RELIGION IN INDIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18298, 15 January 1923, Page 3

RELIGION IN INDIA.

COUNTRYSIDE PIETY. : '-':"-- GOIiNTRYSIDE PIETY, ] '.•.;i ■■'■■■'"---,--'! '..re': :V/v-- :;':;■ ■..-.; '..-,-■--> ; "I THE ; OLD AND;THE .^OtTKfG'.-. :";■'■■■ ,-:- ; ':,;;; i.^^^.x^^W'^MA^^--^^-''' ; ':■ .TX OBSERVER'S IMPRESSIONS. ; Is there anything in the common notion that' the Indian- is more religious, more" spiritual, "til-ore' of an idealist, "-less; a materialist than the-; European? -writes at. special correspondent of the 1 MiricEeSter., Guardian; from LuckiittWi ;' I -ttoyfe-; asked" that question "of" teachers,-Euro-. pean - and iftdianj and I: have- tried to form ;my own opinion : by/ getting Indians,; students, and .gro'wrj^ men, to ,; tagk -about' their ideals and their religion, I am .inclined to accept the findings of an experienced Indian/ teaeheir; :whf> - knew sornetliinjj of -Europeans as : : Well as' lit- . dians>-.v..His ..verdict .was > as " follows :—- "Spirituality, •£&■'. strong and genuine!-reli- ; gious tendency, equally rare' East • arid West. The Indian ;boy is'nioro impressionable and ' eriiotiohaV than' the English boy. It is easier to get him to listen to an'appeal to his religious sense. Further, thanks|,tb economic and climatic: conditions the Indian ; has a lower; Tita'l- | ity, a /weaker:; grip on life. > His instinct of self-preservation is feebler. He is less persevering -.in. the struggle to master circumstances and more willing to resign himself to the "will of. an.unknown power. . A" life of : religious contemplation -is therefore easy ito hint. On the other 'hand,:.the Indian;! student is dreadfully handicapped by his early marriage. The English boy of 22 has generally got ideals of some sort and time to, think about them. At that feige the Indian is the father ; two or three children, ; and all his thought > and effort 'go into providing a living ~for : his family. He >is, ■•■:l,heTefot'ej: usually'' the , -rnost materialistic of men, sma'il hlaSms, ta v ; him.'.' - r > The Younger Men. '; : • Apart from Mr. Gandhi's* teaching the ! only religious idepi I r came across among the younger- men is the idea; of sclf-sacri-, flee for one's country., or .for' one's community.. .■ That; j/deei is common : "enough" and; strong .. enough : Avithees some bun- I dred^.- of .;political prisoners, 'witness the : Akalis. ;-•'.'- . .:'''-."■' '■,'- *: : .j '■'::''- | ..." 1. ' sometimes, - meet '. ihiddle-aged .--or I elderly men "who devote- a considerable ) part of .their tiinfe .tO-relisrioiuß-contemDla- ;j tionv , ''Their oneness with God.-' ini?; their;"hersphaiityHh'fe Godhead,'* ''The Godheskl: manifesting itself in all' thingSi in that which; at first"; seems, painful. or " disagreeable"—these, ■ are: the, they use to ext*ess their religious feelirig. Now and then I am tempted to think , that -.. these men ' value religion' ■shiefly ,as a. sort of 'patent medicjne thajfc saves them from feeling too. acutely, the. amioyahebs. and sorrows;' that are? inevitable :in; this mortal life. • : •■--'•.'■■■•:•-.■: -,- , No dottbt, the"; countryside is," retigioiis 1 affcera fashion^' But is it more religious_ thari'the countryside"^m-CatholieEurope? I ant not sure; You already' know some-; thing of : the strength and 'weakness'.' of the Irish peasant's ;;religion. : -iiaiirill : give you one or two that may , help yoii to;..assess, the .quftlitir and value- of the religion ,of ,'the Indian countryside. ; First, to show you'its ugly aspect." ;i. - 1 Beating a Goddess" With « Slipper. *' - A couple, of years .ago an ■ Indian, vil-lager-Was brought before ah Indian inagistrate and charged-with'doing an act calculated to wound, the.religious susceptibilities, of his-.inegihiiours. -.FromV-ths' magistrate's judgment,it appears ,',that, the man '\ had taken' the-goddess "out of the village temple into line;public street and ;J,here j had beaten •hei'lpiver'. the ..head with:'' a-j slipper, the extreme indignity known to ! the Hindu code oX honour;.- -Yetj- the judg*'-'-: menfc Ayent on, 'the sympathies of the-': Court were strongly; engaged- on"the;"side; of the accused. The defence had clearly established the fact that the- accused had long been most regular., 'scrupulous, and even lavish in the Worship of; the goddess. On behalf "of; the "goddess" it, had hot been that even one '; single cere- j mony had been omitted. Yet in spite of: this piety the accused had recently siiSr ,| taihed a series of the most provoking ; losses that could possibly befall a man. Within .- one month both his' plough bullocks, his;! wife: and his son had died- -These circumstances went a long way:, to extenuate i|(ie. heinousness of the crime. 1 . ; - \ ! ( : ' His* irritation with the goddess,••".'tlh.e" Court could not but feel,-was natural;; ejt.all but justifiable. On the bine hand it-could not be denied; Unit his actionhad been a serious shock to the, religious feelijtigs of his' l neighbours. It would estab-; j lish ■■'&"' very dangerous':precedent .if --the'. Court were to hold that a man was free; 1 to : indulge .his private . ammositieß i'rre-. I spepti ve. of th»fegraye risks ' to;. wriir:h ; his ' action might "expose his fellow-villagers. ' ! A sentence of one month .rigorous i*>; r/risohment appeared to Court to' meet i the needs of- the ease. •■■'., The More Attractive Side. Now we may look at a more attractive side of the villagers' religion.' Two coolies-.-' 'were walking into market talking. together, 1 The first. "Was on <the ' hard ; ! work.he, had done for his master, and the. heavy crops he .'had been successful 'm- | raising for him*; The second commiserated I hinii oh the srnallness of .the reward he ; had .-I got or was ever likely to get. , f'.What' niatter 7 ?"' 'the 'first "Because I always work .honestly, and ; ; faithfully. r God Will surely reward me some day." Thai wav overheard;: a university authority and quoifd to '- me, as a. proof of the prevalence of religious feel- | ing- in the: countiyside..! was able to cap J it with the following:— ',-/■', -. '- . X •- I Some time, ago I was inquiring' about-. an old acquaintance., a non-Brahmin' Government servant who had retired "on '.pension. . I got tbe following (-answer from a deve^JOTngjlJr'ahrai is doing very, well.;:. His three sons-have - made a .good- start in -.life. YoUkn'ow the | people; say that because he':-. was .unfor- I tunate in getting; ? promotion, ' thonglr'he ■■■ always served - the Sircar loyally and j honestly,: therefore .. God,"-to reward him, gayehim three good boys for his sons.'-'..' Well, I that is " what "I. have ' - gathered about the average-Indian's, idea of' religion. ;In th%. countryside "-religion ;is ; a thing'of rewards arid punishments, sometimes almost a matter of contract To the older educated men! it is . philosophic resignation,, ojr sometimes little better than 4; prevention ' against worry. To. the -young nationalist-it is the desire to sacrifice him-: "self for ■ the ; good-; Of his - country- Without;: much tedious and meticulous;inquiry.; a* to what," the good of his country■•■' 'may be, or now it is to-be secured.