Evening star., 1937-01-10

A NY man who dogmatizes about
~ India must be foolish, or in
~ sincere: the country is too
a big for generalizations. For
instance. I was told that would find
great changes since I was there last,
fifteen years ago. But after travelling
20 900 miles from Karachi to Calcutta,
and from Swat in the far north to
Cape Comorin in the extreme south,
I came to the conclusion that the
changes were only on the surface. and
had not affected the real inner life OF
the people.
Outwardly, of course, wireless, motor
busses, electricity and so on must
change the rhythm Of mems lives,
and they have changed it in India
but only specifically: the world OF
appearances Is not the world that
matters in this old country which Is
the mother. or at least the grand
mother, of all the philosophers of our
Western world. Below the Western
tide of progress the old faiths and the
old customs flow on, shifting their
channels a little here and there, but
essentially unchanged and unchecked,
as constant as the rivers of Hindu
stan.
My purpose in revisiting India was
to look below appearances. as far as
I might: I came as a student rather
than a sightseer, to explore not the
tourist centers but the intellectual
outposts of these philosophers who
are the inheritors of the Yoga systems.
AS a subaltern officer in the Bengal
Lancers I began to learn Yoga nearly
80 years ago, and I have continued
ever since, so far as much travelling.
a certain tendency to frivolity and
the fogs of London have permitted
me. 1 am not and never shall be an
adept of Eastern mysticism, but 1
know many of its professors. and I
have had long practical experience
of its teachings. Therefore, as an
Interpreter I am not without some
qualifications.
Impact of Alien Culture.
But what is Yoga? How does 1t
compare with those paths to reality
which Christendom has followed
through the devotion of Saint Fran
els or the ecstasies of Santa Teresa?
All mysticism has the same object
union with the Divine Life; but there
are as many methods as there are
races of mankind. In the East, and
especially in India, the path is better
charted and signposted than it is in
the West. There is kind of physical
mysticism (Hatha Yoga) concerned
with postures, movements, breathings
and relaxation, which has been my
special interest for many years. How
far can these practices be adapted to
the increasing nervous stresses OF
modern life in Europe and America?
How is India adapting herself to the
impact of an alien culture, and what
contribution can she make to it out
of her ancient wisdom?
Such were the aims Of my inquiry.
In their pursuit travelled far in time
as well as space, finding myself at one
moment in the Stone Age, and at
another in the twentieth century :. {.
I found a land of contrasts, of rags
and romance, Of high PHILOSOPHERS
and bestialities past belief, Of exquisite
culture, and of simplicity stripped to
the buff. :.
I left London by air in the cold fog
of the last day of 1895, and soon
found myself sweltering in the SUM-
shine of Allahabad, among two million
Hindus who were attending a festival
which was ancient when we in Eng
land were dancing round Druidic
affairs.
These two million Hindus (the
largest gathering of human beings
that assemblies anywhere on the face
of the earth) had come from all parts
of India to bathe at the junction OF
the Ganges and Jumna at the moment
when Jupiter enters the sign OF Aquar-
ius, at 8 am. on January "a. Every
twelfth year the festival is even bigger.
have seen many religious pageants,
in many parts of the world, but never
such a procession as that which passed
before my eyes this morning.
Police Keep Path Clear.
The route is lined eight deep with
serried ranks of peasants and sight
seers, largely women. Police keep the
path clear from the junction of the
rivers to the Fort. First come girl
Yogis, dressed in saffron robes, with
garlands Of white blossoms for Mother
Ganges. Some Of these women lead
lives as pure as any lives could be;
others are dedicated to Kama the
god Of love, and follow paths which
to us would seem very far from sanct-
ity. But who are we to criticize? I
am q European. My ancestors were
barbarians when these people pro-
pounded some of the subtlest philoso-
phies that have been evolved by the
brain of man.
Behind these young priestesses
walks tall elephant. carrying a man
who is wearing nothing but wreath
of flowers and gold-rimmed spectacles.
Following him comes a mounted band
of fife and drums, and then the bhaira-
gis-five hundred absolutely naked
men-carrying little bags of wood-ash
with which to powder themselves after
bathing.
The bhairagis are curious sect,
| MIN, hariy,~ ao,aa ,~illioy,a and acat-