From the caves and jungles of Hindostan

FROM THE CAVES AND JUNGLES OF HINDOSTAN.

new religion or invent new dogmas. He only asks them to restart their half-forgotten Sanskrit studies. He urges them to compare the doctrines of their ancestors with what those doctrines have become in the hands of the Brahmans, and to return to the pure concepts of Deity taught by the original sages Rishis—Agni, Vayu, Aditya, and Anghira—the patriarchs who first gave the Vedas to humanity. He does not even claim that the Vedas are a divine revelation from heaven, but simply teaches that "every word in these scriptures belongs to the highest inspiration possible for an earthly man—an inspiration that is repeated throughout human history and, when necessary, may happen to any nation..."

During his five years of work, Swami Dayanand has gained about two million converts, chiefly among the higher castes. Judging by appearances, they are all ready to sacrifice their lives, souls, and even their earthly possessions for him—possessions that are often more precious to them than their lives. But Dayanand is a true Yogi; he never touches money and despises financial matters. He is content with just a few handfuls of rice per day. One is inclined to think that this wonderful Hindu bears a charmed life, so reckless is he in provoking the worst human passions, which are so dangerous in India. A marble statue could not be less moved by the raging anger of a crowd. We saw him at work once. He sent away all his faithful followers and forbade them to either watch over or defend him. He stood alone before an infuriated crowd, calmly facing the "monster" that was ready to spring upon him and tear him to pieces.

A short explanation is necessary here. A few years ago, a society of well-informed, energetic people was

formed in New York. A certain witty scholar nicknamed them "The Society of Those Dissatisfied with Spiritualism" original: "La Société des Malcontents du Spiritisme". The founders of this club were people who, while believing in the phenomena of spiritualism as much as in any other natural phenomenon, still rejected the "spirit" theory. They felt that modern psychology was a science still in its earliest stages, totally ignorant of the nature of the psychic man, and—like many other sciences—prone to denying anything that cannot be explained by its own narrow theories.

From its very first days, some of the most learned Americans joined the group, which became known as the Theosophical Society. Its members disagreed on many points, just like the members of any Geographical or Archaeological society might argue for years over the source of the Nile or Egyptian hieroglyphs. However, everyone unanimously agreed that as long as there is water in the Nile, its source must exist somewhere. The same applied to the phenomena of spiritualism and mesmerism. These phenomena were still waiting for their interpreter original: "Champollion"—but the key to the mystery original: "Rosetta stone" was to be searched for neither in Europe nor in America, but in far-away countries where people still believe in magic, where wonders are performed daily by the local priesthood, and where the cold materialism of science has not yet reached—in short, the East.

The Council of the Society knew that the Lama-Buddhists, for instance—though they do not believe in God and deny the personal immortality of the soul—are nonetheless famous for their "phenomena." They also knew that mesmerism had been known and practiced daily in China since time immemorial under the name of "gina." In India