problem which is proposed by Europe and which is no solution at all.
A society or community kept together by force is not only in a provisory state, but in a very dangerous one. The bonds that keep together such a society are always in danger of being broken and the society itself — liable to experience the greatest evils. In such a position are all the European states. The only solution of the social problem for reasonable beings endowed with the capacity of love is the abolition of violence and the organization of society based on mutual love and reasonable principles, voluntarily accepted by all. Such a state can be attained only by the development of true religion. By the words «true religion» I mean the fundamental principles of all religions which are 1) the consciousness of the divine essence of human soul and 2) respect for its manifestation — human life.
Your religion is very old and very profound in its metaphysical definition of the relation of man to the spiritual All — the Atman; but I think it was maimed in its moral, i. e. practical application to life; by the existence of caste. This practical application to life, so far as I know, has been made only by Jainism,1 Buddhism and some of your sects, such as Kabir Panchis2 in which the fundamental principle is the sacredness of life and consequently the prohibition to take the life of any living being, especially of man.
All the evils that you experience — the famine and chat is still more important, the depravement of your people by factory life — will last as long as your people consent to kill their fellowmen and to be soldiers (Sepoys).
Parasites feed only on unclean bodies. Your people must try to be morally clean and in so far as they are clean from murder or readiness to do it they will be free from the regime under which they labour now.
I quite agree with you thet you ought to be thankful for all that has been done by the English — for your well being — and should help them in all things tending to the civilization of your people; but you should not help the English in their government by force, and never on any account take service in an organisation based on violence. Therefore, I think, the duty of all civilized Indians is to try to destroy all old superstitions, which hide from the masses the principles of true religion, i. e. consciousness of the divine essence of human soul and respect for the life
