Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/83

 priesthood, and not the opinion of the Vedas, as the final authority. The Brāhmanas, of course, do not take a defiant attitude towards the Vedas, but simply present themselves as interpreters of the Vedas and of the tradition. The reasons why Hindus prefer to be guided by the Brāhmaṇas instead of by a direct appeal to scripture are very plain. Unlike those of the Christian theophratry the scriptures of the Hindus are bulky, and extremely difficult to interpret with regard to the tradition, and it is more convenient to follow the opinions of the specialists in such matters. Moreover, the Brāhmaṇas have not been merely the directors of ritual but also teachers and guides in temporal matters, like law, custom, and in proper procedure as determined by various sciences, like medicine and astrology. They would advise their client with reference to temporal success as well as worship, e.g., on matters like proper time for sowing seed, ploughing land, building house, and on various questions connected with marriage and education.

How did the Brāhmanas make themselves indispensable ? How did they secure the confidence of the Hindu community? These questions demand a long historical discussion which I am not prepared to enter into in this place. I shall treat them fully in a separate monograph which I expect to publish on the rise of the priesthood. But I give here one essential of the process. It is this. The Brāhmaṇas would assert that the knowledge of the dharma depends on the knowledge of the Shāstras (sciences). That is, the explanation of what duty is depends on the distinction between what is good and what is bad. What is good or proper to do is something which should be ascertained by an appeal to sciences (Shāstras). Whilst