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say, "there is a God for us, and there is a book of wisdom for us, in which are mentioned a heaven and a hell-That all our fathers who worshipped our gods taught us to do so, and taught us these books, and we follow them." Let me answer you, and I hope you will consider. These gods which we have been taught to worship of what use are they for us? can they save us from sin? I do not believe they can save us. Why? because, when they quarrelled among themselves some were not able to escape, one wept and said, "What shall I do? What shall I do? I am now suffer

ing for my sins in a former state."

Some are stolen

by thieves, some are eaten by rats and white ants. Instead of their saving you, you need to save them from destruction.

Are they to come and teach us useful knowledge? I do not think they are able to teach, because they have no good sense of their own. The whole actions of their lives are full of confusion and bad conduct. In the present day we read many things about them which are shameful to mention.

But, my countrymen, perhaps you will say, that many of these gods are for simple minded people, and they have represented their gods by such wicked characters; but those who are high-minded people have high-minded and superior gods.

You may be ready to say, "We have Brumah Vishnu and Siva." Now hear me whilst I explain their character. Brumah you say is creator; if he be creator of all things and of the Vedahs, how did he happen to lose one head by Siva? Why did he not

create another head? Why did he not know that his enemy was coming to take off his head when he was able to see from every side? The Vedahs which he made were stolen from him by a giant; how did this happen? If Brumah made the Vedahs, why did he not make others when the first were stolen, or why did he not follow the giant and recover them?

How did the giant become such an enemy to his creator as to steal his Vedahs? If Brumah is the only creator, he should know the extent of power that he gave to his creatures-if he made the sea, he should know all the creatures he made to live in the sea, and how deep and how broad the sea is; but when the giant stole his Vedahs he hid himself in the sea, which Brumah, you say, had made. Why did Brumah need the assistance of Vishnu? Why was it necessary that Vishnu skould take the nature of a fish to seek after the Vedahs? Why was Brumah so much grieved for losing his Vedahs? had he only one copy? If he be the creator of all things, he was able to make a thousand or more. Why then did he not, instead of grieving, make a stronger giant than the thief to recover his Vedahs? But many questions might be asked about this creator, which contradict the things you believe to be true. I do not see any congregations in the present day that are worshippers of Brumah. I do not see any temples built for his

service.

We shall now speak of Vishnu. You say that Vishnu is the preserver; why then did he take upon him the nature of a fish to destroy the giant? Siva

is the destroyer, why did he not go? Does this not appear contradictory? Why does one god who is to be the nourisher and preserver do the duty of another-when Vishnu was the destroyer? Perhaps you will say Siva was sick at that time, and Vishnu took his office. If so, had Vishnu to do the work of destroyer, and of nourisher, and preserver, at the same time? But when Vishnu took the nature of a fish, and was seeking after the giant who stole the Vedahs from Brumah, how could he hear the prayers and receive the blessings from the people? How could he give the people, and the beasts of the fowls of heaven their food?

field, and the

This giant is a creature of Brumah, and you say Vishnu is the father of Brumah: now was Brumah a wise god, that gave so much power to the giant ? He made a creature that was able not only to grieve him but steal his Vedahs, to hide himself in the sea, and make it necessary for Vishnu to take the nature of a fish, that he might recover the Vedahs and destroy the thief. But you call Gunga the concubine of Siva: why did she not come to the assistance of Brumah, and deliver up the giant? Or why did she not help Vishnu when he was so fatigued in searching after the giant? Perhaps she was asleep or on a journey.

The giant was a man, how did he happen to go into the water to hide himself? Vishnu could not go into the water till he took on him the nature of a fish. How is it possible that all this can be true? A creature cannot be greater in power than his creator, nor

can he give such trouble to his creator's father as to make him change his nature into an irrational fish.

But, my countrymen, it is not only this which is wrong in the religion of our fathers; it appears to me that every part of it is wrong. If you will listen with patience I will explain a little more. Vishnu the nourisher and preserver, appeared in another nature, that he might become a destroyer; you know it is said that the giant (Yeranea Kassu) took the earth and rolled it up like a mat, and went into the deep. Menu told Brumah, and Brumah prayed to Vishnu. When Vishnu came he took the nature of a boar, and plunged into the deep. With his tusk he destroyed the giant, brought back the earth again and spread it out as it was at first. You say that the earth is supported by the tusk of Vishnu to the present day. Now, can you believe all this? do you think it reasonable to believe it? Where was Brumah the creator when he suffered the giant to run away with the earth? Where was Vishnu the preserver? Where was Siva the destroyer? Was Brumah asleep on the earth? Was Vishnu asleep on the sea? Had Siva gone to Gunga his concubine? If so the giant

would take the three gods with him into the deep. Besides, where did the giant stand when he rolled up the earth? on what did he walk? and how did he carry it? How were the mountains, the trees, and all living creatures preserved when the earth was rolled up? But we might speak for hours on these things. It would only be wasting our time to go through the whole history of our father's gods. Their

characters are so very bad, that there cannot be such creatures in existence.

You say that your books contain much wisdom; it is in your books that the history of your gods is given, and the badness of their character proves there are no such beings existing, and you surely do not think that the history of beings which do not exist, and the particular account of such bad actions as these books contain, prove any thing like wisdom. There are some good sayings in them, and there are many follies.

But you tell me, that whilst some of our fathers worshipped and believed in those that are no gods, others have said that the pooranahs are false; that all the accounts of the many gods are lies; they are ignorant, wicked gods, unable to save; and that there is only one true God for the whole world, who is invisible. So far they are correct; but many who are called holy men, and who want to see this invisible God, walk the wrong way to see him, and they have very erroneous sentiments of his nature. They have been taught to say, that God is every where, but their idea of his omnipresence is that he dwells in every person, and in every thing. They make the soul of man to be God, because it is invisible; and they say, when the body dies the invisible is joined with the invisible, viz. the soul is joined to, or absorbed in, the divine nature. Those who believe so follow different methods to be joined to God. Some go on pilgrimage; some leave their families and take up their abode in the jungle; some torture their bodies by suffering

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