KRISHNA AND ORPHEUS :
THE GREAT INITIATES OF THE AND WEST

CHAPTER I

HEROIC INDIATHE SONS OF THE SUN
AND OF THE MOON

FROM the conquest of India by the Aryans sprang
one of the most brilliant civilisations this earth
has ever known. The Ganges and its tributaries
saw the birth of mighty empires and immense
capitals, such as Ayodhya, Hastinapoura and In
draprastha.

The epic accounts of the Mahâbharata
and the popular cosmogonies of the Pouranas
which contain the most ancient historical records
of India, speak in gorgeous language of the roya
opulence, the heroic grandeur, and the chivalrous
spirit belonging to these bygone ages. Nothing
more haughty, nor anything more noble, coul
be conceived than one of these Aryan kings o
India, standing in his war-chariot, and controlling
armies of elephants, horses, and foot-soldiers. A
Vedic priest consecrates his king before the as
sembled multitudes in the following terms: "
have brought thee out into our midst; the whol
people ardently desire thee. Heaven and eart...