f battle, the beating of drums, and the clash of swords; but it
retains none of them; the ascetic in the midst of the turmoil of life
should, in like manner, retain no impression of the events about him,
be they joyous or mournful.

"As the pure flame feeds indiscriminately on all sorts of fuel, the
living timber of the forest as well as the refuse of the dung-heap, so
ought the ascetic to accept willingly whatever food is given to him,
never reflecting on its value, nor whether it is stale or fresh."[2]

[Footnote 2: Oman, _The Ascetics of India_, p. 158.]

The reader will be able to judge for himself how far the application
of these illustrations is calculated to help a man in his religious
aspirations towards asceticism.

The fact that Hinduism is a religion which still has a great hold upon
the majority of the people of India may be partly explained by the
shallowness of the Indian mind, which was referred to in the last
chapter. If there had been greater depth of feeling, and keener
perception of what the soul needs, the Hindu religion could never have
held its ground for so long. In spite of what many writers say about
Hinduism permeating every corner of domestic life, which is true in a
sense, it does not mean that "religion," as we understand the word,
permeates the Indian household. In an article in the _Fortnightly_ of
September 1909, an educated Hindu, Mr. P. Vencatarao by name, writing
on the subject, "Why I am not a Christian," after stating amongst
other things that "Hinduism has no fundamental dogmas," goes on to
say: "Hinduism is much more a matter of social intercourse and
domestic life than of religion in the proper sense of the word." And
that is perfectly true.

It is a particularly easy religion to follow. The moral code is left
undefined, and for the child depends upon the individual
characteristics of the members of the household in which he grows up.
The only clear rule of life which the Hindu possesses is concerning
the observance of caste. That is to say, he must never take food or
drink which has been in any way contaminated by the touch of a caste
lower than his own, and marriage may only be contracted within the
limits of his own caste. This rule he observes strictly, at any rate
in public, from the earliest childhood onwards. But it conveys no
moral obligation. On the contrary, it tends to self-esteem and
selfishness. Nor does it often cause any serious inconvenience. Or
when it does,