Page:The Faith and Progress of the Brahmo Somaj.djvu/148

130 the unavoidable condition of religious life in the estimation of the Hindu. There is not much doubt that the fulfilment of this condition is, in certain natures, and under certain circumstances, highly favorable to the attainment of that union in spirit with the Supreme being which the Hindu of all other men most anxiously aspires for.

But then such contemplative union, so essentially adapted to the constitution of the Hindu mind, generally speaking, is not suitable in all cases alike. There is another order of mind among the people of this country, equally prevalent, and perhaps much more universal, among the great masses of the nation. The emotional element in the Hindu heart is very strong and very tender. Among the higher classes the intellect may be subtle, habits well-regulated, the heart fortified for flights of thought, and rigors of abstraction; religion and philosophy flowing from a common fountain, unite in systems of religious culture and deep utterances of speculative and spiritual rapture, so characteristic of Hindu writings. But the