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THE AWAKENING SOUL OF INDIA
ment. The nineteenth century in India was imitative, self-forgetful, artificial. It aimed at a succtssful reproduction of Europe in India, forgetting the deep saying of the Gita-"Better the law of one's own being though it be badly done than an alien dharma well followed; death in one's own dharma is better, it is a dangerous thing to follow the law of another's nature.") For death in one's own dharma brings new birth, success in an alien path means only successful suicide. If we bad succeeded in Europeanising ourselves we would have lost for ever our spiritual capacity, our intellectual force, our national elasticity and power of self-renovation. That tragedy has been enacted more than once in history, only the worst and most mournful example of all would have been added. Had the whole activity of the country been of the derivative and alien kind, that result would have supervened. But the life-breath of the nation still moved in the religious movements of
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