History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s2.118

v7.c96.s2.118

It is most difficult to suggest in a brief space a code of conduct for all the millions of India. But for men of limited education and busy life a few suggestions by way of illustrations may be set out. The idea of pollution by the touch of men belonging to certain castes must be given up and much more therefore the idea of pollution by the mere shadow of certain people.²⁶⁶² Swāmī Vivekānanda (Works Vol. V. p. 152) was so angered as to say "The religion of India is at present dont touchism". Reason and science must be resorted to for checking or abandoning dogmas based on ancient authority. The myths and legends of the Purāṇas on the origin of the universe, about eclipses and so forth that are not credible in the light of science should not be included in the religious creeds of these days and should be treated as mere myths and legends. Many Christians even in these days (and most Hindus and Moslems) believe in a heaven above and a hell or hells below. But Śabara²⁶⁶³ (in the first centuries of the Christian era) holds that heaven is not a place (vide pp. 1211-1215 above). Therefore, heaven and hell as described in ancient Sanskrit works cannot be made an article of faith for modern men. It is often said that myths may be represented as facts to simple people for the sake of beneficial results (e. g. for inducing them to perform sacrifices or to observe rules of morality &c). But this is not proper as there are dangers in this. In these days of growing popular education, when the myth becomes exposed, the men who once believed it not only give up that myth but also might give up everything contained in ancient works as unbelievable. Space does not permit any elaborate cataloguing of what should be given up and what striven for in these days. Values, aims and institutions that were accepted by almost all people only a few decades ago are now challenged and new patterns are in process of being moulded. The chief catalytic agencies are modern science and Western thought and literature. The old structure of beliefs is tottering and laxity in morals has made great headway. But whatever happens, we must so regulate society that the family as a social unit²⁶⁶⁴ is preserved and safeguarded, every child of whatever class or race must have equal opportunities of education, man's daily work must be held to be divine work and worship, great inequalities of wealth and possessions must be eliminated.