Hindu, be
he even comparatively educated, he will still see nothing. He will tell
you that he knows as well as yourself that the holes are made by the
beetles and enlarged by the fakirs. But what of that? The beetle in his
eyes is no ordinary beetle, but one of the gods incarnated in the insect
for this special purpose; and the fakir is a holy ascetic, who has acted
in this case by the order of the same god. That will be all you will
ever get out of him. Fanaticism and superstition took centuries to
develop in the masses, and now they are as strong as a necessary
physiological function. Kill these two and the crowd will have its eyes
opened, and will see truth, but not before. As to the Brahmans, India
would have been very fortunate if everything they have done were as
harmless. Let the crowds adore the muse and the spirit of harmony. This
adoration is not so very wicked, after all."

The Babu told us that in Dehra-Dun this kind of reed is planted on
both sides of the central street, which is more than a mile long. The
buildings prevent the free action of the wind, and so the sounds are
heard only in time of east wind, which is very rare. A year ago Swami
Dayanand happened to camp off Dehra-Dun. Crowds of people gathered round
him every evening. One day he delivered a very powerful sermon against
superstition. Tired out by this long, energetic speech, and, besides,
being a little unwell, the Swami sat down on his carpet and shut his
eyes to rest as soon as the sermon was finished. But the crowd, seeing
him so unusually quiet and silent, all at once imagined that his soul,
abandoning him in this prostration, entered the reeds--that had just
begun to sing their fantastical rhapsody--and was now conversing
with the gods through the bamboos. Many a pious man in this gathering,
anxious to show the teacher in what fulness they grasped his teaching
and how deep was their respect for him personally, knelt down before the
singing reeds and performed a most ardent puja.

"What did the Swami say to that?"

"He did not say anything.... Your question shows that you don't know
our Swami yet," laughed the Babu. "He simply jumped to his feet, and,
uprooting the first sacred reed on his way, gave such a lively European
bakshish (thrashing) to the pious puja-makers, that they instantly took
to their heels. The Swami ran after them for a whole mile, giving it hot
to everyone in his way. He is wonderfully strong is our Swami, and no
fri