INTRODUCTORY

The religions that have commanded the devotion of successive generations of normal human beings in any country have done so because by direct personal contact at first, and by experience handed down as tradition from one generation to another, the founders and teachers of the religions were known to their contemporaries to be good, sincere and deep-thinking men, worthy of being followed. It is not merely wrong to display the detective-police mentality when studying a religion; it incapacitates one even to understand it.

Undoubtedly personal and class interests have perverted religion as they have perverted other institutions. But to confuse the later with the earlier and to impute fraud to the source is an unscientific attitude of mi8nd in the investigation of truth. The Rishis of our land, who have bequeathed to us great thoughts, were Rishis and no less. It is in a spirit of reverent affection that we should approach the study of an ancient scripture.

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