Dutt, Romesh Chunder: The literature of Bengal: being an attempt to trace the progress of the national mind in its various aspects, as reflected in the nation’s literature from the earliest times to the present day ; with copious extracts from the best writers (Calcutta, 1877)

INTRODUCTION. c

quir er had learnt to be sceptical, and to question ifte
truth of foregone conclusions regarding religion and philo-
sophy ; a^id the intellectual few as represented by the
Vedanta, which was written at a somewhat subsequent
period, ventured to reject the worship of the elements,
and to accept the faith of one God. We neeo> not follow
out the triple system of philosophy which was gradually
developed from the enquiries which the Upanisjiads started,
forphilosophy and inquiries into religion were carried on by
the intellectual few, and do not give us any idea of the
society and the people. There are other works however

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which give us pictures of society and life at a period
subsequent to that of the Vedas, and they are the
Eamayana, the Mahabharata and the Code of Manu.
The Eamayana represents the first Aryan migrations and
conquests in south* in India. The Mahabharata presents
us with wonderfully accurate pictures of the state of
< society of that period. The whole of India was
governed by warlike Aryan princes, each governing one
or more tribes, considering*war and conquest as objects
of ambition and glory, fired with genuine heroism, and
swayed by rules of honor and a regard for truth such
as reflect credit to the nation. No single work, not
even the Iliad gives one so accurate an idea of
the manners and customs of an age as the Mahabharata,
a work, if rightly interpreted, invaluable to the'Historian
of India. No delineation could be more vivid and
glowing, and at the same time more precise and accurate,
than the Mahabharata, regarding the manners and
customs of the age, the degree of civilization attained,

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