Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-06-13
A BRAHMIN'S VIEWS.
SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS LIFE IN
INDIA.
Related by Gopal Vinayak Joshec-
Interesting Mixture of Oriental
Superstition and Philosophy.

the life, customs and religions of the peo-
pie of India, and the views expressed con-
corning our own religion and customs.
The entire lecture, which occupied over
two hours in It's delivery, would fill many
columns, but extracts from some OF the
leading points will afford the reader some
thing of the thought aud spirit of the
Brahmin's address In opening, he paid a
warm tribute TO Mrs. T. B. Croker for her
many munifcent acts of charity and dona-
tons for public good, and especially the
recent gift to the city of the art building, in
which the lecturer was speaking The hrst
portion OF the lecture was devoted to a
brief review OF his visit to this country, the
kind manner in which lie had been re-
ceived by most but criticised by some, for
his views and expressions, and then pro-
ceeding to the consideration of India and
her people, he said:
THE RELIGIONS OF INDIA.
In India there are at present four prominent
religions at work-BrahminisIn Buddhism, Mo
hammedanisn and Christianity. BrahmiuiSln
Is very ancient, Buddhism OF 2,3J0 years, Chris
tianity 900, and Mohammedanism 1880. The
first two are constructive and the last two are
destructive They will therefore die soon
Bloodshed and cruelty to living beings viii not
remain unpublished so that what was in the
beginning viii be in the end. BrahminIsm Will
be everlasting. 1t is the natural religion The
Brahmins have 10 such Gods as the Jews Mo-
hammedans and Christians adore. Their Gods
are arbitrary and eXacting. They are blood
thirsty and jealous
The Bruhmin God does not ask us to obey and
worship Him alone. The Brahnlin God does
not hurl us down 10 everlasting perdltlon, be
cause of our disobedience and dlsrespect. The
,l,,,,s, In.- in Sfn
against God. They have no hell hereafter
Christianity and Mohammedanism are stained
With blood; BrahminiSm and Buddhism bear q
snoW-white character and reputation. The
founders of Christianity and Mohammedanism
were false prophets. Their motive was that the
whole universe should be converted to their
faiths 1t is false artillery that always gains
victory. 1t is false modesty and false beauty
that waylay passer by. Natural beauty Is no
| attraction Convention is therefore falsehood.
Look at the attorneys pleaders. Darristers or
hundred are engaged III defending their cases
with false arguments | therefore nave no re
| spect for Christian and Mohammedan MINISTERS
| l pity their ignorance and dupicIty OF charec-
| ter welcome them, but they cannot welcome
me- because am not q Christian. The Brahmln
| religion tolpratCs all faiths. The wise and the
ignorant sleep together. The wise will not shine
! and make parade of their knowledge; they al
| WAYS will be in harmony with the illiterate.
| This is wisdom this is Branmlnism; TINS Is
sound philosophy.
| sUPERSrITIoUs oBSERvANCEs.
| We have had no social life in India; our birth
! life and death are so i-terwoyen with thoughts
for the future that we have no time to thlnk o.
| endowment, pleasure and qualification OF animal
| appetites We always consult stars and planets
| before we get our nails cut and our heads
| shaved We would not move an inch forward
( if the wind through our right nostril blows
slower than the left We always hold our hand
| OF our noses and feel which nostril blows faster
Sometimes we go out on business half the way
| and return home without attending 10 H. be
| cause the right noStril ceased to blow, or one
| hand could not feel the wind passing through it,
/ If we go out on business, and cat crosses the
road, the next thing We do is to come home:
| There are certain days suspicious ana Others
| inauspicious all the year round II We get
shaved on days which are inauspicous 10 either
our mother father sisters, brothers or children
| the elderly person in the house VIII abuse and
curse us and predict that some person concerned
| will die in the family. Wives will not allow
| their husbands to shave on days wnlch are
! ominous to one or the other; and If husband
| will insist on doing so his wife Will ask MIN TO
kill her first and then do as he pleaSeS.
| There are certain days of bad omen on which
| we should not see the sun or moon; and if we
| do the prediction is that we shall be involved
in some serious robbery cases, There are certain
| bad days and hours on and at which women
| should not give birth to children. II they do,
signing and melancholy prevail in the family
| and every member feels as II he was III mourn
| ing. Sacrifices, offerings ana burninSs are I'M
AN'CANS-A
| spirits
wife should not be on one bed certain months
| III which we must not partake of certain KINDS
| of food : one month is for ANNIVERSARIES OF
| the dead twice q year we have offerings ana
| drink purifying liquids III large national as
| semblage that the sins committed during one
half of the wear may be cleansed and washed
| away. IF we are about to set out on Journey
to distant country, we first consult our astro!o-
| gers. They examine our horoscopes ana nix the
4 En, s9pr,o RI
| doors without ascertaining the favorable lnilu-
| ences of stars and planets. In short, every mo-
| ton speech, and action in our lives are regu-
| lated by rules engraved on copper
CONTRASTS OF GODS.
! We are born not to enjoy. but to prepare our
selves for the future world. Our God is very
| hard-hearted. He gives US no moment OF our
! own, but has fastened us 10 tate WIN adahaht-
| inc CHAINS. 1t is, however, different with other
people Their God has laid down and enacted
| convenient laws. Their God worked SIX days
| days and rested on the seventh, so that they
| work and enjoy six days and take rest on the
seventh This wise and rational system builds u
nation wherever it prevails, and gives rise to
| nnumerable institutions and societies. the
social condition in this country Is charming
indeed. A traveller from India or emma, VINO
| has never been out of doors before, cannot de
| termiuc whether he is on land or III heaven.
| For a time he feels rs if surrounded by heavenly
| bodies angels and archangels. The social life
! is indeed enviable, and much better aDpre-
| ciated than their political and religious life.
You have your social and religious gatherings (;
| your dinner parties public restaurants. clubs
etc, are standing monuments OF enlightenment
and civilization.
In India we have no social life but only
spiritual and religious. Man is the highest de
vclOpment of the animal kingdom; but the
Hindoo God gives him no power or authority
over the works of his creator, beyond protecting
and taking care of them The HindoO's God
will not permit men to kill any OF His creatures
But the Gods of other nations issue mandates to
: ! ff..ptf hat il
and that everything animate and inanimate
was created for his comfort and happiness, and
allow him to carry on whatsoever butchery of
helpless and defenseless animals and expose
skin stripped cattle for exhibition on the street
TIE FOUR CLASSES AMONG HINDoos.
God made classification of mankind accord
ing to their qualities and abilities Thus we
have in India four principal classes, namely !:
Brahmins, the priest and councillor kshabra
the warrior; Nacshya, the trader, and Shudra,
the cultivator or laborer This classification
does not mean one man above the other, but to
show the different qualities inherent in different
animal men.
THE BRAHNiIN CHARACTER.
A Brahmin means a learned mendicant, who
has no clothes. no house of his own; who has
no brass or copper pots and dishes. What has
he, then, for himself? hut matched with
leaves of trees. or caves in the ground on the
bank of river. What IS his furniture No
tables chairs or sofas; no smooth bed of down
His bed is made of grass of the forest his knife
fork and spoon are made of wood. His food
consists of fruit and roots. He is engaged day
and night in invoking God to bless the universe.
If there be any sign of drought or famine on
land, il was Brahmins duty to invoke the god of
rain to pour his bounty on earth. There are
different kinds of Brahnins, however, as there
are different classes of men. BrahminS that
are unseliish, Brahmins that are warlike, Brah-
Minis that are covetous, and Brahmins that are
Indifferent, in Il spiritual sense of the word.
THE WARRIOR CLASS.
The class next to Brahmins is that of war
riors Their duty IS to protect the BrahminS,
relieve the oppressed, suppress the wicked and
help the weak They are, however, harmful to
one and helpful to another, as i'll the case of
dog This warrior class is, and always has
been, a source of anxiety and trouble to the
thinking mind. 1t has been the constant aim
and effort of the Brahmins to extirpate the
seed of war The Brahmins succeeded i'll de-
stroying the germ i'll India, but the seed was
exported and replanted therein by other ma
tions as soon as peace and tranquility prevailed
all over India.
THE MERCHANTS OR TRADERS
Is the next class Their business is to make