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Dayanada
and
Arya Samaj 11
away with the need for independence of thought,
and transplanted young intelligences from their
proper environments teaching them to despise the
genius of their race. The instinct for self-preservation
revolted. Dayananda's generation had watched, as
he had done. Not without anxiety, suffering and
irritation, the gradual infiltration into the veins of
India of superficial European rationalism on the one
hand, whose ironic arrogance unserstood nothing
of the depths of the Indian spirit, and on the other
hand, of a Christianity, which when it entered family
life fulfilled only too well Christ's prophecy he had
come to bring division between father and son.
The enthusiastic reception accorded to the
thunderous champion of the Vedas, a Vedist
belonging to a great race and penetrated with the
sacred writings of ancient India and with her heroic
spirit, is then easily explained. He alone hurled the
defiance of India against her invaders. Dayananda
declared war on Christianity and his heavy massive
sword cleft it as under with scant reference to the
scope of exactitude of his blows.
Nevertheless as Glasenapp rightly remarks,
they are of paramount interest for European
Christianity of which ought to know what is the image