jargons. Even in the same sect,
people are fighting and quarrelling with each other on mere trivial differences
in interpretation of some tenets. It is a mere ludicrous thing to an outsider.
But they always forget the broad idea of national safety and national advancement.
Bigotry and fanaticism are the outcome of theology ; and the national energy is
much hampered and divided through the impractical theories of theology. In
oriental countries, theology should be separated from politics. The other
points to be noted are that theology much hampers the foreign and military
politics of a nation. In the beginning or at the starting point, theology will
do some good to mankind but when it has grown into an umbrageous tree with many
branches, twigs and tendrils, it becomes a tree of poison. It becomes the
greatest obstacle to the national growth. In all oriental countries, it will be
the first primal attempt of every thinking person, specially of the youth, to
separate theology from politics or social institutions.
The
next point to be considered is that theology starts with the idea of brotherhood
of all nations. Every theological school claims this high privilege. But
brotherhood of mankind is slavery of all nations under some theological
autocrats, commonly known as theocrats. This was an old attempt in ancient
times, but in modern times it is found to be futile.
Politics,
on the other hand, attempts to keep the nation in some solid form free from any
foreign aggression. Its aim is the advancement of one’s own nation, or it
infuses in the nation the idea of equality with other nations, or it aims to
keep the said nation ahead of foreign nations. Every politician attempts to
make his own nation abreast of all foreign nations and then to make his
own nation ahead of others. It is thus the old conception of theology and
the modern idea of politics are antagonistic to each other.
The
next important point in the modern social philosophy is to expunge and to
eliminate the theocentric aspect of society. The theocentric aspect was
experimented for so many hundreds of years and it has proved to be a failure in
the modern light. As in modern times, every nation must mix with all different
nations of the world in politics, in trade, in education and in various other
aspects of social developments, the theological aspect of society must be
thrown into the background. The homo- centric aspect in society—how to serve
mankind, how to see divinity in man, how to freely mix with foreign nations,
how to enhance, ennoble and advance the people of his own nation as well as the
people of foreign nations should be the mottoes of the new civilization.
The
friendship and equality with other nationals will not be on theological basis
but on love of humanity. Man is man, free from all theology. Nation is above
theology. Man is above creed. It is for this reason, the homo- centric aspect
of society should be the motto of the present age.
CULTURE
AND CIVILIZATION.
Culture depends upon the climatic
effect and natural surroundings. It is invariable in the race. The climatic
effect and natural surroundings produce a line of thought according to the
growth or the development of the body and the mind. Whoever might come from any
foreign country will get the same - sort of tendency when living in the soil.
It is another form of natural religion free from all doctrinal religions. It is
how nature reflects on the mind. For instance, people, living in the mountain,
will have one mode of thinking and viewing the world. But the people, living in
the well-watered plains with trees, shrubs and verdure, will have different
conceptions of socicty and thoughts in the world. On the other hand, people,
living in the arid deserts, will have another mode of thoughts. This is how the
culture in the race comes in. There might be various changes in the same race
in its periods of existence. But the culture of the race is a constant
quantity. It is the inherent quality in the soil and of that parti cular race.
No upheaval in social ideas can alter the culture of the race.
But
civilization is quite a different aspect of viewing the same culture.
Civilization comes from the conception of society of some thinkers. Some
thinkers, either of the theological school or of social side, will think out
certain ideas as beneficial to the nation. The nation might accept the new
conception of civilization along with the culture of the race. Thus a
civilization or a group of ideas as to society, theology, commerce and national
independence or military aspects might thrive well for some period, but when
new thinkers bring out certain new ideas and conceptions, the old civilization
slowly fades away and the new civilization takes its place. But the culture in
the race is unchangeable. One is the constant quality and the other is the
evanescent quality. Culture of a race is confined only to that particular soil.
But civilization or new conception of society bulges out and overflows into
foreign countries.
Civilization might be divided into two heads. The one is called the indigenous
civilization and the other, the imported civilization. Culture with indigenous
civilization will develop a nation to a high pitch. But imported civilization
ruins a country. A friction comes between the culture and the imported
civilization. The indigenous civilization being of old class, not suitable to
the the race at the time, the foreign or imported civilization will dominate
for some time and will submerge the national civilization. The conquest of a
nation comes in two ways, either through army or through vigorous ideas. When
it is put into theological form, it is called proselytising. Now, the new
vigorous ideas of foreign countries will dominate for some time. The national
civilization will be thwarted back. But new thinkers in the old race will come
up a few generations later and will think about the weaker points of the old
and the new civilizations or, in other words, of the indigenous and the
imported civilizations and will add their own energy, thought and learning to
the old (indigenous ) civilization. Thus a new vigour is infused into the once
old civilization. But the imported or foreign civilization, being not developed
pari passu with the change of time and circumstances, will be considered the
old civilization and the once old civilization becomes the new civilization.
The foreign or imported civilization will be driven back as inefficient to the
national condition. The conquest by army of any country means the conquest of
that country by a new vigorous conception of civilization, for a mere handful
of soldiers cannot subdue a race. It is the new mode of thinking that conquers
the old races. Otherwise, a handful of soldiers might be called a body of
marauders and might be driven out in no time, as they have no conception of
society and ideas. It is not a foreign army that conquers a country, but a
major portion of the nation comes to foreigners for protection to save them
from the disorder and internal dissension in the race. But foreigners take
advantage of the disorderly state of the country and establish a new civilization
and a new mode of administration in the country. In other words, the new
civilization overpowers the old civilization. But the culture in the race
remains constant. This is called the social or military aspect of conquest, but
the national culture is not much affected. Only, foreign civilization has a
superficial glamour.
But the theological conquest of civilization is a dangerous one. The social or
military conquest leaves the social life intact, only the outward environment
is modified to suit the convenience of the foreign people. But the theological
civilization from outside is a dangerous thing. It affects the home life. The
foreign theologians insist that not only the foreign theocratic conception of
divinity is to be accepted, but also the manners, customs, habits, languages,
names etc. should be modified to suit the taste of the foreign civilization. It
attempts to wipe out the root of the national culture. It is just enslaving a
nation to the people of some distant country, who have their own conception of
civilization and culture. This is not only imported civilization, but imported
culture too.
By this dangerous policy, the old nation is divided into two halves—one section
adhering to the old culture and civilization of the race and the other half
tries to uproot the national culture. Mentally, they are a group of foreigners
living in the old soil. Even the national blood and ancestors are denied to fit
the people with the usages and customs of foreigners. This is the most awful
and galling aspect in any country that the same people will deny their
ancestors and parentage and take up foreign manners and customs as being docile
people to some foreign thinkers. This is how many nations become crippled in
their minds and cannot think of some vigorous ideas for fear of foreign
theology. It is thus they are mentally killed at the altar of some foreign
civilization.
Foreign
social civilization might be accepted in a naturalised way, i. e., the national
manners and customs will remain the same, only to be glossed over with certain
modifications as suitable to the altered time and circumstances. But the
foreign social civilization is never to be acccpted in its entirety as that
would be a very baneful thing in the society. But foreign theological
civilization as to imitate the foreign customs should be avoided by all means.
Civilization
should be developed from within the nation so that culture and civilization
ought to be correlative. Foreign imitation in its entirety should be avoided
both in social and in theological aspects.
Homocentric
civilization as suitable to the culture of the race should be introduced.
Theocentric civilization is detrimental to the culture of the race or, in other
words, the homocentric aspect should be developedandthetheocentric aspect of
society should be put into the background. This is the difference between the
old mode of civilization and the new mode of civilization.
I
am giving here a few hints as to the future civilization of the world, and 1
have purposely divided the two civilizations as the theocentric and the
homocentric aspects of society.
OM SANTI, SANTI, SANTI, SIVA OM.
EASTERN SOCIALISTIC STATE
SRI
BASANTA KUMAR CHATTERJEE
INTRODUCTION
A born poet and artist Sri Mohendra Nath Dutta is
also a prince of travellers. There are few countries in the two hemispheres
through which he has not travelled and with the peoples of which, together with
their history literature and social life and religion, he has not made a most
intimate first-hand acquaintance. Life-long study and deep meditation, a keen
and enetrating observation of men and things have only served to strengthen
the conviction in him that the study of the social sciences is the most crying
need of the present day Asian races. It is for this reason that apart from
other books on art, architecture, philosophy, religion, poetry and science, Sj.
Dutt wrote a series of volumes on social sciences when the whole of Asia was in
deep slumbering. At present Sj. Mohendra Nath Dutta has exhausted eighty-four
Christmas candle sticks and is living just like an effulgent orb. One thing
should be noted here distinctly that the three sons of Sj. Biswanath Dutta are
all independent thinkers. They have been born not to go over the beaten track
but to show new path of living and thinking.
Indian independence ushered in a new era
of hope for the Asian races. It has given dynamic strength and will-power to
the whole of the Asian people. It is the adamantine will that creates
everything prosperous. Social sciences impart knowledge to mankind of his real
position in society and create enlightenment in him for himself as well as
surroundings. So Asia’s vital need is proper understanding of social sciences.
In placing this book before the Asian man and woman I have one sole intention
in my mind and that is to rouse them up from their lethargy. These ideas I have
collected from several books of Sj. Dutta and put them together. In reality it
is Sj. Dutta who is speaking through me.
Old Asia is sinking day by day and a more
vigorous, powerful, all-embracing Asian race is peeping out from its sleeping
dust to light a new light to the world. Time is very nigh for the ever trodden
people of Asia for their long joyful journey in their sacred mission. The
sooner the journey the better for the hungry people of Asian races. It is
self-respect and self-determination thatdraw respect and honour. Hearken, 0
people of Asia to the clarion call of Swami Vivekanda :—
Once more awake !
For
sleep it was, not death, to bring the life A new, and rest to lotus-eyes, for
visions Daring yet. The world need awaits.
Truth !
No death for thee !
Resume thy march
With gentle feet that would not break the
Peaceful rest, even of the road side dust That lies so low, yet strong and
steady, Blissful, bold and free. Awakener, ever Forward ! Speak Thy stirring
words.
BASANTA
KUMAR CHATTERJEE
EASTERN SOCIALISTIC
STATE
“Not Gold, but only man can make
A people great and strong-—
Men who, for truth and honour’s sake,
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men work while others fly—
They build a nations pillars deep.
And lift them to the
sky.”
Resurgence of Asia is absolutely necessary,
not only for the Asian races but for the rest of contending nations. To the
superficial onlooker Asia is divided into may races but to the Indian master
mind it is one. By studying the history of the ancient people, we find that
early civilisation and early empire were formed in Asia. The Indians in the
early part of the history spread out to different parts of the world and established
their colonies and civilisation which are still to be traced by observing the
people of different parts of Asia and also the old style architecture. Even in
the manners and customs of the people of different countries, the Indian origin
is distinctly marked out. Mentions are very often to be found in old Indian
books that the Indians had trade communications with different parts of the
world. Later in the Buddhist period, Indian itinerary preachers travelled all
over the then civilised world and established their culture and centre of
civilisation in various places. This is how the Indians have permeated
different parts of the world. The Chinese in their early period spread out to
different parts of Asia and introduced their civilisation to various peoples
and influenced the neighbouring races with their own ideas. The Assyrians and
the Babylonians founded extensive empires and established their influence over
the greater part of the then civilised world. In architecture, in statue and in
domestic utensils, the Assyrian influence is still to be traced in various
parts of Asia. The Egyptians or as they were called “Romaks” spread out their
influence to various countries, and their architecture, pyramids and statue are
still wonders of the world. The Phoenicians, in their turn, made extensive
empire from Levant to Carthage with Utica and Numedia which are now called
Junis and Morocco; and also they spread out in various countries for their
commercial enterprises. The Persians, under the leadership of Cyrus, made
extensive empire and spread out their culture in various countries. Later the
Arabs rose into eminence and preached their ideas of civilisation to greater
part of Asia. But all these peoples are now in a slumbering state, and the new
non-Asians who were living in the Pannonian Forests have come into eminence and
are dominating over the Asian races. This is a sickening, melancholy and
depressing idea to think of.
Why the Asian races are in an awkward and
backward state? The one cardinal defect with the different races of Asia is
that the people think themselves as isolated and separated from the surrounding
nations. Though there are tribal differences in minor points, the isolation
spirit is too prominent in all the Asian races. That is called the passive aspect
of national life as to be cooped up and separated from the other people. Each
and every people is busy with the welfare of his own people, and the broad
aspect of looking upon the whole of Asia as a common family with different
branches settling down in different places is scarcely to be met with. So the
non-Asians taking advantage of these isolated and separated peoples, override a
particular people either in territorial or in a commercial aspect. The
neighbouring people look askance and remain neutral when the non-Asians are
spoliating a neighbouring people. This a very lamentable, pitiable sight. In
some cases due to this ills the people of the neighbouring races will side
with the non-Asians to overcome a neighbour. This is called the secret revenge.
Due to this isolated and cooped up habit, the Asian races are overcome by the
non-Asians. This is a most painful sight to think of. That the Asian are docile
and submissive is an adage to be taken as a slur on the Asian races.
Now what to do ? The time has arrived and
situation has changed and an effulgent light is peeping out from the eastern
horizon. The Asian races must develop the principle of self-assertion and go-
ahead tendency. Let this be their only doctrine. All that we might say is that
every individual Asian race must try to develop the commercial resources and resources
for raw materials to the highest pitch for its own benefit; and in an affable
liberal spirit, it should try to infuse the new civilisation into neighbouring
states. Trust, friendship and broad-minded views should be infused into
neighbouring races. For, if any individual state is attacked or oppressed by
the non-Asians, generally other Asian State view themselves as neutral States.
But if amity is established between different neighbouring races the other race
will stand with the oppressed nation against the non- Asian marauders. It is
for this reason, federation of the Asian races is most needed in this period
of history. Federation does not mean subjection or humiliation, but friendly
relation, trust and reliance which should be established in the Asian races. In
internal affairs the Asians will be free to manage their own affairs; but
against any non- Asian aggression, all the Asians should combine to save a
neighbouring people. This is most needed in this period of history. By this we
do not mean to adopt any aggressive policy or spirit of defiance. But Asian
must have independent development and the independent mode of thinking to keep
up the solidarity. Now the general principles might be enunciated in the following
dictums: Man has right to eat and right to express his mind. Nation is above
theology. Individual is above creed. Co-
work, co-prosperity, co-benefit and
co-inde- pendence should be the sole aim and object. These are the cardinal
principles which every Asian youth, both boys and girls, must learn. The Asian
lethargic mind must be formulated with these principles that a particular
nation might rise, and that the neighbouring races might rise. A great, strong
powerful neighbouring race is a great benefit to a people. Asia is a storehouse
of all past civilisation and ideas. These past ideas and civilisations should
be preserved and only be modified in the new form as to suit the present
requirements of the people. Amity and not enmity should be the motto. Every
thinker in Asia must find out the solution of the problem—how to raise not only
his own people but also the whole of Asia. This is the main problem for all the
Asian thinkers.
The question now comes whether we are to think
of Asian races as peoples of separate culture or united as one family. In
manners, customs, dresses, domestic utensils, temperaments and even in cooking,
all the Asian races have a common mode. Only difference is in language and
pronunciation. Even the Asian vegetables are the same everywhere. From the
historical standpoint we take the Asians to be the one family as distinct from
the non-Asian stock. All that we might say is that the Asian people have
settled down in different parts of Asia and developed their peculiar customs
according to climatic effect, but their general culture is the same everywhere.
There is no natural geographical boundary between one state and another. All
are living in different parts of the same plane, only slight difference is
marked in language due to climatic effect. But to a non-Asian people, all the
Asians are the same. The boundaries are made between different states only for
political purposes, otherwise the people are of one family. From Japan, China
and Mongolia to Morocco and Abyssinia, all the Asians have common culture,
common manners and the same mode of thinking and expression. It is to be
classed as a separate civilisation from what we find in non-Asian countries. In
Western Geography, South-Africa, Sudan and Abyssinia are separate from Asia;
but to an oriental, all these countries will be included in Asia as they have
common mode of living, temperament and architecture. Even the cookery is very
much the same. All that we means to say that the Asian people have settled down
in different parts and made them into separate states, but from the cultural
point of view, they are the same people.
Now what is culture, and what is civilisations.
By civilisation we mean certain ideas which particular thinker of some country
have developed for their own people and then for the benefit of the rest of
mankind. This active aspect of ideas, as thought out by the national thinkers,
has spread out not only among the people themselves but has saturated the
neighbouring states. This is called the civilisation of a nation or of a
particular thinker of a special race. But the thinkers in later period came
into prominence in other countries, and they too emanated their ideas for the
benefit of their own country and also their neighbouring countries. But the
ideas of the new thinkers will oust and replace the ideas of the old thinkers.
This is called the war between two classes of ideas, or rather the battle
between different classes of thinkers of different races. This active aspect of
ideas puts into abeyance the old ideas, and the newer vigorous ideas come into
prominence. The Asian ideas of civilisation of different countries fought
against each other and finally became effete and have now succumbed and been
put into a slumbering state. The new vigorous ideas of civilisation and the
mode of thinking of the non- Asian races are in prominence and are pushing back
the old ideas of civilisation of the old races. This is a struggle between the
two sets of ideas—Asian and non- Asians. Though Asian thinkers have differences
as to the particular mode of thinking among themselves, yet when compared to
the ideas of the non-Asians, they might be grouped in one class, and the ideas
of the non-Asians into a different class.
Culture depends upon the climatic effect and
natural surroundings. It is invariable in the race. It is another form of
natural religion free from all doctrinal religions. It is how the nature
reflects on the mind. There might be various changes in the same race in its
periods of existence. But the culture of the race is a constant quality. It is
the inherent quality in the soil and of that particular race. No upheaval in
social ideas can alter the culture of the race. Culture of a race is confined
only to that particular soil. For instance, people, living in the mountain,
will have one mode of thinking and viewing the world. But the people living in
the well watered plains with trees, shrubs and verdure, will have different
conception of society and thoughts in the world. On the other hand, people,
living in the arid deserts, will have another mode of thoughts. This is how the
culture in the race comes in. It is the inherent quality in the soil and of
that particular race. But civilisation is quite a different aspect of viewing
the same culture. Civilisation comes from the conception of society of some
thinkers. Some thinkers, either of the theological school or of social side,
will think out certain ideas as beneficial to the nation. One is the constant
quality and the other is the evanescent quality. Culture of a race is confined
only to that particular soil but civilisation or new conception of society
bulges out and overflows into foreign countries. Civilisation might be divided
into two heads. The one is called the indigenous and the other imported
civilisation. Culture with indigenous civilisation will develop a nation to a
high pitch. But imported civilisation ruins a country. The conquest by army of
any country means the conquest of that country by a new vigorous conception of
civilisation; for a mere handful of soldiers cannot subdue a race. It is new
mode of thinking that conquers the old races. In other words, the vigorous
civilisation overpowers the old civilisation. But theological conquest of
civilisation is a very dangerous one. The social or military conquest leaves
the social life intact, only the outward environment is modified to suit the
convenience of the foreign people. But the theological civilisation from
outside is a dangerous thing. It affects the home life, try to shatter the
foundation. Foreign social civilisation might be accepted in a naturalised way,
but never to be accepted in its entirety as that would be a very baneful thing
in the society. But foreign theological civilisation as to imitate the foreign
customs should be avoided by all means. Civilisation should be developed from
within the nation so that culture and civilisation ought to be corelative.
Homocentric civilisation is the best for the humanity. Theocentric
civilisation is detrimental to the culture of the race or in other words, the
homocentric aspect should be developed and the theocentric aspect of society
should be put into the background for the welfare of the mankind.
A new aspect of social arrangement will
be made all over Asia, nay all the world over. Old civilisation based their
doctrine over theocentric aspect of society. Formerly theology was the centre
and service to man was mere an orbit. The old idea of the civilised world was
the study of theology and the ancient nations centred their ideas of
civilisation on the basic principles of theology. Theology deals with fanciful
cosmology, cosmogony and theogony which are contrary to modern science and
philosophy. What is theology? A class of mental thinking which deals with
metaphysic, devotion and ritualistic or ceremonial aspect. The first portion
is metaphysical aspect of divinity. The second portion is the devotional
aspect of divinity and the third portion is the ritualistic aspect of divinity.
All these are age long ideas. Society is dynamic not static. As the social
circumstances and environments are much altered and many foreign and untoward
circumstances have crept in so new mode of life and thinking needed to suit
the present circumstances. Science has totally changed the outlook of the
present mankind. In the past age man worshipped nature and now nature worships
man. New life and vigour must be infused in the people. The nation must have
expansive ideas. Less theology in a nation is the best means of developing a
nation. Too much dose of theology has retarded the progress of Asian races. The
Asian races are too much under the influence of theologians. The more Asian
races will be practical the better would they be prosperous in life. Theology
should be considered a minor-point in social life. Man is above creed, nation
is above theology are the dicta of this age. The national life must be a free
institution. The modern age should be guided by its own laws and conveniences.
Old ideas, when found incompatible with the present state of society, should be
mercilessly rejected. Nation must rise, nation must live, nation must be
prosperous. Theological cries and denunciation are mere puerile talks.
Divinity in man should be taken to be the first point
in the modern civilisation. In the ancient civilisation, the unseen being was
made the primal point to be arrived at and the development of mankind was made
the secondary or minor point. But in the new civilisation, the divinity in man is
higher than the divinity in the unseen person. This should be the motto. To
serve mankind is higher than to serve the unseen divinity. The aim and object
of modem civilisation is to impart the ideas of homo- centric conception to the
humanity. The homocentric aspect proclaims: find out the divinity in man, give
him a free hand to develop, remove all barriers that impede his progress and
from the crumbling dust of the society, a great man will rouse up. Do not
smother down the aspirations of the mass. Conveniences of man, advancement of
man, progress of man, should be the sole aim and motto. There should be no
oligarchy in theology or in any form of social status. Divinity in man,
service to mankind is the highest ideal of this age.
To serve mankind is higher than to serve the unseen
divinity. Service to mankind, attempts to develop the status of mankind are
the right way to worship divinity. Human race must be made to advance and
should be put into a higher platform. This is the tendency of the future civilisation.
The centre will be the man, service to man-s kind will be the ritual and the
orbit will be the unseen being. If we look to the nature of self, the divinity
in man, we at once come to the conclusion that self-assertion, self emanation
are the highest signs of divinity. The divinity in man should be proclaimed.
The idea of the ethereal divinity is coming from the divinity in man. The
ethereal divinity is a mere reflection of the divinity in man. So divinity is
to be sought, after all, in man. The centre of attraction becomes a centre of
repulsion. This is what we call law of curvature. Applying the same dictum to
society, we find a strange thing. Mere gloomy melancholy mood, fasting and
austerity are not the standard of development of human mind. New hopeful
go-ahead tendency should be put before the mankind. A mighty thinker is worth
thousands of executives. Any mind that gives vigorous all-embracing ideas for
the benefit of mankind should be pronounced as the best mind. The thinkers are
the brainpower in the nation. A great man is one who gives greater amount of
new vigorous ideas to the mankind for the benefit of humanity. To develop the
new civilisation, mighty thinkers, in every sphere of life, should be brought
in. Every sphere, in the activities of man, should be made a thorough one, and
that there is divinity in action should be proclaimed. Man is not to be
denounced as a born sinner but should be applauded as a spark of the divine
being. The less theology in the social life, the better for the mankind.
Theology and social advancement should be made into two separate entities. Be
divine and makes other divine. To expunge conception of divinity from humanity
is a puerile sentimental talk.
The whole amount of wealth in a nation is produced by
the toilers. The majority of the people in any country is composed of the
toilers. The cultivators, the shepherds, the weavers, the brick-layers and so
on, in whatever aspect we may look upon the nation, we find the toilers form
the major portion of the community. Practically speaking these toilers,
dividing themselves in various sections, work out the bread problem of the
nation. Age of toilers has dawn upon the humanity. It is toilers civilisation
peeping out slowly silently steadily from every nook and comer. Days is not far
off when toilers of Asia will unfurl their Republican flag all over Asia. So
the future Asia would be Toilers Republic. Each and every state will be toilers
republic state. Historically it is bound to come. No amount of opposition could
thwart it. Now comes the question who are to be called toilers ? If we define
toilers as manual labourers, but they ought not to be classed among the
toilers; or if we define toilers; be wage-earners or day-labourers, the lawyers
and medical men come under this category, but they are men of learned
professions and cannot be called toilers in the ordinary sense. The human
society is so complicated and intricate that it is difficult to point out
where one sphere ends and the other begins, so the proper definition of
“toiler” can never be made out. All that we might say is that those who earn a
pittance of income through their toil will come under the category. In other
words it might be said, persons who earn a pittance of wages in an uncertain
way through their manual or brain labour are to be called toilers. But their
might be gentlemen- toilers and persons of other grades, e.g. school masters,
clerks, struggling-lawyers, struggling medical practitioners and others, so
that the gradation is so subtle and so slow in motion that no hard and fast
rules can be made, This is called the point of vanishing ratio, i.e., there is
a relation between two entities, but the relation is always shifting and
changing. For ordinary purposes, we take in the commonsense definition which is
current in the society in different countries i.e., the man who earns his
living by hard toil. Logical and clear definition in social matters is almost
impossible, and so we need not bother ourselves about the niceties of definitions.
Toilers are the standing and unchangeable
aspect of national life. There are many brighter points in the toilers’ mind.
They are the dynamic centre of the national mind though their language is mute
and silent. The upper class always change their opinions. They move according
to circumstances and interests. But toilers are the solid rocks upon which the
national structures are built up. They are the real representatives of the
national aspirations. From the economic aspect of the question, the toilers are
the principal factors in national life. Hence a serious question comes in who
will lead the future civilisation? From the historical stand point we can
safely assert that toilers and woman will take the burden on their shoulders to
lead the future glorious civilisation of Asia.
The brighter healthy prospects of Asian people is
loom large before their onward march. They have enormous man power, abundant
raw materials, keen intellect above all indomitable latent power; only they are
lacking in organisation. Apart from this shortcoming they have not yet fully
realised that they are living in a gigantic scientific age which is devastating
old structure and old mentality. What religion has failed to do modern science
is going to achieve—unification of mankind. Economic factors govern the
humanity. The more we will be economically strong and stable the better would
be our prosperity. Leaving aside all other phases of human life let Asian
people rouse up to strengthen their economic position sound and strong. At any
cost the whole of Asia must be commercially well organised nation. It is due
to unorganised commercial enterprise that they are eke out dispirited pitiable
life. The oriental nations should learn organisation and combination in every
aspect and sphere of life that they might stand against western competition.
Commerce is nothing but national wealth.
In dealing with the national wealth let
people know it perfectly well what is called national wealth, capital and
labour. Labour and what is termed capital in the ordinary sense should be
classed as wealth. Any object which we may utilise in some effective way and
which brings on profit and enhances the national wealth, we call capital. The
ordinary wealth, as is generally accepted by common people, is to be classed
under three heads; the fixed capital, the floating capital, and the quasi-fixed
capital. Now what is called fixed capital? Agricultural lands, houses, forests,
right of fishery in rivers, etc., are to be considered as fixed- capital. In discussing
the question of floating capital, stock-in-trade, shop, bank, river, sea-going
vessels and similar objects are to be considered as floating capital. And as to
the third object, the quasi-fixed capital, we are to consider mines, railways
and factories. The question now arise. Whether the expert professional
knowledge of a person is to be considered as capital or labour? When the same
person is at leisure and doing the ordinary work of a householder, he is to be
considered a common man. But when need arises, the same person brings out his
expert professional knowledge and can turn his knowledge into money. This
expert knowledge is then to be considered as capital. For instance, a lawyer, a
medical man or a mechanic can turn the professional knowledge into wealth, and
this knowledge then becomes the means for production of wealth. Hence it is
called the capital.
Now in any concern or undertaking, the expert
knowledge of one individual cannot produce the required amount of wealth. But
when more than one person combine and unite their efforts for the same purpose
and bring on wealth, the organised labour of the several persons would then be
considered as capital. One thing to be noted here is that gold or land, forest
or mine, by themselves cannot bring forth profit. They are so many dead
objects. These are to be called or classified as dead capital or the stagnant
stage of wealth. But when labour is infused into the dead capital, the dormant
capital then becomes productive and fertile. So that we might classify the two
sorts of capital as (i) the material object which is unproductive by itself as
the dead or slumbering capital and (ii) labour as the active capital. Both are
simple forms of capital. One thing should be noted that without the living capital
or the expert knowledge, the dead capital will have no effect. So that labour,
which is called the living capital; is of greater importance than the dead
capital. For, if the living capital or labour be organised, the dead capital
will naturally flow towards that centre. So that the living capital will take
the first place and the dead capital, the second place. Any efficient
organisation under the direction of men of expert knowledge is to be considered
as capital, and the dead capital will naturally flow towards that centre. This
is called the credit in the market. For, by means of credit, the expert
knowledge can create immense wealth. Whereas the dead capital, by itself
cannot be productive of any wealth. The dead and the living capital are interdependent
and must co-operate with each other so as to make increment of wealth in a
smooth way-only the division of profit becomes the vital point in this
discussion.
The other aspects
of capital are (i) the transferable capital, and (ii) the non-trans- ferable
capital. By transferable capital, we mean to say any material object which
might be transferred or passed over to some other person. For instance, land,
houses, forests, mines, debentures, etc., are to be considered as the
transferable capital. Whereas the professional knowledge is the non-transfer-
able capital, i.e., the expert knowledge of medicine or of law is the
personal property of the possessor and this property cannot be transferred or
passed over to the next heir. This is called the individual acquirement of
property, and will pass away with the cessation of the active career of the
possessor. Besides this, in all professional knowledge we have the monopoly of
trade. The percentage of profit between the transferable capital and the non-transferable
capital must be different. In the case of the monopoly of trade, the percentage
of profit must be greater. Judging by previous discussions as to the various
aspects of capital, we are to know that the dead capital is not the only
capital in the world, but labour is another form of capital, so that, labour
and capital ultimately become convertible terms, and they are inter-dependent.
All that we might say is that any object or labour or effort when put into the
active state so as to enhance the wealth and bring on profit, is to be
considered as capital. When in the active stage it is called capital, when in
the sluggish state it is called wealth. The distinction between capital and
wealth is that capital is the productive aspect and wealth is the dormant or
sluggish state of the same object. So Labour and capital are corelative terms.
It must be noted here that we are speaking only of the organised effort
projected upon one particular point for the production of profit. This is then
to be considered as capital. But a desultory, unorganised effort or rambling of
thoughts, producing no action or benefit, is not to be considered as capital.
Every effort, every action must be organised and directed towards a particular
focus so as to bring on some future profit. All that we mean to say is that
national activity must be kept in some organised state with some clear object
in view so that national energy might be turned into capital, and profit might
accrue therefrom. Labour must be organised, otherwise it cannot be called
capital. It should be distinctly noted that wealth, when put into the active
state or in working order, will be termed capital, otherwise it will be
classed as wealth. For example, the wealth of a person is his health, but only
when the same healthy body is employed for the production of profit, it
becomes his capital. So also the expert knowledge of any particular subject is
to be called wealth in its dormant state and capital in its active state.
The whole of Asia must be organised and made
effective for the production of wealth. The more the nation can organise the
people on commercial basis, the more the nations become prosperous. In western
countries the nations are organised on commercial basis. In oriental countries
the nations are organised on religious basis. The western nations are
prosperous in material wealth. The oriental nations have some prominence in
spiritual matters. But the circumstances are now much altered. The old line of
organisation of the Oriental people will not stand long. The bread problem is
so keen that unless Oriental nations roused up and change their directions and
activities so as to organise their people on commercial principle the nations
will be starved out, and will come under subjection of the more organised
western people.
Now what is commodity?
Commodity means that which has an exchange value. In the ordinary state we find
matter in a disorganised condition. We attach no value to such mass of matter
and call it refuse or sweepings. But the national wealth and prosperity really
begins from this disorganised mass of matter. The one thing prominent to be
observed here is that matter by itself has no commercial value. But when
organisation or energy is applied to this mass of matter, it becomes wealth.
The human agency or human labour is to be considered a prominent factor in the
production of wealth. The once disorganised neglected mass of matter when
collected and shoveled off in some fixed place with the sole intention of
utilising the refuse matter for some future purpose then the valueless refuse
matter becomes commodity. Commodity comands exchange value. Now the owner or
posser of this refuse matter tries to find out some outlet where this refuse
matter might be utilised. And when any prospective benefit is decided upon or
sought after, it becomes the wealth of the owner; when actual transaction is
made and money is received for this wealth, it becomes capital. So that taking
the four stages we might say, the first stage is the disorganised matter having
no commercial value. With the help of organisation and human labour, the same
object becomes commodity, with prospective benefit, it becomes wealth, when
real transaction is made, it becomes capital. To put the question in a clear
language, we have the raw material or wealth, then the human labour to organise
the commodity, and on the top, the expert knowledge to ensure success and
prosperity of the concern. That the three function in any business concern must
have the share in the profit. For, without the help of any one factor, the
other two factors will be crippled. Commerce is a class of activity of the
mind, either individual or national, where organisation, co-ordination and
minute attention to details of each department should be recognised as
essential in order to bring an effective and direct benefit to the centre.
Utility, harmony and recognition of value and worth of small acts or factors
will ensure the success of the concern.
The greatest drawback in the line of
prosperity of the Asian races is that the major portion of matter is considered
as refuse and wasted objects. The defect lies in the training of the individual
and the national mind. The Asian people have not much training or incentive to
utilise the abundance of raw materials as commercial commodities. The system of
training should be thoroughly changed to bring the Oriental mind into the
commercial mode of thinking so as to use the waste matter and turn it into
capital. Apathy or the disorganised state of mind of the Asian people is the
chief cause of their backwardness and poverty. The Oriental nations should now
stand up and change their directions and activities so as to organise their
people on commercial principle. Unless the whole nation is organised on this line,
there will be no prosperity.
The Oriental people have vast materials which they
call waste matter or refuse. This waste matter, when put under control, will
turn out to be commodities or raw materials. These raw materials, when put
under proper human labour, would be changed into wealth, and when an outlet is
found out, it becomes capital. Under expert supervision, the Oriental people
can utilise the refuse or waste matter, and within a decade every object might
be turned into capital. The oriental nations could cease to talk too much upon
theology and the future world, and both men and women could turn their minds to
organisations for production of wealth. For want of this incentive, all the
Eastern nations except Japan are in a backward state. Taking the East and the
West, we might say that the western people have big organisation and are moving
in one specific line of action though they are lacking in raw materials. They
import raw materials from the oriental countries and turn them into capital. The
Eastern nations, though they are working hard and toiling all day long, yet for
want of organisation, are pushed down. Here comes the question of the big and
the small organisations. The Western nations represent the big organisation.
The Eastern nations represent the small organisations. Hence the Eastern
nations should direct their greater energy to the organisation for the production
of wealth. They are, however, to guard against monopoly. Every means must be devised to drive out the western aggression.
For in the name of pen and ledger, terrible havoc is done to the Asian nations.
The thinker of every Asian nation must devote his special time to find out
means how to protect his people against this silent invasion by foreigners.
The homocentric conception of society
must have its own standard. They must not imitate old fossil mode of thinking.
The old adage was that man lives not upon bread alone but also upon the words
of God. The present day motto retorts to this, that man can live not upon the
words of god but upon the bread alone. This is the glaring difference between
the old conception of society and the present day homocentric state of society.
Some accuse the social thinkers to be dry, cruel hearted persons, but it is
just the reverse. The heart of the social thinker bleeds at the sight of the
miseries of mankind, and without distinction of high or low as to birth and
status, he propounds his theory for the benefit of all. A social thinker is
the most philanthropic person in the society. Bread problem is the only vital
problem in the presentage. The plans that we chalked out and mapped out for the
regeneration here are not intended for any particular race or nation but for
the whole race—the races of Asia. The Asians must feel and appreciate that
they are of one family, and their prosperity and advancement are of common
interest to each other. So leaving all other avocations at the present juncture
let each and every youth-man and woman pin down their mind for the betterment
of their poverty striken, down hearted fellow citizen of Asia. Let them not
forget that the crying need of the present age is the food problem. If you
fail to solve that problem then everything will be frustrated.
Denunciation is not the way to uplift a
nation. Destruction is not the method to solve this problem. It is through the
constructive work that we would be able to hurdle across every difficulty.
Silently, steadily with full of zeal let us proceed for our salvation by our
own adamantine will. It is undaunted, all conquering will of being that create
every glorious deeds. Mental creation is the replica of outside manifestation.
Now let us come to the point of factory. It occupies a very important position
in moderm civilisation. It played a
good deal of hovoc in the human mental pshy- chosis. What is factory ? In one
word it is organised production. As the nations are now becoming industrial in
every sphere of life, the factory question should be first considered. Next to
factory problem, we have the problems of agriculture. In modern world these are
the two pivots upon which civilisation stand.
In the modem civilised state factory
performs an important function in the production of wealth. Now what is
factory is the question. By factory we mean any place where more than one
person meet for the production of capital and profit. According to an older
definition, it is a place where machinery work is carried on under the
supervision of manpower. But we like to make the definition a comprehensive one
so as to cover all the different classes and kinds of places where labour is
exchanged for money. Mere congregation of men in one place cannot form a
factory. For instance, a place of worship, where men do congregate having no
intention to make money is not to be called a factory. Neither a meeting place
for public affairs is to be called a factory. The combination and united effort
of men for earning profit under one direction is to be called a factory. The
combination and united effort of men for earning profit under one direction
is to be called a factory. But a profession or trade, where everyone is
individually struggling to make money for his individual benefit in an isolated
way, is not to be considered as factory. The congregation of men must unite their
efforts for one definite purpose, viz., to make moneys to enhance national wealth.
In Asian countries there are plenty of raw
materials of various kinds. The labouring hands are intelligent and sober.
There is still a little capital in the country which might be utilised for the
production of wealth. But there is one main defect— it is the want of
organisation. Once we are organised everything will be prosperous. At present
duty of every Asian thinkers should, for sometime, talk less about theological
controversies and pay much attention to the bread problem. The Asian trading
class, .specially the intelligent class, should combine to open factories in
the localities or in some special centres where raw materials might be easily
turned into manu factured articles. If the operatives and the managing
hands can stand on equal footing with less amount of money-capital, the factory
would be in a running condition. For work in combination and trust in each
other will bring much credit; and the small capital will flow into it as the
investors of dead capital will find it a safe means and will invest their
capital. The Asian countries have raw materials and man-power. So if the Asian
nations can study organisation and co-operation, by the next thirty years the
Asian races will not only be abreast of them but will go ahead of them. For the
Asian working hands are sober, patient and hard-working. But organisation cannot
come into effect by a stroke of pen. To develop this faculty in a nation, it
requires diligence, patience and study. The inferiority of the Asian labourer
is a false doctrine made by artificial means and not by the strength of
competition in the open market. In factory the whole amount of work should be
divided into various sections. In every section there will be one expert hand
who will direct the whole operation.
The one defect in the
Asian concern is that the boss and his relations make too much
interference with the sectional heads. But it must be understood that when a
work is entrusted to a person, the boss and his relatives practically cease to
be the proprietor of the concern. The manager and the agents become the owner.
To make the work a successful one, their judgment is final. It is for this
reason the Asian concern fails, as the boss or his relatives are very
interfering. Business is business, and no sentiment, favouritism, religious
scruples or things like these should be tolerated. Business should be studied
by itself and must be a distinct branch of human activity. Besides the raw
materials which will be turned into finished articles, the by-products should
be utilised for the benefit of the concerns. In the western countries the
by-products actually maintain, to a great extent, the main production costs in
the factory. This is a subject to be thoroughly studied. Now-a-days as there
is much complication in production, chemistry and other scientific knowledge
should be applied so that the waste materials might be utilised. The chemical
experts have recently been playing a big part in every factory work. Every
scrap of wasted materials must be utilised for the benefit of the nations. In
factory two classes of articles should be manufactured, one for the requirement
of the nation and the other for the export. First, we should study the national
temperament and requirements of our own people, and manufacture the articles
of that standard. The prices must always be less than that of the foreign
imported articles so that in a few years the foreign goods might be excluded
and the national wealth might not flow into the foreign country. We do not mean
the total exclusion of foreign goods, for that will bring on political complication.
What we mean to say is that the major portion of the national requirements must
be supplied by the nation itself. One section is consumed for making articles
of internal use and the other section is meant for barter system.
Foreign capital must be excluded from the country, so
also foreign labour should be excluded as far as possible. As regards the
hiring or engaging of expert hands, the question stands on a different footing.
In any country where any business and educational concerns are to be found,
foreign experts should be taken in for certain years, on condition of training
up the youths in some particular branch of knowledge; and when the youths are
trained to take up the responsibility, the foreign expert should be removed
with sufficient remuneration. In selecting the foreign experts, people of
different countries should be consulted so that one class of people might not
get any prominence, nor they might get the national secrets. It is a case of
national safety and not of philanthropy. The question now comes in about
protection and bounty. To stand against the non- Asian aggression in the field
of commerce, the Asian States should use the bounty to develop the national
industries. In any new concern under state protection, when necessary,
sufficient bounty at a reasonable rate of interest should be advanced to the
new industry within a fixed period, say five to ten years After that period,
the concern must pay back the money by instalments as well as a small rate of
interest. For it is not a benevolent institution for which money is given as a
free-gift. Commerce is commerce, and requires reciprocation. The state, to
insure the success of the concern, will, in the beginning, advance some amount
to give facility to the concern to sell articles in the national markets as
well as to sell or introduce the goods into foreign markets. The various drawbacks
in the first attempt in any concern should be protected by state bounty. And
when the concern is able to stand on its own legs, the advanced money should be
returned to the state by instalments and with interest. Bounty never means a
free-gift, but an advance or loan under a special condition and protection. The
other aspect of the question is protective tariff. Now protective tariff will
be laid on foreign goods or imported articles so that the indigenous goods may
compete in the national markets. The revenue that is derived from the
protective tariff on foreign goods be kept as a reserve fund, out of which the
bounty should be paid. This fund for paying bounties should be raised from the
protective duties on foreign goods and not from the taxes, from the land
revenue or from any other items. Asian countries have no concern with
the theory of free trade. It is quite a misnomer and non-applicable theory in
Asian countries.
Bounty and protection must be the motto of
every Asian State.What we mean is that every country in Asia must be
self-sufficient to meet the requirements of the people. The different classes
of articles that one required as necessaries of life must be produced in the
country itself. Only those articles which cannot be produced in the country
should be imported. Despondency and lethargy cannot build up a nation. The
youth must be determined, cool-headed and energetic that a nation might thrive.
It is a pitiable thing that Asian raw materials are sent back to Asia as manufactured
articles with much enhanced prices. Foreign trade is absolutely necessary to
develop a nation. By foreign trade we mean the Asians should not be the buyers
from the foreign countries, but the sellers to the foreign countries. All
nations who have become prosperous in commerce have studied these facts, and
so they have arranged their activities to sell their manufactured goods in
foreign countries according to their requirements. Old Asia should be turned
into a big factory with various divisions and sub-divi
sions so that the Asian countries
might be self-sufficient and might be able to supply their own needs. Old Asia
is suffering from impotency due to ancient civilisation and culture with
ancient ideas, conditions and social life, and is persistently overlooking new
conditions and ideas which are cropping up and getting into prominence in
non-Asian countries. The Asian nations ought to imbibe and take in new social
conditions and ideas in a modified form, keeping up the basic conditions of
ancient civilisation. It is wrong to take in verbatim the non-Asian thoughts
and ideas and to infuse them into Asian countries. It is equally wrong to debar
the new ideas and conditions which are suitable to the present time. What we
mean is, by the exchange of thoughts with different countries and adopting the
salient thoughts with new improvements, the Asian races might thrive on and
prosper. A new life, spirit and enthusiasm should be infused and stirred up in
the old races in order that they might fight out the social battle in a more
vigorous way.
The Asian races are a nation of agricultural
people. In the ancient world we find three classes of races—the shepherds, the
carriers and the cultivators. The shepherds were nomadic people, roamed in different
fields or pastures and hunted wild beasts for food. They turned out to be
nomadic people and later established fixed domains by subjugating less powerful
tribes or people. This is how the big empires of the ancient world were
founded.
Next come the carrier people. These
people settled down in a less fertile soil and had recourse to carrying goods
from one country to another and made a little profit thereby. Cultivation and
flock grazing become minor points to them.
The third race in the category are the
cultivators. These people settled down in fertile soils, took up the profession
of tilling soil and thereby made out a living. These three original types of
men are now mixed up in one race. That is why in the same people we find one
section shepherd, another section carrier, and the other section, cultivator.
In this chapter we are to deal with the agricultural aspect of the society.
In the present state of Asia, the majority of people
are agriculturists. In all over Asia the agriculture is carried on in a
stereotyped pattern. Besides, the quality of the produce is much deteriorated.
The ordinary wheat is of smaller size than the same in other countries. In Asia
we have the old class of ploughs. The old plough is fit for small holdings.
Every field proprietor must have his own ploughs and cattle. So that in one
village there are about twenty five ploughs and double that number of cattle.
The total costs become greater in proportion to the produce of crops. The manpower
is also unnecessarily used up. But if, by co-operative system, tractors or
similar improved implements be employed and all the fields be brought under one
trust, the expenses of production might considerably be less. As the subject
itself deserve special attention so we left it at present for future
discussion. Our main point is this that the whole structure of Agriculture problem
should be remodeled and recast so as to suit the present circumstances and
needs of the people. Scientific method will be introduced to utilise soil for
the better harvest and crops. Also manure problem is vital one. Foreign seeds
and new methods of cultivation of advanced countries should be introduced in
Asian countries. Our point is this that every Asian country must thrive well
and must be prosperous. It is for the Asian youths to consider the subject with
a view to the advancement of their respective countries and of Asia generally.
No Asian race should remain slumbering
or indolent or think of the fancied world where everything will be in peace and
happiness. The world is a big battle field, and every one must struggle to get
the upper hand and victory in this life. As the struggle is for every
individual, so it is for every nation. The old theory of fancied world is to be
totally rejected. The world is a desert of dry sand through which the intended
travellers must pass on even in scorching sun without any drop of water. The
convenience of every individual nation should be first looked after and then
the convenience of other. Every Asian nation and thinker must think out and
ponder over it, first for its own country and then for the betterment of the
whole of Asia. Mere theological brotherhood is no argument in this commercial
age. This is how the whole of Asia might be fermented, and the heart will throb
with the spirit of enthusiasm for doing mighty works for the nation.
The language question is a great pro
blem. At present, English is widely
known in different parts of Asia. English language should be the language of
communication with all the different races of Asia. This is a make-shift
device for the present time; and unless one Asian language is developed to
replace the English language, we are to submit to this foreign non-Asian
language only for convenience sake for a period only. This is a mere temporary
suggestion. But when any Asian language is properly developed, the other Asian
races will adopt it as an extra-territorial communication. For language
problem is a great problem for the development of a nation. All the Asian
thinkers should pay much attention to this Asian federation. Federation of
Asian races might be slowly developed through common system of language and
conversation in common language. This is how the Asian races might rise up.
What we mean to say that new Asia, new spirit, new enthusiasm, new mode of
administration, new social order and new up lifting thought should permeate
through the breast of every Asian, both boy and girl, that the future Asia
might be a powerful united family of united races.
Now, all over, Asia, laws are based on ecclesiastical
principle. Laws are formulate for the benefit of the theologians who. are
prominent factors in all societies. All over Asia, the same principle and
tendency are to be observed. These ancient laws are called the theocratic laws,
where divinity is considered as the main-centre, and social movements and
advancement of the people are minor points. Now the whole condition and the
tendency of the people are changed and are advancing towards a different goal.
It is called the homocentric aspect of society. Everything must be for the
benefit of the people and not for the benefit of the theologians. The old
ecclesiastical laws are a clog, a hindrance to the progress and the advancement
of the nation. The theocentric aspect should be a minor point in society.
Social advancement, social benefit and social convenience of the people should
be the main line on which homocentric laws should be based. This is an earnest
question which will much facilitate the advancement of the nation; for
theocentric laws are not consistent with the present tendencies of the people.
Neither they give free scope for the development of an individual or of a
nation. So the old system of
theocentric laws should be modified, and homocentric laws should be introduced
to suit the condition of the people.
To develop a nation into the various
spheres of activities, we are to begin reformation from the very bottom or
lowest stratum of society. But most of the social thinkers begin their ideas of
reformation from the top or the head portion of the society. The other aspect
of reforming and remodelling of a state from the top layer is that though the
mode of administration is changed in theory and in paper, the mass of the
people-toilers and trudging men who live in villages—are ignorant of the
modifications. Even if the entire system of administration is changed, the
trudging men of the village remain quite ignorant of the reformation. To remedy
this evil, the reformation or the growth of a nation must begin from the very
bottom. The toilers and the woman should be first taken care of than the other
appendages of the society, for they are the very foundations of any society.
Now-a-days people are political minded. They are
getting keen interest about their own wellbeing. So our first and foremost
object will be to give proper, scientific administrative training and
commercial education from the bottom. Every village or a cluster of villages
is to be taken as a group in which the republican or democratic ideas of
society and administration should be introduced. This should be a miniature republic
in all its phases. In electing the council members, men of ability, integrity
and trust should be selected. High ranking saintly people and lower debasing
class of people should not be allowed to interfear with the administrative
work. Both the classes of people are unfit to work administration smoothly.
People, even from the cultivators and the field-toilers, should get a chance to
represent their own class in the council chamber of the miniature village
parliament. Majority and minority question, theological question or question
of party should be totally abjured as these are detrimental tothe growth of a
nation. Free election on merit should be the motto. No question of birth or
superiority of wealth should be taken into consideration, what we mean is,
thorough democratic or republican principle on the rights of every individual
should be followed out. In this election women will get a place equal to men in
the management of the village affairs. The village women should be brought into
the forefront and be prominent in the administration and in the village
circle, as the growth of republic will be much hampered by the limping and
trudging principle of excluding women and landless people from election. All
the necessities, short comings and tendencies for improvements should be
discussed, and ways should be devised for remedying them by the circle council.
This is how the fructuous first seed of a republic, is to be planted in small
villages. Boys and girls, adult men and woman will breath a spirit of freedom
and liberty in every sphere of life. They must know, understand and appreciate
that they are free-born people and that the village property is their common heritage
which nobody can deprive them of. Self-assertion and self-expansion in spirit,
in idea and in action should be impressed on them that they might stand up as
heroes of the nation. But the cringing, slavish and submissive ideas of the
past age should be eliminated from them. New life, new vigour, new conception
of social ad-ministration, liberty and freedom should be the mottoes of the
village electors. This is the age for the toilers and the women and not of
autocrats or plutocrats or theocrats.
From the village circle or from a number of village
circles, the sub-division will be a republic by itself. All the beneficent
works of the sub-division should be done by the elected heads of the locality
in a regular republican form of administration. , and the girls should be
imbued with the most democratic spirit of society. From the sub-division the
district will be taken into consideration. The whole district should be a
thorough republic or what is called—a town State, a city State, or a town
republic as was in Greece. Here it is to be considered as a district republic.
The district council is not only to look after roads, canals, irrigation,
sanitation, drinking water, education and hospital, but must devise ways and
means to develop the industries. For without industries and the employment of
the people who are out of work, a district cannot thrive well. In the district
republic there should be banks, chamber of commerce, chamber of industry and
also factories. Both organised and cottage indus
tries should be developed that the
district republic might be a complete by itself. Freedom, liberty and equality
to all should be the motto. Men and women should stand on an equal footing in
district works.
A number of these district republics will
form a province, and the provincial Government will be a republic for the province
with one permanent elected member known as the provincial administrator or
chief executive of the province. The executive function should be left to the
permanent officials, but the administrative function should be in the hands
of elected members. In other words, the executive should be subordinate to the
elected representatives. From this provincial republics will come the State,
where a number of provincial republics will meet together to devise means for
the entire State or country. Here provincialism or local interest must stop,
only national interest as to internal affairs and affairs of the foreign
nations should be the main subject or topic. Provincial or district affairs should
be left to the respective republics. Only internal affairs and affairs of
foreign nations should be the subject of the united republic of provinces. It
is thus, from the very lowest stratum, the whole country might be remodelled
and changed as a thorough-going republic without interference with the interest
of any other. This idea of republican spirit should be introduced and enforced
in every Asian State.
The plans of regeneration that are talked
here are not only intended for one particular i-ace or a nation but for the
whole race—the races of Asia. This is how the democratic or republican form of
administration should be introduced in all the Asian races so that the
down-trodden Asians might rise in eminence. The non-Asian Parliaments and institutions
are too old and unwieldy and incongruous for this present age and not suitable
for the Asian genius. This is a form of plutocratic establishment. It will be a
failure in any Asian country. The old cumbrous non-Asian parliaments should be
rejected as they are not suitable to the Asiatic soil.
On the National State or Council there will be no
party question, but the national advancement should be the motto. The national
party should be the only party and there should no factious bodies to bring on
dissension and jarring notes on the administration. Party question and
opposition members are not suitable to the Asian genius. National question and
not party question should be motto of every elected member. Every person must
know his status in society and in administration. Asia needs social thinkers.
The federation of Asian social thinkers is necessary to infuse a new spirit of
advancement into the hearts of Asian youths, both men and women. These federation
are necessary to bring on unity, solidarity and affinity amongst Asian races
in order that the combined efforts are made for the development of their own
countries and the whole of Asia. This will form a solid Asian family equipped
with all the equipments of the modern scientific advancement. This will change
the whole mental sphere of the Asian people and nation and make them into a
solid compact mass with new spirit, new culture and new civilisation. Glory be
the day when this federation will come into effect. Glory be to the men and
women who will turn their minds to form the federation of the Asian people.
Federation in politics, federation in education, federation in social laws and
custom,
federation in roads and
communication, federation in commerce and industry, federation in women upliftment,
federation in journalists in all the countries and federation in mental
psychosis.
Now the
question is who will lead the Asian nations ? This prominence of leadership
depends much upon the easy solution of the food problem and abundance of raw
materials as well as the numerical strength of the nation. For where there are
scarcity of food and less numerical strength, that country has to struggle much
to procure . food and cannot make a rapid stride in the * advancement. A few isolated thinkers might crop up
in some country, but the national thought of the country is bigger. New China,
India and central Asia have abundance of raw materials and foodstuffs and men.
In central Asia the food problem in pretty much solved, so that thoughtful men
get time to ponder over the problems of life. So the new Asian civilisation in
future will be furthered and advanced by the combined efforts of
China, India and Central Asia. The other nations of Asia will contribute much to shape and advance the future
Asian culture and civilisations as to make a new advancement in the line of
culture. We do not depreciate any Asian nations for intelligence and
enterprises, but are prone to think that the three countries named above,
having numerical strength and abundance of raw materials, will take the lead in
forming the new civilisation of Asia. Happy be the day, happy be the men when
the Asian Federation will come to success. Peace and good-will unto all the
Asian races.
RIGHTS OF MANKIND
BY SRI MOHENDRA NATH DUTTA
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
While bringing
out the original works of Sri Mohendranath Dutta we have been circulating from
time to time typed materials, printed sheets and brochures with a view to
propagating the social aphorisms as deliverd by Sri. Dutta since the year 1947.
Iti this booklet,
which is now being published by us, we have collected together all the social
aphorisms as stated above. Besides these, we have
included the following : —
(a)
Extracts
from the author’s original works dealing with social and economic matters.
(b)
Short
notes delivered by the author, so far remaining unpublished, in which he has
given his suggestions about town planning and various nation- building
projects.
(c)
Similar
notes dealing with temples and universities in which the author, reiterating
his views on these subjects, has given us some new suggestions on the reformation
of temples, universities and educational affairs.
The contents may
be referred to for detailed information regarding the above aphorisms and etc.
We express here our
gratitude to Sri Nirmal Chandra Guha for rendering monetary help in the
publication of this booklet.
Lastly, we hope this
booklet will have a special appeal to those, who, with devotion and courage,
arc making great efforts to introduce a new order in our social and economic
life.
CONTENT
1. Women and Nation(First circulatcd in Sept., 1954
2. Women and Employment ( First circulated in April, 1954 )
3. Temple and Taxation ( From lectures delivered on 28th Feb., 1955 )
4. Universities in Bengal ( From notes delivered on 28th Feb., 1955 )
5. Research Universities for Women ( From notes delivered on 28th Feb., 1955 )
6. Temple and University ( From notes delivered on 30th Sept., 195-1
7. Reorganisation of University and Education (First circulated in Sept., 1954 )
8. Remaking of Nature ( First circulated in Nov., I958 )
9.Some Aspects of Planning ( From notes delivered on 6th Nov., 1954 )
10. Social Service by Students and Teachers ( From 'Nation )
11.Names
of Boys aud Girls ( From ‘Nation )
12.Compulsory
Military Traiuing(
From Temples & Religious Endowments' )
13.Chambers of
Commerce &Chambers of
Industry (
From
'’National Wealth' )
14.State mid
Private Enterprises (
From ‘National Wealth' )
15.Machine
Power and Handicraft ( From
'National Weaith' )
16.Women
and Wealth(
From ‘National Wealth' )
17.Bhadra-Vesman
18.History aud
Calendar ( From ‘New Asia )
19.Weight and
Measure( From ‘National
Wealth )
20.Floating
Jetties and Canals(
From notes delivered, on 17th May, 1955
)
21.City of
Calcutta( From notes
delivered on 21st May, 1955 )
22.Formation of
Universities( From lectures
delivered in June, 1955 )
23.Rights of
Mankind( First circulated in
1947
)
WOMEN AND NATION
To improve and
uplift a nation, the women should come to the forefront in every sphere of
activity. Besides the other lines of action, the editorial profession should be
insisted on. A daily or weekly newspaper should be started by women toilers (
The name of the paper should be “Nari-Abhyudaya”). From the editor-in-chief
down to the compositor, all will be women. Social improvement of women will be
the main topics of writing. Religious controversies should be a minor point in
social life. The press staff will be composed of the Hindu, Mohamedan and
Christian women. The whole aim will be how to improve the status of women in
oriental countries. The topics will be above religion but purely socialistic.
In case of
editorial aberrations the offence should not be handled by police-magistrates.
The Court of Editors will judge the offence. The punishment will be the
suspension of the paper from three to six issues. Every province should have a
Court of Editors. Ii in, not a criminal offence hut difference of opinioim.
In case
of academicals discrepancy Court of Senate will try
the case. The dignity of
the students
must he maintained in every way. The police or
the police magistrate must not be called in to check down
discrepancies.
The Senate should
be composed of members, half of which should be women. As the women students
are fast increasing, the members of Senate will be women by half the number.
Women professors and lecturers should be encouraged. The University examiners
will be women by half the number. The nation must have a bold front. The women
will be put into the forefront in every sphere of activity.
WOMEN AND EMPLOYMENT
1.
In
the Hoard of Controlment of Temples half the number of members will be women.
It is their own right ; the women contribute largely to the building and upkeep
of temples. ( Vide “Temples and Religious Endowments” )
2.
In
the University Senate or Board half the members will be women, as the women
students are fast increasing.
3.
In
the Research laboratories the women scholars should be largely employed. By
their patience and perseverance they out vie the male scholars.
4.
In
Medical departments separate classes
should
be arranged for women students to improve the treatment of special female
diseases. In the hospitals women should be largely employed as doctors and
nurses.
5.
In
Accounts Departments and Message Departments viz., Post and Telegraph offices,
women should be largely employed. No restriction is to be made for academicals
certificates.
6.
Women
should be employed as editors ; and services in the Press and newspapers should
be separately reserved for women. In the general clerical staff women should be
largely employed. No distinction is to be made for religion.
7.
For
teachers in the infant classes for boys and girls, women coaches are to be employed.
In Legislature the members will be women as far as possible. In all public
services women should be largely employed. For juvenile offences women judges
are apt. to shrewdly decide the cases.
8.
In
railway trains women attendants are necessary specially for female travellers.
9.
For
employing women in offices, a departmental examination is to be held. The
examination should be easy and smooth so that women candidates might
increasingly enter into offices.
10.
Painting,
Photography, Dancing and Music classes are to be arranged for girls. The
poverty of the nation, partially, might be solved if women are allowed to earn
their own livings.
11.
Women and toilers will lead the nation.
TEMPLE AND TAXATION
Temple
is an endowed property maintained by public contributions. Thus it may come
under zemindary laws. Or the temple might be called a factory or shop. By
factory is meant any place where more than one person meet for earning money. As factory or shop,
the temples might be classified as big or small properties ; and taxes should
be levied on them according to this classification.
The
temple and their zemindary properties, coming under zemindary system, should be
assessed according to the new zemindary laws.
As
a factory or a shop or as an endowed property, the temple is used as a catering
shop where food is sold for cash payment. It is not a hotel in the ordinary
sense, where any person can buy food ; nor it is a pension house where only
club members can get their food. It is a catering shop where cooked food is
sold to limited persons. It is an Octroi house where rules of admittance are
arbitrary ; and visitors are taxed with cash payment. Mostly every visitor has
to pay something for the contribution towards these establishments. As they are
maintained by public contributions, they come under the heading of public
property ( State property ). Being public properties, their supervising agent
must be the state authorities.
Temples
are often used as private loan offices where money transactions are made
without paying anything to the state out of the profits of these transactions.
Sometimes a temple becomes a gambling place.
To
check such aberrations as above, it is necessary to appoint the following
boards for temples and religious endowments :
(1)
Board
of Controllers
(2)
Board
of Auditors
(3)
Board
of Utility
(4)
Board
of Taxation
The
Board of Controllers will supervise and regulate the work of the temples and of
the trustees of the endowed properties.
The Board of
Auditors will keep a record of the exact amount of the incomes. Every chamber
of the Deity should be allotted to some person who will pay the rent in advance
for the whole year, as it is done in Upper India where they are called the
Lessees of the Temple.
The Board of
Utility should have the authority to decide as to whether any new expenditure
is necessary or not. They will have the power of supervising the personal
expenditure of the temple personnel and the trustees.
Lastly, the Board
of Taxation. Eighty-five per cent of the incomes might be taken away by way of
taxation.
Each of the above
boards should consist of half female and half male members. The president, male
or female, will be elected by the members themselves.
The entire funds
acquired from temples and endowed properties by taxation, etc. will be used to
meet educational expenses of the country. In some parts of India if the whole
of the hoarded wealth of the temples are acquired, it would be quite sufficient
to maintain a University.
I do not like to
extinguish the temples. They must continue and remain as a running business.
The other sources
of income which might be utilised for education are court fees and stamp
duties. Instead of expending them in other items, they should be allotted to
the Education Department.
Another source of
income for education is the Excise Duty on alcohol and etc. It should be
entirely used for educational purposes. Grandfather who might be used to
alcohol or narcotic drugs is to pay heavy taxes that his grandsons might get
cheap education.
For supporting
Education the three items are :
1.
Temple
taxes
2.
Court
fee and revenue stamps
3.
Excise
Duties on alcohols, denatured spirits, tobacco etc.
Income from the
above three sources should make a fund of more than fifty crores a year. This
should be used to foot the bill of education.
Temples or
endowed properties should not be considered as personal or private properties.
They are state properties, and as such should come under the state authorities.
The endowed properties which come under the zemindary system should be utilised
by the boards of control as mentioned above ; and their incomes should be used
to develop education and scientific researches. The extra rooms and apartments
(other than those actually occupied by the deity ) might be used for
shelterless people in case of emergency. The number of temple attendants will
be six or eight but not more than that.
The Government
should adopt the strictest methods with regard to the taxation of temples and
religious endowments.
Memorial
fooleries must be stopped. Funds raised for memorials should be used in philanthropic
work, or they should be handed over to the Universities for educational or
research -purposes in order to memorise the deceased .persons.
UNIVERSITIES IN BENGAL
It is becoming
now impossible for one university to supervise and control the whole
educational affairs of the province of Bengal. To do the work properly, several
universities should be established in Bengal. Besides the existing ones in
Calcutta, Hijli and Bolepur, others should be organised in different parts of
Bengal. Universities might be started at Nabadwip, Kalyani, Belur and
Tarakeswar.
The Belur
University will be divided into two sections. One should be known as Temple
department and the other as Education department. But in their own lines the
two sections, Temple and Education, will be independent in their growth and
development.
Imparting
industrial education should be the primary duty of the Universities. Earning
while learning should be the motto. Every student must earn something to pay up
his boarding and tuition expenses. Regular factory work or any other means of
earning certain money should be introduced so that, after the educational
period, the boys might come back with small funds to enable them to start small
workshops and etc. If they have some practical training, the young men will be
able to start a commercial career. Electricity and Chemistry should be the main
subjects of their study.
Theoretical
discourses of speculative standard should be avoided. The college will be a
training ground for future practical businessmen. Do not waste the life of a
young man by leaching him fancied ideas.
Subjects like
Medicine, Law, Engineering ( civil as well as electrical and mechanical ), Fine
Arts, including statuary, architecture, sculpture, painting and music, should
be free from the University control. Passing the elementary examinations, or
say the departmental certificate?, will be deemed sufficient for practicing
Law, Medicine, and so forth. The school or college life should be for practical
researches and not for fancied theoretical learning. Every minute of a young
man should be utilised for his future career.
RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES FOR WOMEN
Easy English and
vernacular should be the mediums of education. Elementary examination would
entitle a young woman to enter the research institutions. But the education
will be mainly on research line. Three years’ course should be sufficient to
study a subject.
The existing girl
colleges should be remodelled to organise and start research laboratories
under the women University. The women University should be separated from the
boys’ University. Apart from the course of boy students, a different mode of
study should be adopted in the case of girl students.
TEMPLE AND UNIVERSITY
1.
Universities
are to be formed at Kalyani,. Nabadwip, Tarakeswar and Belur.
2.
Universities
are for the benefit of the nation and not for thwarting its progress. Besides
ordinary universities, there should be universities for research.
3.
Expenses
of education and researches- should be met from the court fees and revenue
stamps, excise duties on alcohols, denatured spirits, tobacco, opium etc., and
taxes on temples and religious endowments.
4.
Eighty
five per cent of the temple incomes should be taken away by taxation. Small
temples- may get Rs. 50 - to Rs. 300/- per month for their expenses. The big
temples should get for their maintenance Rs. 5000/- per annum. Maximum number
of temple attendants should be six.
5.
Temple
wealth should be utilised for education and research works. Temple is a
religious shop. It may be called a sort of zemindary ; it is a catering house
where cooked food is served for money. Temple is also an octroi office. It is
a private loan office. Although it cannot be called a hotel or club, it is
often used as a sort of pension club, and in many cases it is found to be a
gambling den.
6.
The
old idea of priestly benefit should not be tolerated. To regulate temples and
religious endowments, there should be (1) Board of Control (2) Board of
Auditors (3) Board of Taxation (4) Board of Utility. Half the number of members
in these Boards should be women as the women do contribute a greater sum for
the upkeep of temples.
7.Another point that may be suggested here is that a Research university is to
be established for women. For their diligence and perseverance the girl
students are sure to turn out to be very successful research scholars. Their
admission should be made easy. The girl students should be admitted to research
work on passing the elementary examination on the special subject of their
research. Instead of charging any fees, small remunerations from the general
fund should be paid to these students so that they might meet part of their
expenses.
8.
Even
small temples should be used as research laboratories for women. The excess
rooms and apartments, other than those actually used for the deities, should be
utilised as re- -search laboratories and educational institutions.
9.
In
North Calcutta some of the houses of the Tagore family, Bethune College, school
buildings near the Hedua Park ( Azad Hind Bag ) and similar other buildings may
be requisitioned for setting up women’s research laboratories.
10.
Temple
in the one end and universities in the other end, all these institutions must
be remodelled and changed to suit the present need of the nation.
11.
The
aim of education is for the benefit of the nation and not the examination on
foreign ideas and foreign books
REORGANISATION OF
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATION
1.
Medicine,
Law and Engineering ( Mechanical ) should be free from University entanglements.
2.
Examinations
relating to different professional lines as well as fine arts should be kept
free from University control.
3.
Mechanical
Engineering, Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, Painting and so forth should
get equal status in education ; and they must be free from University
controversies,
4.
General
proficiency will be tested, and nobody should thwart the students’ ambition.
5.
Women
candidates will get more preference to male candidates.
6.
Eighty-five
per cent of the candidates should be allowed to pass. This should be taken as
the normal standard of progress in our educational institutions.
7.
The
general language of the students will be English and Bengali .
8.
Music
should be included in the curriculum.
9.
Facilities
for researches should be greatly increased ; and admission of scholars ( both
men and women ) should be made easy.
10.
There
is another sort of examination called the American Postal Examination; this may
be introduced and developed after due consideration and deliberation.
11.
Academical
offences should not be handled by the police. This debases the nation. The
Board of Academy should decide the cases.
REMAKING OF NATURE
(A)
In
India every memorial building should be turned into a Research laboratory for
men and women. The C. R. Das Memorial at Darjeeling should be turned into a
women’s Research Laboratory.
(B)
Every
Zoological garden should be turned into a Research laboratory. This will
greatly facilitate the researches on Zoology.
We are giving
here some suggestions as to the line of activity and researches that may be
carried out in the field of Zoology and allied subjects : —
(i)
As
monkey’s nerve injected on human frame has altogether changed the system, so
human gland if infused in the system of Chimpanzee or Orang-outang will change
the nature of the animal. This experiment should also be attempted on monkeys
and other animals.
(ii)
Experiments
on cross breeding of birds should be made for the improvement of game birds,
viz. pheasant, Chittagong hen, turkey or Peru, and other edible birds.
(iii)
Birds
from various countries should be settled in the forests of India for
naturalization. Special acts should be introduced to preserve the bird life.
(iv)
Tube
breeding of animals should be largely fostered. Every Sub-division or police
station should have a breeding camp for cows and goats, This will greatly
improve our cattle wealth
(v)
As
decoction of coffee ( known as coffee noyau or liquor coffee ) and extracts of
Chirata and Goloncha are made, so the leaves of tea which are now treated as
waste products should be utilized for our benefit. By chemical process the
decoction of the leaves should be made into liquid tea.
(vi)
Generally,
engrafting is done by putting a plant or its branch into the body of the other
plant, but experiments should be made to engraft the nerve, bark or skin, or
serum of the plant into another entity so that a new sort of fruit or flower
might be made. Fruit and flower cultivation of varieties should be attempted
for the improvement of our wealth.
(vii)
To
improve the agricultural seeds of the country, Sutton system of seed
improvement should be adopted ;'and also Burbank system of fruit and flower
improvement should be adopted. Many of the fruits are to be made seedless and
of bigger size.
SOME ASPECTS OF PLANNING
1.
Citizenship
to alien traders should be restricted.
2.
Alien
labourers should be excluded by all means.
3
Alien merchants may be allowed to carry on business.
4.
Alien
preachers should be excluded.
5.
Along
with the development of our internal roads and communications we should
immediately
plan to develop the whole Asian land mass with roads and railways and the
modern message system.
6.
The
above foreign communications will greatly help to develop the Asian Federation.
7.
More
attention is to be paid to navigation by means of rivers and canals. The
number of
agricultural canals should be increased.
8.
Along
with the power-driven light watercrafts the country boats should be
maintained.
9.
Canals
should have tow-paths so that the horse-towing system may be introduced and
developed.
10.
Commercial
aeroplanes should be introduced for the transit of light goods.
11.
The
Railway stations and buildings and state buildings in the frontier zone should
be after military pattern.
12.
The
natural barriers existing in the frontier of any country should be maintained.
13.
We
should try to encourage the lower class.
14.
We
must not debase any national.
15.
Civil
marriages of all kinds should be encouraged.
16.
Inter-caste
and inter-provincial marriages should be encouraged.
17.
Natural
sons will get a status in society.
18.
The
fallen women will be given employment in workshops and other suitable places.
19.
The
women workers should get maternity leaves and other special treatments.
20.
Prisons
should be turned into workshops with full advantage of factories.
21.
Ex-convicts
should be taken back to society and they must have employments.
22.
Death
by hanging or capital punishment should be abolished as it is too barbarous.
23.
Every
citizen is a free man.
24.
Let
the women take lead in everything.
SOCIAL
SERVICE BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
*
* * the malarial districts should be divided into several circles with the
village schools as centres. These sub-divisions should be known as school
circles.
The boys and the
teachers on Sundays and other holidays will volunteer to disinfect one after
another the villages within the circle with a syringe made of metal or of
bamboo as the convenience might appear, to sprinkle the liquid germicide in all
the mosquito infected places. The spray will destroy the germs of mosquito and
other vermins. * * * In two seasons of the year,
lasting for two months, the disinfecting brigades will work so that within
three or four years the malarial pestilence will be extinct. * * * As for the
remuneration of the boys and the teachers, they shall get early breakfast and
mid-day meal and something as cash remuneration for their labour. * * *
(
Nation,
pp 30 and 31) /
NAMES OF BOYS AND GIRLS
It
is very often found that effeminate epithets and slavish cringing terms are
kept up with the names of boys and girls. The names signify craving for mercy
or to be submissive or docile to others. Even feminine names are given to boys.
This brings on effeminacy and depressed ideas in the minds of boys and girls.
Martial
names, names expressing vigour, all-conquering spirit and adamantine will as to
go ahead of other nations should be given to boys and girls. Such names should
be given to boys and girls as to pervade the whole atmosphere of society with
vigour, courage and self-assertive ideas. The morbid gloomy ideas must be
effaced ; and vigour of life and a bold assertive will must be infused in the
boys and girls. * * *
(
Nation, p 26 )/
COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING
**
* Military training must be made compulsory for boys and girls. In schools and
colleges the class sitting will be five days in the week. Saturday will be
devoted to military training, and Sunday will he utilised for village reconstruction
and sanitation or social service.
The boys and
girls should be trained to military movements from their early days. Only
musketry should be taught for a short time, say three months, so that the
nation might get a powerful army at a beacon’s call. And when the boys or the
girls attain the age of say twenty-three years, they should be put into the regular
army for two years. * * *
( Temples and Religious Endowmettt,
pp 8 and 9 )
CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE AND
CHAMBERS OF INDUSTRY
#
*
* ‘Go ahead, knock down all barriers and become triumphant in the enterprise’
should be the motto of every Asian race. No weeping, no sobbing, no cry for
mercy in the commercial life. Patriotism and sentimentalism will not always
bring the desired result. Commerce is a stern reality and must bring out
utility and real profit to the merchant. * * *
To develop the
international trade of any Asian country, say of Egypt, Persia, China or of any
other part of Asia, it is necessary that a country should be divided into
several sections on trade basis, i.e., the whole country should be first
divided into a number of commercial centres with one principal centre as the
basis. It is not necessary that the capital town will be the centre of
commerce, but any other centre which has the convenience of railway
communication, and of navigation, say by the rivers or seas, might be the
centre of commerce from which goods might be sent out to and in which they
might be received from all the different parts of the country. Under this main
centre the country should be divided into provinces on the basis of commerce
and industry, and the provinces should be divided into districts and
sub-districts and so on till the village or village circles are reached. So
that from the main centre down to village centres, there will be direct
communications.
In every division
or sub-division there will be one Chamber of Commerce and another Chamber of
Industry. The Main office or Central office will direct the movement of
commerce and industry all over the country. Through the chambers of commerce
the raw materials and manufactured goods should be sent out and sold to
different parts of the country and to the foreign countries for the benefit of
the nation. All the details as to commerce and trade with different
sub-divisions as well as with foreign countries should be under the control and
management of the chamber of commerce. What I mean is that it would be a sort
of meeting place for all’ the merchants and traders to consult amongst
themselves as to the means of developing the internal trade. This will be to
the advantage of the less prosperous traders who might take the valuable advice
of the prosperous merchants and find out a proper market for the small
commodities
The chamber of
industry should see that the raw material in the country is manufactured into
different classes of articles so that the raw material might be turned into
capital and commodity. Every locality cannot produce all the different articles
required in the country. According to the experience of the locality, the
climate and other conveniences, industries should be located in the various
parts of the country so as to make the article and production a profitable one.
* *
It will be the
business of the chambers of industry to keep regular information magazines,
charts and almanacs as to where the raw materials are better produced and how
the raw materials are utilised.
The chambers of
commerce on the other hand will publish their magazines and such documents
whereby the trading centres of the commercial body might get the information as
to where to get the manufactured article and where to sell it.
The two Chambers
should co-operate with each other. Every sympathy should be shown to the sister
branches of commerce ; and the producers and salesmen must work in harmony with
each other. For, if the producer takes the job and function of a salesman,
sometimes a lot of trouble arises. So that, to avoid this loss of time and
waste of money, commercial business should be divided into different sections
under one big organisation so that the national trade and commerce might thrive
well. In organisation all the different parts, divisions and sub-divisions,
must work in perfect harmony with each other and be under the corfirol and
direction of the main centre. * * *
Commercial
Museums
The
commercial museums should be established in the main centre as well as in the
subcentres so that the local trading community might be thoroughly acquainted
with the movement and tendency of the commercial world. ***
Trade Agents
Next point to be
discussed is that every factory, by individual arrangement or by combination
called Trust, should train up young men as agents. The trained agents should
study the national market requirements so that an individual factory or Trust
will manufacture articles according to national requirements. The second point
is that the entire Asian trade should also be studied so that the articles
should be so manufactured as to suit the Asian taste. Another question is that
every individual factory cannot send agents to the Asian countries to study the
market. The Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Industry should take the
lead in such affairs and send out trained young agents to different parts of
Asia to try the market and inform both the Chambers of Commerce and Industry so
that the whole commercial organisation might get direct information of the
foreign countries. * * *
Parliament of
Merchants
As I said before,
there will be a Chamber of Commerce and a Chamber of Industry in the country
itself, so, in the higher sense, there will be a representative Chamber of
Commerce and Industry for the whole Asian races so that from this Chamber the
news, the organisations, the requirements and the wants and kinds of
manufactures of different Asian races might be easily studied. What I mean is—a
Parliament of commercial men of Asian races meeting in one Chamber. This will
give a solidarity to different Asian races. But one thing to be guarded against
is that theological questions and racial prejudices must be snubbed down.
Commerce has nothing to do with theological problems or racial prejudices.
Commerce is to make money by one’s own individuality and labour. Theology is
for the leisurely, unemployed priests who, finding no means of subsistence,
talk about various things to create a sect and get a good living at the cost of
the actual worker. The theologians are stigmatized as necessary unavoidable
evils to society. But in the commercial life for the whole Asian race, theology
and racial prejudices should not be brought in. Commerce should be taken as
commerce. This Parliament of Merchants or as it might be called the Synod of
Merchants will be the real dynamic centre of the whole of Asia. The more the
Asian races can organise among themselves and unite and organise the whole of
Asia, the more stronger and powerful they will grow ; and the non-Asian races
will slowly retreat before this solid phalanx. Poor dejected old Asia will
again be a rich vigorous young man.
( National
Wealth : chapter on Chambers of Commerce and Industry )
STATE AND PRIVATE
ENTERPRISES
*
*
* private
enterprise is to be encouraged. What I mean is that the non-utilised capital of
the nation should be given an opening for investment so that a profit or
dividend might be derived from the invested fund or capital. As I said before,
that, in improving a State, no man or woman is to remain idle, so it is equally
necessary that no capital must remain idle as not to bring on profit. Something
must come out in return for that fund. Idleness, lethargy and despondency must
be chucked out from the society if the nation desires to thrive and prosper ;
so that the private fund, even if it be a small one, should be so invested that
a return might be derived from the investment. This is what I mean when I say
that private enterprises are to be encouraged.
Next
question that arises is that national management, national capital and national
labour should be the guiding principle in this adventure. Foreign labour,
foreign capital and foreign management must be eschewed.
Only the foreign
expert knowledge should be utilised for training national youths on any branch
of knowledge for a fixed period, say five years, so that national youths might
take up the post and carry on the work smoothly. * *
*** Only under
conditional cases such partial investment ( foreign investment ) can be allowed
so that national labour might get employment and national capital also might
get some return ; so that, within a decade or two, the expert knowledge will be
transferred to national youths. * * *
To begin the work
of this investment, lease is to be given by the State to a private company or
syndicate to carry on the work for twenty one years. The syndicate will devise
means to make the work smooth and less expensive. Generally the lease runs for
a period of twenty- one years. From the public treasury no fund should be
transferred to this sort of investment. First question is that if the State
funds are diverted from one branch to another branch, the means of improvements
in other branches are dried up. Public treasury should be used for improvements
only where it is absolutely necessary, and only private funds should be utilised
for private enterprises dealing with roads and railway projects, etc. For if
State funds are used, there is waste of money and unnecessary big expenditure.
The State officials, to keep up their position, will charge many items which
are really unnecessary in a commercial concern.
The State
officials will be for dignity and position. But in commercial concerns the main
consideration is profit. Position and dignity are minor points in a commercial
concern. It is for this reason State officials and treasury funds should not be
employed in such management.
Also if State
officials and State funds are employed, there will be a tone of patronage ; and
the national intellect and firm determination and sense of responsibility will
not be developed in the nation. So, to develop national responsibility, this
sort of work should be carried on by private syndicates. * * *
* * * the State
should keep control though not in a direct way. The State, no doubt, must not
interfere with details ; but a general supervision should be kept up to see
that the invested money of private partners is properly used and the syndicates
are not using the funds for private purposes or in a less profitable way.
Therefore State control is necessary in order to ward off any mishap in the
adventure.
After the expiry
of the lease period, the whole concern together
with the stores will be transferred to
the State, and the concern will be a national property and not a private investment.
The State will have the option to assume the management directly under State
officials, or after taking a certain percentage of profit, the management will
be returned to the syndicate under specified conditions according to
circumstances. ***
(
National Wealth : chapter on ‘ Ways and Means' )
MACHINE POWER AND HANDICRAFT
**
Now it is wrong to suppose that machine power should not be used in the country
and that nations ought to depend entirely on handicraft ; for the world is a
reality and has nothing to do with sentiments or fancied ideas for the
handicraft productions ; and cheap articles of inferior make are to be produced
for the mass, otherwise the foreign competition will overflood and submerge the
market. * * *
We
are to divide the productions under two heads (i) Machine-produced articles. *
* * (ii)
hand-produced articles for men of fine taste and wealth having an appreciative
nature for fine and artistic articles ; for handicraft gives the best
productions in the country, though it is sometimes costly.
Do
not consider the nation to be an homogeneous body. It is a fallacious idea to
classify the whole nation as one stratum without any variation. The nation is
formed of different strata—layer after layer. So handicraft has a great chance
of finding a suitable market in the country itself and in the foreign markets.
I personally examined handicrafts of different parts of Asia, and these
articles are far superior to what can be made by machine power ; and those who
are of good taste and wealth always prefer the handicraft to the standardized
machine productions ; so that there is no danger that the handicraft will be
altogether smothered out. A terror-striken fanatic man will howl and shout that
the world is going to be destroyed. Hut the world moves on in its own due
course. * * *
Now
handicrafts, though of ancient repute and lineage, are not much advertised
except through the gossip of tourists. If the museums, organisations, divisions
of labour are made according to gradations, these poor scions of aristocracy
will once more get a recognition in the world. The difficulty is that these
articles are not brought to the notice of the public ; and so they wither out.
Wailing, sobbing, lamenting and weeping are not the ways in this world. “Fight
and conquer” i& the motto. Make the different classes of organisations,
and these articles will be highly prized again. ***
* * * the people
cry for patronage and patting. This is a very low and mean device and shows the
broken-hearted, dispirited state of the mind of the individual and the nation.
Why stand for the smile and kiss of others ? Fight out the battle and conquer
the world. •Instead of hunting out for a patron, make the organisation a
thorough consistent one, and the articles will jump up into the forefront. * *
*
It is the
organisation which is the real •cause of success. Put the same organisation in
the Asian trade, and the ‘Morobbas’ of Banaras and other places will be sold in
New York.
( National
Wealth : chapter on
‘Machine Power and Handicraft')
WOMEN AND WEALTH
In any civilized
country the society is divided into several layers. The two main classes are
commonly known as upper class and lower class. The one is called the opulent or
rich class and the other is the struggling and hard-working one. Question now
comes, what should be the functions and legitimate works of
the women of the different strata of the nation ? * * **
Whenever any
question arises as to the position of women, majority of the people take a
fanciful idea, and think about poetry and fineness and of the upheavals of the
women’s mind or the emotional nature in them. To them women mean an object of
luxury or a fanciful object of dalliance. Concisely, it is called sentimental
poetry. Beyond this scope they can’t think of. But the world is a reality, a
hard place where no scope for such imaginary, fanciful sentiments exists.
Question now arises, though the women of the lower class must work out their
own living, what should be the function of the women of the upper class ? Nobody ought to remain idle in society. Everyone must work for the nation * * *
Beside domestic
work, many of the women have plenty of leisure to think of as to how' to
utilise the off-hand time for some profitable purpose. The upper class of
women, known as ladies, are sometimes taken as useless costly furnitures only
for show and expenditure. These women of the opulent class have not to think
much about of hard toil of bread- winning. But they devote much of their time
in delicacy, finery, luxury and in social gossip with a dilettantic taste for
music and poetry. They do not seriously study music, or asy subject, but, in a
fanciful way, can warble out a few ballads and make their own class of women
merry.
Now the question
is every person mest work for the benefit of the nation. Opulent idlers and
leisurely gossip-mongers, are lie curse to society. The women of the opulent
class must call in the neighbouring poor women of the locality or village and
must make a society or conversazione class to infuse the national ideas and
aspirations into these less opulent and humble women and also1 to hear their
grievances and wants, so that the menfolk or the upper stratum of the society
might understand and get direct informations through these channels. What I
mean is the women of the rich class must exert themselves to ennoble and better
the condition of the poor women. Every available means should be adopted by the
women of the upper class to look after the women of the toiling populace* * *
* * * depending
upon others’ earnings is the most atrocious idea. So, not only men, but every
woman in any Asian country must have an independent mode of living and way of
thinking, so that the family will get a fair standard of life, and the village
will get better sanitary conditions. In this, women must have to contribute
something to the national welfare so that there will be healthy, vigorous ideas
of social equality, new and vigorous augmenting thoughts and sense of national
prestige in every man and woman. This idea of depending upon others for a
morsel of food and enjoying the bliss of paradise upon the smile of others is
the most suicidal and galling thing. This the Asian people, specially Asian
women, are made to follow in an unwilling way. So, not only men but women also
must get a fair chance of earning their living in some respectable way without
wounding their respectability and dignity. Every province and every locality
must think out this problem. There cannot be a general rule for all countries.
Independent thinking must pervade all strata of society according to local
needs; and we have to devise necessary means to suit particular localities. * *
*
But one thing to
be guarded against is that women shall never be employed in police service,
specially in espionage department. That will produce a disastrous effect on
society. Female character is sacred, and must be respected as such. Female
espions will no doubt lure the victim in their first attack, but the clever
people will later on buy off the female spies and get State secrets out of
these espions. * * *
A woman has
natural divinity in her, but when the thing is reversed, she becomes a
veritable fiend. Every Asian nation must carefully note this delicate
point—never to employ females in police service.
/
National
Wealth
: chapter on 1 Women and
National Wealth'toiling populace. * * *
BHADRA-VESMAN
(
Court of Ladies )
There: arc many
ladies who have passed the B. A. and the M. A. Examinations but find no
opportunity for self development. They are, therefore, overcome with a feeling
of despair as if their whole lives have been frustrated.
It
is, therefore, proposed that it is necessary to constitute a Court of educated
ladies. None of its members shall be male, and ladies alone will do all the
work on an organised bass. Ladies will enjoy full right on every subject.
Ladies of different states, the Bengalees, tie Hindusthanis and others, will
unite on a common platform. The Court will do whatever it thinks best for this
purpose.
The
first step is to publish a Bengali newspaper which will be a Weekly one in the
beginning and will later be converted into a Daily paper. This paper may be
named “Nai. Abhyudaya”. The next move is to establish a Research Laboratory and
afterwards a Research University. The responsibility for conducting these
institutions shall vest on ladies who are well known for their industry and
perseverance. The research work also should appropriately devolve on them.
Ladies, both
married and unmarried, will have equal right of admission into the Court and no
objection shall stand on that account.
There shall be no
discrimination on account of religion. The chief aim is to bring about
advancement of the country. The Court will conduct its business after due
consideration of all these matters.
(Translated from the Bengali in the
original booklet )
HISTORY AND CALENDAR
#
*
* there is scarcely any authentic history of the different nations of Asia. It
is admittedly a well-known fact that many of the old manuscripts were
accidentally or intentionally destroyed. But, inspite of the difficulties, an
authentic history of old Asia ought to be attempted and written out. The only
history we get of old Asia is from the pen of non-Asian people who always
misconstrue the old ideas and incidents and attempt to revile and ridicule the
true culture of old Asia. This is another non-Asian way of belittling Asian
culture and applauding and exalting their own national exploits. The reading of
such histories made by the non-Asian people is a most galling and offensive
task. It is just swallowing down the insult in an abject way. It is a
humiliating and debasing aspect of ancient civilization. It is therefore
necessary that Asian youths and scholars should exert themselves, make combinations
and societies, excavate old buried towns and write a history of their own
countries in a correct aspect so that the Asian nations may be emboldened to
greater exertions in intellectual aspect. Asia must be self-sufficient in
every sphere of life. * * *
*
*
* The next point that 1 want to mention
here
is the reformation of calendar. Asia having the oldest civilization in the
world is divided into so many countries having so many antecedents and
precedents that it is difficult to put them under, one category in
relation to
the
keeping of time.* * *
*
# * A convention of the different
astronomers of Asia is to be called to devise means for the
reformation of calendar. This will be a sign of the unity of Asian races and of
the rapid advancement and progress they are making in science and astronomy. *
* *
(
New Asia, pp 48, 49 and 50 )
WEIGHT AND
MEASURE
To bring out the
uniformity in a nation, one thing strikes me that there should be uniformity of
weight and measure. * * *
To make the
facility of trade a smooth one, it is proposed that a uniformity of weight and
measure must be followed, or a means is to be devised that the local measures
might easily be converted into the all-round measures of the whole country so
that the merchant of one province might easily convert the measure of one
province into that of another. What I mean is that if a centigrade system be
introduced all over the country as to weight and measure, a fair chance of
solution might be arrived at. Centigrade system is the easiest thing in
converting one measure into another.
******* Next point is
that all over Asia an attempt should be made to have uniformity of weight and
measure so that Asian countries might easily exchange their goods by that
standard of weight and measure. * * *
(National Wealth,
pp 179 and 180)
FLOATING JETTIES
AND CANALS
(1) Jetties should
be designed to be portable ( movable ) according to shallowness of the water.
In Puri, in the Chilka Lake, in the Bay of Bengal, and in different parts of
the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean these sorts of jetty (movable docks)
should be used. They may be introduced in different parts of Burma.
This dock or
jetty should be made like the hull of a man-of-war. On the roofside there will
be a number of wagons on railway lines for carrying goods from the steamer to
the store-room. Every jetty should be able to berth in two steamers.
(2)
Isthmus
of Kra should be made into Kra canal. There will be two towns in the two ends
of the canal and one in the centre. These towns should have schools, colleges,
research laboratories, factories and business quarters. If properly developed
these will be the finest towns in the East.
From Allahabad a
canal should proceed in the southern direction, dividing Narmada, Krishna etc., and
Caveri. This canal system will facilitate navigation.
(4)
The
greater the number of outlets in a country, the greater will be the prosperity
of the people. A railway bridge should be constructed between India and Ceylon.
A wooden bridge was made in ancient time. Now an iron railway bridge of double
flats, one for vehicle traffic and another for railway traffic, should be
constructed.
(5)
Another
point that may be suggested here is that the dry land in Rajputana should be
pierced through by a number of canals as to change the atmosphere of that
locality. From Dwarka, Bombay and Delhi there will be river- and
canal-navigation as it is done in Russia.
CITY OF CALCUTTA
The art of town
building is a very ancient subject—it is not merely piling of bricks and
stones, but shows the mental temperament of the people of the age. It is the
psychological representation in solid masonry works. Town planning depicts the
real national life.
Now to think out
the ancient plan as represented by Vyasa in the building of Indra- prastha, we
find that Maya, who is a foreign architect, drew up three plans for the Royal
palaces. One of these plans was selected as suitable for India. Maya seems to
be an Assyrian architect of high eminence, for in the excavations of Assyria
the arches and pillars are found to have much affinity with the Indian style.
So we come to the conclusion that Maya was an Assyrian architect.
The main
principles which are to be noticed in the formation of a town, besides Royal
palaces which depend much upon wealth and fancy of the kings, may be outlined
as follows :—
The Royal palaces
or seat of Governments should be placed at a prominent height, i. e., at a
greater elevation than all other parts of the town or locality. From this
centre roads will emanate according to the direction of light and air,
proceeding towards the riverside. In this the main point which is to be noted
is the direction of light, shade and air in the different seasons of the year.
An open space
should be laid out as a recreation ground. Then come the residences of the
officials. In the end of the town, near the riverside, there will be the
soldiers’ barracks.
The
shops and the houses of the labourers should be at a distance from the Royal
palaces ; for the shopkeepers will get a greater profit by selling their goods
to the labouring people. It is a fact that retail dealers derive greater
profits by selling their articles to the labouring consumers than to the rich
people.
The
streets of the town should be broad and straight, as there should be easy
passage of air. The streets should be according to the direction of the wind.
In
ancient India, as evidenced in the old part of Ispahan in Persia, we find
streets are broad and straight with trees to make shades in the middle part of
the streets.
Now the question
is that Calcutta is fast extending, and, in future, the town will be a very big
one. What would be the shape and dimension of the future Calcutta is a question
to be thought out. Calcutta is divided into two portions on the eastern and
western sides of the river Ganges. Both sides are known as Calcutta.
The future town
will extend from the seaside, Diamond Harbour or Port Canning or thereabout,
to Jessore and Khulna, that is to say, about two hundred and fifty miles in
length. Four broad roads are to be laid out. The roads should be two hundred
feet wide having twenty- five feet wide footpaths on either side. So that the
whole open space will be two hundred and fifty feet wide. In the centre i. e.,
along the middle part of the road there should be a garden—a grassy lawn with
high-backed benches (settles ) for persons to repose and aqueduct for cooling
down the air. The water in the aqueduct will be mainly for cooling the air. The
water of the different levels will be passed through culverts under the ground
level. At the end of a crossing there will be an overbridge Tor going from one
direction to another.
Now the office
clerks of Calcutta cannot remain near the heart of the city. They might reside
in different localities far from the office quarters. The carriage and
conveyance from Khulna and Jessore down to Diamond Harbour will be by motor
vehicles—thirty-two wheeled double deckers—so that one hundred or more persons
might be accomodated. The goods van for vegetable baskets should be kept
attached to motor cars or trucks so that the people, vendors from Jessore or
Khulna, after their night meal, can sleep in those cars which would bring them
to the market places of Calcutta in the early morning. The office clerks can come to the motor cars at half-past seven
with their midday meals and attend offices at regular time. As the thirtytwo
wheeled motor car cannot turn about to negotiate sharp bends, smaller motor
vehicles should carry the passengers from the junctions of the broad and the
feeder roads to take them to their respective offices. Necessary steps should
be taken that no inconvenience is felt in the journey. This is the first item
for expanding the town.
The garden in the
centre of the broad street, the aqueducts, the water passage, the culvert
system for controlling the direction and level of the water and the overhead
bridges will bring about vast improvements in road planning ; and the people
who might live in different parts of bigger Calcutta would find no difficulty
in regularly attending their daily work in offices.
Every big village
in the large urban area should have its jurisdictional administration intact.
This point is to be taken into consideration when places like Penity, Agarpara
and so forth will be absorbed in the big town planning.
In the
improvement works tanks should not be filled up, but excavated ; for the air
will be heated by the filling up of tanks.
Every road should
be made, as far as possible, straight and broad. Parks should be made
separately for men and women.
The front portion
of a house should be reserved for opening showrooms and shops ; the entrance
door should be made in the back side.
Every village
should be an independent town. There should be library, music hall, cinema hall
and such things as the civilised life requires.
Now the question
comes about the proprietorship of the houses. The old houses should be
demolished and the new ones should be raised. The proprietorship of the houses
should not be eliminated. The house should come to the owner by his payment of
twenty five years’ rent. So that there will not be any heart-burning and
tribulation of mind. Eviction law should not be applied. Application of the
above principles is the most delicate part of the problem.
Another question
that is to be considered is the strand road. The strand road alongside the Ganges
should be greatly extended and developed. But many temples are situated on the
Ganges side. Either strips of land may be allotted for temple purposes or the
strand road may be diverted where it is necessary to preserve the existing
temples. Anyhow it is a problem to be considered by the town planning
authorities ; for in the new town good roadsr gardens and
convenience of modern society are to be made out.
One word about
the disposal of refuse matters of the town. No animal or human excretions are
to be wasted ; these should be utilised to manure the fields.
All smaller roads
running east to west should be made to converge, more or less, on the Ganges
side. Along with the two hundred and fifty feet roads as mentioned above, cross
roads should be laid out extending from the Ganges side to the eastern
direction. By the above town planning system the districts of 24 perganas,
Jessore and Khulna will be one block, though the administrative jurisdictions
will be separate. By this process there will be great expansion of the
convenience of city life.
As for the town
at the other side of the river Ganges, the same planning might be adopted,
covering the whole region from seaside to Midnapur, Howrah, Hughli, Burdwan
and Nadia districts. The length of the new town can be guessed, but not so the
breadth of the town from riverside to the localities inside the Burdwan
district. There should be quick transport arrangement so that persons living in
Burdwan and other distant places can regularly attend offices in the morning.
Bridges should be
made by piers, or revolving bridge or Black Friar’s bridge as in London, or any
other new devices may be adopted to construct bridges over the Ganges for the
easy transit of goods and passengers. These few suggestions have been given
here as preliminaries only, and they require development and modification as
necessary during execution of the schemes.
Another point
which might be suggested is that overhead railway's should be opened as in
Liverpool. The passenger trains will stop only at the junctions of the main
streets to carry passengers coming from the low-level roads.
These are broad
suggestions, and amplifications and improvements may be made during the actual
execution of the projects. The districts of 24 perganas, Jessore and Khulna on
the eastern side, and, Midnapur, Howrah, Hughly, Burdwan and Nadia on the
western side will come under one block. London is built in this pattern. The
bigger Calcutta is rushing to that end. The people should give special
attention to this town planning.
FORMATION OF UNIVERSITIES
To form and
develop universities the following plan might be suggested :—
Three districts
might be made into one unit according to population. The unit should have one
University Bank with a capital of two crores. The bank will circulate the fund
within the unit and must not go beyond that limit so that the local people
might get easy facilities to develop their trade. From the university officers
one should be the director of the bank so that the bank management should be
under the control of the university. There should be a Bank Vice-principal who
will control the capital aspect of the university.
The second point
is that the invested money should have a controller who will be the commercial
Vice-chancellor of the university. Every quarterly or half-yearly the interest
of the business investments should be calculated and accounted for and such
interests and commercial or factory profits should be closely examined to check
up the total fund at the time of scrutiny. From the university there will be
one Vice- chancellor for factory and commercial business.
From the profit
of the investments the teachers will be regularly paid. Proper remuneration
must be paid to them, otherwise the teachers, male or female, will not open
their mouths. This is one part of the expenditure. The second item will lie the
buying of books and necessary instruments for research work.
From the residue
of the income the building plan is to be gradually executed, raising solid
structures for the university. Every year from the residue of the income
burnt-clay buildings are to be erected so that in ten or fifteen years the
university might have big buildings and suitable mansions. The beginning of the
university should be mud huts and mud tiles. To start with, a poor beginning
should be made.
The students
should work in the factory in day time to earn their living so that they might
pay expenses for boarding, lodging and tuition. From seven to ten will be class
hours in the morning. From twelve to six will be the factory time. Evening
should be kept free for the study of lessons. Research will be the main subject
of study, not mere story reading. The boys should be encouraged to save
something so that when they would go out of the university, they might
collectively start a business of their own. Thus when out of college they will
not be thrown in the streets.
The female
department should be a separate one, and the girl students should be encouraged
in the same way, only in a different aspect, so that the girls may get a living
when out of college.
In the university
painting and sculpture should be among the principal subjects of study. In
every decade the curriculum should be changed to make the university go abreast
with the world. Hut the main principle should be research work in every branch
of learning. This is how from a small beginning a gigantic university might be
made out. Every three districts should come under one university unit so that
the whole country is made into a number of university units ( districts ). The
different details of the departments should be developed by the university
authorities.
RIGHTS OF MANKIND
Eleven Aphorisms
1. Nation is
above religion.
2. Individual is above creed
3 .It is sin to keep man idle.
4. It is sin to keep land fallow.
5. Every person has right to live.
6. Every person has right to eat.
7. E very person has fight
to free speech.
8. Every person has right to be equal to his compeer.
9. Every person has
right to free education.
10. Every person has
right to free medicine.
11.IndustrializetheNation.
SOCIAL THOUGHTS
- BY MOHENDRANATH DUTT
Publisher’s Note
This booklet should be regarded as a
continuation of our “Rights of Mankind” published in August, 1955. It contains
some of the items which appeared in our aforesaid publication.
CONTENTS
I
WOMEN &
EMPLOYMENT .
(.First
circulated in April. 1954
)
II
WOMEN
& NATION ...
(
First
circulated in September, 1954
)
III REORGANISATION OF
UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATION ...
(
First
circulated in September. 1954
)
IV TEMPLE &
UNIVERSITY ...
(
From
notes delivered on 30tli September. 1954 )
V SOME ASPECTS OF
PLANNING ...
(
From
notes delivered on 6th November, 1954 )
VI A FEW SUGGESTIONS
...
( From notes delivered on 6th November, 1954 )
VII ABOUT
OPENINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS
( From notes
delivered on 7th October, 1955
)
VIII STEPS TO
IMPROVE A NATION ... ... 17
(
Lectures
delivered on 19th October, 1955 )
WOMEN AND EMPLOYMENT
1.
In
the Board of Controlment of Temples half the number of members will be women.
It is their own right; the women contribute largely to the building and ,
upkeep of temples. (Vide “Temples and Religious Endowments” by A Social
Thinker).
2.
In
the University, Senate or Board, half the members will be women, as the women
students are fast increasing.
3.
In
the Research laboratories the women scholars should be largely employed. By
their patience and perseverance they outvie the male scholars.
4.
In
Medical departments separate classes should be arranged for women students to
improve the treatment of special female diseases. In the hospitals women should
be largely employed as doctors and nurses.
5.
In
Accounts Departments and Message Departments viz., Post and Telegraph offices,
women should be largely employed. No restriction is to be made for academicals
certificates.
6. Women should be employed as editors ; and services in the Press and
newspapers should be separately reserved for women. In the general clerical
staff women should be largely employed. No distinction is to be made for
religion.
7.
For
teachers in the infant classes for boys and girls, women coaches are to be
employed. In Legislature the members will be women as far as possible. In all
public services women should be largely employed. For juvenile offences women
judges are apt to shrewdly decide the cases.
8.
In
railway trains women attendants are necessary specially for female travellers.
9.
For
employing women in offices, a departmental examination is to be held. The
examination should be easy and smooth so that women candidates might increasingly
enter into offices.
10. Painting,
Photography, Dancing and Music classes are to be arranged for girls. The
poverty of the nation, partially, might be solved if women are allowed to earn
their own livings.
11. Women and toilers
will lead the nation.
WOMEN AND NATION
To improve and
uplift a nation, the women should come to the forefront in every sphere of
activity. Besides the other lines of action, the editorial profession should be
insisted on. A daily or weekly newspaper should be started by women toilers
(The name of the paper should be “Nari-Abhyudaya”). From the editor-in-chief
down to the compositor, all will be women. Social improvement of* women will be
the main topics of writing. Religious controversies should be a minor point in
social life. The press staff will be composed of the Hindu, Mohamedan and
Christian women. The whole aim will be how to improve the status of women in
oriental countries. The topics will be above religion but purely socialistic.
In case of
editorial aberrations the offence should not be handled by police magistrates.
The Court of Editors will judge the offence. The punishment will be the
suspension of the paper from three to six issues. Every province should have a
Court of Editors. It is not a criminal offence but difference of opinions.
In case of academical discrepancy, Court
of Senate will try the case. The dignity of the students must be maintained in
every way. The police or the police- magistrate must not
be called in to check down discrepancies.
The Senate should
be composed of members, half of which should be women. As the women students
are fast increasing, the members of Senate will be women by half the number.
Women professors and lecturers should be encouraged. The University examiners
will be women by half the number. The nation must have a bold front. The women
will be put into the forefront in every sphere of activity.
REORGANISATION
OF UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATION
1. Medicine, Law,
and Engineering (Mechanical) should be free from University entanglements.
2.
Examinations
relating to different professional lines as well as fine arts should be kept
free from University control. •
*
3. Mechanical
Engineering, Statuary, Sculpture, Architecture, Painting and so forth should
get equal status in education ; and they must be free from University
controversies.
4. General
proficiency will be tested, and nobody should thwart the students ambition.
5. Women candidates
will get more preference to male candidates.
6. Eighty-five per
cent of the candidates should be allowed to pass. This should be taken as the
normal standard of progress in our educational institutions.
7. The general
language of the students will be English and Bengali.
8.
Music
should be included in the curriculum.
9.
Facilities for researches should be greatly increased ; and admission of
scholars(both men and women) should be made easy.
10. There is another
sort of examination called the American Postal Examination ; this may be
introduced and developed after due consideration and deliberation.
11.
Academical
offences should not be handled by the police. This debases the nation. The
Board of Academy should decide the cases.
TEMPLE AND
UNIVERSITY
1. Universities are
to be formed at Kalyani, Nabadwip, Tarakeswar and Belur.
2. Universities are
for the benefit of the nation and not for thwarting its progress. Besides
ordinary universities, there should be universities for research.
3. Expenses of
education and researches should be met from the court fees and revenue stamps,
excise duties on alcohols, denatured spirits, tobacco, opium etc., and taxes on
temples and religious endowments.
4. Eighty-five per
cent of the temple incomes should be taken away by taxation. Small temples may
get Rs. 50/- to Rs. 30 per month for their expenses. Tie big temples should get
for their maintenance Rs. 5000 - per annum. Maximum number of temple attendants
should be six.
5.Temple wealth should be utilized for education and research works. Temple is
a religious shop. It may be called a sort of zemindary ; it is a catering house
where cooked food is served for money. Temple is also an octroi office. It is a
private loan office. Although it cannot be called a hotel or club, it is often
used as a sort of pension club, and, in many cases, it is found to be a
gambling den.
6.
The
old idea of priestly benefit should not be tolerated. To regulate temples and
religious endowments, there should be (1) Board of Control (2) Board of
Auditors (3) Board of Taxation (4) Board of Utility. Half the number of members
in these Boards should be women as the women do contribute a greater sum for
the upkeep of temples.
7.
Another
point that may be suggested here is that a Research university is to be
established for women. For their diligence and perseverance the girl students
are sure to turn out to be very successful research scholars. Their admission
should be made easy. The girl students should be admitted to research work on
passing the elementary examination on the special subject of their research.
Instead of charging any fees, small remunerations from the general fund should
be paid to these students so that they might meet part of their expenses.
8.
Even
small temples should be used as research laboratories for women. The excess
rooms and apartments, other than those actually used for the deities, should
be utilised as research laboratories and educational institutions.
9.
In
North Calcutta some of the houses of the Tagore family, Bethune College, School
buildings near the Hedua Park (Azad Hind Bag) and similar other buildings may
be requisitioned for setting up women’s research laboratories.
10. Temple in the one
end and universities in the other end, all these institutions must be
remodelled and changed to suit the present need of the nation.
11.
The
aim of education is for the benefit of the nation and not the examination on
foreign ideas and foreign books.
SOME ASPECTS OF PLANNING.
1. Citizenship to
alien traders should be restricted.
2. Alien labourers
should be excluded by all means.
3. Alien merchants
may be allowed to carry, on business.
4. Alien preachers
should be excluded.
5. Along with the-
development of our internal roads and communications we should immediately plan
to develop the whole Asian land mass with roads and railways and the modern message
system.
6. The above foreign
communications will greatly help to develop the Asian federation.
7. More attention is
to be paid to navigation by means of rivers and canals. The number of
agricultural canals should be increased.
8. Along with the
power-driven light water-crafts the country boats should be maintained.
9. Canals should
have tow-paths so that the horse- towing system may be introduced and
developed.
10.
Commercial
aeroplanes should be introduced for the transit of light goods.
11.
The
Railway stations and buildings and state buildings in the frontier zone should
be after military pattern.
12.
The
natural barriers existing in the frontier of any country should be maintained.
13.
We
should try to encourage the lower class.
14.
We
must not debase any national.
15.
Civil
marriages of all kinds should be encouraged.
16. inter-caste and
inter-provincial marriages should be encouraged.
17. Nature sons will
get a status in society.
18. The fallen women
will be given employments in workshops and other suitable places.
19. The women workers
should get maternity leaves and other special treatments.
20. Prisons should be
turned into workshops with full advantage of factories.
21. Ex-convicts
should be taken back to society, and they must have employments.
22. Death by hanging
or capital punishment should be abolished as it is too barbarous.
23. Every citizen is
a free man.
24.
Let
the women take lead in everything.
A FEW SUGGESTIONS
1. Every district
town should have a public library, public local museum and a local research
laboratory for the production of the district articles (main or special
commodities of the district). ,
2.
The
women should take the lead in research work. Research work in every subject on
scientific basis should be the main object of future civilization. Women will
take the lead in every sphere of activity.
t
3. Manure and fuel
should be preserved and not wasted in any way. Waste materials should be
utilised in making manure or fuel.
4. Fruits, grains
and flowers should be improved by,scientific process. Cattle breeding should be
a prominent industry. •
5. The bricks should
be used as perforated ones, as they are light and durable.
6. Silkworms and
cocoons should be largely used from various sorts of shrubs and trees.
7.
All
burnt-clay articles such as pottery, brick or utensil should bear the stamp of
the year and the name of the reigning person or sovereignty. It is for the
archeologist in future ages.
8.
The
women should take the lead in the new civilisation. Every material object
should be utilised for the benefit of the mankind. The new civilisation should
have a new feature in every sphere of life
ABOUT OPENINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS
(
From
notes delivered on 7. 10. 55.
)
1. Women should be
largely employed in Accounts Department.
2. Women should be
largely employed in Message Department.
3. Women should be
employed in the different minor branches of the Government and the private
sectors.
4. As the number of
female candidates are fast increasing, the education system should be
thoroughly remodelled. The Vice-Chancellor should be a woman. The Senate and
the Syndicate should be composed largely of women graduates so that the women
members might reshape the educational system.
5. Research
laboratories and colleges should be established in every big town.
6. Men will have
their research laboratories ; women should have research laboratories specially
of their own.
7.
Education
will be governed by the requirements of factories and research laboratories.
8.
Temples
and religious endowments should be governed by women members. As the
contributions are made largely by the women devotees, the women trustees will
guide the management. There will be a board of auditors, a board of
Accountants, a board of taxation, and a bqard of utility. Half the members of
these boards will be women, and, if possible, the number of female members
should be greater than that of the male ones.
9.
An
every district there will be a museum and also libraries for the local people.
Herein the work of collection, distribution and so forth will be guided and
controlled by women. Furthermore, every botanical garden and every zoological
garden will be turned into a college. The
women candidates will carry on research in such a college. It will not be a
sight-seeing spot or pleasure garden but a regular college.
10. The university
curriculum should not be a stiff one, both for entrance and passing the
examination.
11. The woman
Vice-Chancellor and the Syndicate composed largely of women members will surely
carry out the work very efficiently.
12. Every means
should be sought to encourage the women to enter into state services. To
decrease the poverty of the country, the women folks should be largely employed
as the earning units of the country.
13. In botanical and zoological
gardens, gramophone- organs should be largely used to enable the birds to
acquire the power of singing by hearing the record sound. Electric bulbs should
be lighted up in the night-time so that fruits might be of good size, good
colour and good taste. Birds and animals should be well treated so that they
might learn music and drink in other human qualities.
STEPS
TO IMPROVE A NATION
(1) Land
Tenure
To keep up the stability of a nation, a
good land tenure system is to be first sought after,
The permanent
income of a person depends much upon the land tenure. On the nice arrangement
of land tenure the prosperity and permanency of a nation depend. The question
of land tenure is being much discussed now-a-days, and we need not dilate much
upon this point. (For the author’s views on the subject the readers may refer
to “National Wealth” pp 166-178).
(2) Temple
Tenure
The
temple tenure is the next item to improve a civilization. Temples should be
considered as the trade affairs. The temple belongs partly to the zemindary
system and partly to the factory system. The zemindary portion of the temple
tenure will come under the land-tenure Acts, but, for those temples that are
isolated (not within any organised group or combination ) or that have
relatively meagre allowances, the following ryles might be adopted ; because,
as minor temples, they come under the laws of the factory regulations (for the
definition of factory the readers may kindly refer to the author’s “Rights of
mankind” P- 6 ):—
Every isolated
temple must pay a revenue of 85% to the State. The number of temple attendants
will be three to four ; any greater number of attendants should not be allowed
in the case of small temples. The temple income, the revenue as stated above,
should be used for educational purposes. The contractor, or lessee of the
temple, should look after the repairs of the temples and their improvements as,
may be necessary for the convenience of the visitors.
The State will
take 85% of the net income. For the control of temples and so forth there will
be a board of auditors, a board of utility and a board of taxation (Vide
“Temples a Religious Endowments” by a Social Thinker). Half the number of
members in these boards should be women, as the women devotees contribute
largely for the upkeep of temples. In reality, these buildings are made by the
women, contributing in their devotional mood.
A temple is
considered a catering shop where cooked food is sold to private persons. It is
an octroi office. It is a private loan office. It is a gambling den. These are
the aberrations which must be checked.
The temple
belongs to no personal property; it belongs to no particular sect. It is a
State property. From the temple-taxes about fifty crores of rupees are to be
collected and the same should be devoted to educational purposes.
In Bengal the
temples should not be abolished or closed down, but they should be treated as a
running business, coming under the factory laws. In some of the non-Bengalee
provinces the
temples have considerable hoarded wealth which should be
utilised for educational purposes without paying any compensation to the
business proprietors.
Any how, temple
tenure must be considered as a national problem. According to circumstances and
the temperament of the people, rules for temple affairs and suitable laws
should be made and promulgated.
(3) Factory Tenure, and (4) Education Tenure
Factory should be
made according to the requirements of the people; it is not the aim of the
national life, but factory or the Earning centre should be the main object
of national life.
In ancient India
forest life, or the life of recluse in old age, was the central point of
education or training, and so the system of education was made after the forest
life.
But now-a-days as
factory is the centre of national life, education should be remodelled
according to national requirements. The factory, or earning centre, requires
trained hands or expert men. So national education should be remodelled after
this new set up. Every branch of education, for both men and women, should be
remodelled after the national requirements as stated above.
(5)
How to deal with the Ramblers
The question now
comes in national life is how to deal with five million of ramblers (Ramtas).
These unproductive consumers as they are called should be put to work. How to
utilise them for the increment of national wealth is the question. The ramblers
should be utilised for agricultural work, or factory work, or for any work
which the social requirements might put in. Besides the professional priests,
who have the same sort of profession, the ramblers or unproductive consumers
should be utilised for some productive
works. The old ideas of forest life and mendicants will not hold good now. But
any work or labour must be utilised for the improvement of the nation. The
ramblers should be put to some effective works.
The above tenures
as well as the case of ramblers have been discussed to show as to how to
improve a nation.
PRAYER
Oh ! Mighty Mind, my preceptor,
The Soul of my sole!
Let me have faith in thee,
Not hither and thither to roll.
The shaky mind of mine
Be strong and straight in view;
Bestow thy blessings on me
To visualize the truth through you.
Shyamapada Pal
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