[FN#122] Meaning the place of reading the four Shastras.

　　In their rare days of ease——for the learned priest， mindful of the words of the wise， did not wish to dull them by everlasting work——they were enjoined to disport themselves with the gravity and the decorum that befit young Samditats， not to engage in night frolics， not to use free jests or light expressions， not to draw pictures on the walls， not to eat honey， flesh， and sweet substances turned acid， not to talk to little girls at the well-side， on no account to wear sandals， carry an umbrella， or handle a die even for love， and by no means to steal their neighbours' mangoes.

　　As they advanced in years their attention during work time was unremittingly directed to the Vedas. Wordly studies were almost excluded， or to speak more correctly， whenever wordly studies were brought upon the carpet， they were so evil entreated， that they well nigh lost all form and feature. History became "The Annals of India on Brahminical Principles，" opposed to the Buddhistical； geography "The Lands of the Vedas，" none other being deemed worthy of notice； and law， "The Institutes of Manu，" then almost obsolete， despite their exceeding sanctity.

　　But Jatu-harini[FN#123] had evidently changed these children before they were born； and Shani[FN#124] must have been in the ninth mansion when they came to light.

　　[FN#123] A certain goddess who plays tricks with mankind. If a son when grown up act differently from what his parents did， people say that he has been changed in the womb.

　　[FN#124] Shani is the planet Saturn， which has an exceedingly baleful influence in India as elsewhere.

　　Each youth as he attained the mature age of twelve was formally entered at the University of Kasi， where， without loss of time， the first became a gambler， the second a confirmed libertine， the third a thief， and the fourth a high Buddhist， or in other words an utter atheist.

　　Here King Vikram frowned at his son， a hint that he had better not behave himself as the children of highly moral and religious parents usually do. The young prince understood him， and briefly remarking that such things were common in distinguished Brahman families， asked the Baital what he meant by the word "Atheist."

　　Of a truth （answered the Vampire） it is most difficult to explain. The sages assign to it three or four several meanings： first， one who denies that the gods exist secondly， one who owns that the gods exist but denies that they busy themselves with human affairs； and thirdly， one who believes in the gods and in their providence， but also believes that they are easily to be set aside. Similarly some atheists derive all things from dead and unintelligent matter； others from matter living and energetic but without sense or will： others from matter with forms and qualities generable and conceptible； and others from a plastic and methodical nature. Thus the Vishnu Swamis of the world have invested the subject with some confusion. The simple， that is to say， the mass of mortality， have confounded that confusion by reproachfully applying the word atheist to those whose opinions differ materially from their own.

　　But I being at present， perhaps happily for myself， a Vampire， and having， just now， none of these human or inhuman ideas， meant simply to say that the pious priest's fourth son being great at second and small in the matter of first causes， adopted to their fullest extent the doctrines of the philosophical Buddhas.[FN#125] Nothing according to him exists but the five elements， earth， water， fire， air （or wind）， and vacuum， and from the last proceeded the penultimate， and so forth. With the sage Patanjali， he held the universe to have the power of perpetual progression.[FN#126] He called that Matra （matter）， which is an eternal and infinite principle， beginningless and endless. Organization， intelligence， and design， he opined， are inherent in matter as growth is in a tree. He did not believe in soul or spirit， because it could not be detected in the body， and because it was a departure from physiological analogy. The idea "I am，" according to him， was not the identification of spirit with matter， but a product of the mutation of matter in this cloud-like， error-formed world. He believed in Substance （Sat） and scoffed at Unsubstance （Asat）. He asserted the subtlety and globularity of atoms which are uncreate. He made mind and intellect a mere secretion of the brain， or rather words expressing not a thing， but a state of things. Reason was to him developed instinct， and life an element of the atmosphere affecting certain organisms. He held good and evil to be merely geographical and chronological expressions， and he opined that what is called Evil is mostly an active and transitive form of Good. Law was his great Creator of all things， but he refused a creator of law， because such a creator would require another creator， and so on in a quasi-interminable series up to absurdity. This reduced his law to a manner of haphazard. To those who， arguing against it， asked him their favourite question， How often might a man after he had jumbled a set of letters in a bag fling them out upon the ground before they would fall into an exact poem？ he replied that the calculation was beyond his arithmetic， but that the man had only to jumble and fling long enough inevitably to arrive at that end. He rejected the necessity as well as the existence of revelation， and he did not credit the miracles of Krishna， because， according to him， nature never suspends her laws， and， moreover， he had never seen aught supernatural. He ridiculed the idea of Mahapralaya， or the great destruction， for as the world had no beginning， so it will have no end. He objected to absorption， facetiously observing with the sage Jamadagni， that it was pleasant to eat sweetmeats， but that for his part he did not wish to become the sweetmeat itself. He would not believe that Vishnu had formed the universe out of the wax in his ears. He positively asserted that trees are not bodies in which the consequences of merit and demerit are received. Nor would he conclude that to men were attached rewards and punishments from all eternity. He made light of the Sanskara， or sacrament. He admitted Satwa， Raja， and Tama，[FN#127] but only as properties of matter. He acknowledged gross matter （Sthulasharir）， and atomic matter （Shukshma-sharir）， but not Linga-sharir， or the archetype of bodies. To doubt all things was the foundation of his theory， and to scoff at all who would not doubt was the corner-stone of his practice. In debate he preferred logical and mathematical grounds， requiring a categorical "because" in answer to his "why？" He was full of morality and natural religion， which some say is no religion at all. He gained the name of atheist by declaring with Gotama that there are innumerable worlds， that the earth has nothing beneath it but the circumambient air， and that the core of the globe is incandescent. And he was called a practical atheist——a worse form apparently——for supporting the following dogma： "that though creation may attest that a creator has been， it supplies no evidence to prove that a creator still exists." On which occasion， Shiromani， a nonplussed theologian， asked him， "By whom and for what purpose west thou sent on earth？" The youth scoffed at the word "sent，" and replied， "Not being thy Supreme Intelligence， or Infinite Nihility， I am unable to explain the phenomenon." Upon which he quoted——