Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists

CHAPTER I MYTHOLOGY : OF THEINDO-ARYAN RACESThe Study of Mythologythe early history of man Asia formed a vast breedinggroundINof civilization of which countries like Egypt,Arabia, Greece, India, and China were the extremities.Egypt and Arabia were destined later, from theirgeographical positions, to be overrun and suffer destruction of their culture. Greece and pre-eminently Indiaformed what may be called culs-de-sac. Here, as ifup thelong shores of some hidden creek, would be forced thetidal wave of one epoch after another, each leaving on thecoast a tide-mark that perhaps none of its successors wouldbe able entirely to cover. Hence, in India, we may hopeto discover means of studying, as nowhere else in theworld, the succession of epochs in culture.Civilization develops by new conjunctions of tribesand races, each with its individual outlook, the result ofthat distinctive body of custom which has imposed itselfupon them through the geographical conditions of whatever region formed their cradle-land and school. WesternAsia is one of the central areas of the world. Here bythe very necessities of the configuration the great highways from North to South and East to West meet, andmercantile cities points of barter and exchangewillgrow up at the crossways. Equally obvious is it thatIndia and the remote parts of the Nile Valley will formseats of occupation and production. Here race upon racewill settle and combine. Here agricultural nations willgrow up.Here civilization will accumulate. And herewe may look to see the gradual elaboration of schemes ofthought which will not only bear their own historyAI