Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/84

 they admitted the Vedas as the source of dharma, they also asserted that the Vedas cannot be properly interpreted or understood, unless they are interpreted by men learned in sciences. Thus the Brāhmaṇas superseded the Vedas by the sciences. As the Brāhmaṇas themselves represented the sciences, it became necessary for a layman to consult the Brāhmaṇas, regarding the advice of science (Shāstra) on matters which may concern him. Again, unlike the Christian scriptures, the Hindu scriptures were never claimed to be the complete guides in science. All the rules of dharma were never claimed to be discovered, and so there was always a scope for addition. Many orthodox Brāhmanas to-day assert that dharma can never be completely known. This attitude is perfectly consistent with the fact that all the sciences on which the knowledge of duties (dharma) depends are held to be incomplete.

Another reason why the Brāhmaṇas' authority remained so universally recognized in India is that their position has never been uncertain. It has always been at the top. Buddhism tried to dethrone them, but tried in vain. In political revolution, castes, tribes and families rise and fall, to and from kshatriyahood, but the Brāhmaṇas have remained unmolested. The tribe or family that may become dominant had to approach and flatter the Brahmanas to get its own status as kshatriyas recognized.

Though respect for the Vedas and the Brähmanas joins a large number of communities, their hold has not been complete. A large number of castes and tribes have neither the right to read or listen to a Veda, nor the right of approaching the Brāhmaṇas to minister to their own needs. Their priestly function is performed either by priests of the