Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/80

 Narsi Meheta and Namdeo, who are supposed to have attained salvation, either by their devotion or by self-sacrifice or by regard for truth.

But all these books like Epics and Purānas are supposed to be based on the Vedas and are supposed to contain nothing against the Vedas.

Vedas are generally consulted, when any question of social reform arises. Such has been the case since very early times ; thus when the writer of the laws of Manu wanted to condemn any custom or practice he would say that it has no support of the Vedas. To-day, when the question of the validity of any custom arises, or the solution of any other doubtful point becomes necessary, an appeal to the Vedas is always made. With the advent of English education and Western ideas, the propriety of many current customs, like prohibition of the re-marriage of the widows, child marriage, prohibition of animal food, denial of the investiture of Maunji Bandhana, sacrament to women, and some other customs began to be questioned. Those who wanted to abolish the current customs began to appeal to the Vedas and said that modern Hindu customs like the ones given above have no Vedic authority; and advocated innovation on those grounds.

I have already said that books like the Epics and Purānas are supposed to be based on and to contain nothing against the Vedas ; it should be remembered that it is only a theory. In fact, they contradict each other in various places. Still, the Epics (Itihasas) and the Purāņas are approved of by orthodoxy because those epics revere the Vedas. All that is expected of a writing which wishes to introduce any innovation, is that that writing should laud the Vedas or other traditional works highly and advise whatever may