The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-11
FALSE TALES <BOUr THE HINDUs.
Specific DeniaIs by n Distinguished swami
of stories Circulated Among Christinns.

of stories Circulated Among Christians.
To THE FprroR OF The suN-Sir, In TnES Sun
OF March q Ia a letter by Mrs. Harriet Tytlor.
hcalei "Th Old Practices Of the Hindus." the
erroneous statements Of which l beg leave
10 correct.
Mrs. Tytlcr asserts that sho was In India and
that she went from Calcutta to Meerut In a
boat and that she saw many crocodlles In tho
river, which we're fed by the babies thrown
into tho river by Hindu mothers, | am sorry
10 contradict a lndy's statement. but no Hindu
mother ever knew OF such an inhuman prac-
tice. | never heard OF It in India, not DO.
cause / closed my ears to such reports.
but because the practice Is unknown
among the Hindus. | have walked on foot
along the River Gauges from its source down
TO Calcutta. nparly 100 miles. and have lived
am ong the Hindus OF all classes and castles. but
never have | heard the stories OF Hindu
mothers feeding the crocodtles with their
babes. which tho Christian missionaries had
spread far and wide in this country. printing
pictures thereof In Sunday-school books, In
order to serve their purpose. Mrs. Tyler
ought to know a little moro OF tho geography
Of India; that Mcerut is not on the River
Gauges.
As regards tho crocodilcs living in the
GanRes. / can assure your readers that they
cannot stand the strong current OF that river.
There are crocodiles in other rivers whore the
current Is not so strong. ] used to bathe and
swim almost every day In the Ganges. but
never saw q crocodile. 1t Is funny that the
European bathers according to the statement
made by Mrs. Tytlerl were eaten up by the
crocodiles. while IL Is a fact that the natives
are not eaten up nor attacked by them. Per.
haps the crocodiles prefer a white skin to q
dark one.
Another mistake In Mrs. Tytler's letter con-
cernsthe car festival OF Juggernaut. She trieste
produce tho i'm preston on the minds OF your
readers that this cor festival was prohibited
and stopped By the British Government.
saying: Now. l know for a fact that this
could not hc. since the use OF these cars has
been prohibited ia my time. seventy-one years,
how long previous to that | cannot say. Tho
only Juggernaut's car | have ever seen
through the length and breadth Of my travels
in India was IN the Niganes territory"
The truth L.. however. that the car festival
was never prohibited by the Government. II
takes place every year in summer. 1have seen
It with my own eyes and have lived IN Puri. or
Juggerhaut. for six months. II any one wishes
to verify my statements he can refer to the
Commissioner Of OriSsa or read the history OF
India by W. ". Hunter. The story created by
tho fertile brains OF globe trotters that thu
Hlndus throw themselves under the car OF
Juggernaut to get salvation Il utterly ground.
less and false. No historical evidence can DO
adduced In support Of such a story.
Thirdly, II Mrs. Tyler hal known the history
OF the suppression Of suffice she would not have
averred that this custom had leen prevalent
throughout India urtll II was prohibited By
English rulers" Allow me- to quote n para
graph from an article entitled Women in
Hindu Society" published in the Arena,
Decem Der, 1899:
Self burning " the via >ws was a great social
evil in india 1t was not sanctioned by the II ndu
religion, but was dua 10 other causes II IL often
,ai hat the Christian Government" IA, suppress.
ed II, but the fact ia. when the ans con.
quered India, they treated the widows Of the linda
soldiers 80 hrutally that thu women preferred death
to such inhumsn treatment. A. the Iindus IL not
bury, but cremat, their dead. when the funeral
pyre VAS lighted 1t often happened that the poor
and unprotected widow threw herself in despair
into the r~re-committed suicide in the hope that
she would Join her husband after death.
Some OF the priests sunporte this by per.
verting the meaning OF some Scriptural pas
sages. The educated classes. however. strongly
protested against the priests who supported
this custom which prevailed only IN certain
parts Of India. and efforts were made to sup-
press the evil bv force: hut as they could not
do II without official help. they apnenle to the
ruling Government. raisel a large sum. gave IL
To- the officers and asked thu Nic"roy. Lord
Bentinck. to pas, a law against suffice. which
he did. Thus the evil was practically sup
pressed BY thu Hin luS them selves through the
hslp OF the British Government. This being
the fact. your readers will see very easily how
Mrs. Tyler Is deluding them.
Fourthly. as regards the treatment OF the
uf.I, uIras k. thair h,,aIanl. r N ~ n ,kak
the mum Der OF wife heaters among the HIndus
Is only a very anal percentage. while that per.
centage among Christians Is large. The
readers OF the daily papers OF this city know
how large n part OF marriages here end either
in uphappiness, separation. divorce or suicide.
The Hindus do not need any divorce
law. nor any law for the protection
Of women. because marriage in India
is based upon spiritual union and not on the
sense plane. The first duty OF a husband"
according TO Manu-. the ancient Hindu law
giver, lis to adore his wife TO give her every
thing she needs or desires-as clothes. orns.
ments. jewels. &c. and to make her happy"
where women are honored tho deuds tgods)
are pleased; but all virtue. all goodness and
all prosperity leave tho family whers
women are dIshonored and in.treated." Sir
Monier Williams says: They wives OF the
nlullsl uIc sFl'TdlS lbN''l. NJ rus lIthls
ment by brutal husbands Is unknown" "A
woman's BODY says Manu-. must not be
struck. even with a flower. because 1t Is sa.
cred There are many such passages. which
show how women are respected. honored AMI
treated with kindness and love by every true-
born Hindu.
Finally. allow me. sir. to quote from the
Mahabharata, the great epic. q passage which
gives q definition Of a wife:
A wife Is half the maa. his truest friendi
Allowing wife il a perpetual spring
OF Writ ls, pleasure. W .lth; a faithful wife
Ia his best aid in seeking heavenly bIissI
Asweetly speaking wife Is a companion
In solitude, a father in advice.
A mother in all seasons Of distress,
A rest In passing through liHe's wilderness.
SWAMI ABuEDASANDA.
New YORK. March 8.