The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-01-08
hindu HUMOR.

lie Hlndns have their epics, thei
dramas, their popular tales, and thsi
poetry. Their Vedas contain pas
ssges as sublime as any to be found
in the sacred books of other nations.
Their lsW-books are full of wise and
humane counsels. Their epics cele.
brate the actions of men and women
not unlike the heroes and heroines OF
Homer; and their dramas bea= strong
affinity to ours,-a fact which led
Schlsgel to declare that the English
yer ion OF the 6akuntala Of Ka idasa
presents so striking 8 rssem bla ace to
our romantic drama that We NO aid
conclude its translator to have bssn
unduly Influenced by his love for
Shakespeare, if his accuracy were not
we'll established by all 5anskrit schol-
srs. But still. We cannot look to
Indian literature for an Gdipus, q
Hamlet, or a Faust, nor conversely,
for an Eulepspiegel, q Panurge, or q
Sancho PsDza Toe dogma OF quies
cence prevented the creation Of great
types of tears or of laughter which
will live Tor ever. According to our
conception OF the tragic, the Hindus
have no tragedies, and the humor
which many vi these writers possess
is a humor distinctly their OVID.
While the true humorist laughs at
the iollies of mankind, and, even as
be laughs, loves them because they
are go human, the Eastern humorist,
inspired by Brsbmsnism or Budd-
hism, laughs at men for rejoicing or
despairing in world which has no
reality. BE never could thoroughly
understand the brotherly sympathy
with the downward side'' which was
the inspiration OF Shakespeare, Ra
belais, and Oervsntes.
1t is at first difficult for the West
ern reader to define what il
earnest and what is humorous
in Sanskrit works. That which
strikes us as grotesque aud Ia IL
crous is to the Hindu sui lime and
serious. The difference in the stand
ards of taste adopted by Eastern and
Western Aryans is admirably exem-
pli6ed in their types of gCdhead. The
Greek gods and goddesses are besuti-
full and perfect in form; Hephe.toe,
whose trade 10 little suited to divinity,
isl mis-shspen; and the horns, tails,
and goats feet of Pan and the satyrs
hsrmouize with their semi-bestial
natures. The Morse gods are strong.
brave, and energetic, aud are models
OF complete manhood. The Hindu
gods, however. are tremendous mon
sters. with eight arms and shres
heads, like Siva; with an elephants
head. like Ganesa; or black, bloody,
and terrible, like the much feared.
Durgs. In the Mahabarata, Aryuna
begs for one glimpse of the infinite,
universal deity, and Krishna appears,
with many arms, stomachs, syes,
and mouths with projecting teeth, Ia
which the sons OF DritsrashtrA are
sticking, even as the pilgrims. con.
cealed in the salad, were held fast In
the teeth Of Gsrgantau. There is,
moreover. the same Wild luxuriance
in everything Indian. The Rsmsy.
ana and Mahsbharsts are the longest
epics. The Psnsha-tantrs and other
popular tales consist Of stories CON.
nected by a single thread; and there
are stories within stories, until an
unlisted reader, before he is half
way through this labyrinth OF Incl
dent, has lost the thread that was tC
guide him. 1t ia in keeping with the
rich fertility of the Hindu imsgins'
ton that ths early metsphysioisns
evolved the most tremendous humOr-
Gus conception that has ever entered
into the mind of man. When tht
philosopher paused, in his specula
items on the infinite. to look out upor
the world about him, he saw lane
teeming with life and beauty, and
men and women who lived and strug'
gled. loved and hated, laughed aud
cried. The contrast between the
truth which he in mis- wisdom hsC
OWNED and life as it seemed aroused
within him q grim sense OF th'
humorous. After ali, be asked him
self what WAC the world, what wa
creation. but Maya, delusion7-'
: joke, colossal in design, which
Brahm, the OILY reality, had imag
ined Tor bis own amusement. 1t Wa
even as Heine fauc;ed it might be
the dream of Jolly, tipsy deity
January Atlantic.