Page:Agastya in the Tamil land.djvu/24

Rh After all, the problem is not so hopeless as it appears at first sight. In fact, it serves the great purpose of driving us to revalue the data on which the Agastya legend has been built up in the Tamil land.

In all societies, Tradition stands as the natural background of history. Authentic history scarcely be said to arise before the invention of writing and the vast period in which man had been evolving from a primitive state of existence is one of haze, if not darkness, from the standpoint of recorded history. The indefatigable labours of Anthropologists and Archaeologists have doubtless resulted in marshalling other records than those in writing, which throw fairly good light on the life of man in prehistoric times; but these unfortunately do not cover the whole extent of man's spiritual evolution. Except the fitful glimpses afforded by the artifacts left behind by the primitive man into some aspects of his inner life, we have scarcely anything to enable us to read the whole extent and colour of it. Many chapters in the spiritual evolution of man must thus remain sealed for ever. Scientific approach becoming impracticable here, at least Tradition may be expected to step in to throw a few rays into the dark corridors of by-gone times. And as a matter of fact, the primitive history of every race and tribe is found to consist entirely of Traditions whose value may vary according to circumstances. The scientific historian is bound not to throw them overboard en masse but to sift them carefully and scrupulously, to arrive at whatever modicum of truth they may contain. The task of separating the ore from the dross is, however, a difficult one and few indeed can hope to succeed in it who does not bring with him an irreproachable scientific temper and method and a sympathetic imagination withal. In valuing traditions generally, one