Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/216

 zoo The Religion of the Veda

warm and feel their theme. Sometimes they are really carried away by it. But I do not believe that either the greatness and majesty, or the incompre- hensibleness of the gods, have produced a permanent impression of their superiority and perfection which should permit us to speak of settled intellectual religious consciousness in the Rig~Veda

Most conspicuously there is no sentimental rela tion of any great depth between gods and men, and therefore no piety in the higher sense of the word. I mean piety that is not more emotional self-excite» ment, but reasonable and settled reverence of tried and true gods. As a matter of fact the gods are good, and, at least in a general way, they are just also. In India, as we have seen, the gods have in charge especially the order of the world, and that is at the proper time, to the advantage of the suppliant mortal. Conversely, and especially, god Varnna stands ready to punish the wrong~cloen The poets sometimes describe Varuna’s power, and the sense of their own unworthiness or sinfulness in language that reminds us of the Psalmist. Verona, however, is no longer pro-eminent even in the Rig~Veda: he has left no really lasting impression on India’s relig» ions. If Varuna had prevailed India would have become monotheistic and theocratic, which it never

did.

WHHWW ._.._ T g

h-“