Hindu Mysticism. Six lectures

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http://www.archive.org/details/hindumysticismOOdasg

HINDU MYSTICISM

PROFESSOR

S.

N.

DASGUPTA

Presidency College, Calcutta

HINDU MYSTICISM S.

N.

Author of

DASGUPTA^ Ph.D. A History

of Indian Philosophy

and Yoga as Philosophy and Religion

FREDERICK UNGAR PUBLISHING NEW YORK

CO.

J\ First published ig2j

Republished igS9

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 58-11626

9-

To

HIS EXCELLENCY The Rt. Hon'ble Victor Alexander George Robert BulwerLytton, Earl of Lytton P.C., G.C.S.I., G.C.I. E., Chancellor of

The University of Calcutta and Governor of Bengal,

May

it

I

India.

please your Excellency,

know

that

your noble and cultivated soul imll always be

eager to receive with cordial hospitality the high ideals, thoughts

and attainments of the people of any age and of any country, hut

more

which

particularly of India, over the destinies of a part of

yotir excellency

Mine

is

had

to preside

for some time.

a humble performance, but I feel extremely grateit was solely through the kind patronage of your

ful to you that

excellency that I could avail myself of the opportunities thcrt the invitations of many foreign universities, at

came and accept

one of which these lectures were delivered. Your generous and sympathetic willingness to help will

courtesies, cordiality

always endear your name

By

to

me, as

it

will do to

m^my

others.

associating this brief account of the m.y sties of India with

my tribute of respect to you for you yourself have for the lofty ideals of humanity. I shall be glad if you zvill kindly accept this unworthy gift and som^etimes think of India, her past greatness and future possibilities. your name I

am

mily paying

the high respect that

I

remain your Excellency,

Loyally and sincerely yours,

Surendranath Dasgupta, Presidency College, Calcutta.

HINDU MYSTICISM was presented first in the form of six lectures given by Professor Dasgupta in 1 926 as the Norman Wait Harris Foundation Lectures at Northwestern University.

The author was

at

one time a Lecturer,

University of Cambridge; Professor of Sanskrit,

Chittagong College, Bengal;

and Professor of Philosophy, Presidency College, Calcutta.

PREFACE

BOTH

on the continent and

in

America, Hindus

are associated with mysticism, but, so far as

I

know, the subject of Hindu mysticism has as yet received no systematic treatment, either in the way of general introduction, or in the way of a comprehensive account,

^he man

in the street cannot, as a rule, dis-

tinguish between the lower and the higher forms of

mysticism.

He

some kind of thinks of

it

looks upon mysticism in general with superstitious

as an obscure

awe or

reverence, and he

and supernatural method by

which, in some unaccountable manner, miraculous feats

may

be performed or physical advantages reapedVde-

parted spirits

made

visible,

fortunes told, muscles de-

veloped, riches earned without effort, dangerous and

incurable diseases cured by simple amulets or blessings, infallible prophesies

made, and the

like.

I

shall not

say anything as to whether or not such phenomena are possible, for

my

present interest concerns not facts

But whether or not the phenomena ac-

but beliefs.

tually occur, they imply beliefs that there are short

cuts to the attainment of advantages through mysterious, supernatural or miraculous

by reason.

I

powers undiscoverable

refer to this as