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Muttukutti, the palmyra climber in Travancore, who pretended to have been raised to divine honours a little more than twenty years ago, all the divinities worshipped in this country are represented to have been licentious and deceitful.
Some persons speak of a certain Supreme Brahma,” in addition to the divinities referred to above; but even they admit, that this* Supreme Brahma,” instead of being distinguished for all good qualities, is destitute of justice, mercy, and other qualities that ought to be possessed by the ruler of the world. Wherever vou look, YOU sce Lo temple crected to his honour, nor is any kind of worship offered to him anywhere. It is therefore impossible that men should receive any aid from him towards living vip
tuously.
The gods commonly worshipped by the people being immoral, it naturally happened that the»ishis were also n= moral. According to the DPurdnas and epies there was not a single rishi who was not passionate, Thy knew how to curse and to seduce, but neither how to use kind speech
nor how to instruct meekly.
fii the southern districts of this cotntry the irnorant people worship devils also as gods. Of course, ther have not on their list any virtwouas devils. Good nated devils and wentle tigers are epally unknown. The reason why the writers of the Purinas invented such deitics, saves, and devils is simply this, that they fancied that the morals of their gods must resemble their own They were not aware that there were any people in the world whose iorality was higher than theirs, or that the God who made them
must be a Being of spotless Leliness, Moreover, after those