The Hindoos as They Are: A Description of the Manners, Customs and the Inner Life of Hindoo Society in BengalSivachandra Vasu
Religion
The Hindoos as They Are: A Description of the Manners, Customs and the Inner Life of Hindoo Society in Bengal
Sivachandra Vasu
Hindus; India -- Social life and customs; Women -- India
The child grows up under the fostering care of its parents amidst all
the surroundings of the family domicile. As it advances in years the
mother endeavours, according to her very limited capacity, to instil
into its mind the rude elements of knowledge. From the incipient stage
of early infancy when his mind is rendered susceptible of culture and
expansion, crude and imperfect religious ideas largely leavened with
superstition, are communicated to him, which subsequently mould his
character in an undesirable manner. His early affections and moral
principles are most entirely influenced by the impressions he receives
at the maternal fount, and he seldom comes in contact with the outer
world. He is taught to pay divine homage to all the idols that are
worshipped at stated periods of the year, and his indistinct ideas grow
into deep convictions, the pernicious influence of which can only
afterwards be effaced by the blessings of western knowledge. In the
villages "_chanaka sloaka_" or elementary lessons are still given as a
sort of moral exercise. The mother from want of adequate capacity or
culture is unfit to engraft on the youthful mind the higher divine
truths, to teach the child how to look on men, how to feel for them, how
to bear with them, how to be true, honest, manly, and how to "look
beneath the outward to the spiritual, immortal and divine." Solid,
practical wisdom, however, is often extracted from the most commonplace
experiences, even by untutored minds.
"Honor thy father and thy mother," is the first scriptural commandment
with promise, the importance and excellence of which is early impressed
on the mind of a Hindoo child by wise, discreet parents. And Hindoos are
honorably distinguished by their affections for their parents, and
continue to be so even in the maturer years of their life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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