The Criterion for Religions — Page 16
16 Mi'yiirul Madhahib sins of the world, allowed himself to wear the stigma of birth as many as nine times. But the episode of the eighth birth, as reported, is of particular interest. It is said that when the earth was overpowered by the wicked, Vishnu took birth at midnight from the womb of a virgin as an Avatar and delivered people from the sins that had pervaded the world. Although this story conforms to the Christian taste, the Hindus were more prudent, for, unlike the Christians, they took care not to crucify their Avatars, nor did they consider them to be accursed. There are certain hints in the Holy Quran which clearly indicate that the Brahmans of ancient India were the ones who first invented the concept of deifying a human being. Thereafter the Greeks bor- rowed these beliefs from the Hindus. Finally, it was the lot of the Christians to gorge themselves on the filth of this detestable belief held by the first two peo- ples. The Hindus, however, hit upon another fanciful idea which had not occurred to the Christians. Hindus consider it to be the ancient law of the Eternal God that whenever the world got filled with sin, their Parmeshwar could think of no other stratagem than to let himself be born into this world to redeem man- kind. This did not happen once but has always been happening whenever the need arose. The Christians on the other hand-though they believe that God is Eternal and His existence has no beginning, no matter