Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/235

 'E “n” “23%.”;

The Beginnings of Hindu Theosophy 219

importance, we cannot say; all that we can say is, that in time the two intrinsically uncongenial themes parted company. Nor can we assert that theosophic thought would not have sprung up in the Hindu mind, endowed as we see it to be, independently from the sacriﬁce and its perverted scholastic scintilﬁ lations. Given the mind, the thought will come. But it is easy to see that the beginnings of higher religion started around the sacriﬁce, by calling out the higher aspirations of the patrons of the sacriﬁce. Wisdommsearching Rajas, weary of the world, Janaka and Ajatagatru at an earlier time, Buddha and Rim“ bisara at a later time, have as much to do with the develOpment of Hindu religion as the thirst for newer and larger truth on the part of the Brahmans themselves. The Rajas were the Mzecenases of the “poor clerics.” We imagine very easily that some of them got a surfeit of the world, and were attracted to the things beyond. The beginnings of theosoPhy grew up around the sacriﬁce which was under their patronage. The Brahmans grew up to their patrons" wand, we may add, to their ownmhigher needs. They began to offer these patrons something more than ritual technicalities. In the long run they must hold their position and reputation by something better than by handling with ludicrous correctness ﬁrewood and sacriﬁcial ladle; some drink and obla»