As you wish me occasionally to give you some account of the Hindu sacred books, I have selected the following, principally from the Bhágabat, the best known, and held the most sacred of any of the shástras in the Oriya language. I shall notice some of the popular sentiments of the Hindus which are contradicted by this highly esteemed book, from which you will see that codes, to be received as Divine, and sentiments which are to be practised, are two different things even amongst the heathen.

1. It is a saying in the mouths of all, that the Hindus, especially the caste of bráhmans, never suffered under their own princes that which they do under the British administration. As an instance the bráhmans refer to the resumption of their charity lands, which they say is without an example in the four ages.

Now of the many passages that may be selected from their own beloved Bhágabat, contradictory of this false dogma, we may select the following; (Book 6, Chap. 16, verses 23-34,) "Hear, all ye subjects, even all ye bráhmans of the four castes; you shall perform no sacrifices in my country. You shall not worship the gods of the fathers. No gifts shall be put into your hands. No one shall perform pilgrimages to the bráhman's feet. As many as are the religious services in the world, you are to give all up to me. No one is greater than myself.

These letters addressed to a friend in America are kindly allowed us in their transit by the author.-ED.

I who am evidently the Lord, command you to jap my name, and worship me with the fiery furnace, (that is, with the sacred fire.) He who will not regard my word shall not remain in my country a dunda, (24 minutes.) Whose life remains I will take all his property away. Thus in villages, towns and countries, he proclaimed this order with the sound of the trumpet. Hearing which, all were terrified, and regarding the words of Bána rájá, renounced all religion. Bráhmans japed his name daily, and fearing served at his feet." We would ask, where was the dignity of the bráhmans under such princes, of whom Bána is but a fair specimen? Is there nothing derogatory in the idea of renouncing all religion for fear of persecution?

2. That it is sinful to take animal life is another popular Hindu sentiment, though all castes from highest to lowest are occasionally in the habit of feasting upon flesh. Now it is well known that there were many sages who made deer-shooting a favourite amusement; but as I do not wish to deal in general assertions without proof, I will refer to the case of Rám, the 7th incarnation. (Ananza Pandá, Chap. 1, from the 37th verse.) He is represented as hunting deer, at the very time Rábana stole his wife Sítá, and when he returned, he brought many that he had slain. And as for Durgá, whose praise is frequently and highly celebrated in the Bhagabat, there is no telling what she did not eat. Men and demons with corrupted corpses could not suffice to satisfy her rapacious appetite. To refer to an instance it is said, (Bk. 5, Chap. 9, 85,) "Hear, great monarch, she (Durgá) took the sword from his hand, and having a mind to drink blood, cut off his head. For the purpose of giving them supreme pleasure, she called together her attendants, and they all drinking the flowing blood, became much pleased. And soon all the attendants of the goddess began to sing for joy." Should it be objected by the Hindu, that these persons were gods and goddesses, and hence had a right to do such things; it may be replied, that at that time they were in human bodies, and hence, on the Hindu principle that God is the soul of all men,' they were no more gods and goddesses than what all are. To the quibble, that persons of character are always allowed to do acts for which inferior persons would be blamed, it may be answered, that we claim a character for ourselves superior to that of Rám or Durgá, and they may have the same exaltation when they renounce their foolish superstitions.

3. Another idea is that females ought not to be educated. It is usually affirmed that if females learn to read they will become prostitutes, and hence it is sinful to instruct a woman

in any branch of knowledge. Though this objection is perfectly reasonable as far as reading the Hindu shástras is concerned as the obscenity they contain must have a most baneful effect upon the female mind-yet the idea is opposed by the shástras in which are given the histories of many women eminent for wisdom and piety. It is said, (Bk. 6, Chap. 23, 102,) "That Orchee goddess was a mere woman, hence, she composed her mind upon the death of her husband." (Bk. 6, Chap. 27, 127,) The daughter of Malaya Dhaga had a mind established in wisdom."

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It is also said, (Bk. 6, Chap. 15, 23 and 24,) "Sute Dheta, which was the name of his lady, was deep in the learning of astronomy, and she gave birth to four sons, who were all celebrated for learning."

Here is an account of a married woman, and a mother, who was learned, and as we may generally expect, her children resembled herself. These are a few of the passages which certainly prove that Hindus are by no means justified in hooting at female education, even by those books which they receive as divine.

4. It is asserted that men cannot remember what took place in a former birth, any more than a person in sleep can remember what took place when awake. This answer is thought to be quite enough to silence all our doubts, in regard to the pre-existence of human souls; but we shall feel that it is quite unsatisfactory when we see how often Kangsa is represented as recounting and bewailing the misfortunes of a former birth. This we find was also the case with the most eminent characters that figure in the Bhágabat. It is said of Bharat rájá, (Bk. 5, Chap. 8, 79,)" In that time he departed from life and obtained the body of a deer. And the monarch, remembering the history of his former birth, knew for what reason he had found the birth of a deer." If a beast can know the transactions of a former birth, may not a man know? This same Bharat rájá was, according to the history, afterwards born in the body of a bráhman, and then it is said, (Bk. 5, Chap. 9, 67,)" He remembering the history of his past birth, feared to associate with wicked people." Thus we have quoted these two great extremes, a beast and a bráhman, who alike knew the transactions of a former birth; and as such instances in the shástras are not rare, it will not do for the Hindu to explain why we have not all the same knowledge, upon such untenable principles.

5. It is another popular sentiment that we must perform various outward ceremonies, in order to obtain salvation. Now it is said, (Bk. 5, Chap. 1, 73,) "Sabala rájá, who was

a holy man threw away all outward religion." It is also said, (Bk. 5, Chap. 11, 5-8,) "Hear again, O monarch, they who remain in society, walking according to correct knowledge and preserve the truth in their minds, are righteous in the midst of this evil world. I call them wise. Their names are excellent in the earth if merciful to their fellows." Against this idea we may also bring a passage from Book 10, Chap. 3, from verse 49, the substance of which is, that in the Satya-juga, religion went on four legs; in the Tretá-juga, one was cut off; in the Dwápara, another; and in this present Kalí-juga, the third was cut off; leaving religion with only one leg, which leg is called mercy. Now we may ask if mercy is the whole of religion in this dispensation, then of what use are bathings, pilgrimages, incantations, and idolatries. They certainly contain no mercy. These texts give a very different impression from the teaching of the bráhmans, at the present day, which makes all merit to consist in self-mortification. There are not only numerous passages of this kind in the Bhágabat, but in other books of which the text was taken from the Bhágabat. In a book called Tula Bhena, which is looked upon with great veneration by all the Oriyas, such sentiments as these are to be found (page 67): "The necklace is nothing." "The tilaka (a mark) is nothing." "Clean and unclean are nothing." "Touching or not touching is nothing." "Bathing is nothing." "Outward pilgrimages are nothing." "The worship of the Almighty is true, but all other worship is nothing." "Caste is nothing." "All are one caste.' "Religious austerities are nothing." "Repeating the names of the gods is nothing." Thus it appears that even those books received by the Hindus as divine condemn all their ceremonies as useless.

6. The Hindus also maintain that it matters not what a man's character may be, if he only adores the gods. One may be impenitent, hypocritical, covetous and envious, and if he is only a warm devotee of Rám or Krishna, all will be well. However clearly this doctrine is taught in the native shástras, it is also as clearly contradicted. It is said, (Bk. 6, Chap. 9, 59,60,)" He, who will not remember his former sins shall find no help, but will spend his days in pleasure and pain, and at last fall into hell." No less expressive is the passage against covetousness, (Bk. 6, Chap. 6, 123-4,) "They who are subject to covetousness live like beasts. They shall not obtain thee (Shiba), but shall wander through the world."

Covetousness is also condemned in these words, (Bk. 6, Chap. 24, 106-7,) "They who are covetous and lustful are bound in wickedness and are like demons." As it regards

hypocrisy it is said, (Bk. 6, Chap. 22, 85,) "Whose mind is not upon thee (Krishna), he is a poor hypocritical devotee. His heart is unclean with lust, is denominated a wicked worshipper, and shall not cross the sea of this world."

Envy is also condemned in the worshipper in these words, (Bk. 6, Chap. 22, 117,) "Whosoever remains in an unenvious religion will obtain Brahma's knowledge." All sins great in their nature are said to subject one to great punishment. Thus it is said, (Bk. 10, Chap. 3, 103—5,) "Amongst sins, injuring our fellows, killing the foetus in the womb, and the murder of children, these three works whoever shall do, his life remaining he shall die. At the time of his death he is reviled by all. In this world he is without respect and goes into hell at death." Again it is said, (Bk. 10, chap. 11, 92,) “They who call their bodies their own and do not fear sin, ignorant in fascination, they will be slain and fall into an eternal hell." These quotations will certainly suffice to shew that even the Hindu religion does not entirely disregard the state of the heart.

7. That the spirits of all men are God. Though this sentiment is proved from the Bhágabat, yet the passages adduced in its support are often far from the point, and we have reason to believe that the poets never meant any such thing as the people understand their words to signify. As an example we may refer to that famous passage where the image of God in his creatures is compared to the reflection of the sky from the surface of water, (Bk. 10, Chap. 2, 51,) " Place 100 cisterns of water and the sky will be seen in all. Now pour all the water into one cistern, and but one sky will be seen. The sky is not separated when the cisterns go to destruction. This is the nature of spirit and is known only to the wise." Now the most this figure proves is, that the image of God is reflected by his creatures; but as the image of the sky is not the sky itself, so the image of God is not God himself. There is a passage in the 11th book of the Bhágabat which says, "God is a Spirit, and there is no creature like him. If Spirit will meditate upon his Spirit, then one may know they are blessed."

8. We are often told that the religion of the Hindus will never come to nought. But if this be true Byasadeb was a false prophet; for he says, (Bk. 12, Chap. 1, 179): "The Turks shall reign fourteen generations without discretion; after which the Phiringís (a name applied to Europeans) shall remain thirteen generations. In this time all religion shall go, caste and conduct shall not remain." Again it is said, (Bk. 12, Chap. 2, 115,) speaking of the same time: "All castes shall