claims his due. One who had eyes,' he says, 'saw it; the blind will not understand it. A poet, who is a boy, he has perceived it; he who understands it will be the father of his father.'

“In the same hymn one verse occurs which boldly declares the existence of but one Divine Being though invoked under different names (R. V. i. 164, 46).

666

"They call (him) Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni; then he is the well-winged heavenly Garutmat; that which is One the wise call it many ways; they call it Agni, Yama, Mátarisvan.'*

“I add only one more hymn, in which the idea of one God is expressed with such power and decision, that it will make us hesitate before we deny to the Aryan nations an instinctive monotheism (R. V. x. 121).

"In the beginning there arose the Source of golden light. He was the only born Lord of all that is. He stablished the earth, and this sky;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?

"He who gives life, He who gives strength; whose blessing all the bright gods desire; whose shadow is immortality; whose shadow is death;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice? "He who through His power is the only king of the breathing and awakening world; He who governs all, man and beast;—Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?

the sea

"""He whose power these snowy mountains, whose power proclaims, with the distant river; He whose these regions are, as it were, his two arms;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?

"He through whom the sky is bright, and the earth firm; He through whom the heaven was stablished-nay, the highest heaven; He who measured out the light in the air;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?

"He to whom heaven and earth, standing firm by His will, look up, trembling inwardly; He over whom the rising sun shines forth;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice? "Wherever the mighty water-clouds went, where they placed

* Müller's Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 567.

the seed and lit the fire, thence arose He who is the only life of the bright gods;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?

"He who by His might looked even over the water-clouds, the clouds which gave strength and lit the sacrifice; He who is God above all gods;-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?

"May He not destroy us, He the creator of the earth; or He, the righteous, who created the heaven; He who also created the bright and mighty waters.-Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice?'"*

We have shown the tendency of this Vaidik creed, that we may shortly display its application to the existing worship; and we now proceed to the further elucidation of the several divisions of the Sástras. In speaking of the

Vedas, we should not feel justified in leaving unnoticed that class of works known by the name " Upanishads,” which are so intimately connected with them, and which were held by later generations in the same awe as the Vedas. They contain the theological or theosophical writings which have sprung from the Brahmana. The word Upanishad signifies the science which destroys erroneous ideas or ignorance, or the entering into that which is hidden. The knowledge which the Upanishads intend to convey is chiefly that of the production and nature of the world, of the properties of a Supreme Divinity, and of the human soul, which they conceive to be part of it. They contain the highest authority on which the various systems of philosophy in India rest. "The old Upanishads did not pretend to give more than 'guesses at truth,' and when, in course of time, they became invested with an inspired character, they allowed great latitude to those who professed to believe in them as revelation. Yet this was not sufficient for the rank growth of philosophical doctrines during the latter ages of Indian history; and when none of the ancient Upanishads could be found to suit the

* Müller's Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 568-70.

purpose, the founders of new sects had no scruple and no difficulty in composing new Upanishads of their own."*

The Vedángas are called the Limbs of the Vedas, and display the mode in which scientific research sprung from the sacred texts. The first Vedánga is Śikshá, which treats of the science of orthoepy, or proper pronunciation; the second, called Chhandas, treats of prosody; the third, named Vyάkarana, treats of grammar. Upon this the celebrated Pánini wrote a treatise which is considered as equal to the best grammatical works of any nation or age: it is in eight chapters, consisting of thirty-two sections and three thousand nine hundred and ninety-six rules. So great was the renown of this wonderful labour (of which we have an admirable edition edited by Dr. Goldstücker), that it was supposed to have been inspired by the god Śiva himself, and it is still to the present day the standard of Sanskrit speech. The fourth Vedánga is Nirukta, which treats of etymology; the fifth is Jyotisha, which treats of astronomy; and the sixth Vedánga is the Kalpa, or ceremonial, and constitutes the code of the Brahmanic rites. Two other classes of Sástras complete the code of these Kalpa works, and are the Grihya and the Sámayáchárika Sútras; the former describes the domestic ceremonies as distinct from the great sacrificial acts, and consists of the marriage ceremonies, those performed on conception, at various periods before birth, at birth, on naming the child, of carrying him out to see the sun, of feeding him, of cutting his hair, and "of investing him as a student and handing him to a guru, under whose care he is to study the sacred writings. . . . It is only after he has served his apprenticeship and grown up to manhood that he is allowed to marry, to light the sacrificial fire for himself, to choose his priests, and to perform year after year the solemn sacrifices prescribed by Śruti and Smriti. The latter

* Müller's Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 317.

are described in later books of the Grihya-sútras, and the last book contains a full account of the funeral ceremonies and of the sacrifices offered to the spirits of the departed. The Sámayáchárika Sutras regulate the relations of every day life, and in them we have to look for the originals of the metrical law books, such as Manu, Yajnavalkya, and the rest.†

The next class are the Vedopángas, which are divided into four, viz.: first, the Mimánsá, which explains portions of the Veda, both doctrinal and ceremonial; the second Nyáya, which contains a refutation of atheism, by way of reasoning; the third, Dharma Śástra, containing the ordinations of Manu, a complete code of morality, and a poetical account of God, spirits, and the origin of the world and man; and the fourth class are the Puránas, which consist of eighteen, to which are appended as many Upapuránas, or compilations and explanations. Taken collectively they are of mystical and philosophical contexture, cosmogonical, theogonical, and chronological; and contain extensive legendary narratives. We will briefly enumerate them, with their contents :—

1. Vishnu Purána, the history of Vishnu and his incarnations, in 23000 Ślokas. 2. Náradya Purána, the history of Nárad, as god of music, in 25000 Ślokas. 3. Bhagavata Purána, the history of Krishna or Vishnu, in twelve books, 11000 Ślokas. 4. Garuda Purána, in 19000 Ślokas. 5. Padma Purána, the history of Lakshmi, the Consort of Vishnu, in 55000 Ślokas. 6. Varáha Purána, the history of the third incarnation of Vishnu, in 24000 Ślokas. 7. Matsya Purána, the history of the first incarnation of Vishnu, in 14000 Ślokas. 8. Linga Purána, the history of Śiva, in 11000 Ślokas. 9. Śiva Purána, in 24000 Ślokas. 10. Skanda Purána, the history of Skanda, the son of Śiva, in 81000 Ślokas. 11. Agneya Purána, the abstract of all know

*Müller's Anc. Sansk. Lit., p. 204.

† Ibid, p. 200.

ledge, in 15500 Ślokas. 12. Kurma Purána, in 17000 Ślokas. 13. Brahmánda Purána, the history of Rámachandra, in 12000 Ślokas. 14. Brahma Vaivartta Purána, which is especially dedicated to Krishna as Govinda, and is principally occupied by him and his mistress Rádhá: it is also full on the subject of Prakriti, or personified nature, in 18000 Ślokas. 15. Márkandeya Purána, the history of Durgá, which contains the famous Chandi Pátha, in 9000 Ślokas. 16. Bhavishya Purána, in 14500 Ślokas. 17. Vámana Purána, in 10000 Ślokas. 18. Brahma Purána, in 10000 Ślokás.

The four Upavedas comprise-1. Ayurva, which treats of surgery and physic. 2. Dhanarva, which treats of the art of war. 3. Gandharva, which treats of music and dancing. And 4. Artha-Śástra, which treats of political economy.

Together with these canonical books may be classed the two ancient and excellent Epics-namely, the Rámáyana, the work of Válmika, containing the history of Ráma, king of Ayodhya, the seventh avatár of Vishnu; and the Mahábhárata, containing the war between Pándavas and Kauravas, the descendants of the ancient Indian king Bhárata, in eighteen books and more than 100,000 Ślokas, the celebrated episode of which, the Bhagavad Gitá, is well known.