Page:History of the Indian people. Life in ancient India in the age of the mantras (IA historyofindianp00srinrich).pdf/14

viil PREFACE. North-West in the remote age of the early Rishis shows that the people were. neither primitive, pastoral tribes devoid of agriculture, commerce and industries as some people have described them; nor were they of a superhuman race living in a golden age of peace and virtue. On the contrary the Rishis were very human men, full of the joy of life and without that pessimistic contempt for the good things of the world which later Rishis, those of the Upanishads, those of the Darsanas and later teachers of unorthodox systems, like Mahavira and Gautama Buddha and modern Acharyas have filled Indian thought with, The Puranas are as responsible for the absurd megalomania in chronological, historical and geographical notions of the Hindus of to-day as the Acharyas of the last millennium for the hankering for escape from the life of the world which colours all aspirations of Hindus and renders them nerveless in the struggle for life among the nations of the world. If this little book will help to make a few Hindus rise above the limitations of tradition and take a sane view of the past, it will have achieved a useful purpose.

In the following pages, every statement is substantiated by quotations from the Mantras; and as far as possible, the excellent translations of Griffith, Whitney, Muir, and Bloomfield have been quoted. Ina very few passages I have made my own translation. In the case of most technical terms of the Vedic Age, I have given the Sanskrit words in brackets; for many of these words have either dropped out, or acquired other meanings in later Sanskrit and this prominent mention of them may prove of interest to Indian readers.

P. T. SRINIVAS IYENGAR.