Table of Contents

FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
Hymns from the Rigveda
Introduction
To Indra
The Song of Creation
To Prajapati
To Varuna
To Varuna
To Visvakarman
To Indra
Hymn of Man
To Liberality
To Faith
To Night
To Dawn

The Upanishads
Introduction
The Story of tile Creation
The Subtle Essence
The True Brahman
Emancipation
The Conquest of Death
The One God
The Immanence of God
God Is Within You
Know God

The Lord's Song (The Bhagavad-Gita)
Introduction
The Blessed Lord's Song

The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali
Introduction
Chapter I Concentration Its Spiritual Uses
Chapter II Concentration Its Practice
Chapter III Powers
Chapter IV Independence

The Ramayana
Introduction
Book I Sita-Swayamvara
Book II Vana-Gamana-Adesa
Book III Dasa-Ratha-Viyoga
Book IV Rama-Bharata-Sambada
Book V Panchavati
Book VI Sita-Harana
Book VII Kishkindha
Book VIII Sita-Sandesa
Book IX Ravana-Sabha
Book X Yuddha
Book XI Rajya-Abhisheka
Book XII Aswa-Medha

The Fables of Panchatantra
Introduction
Introduction to the Stories
The Frogs That Rode Snakeback
The Unforgiving Monkey
The Lion-Makers
Mouse-Maid Made Mouse
The Duel Between Elephant and Sparrow
The Fleron That Liked Crabmeat
The Unteachable Monkey
The Brahman's Goat
The Snake in the Prince's Belly
The Gullible Husband
The Butter-Blinded Brahman
The Brahman the Thief and tbe Ghost
The Loyal Mungoose
"The Mice That Set Elephants Free
The Ass in the Tiger-Skin
The Farmer's Wife
The Brahman's Dream
Shell-Neck Slim and Grim
The Enchanted Parrot
Introduction
Yasodevi and Her Transmigrations
The Queen and the Laughing Fish
The Son of Promise
Devikh and Her Foolish Husband
The Lady and the Tiger
The Concluding Story

The Dhammapada
Introduction
The Dhammapada

Three Sermons by Buddha
Introduction
The Sermon at Benares
The Sermon on Abuse
The Fire Sermon

Some Buddhist Parables and Legends
Introduction
Kisa Gotami
The Marriage-Feast in lambunada
Following the Master over the Stream
The Greedy Monk
A Courtesan Tempts the Monk Ocean-of-Beauty

The Light of Asia
Introduction
The Light of Asia

The Surangama Sutra
Introduction
The Surangama Sutra

What Is Nirvana？
Introduction
What is Nirvana?
GLOSSARY OF HINDU WORDS
WORKS IN ENGLISH BY LIN YUTANG

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II The Counsel of Agastya
"Pleased am I," so spake Agastya, "in these forests dark and wild,Thou hast come to seek me, Rama, with the saintlyJanak's child,But like pale and drooping blossoms severed from the parent tree,Far from home in toil and trouble, faithful Sita follows thee,True to wedded lord and husband she hath followed Raghu's son,With a woman's deep devotion woman's duty she hath done！How unlike the fickle woman, true while Fame and Fortune smile,Faithless when misfortunes gather, loveless in her wicked wile,How unlike the changeful woman, false as light the lightnings fling,Keen as sabre, quick as tempest, swift as bird upon its wing！Dead to Fortune's frown or favour, Sita still in truth abides,As the star of Arundhati in her mansion still resides,Rest thee with thy gentle consort, farther still she may not roam,Holier were this hermit's forest as the saintly Sita's home！""Great Agastya！" answered Rama, "blessed is my banished life,For thy kindness to an exile and his friendless homeless wife,But in wilder, gloomier forests lonesome we must wander still,Where a deeper, darker shadow settles on the rock and rill.""Be it so," Agastya answered, "two short yojans from this place,Wild is Panchavati's forest where unseen the wild deer race,Godavari's limped waters through its gloomy gorges flow,Fruit and root and luscious berries on its silent margin grow,Seek that spot and with thy brother build a lonesome leafy home,Tend thy true and toil-worn Sita, farther stdl she may not roam！Not unknown to me the mandate by thy royal father given,Not unseen thy endless wanderings destined by the will of Heaven,Therefore Panchavati's forest marked I for thy woodland stay,Where the ripening wild fruit clusters and the wild bird trills his lay,Tend thy dear devoted Sita and protect each pious rite.

Preface
One morning in 19o5, or the 3tth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu ofQing Dynasty, two brothers set out by boat from their hometown Boa-ah, amountain hamlet in Fujian Province on the southern coast of China, for theport city of Xiamen, some sixty miles away. The boys were full of excitementand chatter, especially the younger one. Yutang was ten years old, and today, hewas taking leave of his hometown and going with his brother to study in Xiamen.They were sons of Pastor Lin Zhicheng, who was born in the poor village ofWulisha. Pastor Lin was sending his sons to free missionary schools in Xiamen.
The Pastor was not a follower of convention, so the boys did not wearqueues. Yutang was a little guy, deeply tanned, with a prominent forehead, apair of sparkling eyes, and a narrow chin. Six miles later, when the skiff cameto Xiaoxi, the boys changed to a five-sail junk, and sailed toward Zhangzhouon West River. There were paddy fields and farmhouses on either side ofthe river, and tall mountains stood behind them, clad in grey-purplishhues. Yutang thought it inexpressibly beautiful. After a day's journey, the junkwas tied up against the bank under some bamboo trees. Yutang was told to liedown, cover himself with a blanket and go to sleep.
But sleep was the last thing on the boy's mind. The boatman sitting at the junk's stern was sucking at his pipe, and between gulps of bitter tea, telling stories about the Empress Dowager Cixi, who ruled the court today, having put the Emperor Guangxu under house arrest for supporting the reformers at the palace. Another junk was tied up on the opposite bank, brightly lit by lanterns. A soft breeze wafted sounds of merrymaking and music from a lute across the water. Oh, what a beautiful scene！