Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/353

 HAKSHA AND HIUEN TSANG 309 principle of perfect religious toleration and equality. Like Akbar, he was fond of listening to the expositions of rival doctors, and he heard with great pleasure the arguments adduced by the learned Chinese traveller in favour of the Mahayana form of Buddhism, with the doctrines of which he does not seem to have been famil- iar. An interesting illustration of the freedom of ancient Hindu society from the trammels of the system of female seclusion introduced by the Mohammedans is afforded by the fact that his widowed sister sat by the king's side to hear the lecture by the Master of the Law, and frankly expressed the pleasure which she received from the discourse. The king, however, was determined that his favour- ite should not be defeated in controversy, and when opponents were invited to dispute the propositions of the Chinese scholar, the terms of the contest were not quite fair. Harsha, having heard a report that Hiuen Tsang's life was in danger at the hands of his theolog- ical rivals, issued a proclamation concluding with the announcement that " if any one should touch or hurt the Master of the Law, he shall be forthwith beheaded; and whoever speaks against him, his tongue shall be cut out; but all those who desire to profit by his instruc- tions, relying on my good-will, need not fear this mani- festo." The pilgrim's biographer naively adds that " from this time the followers of error withdrew and disap- peared, so that, when eighteen days had passed, there had been no one to enter on the discussion."