6_Glorious_Epochs_of_Indian_History

6TH GLORIOUS EPOCH 129
the course of events into two great ages : the Ancient and the
Modern ; the first, ending with the seventh century, and the
second, stretching from the beginnings of the eighth century
to the present day. In the preceding four chapters we have
dealt with the vast ancient period of about a thousand years
or so, while we intend to analyse, in the following nineteen
chapters, the course of events in this modern age of Hindu
History.
314. In doing so detailed accounts of the many stray
events supporting our main thesis will certainly be given
where necessary and the chronological sequence will also be
maintained. But the chronological details will not be allowed
to crowd up the limited space at our disposal, as they are
easily available in various big or small volumes by many
other writers. Hence our whole attention will be focussed
mainly on the bearings of different important points in the
subject rbatter in hand, rather than, though not without
regard to, the cbronological order.
THE EPIC HINDU-MUSLIM WAR
315. The struggle on the two fronts in all the bloody
wars fought at every Muslim invasion right from the begin­
ning of this modern age was hitherto unknown and unheard
of. For the Greek, Saka, Hun and other invaders, who came
pouring in down the plains of the Punjab, had political
domination of this country as their sole objective. Barring
this political aim their raids had never been occasioned by
any cultural or religious hatred. On the other hand, these
new Islamic enemies not only aspired to crush the Hindu
political power and establish in its place Muslim sovereignty
over the whole of India, but they also had, seething in their
brains another fierce religious ambition, not heretofore
dreamt of by any of the old enemies of India. Intoxicated
by this religious ambition, which was many times more
diabolic than their political one. These millions of Muslim-
invaders from all over Asia fell over India century after cen­
tury with all the ferocity at their command to destroy the