| The analogy between
language and religion may still further be pressed to make another important point clear.
Just what was once only a local dialect may become a great language by the works of a
great poet like Dante or Chaucer, so what was originally a tribal cult may become a great
religion by the teachings of a prophet like Christ or Mohammed. In fact, we may generally
say that there are three stages in the growth of a religion- the tribal, the national and
the universal. And it is by the
influence of great
prophets and teachers that these stages are passed. We have reasons even to believe
that every religion has its origin in the utterances of a prophet, as every language has
its origin in the songs of a poet. In our country we call such poet-prophets
Risis. They
are the founders of religions. They are the fountain-heads from which are derived the pure
and living utterances are treasured by the generations that follow and become, in course
of time, holy scriptures. Thus every religion has its prophet-founders and its
sacred books. |
