Page:The Cyclopedia of India (Specimen Issue).pdf/156

 THE CYCLOPEDIA OF INDIA.

‘5 m.“5°.‘"" days—hut were bahlv the ﬁnest “mum olthcrr‘ kindinancienm tttrnes.’ The King's palace was always the centre oi the town. and mhequented hr boisterous lzamrtsandamdesol- ' ‘aswellashyholysaintsand learnedtrlests. The people ﬂocked to the on ev great occa- sion. loved. restated. ﬁrﬁoand had no ‘ faith than loyalty to the king. use- holders and citiuns had their possessions and wealth in gold. silver and jewels in can. horses. males. and slaves. and in the ﬁelds surrounding the town. kept the sacred ﬁre in every respectable househol. honoured guests. lived according to the law of the land. altered sacrifices with the help at the Brahmas. and honoured knowledge. liven' Aryan hoytvas sent to his achool at an ea y age. lirahmans and Raha- triyas and \‘aisyas were educated together. learnt the same lessons and the same religion. returned home. married and settled down as householders. Primts and soldt'm were a portion at the people. interrnarried with the ple. and ate and drank with the people. Various c of mannlactnren su died the various wants 0! a civilized society. and l loved their ancesn tnl proieaaiona lrum generation to generation. but were not cut up into wparate castes. Agriculturista lived with their herds and their plough: around each town: while holy saints and men ol learning nome~ times livrtl awav in latest! to add. day by day. to that knowledge which was the mast cherished heritage ol the Aryane.“ l'. A’r/Ikr'u and hauling.

By the close at the lirahtnnnic period a new reli- ginn had completely replaced the old. The central ieatnre oi the change was the vast additional import- ance given to sacriﬁce and puriﬁcation. In the Vedic Age sacrifice was a natural and spontaneous mode oi cxprcasi worship and adoration. lint in the period to w tell the Brahmanas belong sacriﬁce is elaborated lor its own sake: the artificial comma nies airtime an abnormal importance and become nhonrdly complex. The vanities ot sacrifice were now numbered by hundreds and yet the moat rigid adher-

_ once to net {arms at word and move 0'07!“ °' M‘W tnent in. required lrotn the priests. ' ' “ Every sacrifice. every act. every movement is laid down and described in the Brah- manas. and no departure is allowed." It is lain that entrntition was increasing and vent-ration o the sacriﬁcial ceremonies themselves was replacing re- neration ol the

Meanwhile the alteration in the conditions at na- tional life. together with the growth of the priesthood. was rcsponstble {or changes at heliel. The Brah-

d ms {tripod in Brahmamspati, “the

Cl":- W o rayer." a special god for

m their order. Then by a further step

gamma» Brahman. thesacred '. was

0' a evolved and became the 'ghest po-. .

Istm. mm. Thus we have a

deity Whose basis is no larger one

at the phenomena at nature. but one ot a more

’ 'tual character tinnany at theoriginal Vedic gods. m yet, despite the growing reverence for Brahman. monothesln' did not tor the pzple at large take the place of polytheism. The Vedic gods sar- vivod. although with interior pres ' and rower. and as time went on. the popular religion em raced tonnes of perv many 3]! (ifs-ivet‘lkhorn t aborigina trepidation. an tn ran age thellindugodscame tobennmbercd bymillinnsl

The position the old gods held in the new system was practically that ol Satellites to Brahman. ln- vocation and sacriﬁce to them was retained, but their character and attributes ind undergone change. The doctrine of transtn‘ tionwascornin into prominenco and the heaven 0 lndra m snbat titted tor that ol Yama. But coals true only regarded as abiding lor a short period previous to regeneration in this heavenly abode. It is diﬁcult to reconcile the emphasis laid b ' the Brahmans upon the minatia: ol ceremonial wit

in higher theology The evolution ol the con- ceptions ol Brahman. and Atman. the world-soul, seems wholl incompatible with the growth cruditlca oi the popu ar faith and the endless andt vltd ritual by which it was being supported. We must. however suppose that the lirahmanic priesthood recogni the lower ideals oi the people and distinctly catered lot them without purposely seeking to raise their own

1" a . position and prestige thereby; m w "a... a. the imputation of interested mo. natal-l W 0' 0' tives to actors on the stage .000 W‘ years Iﬁ is always per: our; Nor is there reason to doubt I sanctity and honour- able intentions ol the priesthood as early as the Epic Age. They had achieved their position by superior merit. and heing the braimpower at the

reople were entitled to leadership in matters intel-

taal and sﬁritttal. This putt on involved abne- gation of cart y pomp The Brnhmans in order to retain spiritual preeminence gave up all claim to so- vereignty. h'o Brahman could a long. nor lor the present did they rise above a position of equality with the great Kahatriya caste Again. there is no doubt that the Brahmans at this time practised temperance and sell~denial in their lives Asceticism Was gaining ground. and the tour-[old division at a Bmhman's lite. now beginning to he observed. included a mind at to. tal severance irorn the World. during whic l the desires of the body could he completely curbed and the soul lett tree to attain perfection by intense contemplation.

Besides setting an example at ttnworlrlllncss and religions sanctity. the Brohmanic icsthood deserved dne praise lor the services it no red to the cause 0! connected with religion. Literary culture naturally grew up ﬁrst among the Brahmas. of! ghcir dultly
 * ¢ ' . ' in ancient India was invariably

. to preserve an it can t c

m “an” sacred hooks which formed the chic! literature of primitive Hindu civilization. Thus it naturally tell to the Brahmans to collect and arrange the early Vcdic hymns. Next. the development 0! ceremonial, as has been noticed above. led to the compilation of further Vedas. Finally. the duo e lromtheold religion to the newwasres nsibe tor the copious commentaries. called Brogan-e.