Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/92

 The Religion of the Veda pessimistic view of their entire activity. A great diplomatist, upon whom depends the destiny of his country, may be shrewd, unscrupulous, Machiavel- lian, velvet as to glove, iron as to hand, and yet be a real patriot. Even so a priestly religion of works, trivial as these works may appear to our eyes, does not shut out spiritual elevation. Nor does practical poetry shut out entirely the more silent workings of literary taste and poetic inspiration. The Vedic poets themselves insist upon it, their poems are "well-hewn,' " "well-fashioned as a war-chariot from the hands of a skilled artisan." And so they are in many cases: if we cut out the foolish sacrifice, and pare down a pretty thick crust of conventionalism, there is left in the Vedic hymns enough of beauty and character to secure them a place in the world's literature. Forget but the string that ties the thought of the Vedic Rishis to the sacrificial post, and you shall see that thought flit far away to great heights, where birds do not fly.' For the time being, at least, it becomes what we call inspired, and, any- how, it breeds the germs that shall flower out to great things in future days, when Hindu thought finally emancipates itself from sacrifice along with many other trivialities of life. The religion of the Rig-Veda, much like the later 1 Rig-Veda, 1. 155. 5. 76