Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/218

 202 The Religion of the Veda

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then is the state of mind that approaches genuine and lasting religions feeling in the Rig-Veda: belief in the beauty and ﬁtness of those glit. tering, rhythmical, and assonant stanzas; genuine rapture over the excited, throbbing mind, while the glow of composition is upon the poet. The poet calls himself etz'pm, “inspired”; calls his compositions wipeZ/z, “inspirations”; and when he composes, orpaz‘e exert“, “he is inspired in his mind.” In the poet’s pride of exquisite workmanship and the gods’ unresisting admiration, the Rig—Veda makes us forget at times that unpleasant economic founda- tion of the performance, namely ﬂattery and cajo» lery of the godsm—for what there is in it. 1 Soon both gods and men are engaged fraternally in promoting devotion and its best possible expression in hymns, as things of intrinsic worth, as beautiful elevated cosmic potencies. And so we ﬁnally ﬁnd at the summit of this thought, the captivating and impon tant prayer of the poet of the SavitrI stanza,“ that the god himself shall inspire his devotion.

Ihave used the word “mastereingers.” We may take this word quite stringently and seriously. The hymns often allude to the songs of old that were com-

1 Rig-Veda 8. 21:, 6 puts this haldly to god Indra : “ We cite you hither with this prayer ; don’t hethink yourself a minute. We have wishes, you have gifts. Here we are with our songs."

9 See above p 86.