{"product_id":"tales-of-bengal-gb-10999","title":"Tales of Bengal","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTales of Bengal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat east is east, and west is west, and never the twain\r\nshall meet, is an axiom with most Englishmen to whom the\r\noriental character seems an insoluble enigma. This form of agnosticism\r\nis unworthy of a nation which is responsible for the happiness of\r\n300,000,000 Asiatics. It is not justified by history, which teaches us\r\nthat civilisation is the result of the mutual action of Europe and\r\nAsia; and that the advanced races of India are our own kinsfolk.\nThe scene of Mr. Banerjeas tales has been won from the sea by\r\nalluvial action. Its soil, enriched by yearly deposits of silt, yields\r\nabundantly without the aid of manure. A hothouse climate and regular\r\nrainfall made Bengal the predestined breeding-ground of mankind; the\r\nseat of an ancient and complex civilisation. But subsistence is too\r\neasily secured in those fertile plains. Malaria, due to the absence of\r\nsubsoil drainage, is ubiquitous, and the standard of vitality extremely\r\nlow. Bengal has always been at [viii]the mercy of invaders.\r\nThe earliest inroad was prompted by economic necessity. About 2000 B.C.\r\na congeries of races which are now styled Aryan were\r\ndriven by the shrinkage of water from their pasture-grounds in Central\r\nAsia. They penetrated Europe in successive hordes, who were ancestors\r\nof our Celts, Hellenes, Slavs, Teutons and Scandinavians. Sanskrit was\r\nthe Aryans mother-tongue, and it forms the basis of nearly every\r\nEuropean language. A later swarm turned the western flank of the\r\nHimalayas, and descended on Upper India. Their rigid discipline,\r\nresulting from vigorous group-selection, gave the invaders an easy\r\nvictory over the negroid hunters and fishermen who peopled India. All\r\nraces of Aryan descent exhibit the same characteristics. They split\r\ninto endogamous castes, each of which pursues its own interests at the\r\nexpense of other castes. From the dawn of history we find kings, nobles\r\nand priests riding roughshod over a mass of herdsmen, cultivators and\r\nartisans. These ruling castes are imbued with pride of colour. The\r\nAryans fair complexions differentiated them from the coal-black\r\naborigines; varna in Sanskrit means caste and\r\ncolour. Their aesthetic instinct finds expression in a\r\npassionate love of poetry, and a tangible object in the tribal chiefs.\r\nLoyalty is [ix]a religion which is almost proof against\r\nits idols selfishness and incompetence.\nCaste is a symptom of arrested social development; and no community\r\nwhich tolerates it is free from the scourge of civil strife. Class war\r\nis the most salient fact in history. Warriors, termed Kshatriyas in\r\nSanskrit, were the earliest caste. Under the law of specialisation\r\ndefence fell to the lot of adventurous spirits, whose warlike prowess\r\ngave them unlimited prestige with the peaceful masses. They became the\r\ngoverning element, and were able to transmit their privileges by male\r\nfiliation. But they had to reckon with the priests, descended from\r\nbards who attached themselves to the court of a Kshatriya prince and\r\nlaid him under the spell of poetry. Lust of dominion is a manifestation\r\nof the Wish to Live; the priests used their tremendous power for\r\nselfish ends. They imitated the warriors in forming a caste, which\r\nclaimed descent from Brahma, the Creators head, while Kshatriyas\r\nrepresented his arms, and the productive classes his less noble\r\nmembers.\n\u003cb\u003e ......Buy Now (To Read More)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eProduct details\u003ch3\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEbook Number\u003c\/b\u003e: 10999 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor\u003c\/b\u003e: Banerjea, S. B. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRelease Date\u003c\/b\u003e: Feb 1, 2004 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat\u003c\/b\u003e: eBook \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage\u003c\/b\u003e: English \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eContributors\u003ch3\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEditor\u003c\/b\u003e: Skrine, Francis Henry, 1847-1933 \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Banerjea, S. B. \/ eBook \/ English","offer_id":43216261972125,"sku":"gb-10999-ebook","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/products\/10999.jpg?v=1671341930","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/tales-of-bengal-gb-10999","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}