AN C I E NT B O O K S OF I ND IA .

ELI Z AB E T H A . R EED ,

M EM B E R 0 1? T H E P I
H L O S OP H I C AL SO C I E TY OF GR E AT BR I I
TA N .

O II I O AM3 C)

C O M P ANWZ

1 891 °
 C O PY R I G H T, 1 8 90,

BY S . C . GRIGG S AN D CO MPANY .

M 18 4 1 .

M .
I V4 6

PR E SS O F KN I GH T L E ON AR D C D , C H
. I C AG O .
 T AB L E OF C O N TE NT S .

-_q

HINDU LITER ATU RE; OR TH E ANCIENT BOOK

, S OF INDIA .

CH APT ER I .

’
H IN DII L ITER ATU R E .

P AG E S

W H AT I S T H E V ED A —
T H E AG E OF T H E
.

VE D As
W HEN W RI TT EN —T H E RIG V E D A -
,

CH APT ER II .

M Y TH O L OG Y OF TH E V EDAS .

RE S E MB L ANCE B E T W EEN T H E M Y T HOLOGIE S

’

O F IN DI A AN D G RE ECE — AGNI — S II R Y A
‘

V ARUN A Y AM A U S H AS M ARU T S
—
HY M N S O F E X EC R AT ION I NC ON S I S T EN T T H E
O R I E s — I NDR A — S I M I L ARI T Y O F NO R T H E RN

M YT H S ,

CH APT ER III .

M YTH OL OG Y L ATER H I N DI? W OR K S

OF .

M ULT I P LIC AT ION OF D EI TI Es — AN ALO G Y B E

TW EEN I NDI AN AN D G RE E K GOD S —M ODER N
DEI T IE S — E R AH M A, V I S H NU AN D é I VA
,

INC AR N AT ION S OF V I S HN U G ARU P A

i ii
 TAB LE OF CON T EN T S .

RE CO V E RY OF T HE LO ST NEC TAR O F T H E
G OD S — SI V A ,
—
5 0 65

C H APT ER I V .

TH E V EDAS AN D TH E S U TTEE .

—
LI T E R ARY I MP O R T ANCE D I S C U SS ION S B E TW EEN
E URO P E AN AN D N AT I V E S CHOL AR S — CO LE
’
B ROO K E S T R AN S L AT ION OF D I S P U T E D T EX T
M U T IL AT ION OF T HE T E XT — T E ST I M ONY OF
R AJ A R ADH AK AN T D EB — TH E RI T E NO T
AD V O C T ED I N T H E RIG V ED A
A - — DI S G R ACE
—
OF AV OID ING T H E S U TT E E IN S T ANCE OF
—
E S C AP E EN T H U S I AS M O F N AT I V E P OE T S
LO RD W ILLI AM B EN T INC K ,
66 7 3

C H APT ER V .

TH E B R AH M AN AS .

T HE S ECOND G R AND D I V I S ION O F V ED IC LI T E R

AT URE — AG E OF T H E B R AH M AN AS—B U RDE N
OF CERE M ONIE S—P EN AN CE FO R B AD D RE AM S
—SAC RIFI CE S EX T R AC T FRO M T H E FOU R T H
B R AH M AN A — T HE ST ORY O F SU N AH SE PA
A H U M AN S AC RIFI CE — T R ADI T ION O F T H E
FLOOD AS FO UND I N T HE SATAF ATH A B R AH -

M AN A ,
—
74 8 7

C H APT ER V I .

TH E C ODE OF M ANU .

T H E D AT E OF T H E CODE — T H E T RI B E O R S CHOOL
OF M AN AV AS — T HE C ODE A M E AN S O F P E R
P ETU ATI N G T H E RULE S OF C AS T E — D I V I NE
 T AB LE OF CON T EN T S .

ORIG IN CL AI M E D FO R T H E L AW S O F M AN U
C AS T E — D I V INE RI GH T S O F B R AH M AN S
T H E K S H AT RIY A—T H E V AI SY A—T HE SC D R A
—
M AR RI AGE A P URIFYI NG RI T E R ULE S
— —
FO R CHOO S IN G A W I FE M R RI GE W O M AN S
A A
’
— — —
RIGH T S P EN AN CE S C RI M I N AL C O DE EU
NE R AL CE RE M ONI E S ,

CH APT ER V II .

TH E U P AN IS H ADS .

TH E T H I RD G R AND D I V I S ION OF V E DI C LI T ER
AT URE — TH E U P ANI S H A DS —TH E D OC T RI N AL

P O RT ION OF T H E V ED A—D ERI V AT IO N — R AM

M OH UN ROY— N U MB E R O F T H E U P ANI S H AD S
P L AC E I N V EDI C C HRO NOLOG Y—SRU T I O R
-

RE V E ALE D K NO W LEDG E — C H AN D O G Y A U PA
N I S H AD I MP O R T ANC E O F O M E XT R AC T S
FRO M T H E CH AN D O G Y A —TH E K EN A U PA
N I S H AD — E X T R AC T FRO M T H E K E N A — T H E

K AT H A U P ANI S H AD T HE AI TAR E Y A U P A
N I S H AD —E X T R AC T FRO M T H E AI TAR E Y A

T HE K AU S H ITAK I B R AH M AN A U P ANI S H AD
DI S CO UR S E U P O N FU T URE LIFE —T HE V AJ A
S AN E Y I S Am H I TA
-
U P ANI S H AD E XT R AC T
FRO M T HE v AJ AS AN EY I —TH E ISA U PA
N I S H AD — TH E CO MP LE T I ON OF RE V E L AT IO N ,
—
99 1 13

C H APT ER V III .

TH E M ON OTH E ISM OF TH E U P AN IS H ADS .

PAN T HEI S M CONFE SS ION O F F AI T H DE AT H

O F T HEI R S U P RE M E G O D DE S C RI PT ION S OF
 TAB L E O F CON T EN T S .

B R AH M A —TH E FE E T OF B R AH M AN — VI SH N U
AS T H E S U P RE M E G O D — T H E SVETASVATAR A
U P ANI S H AD — P AN T H EI S M T H E CREED OF
V E DIC LI T E R AT URE ,
—
1 14 1 2 0

CH APT ER I X .

C OSM OG ON Y .

B
A S URD T H EORIE S — EX T R AC T FRO M C H AN D OG Y A
U P ANI S H AD — CO S M O GONY O F M AN U—A D AY
OF B R AH M A— S LEE P OF B R AH M A AN D I TS
— —
RE S UL T S R C RE AT IO N LE NG T H O F B R AH
E-

’
M A S LIFE — T H E S E R P EN T SE S H A—TH E N AG AS
O R S E R P EN T DE M ON S — DE AT H O F B R AH M A
RE P E AT ED C RE AT ION S—T HE W ILL O F B R AH
MA I NDE S T RUC T I B ILI T Y O F M ATT E R E VO
L U TI O N AN D P AN T H EI S M — CO S M OG R AP H Y O F

T H E M AH A B H AR AT A AN D T H E P U R AN AS
-

T H E LENG T H OF A K AL PA — T E ACH ING OF

T H E R AM AY AN A —C RE AT I O N B Y V I S H N U
CO MP ARI S O N B E T W EE N T H E CO S M OG O NY OF
T H E V ED AS AN D O T H E R AN CI EN T W RI T ING S
T E ST I M ON Y OF B ARO N VO N H U MB OLD T
M O S AIC CO SM O GO NY ,
1 2 1 1 30

CH APT ER X .

TH E OR IG IN O F M AN .

D E S CEN T OF M AN FRO M A S I NG LE P AI R — TH E
E AR T H LY AN D H E AV E NLY P AR T O F M AN
RE CON S T RUC T ION O F M E N AT T H E E N D OF
E ACH K AL P A — C RE AT IO N O F ANI M AL S
DIFFE REN T CH AR AC T E R S AN D R ACE S OF M E N
—RUD R A —D E V OLU T ION —E XT R AC T , 1 31 - 1 38
 T AB LE OF CO N T EN T S .

CH APT ER X I .

M ETEM PS Y C H OS I S .

T R AN S M IG R AT ION NO T T AU GH T I N T H E B I G
V E D A — TH E T RI P LE S Y S T E M O F TR AN S M I
G R ATI O N — T H E DOC T RINE O F T H E C H AN
D OG Y A— D ANGE R DU RING T R AN S M I GR AT IO N

—DI S T IN C T IO N B E T W EE N AS CEND I NG A ND

DE S CE NDING S O UL S — H IND U E X P L AN AT I ON
OF INE Q U ALI T IE S O F FO R T UNE— S I N S AG AIN ST
C AS T E RE CEI V E T HE GRE AT E S T P UNI S H M EN T
—NO C RI M E B E CO M E S A S I N IF T H E W O RD S
OF T H E RIG V ED A B E RE M E MB E RED
-
, 1 39—14 5

C H APT ER X II .

R EW AR D S AN D P U N IS H M E N TS .

I MM O R T ALI T Y O F TH E S O UL — H E AV E N O NL Y A
S T E PP ING S T ONE
-
TO H APP INE S S E K P E
B I EN G E OF TH E F AI T HFUL H IND U —TH E
—
H E V E N OF I N D R A TH E H E AV E N O F V I S H
A

N U FU T U RE P UNI S H M E N T T W EN T Y O N E -

B ELL S — V I C T I M S S E E TH E IN H AB I T AN T S O F

HE AV EN — T R AN S M IG R AT ION O F S INNE R S , 14 6—152

C H APT ER X III .

TH E R AM AY AN A .

ONE O F T H E S AC RED E P IC S O F I NDI A—T HE

L AN D OF TH E H IND U —T H E R AM AY AN A
AN D T H E ILI AD —H ELE N AN D s i TA— HEC T O R
CH AI NE D T O T H E C H ARIO T W H EEL —E U
NER AL HO NOR S P AI D T O H AV AN A —AG E O F
 T AB LE OF C ON T EN T S .

T H E R AM AY AN A —T H E S ANC T I T Y O F T HE
P O E M — AU T HOR OF T H E W O R K — B AS I S OF
T H E P OE M — LENG T H OF T HE R AM AY AN A , 1 5 3 1 60

C H APT ER X I V .

TH E S TOR Y OF TH E R AM AY AN A .

AYODHY A— D ASAR AT H A AN D TH E
V MEDHAAS A-

T H E CO NC L AV E O F T HE GO D S — P LE A M AD E
T O B R AH M A— R EFE RRED T O V I S H N U — H I S
H O M E I N T H E S E A O F M I L K — RE Q UE S T
— —
G R AN T ED TH E B I R T H O F R M A T H E B O W
A
O F SI V A M ARRI AG E OF R AM A — R AM A AP
P OIN T ED Y U V A R AJ A— K AI K E Y I—K AU SAL Y A
-

— S IT A—TH E F ARE W ELL S—TH E D E AT H O F

T H E R AJ A—B H AR AT A ,
1 61 —
2 03

C H APT ER X V .

TH E S TOR Y OF TH E R AM AYAN A C ON TIN U ED , .

LE AV I NG TH E ATT EN D AN T S TH E G ANG E S
CI T R A K U T A
-
’
LI FE I N E X ILE B H AR AT A S
ARRI V AL -
T HE IN T E R V IE W — A W ARNING
AN D D E P AR T URE — AT RI AN D AN AS II Y A
‘

T H E NE W H O M E SU R PA N AK H A— R AV AN A
-

—TH E AB D UC T IO N —T H E S E ARCH —S U G R IVA

T H E M ON K EY K ING — EX P EDI T IO N O F T HE
M O N K EY G ENE R AL H AN U M AN — L AN K A
T H E P AL ACE O F R AV AN A—TH E ASO K A G RO V E
IN T E R V I E W B E T W EE N H AN U M AN AN D
S IT A— H AN U M AN DE ST RO Y S T HE M ANG O
GRO V E — T H E B URNI NG O F L AN K A— H AN U
M AN RE J OI N S T HE M ON K EY AR M Y 2 04—
24 7
,
 TAB LE O F CO N T EN T S . ix

C H APT ER X V I .

TH E S TOR Y OF TH E R A
M AY AN A C ON C L U DED
, .

T H E M ON K EY E X P EDI T IO N AG AI N S T L AN K A
T H E S O U T HE RN S E A — TH E O C E AN B RI DGE
— I N V AS ION O F L AN K A— R AV AN A AN D
R AM A I N S ING LE CO MB AT — T H E DE AT H O F
H AVAN A RE S T OR AT I ON O F S IT A S IT AS ’
T RI AL AN D V I NDI C AT IO N —T RI U MP H AN T
RE T U RN T O AY O D I I Y A— TH E B ANI S H M E N T
OF S TI A — T IIE S ON S O F S IT A— T HE DE P AR T
URE ,
2 4 8—271

CH APT E R X V II .

TH E M AH AB H AR ATA .

T HE C O MPANI ON O F T H E R AM AY AN A—A COLO S

S AL P O E M — DE RI V AT I ON OF T H E N AM E
H I S T O RI C AL V ALUE O F T H E M AH A B H AR AT A
-

—T H E RELIGION O F T H E G RE AT E P I C
LI T ER ARY S T YLE — TH E AG E O F T H E M AH A
B H AR AT A — T R AN S L AT IO N O F T HE W O R K ,
—
2 72 2 8 2

C H APT ER X V III .

L E G E N DS O F TH E M AH AB H AR ATA—TH E G R EAT W AR
-
.

T HE K AU R AV AS P AND AV AS — TH E T O UR
AN D
N AM E N T —TH E S VAY Am V AR A —TH E H O M E
-

CO M ING — D R AU P ADI M AR RIE S FI V E H U S

B AND S — T H E CO UNCI LS O F W AR P RE P AR -

ATI O N S FO R T H E G RE AT W AR —TH E C H AL
LE NGE G I V EN AN D AC CE PT E D — RULE S O F
W ARF ARE ,
—
2 8 3 303
X TA B LE OF CON T EN T S .

C H APT ER X I X .

L EG EN DS O F TH E M AH ABH AR ATA—TH E G R E AT W AR ,

C ON C L U D ED .

T HE B H AG AVAD G IT A—TH E ATT AC K AN D R E

-

P UL S E O F T HE K AUR AV AS — T HE T HIRD D AY
—F ALL OF B H IS H M A — A NIG H T S C ENE
W AR O F E XT ER M IN AT IO N — R AJ A Y U D H I
S H T H I R A — D E S T RUC T IO N O F T H E T RI B E O F
Y AD AV AS DE AT H O F K RI S H N A AB DI C A
T IO N AN D P ILG RI M AGE O F T H E R AJ A
AS CEN S IO N , —
304 32 6

C H APT E R XX .

L EG EN DS OF TH E M AH AB H AR ATA C ON C L U DE D , .

S AV ITR I AN D S ATYAVAN .

’ — ’
T HE K ING S D UGH T E R S AV I T R I S CHOI C E
A
T HE M ARRI AG E — LO V E CON Q UE R S D E AT H , 32 7—34 1

C H APT ER XX I .

TH E B H AG AVAD -
G ITA .

E V I DEN T LY AN IN T E R P O L AT ION —AG E O F T HE

—
G IT A I TS O RIGI N — “
TH E DI V I NE S ONG

S ELF AD UL AT I ON OF K RI S H N A—D I V INE FO R M

-

O F K RI S H N A ,
34 2 35 2

C H APT ER XX II .

TH E P U R AN AS .

E X T EN T O F T H E P UR AN AS — S I GNIFI C AT I ON O F
— —
T HE N AM E T H EI R T E CHING CO M P AR A
A

TI VEL Y M ODERN O RI GIN — T H E H ARI VAN SA -

 T AB L E OF C ON T EN T S . xi

—TH E B RAH MA P U R AN A —TH E P AD M A O R

GOLD EN LO T U S — T H E V AI S H N AV A O R V I S H
— —
N U B I R T H OF K RI S HN A W I V E S AN D
CH IL DREN OF K RI S H N A — D E AT H OF K R I S H
N A — TH E S AI V A — SR I B H AG AV AT A — TH E

M AR K AN D E Y A T H E AG NI T HE V AYU
T HE B H AVI SH Y A—TH E B R AH M A VAI VAR TA -L

T H E LING A —TH E V AR AR A — TH E S K AN D A
-
TH E VAM AN A — TH E K U R M A—T H E M AT S Y A

—TH E G ARUD A —TH E B R AH M AND A ,

—
35 3 3 7 5

CH AP T ER XX III .

S
KR I H NA .

A M ULT I T UD E O F P E R S O N S N AM ED K RI S HN A
LIFE O F K RI S HN A S O N OF V AS U D E V A
,
-

DE AT H O F K RI S HN A — RE S E MB L ANCE S T O
CH RI S T I AN H I S T O RY V E RY S LIG H T — W O R
S HI P O F T HE
“
D AR K G O D ”
S U MM ARY ,
—
37 6 39 3

CH APT ER XX I V .

C ON C L U S ION .

HIND U LI T E R AT URE H I N D II I S M T E ACHING S

‘

—TH E R I G V ED A —TH E U P ANI S H AD S —TH E

-

E P IC P OE M S —TH E P UR AN AS —V ED I C W O R
S HI P B E TT E R T H AN I DO L AT RY , 39 4 4 00
-
 P R EF AC E .

HE a n cie n t books o f I ndia compri s e such an

enormous mas s o f literature that the lab o r of a
single lifetime would not su ffice for the mastery o f
their con tents and a solution o f the problems which
they present ; yet su ch h a s been the progress of Or i
ental phil o l ogy during the last decade that an intel
,

l ige n t s urvey o f thi s great field of research is quite

pos sible to the student .

A careful study o f t h e Pur a nas alone in the origi

nal San skrit w ould o ccupy half a century but a ,

valuable series of ex tract s and analyses can be found

in t w enty s ix large f o lio volumes of manuscripts in the
-

library o f the As iatic Society o f C alcutta and a year of

,

’
pa t ient w ork devoted t o Professor Wil son s translation s
give s one an intelligible idea of t heir contents .

C olonel C ol i n Mackenzie o ccupied his lei sure time

for years in collecting and arranging thirty four large -

foli o volumes of manuscript s and his careful method s

,

were of great valu e to s ch o lar s W h o came after him .

H istorical student s have also been greatly aided by

the pioneer work o f those wh o have examined and
compared geneal o gical list s deciphered inscriptions and
, ,

discovered the s ites of ancient cities The Vedas

.

xiii
X iv P REF ACE .

themselve s have been carefully copied and translated ,

and indeed a ll o f the m o s t important portions of

, ,

I ndian lore are n o w available t o the E nglish reader .

Still the books themselves with their commentarie s

, ,

and the works connected with their hi story and

philol o gy c o nstitute so large a library that the bu sy
,

people of modern times cann o t aff o rd t o spend their

year s in sifting the c o ntent s o f the s e c o l o s sal w ork s
in o rder t o fin d the gems of th o ught w hich they may
contain .

I n a field so va s t it is only by a division o f labor

tha t sati sfactory re s ults can be acc o mpli s hed and hence ,

an effort has been made in the pre sent volume to give ,

the chron o l o gy of the se ancient b oo k s sh o wing where ,

’
they belong in the w o rld s hi story t o gether w ith a r é ,

s um é o f their teaching s and s pecimen s of their literary

s tyle . The w o rk h a s been done a s briefly as was co n

s i s tent w i t h accuracy in the belief that an intelligible
,

'

idea of H in d II literature in a conden sed f o rm would be

acceptable t o many reader s .

Beginning with the earliest c o mpo s ition of the Ar y

an race the current of Br a hmanic th o ught has been
,
.

traced d o wn t hrough their m o st imp o rtant work s ,

which have been con s idered in chronological order fr o m

the earlie s t s ongs of the R ig veda to the fanciful con
-

ce it s of the latest Pur a na s .

The primary obj ect o f the wor k has been accuracy

theref o re the qu o tati o ns fr o m H ind li
‘
of s tatement ;

W orks have be en carefull y ch ose n f r om t h e best a vai l

 P REF ACE . XV

ab l e trans l ations and n o historical or chronological

,

statement has been made w ithou t the concurrence of

the highest auth o rities .

’
I t is a pleasure to acknowledge one s indebtedness
t o such rare scholars a s Pr o fe ssor F Max M ii l l e r the .
,

late H o race H ayman Wil so n a d i sting u i s hed f o reign ,

member o f the F rench Academy and of t h e I mperial ,

Academy o f St Peter sburg and Sir M M o nier William s

.
, .
-
,

K C I E the B o den Pr o fe sso r o f San skrit at Oxf o rd

. . . .
,

U niver s ity wh o h a s dev o ted fifty years o f h is life t o

,

the study of San skrit literature and t o a so luti o n o f

t h e pr o blems of I ndia .

Although m any o t her Orientali st s have been co n

su l t e d and credit duly given where the qu o tati o n s are
,

made yet the auth o r is e s pecially indebted t o Pr o fe sso r

,

F M ax M ii lle r and Sir M Mo n ier William s fo r a ssi st

. .
-
,

ance derived fr o m their per s onal letter s and partien ,

l a r l y de sire s t o ackn o w ledge their great kindne ss in

examining porti o n s of the w o rk .

“
The manu s cript o f the chapter entitled Kri shna
h a s been carefully revised by Sir M Monier William s
.
.
-
,

w h o h a s als o added valuable fo o t n o te s w hile o ther -

,

p o rtion s of the copy have been revised by Pr o fessor

F Max M ii ll e r
.
.

I n giving a brief syn o p si s o f the great I ndian

E pics the m ain line s of th o ught an d incident in
,

the original poems as gi ven by Wheeler G riffi ths and , ,

others have been car e fully followed

, I t h a s been .

d eem ed best, however , to p resent th ese classic gems in

 P REF ACE .

simpler forms of nar r ation and description than can

be found in li t eral translation .

The work has been prepared in the hope that it

may attract the attention of the general reader to the
'
beauties of H in d II literature an d be o f real service to
,

careful stu dents in this field of thought . To their

interests it is commended by
T HE AU T H O R .
xviii P R O N U N OI ATI O N .

E h —h h sounded like ch in ch ur ch .

—
K h kh pr o nounced a s in in kh orn .

g u n or d og .

l og h u t
-

9 1A .
.

d o l é e ( in mu sic ) E ngli s h ch
in ch ur ch .

churc hh ill .

tr u e .

a n t h ill .

d rum .

r e dh a ir e d
( r e d h aired
) .

n u t h ook though more dental , .

a dh ere though more dental

, .

s ure se s s ions
, .

s ir or mi ss .
 THE ANCIENT BOOKS OF INDIA .

CH AP T ER I .

H IN D U L ITER ATU R E .

W H AT IS TH E V E D A —TH E AG E O F TH E V E D AS —W HE N
VVR I TTE N —TH E R IG- V ED A .

M OS T fascinating field for research is to b e

f o und in the ancient literary productions of the
'
H ind II s. These gems of an t iquity belong to that regi o n
.

w here the peaks of the H im a layas lift their icy brows

to the morning light and where in the gr o ves at their
,

feet w ere chanted the early Vedic hymns .

I ndia is the land of the cocoanut and the palm of ,

the feathery tamarind and the stately mang o tree The .

brighte st birds fr o m the so uthern i sles come to feast in

her spicy groves and linger among her fl o wers H er .

sacred G ange s is indeed F ind

“ ”
the gift of heaven .

ing a bir t hplace in the s now field s bet w een the m o un

tain peak s the pure current ru she s down the rocky
,

pathway in a long ca scade bringing life and hope to

,

t h e green valleys below .

T he literature born in this dream land of beauty an d -

fragrance bear s within it s bosom the eloquence o f poe

’
try and the rhythm o f s o ng ; but I ndia s ancient bo o k s
are S O colossal in their p r op or t io
1

VER SI T j

i a fl
'
2 T HE ANCIEN T B O O K S O F INDI A .

scholars looked upon them for year s in dismay L ife .

is t o o s hort t o enable a ny o n e student t o o btain a

complete knowledge o f Oriental philology language and , ,

hist o ry .

The late H orace H ayman Wil so n devoted his v a st

learning an d many year s o f a r du ou s lab o r to the trans
lation o f a portion of the ancient book s of I ndia while ,
’
Prof Max M iI l l e r has given twenty o f the be s t years of
.

his life t o the Veda alone .

I t was not until ou r o wn generation that I ndian lit

er a t u r e was properly cla s sified and publi shed even in ,

th e Sanskrit tongue H itherto the veil o f antiqui ty

.

and mystici s m had hidden the se w o rk s from inve s ti

g a t i o n The Veda
. s were chanted for ages bef o re they

were ever written bei ng handed down orally fr o m o n e

,

generation to the next The years which w ere devoted .

t o education by the better cla ss of H ind u s were largely

occupied in lear ning the Veda from the lips of the
1
teacher The fact that the se b ooks for a long time
.

existed only in the living volumes of memory gave them

a weird influence over the E uropean as well as the
'
H in d II and when we consider that the Ve d a occupie s
,

nearly th e same positi o n in Sanskrit that the Old Tes

tament h olds in H ebrew literature that it is as sacred ,

to the H in d II as our o wn Scriptures are to the C hris

'

tian we cannot wonder that it has attracted the atten

,

tion of scholars and antiquarians in every part of the

world .

After a time the Veda was committed to writ

ing but still it existed only in manuscript an d when
, ,

the directors o f the E ast In d ia C ompany invited the

1 O rig in a nd G r o wt h o f R e l igi o n p
,
a ge 148 .
 H IND U LI T E R AT URE . 3

Pandits or H ind u professors to publish a complete

, ,

edition of their o wn sacred books it became apparent ,

that there was not a single B r a hman in B engal who

could edi t o r s upervise s uch an edition The work .

therefore d evolved entirely upon E uropean scholars an d ,

bravely they have accomplished their formidable task .

Prof Max M ii ll e r patiently copied the entire text of

.

the R ig Veda and also the commentary upon it An d

-
.

thus it came to pass that the whole o f the work w a s

firs t publi shed not on the banks of the sa cred G anges
, ,

but under the shadow of an E ngli sh university In .

restoring these Old manuscript s and placing their

thoughts in permanent form our sch olars have pre ,

served relics m o re ancient than the ruin s o f N ine

veh and Babylon ; more fa scinating to the student of
literature than the foundation st o nes of Thebes or
Memphi s .

The Sanskrit editi o n w a s translated by the inde

“

fatigable Wil s on and thi s ancient literary m o nu

,

ment of I ndia became the property of the E ngli sh

speaking world The work of re st o ring and t r a n sl a t
.

ing H in d U work s w a s greatly facilitated by C o lin

Mackenzie the enthu siastic collect o r o f I ndian M SS ;
,
.

but to such men a s Sir William Jone s H T C ole , . .

broo k H orace Wilson and Max M ii ll e r the world

, , ,

owe s a debt which it can never pay .

Orientalists were a t fir s t unable to resist the temp

t a t io n of giving to the public the gems only which ,

they rec o vered from masses of almo st w orthless lit

and it i s evident that much harm h a s been
”

er a tu r e ,

done by thi s partial w ork at th e hand s o f enthusiastic

tran slators wh o have given u s unintentionally no , ,
4 TH E ANCI EN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

doubt far more exalted idea s of the general char

,

acter of these book s than are j ustified by impartial

views of even o n e complete secti o n The time has .

c o m e when the Vedas mu s t be treated with more

cand o r even th ough w ith les s enthusiasm ; when
,

they mu st receive h o nest criticism and impartial r ep r e

se n t a t io n at the han d s of scholar s L ater translat o r s .
,

feeling that fancy must yield t o fact and imagination ,

give place to fair inve stigation have sought to make ,

their task a faithful one Paragraphs which are

.

t o o gro ss fo r tran slation have been appended in

the original text so that the critical historian m ay
,

decipher even the se if necessary A fair e stimate of .

t h e s e book s can of course be obtained only fro m

, ,

complete translation s and one of the grande st re s ults

,

of the life work o f Max M ii ll e r is the service he has

-

rendered in the tran slation of the se large volum e s

o f The Sacred B o o k s of the E ast into the E ngli sh
t o ngue . H e has been ass i sted in this ardu ou s an d
di sc o uraging work by such distingu ished scholars
as B eal ,
We st B ii h l e r
, Palmer C o well , D arme , ,

steter R hys D avid s Egge l in g Jac o bi Jolly Ker n

, , , , , ,

L egge Oldenberg each one o f whom is found in the

, ,

fr o nt rank o f h i s own special department of Oriental

literature .

The scholarship and character of these men place

the integrity o f their trans l ati o ns bey o nd question ,

and they have Opened before u s a m o st fascinating

field for investigati o n When we ad d t o this valuable
.

s eries
,
the R ig veda Sanhit a the Vi shnu Pur a na
-
,

'
and other translations by Prof Wils o n the R zI m a .
,

yana by G riffiths the digest of the two grea t epic s

,
 H IN D U LI T ER AT UR E . 5

by J . Ta l b oy s W heeler and the various partial tran s

,

l a t io n s of the Mah a b h aia t a by different scholars

' -
,

be sides a multitude o f translati o ns from H in d U drama

and romance the c o llection o f I ndian work s n o w avail
,

able t o the E ngli sh reader is a very exten s ive one .

Acc o rding t o Max M ii ll e r the Pandit s were seri o u sly

,

o ppo s ed t o the publicati o n o f the Veda in San skrit by

E ngli sh sch olar s fo r al t h o ugh they are hone st enough

,

t o admit that the editi o n is c o mplete and authen t ic ,

its publicati o n has taken fr o m them their principal

weap o n agai nst C hri s tian mis sionarie s I n former times .

the Br a hmans claimed that there w a s n o c o mmandme n t

in the Ol d Te s tament n o precept in the N ew w hich
, ,

had n o t been anticipated in the Veda and if the i n ,

credul o us mi ss i o nary called fo r t h e manu s cript he wa s

c o o lly inf o rmed t hat so sacred a b o ok mu st n o t be p r o
fa n e d by the t o uch of an unbeliever B ut H in d U a s .

s u m t io n s are n o w di s credi t ed by the publicati o n o f the

p
Veda in both San s krit and E ngli sh I t was al s o claimed .

that the Veda wa s th o u sand s o f year s older than the

Ol d Te s tament and tha t the hi s t o ric p o rtion s of the
,

H ebrew Scriptures were b o rrowed largely from H ind u

s o urce s . Many honest men and even sch o lars wh o , ,

should have been more careful in their statements in ,

d o r s e d thi s theory the novice w ith l o ud and c o nfident

,

—
as serti o n in which so me o f them still indulge the —
scholar wi t h m o re re serve .

L ieut Wilford wh o wa s an h o nest enthusia st de

.
, ,

t e r m in e d with prai s ewor t hy zeal t o find o u t the truth

, ,

o f the s tatement s which were being freely made by a

certain cla ss o f critic s With thi s o bj ect in V iew he

.
,

interviewed H ind u scholars but with o ut o btaining any ,

 TH E ANCIEN T B O OK S OF INDI A .

information . Becoming more explicit he related the ,

sto ries o f Adam and E ve o f Abraham a n d Sarah and , ,

as sured them that they would find the se narratives in

their sacred b o o k s T o stimulate t heir zeal he o ffered
.
,

ample reward s if t hey would find in their ancient man

u s cr ip t s the stories he had t o ld them The reserve of .

the Pandit s wa s fully c o nquered by the h o pe of gain ,

a n d ere l o ng L ieut Wilf o rd w a s delighted to have

.

placed i n his hands San skrit manu script s c o ntaining

the very proofs he sought G reat wa s the enthusiasm .

in C alcutta L ondon Pari s and throughou t the uni

, , ,

ve r s it ie s o f G ermany when these manu s cript s were p r o

n o u n ce d genuine by such experts a s Sir William J o ne s

and o ther s At la st however the c o incidence s became

.
, ,

so numerous and th e supply c o rre sponded so exactly

,

to the financial rewar d t hat t h e manuscript s were ,

again carefully examined when i t was found that ,

clever f o rgeries had been committed ; that leaves had

been carefully inserted in ancient manu s cript s and o n ,
‘

them had been written in San sk rit the Bible s t o rie s

which the H in d U s had learned from the lip s o f the
enthusiastic Wilford .

L ieut Wilf o rd t o his h o nor be it said did n o t fo r

.
, ,

a m o ment he sitate t o ackn o wledge that he had been

imp o sed up o n But in the meantime his e ss ay s had
.
1
,

been widely read and they are still qu o ted by men w h o

,

have never heard o f h is public c o nfe ss ion .

The literature o f the Ve d a s is n o t l ogical in its

constructi o n . There is n o page o f lucid rea so ning o r
convin cing argument in all i t s ancient l o re I t is n o t .

scientific ; its the o r i e s o f c os m o gony and anthropology

1 Ch ip s, Vo l V . .
, p p 102 109
.
-
.
 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A
.

along the path of hone st criticism even in the I ndian

lan d o f enchantment .

W H AT Is T HE V ED A I
The w o rd Veda mean s knowledge and is the term
applied t o divine un w ritten kn o wledge I n the H ind u .

w o rld it i s n o t o nly the earlie st literary pr o du ction ,

but t h e ackn o wledged standard of auth o ri t y referred to

in all their important w o rks both sacred an d profane
, .

The Veda i s qu o ted o r alluded to in philo so phical ,

grammatical lexicographical and metrical a s well a s

, ,

the o l o gical treati se s I ndeed thi s imp o rtant w o rk may

.
,

be s aid to f o rm the backgr o u nd o f the wh o le literary

world of I ndia and up o n all s ubj ect s it is con s idered
,

the be st and highest authority fr o m wh ich there is no ,

appeal .

The name Veda is applied by the Br a hman s to the

w hole b o dy o f their sacred writing s The earlie s t co l.

lecti o n o f Vedic liter ature may be cla ssed in three

grand divi sion s
.I M AN T R A o r t h e H ymn s o f Prayer and Praise
, ,

a s f o un d in the R ig ve d a By thi s is meant the co l

-
.

lecti o n o f hymn s and invocati o ns which were d o u b t ,

v

le ss compo sed by a s ucce ss ion o f poets in very early

times and which w hile they are o f unequal p o etical
, ,

meri t and contain many f o o li s h repetiti o n s are s t ill ,

imp o rtant a s embo d ying the earlie st f o rm s o f relig

iou s c o n cepti o n kno wn in the hi story o f thi s strange
people .

.2 TH E B R AH M AN A or t h e rituali st ic precept s and

,

illu strati o n s which are inten d ed t o direct the prie s t s

in t h e p erf o rmance of their religi o u s cerem o nie s They .
 H IND U LI T E R AT U R E . 9

also give long and tedious explanation s of the origin

and meanin g of the sacrifices themselve s .

3 T H E U P ANI S H AD S which are supposed to teach

.
,

t h e doctrines of the Vedas alth o ugh it would be a ,

d ifl i cu l t ta s k to deduce any system either o f faith o r

practice from this labyrinth o f co n fu se d phil o so phy and
fanciful c o nceits .

The later important divisions o f H in d U liter a ture

are °

1 The R a m a yana and

. Mah a bh a rata These cc -
.

l o ssa l epic poem s of 1

ves f o rm a grand divi sion
o f literature and reflect the romance and poetry of
t h e H ind u people They present the m o st brilliant.

picture s of Oriental c o l o ring and the m ost g o rgeous ,

scenes of E astern magnificence to be fo u nd upon the

pages of fancy .

2 The Pur i nas which are confe ss edly the latest of

.
,

all producti o n s in H ind u sacred li t erature ; they claim

to have been written by a gener o us sage in o rder t o
simplify the d o ctrine s o f the Veda fo r the benefit of
women and other s wh o mig h t not a spire to the reading
or comprehen s i o n of the earlier work s Alth o ugh they .

do not critically speaking bel o ng t o the Vedic age

, , ,

they contain Vedic legend s which have been wo rked up

in more modern form sh o wing that the s e work s were ,

“
finally given to t h e world at a time when the w o rld
”
o f the Veda in its strictest sense w a s living only
, ,

in tradition .

The Vedas proper are only four in number Vi z : the ,

.

R ig V
-
eda which is the
,
b o o k o f praise and of who se ,

l Pr o f W i l li a ms s p k
ea s of
th e g r e a t e pi cs as b e ing
“
th e bi bl e of th e
l l ph f B
.

m y th o o g i ca a se O ra h m a n is m ”
.
 10 TH E ANCIEN T B O O KS OF INDI A .

hymns there i s but one genuine collection The S a m a .

V eda is merely an extract f rom the older work ; t he

Y aj ur veda is another m anual of extracts intended for
-

the u se of the prie sts ; an d the fourth or At h a r va ,

ve d a f is of much later origin

l
and o f inferi o r literary , ,

value Therefore the R ig veda is the primary work o f

“

-
.

\
its class and the on ly one of importance
, .

E ach of t h e Vedas is an nn a r r a n g e d and promi s

cuon s mass of hymns prayers exhortations and dog , , ,

mas without either system o r harmony

, .

According to the teac h ing of the H in d Ii priests

'

the Veda s were coeval with the creation being simul ,

t a n e o u s with the first breath of B rahm a—the creative

—
power o r at all even t s Brahm a was their author
, ,

an d they were among the first things created .

'
I n the C h a n d o gy a U p a n isfii a dM I Yth K h anda and 4 th
Pr a p ai h a k a it is said of the production s of the Ve
,

“
da s ,
Pr a g zi p a t i ( th e C r ea tor ) brooded over the worlds ,

and from them thus bro o ded on he squeezed out the , ,

essence s Agni ( fire ) from the earth Va y u ( a ir from

, ,
~

the sky Aditya ( the s u n ) from heaven

, .

H e bro o ded over t hese three deities an d from them , ,

thus brooded over he squeezed out t h e —

essences the ,

1 Th e Ath a rv a -
v ed a w h i ch h a s b e e n a bly e d i te d by P f r o e sso r s R o th a nd

Wh i t y f ly fu
,

ne is co n e s se d th e m o s t m o d e r n o f t h e o r , a n d w a s n o t r e co g
f u th V d u l u l p
,

n iz e d as a o r e a n ti a m ch a te r e r i o d , a cco r d i n g to so m e a u

th iti
or t u ti l ft
e s, n o M n a er a nn

S y P f W t y Th m t p m i t h I i ti f t u f t h
.

a h i ro
“ ne e os ro ne n c a ra c e r s c ea re o e
s

At h v m u l ti t u d th y
.
,

ar i th an s f i t ti
e wh i h i t t i ; e o n ca n a on s c co n a n s e a re

di t d t th
re c e p u i g f t h g t t v i ty f d i bl d ; m t
o e roc r n O e re a es ar e o e s ra e en s os

f q u tly p h p l g l i f
re en er v yf mgiv u ik
a s, i th
on h e o r r e co er ro r e o s s c ne ss s e O

j t ugh t ; i th t t li m k l i m t i m gi v
,

ce so n uh a ca s e a a s a n, s c a s a nec a ce , s so e es e n,

or i um u i t
n n e ro m pl t d w d w i th m v l u Vi tu i
s n s a n ce s , so e an en o e ar e o s r es s

t b
o th
e imm di t e xt l m e f u ; f u th t h tt i m t f
a e e e rn a ea n s o c re r er, e a a n en o

w l th
ea p w i i m d t th d w f ll f m i u
or o er s a i l v e a e o n a O e ne e s, s cce s s n o e or

pl y th m v l f p tty p t d v d w t t h g wth f
,

in a e re o a o e e s s, a n so o n , e en o n o e ro O

b l d p t —0 i t l d L i S t d i V l p g 20
,
”
h i
a r on a a a e . r en a an n . u es, o . 1, a e .
 HI ND U LI T E R AT URE .

R ik vers e s fr o m Agni ; th e Y agu s verses fr o m V ayu

the S a man ver ses from Aditya .

H e bro o ded o ver the three fcl d knowledge ( the three -

Vedas ) and from it thu s br o o ded over h e squeezed

, , ,

out the essence s the sacred interj ection Bh fl S fr o m the

,

R ik verse s the sacred int erj ecti o n B h U Va s from the

,

Y a g u s ver s e s and the sacred interjectio n Svar from

,

the S a man verse s ”

.

E ach Vedi o hymn is said t o have its R ishi—the sage

o r phil o sopher by wh om it wa s fir s t c o mmunicated
,

s ome o f whom were members of the military a n d o ther s ,

o f the Br a hmanical o rder E ach Veda c o n sists of two .

parts called the Mantra and the B r zi h m a n a or pray

‘

, ,

ers and precepts The complete collecti o n o f hymns

.
,

prayers a n d invocations bel onging t o one Veda is called

,

its S a n h it é . V
AG E O F T H E V ED AS .

The Sanskri t langu a ge is antiqu e in form and per

'
feet in structure ; it h a s the r e fin e m e n t of the G reek
and the fluency of the L atin w hile it bears a strong ,

affinity to b o th This clas s ical language of the H ind u s

.

held the sam e po sition in I ndia which wa s acc o rded t o

the G reek at Alexandria a n d its impor tance was equal ,

t o that of the L atin during the Middle Ages But .

the Sanskrit ton g ue doe s n o t disclo se the origin of the

races that first spoke it and the power of historic ,
1

narration is entirely wanting in its earlie st writer s .

Klaproth Kennedy and other s claim tha t at a re

, , ,

mote period the tribes which were de s cended from Ja

p h e th the third
, s o n of N oah came from the nort hwest ,

1 I t h a d cea s e d t o b e a s p oke n la ng u a ge a t l e a st 300 B C

. .
—S i c . o f L a ng .
,

14 7 .
 2 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

and settled in the plain s of H in d U st a n bri n ging w ith ,

them their own language which wa s the s t o ck o f the ,

S ansk rit Thi s position i s apparen tly end o r sed by

.

Ad el u n g } but the data concerning the fir s t pe o pling o f

l

I ndia is n o t entirely satisfactory The San skrit fur .

ni shes no key with which to unlock the vaults o f

its o wn hist o ric treasures F rom the firs t hy mn of .

the Vedas t o the la s t fable of the Pur a nas—a peri o d

extending over three thou sand years—there is n o page
of clear historic fact ; no biographical account that
is not so mixed with legend as t o make it u n in t e l
ligible .
2

T he Vedas are confessedly the o ldest of t h e H ind u

scriptures B u t their age h a s been greatly o ve r e st i
.

mated I t has been customary for a certain class of

.

writer s to ascribe to th em an antiquity greater by thous

ands o f years than they can j ustly claim S o long .

a s the qu e s ti o n of their age w a s purely gue ss w ork -

and the wish was father to the thought a fe w th o us ,

ands o r even a million of years could be added with

,

“
out scruple and a s Sir William Jones remarked , The ,

comprehen s ive min d of an I ndian chron o l o gist has no

limits ”
H i story however is taking the place o f speen
.
, ,

lation in thi s as well as other departments Says Max , .

M ii l l e r “
I t will be d ifli cul t to settle whether the Veda
,

is the ol dest of b ooks and whether some portions of the ,

Ol d Testament may not be traced back to the same ,

or even an earlier date than the oldest hymns of the

l H i st Sa n s L it p 1
l i bl d t w h i h w h v bf
. .
. .
, .

2 Th e o n e re a e a e c e a e fo r In d i a n h i st o ry e ore Ch r i st

i th
s m ti
e by G k h i t i
en f
on re e s or a ns o an I n d ia n p r i n ce ( Sa n d r o k o t t o s )
t mp y f th ly u lx
.

H we a s a co n e ora r o e ear s cce s s o r s of A e a nder H e

fu d f w dy ty up
.

w th
a s e o n er o a ne na s on th e G a ng e s, a nd h i s g r a n d so n
A k w th C
so a t ti f B ud d h i m
as e ons a n ne o s . Wh itn ey .
 HI ND U LI T ER AT U R E . 13

”
Veda . We have no Vedic manuscripts which extend
1

back further than 1 2 00 or 1 5 00 years after C hri s t but ,

their c o ntent s have been handed d o wn orally from the

time o f their earlie st composition until they w ere
committed t o writing at a comparatively m o dern date , .

I n the face o f the se facts it is no w o nder that the

eminent Orientalist remarks that “
I t is not very easy ‘

t o bridge o ver this gulf of three thousand years .

An d again “
I t is by n o m eans certain t hat a further
,

study o f San sk rit will not deprive many a bo o k of

it s claim s to any high antiq uity C ertain portions of .

the Veda even which a s far as our kn owledge goes , ,

at present we are perfectly j ustified in referring to

,

the tenth o r twelfth century before our era may

i
,

d win d l e d o wn from their high e s tate and those who ,

have belie ved in their extreme antiquity will then be

”
held up t o blame o r ridicule .
2

There is very little historic data o n w hich to form

an o pini o n concerning the time When the Veda began
'
“
t o be w ritten Max M II ll e r says. We shall not be ,

a b le to trace the I ndian alphabet muc h beyond Alexan

’
der s inva sion I t existed however before Alexander
.
”
.
, ,

An d again “
The Sanskrit alphabet has always been
,

s uspecte d o f being derived fr o m a Semitic source and

has not certainly been traced back t o a G reek so urce ”3
.

H e argues that while t h e alphabet it self existed earlier ,

“
the practice of writing came in toward the latter
part o f t h e S u tra period and wa s probably at tha t
”
,

time applied to the preservation o f the Vedic hymn s

and o ther f o rm s o f Br a hmanic literature The Mah a .

l C h i p s, Vo l . 1, p . 5 .
3 Hi st . S a n s L EW,
M d 52 1 .

2 In t S ci
. . of R el .
, p 301
. .

$4 R
14 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

bh a rata s ay s however that Those who sell the Vedas

, , ,

”
and even those who write them shall go to hell show , ,

ing that although writing wa s in u se at the time of

the compilati o n o f the Mah a bh a rata it was by no ,

means popular a s th e medium of communica t ion for the

Vedas The fact that there are n o Br a hmanic in scr ip
.

ti o n s earlier than the third century bef o re C hri s t show s

the c o mparatively late date of the art of writing in
I ndia and Max M ii ll e r maintain s that until the latter
,

“
part o f the S U t r a period the collection o f hymn s and
‘
the immen se ma s s o f B i a h m a n i c literature were pre
” 1
served by mea n s o f o ral tradition only .

The S U t r a period here all uded t o was about 5 00 B .

C ; it w a s an era o f remarkable activity in the intel

.

lectual w o rld I n I n d ia it marked the f o rmu lation o f

.

Br a hmani s m by her prie sth oo d as S hown in her sy s tem

o f j uri spru dence c o llated by M a n n and witne ssed the ,

reformati o n of Buddha w h o led the reaction against ,

her recognized c o de I t is looked upon too a s the a p

.
, ,

pr o ximate date fo r the beginning s o f her great epic s .

G ree ce had then her Pythagora s and acc o rding to ,

Mitford “
no G recian state had it s law s put into writ
,

o f C yrus
”
( the reign 2
ing until about the s ame peri o d ,

king o f Persia ) Persia at this important epoch had

.

not only her C yrus but al so her Z o roaster , The H e .

’
brews had their D aniel and C hina s intellectual horizon ,

was illumined by her C onfucius .

Vedic literature is cla ssified by Prof Max Muller in .

four strata
1 st S U t r a Peri o d 5 00 B C
.
, . .

2d .B a
i
'
h m a n a Period 600—8 00 B C ,
. .

I H i s t Sa n s L i t
. . .
, p . 5 24 .
2 Hi st . of G r ee ce , Vo l . I .
, p . 129 .
16 TH E AN CIEN T B O OK S OF IND I A .

Since their musical n umbers were fir st breathed upon

the air cities have risen and fallen and the earth h a s
, ,

been swept by succe ssive st o rms o f conquest The .

palaces of N ineveh and the temples o f Babylon have

S lept for ages in the long night of time but the simple ,

hymns of the Veda still live in the hearts of m en .

They belong to the realm o f song and thought must ,

live though monarchs die and thrones decay .

TH E R I G - V ED A .

This i s by far the most important as well as th e ,

most primitive of the collection the o thers comprising ,

little more than extracts from it together w ith a variety ,

of incantations charms and formula s for di fferent cere

, ,

m o nie s The R ig Veda means the hymn s o f prai s e or

.
-
,

hym n s t o celebrate praises Some of them are written .

in metre and o thers in prose

,
They are dedicated to .

a variety of god s and some of them are beautiful com

,
,

positi o ns The g o d s are constantly invoked to protect

.

their w orshiper s to grant them f o o d large flock s large

, , ,

families and a long life for all of which they are t o

, ,

be re w arded with prai se s and s acrifice s offered day after ,

day o r at certain seasons of the year

, .

San skrit literature with o ut thi s bo o k would be like

“
G reek with out the works of H omer The R ig veda .
-

belong s to univer sal history a s well as to the hi story of

I ndia and fills a place in the Aryan world of letter s
,

that can be supplied by no o ther book This venera .

ble work which is the fountain head of Vedic litera

,

ture is c o mposed of about one th o usand and twenty

,

eight hymns each hymn c o ntaining an average of ten

, ,

verse s e ach I n the lan guage of M ii ll e r

.
“
L arge n um ,
 HIN D U LI T E R AT URE .
7

bers of the Vedic hymn s are childish in the extreme .

Tran slati o n s of these comp o sitions even when e n ,

riched by all the grace s of modern s cholarship are ,

of t en marked with tedious repetiti o n s and o ffensive

epithets They s om etimes pass abruptly from sound
.

wisdom t o chil dish f o o lishne ss an d from high culture ,

to the lowest grade of morality while sudd en tran si ,

tions fr o m the sublime t o t h e ridiculou s are n ot at all

infrequent ‘ The R ig veda d o es n o t teach id olatry
.
-
,

although there i s no doubt that multitudes of the

Br a hman devotees are now veritable idol wor shipers .

The worship of images is declared to be an act of

inferior merit and it is claimed that in reality even
,

the idolators worship only o n e G od who is manifested ,

in various for ms and that their image s of stone and ,

clay are used merely t o represent him This is done .

upon the principle that the ignorant clas s es cann o t

raise their conceptions t o abstract deity but need some ,

tangible object to which their devotions may be a d

“
dressed I t is said that
. The vulgar look for their
gods in the water ; men of more extended knowledge ,

in the celestial b o dies : the ignorant in wood brick , , ,

and stone ”
Another theory is that in the beginning
.

there w a s only o n e G od —but that he made many other s ,

and hence all the phenomena of nat ure were personi

fie d and worshiped T he greater number o f t h e prayers .

and invocations are myth o logical and unmeaning some ,

of them claiming that the god s are all equal as in the ,

stan za “
Among you O god s there are none that are
, , ,

1 Si rM i Wi ll i m y
o n er a s sa s,
“
A l th u g h t h
o e ma j y f t h Hi d u b l i v
o ri t O e n s e e e

th t t h f u V d
a e o t i r e a s co n a n a l l th a t i s g o o d , g r e a t a n d d ivi y t th ne , m e e s e co

p i ti wi ll b f u d w h k
e n ta e n a s a w h o e , to a l b u d m i p u il
—B
os o ns e o n o n ore n er e

i l ft y pt i
,
”
idea s th an n o co n ce ons . rah . a nd H in .
, p . 1 8.
 8 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

,
—
small none that are you g you are all great indeed n .

Still th e hy m n s addressed to individual deities are

,

very liable to claim supremacy for the god addressed ,

while others claim that there is but one as in the ,

following :

I n the beginning there arose a golden child ;

H e was the one born L ord of all that 18 ‘

H e establi shed the earth an d this sky ,

Who is the G od to whom we o ff er sacrifices .

“
H e who g ives life he who gives strength
, ,

Whose command all the bright gods revere

Whose shadow is immortality whose shadow is death , ,

W ho is the G od to whom we shall offer our

sacrifice .

H e whose greatness these snowy mountains ,

Whose greatness the sea proclaims with the distant

river ,

H e whose these re g ions are as it were hi s two arms , ,

Who is the G od to whom w e shall offer our sacrifice .

H e to whom heaven and earth standing firm by ,

his will ,

L ook up tremblingly inwardly , ,

H e over wh o m the rising sun stands forth ,

Who is the G od to whom we shall offer sacrifices .

H e who by his might looked even over the wate r

clouds
The clou ds which gave strength and lit the sacrifice ,

H e who alone is G od above all gods , ,

W ho is the G od t o whom we shall o ff er sacrifice .

10—
l R . v
-
.
, 12 M ii ll,
’
e r s t ra n s .
 HIND U LI T E R AT URE . 19

But what we sometimes regard a s monotheism is in

reality panthei s m or the belief that the creation and ,

C reator are identical with each other Brahman in the .

neuter f o rm mean s simply infinite being—the only

eternal essence which when it pa sse s into actual , ,

manifested existence is called Brahm a and develops , ,

itself in vari o us f o rms The creed of m a ny o f the .

'
H in d II s at the pre sent day a sserts that there i s only
one real being in exi stence an d that he constitutes the ,

universe While some of th e hymns seem to teach

.

monotheism there are allusi o ns in the R ig veda to

,
-

thirty three gods l-

.

On e hymn assigns all the phenomena of nature to

one first cau se while another attributes them to several ,

cau ses Operating independently and still another argues ,

that the whole Vi si ble creation is animated by one uni

versal all pervad ing spirit
,
-
.

As the Semitic races relapsed occa sionally into poly

theism so the H in d U s have sometime s returned to m o no
,

thei sm bu t say s Prof M ii l l e r

,
“
I n b o t h ca ses these .
,

changes were not the result of a gradual an d regular

progres s bu t of individual impulse s and peculiar i n
,

flu e n ce s The mere occurrence o f mon o theisti c ideas is

.

not sufficient to stamp any class o f hymns as of modern

”2
date The religion of the R ig veda was either p o ly
.
-

theism monotheism trithei s m or panthei s m a ccording

, , , ,

to the individ u al preference of the w or shiper but it ,

wa s not yet idolatry The forces of nature were spoken .

of as being under t h e control of divine personages but ,

l Max M u ll e r sa y s,
“
N O do ub t i f we m ut
s em pl yo t e ch n i ca l te r m s, t h e
re l ig i on of th e V eda is p ly th
o e i sm , n ot m o n o t h e i sm .
” -
0h ip s , Vol . 1 ,

p 27
p
. .

2 Hi st . Sa ns L it
. .
, . 55 9 .
20 T HE AN CI EN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

they were not as yet represen ted by images an d wor

sh ip e d .

A beautiful hymn in the Veda is addressed to the Sk y

9
god Varuna as f o llows
, ,

The m i ghty Varun a who r u1es above looks down

“
,

U pon the worlds h is kingdom as if cl os e at hand

, , .

When men imagine they do au ght by stealth he kno ws it , .

N o one can stand or walk or softly glide along , , ,

Or hide in dark recesses or lur k in secret cell , ,

B u t Varuna detects him and his m o vements spies ; ,

T wo persons may d evise some plot together S itting , ,

An d think themselves alone ; but he the king is there , , ,

A third and see s it all

,
H is messengers descend .

C ountl ess from his abode forever traversing ,

This world and scanning with a thousand eyes its in

,

mates ,

’
Whate er w ithin this earth a n d all within the sky ;
Y ea all that is beyond King Varuna perceives
, , .

’
The winkings of men s eye s are numbered all by him ;
H e wiel ds the u niverse a s gamesters handle dice
\
.

Another gem i s found in the hymn of adoration to

the sun god ( SU r ya ) :

“
Behold the rays of dawn like heral ds lead on high
,

The Sun t hat men may se e the great all knowing G od

, ,
-
.

The stars slink o fi like thieves in company w ith N ight ,

Before the all seeing eyes whose beam s reveal his

-

presence ,

G leaming like brilliant flames to nati o n after nation ,

.

I At h a r va -
v eda , I V , 1 6,
. W ’
i ll i a m s t r a n s .
 H I ND U LI T ER AT U R E .

SU r y a ,
with flaming locks clear sighted god of day ,
-
,

Thy seven ruddy mare s bear on thy ru shing car .

Wi t h the se thy self yoked steeds seven daughters of

-
,

thy chariot ,

Onward thou dost ad vance To thy refulgent orb .

Bey o nd thi s lo w er gl o om and up w ard to the light

, ,

Would we ascend O Sun thou god among the gods

, , .

These are representatives of the finest po etry of early

Vedic literature There are others like the fo ll o wing
.

“
Purusha hymn of the R ig veda which is remar k a ble
”
-
,

fo r its peculiar theol o gical c o mbinati o n and seems to ,

teach monotheism and p o lythei s m as well as panthei s m ,

and the in s titution of caste which has been the bane ,

of I ndia for m o re than t wo thousand years

“
The embodied spirit has a thou sand heads ,

A thousand eyes a thou sand feet around

!

, ,

On every s ide envel o ping the earth ,

Y et filling space no larger t han a span .

H e is himself thi s very u nivers e

H e I S whatever is has been and shall be
, ,

H e is the L ord Of immortality .

Al l creatures are one fourth of him three fourths-

,
-

Ar e that which is imm o rtal in the sky .

j
L F r o m him called Puru sha w a s born Vi r a
j ,

An d fr o m Vir a jwas Puru sha produced ,

!
Wh o m gods and holy men made their o blation .

With Puru sha as victim they perf o rmed ,

A s acrifice .When they divided him ,

‘
9
H o w did they cut him up What wa s his mouth
1 W i ll ’
i a m s tra n s .
 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I ND I A .

W hat were his arms and what his thighs an d feet ? ?

Th e Br a hman wa s his mouth the kingly s ol dier ,

W a s made h is ar m s the hu sbandman h is thighs

H

, ,

T he servile SII d r a issued from his feet ”

’
1
.

Vi r ajwa s a secondary creator considered som etimes ,

of t h e feminine and sometime s of the ma s culine gender .

Manu says that Puru s ha th e first male wa s called , ,

Brahm a and was produced from the supreme s elf ex -

ist e n t spirit .

I t is ea sy to see how the sy s te m o f ca ste was fos

t e r e d by a hymn which declare s that the prie stly cla ss
’
i ssued fro m Pu r u sh a s m o uth the soldier from h is ,

arms the hu sbandman from h is thigh s and the slave

, ,

from his feet .

The hymn s o f the Veda t o o Often de scend to bac

ch a n a lia n song s i n h o n o r of the g o d Soma
2
the Bac ,

chu s of I ndia and the w hole of the ninth bo o k of the

,

R ig veda is devoted t o h is prai se The s oma is a plan t

-
.

“
s aid to have been br o ugh t by a fair winged falcon
from afar and p lanted i n I ndia I t i s a creeper with
”
.

su cculent leafle s s ste m s bearing the b o tanical name o f ,

Asclepias Acida The j uice after being expre ssed by

.
,

stones and mixed with milk o r barley j uice became a ,

strong intoxicant with who s e exhilarating propertie s the

Aryans were so infatuated that they suppo sed it was
endowed with its wonderful powers by a g o d The .

soma becam e to them the king o f plant s and its juice ,

was largely u sed in o ffering s t o their g o d s so me o f ,

whom were supposed t o have a peculiar w eakne s s for

W ’
i ll i a m s t r a n s
1 R v
-
( M a n 10
l l ppl i
. . . .

2 In a te r t i m e s t h e na me of So m a w a s a so a ed to th e m oon .
24 TH E AN C I E N T BO OKS OF IN DI A .

“
May this soma libation be gr atifying t o Mitra and
Varu na to be enj oyed by them a s they drink of it in
,

cl in in g downwards A divine beverage fit t o b e e n .

,

j oyed by the g o ds may all the god s well pleased to day ,

-

accept it .

The intoxicating liquid was presented in ladles to

“
the deities inv o ked and in all ca se s says Wilson the , , ,

”
residue of the liqu o r was taken by the a ss istants The .

condition of the wor s hipers after the rites were a c

compli shed may be better imagined than de s cribed .

On e o f the favorite g o ds o f the R ig veda was I ndra -

,

who wa s the Jupiter o f the Aryan race H e is r e .

“ ” “
p e a t e d l y referred to a s the rain god the air b o rn ,
-

I ndra ,
” “
the thunderer I n the earlie st age he is
represented a s inhabiting the s k y between the earth and
the sun riding up o n the cl o u ds and p o uring forth the
,

rain hurling the f o rked lightning upon th e earth and

, ,

speaki n g to men in the awful t o nes of thunder Bu t .

’
I ndra s special weakness is fo r so ma j uice which he ,

quaffs in fabulou s quantitie s an d th u s invig o rated b e ,

comes invincible and ha stens away t o vanqui sh the h o s ,

tile powers o f the atm o sphere which are withh o lding

the rain fr o m the parched earth .

I ndra animated by the soma j uice th o u did st e n

“
, ,

gage i n battle E xhilarated by the so ma th o u ha st

.
,

expelled the water s fr o m the cl o ud s I n thee I ndra .

, ,

is all vig o r fully concentrated . Thy w ill d elights to

” 3
drink the soma j uice .

1 Vo l II p 53
w i ll b t fu lly i f ll pt
. .
, . .

2 I n d ra e r e a te d m o re n th e o o w i n g ch a er

p
.

3 R .
-
v .
, Sa n .
, Vo l . I .
, . 137 .
 H IND U LI T E R AT URE . 25

Again he is addre ssed as follow s

“
L ord of steeds Thou art exhilarated when the !
sacred soma juice has been imbibed by thee I t is .

exhilarating inebriat ing invigorating and the yielder

, , ,

of delight satisfying as food and the giver o f a th o u

, ,

sand pleasu res May the soma libati o n reach y o u for

.
,

it is exhilarating invigorating inebriating m o st pre , , ,

cio n s I t i s companionable I ndra enj oyable the over

.
, , ,

thrower of ho s ts —imm o rtal Thine inebriety is m o st .

intense nevert hele ss thine acts are m o st b e n e fice n t

, .

Th o u de sires t bountiful giver of horse s that b o th thy

, ,

inebriety and t h y b e n e fice n ce sh o uld be the means of

” 1
de s troying enemies and distributing riches .

I ndra is
also repeatedly invoked as Voracio u s “

drinker o f the s o ma ” “
I ndra w ith the handsome ,

”
chin drinker o f the s oma s h o werer of blessings , ,

etc. H e is al so repeatedly hymned a s H andsome “

jawed I ndra ” “
and it is said The exhilarating s oma
,

juice s flew toward the shining I ndra a s milch kine

” “
ha s ten to their calves and again The stomach of ,
2
,

I ndra is as capaci o us a recep t acle of soma a s a lake ,

fo r he h a s par t aken o f it at ma ny sacrifice s and i n a s ,

much as he h a s eaten the fir st viand s he h a s been the

slayer of Vr it r a and h a s S hared the so ma juice with
”
the god s The condi t i o n o f the inferi o r deities who
.
3

’
shared I ndra s gener o sity is perhap s be st illustrated in
the following verse

Swift is the excessive and girth di stending inebria -

ti o n o f Y a j
a t a and Mayin By drink ing t he se j uice s .

1 Vo l . II .
,
p . 170 .
2 R .
-
v . Sa n .
, Vo l V . .
, p . 307 .
3 Vo l . I II .
,
p . 60 .
26 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

they urge one another to drink They find the c e pi .

” 1
ous draught the prompt giver o f int o xication .

The hymn from which the ab o ve is an extract also

represent s the wife of a great sage as j o ining i n the
convivialities of the o cca sion while at another festive ,

scene the gods and sages are represe n ted as screaming

”
like swans when exhilarated by the flowing bowl .

The doctrine o f metemp sych osis or transmigration ,

of souls which after ward became a cardinal doctrine of

,

H ind u faith finds n o place in the R ig veda which is

,
-
,

also free fr o m the crime of child marriage the barbar ,

ous cu stoms of caste and the idolatry o f modern time s

, .

The pe o ple were then rich in flocks and herds ; they

practiced the art o f agriculture and t o a certain ,

extent that o f architecture Po lygamy exi sted but wa s .

,

not the rule of life They killed animal s and ate ani
.

mal food not even objecting to t h e flesh of cows

,
.

Their vices were sensuality and gambling as well as ,

drunkenness .

H ymns o f a still more indelicate nature t han the

foregoing might be cited but it is pleasanter to close ,

these extract s fr o m the R ig veda with the fol l owing -

beautifu l H ymn to U shas ( the D awn ) .

“
1 She shines upon u s like a young wife rousing
.
,

every living being to go to his w ork When the fire .

had to be kindled by men she made the light by strik ,

ing down darkne ss .

“
2 She rose up spreading far and wide and moving
.
,

everywhere She grew in brightness wearing her bril

.

1 Ib i d , Vo l . III .
, p . 311 .
 H IND U LI T ER AT URE . 27

liant garment The mother of the cows ( the mor ni ngs)

.
,

the leader of the days she shone gold colored lovely ,

-
,

to behold .

“
3 . She the fort unate who brings the eye of t h e
,

gods who lead s the white and lovely steeds ( of the

,

su n
) the
,
D awn was seen
, revealed by her ray s with ,

brilliant treasures following every one .

4 .
“
Thou a rt a ble ssing where thou art near D riv e .

far a way the unfriendly ; make the pasture wide ; give

u S safety ! Scatter the enemy bring riche s ! Raise up ,

wealth to the worshiper thou mighty D awn ” 1

, .

This Vi s ion of the dawn personified a s a pure and

lovely woman is fair enough to atone for many a S in
against rhythm and measure W earing her garments of .

S ilver and tinted pearl she comes lead ing the white ,

s t eeds of the su n With her fair br o w flu s hed with

.

the gold and crim s on l ight o f the m orning Sh e appears ,

“ ”
as the leader of th e days and marshals her h o st in ,

golden Splendor before the sons of men Wearing the .

hallowed cro w n o f maternity sh e becomes in Sanskrit ,

“ ”
poetry the m o ther of the morning s an d the infant ,

days begin the j ourney of life amidst the tinted

clouds of rose and amber that floa t around the morning
sun.

The R ig veda is a book of startling contrasts

- .

Amidst coar s e bacchanalian songs we find s uch poetic

gems as “
The G olden C hild ”
the eloquent p leas to ,

Va r u na and Agni and this Vedic visi o n of t h e morn

,

ing with many Others of equal beauty

, .

I R .
-
v .
, 7 , 77 ,
’
M iill er s tr a ns .
 CH AP T ER II.

MY TH OL OGY OF TH E V E DAS .

RE S E MB L ANC E B E TW EEN T H E M Y T HOLO GI E S O F I NDI A

AN D G REECE AG NI S U RY A V ARU N A Y AM A
—U S H AS M ARU T S 5 H Y M N S O F E X EC R AT ION I N
CO N S I S T EN T T H EO RIE S INDR A S I M IL ARI T Y OF
NOR T H ER N M Y T H S .

HE mythology of I ndia is a s fascinating a s that

of G reece The st o rm s wept peaks of her H im a
.
-

layas are grander than the height s o f Olympu s and ,

the golden eagle that floats on burnished wing beneath

her solemn sky is dearer t o the hearts of her p e o
ple than was the imperial bird of Jove to the dwell
ers by the n ean sea .

I ndia is the home of the beryl and the amethyst ;

her s unlight flashes in her diamonds and her moon ,

light gleams amidst her pearls H ence her dreamy .

,

s ons have inve s ted the heavens of their gods with the

s plend o r of her gems and the fragrance of her roses .

Their loveliest flowers are said to bl o o m only in Para

d i s e and Vishnu sits upon a throne of lotus blos s oms ,

’
,

while the pillars of I ndra s heaven are enwreath e d with

rose colored flo we r s
-
.
1

The many striking similarities between the gods of

the H in d U and G recian mythol o gy suggest the c o mmon
1 Th e C a m a l a t a or L v o
’
e s C ree p er .

28
 M Y T H O LO GY OF T HE V E D AS . 29

origin of these ear l y myths I t is a well attested his .

-

t o ric fact that in the early days of the Aryan races

they dwelt together in a common country The va .

ri o n s tribe s w hich left this central h o me to settle in

different part s of the world carried with them a lan
guage which was the st o ck of their later t o ngues and 1
,

als o a common mythology I n I ndia G reece Persia .

, , ,

and even in N orthern E u rope the similarities between ,

th e various my ths are so striking that they continu ,

ally remind the reader of the common origin of the

Aryan nation s T he character of I ndra especially so
.
, ,

s trongly resembles that of J o ve that the Similarity

cannot be c o n sidered accidental .

I n the earliest Vedic hymn s there appears to be no

regular sy stem either of religion or mythology The .

wo rship which the y pre scribe is generally of a domes

tic nature con sisting o f oblations to fire prayers to
, ,

the god of fire of the fir m a m e n t of the wind s of the

, , ,

seasons or t o the sun and the m o on The Br a hman

, .

wh o o ffers the sacrifice or the priest w h o offer s it for ,

those wh o are not Br a hman s invites the se deities to ,

be present and accept the o ff ering w hich o ften con ,

s ists of melted butter or the j uice of the s o ma I n .

return fo r these gifts the gods are s upplicated to con

fer life weal t h and pro sperity upon the worshiper
, ,
.

The myth s exhibit no settled genealogy the same name ,

being sometimes used as an adj ective and sometimes ,

as a noun The same goddes s is addre ssed in one hymn

.

as the mother in another as the wife The brother is , .

1 Sa y s M a x M iil l e r , E n gli sh to g e t h e r w i th a l l t h e T ut e l t f th o ni c d ia ec s o e

bl l f m ily f p mp i b id
,

C o n ti n e n t , e ong s to th a t a rg e a o S e e ch wh i h c co r se s es es
th e T ut
e o n i c, th e L a ti n , G k S l v i C l ti
re e a o n c, e c, a n d th O i t l l gu g
e r en a an a es

P
.

In dia ( S ee C h ip s V
of ”
a nd e r si a ol I L p 22 10 ”
7
.
.
, .
.
30 TH E ANC I EN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

spo k en of now as husband and again as son while ,

each god in his turn is supplicated and praised a s

superi o r to all the others .

T he most prominent and sacred deities of the early

.

H in d U s are Agni S fi r y a I ndra Varuna Y ama U shas , , , , , ,

an d Maru ts .

AG NI ,

the god of fire is addressed as the su p reme god wh o ,

created all things ; h e is represented by the light of

the sun th e fla shing lightning and the clear flame of
, ,

the domestic hearth stone H e is the guardian of the .

h ome the minister of the sacrifice and comprehend s

, ,

w ithin himself a multitude of other deities as the cir ,

cu m fe r e n ce of a wheel embraces its spokes H e is one .

of the eight guardians of the world his special prov ,

ince being the southeast quarter .

As the protector of mankind and t h e guardian of

the home his presence is inv o ked at the nuptial cere
,

mony and indeed u p on all solemn domestic occasions

, .

F rom his body issue seven streams of glory and in

1
,

his right hand he holds a spear while a tongue of ,

forked fire i ssues from his m outh As a symb o l of .

social union a n d the guardian of the domestic hearth

stone his mission is almost identical with that of the
,

G recian goddess H estia who wa s the daughter of Sat ,

urn and R hea I n the Prytaneu m of every G recian

.

city stood the hearth on which the sacred fire flamed ,

and where the o ff erings were made to H estia I n like .

l H e is b u u l ly
s a d e scr i ed as v
h a i n g tw o f a ce s, th r e e leg s a nd se v en
ar m d
s, id i g u p
an r n on a sh e e p B ut h e is s o m e ti m e s re p r e se n t e d as a

pu l t m f ud d y m pl x i y yb
.

w it h r o w s, a nd h a ir of a

t—
co r en an o r co e on , e e s, e e

w y pp
ta n l d
co o r , a n a ea rs r id in g on a S ee
’
G a r r ett s C l a s D ie I nd
goa . . .
,

p a ge 1 5 .
32 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

6.
“
Y oungest of the gods their messenger
th eir , ,

invoker most deserving of w or s hip come at our praise ,

to him who worships thee and longs for thy help .

“
7 . F o r thou O s age goest wisely between these
, ,

t wo creati o n s ( heaven and earth gods and men ) like ,

a friendly mes senger between t wo hamlets .

“
8 . Th o u art wi s e and thou ha st been pleased ; ,

perform thou intelligent Agni the sacrifice without

, ,

1
interruption .

SU RY A T HE , SU N .

On eof the first objects to attract the Vedic wor

sh i e r
p was the god of day H e w a s adored un der .

various names being addressed sometimes as Arvat or

, ,

even Varuna an d again a s Aditya or Mitra C oming

, .

out of the chambers of the ea st with their draperies of ,

scarlet and purple thi s monarch of the day received

,

the early o blation of his worshipers AS his golden .

chariot swept acro ss the heavens they fancied they saw

the milk white steed s that drew the car o f the king
-
.

At evening as he rolled away in a sea o f s plendor ,

leaving h is crimson mantle upon the mountain peak s ,

the devotee knelt again to receive h is parting blessing .

After a time whe n the pearly tints o f morning again

,

announced his coming he w a s hailed with j oyou s songs : ,

TO S U RY A .

“
1 The wonderful ho s t of rays has ri sen ; the eye
.

of Mitra Varuna an d Agni the sun the s o ul o f all

, , ,

that moves o r 1 s Imm o vable has filled ( with h is glory ) ,

the heaven the earth and th e fir m a m e n t

, , .

2—
I R .
-
v 6 M u ll
’
e r s t ra n s
.
, , .
 M Y T HO LO GY O F T H E V ED AS .
3

“
2 . The sun follows the d ivine and brilliant U shas
as a man f o llows a y o u ng an d elegant w o man at which ,

s eason piou s men perf o rm the cerem o nies e stabli shed

fo r ages w o rshiping t h e auspicio u s sun for the s ake of
,

good reward .

“
3 . The auspicious swift h o rses of the su n well , ,

limbed road traversing who merit to be ple a s ed w ith

,
-
,

praise reveren ced by u s have a scended to the s ummits

, ,

of . the sky and quickly C i rcumambulate earth and

,

heaven .

“
4 . Such is the divinity s uch is the majesty of the ,

sun that when he has se t he h a s withdrawn ( int o

, ,

himself ) the d ifi u se d ( light which had been shed )

upon the unfinished task When he has unyoked his .

c o u rsers from the car then night extends the veiling ,

darknes s over all .

5 .
“
The sun in the s ight of Mitra and Varuna dis
plays h is form ( of bri ghtnes s ) in the middle of the
heavens a n d his ra y s extend on o n e hand his infinite
, , ,

and brilliant p o wer or o n the o ther ( by their depart ,

ure ) bring o n the blackness of night

,

“
6 . Thi s day god s with the r I sm g of the sun , , ,

deliver u s from heinous sin ! and may Mitra Varuna , ,

Aditya o cean earth and heaven be favorable to this ou r

, , , ,

”
prayer .
I

V ARU N A ,
TH E G O D OF TH E FIR M AM EN T AN D OF TH E

OCE AN .

Varu na is derived from the root Va r ( t o cover ) .

I n the Veda it is u sed a s a name for the fir m a m e n t ,

but only i n connection w ith the night being opposed ,

p Wi l ’
l R . v
-
.
, Vo l . I .
,
a ge 304 , so n s tr a n s .
34 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

to Mitra ( the day ) I t will be remembered that

.

H esiod uses the name of U ran os for the sky and it is ,

repeatedly said that U ranos or Ouranos cover s every , ,

thing and that when he brings the night he is

,

s t retched out everywhere embracing the earth But .

the I ndian Varuna is the god o f the sky as well as ,

the sky itself I t is said that Varu na stemme d as

.
“

under the wide fir m a m e nt s ; he lifted on high t h e

bright and glorious heaven ; he stretched out apart the
starry sky and the earth ” 1
L ike the other gods .
,

Varuna is hy m ned as the S upreme Being

Thou art lord of all of heaven and earth ; thou ,

art the king of all of those wh o are gods and of those

,

”
who are men .

H e dwells in all worlds as their sovereign ; he made

the sun to shi ne in the fir m a m e n t and the m e a n in g ,

winds are but his breath H e formed the channels of .

the rivers which flo w by his command into the sea

which they can never fill H e know s the pathway of .

the birds through the blue ether and the trackles s ,

course of the ships upon the wi d e ocean H e witnesses .

the truth or falsehood of men and nothing escapes his ,

countless eyes .

The two oceans ( aerial and terrestrial ) are Varuna s’

s tomachs an d the star s of night are his all seeing eyes
,
-
.

Varuna is not only t h e U ranos or Ouranos of the , ,

G reeks but he is their N eptune as well be i ng the

, ,

“ ” “
god of the raging main and m o narch of the
deep ”
. I t was Varuna who supplied the sage R i ci k a
I R . v
-
. , 7 , 861, Mu ’
ll e r s t r a n s .
 M Y T HO LO GY O F T H E V ED AS . 35

with a thousand fleet horse s an allusion which is sug ,

g e s t i ve of the pr o duction o f the hor s e by N eptune in

his fabled c o nte s t w i t h Minerva for the right of nam
ing t h e city o f Athens I ndeed the horse in G reek .
,

mythology was sacred to N eptune and the rivers and ,

H omer represents the monarch o f the watery main

“

a s whirling over the crystal chamber s of the deep in

“
his chariot drawn by brass hoofed steeds while -
,
'

The parting wave s before his coursers fly ,

”
The wondering waters leave his axle dry .

E ven so Varuna rides upon the waters or hides in

caves beneath a rocky strand ; but he also fills the
halls of night with his presence and d raws near to h is
worshiper in the c o oling tou ch o f evening and when ,

the veil o f darkne ss c o vers them he comes to the hearts

of men with the blessed peace and calm of evening
rest .

Y AM A
the king of death and the j udge of the dead H e
IS .

’
is the Pluto of H in d II mythology and like him he is ,

the lord of the world from whose dominion there is

no return The regions of Plu to were guarded b y the
.

three headed dog C erberus l who watched at the e n

-
,

trance but Y ama has two terrible dog s of the

,
“
four
T h i d iv i ty f xp i m g l i u th i l ti t
1 ere s a ers o e r e ss o n a on c a ss c a ors n re a on o

th fm u d g f h d
e a o s Th
o fi t m ti f h i m i by H i d w h
O a es e rs en on O s es o ,
o

ib fu i u tu h vi g fi fty h S ph l h wv
.

d e s cr th es e r o s cr e a d re a s a n ea s o o c e s, o e e r,

p k f hi m f Pl u t L ti p t
.

s ea s o h th h d d d g
a s t e re e -d th ea e o o o, an e a n oe s

g lly
e n e rag w i t h t
a h i u
ree t h H h w v
s a ll t h d g
or h u d d o r a ce , o e e r , ca s e o n re

C h m p ll i t l y b yp
.

h d d t g t w t h E g t i d a na o e een e an an
—
ea e a o g on r a ce s a s ro n

G i m y th l g y i l ti t t h d g f h d ( S A th ’
.

re c a n o o n re a on Cl o e o o a es . ee n on s as .
36 THE AN CI EN T B OO K S O F IND I A .

eyed ta wny breed o f Saram a Thi s King of D eath .

“

is the fir s t of men wh o died and he guides the spirit s ,

of other men to their destinati o n in heaven or h ell I n .

the later myth o l o gy h e is represented a s the j u dge o f

the dead but n o t in the Vedas The regi o n o ver w h ich
, .

Pluto presides is represented in the I liad and in

’
H esiod s Theogony as being withi n the earth while in ,

the Odyssey it is place d in the dark region beyond the

stream o f ocean But Y ama hi m self dwells in celestial
.
1

light and i n one place he is represented a s taking

,

part wit h other gods in a festive scene beneath a tree .

The f o llowing fine poetic tribute is paid to the

King of D eath in the R ig veda -

HY M N TO Y AM A .

“
To Y ama m ighty king be gifts an d homage paid
, , .

H e was the first of men that died ; the first to brave

’
D eath s rapid rushing stream t h e first to point the ,

ro a d
To heaven and welcome others to that bright abode
, .

N o p ower can rob us of the home thus won by thee :

Oh king we come ! the born must die must tread the

, ,

path
That thou h a st trod —the path by which each race of
men
I n long su ccession and our fathers too have passed
, , .

Soul of the dead ! depart ; fear not to take the road

The ancient road—b y which thy ancestors have gone ;
As cend to meet the god—to meet thy happy fathers ,

Who dwell in bliss with him F ear not to p a s s th e .

guards
1 0d . 10, 508 .
 MY H T OLO G Y OF TH E V ED AS . 37

The four eyed brindled dogs—that watch for the de

-

parted .

R eturn unto thy h ome 0 soul ! Thy sin and shame,

L eave thou behind o n earth ; assume a shining form

—
Thy a cient shape r e fin e d and from all taint set
n
‘

” 1
free .

U S H AS .

Perhaps the m ost beautiful and poetic o f all the

Vedic deities is U s has the dawn Thi s radiant god
, .

dess is the Aurora or E os o f the G reeks

, , .

N ow fair Aurora lifts her golden ray ,

An d all t h e ru d dy O rient flames with day .

E ven so does the H in d U

goddess light up the east
ern sky with the tints of opal and morning gray She
lives in their poetry as a beautiful woman pursued by
her devoted lover the sun who at length over whelm s
, ,

her with his ardent kisses She i s borne o nward .

through the sky in a gleaming chariot drawn by ruddy

horses dispelling darkness waking the birds and il l u m
, , ,

ining the w o rld S o m etimes sh e is hymned as a beau

.

tiful maiden sometimes adore d as a wife and mother

,

( see page so metime s she is pictured as deso

late and de serted by the sun who di sappears in the ,

western skies leaving only the cloud s o f crimson and

,

gol d t o comf o rt h is dying bride But she is always .

young fo r She is b o rn every m o rning with the crown

,

of immortal youth L ike Aurora she wears a golden

. ,

robe and comes o u t of her clo u d curtained palace to -

ascen d her triumphal car The gates of the morning

’
l W i l li a m s tr a n s .
2 Od y ss e y , Bk . 8, 1 .
38 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S O F INDI A .

are opened by her rosy fingers an d h er fair brow is ,

crowned with the morni n g s tar She is addressed as the .

“ ” “ ”
daughter Of the sky the kinswoman of Varuna
, .

I n one passage the moon is said to be b o rn again ,

and ever new t o go bef o re U shas as the herald o f the

day I n the R ig veda the early morn is saluted thus
.
-

H ail , U
shas daughter of the Sk y
, ,

Who borne up o n thy s hining car

,

By ruddy steeds from realms afar

An d ever lightening d r a we st ‘nigh ,

Th o u sweetly sm il est goddess fair , ,

D isclosing all thy youthful grace ,

Thy bosom fair thy radiant face , ,

An d lu ster of thy golden hair .

So shines the fond and winning bride

Who robes her form in brilliant guise ,

’
An d to her l o rd s admiring eye s
D isplays her charms with conscious pride ,

O r V irgin by her m other d e cked ,

Wh o glorying in her beau ty shows

, ,

I n every glance her power ; she knows

All eye s to fix all hearts subj ect
, .

But clo sely by the am o r o us sun

Pursued and vanqui shed in the race ,

Thou soon art locked in his embrace ,

An d with h im blen de st into one .

F air U shas ! though through years untold

Th o u ha st lived on yet thou art born ,

An ew o n each succeeding morn ,

An d so thou art b o th young and old .

i Dr .
’
M u i r s tr a n s .
40 TH E ANCI EN T B O O KS O F I N D I A .

bright spears the shaker s o f the clouds have them

, ,

selves praised th e ir greatness .

“
4
. That youthful company ( o f the Maruts ) with
their sp otted horses moves by itself hence it exercises
, ,

lordship and is inve s ted with powers Therefore .

thou the strong hast and thou wilt cherish this prayer
, .

5
. We speak after th e kind of ou r old father our
tongue goes forth at the S ight of the soma ; when the
shouting Maruts had j oined I ndra in the work then ,

only they received sacrificial honors .

“
6
. F o r their glory t hese w ell equipped Maruts o b -

t a in e d Splendors they Obtained ray s and m e n to praise

them ; nay these well armed nimble and fearless b e
,
-
, ,

ings foun d the bel o ved home of the Maruts On you r .

bodies there are daggers fo r beauty ; may they stir up

our minds as t hey stir up the forests .

7
.
“
F or your sake O well b orn Maru ts you who ,
-
,

are full of vigor they have shaken the stone for dis
,

tilling soma D ays went roun d you and came back

.
,

0 Maruts back to thi s prayer and to this sacred

, ,

rite—the G o t a m a s m aking prayer with songs have

pus he d up the lid of th e well ( the clou d ) to drink .

.8 “
N o su ch hymn was ever known as this which
G otama sounded for you O Maruts when he saw y o u , ,

on golden wheels—wild boars ru shing about w ith ir o n ,

tu sks This refreshing draught of s oma ru shes toward

—
.

you like the voice of a suppliant it rushes freely

”1
from our hands as these libations are wont to do
,
.

The hymns of the Veda are n ot all of them hymns

of p raise The denunciati o ns o f their priests were
.

l R .
—
V V l
.
, o . I .
, pp 143—
.15 3 ,
’
M il l l e r s t r a n s .
 M Y T H OLOGY OF T H E V E D AS . 1

poured out upon the pe o ple and even upon each other , ,

in the breath o f the se p o et s F or instance .

“
N o,by heaven ! no by earth ! I do not approve ,

of thi s ; no by the sacrifice ! N o by these rite s !

, ,

May the mighty mountains crush him ! May the

priest of At iy ag a perish ! ”

“
Whosoever O Maruts weans himself above us or
, , ,

scoffs at the prayer ( Brahma ) which we have made ,

may hot plagues come u pon him ; may the sky burn
”
u
p that hater o f Br a hmans .

“
D id they not call thee Soma the guardian o f ,

Br a hman s ? D id they n ot say that thou d idst shield

u s against curse s ? Why dost thou look on when
we are scoffed at ? H url against the hater of the
” 1
Br a hmans the fiery spear .

An d again ,
“
I ndra and S o ma burn the devils
de , ;
stroy them ; throw them down ye two bulls the peo , ,

ple that groan in darkness ! H e w down th e madmen ,

su floca t e t h em kill them ; hurl them away and Slay

, ,

the voracious I ndra and Soma up together against

.
,

the cursing demon ! May he burn and hiss like an

oblation in the fire ! Put your everla sting hatred
u pon the Villain who hate s the Br a hman wh o eat s ,

flesh and wh o s e look is ab o minable I ndra and Soma

,
.
,

hurl t h e evil doer into the pit even into unfathomable

-
,

darkness ! M ay your strength be full of wrath to hold

” 2
ou t that no one may come out again .

The numerou s deitie s are fully described and mul

t iplie d to a certain extent even in the early songs ; ,

M u ll ’
1 R . V,
-
. VI .
, 52 .
2 e r s tr a n s .
42 TH E ANCIEN T B O O K S O F IND I A .

for instance instead of t h e one god of storms we have

, ,

many Y et although hymns and prayers to the vari o us

.
,

god s abound in the Veda s it i s declared in so m e text s ,

that there are but three deities—the air the s u n an d , ,

fir e —and their places are the earth the middle region ,

( between heaven and earth ) and heaven There are , .

al s o repeated texts which c laim that there is b ut one

—
deity the supreme spirit “
H e who from the u niver .

sal world proceed s wh o is L o rd o f the earth and, ,

”
whose work is the univers e is the Suprem e Bei n g , .
1

I t is fortunate that our tran sl ators have not under

taken the ta sk of reconciling the Vedas with them
selves They have simply tried t o give u s a faithful
.

reprodu ction of these books with all their co n t r a dic ,

tion s and inconsi sten cies Although the pages of the .

R ig veda
-
abound with incongruities and ab s urdities ,

they are free from th e gr o sser immoralities which pol

lute the later literature o f the Br a hmans T h ere is .

no account in the R ig veda of such characters as S iva -

and Kali ; no trace of the miraculous st o rie s concern

ing Vi shnu Thes e with the de scriptions of the l ice n
.
,

tious Krishna were reserved for the later fables of that

,

romantic clime .

IND R A .

This was perhaps the mos t popular o f all the early

, ,

Vedic deitie s L i ke Agni his brother he is hymned

.
, ,

as the Supreme Being superior to all the other gods ,

of the pantheon Th o ugh s ometimes called the su n

.

light he is looked upon a s the watery atmo sphere

, ,

ever see k ing to dispense h is dewy treasures ( ind u ) and ,

l R e l i gion O f H in .
, Vo l . II . , p . 51
.
 M Y T H OLO GY OF T HE V ED AS .
3

constantly opposed by a S pirit of evil cal l ed Vrit ra .

H e is also styled t h e thun der bearer or g o d of bat

“ ” -
,

tle s
. H e wa s the H ind u ideal o f a her o who was ,

alway s fighting and was never conquered H e wa s the .

Jove of early I nd ian mythol o gy and the favorite deity

,

of a people wh o w ere fighting for new homes and

rich herd s of cattle H ence the great number of
.

prayers and hymn s addre s s ed t o him H e is r e pr e .

“ ” “
s ented as the king of heaven as the showerer of
,

“
blessings and as
, the thunderer Many passages .

suggest the scene upon Olympus

Where far apart the Thunderer fills his throne ,

’
O e r all the god s superior and alone .

L ike Jove he has supreme control of the elements

, ;
he rides upon the storm cloud and flashes his light
nings acr o ss the darkened sky H e is the archer who
.

uses the rainbow a s his w eapon who s e quiver i s filled

,

with lightnings while h is w rath is like that of the

,

G recian god to whose will Vulcan counsels su b m is

S i on ,

’
L est roused to rage he shake the b l e ss d abodes ,

L aunch the red lightning and dethr o ne the go ds .

I ndra ,
the wielder of the thunderbolt may al so be ,

c ompared t o the G erman D onar the Saxon Thunar , ,

and the Thor Of the ancient N or seman

‘
.

I ndra is the king of the D eva s or millions of cc ,

l e st i a l s who belong e specially to h is own Paradise He .

is represented with f o ur arms and hands w ith t wo of ,

which he hold s a lance while a third carri es a thun

,
44 THE ANCIEN T B O O K S OF I NDI A .

d e r b ol t . H is reign is t o
continu e one hun dred years
of the gods after which another may by great sacri
. ,

fice s usurp h is position

,
On e hundred succes sful Asva
.

m e dh a s or horse sacrifices are said t o qualify the

, ,

devotee for becoming the successor o f I ndra therefo re ,

the god usually sends o n e o f his celestial atten

dants to steal away the horse before the sacrifice can
b e performed .

The reign o f this popular deity extends from the

early Vedic period do w n to the Pu r a nic age when h is ,

star declines before the supremacy of more modern g o ds .

Still h e is a C hieftain among i nferior d eities and is

,

always at war with t h e giants and demon s by wh o m he ,

was at one time deposed ’

I ndra s partiality for the
.

intoxicating draught has been discu ssed in the previous

chapter and I n this too he resembles the G recian
, , ,

Jove as well as Bacchu s I t will b e remembered that

,
.

in the F irst Book of the I liad Vulcan stayed the quar

rel b etween Jove and his angry queen by counseling h is
“ ”
goddess mother to submit to th e imperial will and ,

then
R ising with a boun d
The double bowl with sparkling nectar crowned ,

he passed to all the deities in the assembled conclave ,

and they drank freely of its contents while ,

Vulcan with awkward grace his o ffice plies ,

An d unextinguished laughter shake s the skies .

The frequ ent o fferings of the intoxicating beverage

m ade to I ndra in the Vedic age were acc o mpanied by
the chanting of hymns urging him to drink that he ,
 M Y T HOLOGY O F T HE V ED AS . 45

“
might become invig o rated and able t o co pe with h is
enemies These c o pi o u s o ffering s of s oma so frequently
.

“ ”
made t o the king o f heaven s uggest that cla ss ic
scene w here t h e G reek and Tro j an p o w er s were feast
ing thr o ugh t h e night the tr o o p s of G reece upon the
,

field and t ho se of Troy wi t hin her t o wer s

,

But J o ve adver se the s ign s o f w rath di s played

, ,

An d s hot red lightning s thr o ugh the gl o o my shade

.

H umbled they st o o d pale horr o r seized o n all

,

While the deep thunder sh o o k the a erial hall .

E ach poured to Jove bef o re t he b o wl was cr o wned ,

An d large libati o ns drenched the t hirsty gr o und ”

.

The heroes of northern myth o logy al so Share in thi s

weakness of the I ndian and G recian dei t ie s O din the .
,

C hieftain o f the N or t h and the father o f Thor lived ,

exclu s ively upon wine o r beer giving t h e food which

,

wa s set before him t o the t wo w olve s t hat lay at h is

feet .

I ndra is represented as s wiftly obeying the summ o n s

of h is w or s hipers when the soma is p o ured ou t in flood s
fo r the gratificati o n of his pala t e and the exhilarati o n
of his wh o le being . I t is claimed that he receive s
strength from thi s beverage t o such an extent t hat he

not only vanqui she s h is foe s but supports the earth

,

and s ky H eaven and ear t h tremble w ith fear at the

.

crash of h is t hunder ; h is enemie s are pierce d and

shattered by h is arr o w s of lightning and the waters
,

de scend in t o rrent s t o the ear t h filling t h e rivers which

,

ru sh in rolling fl oo ds to w ard the se a .

The following hymn to I n d ra is a sample o f the

son gs which are chanted in his praise
46 TH E ANC I EN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

“
L etno one n ot even those who worship thee
, ,

de l ay t hee far from us ! E ven from afar c o me t o our

fea s t ! Or if th o u art here listen to u s
, F o r the s e , .

here wh o make prayers to thee sit together near the

liba t ion like flies roun d the honey
, The wor shipers .

anxi o us fo r w eal t h have placed their desire upon I n

'

dra a s w e put our fo o t up o n a chario t D e sirous of

, .

riches I call him who h o ld s the thunderbolt w it h

,

h is arm and w h o is a g o o d giver like a s a son calls

, ,

hi s father These libati o n s o f s o ma mixed with milk

.

have been prepared fo r I ndra Th o u armed with the .

,

thunderbolt come wi t h the st eeds and drink o f them

,

for thy deligh t —c o me to the h ouse

“
H e wh o prepare s for thee O Vr itr a killer deep , ,

libations a n d pou r s them ou t before thee t h at hero ,

thrives with I ndra n ever scorned of men , .

“
m —
Off er soma to the drinker of so a to Indra the ,

lord of the thunderbolt ; roa st roasts ; make him to

pro tect u s I ndra the gi ver is a bles sing t o him who
.
, ,

gives o blations .

“
D o not grudge ye givers oma ; give strength
, of s

to the great god make him to give wealth H e who

, .

alone preserves conquers abides a nd flourishes ; the

, , ,

god s are not t o be t r ifle d with .

“
N o one surr o unds the chari o t of the liberal wor
s h ip e r,no o n e stops it H e wh om I ndra protect s and
.

the Maruts he w ill come with stables full of cattle

, .

“A mortal does n o t get riche s by s cant prais e —no

wealth come s t o the grudger .

“
The str o ng man i t is O mighty , ! wh o in the day
48 THE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

to the common origin of these Aryan myths espe ,

cia ll y in V iew o f the fact that the I liad itself has been

traced by G r o te and Buckley to 7 7 6 B C H e r o d o

,

. .

tus gives still earlier dates for he places H omer with ,

H esiod 4 00 years bef o re ll lS OW Il time The figures

,
‘
.

given by H erod o tus ( wh o wrote 4 4 4 B C ) are cor . .

r o b o r a t e d by the arguments of W o od
1
and H aller and ,
2

also of Mitford who makes a str o ng argu ment for the

,

historic value of H o mer s work s’ The s e auth orities .

3

place H omer about the middle of the n in t h century

B C while the Ar u n d e lia n marbles as sign him t o 907
. .
,

B C
. . When we consider that the myth s of G reece
exi sted long before her epic poems we must refer them ,

back almost to the early songs o f t h e Veda .

The myth o logy of N orthern E ur o pe also bears n u

mistakable evidence o f having bee n brought from the
common home of the Aryan race alth o ugh it has been ,

devel oped in harmony w ith the temperament of the

N orthern pe o ple E ven amidst the se rugged rocks and
.

icebergs we find alm ost a counterpart of I ndr a and o f

Jove i n the descriptions of the gigantic Thor before ,

whom t h e mountains burst and the earth blazed .

Sleipnir the fle e t fo ote d h or s e of Odin compares favor

,
-
,

ably with the “

ta w ny steeds o f I ndra or the flying
”

’
,

course rs of Jove I f N eptune s “ ’

brass hoof d steeds
.
-

were

F leet as
’
the w inds and d e ck d w ith golden manes ,

the famous horse of t he N or t hern g o d cleared the gate s

l E s sa y on th e O ri gi n a lG eni u s of H om e r

H yn e y pp
.

2 e , E xcu rs . 4 a d . Il .
, 24 .
3 Hi s to r of G r e e ce , . 81 a nd 139 .
 M Y T HO LOG Y O F T H E V ED AS . 49

of H el l at a s ingle bound w hile h is speed r ivaled that ,

o f the wind s and t h e g o l d en bridge of G y Oll trembled

,

more beneath h is t read than w hen five ban d s of dead

men rode o ver its solemn arche s Ty or Tyr the son .
, ,

o f O din i s the g o d o f wa r —t h e Mars of No rthern E u

,

r O e —w h o rides fearle s sly in t o the thicke s t o f the fight

p .

G erd the beau t iful maiden w i t h S hining arm s re s isting

, ,

the advances of F rey the g o d o f rain and sun shine , ,

represents U shas t h e fair g o dde s s o f t h e m o rning fle e

, ,

ing fr o m the ki sses of the sun ( Eg ir is t h e storm god .

of the ocean—the N eptune o f the N orthern seas —bef o re

wh os e trident the angry bill o ws ro ll up o n the helpless
shore .

L oki the god o f fire bears t o the N orthmen t h e

, ,

relation that Agni hold s to I ndia H is servants are .

the s ubterranean for ces which even th o ugh chained in ,

darkne ss thr o w fr o m throbbing m o un t ain s t heir burn

,

ing breath and liquid fire s .

The se are only a fe w of t h e many parallels w hich

might be cited The Per sian myth s c o ul d al s o be
.

s ho w n to bel o ng to t h e s ame c o mm o n s t o ck ; but the

illu strati o ns alrea dy given are sufficien t t o pr o ve t hat it

w a s in the early days of the Aryan race when the ,

people d wel t in a co mm o n h o me a n d u se d a co mm o n
language that their myths w ere ei t her b o rn fr o m the
,

realm s o f fancy o r builded up o n t h e fragment s o f his

tory .

l H el i s d e ri v ed f ro m a t h eli a si g n i fy i ng t o h id e . It is u se d i n th e E d d a
ki
,

to d e n o t e t h e ng d o m Of d e a th , a nd ll w h o d i e d , w h e th e r sa i n ts or
—t h
a

si n n e r s , h a s te n e d to th i s d a r k r e g io n or c o n ce a l ed pl a ce e wo r d l of

b
.

th e t o m It is sa id th a t H e rm o d , or H e r m Od h r , t h e son of Od i n, rod e

l ip y bf
.

th e fle e t h o r se S e ni r f o r n ine d a s a nd n ig h ts e o re h e ca m e t o t h e
b a rred ga te s of B e l, h o ing to p r e co v er h is b r o th e r B ld a er .
 C H AP T E R III .

M Y TH O L O G Y OF L ATER H I N DU W O R K S .

M U LT I P LIC AT IO N O F D E I TI E s —AN ALO G Y B E T W E EN I N

D I AN AN D G RE E K G O D S —M O D E RN D EITI Es—B R AH M A ,

V I S H NU AN D SI V A — I NC ARN AT ION S O F V I S H N U
G ARU D A — RECO V E RY O F T H E LO S T NEC T AR OF T HE
G O D S —SI V A .

R OM the f o reg o ing examinati o n o f t h e early Vedic

deitie s it h a s been s een tha t Vedi s m was little
m o re than reverent l o ve fo r the f o rce s o f nature and ,

a de sire t o propitiate them in o r O receive temporal

ble ssing s at their hand s No n e can examine the
.

Vedic hymn s with o ut being s w i t h the great num

ber of prayers o ffered fo r cattle and h o rs e s fo r rain ,

and abundant fo o d a s w ell a s fo r vengeance upon

,

enemie s . The g o d s w ere at fir s t fe w in number and

s imple in f o rm but the s e early dei t ie s were so on multi
,

plied a th o u sand f o ld and at length the H in d fi pan

-
,

t he o n contained three hundred and thir t y milli o ns of

g o ds Ou t o f thi s va st nu mber it is imp o ssible t o d o
.

m o re than glance at the m o st pr o minent characters of

I ndian myth o logy S trong p o int s of anal o gy might
.

al so be s h o w n be t w een the G re cian dei t ie s and the later

f o rms o f H ind u my t h F o r instan ce. the g o ddess ,

D urg a the w ife o f S iva may be said t o repre sent Juno

, , ,

t h e imperi o u s queen o f J o ve Sr i might al so be com

.

pared w ith the L atin C ere s

50
 M Y T HOLO GY OF L AT E R H IND U W O R K S .

“ ’
AS when on C ere s s acred fl oo r the swain ,

Spreads the wide fan t o clean t h e g o l d en grain ,

An d the light chaff bef o re the breeze s borne ,

Ascend s in cl o ud s from o ff the heapy corn l ”

.

Sarasvat i the goddes s o f speech and o f the arts rep

, ,

re sents Minerva who w a s born fr o m t h e head o f J o ve

, ,

and wh o taught E peu s t o frame the wo o den horse

which caused the d o wnfall of Tro y K a ma the god of .
,

love is the C upid o f t h e H ind u s while R a t i his wife

, , , ,

“
ma y be compared t o the silver fo o ted dame of the -

I liad K a rttikeya the god o f wa r was like Mar s

.
, , , ,

“
W ith slaugh t er red and raging r o un d ,
th e fie l d .

N a rada was the inventor of the lute in I ndian my

while Mercury of t h e G reeks invented the lyre
t h ol o gy , .

V ayu the g o d o f t h e wind repre s ents the G recian

, ,

E o lus w h o tied up all the wind s ( except Z ephyru s ) in

,

a bag of o x hide for the benefit of U lysse s that he

-
,

might have a fav o rable pas sage h o meward G ane s a who .

,

pre s ided over the beginn ing of all u ndertakings r ep r e ,

sent s Janus the t wo faced deity o f t h e L atins who wa s

,
-
,

“ ”
invoked at t h e commencement o f campaign s .

B R AH M A V I S HN U
, ,
AN D SI VA
are the m o st p o pular dei t ie s in m o dern time s In .

the Middle Age s bitter rivalrie s sprang up between the

advo cate s o f the vari o u s t heological sy stem s the Pur a nas ,

being divided in t h eir allegiance t o the se g o d s But .

at t h e presen t time a m o re t o lerant spirit prevails and ,

the name s o f Brahm a Vi shnu and S iva are by many , ,

l l
l ia d , V .
,
500 .
52 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

regarded merely a s manife s ta t i o n s o f one Supreme B e

in g . Brahm a is c o nfe ss e d ly t h e mo st difficult deity in
the H ind u panthe o n to l ocate intelligently The dif .

ficu l ty ari ses fr o m the fac t tha t the w o rd brahma n

originally meant force w ill o r wi sh ; i t was i m per , ,

sonal but came t o be c o n sidered as t h e creative force

,

in the univer s e even bef o re i t was end o we d wi t h per

,

so n a l it y and while it exi st ed only in a neuter fo rm

, .

Brahman ( neu t er ) in the sen se of a creative principle

d o e s n o t occur in the R ig ve d a I t does occur however -
.
, ,

in the later pr o duction s t h e earliest of which is the ,

At h a r va veda -
I n th e Br a hmanas t hi s B rahman is
.

“
called the fir st b o rn t h e s elf existing the be st of
-
,
-
,

the g o d s etc The word Br a hmana i s derived from

,
.

Brahman which is afterward devel o ped into a per

,

sonal d eity I n Manu ( w h o se code dates from about

.

5 00 B C ) B rahman is repre sented a s evol ving his

. .

essence in the form of Brahm a the crea t o r I n one , .

of the U panishad s there is an acc o unt o f the creation

o f all thing s b y thi s d eity which w ill be exami n ed in ,
‘

a future chapter under t h e head o f C o smog o ny The

, .

word Brahma is the nominative ca se o f the n eu ter ,

Brahman When Brahma deci d ed t o crea t e t h e u ni verse

.

h e a ss umed the quali t y of ac t ivity and became a male

d eity Brahm a
,
H e al s o w illed to i nve st him self w ith
.

pre serving p o wer and t hu s became Vi s hnu the pre

, ,

server ; then w i shing t o Obtain t h e de s t ruc t ive p o wer ,

he became al so S iva the de st r oyer ,

Thi s d o ctrine .

of the triple devel o pment o f the previ o u sly neuter

fo rm d o es n o t o c cur h o wever u n t il w e reach the , ,

B r a h m a n iz e d ver s i o n o f t h e I ndian E pic s The s e three .

manife stati o n s o f Brahm a Vi shnu and S iva exhibit ,

 M Y T H O LOG Y OF L ATE R H I ND U W OR K S . 3

the principal f o rm s of H ind u ism as expressed in the

epic p o em s and s tronger s t ill in the later Pur a na s
, .
1

An d yet Brahm a wh o in h is later f o rm is the creator

,

of all thing s is said to have been born in the lotus

,

blo ssom that sprang from Vishnu and is d e scr ib e d as , .

having fou r face s I n the Vishnu pur a na which dates

.
-
,

fr o m about the eleventh century o f the C hri stian era ,

Brahm a is s aid t o live one hundred year s each day ,

of which consi sts o f of the years of

mortal s D uring the night s of Brahm a the universe
.

cea se s to exist but it is reproduced at the beginning

,

o f t h e next d ay L ike other pr o minent god s of the

.

H ind u s he is repeatedly prai sed as the Supreme Being

,

and the creator of all the others But the myth gre w .

sl o wly for in the Mah a bh a rata a w ork hundred s of

,
-
,

year s sub sequen t to the At h a r va veda Mah a deva is -

,
-

represented a s the creat o r o f Brahm a “

F rom his right .

s ide he produced B rahm a the o riginat o r o f worlds ; ,

from h is left s ide Vi shnu t h e pre ser v er o f the universe

, , ,

and when the end o f the age had arrived the mighty
god created R udra ( after ward S iva )
”
.
2

V I S HN U .

There i s mention o f a god Vi hnu in the R ig veda s -

,

bu t he is t here spoken o f as a manifestati o n o f s o lar

energy or rather a s a form of the su n H e is r e p r e
,
.

sented a s stepp ing over the heaven s in t hree paces sy m ,

’
b o l iz in g the s u n s ri s ing h is passage acr o ss the meri ,

dian and h is setting

,
After wards Vi s hnu takes his
.

place am o ng the twelve Aditya s or twelve pha se s o f ,

the su n during the twelve m o nths of the year L ater .

,

1 Ind . W is ,
pp . 324 —
327 .
2 Mu ’
ir s Sa ns . T xt pp
e s, . 15 6- 162 .
54 T HE ANCIE N T B O O K S O F I NDI A .

in the Br a hmanas he is identified w ith s acrifice

, It .

wa s the Vedic Vi s hnu w h o afterward became the worl d

preserver while R udra ( connected with I ndra and the
,

Marut s) the god of tempests became the w o rld d is

, ,

solver S iva There is no trace of Vish nu in the I n

, .

s t it u t e s o f M a n n unle s s the allusions to inferior gods

,

may apply to him I n the Mah a bh a rata he is some

.
-

times regarded as the m o st exalted deity and again ,

’
he is represented as p a yin g h o m a g e to S iva and recog
n iz ing the superiority o f that deity over himself He .

is quite prominent in t h e R a m ayana but it is in the ,

Pur a nas that the m o st wonderful exploit s a n d the

greatest glory are a ssigned t o him F rom the begin .

ning of the C hristian era to the Pur a na s there were

from Six to eight centu ries during which Vishnu was ,

grow ing in importance till in the 1 1 t h century A D

, . .

he w a s glorified in the mo st extravagant terms in the

voluminou s Vishnu pur a na The w riter of this work
-
.

exhausts the resources of language in extolling the deity

wh o has reached the zeni t h of h is popularity only in
medi aeval times N o exploit i s too great n o d e scr ip
.
,

tions too wild n o mythology t o o fabul o us to be applied

,

to th e god wh o is here claimed to b e the conqueror

of I ndra and the creator o f B rahm a H e is alluded .

to in vari o u s f o rm s in these later bo o ks ( the Pur a nas ) ,

as it is claimed that he had ten avatars o r incarna ,

tions.

The doctrine of the avatar s o f Vishnu is n o t fully

developed until we c o me d o w n t o the Pur a nas about ,

the middle of t h e C hri s tian era I t is true that the .

legends of the fish the boar and the tort o i s e are fou nd
, ,

in the Sa t a p a t h a br a hmana but i t is o nly in the

-
,
56 T HE AN CI E N T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

have take n place in t h e Satya or first age of the ,

world ) .

5. VAM AN A the dwarf which character he a ss umed

, ,

to deprive t h e demon Bali of the d o minion o f the

three w orld s Vi shnu pre sented himself as a very di
.

m in u t ive man and s o licited a s much land as he could

,

step o ver in three paces When t hi s request wa s .

granted he st r id e d over heaven and earth but in ,

compassion to the dem on he left hell in h is posses

sion .

6 P AR AS U R AM A R a ma wi t h the ax ; in t hi s char
.
-
,

acter Vish nu is said to have cleared the earth twenty

one time s o f the Kshatriya or m il it a r v clas s ,
.

7 R AM A CAND R A hero o f the epic poem R a m a yana

.
-
,
.

8. KRI S H N A the dark g o d whi ch f o rm he assu me s

, ,

at the end o f the Da vap a r a o r thir d age o f the world , .

“
Krishna was the younger br o ther of B ala r a ma the -
,

s trong R a ma who h a s sometimes been called the

,

eighth avatar of Vi shn u But in later times Kri shna .

appears t o have supplanted h is br o ther a s the eighth

incarnati o n ‘ As Kri shna wor ship is n o where mentioned
.

in the early Vedic writing s thi s god will be treated in ,

connection with the later f o rms of H ind u literature ,

2
w here he chronol o gicall y belong s .

9 .B UDDH A According t o the Br a hman s Vi shnu

.
,

assumed thi s form t o delu de the dem o ns int o neglect

ing the worship of the god s a n d thu s exp o sing them ,

selve s to destru ction .

I t appears that Buddha wa s cano n ized s o t o speak , ,

by receivi n g the rank o f the ninth avatar of Vi shnu

after the expulsion o f Bud d hi sm a s a sect fr o m I ndia .

1 T ra n s . Vi c . I n st , Vo l . XXL , p . 1 77 .
2 Ch p a . 23 .
 M Y T HOLO G Y O F L AT E R H IND U W OR K S . 57

10K AL K I o r K AL K I N w h o is y e t t o appear at the

.
, ,

cl o s e o f the fourth age when t h e w o rld h a s b ec o me ,

w h o lly depraved fo r the final de s tru ction o f t h e wicke d

, ,

the r e e s tabli shment o f righte o u s ne ss upon the earth the

-
,

ren o vati o n of all the earth and the return to a n e w age ,

of purity Acc o rding to some he w ill be seen in t h e sky

.
, ,

s eated on a white h o r s e w ith a dra w n sword in h is hand , ,

blazing like a c o met Thi s la s t picture—taken in co n .

n e ct io n with t h e w ell establi s hed fac t of the modern char -

acter of the Pur a na s— seems t o have been drawn from

R e velati o n xix : 1 1 and 1 5 : “
An d I sa w h e a ven o pene d ,

and behold a white h o r se and he that sat up o n him was

-
,

called F aithful and T rue and in righte o u sne ss he doth ,

j udge and make w a r An d o u t o f h is m o uth goeth .

a sharp sw o rd that w ith it he S h o uld s mite the nati o n s

, ,

and he sh all r ul e t h e m with a r o d of iro n An d he

‘
.

treadeth the wine pre ss o f t h e fie r ce n e ss and w rath o f -

Almighty G o d ”
.

S o me w o rk s give t w enty f o ur avatars a n d some call -

,

the m numberle ss but the generally recei ved myth o l ,

o
gy acc o rd s t o Vishnu only the ten which are here
S poken o f .

Vishnu is represented a s riding upon G aru da a crea ,

ture which is half man and half eagle Thi s is the king .

of bir d s an d t h e fearles s enemy of the serpent tribe The .

intrepid G aru da o f the H in d U s is repre sented in Persia

by the Simurgh tha t ancien t bird w hich h a s seen the ,
1

Th1 ei ld
d S m
go u g
en h i - pi
f b u l u
n o ne b i d h i d i l v i t h
r s a a o s r t a t s sa i to i e n e

C u
a m u
ca s i a n d P f Eo w i k u pp
n ta i n s, a n h h id w d iv d
ro a st c s o se s t a t t e ea as er e

f m h Jw u b T l u u
.

ro t d i
e ef hi sh tra
g d m diti hon O m d da h e ir e ntio n e n t e a n er t e

nam f Y kh
e O A pi uu f h ush S mu h w h w ct k f m P re o t e i rg h ic as ta en ro a er

p y l p b
,

k
. ,

sia nd wi g ra hn m fl rei g w i h
r e s e n ts h t i h i i asd n t a n e e an n s ea an

l
,

a no th e r i n e a ch of h is ta ons .
 8 T HE ANCIE N T B O O K S O F INDI A .

great cycle of s even th ou sand years t w elve time s and ,

twelve time s beheld an unpe o pled earth H e find s a .

parallel in the fabled Anka o f Arabia which is said

“ ”
t o be known in name and unkn o wn in body the ,

E o r o sh of the Z en d and the K e r k es of the Turks , .

The Japanese al so have their Kirni w hile C hina rej oice s ,

‘ L -

in her n ondescript dragon a combination of bird and ,

reptile .

The H ind u G aru da sugge st s too t h e G ri ffi n o f C hiv , ,

a lry the fabulou s m o n ster half bird and half lion t hat
l
, , ,

protected the gold o f the H yperb o rean r egi o ns from the

o n e eyed -
Arimaspians and the Ph oenix of E gyptian ,

fable —the bird of g o ld and crimson plumage that is

burned upon her ne s t of spice s every thou sand years ,

and a s often spri n gs to life from her a s he s To the se .

wonderful parallel s we might add th e ancient bird in

Scandinavian myth o l ogy which s its in the branche s
of Y ggdra sil the great a sh tree w hich i s the m o st, ,

s acred place of t h e gods and where they daily S it in ,

j udgment .
2

1 I n t h e S e co n d B k oo of P “
a ra d i se L o st Milt on ma k e s a co m p a r iso n wi th
th e G r i ffi n a s o f ll o ws :
“
As w h e n a G yp h r on th r o u gh th e l
w i d e r n e ss
h ll yd l
W i h wi d u
t ng e d m co r se , o e r
’ i a n o or a e,

P u u h A i m p i w h by l h
rs es t e r as an o st e a t
H h f m h i w k fu l u t d y p u l i d
a t ro s a e c s o r o ne

H i u d d g ld
s g ar e o ,
”
e tc .

2 Th e b r a n ch e s o f th e Yg g d ra si l p s re a d t h e m se lv es o v er th e wh o e wo r d l l
a nd t o w e r fa r a bv o e th e h ea v e ns It h a s th re e r o o ts , a n d v a r io u s t h e o r ie s
v x l p
.

a re g i e n a s t o t h e i r e a ct o ca ti o n ; b u t a cco r d i n g t o t h e r o se d d a , th e E
fi l
r s t r o o t r e a ch e s t o t h e m i d d e o f t h e w o r d ; t h e s e co n d t o t h e r o s t g i a n ts l f
p ly by
,

a n d t h e t h i r d i s co n s t a n t g na w e d U
t h e g r e a t s e r e n t N i d h o gg nd e r th e

fi d f u t i it i j u d g m
.

t
rs t i th
roo s f U d wh
e s a cr e th g d o t d
n a n o r e re e o s s n en a n

fi b l l f m w h i h g f th th th p p
, ,

a a r a ro m id t thc o t d h or ree a e n s, e a s e re se n a n t e

fu u b h f h t gl th t k y
, , ,

t re I th n it e ra nc w m es O t e ree s s a n ea e a no s an

B tw h i y i t t h h w k T h q u i l u u p d d w
.

th i g
n s e een s e es s s e a e s rre r ns a n o n

b i t t m g b tw t h gl p t
. .

th e t re ed i a n ca r r e s d th er e ss a es e ee n e ea e an e se r en

wh il fu h t b ugh d b it b ud f th t
,

e o m g th
r ar s h
run a on e o s a n e t e s o e ree .
 M Y T HOLOG Y O F L AT E R HIND U W O R K S . 59

RECO V E RY OF TH E LO S T NE C T AR OF TH E GOD S .

On e of
the m os t intere s ting expl o it s o f Vi shnu is h is
recovery of the l o st nectar o f the g o d s I n thi s beautiful .

legend the gods are repre s ente d a s having been c o nquered

in battle by dem o ns and robbed Of their strength where ,

upon Vishnu give s o rders to have the ocean churned into

a nectar fo r th e g o ds declaring that this nectar will at ,

o nce rest o re th eir supernatural po w er and enable them t o

de s troy their enemies F o r t hi s purp os e the god s are

.

ordered t o c o llect all plant s and herb s and cast them into
the sea t aking the m o un t ain Mandara for a churning
,

s tick a n d Va s u k i the serpent fo r a rope while Vishnu

, , ,
'

himself in the f o rm o f a t o rt o i se becomes a re st ing place

, ,
-

fo r the m o untain Then t hey churn the o cean unti l they

.

have p roduced the ambr os ial fo od of imm o rtality .

Straightway they gathered herb s and cast them ,

I nt o the waters ; then they t o ok the mountain

To serve a s a churning sta ff and next the snake
’
,

To serve as cord and in the ocean s mid s t ,

H ari ( Vishnu ) himself pre sen t in tort o ise form , ,

Became a pivot for t h e churning s taff .

1
Then they did churn the sea of milk and fir st ,

Ou t of the water s r o se t h e sacred co w ,

G od worsh iped Su r a b h i — eternal fou ntain

-

Of milk and o ffering s o f butter ; next .

,

With eyes all rolling V a run i uprose , ,

G oddess of wine Then from the whirlpool sprang .

F air P a rij ata tree of Paradi se delight

, ,

O f heavenly m aiden s with its fragrant blos s o m s ,

Perfuming the wh o le w o rld .

l T h e si x th um m bi
ci r c a ent o ce a n o f th e w o r d , l a cco r d i n g to Ind i an co s

mog o ny .
60 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S O F I N DI A .

Then seated o n a lotus

’
Beauty s bright godde ss peerles s Sr i ar o se 1
, ,

O u t o f the w ave s ; and with her robed in w hite , ,

’
C ame f o rth D hanvantari the gods phy sician .
,

H igh in his hand he b o re the cup o f nectar

- —
L ife giving draught l o nged fo r by gods and demons .

Then had the dem o ns forcibly b o rne o ff

An d drained the preciou s beverage ,

H ad n o t the mighty Vi shnu interposed .

Be w ild e ring them he ga v e it t o the g o ds ;

,

Whereat incen sed the demon tr o op s a ssailed,

The h ost s of heaven But they with strength renewe d .

Q u a ffin g the d ra u ght s truck d o w n their fo e s who fell, ,

H eadlong thr o ugh space t o lowe st depth s o f hell ”

.

Thi s p o etic legend is given i n the beautiful t r a n sl a

tion of Sir M o nier Willia m s The dark an d turbid .

waters of Oriental literature became gradually purified

a s they flowed through the poetical nature s of some of

ou r tran slator s The vulgarity and meaningless repe

.

tition w hich w e often find in the w orks o f native s ch o l

ars gives place in o ther hand s to expre ssi o n s of high
p o etic beaut y Their o wn literary style is s o refi n ed
.

that uncon sciously perhap s t o them selve s E nglish s ch o l

, ,

a rs have elevated H ind u poetry to a rank which it g

never coul d have o c cupied w i t h o ut them T he co n .

tra st is never m o re f o rcible than when c o mparing their

w o rk wi t h the tran slati o n s o f the Pandi t s Boldne ss .

then give s place t o beau ty ; vulgarity yield s t o r e fin e

1 Acco r d i n g to H e si o d V u w b f
en s as orn ro m th e f oa m Of th e se a (H es

Th p k f Th ti i g f
.

eog 1 88 se q) a nd H o mer s ea s o e s a s ris n rom th e o ce a n :

Wh l ik t h m i g m i t i ly d
. .

en e e orn n s n ea r a y
R o se f r om th e flo o d th e d a u g h te r of th e se a .
”
 M Y T HOLO G Y O F L AT ER H IND U W O R K S . 61

ment and delicacy ; while cru d e idea s are so clad in the

gra ceful drapery o f la nguage a s t o s eem like the m a s
t e r p ie ce s o f th o ught .

The modern triad o f H in d u t he o l o gy is c o mpleted by

SI V A, TH E G O D O F D E S TR U C TI O N I

Says Max Muller The stories o f S iva K a l i , ,

Krishna etc are o f late gr o w th indigen o u s t o I ndia

, .
, , ,

”
and full o f wild and fanciful c o ncepti o ns .

I n the f o rm o f S iva Brahm a is suppo sed t o pass ,

fr o m t h e w ork of creation and preservation t o that o f

de s tructi o n E ven the god of di sso luti o n was r e p r e
.

s ented by the human form H ence he was said t o be .

,

living in the H im a laya Mountain s t o gether wi t h his ,

wife P a rvat i the daughter o f the mountain

,
She was .

w o r shiped in Bengal u nder the name of D urg a .

The name S iva means au spici o u s ; like the other

“ ”

deities h e is represented as the Supreme G o d though

, ,

h aving o ver a thou sand names su ch a s The L o rd of ,

the U nivers e ” “
The D e stro yer
,
”
The R epr o ducer ”
, ,

“
The C o nqueror of L ife and D eath etc etc H is ,
.
,
.

e special wor shipers are called S aiva s w h o exalt him to ,

the highe s t place in the heavens ; he is repre sented as

Time Ju s tice F ire Water The Sun as al s o the C re
, , , , ,

at o r and the D e str o yer H is per so nal appearance must .

be rather striking a s his throat i s dark blu e and his

,

hair light red thickly matted together on the t op of

,

H e is w ell s upplied w i t h hand s the number

,

h is head . ,

varying with different auth o ritie s fr o m fo ur t o eight or

ten H e h a s five face s in one o f w hich is a third eye
.
,

S ituated in the centre o f the f o rehead and p o inting u p ,

a n d down These three eye s are s aid to d en o t e his

.
62 TH E ANCIEN T B O O K S O F I N DI A .

view o f the three division s of time—pa st present , ,

and future H e h o lds a trident in his hand to den o te

.
,

that the three great attributes of C reator D estroyer , ,

and R egenerator are combined in him .

’
H e w ear s a tiger s skin fo r a garment w hile his neck ,

i s encirc led with two necklace s one made o f human ,

S kulls an d the other of serpen ts which twi s t their hor ,

rid form s ar o und his body and neck The shield of .

Jove is described as
’
D ire black tremendou s ! R ound the margin r oll d
, ,

A fringe of serpents hi ssing guards the g o ld ”

, , .

I n like manner this H ind u deity bristles everywhere

with snakes They are b o und in his hair they twine
.
,

ar o un d his neck their slimy forms encircle his wrists

, ,

his arms and his legs, H e wears them as ring s .

about h is fingers ; they hang like mammoth pendants

from his ears u ntil he is like ,

G o rgon ri sing fr o m the infernal lakes ,

With h orr o r s armed and curls of hissing s nakes , .

According to Wilson S ve ta ( white ) Sve t aSva ( white

, ,

hor s e d ) S veta Sikha ( white haired ) and S veta lob ita

,
- -
,
-

( white bl-
o o ded
) were the names of four
,
disciples of
S iva Pr o f Weber think s that this form o f myth has
. .

grown from the teachings of Syrian C hristian s and ,

claims that b o th the U pani shad and the G i t a the lat -

ter e specially—may have borrowed i deas from C hris

t ia n ity .

The ideal H in d u d eity taxes the imaginative mind

of the w o r shiper to the utmo s t and the grotesque is ,
64 THE ANC IEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

are repre sented as actually living on the sacrifices

which are offered them by human being s and are su p ,

posed to gather i n hungry tr o ops at every s acrificial

cerem ony t o feed on the oblation s I t is s upp o sed .

that the gods would starve to death b u t fo r the s e

o ff erings .

They are also represented as being dependent upon

animals and plants for the mean s of conveyance Brah .

m a is carried on a s w an sometimes on a lotus L ak sh m i

, .

is seated on a l o tu s o r carries one in her hand S iva

, .

r ides a white bull w hich is his companion

, K a rttikeya .
,

th e g o d of war and of thieves appears a s tride a peacock , .

I ndra i s borne on an elephant ; Y ama the g o d o f ,

death appear s mounted on a buffalo K a ma the g o d

,
.
,

of love rides either a parro t or a fish G ane s a is a s

,
.

socia t e d with a rat a symb o l of great sagacity ; Varuna

,

with a fish D urg a the wife of S iva ri de s a tiger

.
, , ,

th o ugh sh e is sometime s represented as be i n g o n the

bull with S iva and his coun t le s s s erpent s .

Vishnu is repre s ented as the Supreme B eing S leep

ing on a thou sand headed serpent called S esha an d
-
,

S esha in his turn is the chief of a race o f N a gas or ,

s emi divine
-
beings half serpents and half men their
, ,

1
heads being human and their b o dies snake like
,
The -
.

simple faith of the H in d U accepts th e m o s t incongru ou s

fiction wi t h o ut a d o ubt or a questi o n There is a p .

p a r e n tl
y n o demand for history in their literature .

The Oriental imaginati o n craves the m o st im p o ssibl e

creation s and w or ships with si m ple devoti o n at t h e
,

shrine o f the most repul s ive c o mbinations .

I t has been shown that t h e Aryan people at o ne

1 In d W i s
. .
, p 429
. .
 M Y T HOLOG Y O F L AT ER H IND U W OR K S . 65

time shared a comm o n h o me and that w hen the vari o us

,

familie s migra t ed t o differen t c o un t ries they carried

w i t h them a language which became the s t o ck o f the
m o dern language s of E ur o pe and al so the germs of
,

their later myth o logies But in tho s e earl y days when

.

their wor ship w a s S imple ad o ration o f the forces o f

nature their faith w a s purer and their l ives con sequently
,

better tha n w hen in later cen t urie s their panthe o n co n

t a i n e d milli o n s o f dei t ie s and the w o r ship o f painted
,

id ol s wa s mingled w ith the ad o ration o f the ho s t of

heaven .
 C H AP T ER IV

TH E V E DAS AN D TH E S U TTEE .

LI T ER AR Y I M P O R T AN CE —DI S C U S S ION S B E TW E EN E U RO
’
P E AN AN D N AT I V E S CHO L AR S — C O L EB R OO K E S T R AN S
L AT IO N O F DI S P U T ED T EX T M U T I L AT ION O F T H E
T E XT — T E S T I M O NY O F R AJ A R AD H AK AN T D E B — T HE
R I T E NO T AD V O C AT ED I N T H E R I G V E D A — DI S G R AC E -

O F AV OI D ING T H E S U TT EE I N S T ANC E O F E S C AP E
EN T H U S I AS M O F N AT I V E P O E T S LO RD W ILLI AM
B E N T INC K .

A examination of the historic suttee is p eculiarl y i h

N
t e r est in g in con n ec tion with the teaching of the
Vedas as the question became purely a literary one The
,
.

E nglish government had pledged itself not to inter

fere with H in d ii religion ; therefore if the Vedas ,

proper really s anctioned the horrible crime of bu rn i ng

,

a living woman with her dead h u sband the govern ,

ment w ould be powerless to pre vent it .

F or many years an animated discussion was carried

on bet ween our own scholars and natives o f high po si
tion an d learning in relation to the teaching of the
Vedas upon this subj ect When the E ngli s h g o vern
.
1

ment proposed to prohibit the terrible custom the na

t ive s appealed at once to the o ffi cial pledge that they

l W h il e t h i s qu e st i o n wa s b e in g d i sc u ss e d u b
th e n m e r of w ome n bu rn e d

a liv ve a ri e d f rom t h re e h u nd re d t o e i g h t h u nd red p er y ea r .

66
 T H E V ED AS AN D T HE S U TT EE . 7

sh o uld n o t be deterred fr o m the exerci s e of t heir relig

i o u s rite s F o r a t ime the c o untry wa s threatened wi t h
.

a fanatical rebelli o n in co n s equence o f the agitati o n

of thi s que sti o n R aghu n a n d a n a and o t her learned
.
-

native s quoted the R ig veda i n supp o rt o f t h e ir claim

- ~

for the suttee and H T C o lebr o o ke a S an skrit sch o lar

, . .
,

o f world wide fame translated thi s pa ss age in harmony

-
,

with their View s :

Om : L et the s e women n o t be w idowed g o od ,

wive s ad o rned w ith collyrium h o l d ing clarified butter , ,

consign them selve s t o the fire I mmor t al not childle ss

.
, ,

not husbandle ss well ad o rned with gem s let them pa ss

, ,

into the fire wh o s e o riginal element is w ater

, It ha s .

been claimed that the n atives mutilated this text by

“ ” “
chan gi n g the w o rd agre into a g n e h but n o one ,

was then able t o detect this literary outrage and w o men ,

contin u ed t o be o ffered a S l ivin g sacrifices up o n the

dead b o die s of their hu sband s I n I ndia where human .
,

life wa s so lightly e steemed the s e human s acrifices ,

failed t o in spire the h o rr o r that t hey w o uld have arou sed

in the early hi s t o ry o f the Jewi sh pe o ple whose la ws ,

were so emphatically against s uch practices .

The first Oriental scholar t o di s c o ver the imp o sitio n

which had been prac ticed up o n the pe o ple by the co r
ruption of the t ext was Prof H o race H ayman Wil so n
, . ,

who makes an elaborate argument t o pr o ve tha t the

R ig-
veda teache s n o such thing as the natives claim .

Max M ii ll e r st and s faithfully by Wil so n and claim s ,

that the true rendering o f the mutilated pa ssage s hould

“
be : May these women w h o are n o t w i d o w s bu t have ,

good hu sbands draw near wi t h o il and butter Those

‘
.
,

9
who are mother s may g o up fir st t o the altar without
68 T HE AN C IE N T B O O K S OF I NDI A .

tears without sorro w but decked with fine j ewels

, , .

H e also claims that the verse which the Br a hman s havel

m u tilated i n the support o f their claim i s f o llowed by

the se w ords which are addres sed t o the wife o f the
,

dead man R ise woman come to the w o rld of life ;

, ,

thou sleepest nigh unto him whose life is gone C o me .

t o u s thu s hast th o u fulfilled t h y du t ie s o f a wife

,

to the hu sband who once to o k t hee by the hand and

made thee a mother ”
.
1 ’
I n J H B u sh b y s valuable . .

work on this subj ect he claims that the weight of evi

,

dence from both native and E ur o pean Orientalist s is

, ,

in favor of the humane expo s iti o n o f the Veda But .

on the other side we have the te stimony of the mo st

distinguished scholar of C alcutta R aj a R adhakant D eb , ,

who occupied a foremost place amongst the San skrit

s cholars of the world and wh o se literary encyclopedia
,

of the San s kri t language in seven quart o volume s o ccu

pies a prominent place in E urope a s well as I ndia , .

Prof Wilson says tha t

. any Opinion co m in g fr o m
him on subj ects connected with the ancient literature
”
of thi s country is en t itled to the greate st deference .

H is V iew s in relation to the suttee were fully expres sed

to his fri end D r Wilson in a cordial letter
,
. This, .

communication was w ritten af t er the abolition of the

hideous practice in the I ndian territories belonging to
the E nglish government The que s tion having been
.

legally settled its discu ssion wa s looked upon by th e

,

learned H ind u as being of interest to the historian .

only and that merely from a literary point of V iew

,
.

This being the case his most strenuous opponents

,

could hardly accu se him of literary dishonesty or mis

r epresentation .

I C h ip V l II pp 33 37 s, o . .
, .
-
.
 T H E V ED AS AN D T HE SU TT EE . 69

It isa n o tew o rthy fact that he d o e s n o t ba se his

o pini o n u p o n the tex t w hich Pr o f Wi l s o n c o nfiden t ly
, , .

s tated ,
had been mutilated by the native s R aja Rad .

h a k a n t D eb claimed that t h e m o st explicit auth o rity

fo r the b urning of a w id o w w ith her deceased hus
band was t o be f o und in o n e o f the U pani shads and ,

he gave the f o ll o wing literal tran slati o n o f the extract :

1
.
“
O Agni o f all Vr a t a s
,
1
th o u art the Vr a ta p a t i ’ , ,

I w ill o b serve the vo w ( Vrata ) o f f o llo wing the hu sband .

D o th o u en able m e to accompli s h it .

2
.
“
H ere ( in t h e rite) t o thee O Agni I o ffer , ,

s alutati o n : I enter int o thee : ( wherefo re ) this day

s ati s fied with the clarified butter o ffered by me ) in
(
”
spire me w i t h co urage and take me t o my l o rd ,
.

Agreeably t o t hi s Vaidic in s tructi o n the S IIt r a k a r a S

'
“
,

d irect t hat t h e w id o w like the sacrificial uten s il s , ,

S h o u l d be made t o lie up o n t h e funeral pile o f her

hu sband To the w id o w pla ced be side the lifele ss b o dy
.

o f her husband a certain part o f the Mantras are t o

,

’
be a d dre ssed by her hu s b and s br o ther o r fell o w s tu
”
dent .
3
Thi s eminent authori t y al s o cite s extracts fr o m
vari o u s sacred b o ok s from which the rule s and directi o ns
,

of the cruel rite have been derived .

R adhakant D eb admit s t hat there is s ome variance

am o ng the sacred works u p o n t hi s s ubj ect and says ,

“
Where there are t wo auth o ri t ies o f a c o ntradict o ry
charac t er but o f equal c o gency an alternat ive mu st
, ,

be s uppo sed to be all o wed The S ut r a k a r a s up o n the .

Vedic auth o rity ab o ve set f o r t h d irect that the wid o w

as well a s the sacrificial uten s il s o f the de cea sed Br a h
1 V o we d or v luo n ta r y b v
O se r a n ce s 2 L ord of Vr a tr a s .

Wi l V l p
.

3 W k or s Of H . H . so n , o . II .
, . 2 96 .
70 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

man be placed up o n h i s funeral pile ; b u t as the

widow has a will o f h e r o wn sh e cannot be di sposed
“
,

of lik e the inert utensil s The R ig veda theref o re

.
-
, ,

gives her the Opti o n o f sacrificing her self o r n o t a o ,

cording a s she may o r may n o t have c o urage , When .

the wid o w lies on the funeral pile it is pre s umed that ,

sh e is inclined t o imm o late her self and a ver s e is ,

then addre ss ed t o her which is de sig n ed t o test her

,

”
resol u tion and to induce her to retire if sh e will
, .

I t is al so declared I n Vi e w o f such a c o ntingency that

, ,

although the Sat i wh o retire s fr o m the funeral pile co m

mit s a highly Sinful act it may nevertheless be e xp i
,

ated by perf o rming the P r aj

a p a t y penance
a — that i s sh e ,

must for three days eat o nly in the morning ; fo r three

day s o nly I n the evening ; fo r three days Sh e must par
take o f f o od which i s given un s olicited a nd d uring the ,

la s t thre e d ays she mu s t eat n o thing at all .

I t is tru e that the H in d fl w o man was allowed to

ch o o s e bet ween being burne d alive and leading the life
of a widow but if sh e ch os e the lat t er she was con
, ,

s id e r e d a d i s hon o r t o her relative s and the di sgraced,

family l o s t n o Opp o rtunity o f vi s i t ing penalties upon

t h e cause o f their repr o ach They made her life so
.

intolerable that in mo st in stances the woman preferred

to be burned alive rather than lead a life of contin
ual torture and di sgrace I n stance s are al so o n rec
.

o r d w here w o men h o rribly burned have been driven

, ,

b y t heir ag o nies fr o m the funeral pile o nly to be ,

captured and thro w n back again by their l o ving

relatives . D r Ma ssie relate s several in stances o f this
.

kind I n on e case the p o o r victim was driven by her

.

suffering s fr o m the flame s up o n which so me gentle

,
72 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

H is faithful w ives ar o un d the s cene appear ,

With p o mp o u s dre s s a n d w i t h triumphant air ,

F o r pa r tnership i n death ambiti o u s s trive ,

An d dread the shameful f o rtune t o survive .

Ad o rned with fl o w er s the lovely victims stand ,

Wi t h s mile s a s cend the p ile and light the brand ,

G ra sp their dear par t ner s with u naltered faith ,

An d yield exulting t o t h e fragrant death ”

.

R aj a R a d hakant D eb al so argu es with great f o rce

th at the cu st o m mu s t be d erived fr o m Vedic auth o ri ty ,

from the fact o f i ts having prevailed in I ndia i n very

remo t e time s — whe n Ve d ic rite s o nly were in v o gue .

H e claim s that i t wa s practiced d uring the lives o f

th eir early kings and s age s wh o were imbued with
,

Vedic learning and dev o t ed t o the o b s ervance o f Vedic

ritual s . I t appear s therefo re fr o m the evidence o f
, ,

the be s t Orientali s ts b o th E ur o pean an d native that

, ,

alth o ugh the e arly myth o l o gical s o ng s o f the R ig veda -

d o n o t teach that a living w o man mu s t be burned

upon the dead b o dy o f her hu s band the Ve d ic teach ,

er s have n o t preven t ed it The R ig ve d a is n o t a

.
-

ritual ; t h e directi o n s fo r perfor m ing t hi s h o rrible ri t e

of human s acrifice and self imm o lati o n are f o und
-
,

h o wever in o ther ancient and s acred b o o ks o f the

,

H in d Il s— all o f which are cla ssed by the Br a hmans

‘

under the general name o f Veda s C ertain it is that

.

this terrible cu s t o m prevailed in I ndia fo r m o re than

t wo th o u s and year s and it w o uld d o ub t le ss be p r a c
,

ticed even n o w if that co un t ry had n o t been pene

t r a t e d by the a d van cing ligh t o f C hri s t ian ci v il izati o n .

At the cl o s e o f the la st century seventy w id o w s w ere

 T H E V E D AS AN D T H E S U TT EE . 73

burned alive with the body of one of the raj as When .

L ord Wm Bentinck was appoin t ed G overnor G eneral of

.
-

I ndia he determined that this t errible crime should

, .

ceas e and the H ind u d ignitarie s were a stonished by a

,

sudden decree which they found it impo ssible to repeal

,

or modify U nder the wi s e administration of L ord

.

Bentinck the sut t ee was ab o li shed in 1 8 30 and the ,

b eautiful G anges flowed to the se a with her waves u n

stained with blood .

Mar shman accuses Prof Wilson of being an advocate

.

of n on interference w ith this barbarous rite but we

-
,

must remember that we are indebted to this very

scholar for t h e detection of the mutilated text by ,

the aid of which the native s l o ng held the E nglish

government at bay u nder the promise o f the latter that
,

their religi o n wa s not t o be interfered with L ord .

Bentinck and o t hers who have been bro u ght into d aily
contact with the practical cruelty of this people are far
less enthusiastic over t h e race than is the E uropean
scholar wh o s tudies the finest specime n s of H ind u
p o etry in the qu iet sec l usion of his own library .
 CH AP T ER V .

TH E BR AH MAN AS .

T H E S ECON D G R AND D I V I S IO N O F V E DI C LI T E R AT U RE
AG E O F T H E B R AH M AN As — B U RD E N OF C E RE M ONI E S
P EN ANCE FO R B AD DRE AM S — S AC RI FICE S —EX
T R AC T FRO M FO U R T H B R AH M AN A —TH E ST O RY O F
SU N AH SE P A —A H U M AN S ACRIFI CE — T R ADI T ION OF
T H E FLOO D As FO UND I N SATAPATH A B R AH M AN A -
.

HE secon d grand divisi o n Vedic literature is of

'

devoted almost entirely to directions an d r u l e s fo r

the various rites and cerem o nies The oldest of them .
,

according to leading Sansk rit s cholars l wa s written ,

seven or eight centuri es before C hri s t or fr o m twelve ,

to fourteen hundred years after Abraham T heir com .

position is rambling and unsystematic and full of repe ,

tition and trivial de tail .

B r a hmana means originally the Sayings o f Br a hmans

or priests I t is a nam e applicable n o t only to book s
.
,

but to the old prose tradi t ion s whether c o nta ined in ,

the Sanhit a s the Br a hmanas the Ar a n y a k a s the

, , ,

U pani shads or even in some cas es the S u tras

, , ( See , .

Wilson ) At the con clusion of his long and exhaustive

.

labors Juliu s Egg el in g t h e faithful translator of the

, ,

Sa t a p a t h a br a hmana speaks of his thankless task a s

-
,

foll ows : The translator of the Sa t a p a th a br a hmana -

1 P f
ro . H . H . Wil so n , Si r M o n ie r Wi l li a m s , a n d o t h e rs .

74
 T HE B R AH M AN AS . 75

can be un der no illusion as to the reception his pro

duction is likely to meet w ith at the h and of the
general reader I n the whole range of literature fe w
.
,

works are probably le ss cal culated to excite the inter

e st Of any outside t h e very limi t ed number of special
,
'
ist s than the ancient theol o gical writings of the H in d ll s
, ,

k nown by th e name of Br a hmanas F or wearisome pro .

lixit y of expositi o n characterized by dogmatic a sser

,

tion and a flim sy symbolism rather than by s eri o u s

, ,

reasoning these works are perhaps n ot equalled

,

anywh ere .

Still they represent the period in the history of that

count r y when the priests had s ucceeded in transform
ing the primitive worship of the po w ers of nature into
a highly artificial sy stem o f rites ceremonies and sacri ,

fice s . H u man nature appear s to be much the same

in all ages of the world and the H ind u priests did
,

not fail to avail the m selve s of the religious instincts of

a naturally devout race ; they were al way s intent upon
deepening their hold on the minds of the people by ,

surrounding their own V ocation with the halo of sanc

tity and divine inspiration With t hem it wa s a mat
.

ter of position of influence and of money to urge the

, ,

neces sity of frequent and liberal o fferings t o the go d s ,

and to inv o ke w orldly blessing s upon the dev o tee .

The priestly bard often pleaded h is o w n cause a s wel l ,

as that of his employer F or instance Kanva sings

.
,

in the R ig veda “-
L et hi m be rich let him be f o re
, ,

most the bard of the rich of so illu stri o us a magha

, ,

ven ( wealthy patron of prie st s ) a s thou O L ord of

, , ,

”
the bay steeds l .

1 In t .
,
pp . 9 -1 1 .
76 TH E ANCI EN T B O O K S O F I NDI A .

H ence the people were loaded down with rite s and

ceremonies upon all pos s i b le occasi o ns The devout .

B r a hman mu st have spent nearly all h is time in u n

meaning rites penances and o blations
, F or instance .
,

if a man dreams of being killed by a black m a n with

b lack teeth or of being k illed by a boar or if he
, ,

dreams that a m o nkey j umps upon him that the wind ,

carries him along quickly or that having swallowed gold

,

he spits it o u t ; if he dreams of eating honey of chew ,

ing s talks of carrying a red lotus of wearing a wreath

, ,

of red flowers or of driving a black co w with a black

, ,

calf facing the s o uth he must fast and cook a pot

, , ,

of milk and sacrifice it accompanying each oblation ,

with a verse of the R ig veda and then after having -

, ,

feasted the prie s t ( with other food prepared at his

house ) he must eat all of the oblati o n himself .

The method by w hich man arrived at the knowledge

of the V irtue s of sacr ifices is thu s explained in the
Aita r ey a br a hmana
-
.

The gods killed a man for their victim but from ,

him thu s killed the part which was fit fo r a sacrifice

went out and entered a horse H ence th e horse b e.

came an animal fit for being sacrifice d The god s then .

killed the horse but the part that was fit for being
,

sacrificed went out of it and entered a sheep Thence .

it entered a goat The sacrificial part remained fo r

.

the longest time in the goat then the goat became ,

pre eminently fit for being sacrificed

-
The g o ds went .

up to heaven by means of ofle r in gs They were afraid .

that men and sages after having seen their ce r e m o

,

nies might inquire how they could obtain s ome knowl

,

edge o f sacrificial rite s and f o llow them They there

, .
 T H E B R AH M ANAS . 77

fore debarred them by mea n s of the Y upa ( or post to

,

which the Victim was fa stened ) t u r n in g it s point down , .

wards Thereupon the m e n an d sages dug the po s t

.
,

out and turned its p o int upward s Thus they became

,
.

”
aware of the sacrifice and reached the heavenly world l .

Besides the daily devotional acts there were two ,

‘

semi monthly s acrifices enj o ined up o n every Br ahmani

-

cal householder each of which lasted two day s This

, .

must be continued during the first thirt y years o f

hou sekeeping and according t o some authorities it
,

mu st be kep t up through life The ceremonies began .

with a preparation of the sacrificial fires The fir e .

places were thrice s wept thrice be s meared with g o m a ya

, ,

three lines being drawn acros s them fr o m west to east

or from s o uth to north with a w ooden s word after , ,

which the du st w a s removed from the lines with the

thumb and ring finger and the lines sprinkled thrice
,

with water etc ,

Many page s are filled w ith minute
.

instru ctions in relation to these long ceremonies and ,

with a de s cription o f the vegetable s and clarified butter ,

which the Br a hman and his wife were to eat before

finally taking a vow .

Many pages are devoted to the washing or the

brushing of the s p o ons and to the particular me t hod
,

of laying the s acrificial gra s s upon the altar for the ,

numerous periodical oblation s and for s acrifices in gen

eral The in structi o n s in relation to making the offer
.

ings to Agni ( fire ) are also both minute and m u l t it u

d in o u s A very brief extract upon thi s s ubj ect will
.

s atisfy the reader as it is a fair sample of the literary

,

sty le of hundred s of pages

l B o ok 2 : ( H a ng 1
.
 TH E AN CIEN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

FO UR T H B R AH M AN A .

“
1 .They ( the sticks for the sacrificial fire ) shou l d
be green for that is their living element—b y that
,

they are Vig o rous by that p o ssessed of s t rength for

, ,

this reason t hey should be green .

“
2 .T he middle sticks he lays down first on the
west s ide o f the fire with the text May the G and
,

h a r va Visva su lay thee around for the security of the .

all
. Thou art a fence to the sa cr ifice r T hou art .

Agni invoked and worthy of invocation ’

, .

3.
“
H e then lays down the southern one with the ,

‘ ’
text T h o u art I ndra s arm for the s ecurity of the all .

Thou art a fence to the sa cr ifice r thou Agni invoked , ,

and worthy of invocation ’ .

4.
“
H e then lays down the northern o n e with the
‘
text May the Mitra Varuna lay thee around il l the
n o rth with firm law for the security of the all Thou .

art a fence to the sa cr ifice r thou Agni invoked and , ,

worthy of

Thereupon he put s on the fire a kindling stick he

first touche s with it the middle inclo sing stick ; there
by he first kindles t ho se ( three Agnis ) After that he .

put s it on the fir e —thereby he kindles the visible fire .

This however is only the beginning of in t e r m in a

, ,

bl e page s of de s cription as to the meaning of each

,

s tick each motion an d each mu mbled invocation on

, ,

the part o f the sa cr ifice r While th e Br a hmanas are

.

almo st exclusively dev o ted to the formula s o f domestic

sacrifice and the alm o st endle ss succes sion Of petty
,

details they also contain some legends on ot h er

,

subjects .
80 T HE ANCI E N T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

starved hermit who had three s on s The young prince .

purchased one of the b o ys for a hundred cows and

took him to h is father The g o d Varuna accepted the .

substitute and the sacrificial po st was made ready ; but

,

no one wa s found who was willing to bind the victim .

The father of Su n a h éep a then came forward and said

‘
G ive me a hundred cows and I will bin d him ’
.
!

They gave them to him and he bound the b o y °

But n ow no person would con sent to kill him .

‘
Then said the father G ive me yet again ,

Another hundred c o ws and I will slay him ’ .

O nce more they gave hi m a hundred and the father

Whe t ted the knife t o sacrifice his son .

‘
Then said the boy L et me implore the gods ; ,

H aply they will deliver me from death ’ .

So Su n a hée p a prayed to all the god s

Wi t h verses from the Veda and they heard him , .

Thus was the boy released fr o m sacrifice ,

An d H a r iSé a nd r a was restored to health ”

.
1

TH E FLOO D .

I n common with other nations and peoples the , an

'
cient H in d II s possessed their tradition of a universal
deluge C oncerning thi s great historic event the
.

same voice come s t o u s from the archives of Babylon ,

from the clay tablets o f old Assyria from the hiero ,

glyph s of E gypt from the a nnal s of G reece from , ,

2

the parchments of C hina and from the pages o f the ,

1 H a ng
’
s Ed 7 13,
-
W ’
i ll i a m s t r a n s
k lu v y v b
.
.
,

2 Acco r d i n g to th e G ree t r a d i ti o n o f a g e n e r a l d e g e , e e r li i ng e i ng

w a s d e stro y ed e x ptce t h o se wh o e s ca p ed in a b o a t, a nd t h e se re e o p
pl ed t h e e a r th a ft er th e flo o d s ub ids e d. a s i n t h e tr a d i t i o n s o f m a n y o th e r
 T HE B R AH M AN AS .
81

Sa t a p a t h a br a hmana This I nd o Aryan tradi t i o n o f the

-
.
-

deluge which h a s existed fo r so many generati o ns in

,

I ndia repre sents the ark a s being saved by Vi shnu in

,

his charact er a s a fish w hich is his fir s t incarnation , .

I t reads as follows
There lived in an cien t t ime a holy man
C alled Manu wh o by penance s and prayer ,

H ad won the fav o r o f the L ord of heaven .

One day they brought him wa t er fo r ablution °

Then as he washed h is hand s a li ttle fish

Appeared an d spoke in human accent s thus
,

Take care of me and I w ill be thy saviou r .

‘F rom what wilt thou preserve me ‘”

Manu asked r
.

The fish replied ‘A flood will s weep a way ,

All creatures I w ill rescue thee from that

.
’ .

Bu t how shall I pre serve thee ? ’ Manu said .

Th e fish rej oined ‘ S o long as we are small , ,

We are in constant danger of destruction ,

F or fish eat fish So keep me i n a j ar ; .

When I outgrow the j ar then dig a trench ,

An d place me there ; when I o utgrow the trench ,

Then take me to the oc ean ; I shall then

Be out of reach of danger ’ H aving thus .

I nstru cted Manu st raight way rapidly ,

The fish grew larger T hen he spoke again .

,

‘
I n s u ch and such a year the flood will c o me ;
Therefore construct a ship and pay me h o mage :

W hen the flood rises enter thou the ship

na t i o n s p i ip l pTh e g th u
r nc vd a di g t G
e r so n a e s sa e a cco r n o re e k t r a d i ti o n ,
D uk l i t h u l f T h ly d t h f P m th u f
.
,

w as e a on, e r er o e s sa a n e so n o ro e e s . H is a th er

h d t l d h im t
a o b u i l d h i p d f u i h i t w i h p vi i
o a s an rn s t ro s o n s, a nd wh e n th e
fl d oo m h
ca d h i w i f Py h w
e e an s e rr a ere

of R el .
, p . 63 .
82 TH E AN CI EN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

An d ’
I will rescue thee So Manu did .

‘
As he was ordered and pre served the fish
, .

Then carried it in safety to the ocean .

An d in the very year the fish enj oined

H e built a ship and paid the fish resp ect
, ,

An d there took ref u ge when the flood arose .

Soon near hi m swam the fish and to its horn ,

Manu made fast the cable of his vessel .

T hus drawn along the waters Manu passed ,

B eyon d the northern m ou ntain ; then the fish

Addressing Manu said ‘I have preserved t hee
, .

Quickly attach the ship to yonder tree ,

B u t lest the waters sink from under thee ,

As fa s t as they subside so fast shalt thou

,

D escen d th e mountain gently after them ’ .

Thu s he descen ded from the northern m ountain .

The flood had swept away all living creatures ;

Manu was left alone Wishing for o ffspring
.
,

H e earnestly performed a sacrifice

’
.

I n a year s time a female was produced ;

She came t o Manu then h e sa id to her
,

’
,

‘
Who art thou ? ’ ‘
She replied I am thy daughter .
,

‘ ? ’
H e said H ow lovely lady can that be
, , ,

‘ ’ ‘
I came forth she rej oined from thine oblation s
, ,

C ast upon the waters ; thou wilt find in me

A blessing ; use me in the sacrifice ’ .

W i th her h e worshiped and with toilsome zeal

,

Performed religious rites h oping for offspring

, .

Thu s were created men called sons of Manu .

W hatever benediction he implored

W ith her , was thus vouchsafed in full abundan ce .

l ’
W il l i a m s tr a n s In d W i s
, . .
, p 32. .
 C H APT ER V I .

TH E C ODE OF MAN U .

T HE D AT E O F T H E C OD E —TH E T RI B E O R S CHO OL O F
M AN AV AS — T HE CO D E A M E AN S O F P ER P E T U AT ING
T H E RULE S O F C AST E — D I V I NE ORIGI N C L AI M ED FOR
T HE L AW S O F M AN U —C AS T E —DI V INE RIGH T S OF
B R AH M AN S T H E K S H AT RIY A T H E V AI SY A T HE
SU D R A — M ARRI AG E A P U RIF Y ING RI T E — RULE S FO R
’
CHO O S I NG A W IFE — M ARRI AG E — W O M AN S RIG H T S
P E N ANCE S C RI M I N AL C O DE FUNE R AL CERE
M O NIE S
.

N T I M AT E LY connecte d with the ceremonies of t h e

I Vedas we find t h e C ode of Manu which in its present
, ,

form dates back to ab out the fi fth century before C hri s t .

Some parts of it were do ubtless current at a considera b ly

earlier date as the gods mentioned are principally Vedic
,
.

Originally it merely represented certain rules and precepts

, ,

probably by di ff erent authors which were observed by a

,

particular tribe or scho o l of B r a hmans called M a nava s .

This tribe appears to have been adherent s o f the Black

Y aj ur; veda and their Mantras and Br a h mana are still
,

ex tant U lti m ately ho wever the code was accepted by

.
, ,

the H ind u people generally a nd received a reverence

,

which wa s second only to tha t whi ch was accorded to

the Vedas .I t became also the chief authority in
H ind u j urispru dence .
 T H E CO DE O F M ANU . 85

The L aw s of Manu plainly reveal the strenuous rules by

which the Br a hman s s ought to perpetuate an organized
'

system of ca st e w h i ch sh o uld definitely define and main

tain their o wn superi o rity They were drawn largely .

from earlier auth o ritie s but th e real comp iler and pro ,

m u lg a t o r of them is unknown I n c o mm o n with o ther .

'
H in d ll w ork s the c o de claim s a divine origin
, .

A s age named Manu is repre sented a s s aying : “

The
god Brahm a having f ormed thi s system of la ws himself ,

taught it f u lly to me in the beginning I then taught it .

to Mar i ci and the nine o ther s age s my o ff spring Of ,

.

these ( my so n s ) B h r ig u is deputed by me t o declare the

code to you ( R i s hi s ) fo r he has learned fr o m me t o recite
,

”
the whole of it .

C AST E .

The H ind u theory o f ca st e is tha t the god s created one

cla ss o f me n superi o r t o an o ther— that there is as much
di ff erence between t h e variou s clas se s o f men a s between
the different kind s o f bird s an d animals The creation of .

this great di stincti o n is t hu s accounted for in one of t h e

latest hymn s o f the R ig veda : -
2

The embodied spiri t h a s a thou s and head s ,

A thou sand eye s a th o u s and feet aroun d ,

011 every s ide enveloping t h e earth ,

Y et filling S pace n o larger than a span .

H e is himself thi s very u niver se .

H e is what ever is h a s been and shall be

, , .

H e is the L ord of Imm o rtality .

1 Ind W is pp 2 12 2 15—
wh l lb ym b v pt
. .
,

fi
. .

2 As t h e o e of t h i s ce e ra te d h n has e en gi en i n th e r s t ch a er

a b i f qu
r e ota ti o n h e r e w i ll u ffi s ce .
 TH E AN CIE N T B OO KS OF INDI A .

H ow did they cut him up ? What was his mouth ?

What were his arm s ? and what his thighs an d feet ?
The Br ah m a n was h i s mouth —the kingly soldier
Was made hi s arms the husbandman h is thighs , ,

The servile SU d r a issued from his feet ” 1

.
2

H ence the divine order of ca ste seems to be

,
:

1 . The Br a hman who is supposed to i ssue from the

,

mouth of Brahm a .

“
2. K s hatriya or kingly so ldier who issues from
, ,

the arm s .

3 The hu sbandman or Vai s ya caste who comes from

.
, ,

the thigh s .

4. The servile Sfi d r a wh o i s sue s fr o m his feet , .

I t is therefore claimed that the divine right of kings

is emphasized and exaggerated in the divine right of
priests ; that a Br a hman is such by virtue o f his birth ;
and that he w a s created with special reference to his p o
sitiou as the head of all mankind .

I t is said that Since the Br a hman S prang from

“

the most excellent part ( the m o uth o f Brahm a ) since ,

he has the priority ari s ing from primogeniture an d ,

s ince he po s s esses the V e d a he is by right the L o rd ,

”
of t his wh o le creation and again “
E ven when Br a h , ,

mans employ them s elve s i n all so rts o f inferior o ccu

a t ion s they must under all circu m s tances be h o n o red
p ,

for they are t o be regarded a s s upreme divinities .

“
F rom his high birth alone a B r a hman is regarded ,

as a divinity e ve n b y the gods H is teaching m u st

'

,
.

be accepted by the rest of the world a s an infallib l e

authority .

10—
l S lv
a e or l o w e st ca s t e .
2 Se e M a n . 90 W i l l i
.
’
a ms tr a ns
88 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

hence the man who d r e sSe s hair would not clean clothes
, ,

neither could a table waiter be induced to carry an

umbrella ‘ .

M ARRI AGE O F A B R AH M AN .

The most elabora t e and tedious d etail s are given for

the endless ceremonies c o nnected with all the minuti ae
of a Br a hman s life ’ S ometimes a great sacrifice lasts
.

fo r week s or month s or even year s , T he cerem o nies .

an d p u r ifica t io n s c o nnected w ith h is student life are as

l ong as h is c o ur s e of study which c o mpri s e s a kno wl ,

edge of th e three Vedas H e must go t hrough twelve .

“
p u r i fica t o r
y rite s an d ,it i s a noticeab l e fact that
the last of these is m arriage which is in the language , ,

“
of Williams , a religiou s duty Incumbent up o n all ,

completing the purification and regeneration o f the

twice born .

H e al so receives explicit directi o ns i n relati o n to

TH E C HO I CE OF A W IFE ,

in the following w ord s

“
L et him marry a girl with reddish hair nor
n ot ,

one with a su p e r flu it y of limb s ( as for instance o n e , ,

wi t h six fingers ) n o r one wh o is sickly nor one w ith

, ,

ei t her too little or too much h air ; nor one wh o talk s

too much ; nor one wh o is red eyed ; nor one named -

after a constellatio n a tree o r a river ; nor o n e with a

, ,

barbarou s name or the name of a mountain a bird a

, , ,

snake a slave or any frightful o bject

, ,
But let him .

marry a w o man w ithout defective or def o rmed limbs ,

having an agreeable name whose gait is like that of a ,

l I nd . W is , XXV .
 T H E CO D E O F M ANU . 89

flamingo or elephant who se tee th and hair are m o derate

,

in quan t ity and who se whole b o dy is

,

’
The marriage ri t e s in M a nn s C o de are evidently
taken from older w o rk s The following is qu o ted by
.

Prof Williams as the

.

M ARRI AG E CERE M O NY .

“
West of the sacred fire a stone is placed and ,

northea s t a water j ar The bridegroom o ff ers an o bla

.

tion standing l o o king toward the w est and taking

, ,

’
h o ld of t h e bride s hand s while Sh e sits and lo o ks ,

toward the eas t I f he wi s hes only for sons he C lasps

.
,

,
‘
her thumb s and say s I cla s p thy hands for the sake
,

’
of good fortune ; the finger s al o ne if he wishes for
daughter s ; the hairy side of t h e hand along with the ,

thumbs if he w i s hes for b o th sons and daughter s

,
.

Then whilst he lead s her t o ward the right three time s

,

around the fire and around the water j ar he says in ,

‘
a low tone , I am he th o u art she ; thou art sh e I ,
,

am he I am the heaven thou art the earth C ome

.
, .
,

let u s marry ; let us pos s es s o flsp r in g U nit ed in a ffec .

ti o n illu s trious well dispos e d to w ard each o t her let

, , ,

us live a hundred years ’ E very time he lead s her

.

around he makes her as cend the mill st o ne an d say s

,
-
, ,

‘As cend th o u this s tone —b e th o u firm a s a s tone ’ .

’
Then the bride s br o ther after spreading melted butter
,

on the j oined p alms of her hand s scatters parched ,

grains of rice o n them twice and after pouring the

oblat i o n of bu t ter on the fire some Vedic text s are r e ,

cited . Then the bridegro o m l o o sens the t wo braided

tres ses of hair— one o n each S ide o f the top o f the
1 Boo k3 , 8 10-
.
 0 TH E AN C IE N T B O O K S OF INDI A .

’ —
bride s head repeating t h e Vedic text ‘I l oose thee ,

from the fetters of Varu na with which the very aus ,

i i o Savitri has bound thee ’ H e now causes her

p c us .

to step seven steps t o wards the northea st quarter say ,

‘
ing to her Take thou one step for the acquirement
,

of sa p like energy ; take thou t wo steps for strength ;

-

take thou three steps for the increase of wealth ; take

tho u four steps for well being ; take thou five steps
for o ffspring ; take thou six s t eps for the season ; take
t h ou seven steps as a friend Be faithfully devoted to
.

me . May we obtain many sons ; may they attain to

a g o od old age ’ Then bringing both their heads into
.

clo s e j uxtaposition some one sprinkles them with water

,

from the jar H e Should remain for that night in the

.

hou s e of an old Br a hman w o man who s e hu sban d and

children are alive When the bride sees the polar
.

star and Ar u n d h a t i and the seven R ishis let her brea k ,

silence an d say ‘May my husban d live and may I

, ,

obtain children ’ When he ( the bridegroom ) has com

.

p l e t e d the marriage cerem o nial he should give the,

’
bride s dres s t o o n e wh o kn ows the S u ry a s u kta and -
,

fo o d t o the Br a hmans T hen he should make them

.

p ron o unce a blessing upon him .

The marriage cerem o ny once completed the bri d e ,

g ro o m a t once enters upon t h e endles s round of cere

m o nies w hich are enj oined upon the househ o lder—the

sacred fire the daily ablution s etc etc F ive chap
, , .
, .

ter s are devoted to dome stic ceremonie s c o nnected with

the birth an d treatment of children and still others ,

to the investiture with the sacred thread which ,

the Br a hman chil d receives il l h is eighth year the ,

Kshatriya in h is eleventh and the Vai sya in his twelfth

, ,
.
 2 TH E AN CIEN T BOO K S OF I N D I A .

the H ind li householder towards h is w ife T he Mah a

'
.

bh a rata some parts of which it i s claimed were w ri t ten

,

during the C hristian era contains the following tribute ,

to the faithful wife :

A w ife is half the man his truest friend , .

A loving wife is a perpetual spring

Of virtue pleasure wealth
, A faithful wife , .

Is h is
best aid in seeking heavenly bliss .

A sweetly S peaking wife is a companion

I n s olitude ; a fath er in advice ;
A mother in all sea so ns of distress ;
’
A re st in pa ssing through life s wilderness .

That such sentiment s live upon the pages of their

own sacred literature m ust be a great source of strength
to the missionaries who are tryi n g t o educate and ele
vate the w omanhood of I ndia Still it must be con .
,

fessed that it is only I n countrie s which are illu mined

,

by the teachings of C hristianity that w o man takes

’
her true p osition at her husband s side and works ,

with him for the elevati o n of the human race .

P E N AN CE S .

L ying is p ronounced sometimes j u stifiable “

In
certain ca se s a man stating a fact fal sely from a piou s
motive even though he kno w s the truth is not excluded
, ,

from h eaven —such a statement they call divine speech .

Y et severe penances are re quired for trivial s ins of

omission or fo r the performance of any act cau s ing
,

lo ss of caste .

I f a Br a hman receive s a present from a wicked p er

1 M aha . I , 3028 , W ’
i l l i a m s tr a n s .
 T H E COD E O F M ANU . 93

son he must repeat the

,
thousand times S a vitr i ‘“
three ,

”
w ith a collected mind and drink milk for one month in ,

a cow house I f he has eaten impr o per f o od he is

.
,

ab s olved by repeating for three days certain texts in

the R ig veda I f a twice born man thr o u gh infatua
’
- -
.
,

tion should drink intoxicating liquor he might drink

, ,

of the same liquor boiling hot and if his body is com ,

p l e t e l y scalded by the p rocess he is absolved from

guilt .

A Br a hman performing the penance called hot

and severe must swall o w h ot water hot milk h o t
, , ,

clarified butter and hot air each for three day s suc
, ,

ce ss ive l y after bathing and keeping his organ s of sense

, ,

”
all restrained .
2

Many other s are prescribed some of them being of ,

the m o s t loa t h so me nature and entirely unfit for pub ,

l ica t io n ; for instance the penance called S a n t a p a n a , .

3

C RI M I N AL COD E .

The civil and religious code is strangely combined

in the la w s of Manu Sometime s the criminal seem s .

to be under t h e jurisdiction of a purely civil l a w and ,

again he is threatened with the most terrible punish

ments in variou s forms through which his s oul must ,

pass after leaving the body

As future p l i n ish m e n t w ill be treated in its proper
place under the d o ctrinal teachings of the U panishad s
, ,

we disti n gui sh here between the civil puni s hment bestowed

upon the criminal and that w ith w hich he is threatened,

l f
A s a cr e d te xt w h i ch is sa i d to h a v b m il k
e een ed o ut o f th e Ve d a s
B k II B k I I 2 12
.

2 oo 2 14 3 oo , .
, .
94 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

in the world to come Sir Wm Jone s says that The . .

cruel mutilations practiced by the native powers are

”
shocking to hu mani ty and Sir Monier Williams de ,

“
clares that The three most conspicu ou s features of
’
Manu s penal laws were severity incon sistency and a , ,

”
belief in the supposed j ustice of Zea: ta li oni s This .

learned Orientali st made a careful study of this partie

ular form of legislation and to him we are indebted ,

fo r mu ch valuable information I n the light of the fol .

lowing extracts we cannot wonder that he considered

,

the punishment u n j
“
u st ifia b l y disproportionate to the
o ff ences committed and sometimes barbarously cruel
, .

With whatever member of the body a l o w born -

man may inj ure a superior that very member of h is ,

”
body mu st be mutilated .

A once born man insulting twice born men W i th

- -

”
abusi ve language mu st have his tongue ou t out .

Should h e mention their name and caste with in

s u l t in g expression s a red hot iron S pi k e ten fingers
,
-
,

”
long is to be thrust into his m outh
,
.

“
Thieves are to have their hand s cut off and then ,

” 2
to be impaled o n -a s harp stick .

“
A g o ldsmith detected in c o mmitting frau ds is to
” 3
have his body cut to pieces with razors .

We can hardly imagine any form of humanity su ffi

cie n t l y low and cruel to inflict these horrible puni sh
ments even upon the V ilest o f criminals neither could
, ,

the legal st u dent believe that such enactments had

ever been made if they were n ot actually present in
,

the record .

l B o ok VIII ,
279 .
2 B k IX
oo , 2 76.
3 B oo k IX , 2 92 .
96 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

with water from the bran c h of a tree and repeats a ,

verse from the Veda .

The fire s are place d on the borders of a pit accord ,

ing to the followi n g f o rmula : The Ah a va n iy a fire

is placed t o the southeast the G a r h a p a ty a to the ,

northwest and t h e D a k sh in a to t h e southwest The .

dead body must be placed with it s feet toward t h e

G a r h a p a tya fire and the head towards the Ah a va n i y a .

I f the Ah a va n iy a fire reaches the d ead man first his ,

S pirit is borne t o heaven ; if the G a r h a a t a reaches

p y
him fir s t then h is spirit is taken to t h e middle region ;
,

if the Da k sh in a then it remains in the w o rl d o f m or

,

tal s. When all three of the s e fires reach him at t h e

same time it is the mo st au spici o u s omen o f all The
, .

w o o den pile is properly laid in the midst o f th e s e

fires sacrificial grass is then strewn upon the pile and
, ,

the skin of a black antel o pe with the fur on the out ,

side is placed over it

, The wife is made to lie do w n
.

to the n orth of h e r hu sband and if he be a Kshatriya , ,

a bone i s also placed there I f the w ife is not to b e .

immolated sh e is then led a w ay and the animal is

, ,

brought . The fat of the animal is cut o u t and put ,

like a cover over the face of the dead while the fol ,

lowing verse fr o m th e R ig veda is recited : -

Put on this armor ( taken ) from the cow s to p r o

teet thee again st Agni and c o ver thy s elf with fat
, ,

that h e the wild o n e w h o delight s in flame s the

, , ,

h ero may not embrace thee w i s hing t o c o n s ume

, ,

The kidney s als o are tak en

, , ou t a nd p ut into the
1 R V 8
-
16-
.17 . .
 T HE CODE OF M AN U . 97

h ands of the dead while the follo w ing quotation is r e

,

p ea t ed :
“
E s cape on the right path the t wo d o gs the ,

f o ur eyed tawny breed of Saram a then approach the

-
, ,

wise fathers who happy with Y ama enj oy

, , ,
‘

The heart of the animal is laid on t h e h e a rt o f t h e

corpse and after considerable ceremony the antelope
,

skin is covered over the whole and various oblations

are Ofi e r e d each accompanied with a text from the
,

Veda . After this the fire is lighted and they walk ,

away without lo oking b a ck at the same time reciting a ,

verse from the Veda .

T his is the br i efes t p oss i ble sketch of an al most in

terminable ceremony after which all parties concerne d
,

must go through with the long ceremonies of p u r ifica ~

ti o n
. The a shes and bones are gathered and bu ried ,

with a s much ceremony as attended the burning and ,

again all parties must go thr o ugh t h e process of p u r ifi

cation The m edical advice is equa lly complicated and
.
,

the patient i s compelled to perform f o r himself the m o st

exhaustive rite s ; if he recover s there are a multitu de ,

of sacrifices and oblations demanded of him Thus the .

whole life of the patient H ind u from the cradle to the ,

grave is burde n ed with cea s eles s rites and offerings to

,

the various gods of the pantheon .

The extracts here given will serve to give an in t el l i

gi b l e idea of the voluminous law books of M a n n about ,

twenty of which are still in existe n ce This collection .

of laws is one of the most sacred porti o n s of San skrit

literature I t presents an early picture of the moral
.

and intellectual condition of the pe o ple fully il l u st r a t ,

ing the severity with which the priestly class se nf o r ce d

I R . v,
- —
1 0, 10 14 .
98 T HE AN CIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A
.

the ru l es of caste and their own su p eriorit y even over

,

k ings and princes .

I t is a compilation of ru l es which had been handed

?

down orally perha p s for many generations and were at

, ,

last gathered and arranged in a systematic collection .

They soon reached a position where they were held to be

infallible and Manu says
, ,
“
By S ruti is meant the Veda ,

and by S mriti the book s of the law ; th e con ten ts of these

m u s t n ever be q u es ti on ed by r ea son
”
.
“
N evertheless
,
”

“
says Williams , in al most every place where the Man
tr a s of the R ig veda are alluded to by Manu errors
-
,

d isfigu r e t h e te xt a n d commenta r y .
 00 T HE AN CI EN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

offered in their speculative or the sacred groves ‘ The .

,

ological portion of the Vedas is explained in separate

books called U panishad s These are therefore the doc
,
.

trinal portions of the Vedas .

This word derived from the root sa d ( t o sit ) , ,

preceded by the two prep o sitions n i ( down ) and up a

( near ) expresse s t h e idea,of a number of pupils sit
ting down near their teacher to listen to his instru o
tions I t al so implie s something which underli es the
.

surface and the doctrine contained in the se treati ses

,
'
does in fact underlie t h e whole sy stem of H in d ll
, ,

teaching .

These boo k s are of later origin than the R ig '

veda but they were called by Ra mmoh u n B oy

,
2 “
the ,

”
kernel of t h e Veda s This di s tinguished native .

scholar translated several of the books at his own

expense .

The number of U panisha d s has been variously e s

‘
timated but a li st of about one hundred and fifty has
,

been Obtained by E uropeans many of them bearing dis ,

t in ct i ve title s which are almost unpronou nceable by ,

any one except the natives .

l Th e wo r sh i p f B l o aa co n s i s te d of th e pl a n ti n g of v
g r o e s, a nd of

Off i e r ng s to th e d m sun an oon , a nd a ll th e h o st of h ea v en ; t h i s wa s

th f e o rm of id l t y f wh i
o a r or ch th e ch i ld re n of I sr a e l were re p e a te d ly
pu i n sh e d
“
Th e ch i l d re n g a th e r w o o d , a n d t h e a th e r s k i n d e t h e fi r e , f l
k u k k u H v
.

a nd th e wome n n e a d t h e i r d o g h t o m a e ca e s t o t h e Q e e n o f e a e n,

a nd to pu o r ou t d rin k O ffe r i n g s u nt o o th e r g od s
” -
Je r Vii : 18 Th e
b Ch l d
. . .

g r e a t d i ff e r e n ce e t we e n t h e S a b e a n i s m of th e a e a ns a nd th a t o f th e
H u
in d s i s t h a t t h e h a d ea ns ma d e th e C l s ta r s p rom ine nt i n th e i r w o r s h i p
l p i i p l ly th
,

wh i e th e Hi
d m nd u s a d o re d r nc a e su n a n o on

P f W i l D ‘M i ll d th O i t l i t t l t u
.

2 ro so n , r an o er r en a s s a as s cce e d e d in co n
m t l ti v Up i h d b l g l t
. .
,

i
v nc ni g th d th t th e os ea rne na es a e an s a s e on ed to a a er

a g the th ly h ym an f th V d T h i i ly e ea r ns o e e a s s on o ne of ma n yi
h

i wh i h E u p h l h v b bl t gi v
.

t
s a n ce s n c ro ea n sc o a rs a e e en a e o e in f o r m a ti o n

t th
o Hi d u e i g th i w n d b k s co n ce r n n e r o n s a cr e oo s.
 T H E U P ANI S H AD S . 1

AG E OF TH E U P ANI S H AD S .

According to the chronology u sually received by

San skrit sch o lars the most ancient o f the s e book s
,

must have slightly preceded the ris e o f Buddhism ( 600

B . Sir Monier William s ho w ever as sign s 5 00 B , , .

O a s the utm o s t limit of their antiquity

. B ut accord .
,

ing to Max M u ller the germ s o f the d o ctrine s t aught

,

in the U pani shad s may be f o und i n the early perio d of

Vedic literature which has been provisionally fixed at
,

fr o m 8 00 t o 1 000 B 0 . .

There are many whose exact chronology it is almost

impos sible t o determi ne although it is ea sy to see that ,

they belong to very d ifi e r e n t period s of H ind u th o ught ,

and s o me of them mu s t be quite m odern as mention ,

is even made o f an Allah U panishad .

Several U panishads occ u r in the later B r a hmanas ,

but the recognized place for the m o s t ancient o f these

w o rks is in connection with the Ar a n y a k a s ( or fore st
1

book s ) which generally f o rm an appendix to the

,

B r ahmanas but are al s o sometimes included under the

,

general n ame of Br a hmana .

The U pani shad s bel o ng to what the H ind u s call the

I

S ruti or revealed literature in o pp o s ition to S mriti or

, ,

traditi o nal literature which i s s upp os ed t o be founded

,

upon the f o rmer and therefore can claim o nly a second

,

ary importance a n d authority The fir st in the list is .

TH E CH AN D O G Y A U P ANI S H AD .
2

This wor k belongs to the S a ma veda and -

,
is one of
1 Th w k w l l
e se or s, a s e a s th e Up a ni sh a d s, a r e so ob u th sc re a t i t i s s a i d to
be yt d th m
n e ce s sa r o rea e in th e l one li ne ss o f th e f t ores

P f M M ull t h l v
.

“ ”
2 ro ax er , e tr a n s a to r , g i e s K ha n d gy o a as th e or th o g ~

Up i h d u b l u t ly
.

ra ph y f th i
o s an s a a nd th is is of co r se a so e co r r e ct , b u t, i f
1 02 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S or I NDI A .

the most important contribu t i o ns t o t h e o rthodox phil

osophy o f I ndia viz the Ved a nta Thi s importan t , .
, .

U panishad purport s to give a f u ll accou nt of the sylla

ble Om The opening sentence is L et a man medi
.
“

tate on the syllable Om — called the u d g i th a fo r the ,

u d ith a
g ( a portion of the S a ma ve d a ) is s ung begin -

”
ning wi t h O m .

T his sacred syllable h a s been t h e source of no little

trouble and perplexity on the part of E uropean scholar s ,

as it had to be pronounced at the beginning o f each

Veda and at every recitati o n of Vedic hymn s As
,
.

connected w ith the S a ma veda Om is called u d g i t h a -

, .

“ ”
M ii l l er says that the syllable o riginal ly meant that o r
“ ”
y e s but
,
it i s also considere d t h e symbol of all
speech and of all life I t is al so the name for all .

physical and mental powers ; also the principle of life ,

or living spirit which is identified with the s pirit in ,

the sun Therefore he wh o meditates up o n Om

.
, ,

meditates on the spirit in man as identical with the

spirit in nature or in the sun and thu s he is supposed , ,

to be led to a rec o gnit i on of the self in man as id e n t i

cal with the highe s t self o r Brahman , .

Meditation on t hat syllable is suppo sed to mean the

long continued repetiti o n of it until the mind is dra w n
-
,

a way from all other subj ect s and c o ncentrated up o n

a higher obj ect of thought which is symbolized by the ,

sacred sylla ble The exp o sition o f Om or of u d g i t h a

.
, ,

“
as given by thi s U panishad is as follo w s : The full ,

t h i s m e th o d of l
t r a n s i te r a ti o n i s f ll w d
o o e th e fi r st two lw y
l e tte r s m u st a a s

l z l p u lik E g li h K wh
,

b e i t a i ci e d o r e se t h e K will b e rono n ce d the e n its e re a s

uld p u d l ik u M y h l th f p f
,

sh o be rono n ce e ch i n ch r ch an sc o a rs e re ore re er

l i bl t b t ly p
.

“ ”
to w it th
r e m Ch d
e na e an og ya as it is m ore a e o e co rr e c ro

d by t h E g l i h
,

n o u n ce e n s rea d er .
 04 T HE AN CIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

and fo r t h e glory of that syllable as an emblem of the

H ighest Self th e knowledge o f wh o m is the indirect
,

result of all sacrifices The great i mportan ce of this

.

syllable is expressed by the vital breaths of the priest ,

the sa cr ifioe r and his w ife .

The essence of the syllable is supposed to be many

things : for instance the rice an d c o rn and other arti
,

cles used in the oblati o n The sacrifice w h ich is de

.

pendent upon the syllable Om is supposed to ascen d

to the sun and as the sun send s rain and rain pro
, ,

duces food and food produce s life breath and food

, ,

are due t o the syllable Om This syllable seem s to have

.

been u sed on all occasions both i n s acrifice and in ,

fables sometimes apparently without meaning as in

, ,

the 1 2 t h Khanda of the l s t Pr a p a th a k a .

“
1 . N ow follows the u d g i th a of the d ogs Vaka .

Dalb h y a went out to repeat the Veda in a

quiet place .

2 . A white dog appeared before him and other dogs ,

gathered around him ( the white dog ) and said to him , ,

‘Sir sing an d get u s food we are hungry ’ .

, ,

3 “
.
‘
The white dog said to them C o me to me to ,

morrow morning ’ Vaka D a l b h ya watched

. .

“
4 . The dogs came on holding together each dog , ,

keeping the tail of the preceding dog in his mouth ,

’
as the priests do ( hold each other s garments ) when
they are going to sing praise s with the Va h ish p a va m a n a -

hymns After they had settled down they began to

.
,

say B in .

“
5 . Om let u s eat Om let us drink . O m may .

the divine Varu na p r a g ap a t i Savitri bring u s food

-
.

L ord of fo od bring hi t her food bring it Om

,
”
,
.
 TH E U p AN I S H AD s . 105

H ere it is repre s ented being used by d ogs in

as

order t o obtain their food but the kh anda cl o ses as

,

abruptly as it began and give s n o inf o rmation as to

whether they received the f o od or n o t The allusion .

t o the priests in the fourth ver se applies to the cere

mony where the prie sts have to wal k in processi o n ,

each h o lding the go wn o f h is predecess o r Varu na .

( the sky ) and P ra a a ti

g p ( year ) alluded t o
, in verse 5 ,

are explained a s difi e r e n t appellations o f Savitri ( the

sun ) meaning rain giver and man protector The sylla
, ,
- -
.

ble Om is el se where explained as representing all the

deitie s of the earth the air and the sky
, , .

TH E K EN A U P ANI S H AD .

The Kena or Ta l a va k ar a wa s one of the U panishad s

published in E ngli sh by Ra m m ohu n R oy I t was also .

publi shed in G ermany a n d h a s been more or le s s in

,

ve s t ig a t e d by many scholars Th e prominence given

.

to this important U pani s had both by native and

E uropean scholars would seem to j ustify the quotation
,

of the 1 st kh anda

1 .
“
The pupil asks : ‘
At whose wi s h d o es the mind
sent forth proceed on its errand ? At wh o se command
does the first breath go forth ? At who s e w ish do we
utter this speech ? What god directs t h e eye or the
ear
2 “
.
‘
The teacher replie s : I t is the ear of the ear
—the mind of the mind—the speech of t h e speech
the breath of the breath—and the eye of the eye .

When freed ( from the s en se s ) the wise o ri departing 3

from this world bec o me immortal .

1 06 TH E ANCIEN T BO O KS or IN DI A .

3 .The eye does not go thither nor s p eech nor

“
, ,

mind We do not know we do not understand how

.
, ,

any one can teach it .

4 “
.I t is d ifi e r en t from the known ; it is al s o above
the unknown T hu s have we heard from those of old
.
,

who taught us this .

“
5 .That which is not expressed by speech and by ,

which speech is expressed that alone known a s Brah , ,

man not that which people h ere adore

, .

“
6 .That which does n ot think by mind and by ,

which they say mind is th ought that al o ne known a s , ,

Brahman not that which people here adore

,
.

“
7 .That which does not see by the eye and by ,

which one sees ( the work of ) the eyes that alone , ,

known as Brahman not that which people here adore

,
.

“
8 .That which does not hear by t h e ear an d by ,

which the ear is heard that alone known as Brahman , , ,

not that which pe o ple here adore .

“
9 .T hat which does not breathe by breath and by ,

which breath is drawn that alone known as Brahm a n

, , ,
”
not that which people here adore .

This peculiar metaphysical work closes with the de

“
cl a r a t io n t hat The feet upon w hich the U panishad
stands are penance — —
restraint sa cr ifice The Vedas .

are all its limbs The Tru e is its abode

. .

“
H e who kn o ws this U pani shad and h a s shaken off ,

a ll evil stands in the endle s s unconquerable world of

—
,

”
heaven yea in the world of heaven
, .

TH E K AT H A U P ANI S H AD .

This is o n e of the oldest and m ost important of

these books and is quite familiar to E uropean students
,
1 08 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

thou d ost w ell to C hoose

O N a C I k e t a s, .

The fo o lish follow ignorance but think ,

They tread the r o ad of w isdom circling round ,

With erring steps — like blind men led by blind .

The careless you th by lu st of gain deceived

, ,

Knows b ut one world one life ; t o him the N o w

,

Alone exists the F uture is a dream

, .

The highest a i m of knowledge is the soul .

This is a miracle bey o nd the ken

Of common mortals thought of though it be , ,

An d variously explained by skilful teacher s .

Who gains this knowledge is a marvel too , .

H e lives above the care s — the grief s and j oys

Of time and sense — seeking to penetrate
The fathomless unborn and eternal essence , .

The slayer thin k s he slays the slain ,

Believes him self destroyed ; the thoughts of both

Ar e false the soul survives nor kills n o r die s ;
, , ,

’
Tis subtler than the subtlest greater tha n ,

T he greatest — in fin it e l y s mall yet vast , ,

Asleep yet restless moving everywhere

, ,

Among the bodies — ever bodiless .

Think n ot to grasp it by the reasoning mind ,

’
The wicked ne er ca n know it Soul alone .

Knows soul ; to none but soul is soul revealed .

Thus is the immortality of the s o ul disti n ctly taught

in th i s U pani shad ; bu t the soul is repre s ented a s being
asleep yet moving re stlessly everywhere I t is al s o .

’
,

“ ”
stated tha t the wicked ne er can know it thereby ,

broa d ly hinting that only the good are immortal ; it

1 Wi lli a m s t ra n s p
’ I nd W i s . 43 .
, . ,
 TH E U P A NI S H AD S . 1 09

is perhaps as lu cid an explanation of a future life as

we could expect to receive from Y ama the King of ,

D eath .

THE AI TAR E Y A U P ANI S H AD .

“
This U
pani s had which was tran slated for the Bib
l io t h e ca I ndica by D r R Oe r appears t o be almost hope
”
.
,

le ssly mixed with the Ar a n ya k a s or f o rest bo o k s and ,

t h e fir s t chapter is simply a continuation of the Aita

reya br a hmana
-
.

S a yana speak s of the Ait a r e y a a ranyaka as a part of -

the B r a h m a n a Z a n d S ankara wh o is a still earlier a u

'

t h or ity c o nvey s the idea that both the U panishad and

,

the Aranyaka may be classed a s Br ah mana .

I n this U pani shad we find m uch repetition o f m at

ter which even at fir st w a s usele ss and ab surd F or
, , .

“
in s tance in relation t o men and deitie s it is said : By
, ,

repeating the first ver s e three time s they ( men ) become

twenty five - The trunk is the twenty fifth and Prag
.
-
,

apati ( the year ) is the twenty fifth There are ten fin -

.

gers on h is hand s ten toes on h is feet ; t wo legs two

, ,

arms and the trunk the twenty fift h N o w this day

,
-
.

consi sts of twenty five and the stoma hymn of that day
-
,

consi sts of twenty five I t becomes the same thr o ugh

-
.

the same Theref o re the t w o the day and the hymn

.
, , ,

are twenty five This is the twenty fift h with regard

-
.
-

to the body N ext w ith regard to the deities : The

.
,

eye the ear the mind the speech and breath — these
, , ,

five deitie s ( po w ers ) — have entered into that person

( purusha ) and that
,
per s on entered into the five dei
ties H e is wh o lly pervaded t h ere with his limbs to
.

the very hairs and nails Therefore all beings, to the .

,
1 10 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

very in s ects are born ,

as pervaded ( by the deities or

T HE K AU S H i TAK I -
B R AH M AN A U PANI S H AD .

a
This U pani s had di s cour se s upon the future life and
teaches that all wh o leave thi s world ( or thi s body ) g o
to the m o on Th o se wh o reach the light half of t he .

“
moon meet with a glad reception for the moon de ,

”
light s i n their spirit s while tho s e who reach the dark ,

half are not j oy o usly received but are sen t o n to be ,

b o rn again The mo o n is represented as the door t o

.

the heavenly w o rld I f a man o bj ects to her she .

,

s ets him free ; but if the man d o e s not o bject she ,

s ends him d o wn as rain upon the earth H is next .

birth is favorable or otherwi s e in direct proporti o n to ,

h is virtue and w i sdom ; he may be b o rn a s a worm or

an insect a s a fish or a bird ; as a lion or a b o ar o r a , ,

s erpent H e may as su me the shape o f a tiger or a

.

man H e may happen to be in favorable or unfav o r

.

able localitie s an d he is as likely t o be f o und in hell ,

as anywhere el se I f upon returning t o the earth in .

,

any o f these f o rm s any on e a sks him fr o m whence he ,

came he is t o reply :
,
“
F r o m the wi s e moon w h o o r ,

ders the sea sons—when i t is b o rn c o nsisting of fifteen

—
parts from the m o on who is the home of o u r a n ce s
tors Theref o re O ye seas o ns grant that I m a y attain
.
, ,

imm o rtality ( knowledge of Brahman ) by this m y tr u e ,

s aying by thi s my toil I am like a s ea s o n and the

,
.
,

child of the s ea so n s ‘Wh o art th o u ? ’ the s age asks .

l l st Ar a n 3 Ad h y 8 Kh an

Th i kw B i bl i by P f C
. .
.
, ,

2 s wor as tra n s l a t e d f o r t h e
“
o t h e ca In d i c a ro o w e ll

b idg
.

of C a m r e .
11 2 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

TH E i sA .

T his is a very shor t U panishad which has been

translated by Max M il l l e r and al so by Sir Wm Jone s
,
.

and D r R Oe r
. bu t we here give the poetical rendering
by Sir Monier Williams of about h alf the work .

’
Whate er exists within this universe
I s all to be regarded a s enveloped
By the great L o rd a s if wrapp ed in a vesture
,
.

R en o unce O man the world and covet n o t

, , ,

’
Another s wealth so s halt th o u save thy s o ul .
,

Perform religious work s so may st thou wi sh,

To live a h u ndred year s ; in thi s way only

Mayst th ou engage in w o rldly act s untainted .

To worlds immersed in darkne ss tenanted ,

By evil spirits s hall they g o at death

Who in this life are killers o f their souls .

There is one only B eing who exi sts

U nmoved yet moving swifter than the mind
,

Who far outstrip s the sen se s though a s gods ,

They strive t o reach him ; w h o himself at rest

Transcends the fle e t e s t flight of o ther being s ;
Who like the air supp o rt s all vital action
, .

H e m o ves yet moves not ; he is far yet near

, ,

H e is within thi s univers e and yet ,

’
Outside this univer s e ; wh o e e r beholds
Al l living creatures as in him and him ,

The univer sal spirit as in all -

,

H encef o rth regards no creature with contempt .

The man who understand s that every creature

E xi sts in G od al one an d thu s perceive s
,

The unit y of being has no grief ,

 T H E U P ANI S H AD S . 1 13

An d no il l usion H e the all pervading

.
,
-
,

Is brilliant without b o dy sinewless

, , ,

I nvulnerable pure and u n d e fil e d

, ,

By taint of sin ; he also is all wise -

,

The R u ler of the mind above all beings , ,

The Self existen t H e created all things

-
.

Just as they are from all eternity .

There are many o ther U pani shads but an examin a ,

tion of the se extracts will give an idea of their general

literary character and the tenor of their teachings as a
, ,

wh o le .

These treatises were considered the completion of

revelation ; they were held to be a very important
porti o n of the Veda or kno w ledge and in the esti
, ,

mation of their best thinkers like R amm o h un R o y , ,

they w ere by far the mo st important portion being ,

the grandest and n o ble s t utterance s o f the Ved a

the point to which all previous revelation tended .

The three grand divisions Of Vedic literature w hich

have been di scu ssed u nder the head s o f Mantra Br a h ,

mana an d U pani shad all c o me under the head o f ,

S ruti —that which is directly heard or revealed The .

voice of divine kno wledge heard by the R i shis or ,

sage s and by them either orally transmitted or written

,

d o wn exactly a s heard .

We s hall n o w consider the teaching of the se oracles

upon the most important d o ctrinal p o in t s o f the H ind u
fai t h
. Too much care and di s crimination cannot be
u s ed in the examination of this subj ect in view of the ,

fac t that they are considered the most vital p ortion of

the Veda .

1 In d W i s
. .
, p . 38 .
 OH AF TE R V I II .

TH E M ON OTH EISM OF TH E U P AN IS H ADS .

P AN T HEI S M CONFE SS IO N O F F AI T H —D E AT H OF T H EI R
S U P RE M E GOD — DE S C RI PT ION S O F B R H M
A A — T HE
FE E T O F B R AH M AN — V I S H NU AS T HE S U P RE M E G OD
—T HE SVETASVATAR A U P ANI S H AD —P AN T HEI S M T H E
C REED OF V ED IC LI T E R AT U RE .

T has been claimed by some that the U panishads

are devoted to the wor ship of the one G od — the
—
Supreme who bears the name of th e H ighest Self
Brahman But here again as in other portions of the
.
,

Vedas the monothei s m upon closer examination seems

, , ,

to be simple pantheism I n other words there is only

.
,

one Being in the univer se and that is the universe ,

itself
. This being is al s o th o ught of as the one U n i
versal Soul with w hich all existing material substances
,

are identified and into which the souls mu st be ulti

,

mately merged .

“ ” “
This says Williams is t h e pantheistic doctrine
, , ,

everywhere traceable in some of the more ancient

U panishads I t is Often wrapped u p in mystic lan
.

guage and fantastic allegory but in the Oh an dogy a ,

U pani shad i s found the f o llowing simple

CONFE SS ION OF F AI T H .

‘
Al l thi s universe indeed is Brahma ; from him does
114
1 16 TH E ANCI EN T B O OK S OF IND I A .

to be great indeed becau se withou t being eaten he eats , ,

even what is not food ”

I t is claimed that though .
1

mortals see him not he see s an d kno w s them H e is ,

.

the god who a s V ayu swallo ws all the g o ds but pro:

, , ,

duces them again and who swallo w s d uring sleep all ,

s enses but produces them again at t h e time of waking

,
.

TH E FE E T OF B R AH M AN .

S a t ya k am a ,
a religio u s student is said to have r e ,

ce ive d the f o llowing exp o siti o n s of the feet o f B rah

man from a bull from fire ( Agni ) fr o m a flamingo
2
, , ,

“
and f rom a diver bird respectively The bull of , .

the herd said to him I will declare t o

you one foot of Brahman The eastern
region is one quarter the western region is one quar ,

ter the southern region is one quarter the n orthern

, ,

region is one qu arter Thi s is the fo o t o f Brahman .

and called Pr a k a s a va t ( en d o wed with splendor ) He .

who know s thi s and meditates o n the fo o t of Brah

man con si s ting of four quarter s by the n ame of Prak ,

a s a va t become s en dowed wit h splen d or in this world

, .

H e conquers the resplendent w o rld s wh o ever knows ,

this and meditate s on the f o o t o f Brahman c o n sisting

Of four quarter s by the name of Pr a k a s a va t
’ .

“
After these words of the bull S a t y a k a m a on the ,

morrow drove the cows to ward t h e h o u se o f the teacher ,

and when they came towards the evening he lighted

a fire penned the c o w s and sat down behind the fire
, , ,

lo o king toward the east Then Agni ( the fire ) said .

1 Ch an U pa —
4 3
M u th f B hm ppl i
. .
, .

2 In t h e mC od e of an e na e o ra an is a ed to t h e su
—B
~

p m B i g w h i l B h m i ll d th
re e e n t e ra a s ca e e cr e a o r of th e u iv
n e r se ra h
( th Hi g h t S lf) b i g th ut f m
,

man e es e e n e ne er or .
 T HE M ONO T H EI S M O F T H E U P ANI S H AD S . 117

to him ,
I will declare u nto you one foot
of Brahman T he earth is o n e quarter ,

the sky i s one quarter the heaven is o n e quarter

, ,

the ocean is one q u arter This is the foot of B rah

.

man con sisting Of four quarters and ca lled Ananta

, ,

vat ( endless ) H e who knows this and meditate s on

.

the foot of Brah man by the name of An a n t a va t b e ,

comes endle s s in this world H e conquers endless

.

w o rlds whoever know s this and meditates on the foot

,

of Brah m an con s i s ting of f o u r quarter s by the name ,

of An a n ta va t ’ .

“
After the s e word s of Agni S a t y a k a m a on the m o rrow
,

drove the cows onward and when they came t o wards,

the evening he lighted a fire penned the cows

, ,

and sat down behind the fire lo o king toward ,

the ea s t T h e n a H a m as a ( flamingo meant for the

.
,

su n ,) fl e w near and s aid t o him ; I will

declare u nt o you one foot o f B rahman
F ire is o n e quarter the su n is one quarter the m oon
, ,

is o n e quarter lightning is o n e qua rter

, This is the .

foot of Brah man con s i s ting o f fou r quarters calle d ,

G y o t ish m a t ( fu l l o f light ) H e wh o know s this and

.

meditates o n the foot of Brahman c o nsisting of four

quarter s by the name Of G y o t ish m a t becomes full of
, ,

light in this w orld H e c o nquers w orld s which are

.

f u ll of light whoever kno ws thi s and meditates o n

,

t h e foot of Brahman con s i s ting o f four quarters by the

’
,

name of G y o t ish m a t .

“
After the s e wo r d s of the H a masa S a ty a k a m a on ,

the morro w drove the c o w s on w ard and when they ,

came toward s evening he lighted a fire penned the cows , ,

and sat down behind the fire looking toward the ea st ,

.
 18 T HE ANC IEN T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

Then a diver ( bird ) flew near and said to him ,

I will declare unto you one foot o f Brahman

Breath is one quarter the eye is o n e quarter , ,

the ear is one quarter the wind is o n e quarter This , .

i s the fo o t of Brahman consi sting of four qua rt ers and ,

called Ay a t a n a va t ( having a home ) H e who knows .

this and meditates on the foot o f Brah man consisting ,

of four quarters by the name o f Aya t a n a va t becomes

, ,

possessed o f a home in thi s world H e c o nquers the .

worlds which o ffer a h ome wh o ever kno ws this and ,

meditates on the foot Of Brahman consisting of four ,

quarters b y the name of,

V I S H NU AS TH E S U P RE M E GO D .

Vishnu especially in the P u r a nas is often addressed

, ,

as the Supreme G od who i s described u nder all the ,

d ifle r e n t f o rms Of this deity O nly a fe w years since .

,

one of the finest literary men in I ndia commenced a

paper with an earnest invocation to the “
H eavenly
B o ar ”
. I n this form it said that his feet were the
Vedas his t usk s the sacrificial stakes ; h is teeth were
,

the offerings ; h is mouth was the pyre his tongue was

the fire ; his hair wa s the sacri ficial gras s ; the Sacred
texts were his head ; his eyes were day and night ; his
ears were the two bundle s of Kusa gras s ; h is earrings
were the two end s of those t w o b undles Of Ku sa grass ;
h i s n ose the C lari fied butter ; his snout was the ladle of
oblations The L ord the C reator the great
Y ogin —plunging int o the one ocean from love of the
, ,

world—raised up by the edge of his tu sks the earth

1 Ch an U p a , 4 th P p 5—
ra 8 Kh an

l d f b v
. . .
.
,

2 In t h e ch a r a cte r f
o
“
or o a s tr a ct m e d i tat i on ”
Si a is ca ll e d Yo g i n .
1 20 TH E ANCI E N T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

F ire ( the sky ) is his head ; eyes the sun and moon ; h is ,

the quarters his ears ; h is speech th e Vedas di sclosed ;

, ,

the wind his breath ; his heart the universe ; from his
, ,

feet came the earth Brahman the highest

.

immortal H e who knows this 0 friend scatters

.
, ,

the knot of ignorance here on earth .

PAN T HEI S M TH E C REED OF V ED I C LI T ER AT URE .

I t appear s therefore that

, monotheism of the
, th e
U panishads represents the Supreme Being in the most
repellent forms and also that the great underlying
,

principle of U panishad theology is one o f the cardinal

doctrines of H ind u teaching viz pure pantheism , .
, .

“
As golden bracelets are in substance one
With g o ld so are all visible appearances
, ,

An d each distinct existence one with Brahma .

This pantheistic creed is traceable even in the R ig

veda and it gather s force all the way down the stream
,

of H ind u literature The U panishad s both ancient

.
,

and modern teach the same doctrine I t is r e ech oed

, .
-

by b oth of the great epic p o ems an d finally presented ,

in the strongest color s amid s t the endless mythol o gies

,

and theogonies Of the Pur a nas Thu s the Vedic creed .

u pon thi s s ubj ect is s implified into a belief in the unity

of all existing bei n gs But while thi s d o ctrine is

.

everywhere traceable in H ind u literature we find side ,

by side with it in all their later w orks a pantheon

c o ntaining three hundred and thirty milli o ns of deities ,

m any Of them engaged in t he m ost terrible conflicts

with one another .

1 M u nd a k a U p a .
, l st Kh an .
 CH AP TER I X .

C OSM OG ON Y .

B
A S URD T H EO RI E S —E xTR AC T FRO M C H AN D O G Y A U P AN

I S H AD — C O S M OGONY O F M AN U — A D AY O F B R AH M A
—S LEE P OF B R AH M A AN D I TS RE S UL T S —R E C RE A
T IO N — LE NG T H O F B R AH M AS LI FE —T H E S ER P EN T
’
SE S H A — TH E N AG AS O R S ER P EN T D E M ON S — D E AT H
O E B R AH M A— RE P EAT ED C RE AT ION S — T H E W I LL O F

B R AH M A IN DE ST RU C T I B ILI T Y O F M ATT E R EVO L U

T IO N AN D P AN T H EI S M — CO S M O G R AP HY OF T H E M A
H A B H AR AT A AN D T H E P U R AN As —TH E LE NG T H OF A
-

K AL P A — T E ACH ING O F T HE R AM AY AN A — C RE AT ION

B Y V I S H NU — CO MPARI S ON B E T W EEN CO S M OGON Y O F
T H E V ED AS AN D O T HE R ANCIE N T W RI T ING S — TES
TI M O N Y O F B ARON v o N H U MB O LD T M O S AI C
CO S M O G ONY .

H E various cosmogonies the H ind u s are so absurd

Of

i n their the o rie s and so contradict o ry in themselve s

, ,

that the historian s hrink s from the repetition o f them .

But j u stice has no choice ; her d eci s ion s are inevitable ,

and the onl y fair verdict that can be rendered mu st

come fr o m an examination of the books themselves .

H ence we give
,

AN E X T R AC T FRO M T HE C H AN D OG Y A U P ANI S H AD ,

in relati o n to
’
the theory of the sun s origin
12 1
12 2 T HE AN CI EN T B O O K S OF INDI A .

1 .
“
Aditya ( the sun )
B rahman ; t his is the doc is
tr ine, and this is the fuller account of it : I n the begi n
ning this wa s non exis tent I t became existent—i t grew
- . .

I t turned into an egg ; the egg lay for the time of

a year ; the egg broke open The two halves were .

one of silver the other of gold ,

.

“
2 The S ilver one became this earth ; the golden
.

one the Sk y ; the thick membrane ( of the white ) the

, ,

mountains ; t h e thin membrane ( of the yolk ) the ,

mist with the clouds ; the small veins the rivers ; the ,

fluid the sea

, .

3 “
An d what was born from it
.
? That wa s
Aditya the sun W hen he wa s born shouts of hu rrah
,
.

arose and all beings arose and all things which they
, ,

desired Therefore whene ver the sun rises and sets

.
, ,

shouts of hurrah arise and all beings arise and all , ,

” 1
thing s which they desire .

CO S M OGONY OF M AN U .

This mundane egg is a little differently p resented

by Manu .

The collected wisdom foun d in his laws represents

the u niverse a s first existing in darkness as if immer s ed ,

in sleep T hen the Self existent having wille d to

.
-
,

produ ce various beings from his own sub stan ce first ,

with a thought created the waters and placed upon

them a producti ve seed or egg Then he himself wa s , .

born in that egg in the form Of Brahma , N ext he .

,

cau sed the egg to divide itself and o u t of its two ,

divisions form ed the heaven above and the earth b e

neath Afterwards having divided his own substance
.
, ,

P p
.
1 4 th ra .
, 1 Kh a n
12 4 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F IND I A .

years of his life the sum total of his existence bein g

,

years a number quite beyond the ,

ordinary comprehen sion D uring these intervals of .

creation he is supported on the thousand heads of

T H E S E R P EN T SE S H A .

F or this reason the N a ga s or serpent demons are ,

held sacred in I ndia A particular day is devoted t o

.

them and a fe s tival is k ept in their honor ab o ut the

,

end of July The lower regio n s are s uppo sed to be

.

peopled with serpent s all of the m having j ewels in

,

their head s The never failing imagination of the

.
-

H ind u has furni shed names for all the chiefs of the
s erpent tribe and the se are s uppo s ed to rule over the
,

s nakes on the earth as well as those in t h e lower

regions .

DE AT H or B R AH M A .

At the close of the enormous periods presented a s

’
the sum of the hundred years of B rahm a s life B rahm a ,

himsel f expires and with him the other g o ds when

, ,

every form of the w o rld has been resolved back to pri

mary matter or primary spirit according to the d ifi e r
, ,

ent theories of various phil o sophies .

RE P E AT ED C RE AT ION S .

But the H ind u mystic is n ot long left without a

world Similar causes again produce s imilar results
.

and the whole pr o gramme of creation is repeated Thus .

the whole universe flu ctuat e s between existence and

non existence throughout the ages o f eternity
-
.

I n the Ch an dogya U panishad it is said that I n

“
 CO S M OGONY . 12 5

the beginning there was the mere state of being—only

one with o ut a sec o nd I t w ille d ‘
I Shall multi .
,

ply and be born ’ I t created water T he water willed

. .
,

‘I shall multiply and be born ’ I t created aliment . .

Therefore whenever rain fall s mu ch ali ment i s pro

,

d u ce d .
‘
That deity willed E ntering these three divin ,

ities I shall develop name and

T H E W ILL OF B R AH M A .

An explanation the mod e in which the will o f of

B r ahm a o perate s seems never t o have been attempted

, .

H e wills creation to be and it is ; still various schools , ,

Of I ndia seem t o u nite in according to matter the

property o f eternal exi stence and al s o clai m that it is ,

indes tructible—the mo s t o f the B in d fi sage s having

adv o cated the d octrine of ex n i h i lo n i h i l All of these .

s ch o o l s agree in advo cating the infinity and eternal

succession of creati o n and t h e periodical di s solution ,

and reorganization of the world .

E V OLU T ION AN D P AN T HEI S M .

At times these book s teach instead of a creation a ,

sy s tem o f ev o lution in its cleare s t type F ir st there .

,

w a s s imple matter then being sprang out of non being,

-
,

and finally Brah ma became the u niver s e Says Pr o f . .

D u ncker Brahma acc o rding t o the Ved a nta

, ,
“
is the ,

o n e eternal self existent essen ce unutterable an d u n

-
,

changeable I t devel ops i nt o the w o rld and is thus

.

creative and created As milk curdle s as water b e .

,

”
comes snow and ice Brahma congeals w ith matter , .
2

l Ch a n . U pa .
, 6 2,
- ’
Wil li a m s tra n s .
2 Hi s t . of An ti q .
, Vo l . I V, p . 300 .
126 T HE ANCIEN T B O O K S OF I NDI A .

CO S M O G R AP HY O F T H E M AH A B H AR AT A -
AN D T HE
BU R AN AS

The cosmography which is taught in the Mah a b h a -

ra t a and afterward s adopte d by the Pur a na s divides

, ,

the earth into seven concentric circles or ri n gs each ,

of which is surrounded by a circumambient ocean o r

belt which separate s it fr o m the next ann u lar continent
,
.

The first ocean is a sea of salt water ; the second is

compose d of the j uice o f the sugar cane ; the third of ,

wine ; the fourth o f clarified butter ; the fifth of , ,

curdled milk ; the sixth o f s wee t milk ; and the seventh , ,

of fresh water I n the center of this vast annular sy s

.

tem a mountain called Meru rises to the height Of sixty

four thou sand mile s .
ll

These seven circu mambient worlds are supposed to

re st on the thousand heads of the s erpent S e sha which ,

support the Supreme Being in the intervals between

the creative acts and which als o support the worlds ,

w hich are created at the commencement of each

Kalpa or two billion one hundred and sixty millions
, ,

of years .

I t is claimed in the R a m a yana that th e earth is

supported on the heads and backs of s ixteen immense
elephant s ; eight Of the s e are males and eight are
female s I n order t o be explicit the names of the ele
.
,

p h a n t s are given an d it is said that when one

2
of them
shake s his body the m o ti o n produces earth qu akes .

H ence it is fair to suppose that if they all happened

,

to shake their b o dies at the same time a universal ,

earthquake would be the re sult .

1 Vi h s . Pu r . W ’
i l s o n s tr a n s ,
p . 166
.
2 Ind W i s
.
, p . 430 .
,
128 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A
“
.

bowing l o wly they prai sed the stern eyed upholder -

of
1
the earth .

CO MP ARI S ON B E TW EEN H IND U CO S M OGONIE S AN D

O T H E R ANC IEN T W RI T ING S .

The s e w ild the o ries and cosmog o nies illu s trating

the ab s urditie s o f the human imaginati o n pre sent a ,

sta rtling c o ntra s t t o the books of G enesis and Jo b ,

which were written at a much earlier date I n d irect .

proportion t o the devel o pment o f s cience the admira

tion of s cien t ists has been challenged for these primi
’
tive w o rks The w o nderful accuracy of Job s allu si o ns
.

t o phy s ical laws made a po w erful i mpre ssi o n up o n the

m ind of Bar o n Von H umb o ld t w h o expresses himself ,

as foll o ws
T E ST I M O NY OF B ARON VO N H U MB OLD T .

“
Similar views of the C osmos o ccur repeatedly in
t h e P s alms and m o st fully perhaps in the 37 t h chapter
of the ancient if n o t ante M o s1ac bo o k of Jo b
, The -
,
.

meteor o l o gical proce sse s which take place in the atm o s

p h e r e,
the f o r mati o n and s olution o f vapor acc o rding

to the changing direction o f the wind the play of its ,

c o lor s the generati o n o f hail and the r o lling thu nder

, , ,

are all described with individualizing accuracy An d .

many questi o ns are pr o pounded w hich we in th e pre s ,

ent s tate o f phy sical kn o wledge may indeed be able ,

to expre ss u nder m o re s cientific definiti o n s but s carcely ,

t o an s wer s ati sfactorily I n all the modern lan guages

.

int o w hich the bo o k o f Jo b h a s been tran slated its ,

images drawn from the natural s cenery of the E ast

1 Vi sh . Pur
-
.
, W ’
i l so n s tr a n s ,
p . 63 .
 CO S M OG O N Y . 129

leave a deep impression upon the m ind .

‘
The L ord
walketh on the height of the waters ; on the ridges of
the w ave s towering high beneath the face of the
wind ’. An d we s ee the pure ether spread during
the s c o rc h ing heat Of t h e so uth wind as a melted
”
m ir i OI o ver the parched de sert l .

M O S AI C CO S M O GONY .

The M o sia c de s cription of creation h a s been the

marvel o f Science ever since she h a s been able t o co m
prehend it .W ith a fe w bold o utline s an d graceful
touches the hi st o rian h a s given with fearless hand a
,

co s m o g o ny that has en d ured for age s the m o st s earch

ing light of investigation I t w a s w ri tten in a primi
.

tive age when the crude st idea s w ere entertained in

,

’
regard to nature s la ws and general ignorance prevailed
with reference to their cau s e and interpretati o n F or .

three thou sand years it h a s been exposed to attack at

every point and h a s been te sted by every discovery of
man . I t h a s been challenged by the revelations of
ge ol o gy chron o logy and hi st o ry
, , I t h a s been ques .

t i o n e d by fo ss ils from the depths of the earth and by

the star s w hich gleam in the midnight heavens But .

the rec o rd stand s to day unimpeached in the e stima

-

ti o n o f the grande s t minds Of earth We find in .

the past the te s timonie s of her Kepler B acon and , ,

N ewt o n of her Prie stley and Bre ws ter of her D ana

, , ,

Vo n R itter Mitchell and a ho s t o f o thers w hile the

, , ,

ablest scienti sts o f t o day are found in the same ranks

-
,

bringing glad tributes t o t h e same great tru th .

The c o sm o gonies o f I ndia and E gypt of Assyria and ,

l C o sm o s, Vo l . II , pp . 56 5 9,
-
’
O t te s t r a n s .
1 30 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I NDI A
.

Persia of G reece and R ome and of the isles of the

-

, ,

sea s have been canvassed in vain for satisfactory expo

,

sit io n s of physical law .

The sublime sentence “

I n the beginning G od
crea ted the heaven s and the earth stands forever w i th
out a rival in literature I t is the closed gate way b e
.

tween the illimitable past and th e long aisles of earthly

time I n the dim vi s ta beyond it lies a silence as pro
.

foun d as the primeval darkne s s that rested on the face

of the deep I n a few brief s entences is given a
.

graphic description of the great cycles of time during ,

which the stars were lighted and the earth was born .

“
An d the earth was without form and void ”
H ow .

long ? The question is rolled backward through the

halls o f time but it s ech o e s bring no answer
, C hr o .

n o l o gy has tried in vain t o measure these cycles and ,

geology has opened her rock bound pages but her -

,

“ ”
clear cut inscription s tell not of the beginning
-
G od .

wrought alone in tho se grand periods but tide and tor ,

rent restless s u rge and burning mountain were H is

, ,

agents At la s t through the unvarying laws of na

.
,

’
ture s G od a finished globe with sunlit vales and snow
, ,

crowned m ountains with silvery stream s a n d peacef u l

,

hills rolled in its orbit whi l e the morning stars sang

,

together and all the sons of G od shouted for j oy .

 32 T HE A NC IEN T B OO K S OF IN DI A
,
.

1Verily in the beginn i ng all thi s w a s s elf — one

.

on ly there wa s ; nothing el se blinking ( living ) what

s oever .

“
2 H e thought ‘S hall I send forth worlds ? ’
.
,

H e sent for t h the s e w orlds :

“
3 Am b h a s ( water )
. mari h i ( light ) and mara , ,

( mortal ) .

“
4 That Am b h a s ( water ) i s above the heaven ; and
.

it is heaven the s upport ,

The m a r ikis ( the lights ) .
,

are the sky The Mara ( m o rtal ) is the earth and the
.
,

waters u nder the earth are t h e Ap ( world ) .

“
5 .
‘
H e thought There are these world s ; shall I
,

send forth gu ar d ian s o f the world s ? ’ H e then formed

the Purusha ( the pers o n ) taking him forth from the
water .

“
6 H e brooded on him and when that person had
.
,

thu s been brooded o n a m outh burst forth like an ,

egg . F rom the m outh proceeded speech ; fro m speech ,

Agni ( fire ) .

“
N ostrils burst forth ; from the n ostrils proceeded
scent ; from s cent air ,
.

“
E ye s bu r st forth ; from the eyes proceeded S ight ;
from S ight Aditya ( sun ), .

“
E ars burst f o rth ; from the ears proceeded hear
ing ; from hearing the D is ( quarters of the world ) .

“
Skin burst forth ; from the Skin proceeded hairs ;
from the hair s Shrub s an d trees The heart burst forth ;
, .

from the heart proceeded mind etc He , .

thought ‘There are the world s and the guardians of

,

the worlds L et me send f o rth food fo r them

.
’ He .

brooded over water F rom the water thus brooded on

.
,

matter wa s born t hat verily was food .

 T H E O RIGI N O F M AN . 1 33

When thi s f o o d had been sent f o rth it wished t o flee ,

crying and turning a way H e ( the s ubj ect ) tried to

.

grasp it by Speech I f he had gra sped it by speech

.
,

man would be satisfied by naming food H e tried to .

grasp it by s cent I f he had gra sped i t by s cent

.
,

man would have been satisfied by s melling food H e .

tried to gra sp it by the eye I f he had gra sped

i t with the eye man would have been satisfied b y
,

s eeing food .H e tried t o gra sp it w ith the ear

I f he had grasped it w ith the ear man would ,

have been satisfied by hearing food H e tried to gra s p .

it by the Skin I f he had gra sped it by the

S kin man w o uld be s atisfied by touching fo o d
, H e tried .

t o grasp it by the mind I f he had gra sped

it by the mind man would have been satisfied by
,

t hinking of f o od H e tried t o gra s p it by the down

.

breathing breath which helps to swall o w food by breath

,

ing through the mouth H e got it H ence .

man is satisfied only by the eating o f f o od .

1

These endle ss vagaries are pur sued t hrough a wilder

ness of literature apparently w ith o ut th o ugh t or purpose
, .

“
V ayu the getter is then repre sen t ed as saying :
, ,
H ow
”
can all thi s be with out me ? and t hen he thought
“
By what way shall I get there Then opening the
sutu re of the Sk u ll he got in by that door and found
there were three dwelling places for him viz : the eye ,
.
,

the throat and t h e heart

,
.

When born ( that is when the H igh est Self had

,

entered the body ) he looked through all thing s in o r

,

der t o see whether anything w i shed to proclaim here

1 Ai ta r e y a Ar a n II , 4 , as .
1 34 T HE AN C I E N T B OOK S OF I NDI A .

another ( Self ) H e saw this person o nly ( h im sel f) a s

.
~

the widely spread Brahman Thi s verse is un der

stood to mean that the Self looked carefully around
in order to learn what there w a s which might pro
claim another self ; and w hen he saw there was noth
ing which did n ot come from himself he rec o gnized ,

the fact that the pers o n which he had created wa s the

developed Brahman the Atman — in other words him
, ,

self Aga in we are taught that

.
,
“
E very man is in
deed like an egg ; there are two halves of h im This .

half is the earth ; that half heaven An d there b e , .

tween the m is the ether ( t h e space o f the mouth ) like

the ether between heaven and earth I n thi s ether .

there ( in the mouth ) the breath is fixed as in that ,

other ether the air is fixed An d as there are those .

luminaries ( in heaven ) there are the se luminaries in

man As there is that sun in heaven there is this eye
.
,

in the head As there is that lightning in the sky

.
,

”
there is this heart in the body The half of man .
1

which represents the earth i s t hat part from the feet

to the lower j aw a n d the part which represents heaven
,

is the intellectual part found between t h e upper j aw

and the skull .

RECON ST RU C T IO N OF M EN AT TH E EN D OF E ACH K AL P A .

C reated beings al t hough destr o yed in their individ

,

ual forms are,

never exempted fr o m t h e consequence s
of their acts ; for whenever Brahm a creates the world
anew they are at the mercy o f his will either as gods , ,

men animals, , or inanimate things Brahm a being de .

s irons at one Of these periods Of creating god s de ,

1 Ai t a r e y a , 2 , 4- 1 .
1 36 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F IND I A .

estranged from t h e world they were not desirou s of prog ,

“
eny. When Brahm a perceived th i s he was filled with
w rath capable of consu mi n g the three w orlds ; the
flame o f h is anger invested like a garlan d heaven ,

earth and hell Then fr o m h is f o rehead darkened with

, .
,

angry frowns sprang R u d ra radiant as the n o ontide sun

, , ,

fierce and of vast bulk and of a figure which was half

’
,

male and half female ‘Separate your self commanded

.
,

Brahm a . Obedient to the command R u dra imme ,

d ia t e l y disj oined his t wo natures and became twofold .

H is male bei n g he again divided into eleven persons ,

of whom some were agreeable and some were hideou s ;

some were fierce and some were mild o f di sposition .

H e also multiplied his female nature manifold some of ,

them being o f fair complexion an d othe r s very dar k ,

”1
or even black .

D E V OLU T IO N .

The U panishads also teach that the lower animals

are descended from man and seem to claim that degen ,

e r a cy is easier than improvement The doctrine that .

t h e lower animal s are the direct descendants of man is

taught in the f o ur th B r a hmana and al so in the H pan
ish a d s from which we quote as follows :
,

I n the beginning there was Self alone i n the

shape o f a person ( purusha ) and looking around he saw ,

nothing but his Self H e wi shed fo r a second H e

. .

then made this his Self to fall in two and thence arose ,

husband and wife .

Then men were born and afterward the brute cre ‘ ,

l Vi sh Pu r
-
Wil ’
so n s t ra ns p 50
.
, , . .
 TH E ORIGIN O F M AN . 1 37

ati o n whose origin from degenerate man is e xpressed in

,

“
the m ost explicit terms She became a cow .

hence co w s were born They then became one .

hoofed animal s and one hoofed animals -

were born They became goats and goats ,

were born They became s heep

and sh eep were born and thu s he

created every t hing that exi sts in pair s even do w n t o ,

the ants ”
I n t his quo t ation the u niversal doc
.
.

trine of pantheism is pre s ented in the foll o wing words

“
H e knew I indeed am t hi s creation for I created
, , ,

all this H ence he became the creation an d he who

.
,

”
knows this lives in his creation l .

I n intimate connection this doctrine of d evo lu w ith

ti o n we find Prof Wils on qu oting the s tatement of the
, .

C o mmentat o r M a d h wa w h o as s ert s that in the co m p il ,

a t i o n of his own work he c o n sulted eight other com

m e n t a r ies one of which wa s written by a monkey and
, ,

’
Prof Wilson s comment upon the statement is that
.

While t he H ind u di spu tant may believe in the reality

of su ch a compilation y e t we may receive its citation ,

as a proof that M a d h wa w a s n o t very scrupulous i n

the verification of his
There is a story in H ind u literature o f a great drama
in fourteen acts compo sed by the monkey chief H an
,

uman but it i s claimed that thi s was n o t preserved

, ,

because Val m i k a feared that it w o uld cast h is poem

( R a m a ya n)
a into the shade Theref o re the generous ape .

who wrote it threw it into the sea .

We read too in the R a m ayana o f the ourang outang

, ,
-

1 Up a n i sh a d s, P a rt 2, pp . 85 , 86 2 Wi l so n , Vo l VI .
, p . 49 of In t .
1 38 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

wh o l ive d on the bank s of L ake Pampa .H e is Su

gr i va the king of the m onkey s with whom R a ma
, ,

makes an alliance . Several of the m onkey generals

are mentioned and a wonderful feat in bridge building
,

by the privates of this strange army is recorded .

I f th e H ind u s believed tha t th e m onkeys wrote com

m en t a r i es in the days of M a dh wa and dramatic poem s
in t h e time of Va l m i k a that they commanded armies
,

and built bridges as recorded in the R a m a yana we

, ,

cannot wonder that they feel that the theory of e vol u

—
tion is working the other way th at degeneracy and
not development is the law of nature so far at leas t as
,

the quadrumanous family is c oncerned ; a n d yet we find

a certain class o f the natives of I ndia advocating the
claims of th e S a nkhya philosophy .
 40 T HE ANCIE N T B OO K S O F INDI A .

M a nn eve ry act and every thought produces

either goo d or evil fruit and the various transmigra ,

tion s of men are the result of the i r conduct up on

earth A threefold alternative is presented to the soul
.
:

it may pass through deities through men or through , ,

beasts and plants I t will go through deities if good

.
.

ness p redominates in its nature ; through m e n i f it is

ruled by p assion through beasts a n d plants if it dwells
still lower in the moral scale E ach of these three .

degrees of transmigration has three sub degrees The -

.

highest a n d first is Brahm a hi m sel f and the lowest is ,

either a vegetable or a mineral But souls in these .

latter forms may ascend through various insects fish , ,

reptiles snakes tortoises etc

, ,
“
L et the man who
, .
1

has renounced the world reflect on the transmigration

of m en caused by their acts ; o n their downfall into
hell and their torments in the ab o d e of Y ama ; on
their formation again in the womb and the glidings of
”
the soul through ten millions of other wombs .
2

A passage in the Sa t a p a t h a br a h mana is quoted by -

Weber and D r Muir asserting that in a future state

.
,

animals and plants will revenge up o n men the inj urie s

and dea t h received here The ab sence of all memory
.

of wrong done an d indeed of all consciousness of a

,

former existence d oes not appear to the H in d u a s

,

any obj ection to this creed which has been handed do wn

to him through so many generati o n s altho u gh mythol ,

o y claims to record cases w here men were gifted with

g
the power of remembering former exi stences .

The U panishads which contain the doctrinal teach

ings of the Vedas have n o t by any mean s neglected the
1 M a n n , 1 : 2 -40 .
2 6: 61-63 .
 M E T E MP S Y CHO S I S . 14 1

d o ctrine o f metemp sycho si s w h ich forms so imp o rtant ,

a part of the H ind u faith Thi s doctrine i s found and

.

mo s t enthu siastically taught in the very first of the

series .

DO C T RI NE OE THE C H AN D O G Y A U P ANI S H AD .

Thi s b o o k belonging to the Y aj ur veda h a s s u p

,
-
,

plied the most imp o rtant material s fo r w hat is called

the Ved a nta w hich is the end the purpose and the
, , ,

highe s t Obj ect of the Veda .

This U pani shad teaches that after vari o us change s ,

the bodies of th o se wh o have perf o rmed good works

are turned to w ater ; so that w hen a man is dead and
h is body burned the water fro m the body ri s e s up w ard
,

w ith the smoke and carrie s him to the mo o n where he ,

enj oys the fru it Of h is g o o d w o rk s as l o ng a s they la s t .

When lik e the Oil in the lamp they are consumed he

, , ,

is obliged to return t o a new round of existences .

When b o rn he ( man ) lives whatever the length

O f h i s life may be When he has departed his friend s
.

carry him a s a p p o m t e d t o the fire from whence he ,

”
came an d from when ce he sprang .
1

“
1. Th o se who kn ow thi s a n d tho se wh o i n the ,

fore st f o llow fai t h and austerities g o t o light ; from

light to day fr o m day t o the light half of the mo o n
,
:

from the light half of t h e moon t o th e Si x m o nth s

when the sun goes t o the north ; from t h e six month s
when the sun goe s to the north to the year ; from the ,

year to the sun ; fr o m the su n to the moon ; fr o m the

m o on to the lightning There is a person not human
. .

1 sth P p
ra .
, 9 th Kh an .
142 TH E AN CIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

2 H e leads them
.
“
to Brahman ; this is th e pat h
of the D evas .

“
3 .But they wh o living in a village practice
sacrifices work s Of p ubl ic utility and alm s they go t o
, , ,

the s m o ke ; fr o m sm o ke to night ; fr o m night to the

‘
dark half of the m o on ; fr o m the dark half of the
mo o n to the six months when t h e sun goes to the
south ; but they do not reach the year .

4 “
.F rom the m o nths they go to the world of the
fathers ; fr o m the world of the father s to the ether
from the ether to the moon That i s So m a the king .
, .

H ere they are l o ved ( eaten ) by the D evas ; yes the ,

D evas l o ve ( eat ) them .

5
“
.H aving d welt there till their good work s are
consumed they return again the way they came to the
,

ether ; from the ether to t h e a i r Then the sa cr ifice r .

having become air he becomes smoke H aving become

, .

s m o ke he becomes m i st
,
.

6 “
.H aving bec o me mi s t he bec o me s a cloud ; ,

having bec o me a cloud he rain s do wn Then he is , .

born as rice and corn h erbs and tree s and be ans , , , .

F rom thence the e s cape is beset with mo st difficu l

ties fo r wh o ever the per s on s may be w h o eat the
,

fo o d and beget offspring he henceforth bec mes like ,

o

u nt o them .

“
7 .Those whose conduct has been good w ill
q uickly attain to some g o o d birth But those wh o se .

conduct has been evil w ill quickly attain to an evil

b irth —the birth o f a d o g or a hog , .

“
8 .On neither of these t wo way s those small creat
ure s ( flies and worms ) are con t inually retu rning of ,

whom it may be said they live and die Theirs is a '

, .
1 44 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

shad but as a definite puni shment for certain evil

,

deed s w hich they hav e committed They remain in .

that state until the con s equ ence s of their evil deed s
are pa st when they as s ume a new bo d y lik e ca t e r p il
, ,

lars The s e guilty ones retain a consci o usne s s of these

.

S tates and o f the act s which caused them t o a s sume

the particular body which they w ear .

Thi s is not the case w ith tho s e w h o in their de ,

scent from the mo o n pa ss through the same vegetable ,

forms ; fo r while in their ascent t o the m o o n they are

conscious they l o se thi s consciou sne ss in coming d own
, .

Otherwise a man wh o by h is g o od works deserved r e

,

wards in the mo o n w o uld suffer while c orn is being

ground the very torture s o f hell and the o bj ect o f ,

good w o rks as taught by the Veda would be defeated

, , .

As a man wh o is made unconscious by a severe blow ,

so it is wi t h s ouls in their de s cent until they a re ,

born again a s men and thu s get a new start toward

l
the highe st Brahman .

H IND U EX P L AN AT IO N O F I NE Q U ALI T I E S O F FO R T UNE .

T he p opular the o ry is t h a t e v
'
e r y being mu st pa s s

through eighty four lakhs of births a lakh being one

-
,

hundred th o u sand making a grand t o tal of eight mill

,

lion four hundred th o usand birth s fo r every human

,

being By thi s doc t rine the H ind u s ea sily explain

.

all inequali t ies of fortune an d all diversities o f char

acter The f o rtunate are s uppo sed to be enj oying the
.

benefits of their g o o d deeds in a former life while ,

the unfortunate man however virt u ous he m ay be is , ,

being p unished fo r former misdeed s E ven intellect .

1 Up a n i sh a d s , Pt I ,
. pp . 81- 83 .
 M E T E M P S Y CHO S I S .

ual strength or ability in a n y given direction is sup x

pos e d to have been acquired by careful training in s ome

previ o u s form Of exi stence and t o have been cultivated ,

through million s o f previou s b o dies D isease is looked .

up o n as a legitimate pu ni s hment n o t fo r d isobedience ,

’
to nature s law s bu t for so me s i n committed in a pre
,

vi cus s tate — a murder o r the omis s i o n of some pen

,

ance or some act o f disrespect t o ward the priestho o d

, .

S IN S AG AIN S T C AS T E OR P RIE S T HOO D RE CEI V E

TH E TH E

G RE AT E S T P UNI S H M EN T .

I t is n o ticeable ho w ever that the ecclesiastical s in s

, ,

and o ffen s es against caste are more severely puni shed

than the crime s again s t morality F o r instance if a .
,

man s teal s grain he w ill be b o rn a m o u s e ; if he steals

,

bras s he w ill be born a gander but if a Br a hman neg

,

lect s h is o w n app o inted ca ste he w ill be born a vomit ,

eating dem o n I f a K shatriya vi o late s the rules o f h is

.

caste he will be born a dem o n feeding on excrement and

, ,

dead bod ie s I f a Vai sya is guilty Of the s ame O ffen s e

.
,

he w ill be co me a dem o n feeding o n putrid carrion

, .

No C RI M E B ECO M E S A S I N T O A B R AH M AN I F T H E
W O RD S O F T HE RIG V E D A B E RE M E MB E RED
-
.

But there is n o crime so hein o u s that it cannot be

f o rgiven provided o nly the crim inal is a prie s t and r e
,

tain s his caste remembering the sacred text H ence .

,

it is said in the C o de o f M a n n “
A B r a hman by r e ,

taining the R ig veda i n h is mem o ry incurs n o guilt

-

th o ugh he Sh o uld de str o y the inhabitant s o f the three

“
worlds a nd even ea t food f r om th e f ou les t g ri nds
,
.

1 B o ok I I, 26 .
 CH AP T ER X II .

R E W AR D S AN D P U N IS H M EN TS .

I MM O R T ALI T Y OF T HE S O U L — H E AV E N ON LY A S T E P
P ING S T ONE To H APP INE S S — E X P E RIENCE O F T H E
-

F AI T HFUL HIN D U — TH E H E AV E N O F IND R A —T H E

H E AV EN O E V I S HN U —FU T U RE P UNI S H M EN T —TW E N
TY ONE H ELL S — V IC T I M S S E E T H E I NH AB I T AN T S O F
-

H E AV EN —T R AN S M IG R AT IO N O F S IN NER S .

HE urvival o f the s o ul after the death o f the

s
’
b o dy is every w here implied ; but M a n n s d o ctrine
i s that if a man h a s b ee n w icked the so ul is cl o thed
in a body c o mp o sed o f c o ar s e an d i mpure element s ,

which g o e s with it int o hell ; whereas if he has been ,

virtu o u s the so ul is i n ve s ted with a lu minous and

,

ethereal b o dy c o mp o sed o f the purer element s o f air

,

and fire and this b o dy g o e s w ith the righteou s s oul

,

into heaven .

A place of reward and punishment is indeed very

’
neces s ary for the pr o per compensation Of man s conduct ,

but neither the re ward o f heaven nor th e puni shment

of hell acc o rding t o the H ind u theology is full e f
, , ,

fe ct u a l o r final
,
.

HE AV EN O NLY A S T E PP ING S T ONE

-
TO H APP INE S S .

The heavens Of t h e H ind u sy stem are o nly steps o n

the road to complete happiness and the hells though , ,

146
 TH E AN CIE N T B O OK S OF I NDI A .

I n the beautiful wave s of the ageless river he shak es

off his good and evil deed s and receive s the crown ,

of eternal y o uth The g o od deeds here di sposed of are

.

bequeathed to his beloved relati ves w ho are to receive ,

the benefits arising from them while his u n fortunate ,

relatives who are not beloved receive the full value of

, ,

his transgre s sions .

H e approache s the beautiful tree I lya and the Odor ,

of Brahman reaches him H e approaches th e great .

city and finds there the flavor of Brahman

,
H e then .

approaches the magnificent palace and the Splendor o f ,

Brahman greets him H e approaches the spaciou s

.

hall and the glory o f Brahman meets h is eyes

,
He .

finally come s to the great throne and the r o yal couch ,

where he finds B rah man him self who catechises him ,

very carefully and h is answers b eing sati s factory b e

, ,

stows the whole Brahman world up o n him .

1

H E AV EN OF I ND R A .

The beautiful heaven o f I nd ra is s upposed to be sit

u a t e d up o n the very s ummi t o f M o unt Meru which is ,

the centre o f the earth and many thousand mile s in

height H ere the heavenly gard en s are fo u n d planted
.

with luxuriant tree s which are bu rdened w ith delici o u s

,

fruit s .The fragrant gr o ves are haunted with fairy

nymphs wh o se face s and f o rms are visi o ns of l o veline ss
, .

L ow s weet s train s o f mu sic are b o rne upon the air

, .

The city of I ndra is eight hu ndred mile s in circumfer

ence and f o rty mile s high I t s pillar s are o f diam o nds
.

and its palace s are O f pure gold The air is laden with .

the rich perfume of the rose c o l o red flowers of the -

1 K a u sh i t a k i Up a n i sh a d , 1 -3 .
 RE W ARD S AN D P UNI S H M EN T S . 14 9

the beauty of which h a s br o ught it the name

C a m a l a ta ,
’
o f L o ve s C reeper by thi s delicate flower all wi s hes are
’
granted to t h e inmates of I ndra s heaven .

TH E HE AV E N OF V I S HNU .

The home o f Vi shnu is built entirely o f g o ld an d is

’
mu ch larger than I ndra s being eighty thou sand mile s
,

in circumference Th e cry s tal w aters o f the G ange s

.

fall fr o m the higher heavens upon the head o f S iva ,

and fr o m there int o the hair of the s even sage s from ,

w hich they de s cend t o the earth and f o rm a river On .

a thr o ne o f w hite l o t u s bl o s so ms s it s Vi shnu an d h is ,

wife L ak s hm i be sid e him She is radiant w ith the S ple n

.

d o r o f preci o u s st o ne s and the s w ee t perf u me of her

,

body extends eight hu ndred m ile s .

FU T U RE P UNI S H M EN T .

R ealizing that thi s is a subj ect w hich attracts uni

ver sal intere s t the H ind u phil o so pher s have elabor
,

ated it very exten s ively They have pro vided ample

.

acc o mmodation s fo r S inners o f all cla sse s a n d degree s in ,

t wenty o n e hell s o f various descripti o ns each o f which

-
,

is pr o vi d ed with an unpr o nounceable name in addition

to o ther h o rr o r s .

The names and number o f the s e places of pun

i sh m e n t vary with different auth o r s the Vi sh nu ,
”

pur a na and al so the Bh agavata gi ving a li s t o f

t w en t y eight in s tead o f twenty o n e
-
The names Of-
.

the se places o f pu ni s hment a s tran slated are : 1 st ,

darkne ss ; 2 d complete d arkne ss ; 3d

, place of ,

h o w ling ; 4 t h place o f much h o wling ; 5 t h thread

, ,

of time or death ; 6t h great hell ; 7 t h re st o ring

, ,
150 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S OF INDI A ..

to life ; 8 t h wavele ss ; 9 t h burning ; l oth parch ing ;

, , ,

1 1 th,
pre ss ing t o gether ; 1 2 th raven s ; 1 3t h bud ; , ,

1 4 th, s tinking clay ; 1 5 th ir o n spiked ; l 6t h frying , ,

pan ; 1 7 th r o u gh or uneve n r o a d s ; 1 8 t h th o rny sal

, ,
‘

mali tree ; 1 9 th flame river which h a s a fearf u l odor

, ,

an d is full of blo o d ( it i s a t o rren t o f h o t water car

r in
y g bones h air, and other ,refu s e in its c o ur s e
)
2 0t h t h e sword leaved fore st ; 2 1 s t ir o n fetter s
,
-
, .

This enu merati o n i s fr o m the in stitutes o f Vi sh n u .

“
The Pur a na has al so the f ollowing detail s : Men
when they die are b o und with c o rd s by the s ervant s o f
King Tartarus and beaten with stick s and have then
, ,

to enc o unter the fierce a spec t o f Y ama and the hor ,

r o r s o f their terrible r o ute I n the different hell s there .

are variou s int o lerable t o rt u re s with burni n g s and fire , , ,

machine s and weapon s

, S o me are severed with saws .
,

some r o a sted in forges some are ch o pped wi t h axes , ,

so me buried in the gr o und some are m ounted o n ,

s takes so me
, ca s t t o w i l d beast s to be d ev o ured s ome ,

are gnawed by vulture s some t o rn by tiger s s o me are , ,

b o iled i n oil s o me r o lled i n cau stic S lime so me are

, ,

precipitated fr o m great h eig h t s so me are t o s sed ,

u p w ards by engine s The number o f puni shment s

.

”
inflicted in hell i s in fin i t e , There i s al so a d e scr ip .
1

tion of the Krishna a black hell a red h o t ir o n hell , ,

-

which appears to have been prepared expre s sly for trai

t o r s and h o r s e dealer s a swine hell which is pr o vided ,

for wine drinker s and fo r th o s e w h o a ss ocia t e w i t h

“ ”
them and the hell o f pincer s fo r th o s e wh o vi o late
,

”
vows or break the rule s o f their o rder The se hell s .
,

say the Pur a n a a n d in d eed hun d red s and th o usands of

,

l Vi s . Pu n , W ’
il so n s t r a n s , p . 640 .
15 2 TH E ANCIEN T BO OKS OF I ND I A .

I n these variou s changes there is sometim e s a curi

o u s con s i s tency F or in stance a man wh o h a s st o len
.
,

perfumery becomes a mu sk rat ; o n e who has stolen -

grain bec o me s a rat one who has stolen water becomes

a water fowl ; one wh o has st o len h o ney becomes a
-

gad fly ; one w h o has st o len meat becomes a vulture ;

-

o n e who has stolen O il becomes a cockroach ; o n e who

has stolen linen becomes a frog etc etc etc , .

, .
, .

When the evil d o er s have underg o ne all these trans

-

migrations and pa ssed thr o ugh variou s animal b o die s ,

they are b o rn as human being s with th e f o ll o wing ,

marks indicat i ng their crime : A criminal o f the high

‘
est degree h a s lepro sy ; a killer of B r a hman s pulm o n ,

ary consumption ; a drinker o f spirit s black teeth ; a ,

malignant informer an offen sive breath ; a stealer o f

,

food dy spep s ia ; the breaker o f a c o nvention a bald

, ,

head Af t er the s e change s and a multitude o f o ther s

.

f o llows a li s t of p enances co m p r i sm g many page s .

1

H aving briefly presented the character and teaching

of the U panishads with c o rrelative testim o ny fr o m other
w ork s we shall n o w c o n si d er a m uch m o re fa s cinating
,

department o f San s krit literatu re F oll o wing the U p a n .

i sh a d s chr o n o l o gi cally c o me the E pics of t h e H ind us a ,

very important divi s i o n of their literature The R a .

m ayana an d the Mah a bh a rata are the t w o great p o em s

-

of I ndia and al t h o ugh by n o mean s hi st orical fr o m a

,

E uropean point o f view they comprise nearly all of ,

history that we have fr om H ind u so urces .

l I n s ti tu te S o f Vi sh .
, pp . 1404 4 9 .
 C H AP T E R X II I .

TH E R AM AY AN A .

ON E OF T H E S ACRE D E P IC S o r I NDI A—T HE L AND OF

T H E HI ND U —TH E R AM AY AN A AN D T H E ILI AD
H ELEN AN D s i TA—H EC T O R C H AINE D To T H E C H AR
I O T W H EE L— FUNE R AL HO NO R S P AID To H AV AN A
AG E OF T H E R AM AY AN A—TH E S ANC T I T Y O F T H E
P O E M— AU T HO R OF T HE W O R K—B AS I S OF T H E P O E M
—LE NG T H OF T HE R AM AY AN A .

HE land of the H in d u the natural birthplace of

is
p o etry and song The great H im a laya s with rai
.
,

ment of cloud and r o be o f sunlight seem to commune

,

with the star s that cr o w n w i t h radiance their snowy

b r o w s ; in their w ild crags are t h e silvery f o untains of
th e river s w hich fla s h and sparkle thr o ugh forest a n d
vale. The G anges the bride o f the heavens receives
,
“ ”
,

in her cry stal tide the sin s of her pe o ple and bears
them away bet w een her fl o wery banks The w ild swan s .

fl o at amid the lotu s bl o ssom s up o n her bosom and the ,

g azelles come down to s lake their thirst at her sacred

b rink .

The tropical forest is darkened w ith the shad e of

l o fty trees and perfumed w ith the od o r of a th o u sand
bl o s soms The lo n g deep gra s s and feathery fern s are
.
,

ki ssed here and there by the s tray s unbea ms that find

their way between the glo ssy leave s of dense thickets ,

15 3
15 4 TH E A NCIEN T B OO K S O F IND I A
.

and the dreamy song of the kokila is borne on the

air .

The wide plains are illumined with the dazzling

flowers of the cactus an d the s nowy wreath o f j essa
m i ne blossoms wh ile here and there the sweet lime tree
.
,
-

and feathery acacia wave their delicate b o ughs in the

sunlight and the o range groves u nfol d their pearly cups
,

of rich perfume .

D elicate bu tterflies float Slowly away on the fra grant

air and golden bee s nestle amid the rose petal s and
,

revel in life and beauty .

D own by the gleaming shores of the ever sounding

sea the white cre s ted wave s c o me marchi n g in ; with
,
-

song and p salm and chanted prai s e they c o m e and the ,

children of the wildwo o d hear i n their wave s the song

of the se a nymphs and see in c o ral gr o ve s the h om e
-
,

of the ocean queen So they bring o blation s to the.

fair godde ss Of the sea w h o is robed in azu re and pearl

, ,

with garlands of scarlet flower s in her heavy hair and

her sno wy h and s gleaming amid s t the d arkling waves .

Above the mou n t ain crest and beyond the silvery

sea i s t h e changeful sk y of crim son and gold—o f a m e
“
t h y s t and azure which is to them the
-
Mantle o f
I ndra ”
Whether this radiant mantle is tinted w ith
.

the r o sy light of morning or gilded with the golden ,

gl o ry of noon or fla shing wi t h diamond s in the hall s of

,

night it receive s the earnest adoration o f the w o r ship

,

ers. They bring their oblation s to the m o rning light ,

their s o n gs o f prai se to the g od of day an d their rever ,

ent thank sgiving t o the silvery so ma that illumines

the night The imaginati o n o f the H ind u h a s l o ng
.

been cultivated by the beau tiful scenes aroun d him ,

 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

The I ndian E pics so m etime s lay aside all delicacy

and give the mo st revol t ing particular s Of ancient leg
end s b ut the R a m ayana S hows far m ore hu manity t o a
,

fallen foe than d o es the I liad .

The duty of returning g o od for evil which had been ,

s o clearly taught in a previous age is well illu strated in ,

1

the character o f R a ma wh o ordered elab o rate funeral

,

h o n o r s t o be paid t o h is c o n qu ered foe .

I n striking contrast with thi s s cene is the barbarous

picture so vividly de scribed in the I liad when the dying
H ector pleaded w ith h is foe
By thy o wn soul by th o se who gave thee breath
,

By all the sacred prevalence o f prayer ,

Ah leave me n o t for G recian dogs to tear !

,

The common rite s of sepulture be stow ,

’ ’
To s o o the a father s and a mothe r s w o e .

L et their large gift pr o cure an urn at least , ,

’
An d H ector s a she s in his cou ntry rest ”
.

But the furiou s G reek w h o is almost glorified by ,

H omer degrades h is o wn manh o o d and taunts the dying

,

man with insult

N o wretch accursed relentless he replies

, , ,

( F lames as he sp o ke shot fla shing from his eyes

) ,

N ot th o s e who gave me breath shoul d b id me spare ,

N or all the sacred prevalence Of prayer ;

C ould I my self the bl o ody b anquet j o in .

N o —to the d o gs that carca ss I re sign .

Shoul d Troy to bribe me bring f o rth all her store

, , ,

An d giving thousand s offer thou s and s m ore , ,

l Ex . xx iii : 4 , 5 ; 2 d S a m x vi . : 12 ; P v xxv
ro . : 2 1 , 22 .
 T H E R AM AY AN A . 15 7

Sh o uld D ardon Priam and h is weeping dame ,

D rain their whole realm to buy one funeral flame ,

Their H ect o r on t h e pile they should n o t see ,

”
N o r rob the vultures of one limb of thee .

The fu neral pyre Of R avana wa s adorned with

wreaths of flowers and co stly j e wel s at the command
of the victor w hile the body of the gallant H ector
,

was chained to the chariot wheel o f Achilles and

dragged around the wall s of Troy in full View of his ,

aged father and br o ken hearted m o ther -

.

Purple the gro un d and streak the sable sand ,

D efamed di sh onored in his native land

,
.

An d the wh o le ci ty one face of w oe w ear s ,

N0 le ss than if the rage o f h o stile fire s ,

F rom the foundati o n s curling to her spires ,

’
O e r the proud citadel at length should rise ,

An d the last blaze send I lion to the skies ”

.

AG E O F T H E R AM AY AN A .

Quite a difference of Opinion prevails among schol

ars in relation to the age of thi s work D ows o n and .

! S H Monier William s claim its earlie s t origin to be about

“
5 00 B C
. .and William s speaks of
, the be g inning of
the third century B C a s the time of the first orderly
”
. .

completion of the w ork in its b r ah m a n iz e d form H e .

also as signs a porti o n of it to the early centuries of

-
.

our own era .

Prof Weber claims th at it belongs to the begin

.

1 Ind W i s
.
, pp . 319 , 32 0 .
 58 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

ning of the C hristian era after the operati o n of G reek “

influence up o n I ndia had already set in ”

.
1

The noted I ndian scholar K a Sh in a t h Trimbak Te ,

lang in a note on the R a m ayana s ays

,
“
The received ,

chronology refuse s t o all o w t o the b u lk of cla ssical

literature an antiquity o f m ore than eighteen centuries ,

” 2
if so much .

But while t h e r e is a variety o f Opinion on the sub

'

je ct it
, s eems to be well establi shed that the w ork b e

long s t o an age s ubsequent t o t h e I liad and thi s fact ,

‘
in c o nnection w ith the s triking similaritie s o f the t wo
p o em s certainly gi ves s o me w eight t o the o pini o n o f
Prof Weber that the I ndian poets really borrowed idea s
.

from H omer .

TH E SA C RE DNE S S OF TH E P OE M .

The R a m ayana is held t o be one o f the m o st sa cred

of all the H ind u pr o du ction s L ike o ther work s of .
3

the s ame cla ss it b o ldly lay s claim t o s upernatural

,

“
p ower s declaring that
,
Wh o ever read s or hear s the
R a m ayana will be freed fr o m all sin Tho se
who read or hear it fo r the s ake of riche s will cer
t a in l y acqu ire w ealth The R a m ayana heal s .

disea se s rem o ve s all fear o f enemies compen sate s for

, ,

the l o ss of wealth or fame prevent s l o s s o f life and , ,

.

s ecures all that is de s ired The mere utterance Of the .

name of R a ma is equ al in religi o us merit t o the giv

'
ing of a hundred ornamented cows to a B r alrm a n or ,

1 Sa n s L it p 19 4 2 In d An t Vo l iii , p 267
u v f ll k l
. . . . . .
, . . .

3 Th e Hi nd s, wh o a re th e d e o te d o ow e rs o f R a ma , ac now e d g e

tw o b i bl es i n two d i ff t v i
ere n ers ons of th e g r e a t E pi c th e o ne by Va l
by T u l i d
,

m i ki a nd th e o t h e r as -
a sa .
 B AS I S OF T HE R AM AY AN A .

Prof William s and J Ta lb oy s Wheeler think th a t

. .

it may have s o me f o undation in fact ; that at so me

early peri o d so o n after the settlement o f the Ar y a n
race s in the plains o f the G ange s a b o dy o f invaders
,

headed by a b o ld leader may have at t empted to f o rce

their way int o t h e penin s ula o f I ndia in which ca se ,

the heroic expl o i t s o f the chief w o uld naturally become

the theme o f so ng and t h e her o him self would be de
i fie d
. Pr o f Weber claim s that t h e w o rk is purely a l
.

l e g o r ica l being based upon the S ingle hi st o rical fact

,

of the s pread o f Aryan civilizati o n t o ward the s o uth

and the feud s c o nnec t ed there w ith Be thi s as it may
.
,

we have in t h e R amayan a a ma ss o f l iterature whi ch ,

al t h o ugh radiant w ith O riental c o l o ring is a wilderness ,

of myths and extravagant fables .

LENG T H OF TH E PO E M .

Thi s interminable I ndian E pic con s i s ts of t w enty

f o u r th o u s and sl o ka s o r ver se s but even thi s s tate
, ,

ment d o e s n o t give u s an intelligible idea o f the

f o rmidable v o lume s thr o ugh which it lei su rely wan
der s I ts literary value w o uld be greatly increased by
.

conden sat i o n F ew bu sy pe o ple o f m o dern time s w o uld

.

find time t o read it in it s present f o rm even if it ,

p o sse ssed the marvelo u s properties which are a scribe d

t o it . We theref o re give briefly in the f o ll o wing
chapters the principal st o ry o f t h e poem which is ,

here pre sented in a s imple style of narration .

 C H AP T ER X I V .

TH E S TOR Y OF TH E R AM AY AN A .

AYO DHY A— D ASAR ATH A AN DV M EDH A —T H E

T HE AS A-

CONCL AV E OF T H E GO D S — P LE A M AD E To B R AH M A
REFE RRED To V I S H N U —H I S H O M E I N T H E S E A OF
M IL K — RE Q UE S T G R AN T E D — TH E B I RT H O F R AM A
-
T H E B o w O F SI V A — M ARRI AG E O F R AM A — R AM A
APP OIN T E D Y U VA R A J A K AI K E Y i K AU SAL Y A
-

S i TA— TH E F ARE W ELL S — T H E DE AT H O F T HE R AJ A

—B H AR AT A .

HE o pening s cene o f thi s fa s cinating I ndian

r o mance i s laid in the an cien t city o f Ay odhya ,

which in m o der n ti me s i s called O ude B e a u t ifh l ly

.

Ay o dhy a
’
s ituated up o n the bank s o f the river S a r a y i i ,

w a s in o lden ti me s o n e o f t h e m o st magnificen t citie s

o f H ind u s t a n
. But the great s cythe o f t i me h a s s w ept
her gl o rie s a wa y leaving o nly a pitiful s cene o f ruin
, ,
.

E ven t h e name o f her ri ver h a s been changed w hich ,

n o w s w eep s al o ng i t s c o ur s e u nder t h e name Of G o gra .

She w a s the cap ital o f the great raj o f K o Sa l a w hich ex,

tended fr o m the G o gra to the bank s of the G ange s .

But lit t le i s n o w kn o w n o f thi s fertile king d o m The .

raja s w h o g o verned it clai med t o be de s cendant s o f

the s u n and hence they w ere called th e s olar king s
,
.

H i s t o ry claim s that the ancient Ay o dhy a W a s a city

of consi derable imp o rtance but the vivid imagination
,

161
 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

of the H ind u p o et h a s made it a dream of fairyland .

I n the R a m ayana it is repre s ented as being built e n

tirely o f large an d well arranged h o u ses while the
-
,

s treet s were c o ntinually c o o led w ith stream s of running

water . I ts temple s w ere richly dec o rated with go ld

and gems and i t s s tately palace s lifted their great
,

d o mes toward the heavens like the cr o wn s of the dis

,

tant mountain tops .

I t s park s w ere filled w ith tropical flowers and

shaded here a n d there w ith mas sive tree s Bird s o f .

bright plumage darted like flames through the heavy

f oliage C ry stal f o untains sparkled in the air and on
.
,

the quiet p o o l s bel o w th em the white l o tu s bl o ssoms ,

fair daughter s o f the m o on rai sed their fragrant cup s

,

in rich pr o fu sion O n the bank s of the great river

.
:

the stately plantain tree s drooped with golden fruit ,

and the mag no lia s l o aded the air with th e rich odor of
their cre amy bl o sso m s .

T he whole city sh o ne in splend o r and w aved its

gorgeo u s banners o n the fragrant breez e and strains ,

o f riche st mu s ic mingled w ith t h e t wanging Of bow

strings and the l o w C hanting o f Vedic hymn s .

The city w a s enc o mpa ss ed w ith great w all s which ,

were se t with j ewel s and her t o wer s and the p o rti

,

coe s ab o ve her gate s w ere filled with archers E very .

part of the city wa s guarded by her o e s who w ere as ,

s trong as the eight g o d s that rule the universe and ,

v igilant as the many headed s erpents who w atch at

-

the entrance o f the regi o n s belo w .

There w a s n o p o verty within her gate s but every ,

merchant o wned s t o rehou se s, which w ere filled with

j ewel s . There were n o mi s ers n or thieves nor liars
, ,
1 64 THE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

and by night I n the midst of the palace wa s the

.

throne which was set w ith preci o u s st o ne s The palace

,
.

it self was guarded by thousand s o f warriors wh o were ,

as fierce as flames of fire and as watchful as the lions

which guard their m o untain den s .

D ASAR ATH A AN D TH E AS A- V M E DH A .

In th e
midst of all this magnificence there lived a
childles s king Da Sa r a th a Alth o ugh de s cended from
, .

the sun h is line threatened to bec o me extinct fo r

, ,

there was no heir to h i s royal thr o ne h is beautiful ,

city and h is fertile kingdom

, H e was a perfect .

charioteer a royal s age and famous thr o ughout the ‘

, ,

three world s fo r h is virtues and h is magnificence H is .

kingd o m wa s in spected by h is spies as the sun in

sp e ct e d it by its ray s but th e great Da Sa r a th a f o und ,

in it all n o di sloyalty o r disobedience The raj a r e .

solved to perform the great As va m e d h a sacrifice in -

l

or der to pr o pitiate the god s and obtain a so n So the .

long cerem ony wa s begun and t h e rajas fr o m all the

surrounding kingdom s came to attend the sacrifice .

Thousands of pries t s were feasted by themselve s the ,

most deliciou s viands were served t o them in dishes of

gold and silver and their attendant s were the w arrio rs ,

of the kingdom E ighteen sacrifi cial pits were pre .

l Th e h o r s e f o r t h i s s a cr i fi ce wa s t u rn ed ou t t o wa n d e r a t h is w i ll f or a

y ea r , f llo ow ed by a f a i th fu l p r i e st or p e rh a p s a a rg e odl b y
o f a tt e n d a n ts

y p p
.

If no one to uh
c ed h im d ui
r ng th e ea r of r e a r a t i o n , h e w a s co n s i d e r e d fi t

fo r t h e sa cr ifi ce , b nt i f h - e had b e e n ca ugh t a n o th e r h a d to b e t u rn e d l o o se

a nd p tp d I f t h fi t h p v d fi t
t h e ce r e m o n i e s os one e rs o r se ro e fo r th e o ff e ri n g ,

th y m pl t d l g p l imi y
.

wh en w ed thea r a s co e e a n e on re na r a rr a nge m en ts w e re
fi i h d th
n s ifi
e w p f m d w i th l m t d l
e s a cr ce a s er or e a os en e s s ce r e m o n i e s , w h i ch
p u p ly m d v y d i ffi u l t d t d i u N uld p f m
,

w er e r o se a e er c an e o s o one co er o r

x p t B h m wh iv d m u gi ft i tu
.

th m e e ce ra a n s, o r e ce e en or o s s n re f th i
rn or e r

vi
s er ce s .
 T H E ST O RY OF T H E R AM AY AN A . 1 65

pared in t h e f o rm o f the bird G aru da and the pit s ,

which repre s ented the w ings o f t h e bird w ere lined

w ith bricks of g o ld The king gave t o the priest s
.

a million c o w s o n e hundred million piece s o f gold

,

and f o u r b u n d i ed milli o n pieces o f silver be s ides gen ,

e r o us pre s ent s t o the w h o le multitude Then the .

hor se and the bir d s and the animal s w ere duly s acri
fice d and the presiding prie st s pr o claimed t o D a Sa r a t h a
,

the welc o me ne ws :

F our s o n s , O monarch s hall be thine

, ,

U pholder s of th e royal line .

TH E CO N C L AV E OF TH E GO D S .

The g o d s as s embled at the sa crifice in o bedience

to the summons o f the prie st s wh o Sl o wly chanted ,
:

F or you has D a Sa r a t h a
lain s
)
The v o tive S te ed a so n t o gain
, .

Stern penanc e rite s the king h a s t ried ,

An d in firm faith on y o u relied ”

.

H aving partaken of the f o o d furni shed them by the

offering and being pl e a s ed with the sa crifice they went
, ,

in a b o dy t o Brahm a t o intercede w ith him o n behalf

of the r a j a and t o pre sent a peti tion of their o w n
, .

The wh o le b o dy o f deitie s w ith the glori o u s I ndra

,

at their hea d pre sented themselve s at the heaven of

,

Brahm a and there beneath the g o lden d ome and b e

,

fore the throne o f w hite lotu s blos s o ms they pleaded

with their so v ereign to grant the petition of D a s ara
th a and al s o t o rid the w o rld o f the hide o u s ten
headed demon R a vana Wh o had long pe r Se cu te d the
, ,
1 66 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

gods and th e priest s destr oying the sacrifice s and

,

violating every law o f virtue and every principle o f

right
‘
.

The celestial band s t o o d before Brahm a in all their

beauty an d brightnes s s urrounded o n every s ide by a
,

ho st o f j o yous st o rm g o ds and w ith j oined hands ,

ch anted their petiti o n :

O Brahm a mighty by t h y grace

, ,

R a van w h o rule s the giant race

, ,

T o rments u s with h i s sen s ele ss pride ,

An d penance — l o ving s aint s beside .

F o r th o u well pleased in day s o f O ld

, ,

G ave s t the bo o n that makes him b o ld ,

That g o d s nor d em o n s ere sh o ul d kill

H is charm ed life fo r so thy will ,
.

’
We h o noring that high behe st ,

Bear all h is rage th o ugh s ore d ist r est

, d
.

That lord o f giants fierce and fell , ,

Scourge s the ear t h and heaven and hell .

Mad with thy b o o n h is impi o us rage ,

Smite s saint and bard and g o d and sage .

The s u n him self withhold s h is glow ;

The wind in fear f o rget s to blow ;
, ,

The fire re strain s h i s w o nted heat

’
Where stand s the dreaded B a van s feet ;
An d ne cklaced w ith t h e wand ering wa v e,
The se a bef o re him fears t o rave .

’
Kuvera s s elf in sa d defeat
I s driven from h i s bli s sful s eat
’
.

We see we feel the giant s might

, ,

’
An d w oe comes o er u s and aff right .
1 68 T HE AN CIE N T B O O K S O F IND I A .

p e a r e d, arrayed in garments of g o lden texture and

riding up o n his eagle st eed ( G aru da ) I n h is four .

i
han d s were the symbol s o f h po w er the Shell the
s — ,

mace the cakra and the l o tus while h is beautiful

, , ,

wife L ak shm i sa t u p o n h is lap

, ,
Then the assem .

bled g o d s fell up o n their knees bef o re him and im

l r e d him to d eliver them from the fatal p o w er of
p o

R a van a The great Vi shnu w a s gracious to h is noble

.

“
peti t ioner s and ans wered
,
Be no l o nger alarmed ;
your foe Shall fall bef o re my feet R a vana in his .

pride of p o wer did n o t ask Brahm a to preserve him

from men o r fr o m m onkeys fo r he deemed them b e ,

neat h h is notice B ut I w ill take advantage o f thi s

.

omi ssi on and cau se h is de structi o n by the very mean s

,

w hich he despi s e s I will m y self be b o rn as the so n

.

o f D a Sa r a t h a y o u ,
s hall a s s ist me by a ss uming the
f o rm of m o nkey s and t o gether we w ill o verthro w thi s
,

”
terrible enemy o f g ods and men Then the g od s r e
.

j o i ce d and sang the prai ses of Vi shnu a s they went

away to do h is bidding and were borne t o their homes

,

across the creamy billo ws of the sea of milk .

Y
R AM A .

S o o n after the conclave of the go ds had received

fr o m Vi sh nu a favorable an swer t o their peti t ion the ,

principal wives of Da Sa r a t h a b o re him fou r son s .

K a u Sa l y a w a s the m o ther o f R a ma and K a ik e y i the ,

’
mother of Bharata while S u m it r a became the m o ther
,

of two s o n s L a k sh m a n a wh o wa s al w ays the firm

, ,

friend of R a ma and S atr a gh n a who was equally

,
-
,

attached t o Bharata .

I t is claimed that when R a ma wa s b o rn he w ore a

 T H E ST O RY OF T H E R AM AY AN A . 1 69

crown se t with j ewels I n his ears were rings in the .

fo rm of crocodile s H e had four arm s and in each .

,

hand he held o n e of the symbol s of Vish nu A string .

of rubi es was ar o un d h is neck and a million suns and ,

mo o ns would hide their faces a t the sight o f his coun

t e n a n ce After expla i n i ng t o his 'mother his reas on for
.

a ssuming a human form he c o ncealed his fou r arms , ,

‘
and in the form of a human ba b e began t o cry When .

it wa s ann o unced in the s treets o f Ay o dhy a that f o ur

heirs were born t o the raj a the great city wa s filled ,

with rej oicing The happy father di stributed gener

.

ous gift s am o ng the pe Opl e , and received in re turn

their congratulations and prai s es F r o m every gate o f .

t h e city the j o yful n o te s of music rang out upon the

clear air and the hou s es were decorated with the

,

bl o ssom laden branche s o f the mango tree R a ma the .

,

beautiful b oy g i e w rapid ly toward manh o od and even

, ,

in h is childho o d became an expert archer I n early .

youth he w a s the be s t shot in the kingd o m and his ,

strength wa s such that everything he touched yielded

to the power of his hand s .

TH E B ow OF SI V A .

The raj a Janaka ; wh o ruled over a neighbori n g

pr o vince was the possessor of the wonderful h o w of
,

S iva This wa s s aid t o b e th e veritable bow with

.

w hich S iva had destro y ed the gods when he overturned ,

'
the altars and tore u p the grove s of D ak s ha becau se ,

l E a ch na tio n ha s an u nd o ub te d ri g h t t o i ts o wn id ea l b t th u e pe r
pp e b d t R m h d ly
,

so n a l a a r a n ce w h i ch is a scr i e o a a a r a cco r d w i th
s m od
ern id e a s o f b u ty H i p
ea t d bi g f
e s re re se n e as e n o
“
a ! b u ti f u l
ea l
co o r

li k g gl yh i d l g h
.

e ree n g w i th fi
r a ss , ne o ss a r an a ar e ea d H is no se wa s
l i k th p t hi l g m bl d p l
.

e a t o f th g e reen a rro s e s r e se e a n ta i n t r e e s, a nd hi s
f tw ’
,

red th e ri si n g

S
ee e re as su n .
1 70 THE AN CI EN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

D aksha having prepared a great sacrifice i nvited all

, ,

the gods t o the fe s tival except S iva an d h is wife But .

n o man could handle th e great b o w o r the heavy ar

rows o f the vind ictive god Janaka therefore issued .

a proclamation that he wh o could bend the bow Of

S iva should receive in marriage his beautiful daughter ,

Sita The lovelines s of thi s y oung girl had at

f

tracted raj as from all parts of the country to en ter

the contest for her hand but they had gone home in ,

dis may when they sa w the m a mmo t h bow The fa me .

’
Of S i t a s beauty had also reached the city of Ayodhy a ,

and R a ma determined to test his strength and win ,

if possible the lovely princess On e beautiful morn

,
.

ing he started wi t h L a k sh m a n a wh o was ever h is de ,

voted companion to the city of M it h il a where the , ,

raj a Janaka lived .

When they arrived an d the raja saw them he in ,

“
quired of h is attendant s Who are t h ose two young ,

men w h o are as maj e s tic as elephants as heroic as ,

tigers and as beautiful as the two ASvin s ?

,
”
An d 2

they an s wered They are the s o n s of Maharaj a Da s a

,

ratha and they come hither to inquire about the great

,

”
bow Then the raj a exhibited to h is royal guests
.

the great b o w with which S iva de str o yed the gods at t h e

s acrifice of D aksha and w h ich had ever since been ,

preserved in the royal house of M ithil a and wor ,

sh ip e d by devotee s .

t
I n l th t Si t
is w b
c a im ed
f th th d t
a f w m a as or n o e ea r an no o o an

k id th t d y wh il pl u g h i g th pl u g h h
.

Ja na a sa h w a one a e e as o n e o s a re

t u k i lv v l d t ki g i t t f t h g u d h p d i t
,

s r c a s er e ss e an a n ou o e ro n e O en e

d f u d b u ti f u l b b t h i w h m h d p t d
,

a n o n a ea hi w a e ere n , o e a o e as s o n

d ugh t
a er

v y u g d b u ti fu l w h id i g i g l d
.

Tw2 d iti o e e s, e er o n an ea o r n n a o en ca r

u d t h m i g f U h ( th d w ) T h y l ll d d i
,

a nno n ce e co n o s a s e a n e a re a so ca e

vi p h y i i
.

ne s c a ns .
1 72 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

nue a large corps of royal archer s rode u p on swift

h orses and the priests o f the royal household wer e
,

mounted upon elephant s W i th rich trappings and dec

orations All the trea sure s Of the king w ere also car
.

ried in a lo n g line of che st s which w ere d rawn by ,

elephant s T he raj a and h is h o u s ehold were m ounted

.

upon w hite elephant s and attended by dancing girls \

and mu sician s The great pr o ce ssi o n m o ved gaily o u t
.

Of the city amidst the rej o icing of the pe o ple and

, ,

wound its wa y sl o wly al o ng t o the city o f M it h il a I t .

'

was j oyfully received the raj a Janaka and h is c o urt

,

coming o u t t o meet h is royal guest wh o m he saluted , ,

saying to Da Sa r a t h a “
H appy am I thi s d a y and de
,

li vered from all distres s fo r by this alliance w ith your

,

royal line my family w ill be honored and pu rified .

On the Inor r o w when the two kings with their

priests and other attendants were assemble d the great ,

sage Va Sish th a recited to raj a Janaka the names of all

the an cestors of Da Sa r a th a an d Janaka repeated to his
,

guest the l o ng list of his o wn progeni t or s Thus the .

two royal lines w ere compared and the marriage wa s

decided upon Then Da Sa ra t h a retired from the s cene
.
.

and performed the great ceremony o f S r a ddha or o ffer ,

ing t o the ghost s o f h is ance stor s givi ng a great

, ,

nu mber of c o w s t o the officiating priests E ach co w .

had horn s of pure g o ld .

When the ceremonial night had passed away D a s a ,

rath a attended by h is f o ur s o n s all richly adorned

, ,

w ith j ewels w ent again t o the raj a Of M it h il a

, When .

they reached the ch amber o f th e g o d s where the cere

m ony was to be performed they found it draped o n ,

every Side with the riche st flower s of the tropic s .

 T H E S T O RY O F T H E R AM AYAN A .

There were great vases filled with the branches of

magnolia s wh o se white blo sso m s loaded the air w ith
,

their fragrance The pearly fl o wer s o f the o range tree

.

surro u nded its g o lden fruit c o ntra sting w ith the rich
,

green of its foliage The floor was carpeted with the

.

sacred k usa gra s s and the sacred fire w a s lighte up on

,
d
t h e altar where the homa c on secrated with mantra s
, , ,

was placed upon the flame While R a ma sto o d upon .

the ea stern side o f the altar Janaka led h is peerle ss ,

daughter t o the o ther s ide C ostly j ewel s studded t h e

.

folds of her w hite robe and glittered in the braids of

her dark h air Then raj a Janaka placed her hand in
.

that of R a ma and said to him This is my daughter ,

S i t a endowed wi t h every virtu e

, Take her hand in .

y o ur s, O so n of Da Sa r a t h a and sh e will ever attend

,

you like a shad o w Maintain her fo r life and be not

.
,

o ff ended if she c o mmit s a fault The bride was .

c o n s ecrated w ith holy water the trumpets s o unded an d ,

R a ma led her t hree time s around the sacred fire upon

the altar and performed all the ceremonie s according
to t h e H ind u law Then a S h o w er of blosso m s fell
.

up o n them from the heaven s a gd cele st ial m u sic was ,

heard in the sk y as the G andharva s or celestial

, ,

musicians played a sw eet and solemn wedding hymn

, .

After R a ma and h i s bride were taken to an inner

room her veil wa s re moved and he lo o ked for the fir s t
, ,

time up o n her l ovely face H er large dark eyes Were

.

veiled with heavy la shes and cas t d o wn in the presence

o f her lord w hile her crims o n blu s he s lighted up with
,

new beauty her s oft gol den complexi o n As R a ma .

to o k h is trembling bride i n h is arms and ga z e d upon

‘

her girli s h form a great love was born in his heart for
,
 '
1 74 TH E ANCI EN T B OO K S OE I NDI A .

the woman upon who m he now looked for the first time .

H er ruby lips were pre ssed with a warm and eager

’
ki s s which was at on ce a lover s tribute and a hus
,

’
b and s Offering An d she the timid girl felt the brave
.
, ,

heart of her hu sband b eating against her o wn and ,

ne stled I n h is b o som like a trembling bird that h a s

,

found a refuge from th e st o rm .

The next morning after the marriage of R a ma the ,

raj a D a Sa r a th a and h is family took leave of Janaka ,

,

w h o caressed his daughter S i t a and l o aded her elephant

w ith val uable present s The splendid tro o ps of archer s
.

and the great retinu e of horses and elephant s with their

rich trappings were made ready and amid s t the s t rain s ,

of j o yous music the proce ssi o n set o ut fo r the capital

city o f D a Sa r a t h a C o uriers had announced their
.

approach and up o n their arrival they found Ayodhy a

,

adorned with banners and decorated with flower s The .

air was filled with t h e clangor o f trumpet s and th o u ,

sand s o f pe o ple thronged the gate s to w elcome their

king the heir apparent and h is beautiful bride After
, , .

‘
a great fea s t t o the mu sician s and the warri o rs the ,

dancers and the s in ger s the prie sts and the kinsmen
, ,

they were dismi ssed w ith rich pre sents and th e royal ,

party entered their own apartment s wi t hin the beautiful

palace .

R AM A APP OIN T E D Y U VA R AJ A -
.

It the cu stom for the heir to the throne to r e

wa s
ce i ve the app o intment o f Y uva r a ja that he might -
,

a ss i s t in the management of the affa ir s o f s tate even ,

during the life of the raj a This arrangement intr o

.

d u ce d the young prince to his life work and at the ,

 T HE
’
ANC I E N T B O OK S OF I ND I A .

and auspiciou s ; prepare all things for t h e installation

of R ama as Y uva r a j a ”
Then all the chieftains and
-
.

t h e people rej oiced and great shouts went up from

the assembled multitu de But the raj a turned to .

Va Sish t h a a n d said O chief of sages it is proper

, ,

for you t o say w h at ceremonies shall be per

formed a t the installation of R a ma An d Va Sish .

“
t h a said to the servants of the king Prepare the ,

gold and the j ewels and the p u rifying bath of th e

gods the incense the garlands of white fl o wer s the
, , ,

parched grain the honey the clarifie d butter the

, , ,

insignia of r oyalty and all things nece s sary for the

,

installation of the Y uva r a ja and place them i n the -

,

house set apart for the s acred fire Provide als o .

, ,

abundance of food with curd s and milk for one hun

,

dred thousand priests and fill the golden po t s with ,

water from the sacred river s L et the Br a hmans be .

invited to attend and the throne be prepared and the

banners be elevated and let the m usician s and beauti
,

ful dancing girls gaily ad o rn ed fill the inner court ,

of the royal palace and let garlands of flowers be ,

placed in all the temples and beneath the sa cred

trees.

Th en Da Sa r a t h a said t o his c hosen counselor

Su m a n t r a
,
“
Bring hither the accomplished R a ma ”
.

S o R ama w a s brought to the great council hall of

the palace and descending from his royal chariot went
,

into the pre s ence o f his father and bowed himself at

his feet B ut the raj a clasped both the hands of his
.

son and drew him toward him and commanded a ,

lofty throne set with j e wels to be placed bef o re the

h eir app arent .Th en a ddr essin g his son he said ,
 T H E S T O RY OE T H E R AM AY AN A .

Al l men o we three great debts : the first to the

god s the sec o nd to the R i s hi s and the third to their
, ,

ancestor s . The fir st I have paid with sacrifices an d

cerem o nies ; the seco n d by learning the Veda s and
, ,

your birth h a s freed me fr o m the third I have now .

o n e wish remaining w hi ch y ou mus t n ot refuse Y o u

, .

are my elde s t so n born of my first wife and all my

, ,

chieftain s coun selor s an d subj ects are anxiou s t o se e

, ,

you up o n the throne I wi s h y o u therefore t o comply

.
, ,

with their re q ue st D o not hesitate because I am

.

alive for it has alway s been the rule Of my race fo r

,

the raja t o take his son t o the thr o ne when he gr o w s

Ol d
. To morro w is au spici o u s ; therefore to m o rro w I
-
,
-

will install y o u a s Y uva r a ja ”

An d R a ma bowed h is
-
.

head to the king and went a w ay to the apartment s

”

o f h is d ev o ted m o ther t o inform her o f h i s good for

tune befo re he began t h e ceremonies which were to

, .

purify h im for the m orrow .

K AI K E Y i .

The youngest and mo st be autiful wife of Da Sa r a t h a

w a s K a ik e y i the mo t he r of Bharata
,
H er heart had .

been burning w ith jeal o u s rage ever since the j o y and

’
fea st i ng o ver R a ma s marriage began The m a g n ifi .

cent pre sent s and t h e b e a u t ifu l w ife Of the heir appar

'

e n t had filled her w ith envy a n d n o w the great prepa

,

rati o n s to in stall him a s Y u va r aja made her re so lve t o -

defeat him if p o ssible She therefore retired to her

.

own apartment s t o w o rk o u t her w icked scheme She .

remembered that some year s bef o re w hen t h e raj a was ,

w o unded in battle sh e had nur s ed him tend erly and

, ,

in his gratitude he had promised her any two bo o ns

 78 T HE ANC IEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

A p i o m ise of th is kind is peen

’
that she might ask .

lia r l y sacred in the E a s t an d as she had never yet ,

claim ed it s fulfilment she felt that she now held the

,

key to the situation .

When the preparatory ceremonies w ere over the ,

king hastened to the apar t ments of h is beloved K a ik ey i ,

to give her the j oyful tidings and receive her con g r a t u

l a t io n s upon the accession of h is so n H e hurried .

along the hall which was decorated w ith peacocks and

,

made vocal with the songs of birds w here beautiful ,

vine s an d flowers twined around the mar b le pillars fil l ,

ing the air w ith t heir fragrance With a j oyful heart he .

entered a magnificent room w hi ch w a s as bright as the ,

southern sky beneath a mantle o f fle e cy cloud But he .

sa w only the magnificent appointment s of the room the

beautiful crea ture who had hitherto met him with her
s mile s wa s n ot there Then h is heart sank within him
.
,

for he longed to s ee her But the d o orkeeper said .

,

“
O h raj a of raj as the rani is in a great rage and she
, , ,

”
has fled to the chamber o f di spleasure .

Puzzled and grieved the king hurried t o the cham ,

ber o f displeasure and beheld h is beautiful rani lying

,

up o n the floor in so rdid garments

, H e caressed her
and tried t o arouse he r like one who awakens a sleep ,

“
ing serpent that will Sure l y cau s e h is death Why .
,

my beloved are you in the chamber Of displeasure ?

,

Why are you without ornaments and why do you ,

weep ? S urely I have never offended you by night o r

by day Say if y o u are ill that I m a y send fo r the
.
,

most eminent physicians o r if any one has offended ,

you that I may punish him according to your plea sure

, .

I will do whatever you command ; I will slay the inno

1 80 TH E AN C IE N T B OO K S OF I N DI A .

B a n da k a , lead the life of a hermit and to cl o the

l
to ,

himself in deer skin s and in the bark of tree s fo r four

teen years .

Wh en the raj a heard these fatal words he fell upon ,

the floor in h i s anguish like a majestic plantain tree ,

that has been prostrated by the wind .

Then K a ikey i said t o her self Af t er he has installed ,

Bharata I shall not be sorry for his death but now I ,

must bring him t o his senses fo r if he die s R a ma will ,

”
surel y receive the kingdom S O sh e called her attend .

ants to apply restorative s and at last he became again ,

sen sible of h is pain and exclaimed “

Am I tormented ,

with demons or have I l ost my rea so n ? ”

When he fully
remembered all that she had sai d he quivered in pain ,

like an an t elope in the grasp of a tigre s s but he felt a s ,

powerle ss in her vile pre sence a s a bird in the face of a

s erpent that has charmed it At la s t he recovered him .

self enough to exclaim Oh cru el wretch ! what has R a ma

“
, ,

done to you ? H e has al way s yielded t o y ou the same

reverence that he pays t o h is o wn m other ; why then , ,

are you bent upon h s ruin i ? Y o u the daughter of a ,

raja have crept in t o my h o u se like a venom o u s serpent

,

in order t o d e st 1 oy me Oh K a ik e y i ! have pity u pon an.

,

Ol d man w h o humbly supplicates you

,
Save my life by .

relinquishing your evil purpose Take j ewels instead .

take a th ousand cities or anything el se t hat will satisfy,

”
y o u , and he fell at her feet while he pleaded B ut the .

’
cold hearted wo m an replied
-
“
I am in p osse ssio n of my ,

s en s es : People call you truthf u l and it i s s aid that ,

y ou always adhere to your promi se The time h as .

Th i f s o re st i s d e s cr i b ed a s a te r r i bl e l
wi d e rn e s s i n f e s te d w i th w i l d a ni

ma l s a nd inh a bi t
ed by v sa a g e s or d emo ns .
 TH E S TO RY O F TH E R AM AYAN A . 18 1

c o me fo r you to gran t me the t w o favors that you

s w o re sho u ld be mine She was met w ith a t o rrent .
,

o f indignant reproach t o w hich she angrily replied by ,

accu s ing him of falsehood .

H e remembered h is oath and bitterly exclaimed ,

Oh K a ik e y i ! in what evil hour have I entered your

,

roo m ? I have been entrapped by my love for you as

a mou s e is entrapped by a bait The race that has .

descended fr o m t h e sun h a s hitherto been without

stain ; and I am the fir s t to pollute it N eve r before .

was it heard that a father s ent h is eldest son into exile

in o rder to gratify a caprici o us woman Be the co n .

sequence w hat i t may I shall place R a ma upon the ,

t hrone a s s oon a s it is m o rning But I fear lest R a ma .

s hould hear of my pr o mi s e Then he would vol u n .

t a r ily go into exile rather than send h is fa t her to a

’
liar s hell ‘ Oh K a ik e y i ! relinqui s h thi s cruel w i s h
.
,
'
What wil l the raj as sa y when I tell t hem that tortu red ,

by y o u I h ave given the kingd o m to Bharata and s ent

,

R a ma int o the j ungle ? The wh o le w o rld w ill abh o r

m e for the s ake o f the female w h o sends my beloved
s o n int o the f o re s t Oh K a i k e y i I fall at your feet ; .
,

be graciou s t o me But the evil creature replied “

. I ,

have three times repeated my reque sts and you r ,

pr o mise s mu s t be fulfilled o r I w ill take p o is o n in your

pre sence ”
Then an s wered the raj a
.
“
I rej ect yo u for ,

ever and y o u r so n Bharata I rej ect w ith y o u al t hough

, ,

l J Ta l b o y s Wh l e e e r re m a r l id
k s th a t t h e
“
gr e a t s tr e s s w h i ch i s h e r e a

u p th p f m p mi i m k bl f f t
.

on e f
er o r a n ce o a ro se s so mewh a t re ar a e, rom th e ac

th t it
a ly t ll i w i th t h h g w h i h h v b
s ca r ce a es f q u ly e c ar es c a e een so re en t

b u g h t f w d g i t t h t u th f u l
ro or ar f Hi d
a a N i th i i t q u i t
ns e r ne ss o n us
”
e er s e

f M u t h é ly i g i m
.

i t
co n s s e nt w i th th t h i g f th i d C d
e ea c n o e r s a cr e o e o an a n s so e

j u t i fi bl ( S M VIII 103 A im i l p pt u i
,

ti m es s a e ee a nn s a r r e ce o cc rs n

xp i ti i t h p i b d
. , ,

a no th i t d
e r a nc e n b t co e, u an e a on s e re r e s cr e .
 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

he is my son as well as your s While t h e king s till

.

lingered i n thi s chamber o f torture darknes s came

down upon him and he pa ss ed a terrible night of
ago ny a helples s raj a within his palace walls
, .

R E V EL AT IO N To R AM A .

The morning dawned clear and beautiful Bright .

banners and garlands o f fl o wer s saluted th e ri sing su n ,

and all wa s made ready fo r the great in s tallati o n of the

heir to the kingdom The g o lden throne was se t up
.

and covered with t h e whi t e can o py which was the ,

symb ol o f r o yalty .
’
The s acred t iger s skin the bow ,

and the cimeter and the sacrificial fire with t h e ele

, ,

h a n t s and the chariot s and h o r s e s were at hand The

p .

golden p o t s were filled with water fr o m t h e s acred

G ange s and surr o u nded w ith the fru it s and gorge o u s
,

flower s of the fav o red clime There t O O were the

.
, ,

prie s t s and the eight beautiful dam sel s to r ub tumeric

,

on the body o f the raj a ; there w a s the great white

bull girded w ith a g o l d en r o pe and the shaggy li o n
, , ,

and a multitu de o f m u s icia n s a n d t h o u sa n d s o f pe o ple

,
'

be side s t h e beautiful dan cing girl s .

At the ri sing of the su n t h e magnificent pr o ces si o n

filled the s treet l eading t o the palace and there t h e ,

pat ient people waited for the coming o f t h e raj a and

the excellen t R a ma Va SiS h th a reque s ted S u m a n t r a t o
.

so that R a ma m a y re
“
go and ha sten the Maha raj a -
,

ce ive the raj a s the m o on enter s the man s ion O f Pu s h

”
y a. S u m a nt r a j o yfully entered the palace and ap ,

r o a ch in g the curtain o f the d o o r he remained out s ide

p
of the apartment and saluted the raj a t hus : “
As t h e
ocean When illu mined by th e ri s ing su n give s pleasu re
184 TH E ANCI EN T BOO KS OF IN DI A .

’
ning him with peacock s feather s while her y o ung face ,

was lighted with l o ve an d happine ss Then Su m a n t r a .

delivered his me ssage and R a ma turned to S i t a with

,

the w ords ,
“
Oh divine one ! I w ill go at once to the
,

Maha raj a and y o u may remain here and amuse your

-
,

”
self w ith you r maids T he dark eyed wife followed
.
-

her lord t o the door s aying May the gods o f all the,

fou r quarters o f the u niverse pr o tect you May I ndra .

who wields the thu nderbolt Y ama the j udge of the ,

dead Varu na god of the water s and Kuvera the lord

, , ,
'

O f w ealth , guard you from harm ”

Then R a ma went .

gaily out wi t h S u m a n t r a and they a scended R a ma s ’

,

bright chari o t lined w ith tiger S kin s adorned w i th

, ,

gold and gems and dra wn by magnificent hor ses

, .

L a k sh m a n a his younger brother attended the crown

, ,

prince standing behind him in the chariot

, .

H is appearance on the stree t was greeted with

shout s and cheers and the great multi t ude pre ss ed
around his chariot while th o u s ands of horses and
,

trained elephants followed and the brightly uniformed

’
militia guarded the line of h is approach Thus amid st .

the s trains of mu sic and the triump h al acclamations

’
o f the multitu de he wa s escorted to his father s palace ,

w here he was met with garlands of flower s the palace ,

it self appearing as re splendent as the milk white cars -

Of the god s H aving pas sed through the five o uter

.

court s he ordered h is people to hal t while with h is

’
,

brother only he en tered his father s presence .

The wh o le multitude w aited without in j oyou s an t ici

patiou w hile a terrible scene wa s enacted within the
,

palace wall s R a ma beheld h is w retched father sitting

.

by the side of K a ik e y i o n a magni ficent cou c h with ,

 T H E S T ORY O F TH E R AM AY AN A . 5

h i s w h o le face and f o rm w i t hered and bla sted by the

te rrible hand o f s o rr o w R a ma knelt at h is feet but
.
,

t h e eye s o f the raj a were overflo w ing w ith tear s Sob .

bing w ith anguish he c o uld o nly exclaim

,
“
Oh R a ma ! , ,

R a ma ! ”
The young heir shrank from the presence Of
K a ik e y i a s if he had been t o uched by a l o athsome
s erpent , for his father w a s convulsed with grief like ,

an ocean which is s wept by a tempest .

But K a ik ey i di splayed neither grief nor shame She .

coolly said “
,R a ma the Maha raj a is not angry neither
,
-
,

is he in di stre ss ; but he has some t hing on his mind

w hich he forbears to tell you th o ugh it is necessary ,

that you sh ould kno w i t The Maha raja h a s made

.
-

me t wo s olemn promises and c o nfirmed them with an

oath ; but he now repent s o f it like o n e of l o w caste
. .

I n f o rmer time s w hen I saved h is life he o ff ered me

t wo bo o n s and s wore to perf o rm them I have n o w .

reque s ted that my so n Bharata may be in s talled a s

c o adju tor wi t h the Maha raja and t hat you may be-
,

sent into exile in t h e w ilderne ss o f D an daka for four

teen year s .I f therefo re you de s ire that your father
, ,

S hall act according t o h is oath you w ill go out of ,

the city thi s day and return not for fourteen

”
years .

She coolly uttered this merciless speech well kn o w ,

ing that it wa s a dagger which pierced the heart s o f

both father and so n The Maha raj a was overc o me
.
-

with grief but R a m a bravely replied :

,
“
B e it s o I .

will d epart int o the fo rest that the Maha raj a may ful -

fil the pr o mi s e he h a s made L et me ssenger s be sent

.

upon s w ift horse s t o bring Bharata here fr o m the city

of G ir iv raj a and I will haste n t o the f o re st of D an
-
,
 86 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

da ka and abide there fourteen years . An d K a ik e y i

r e p lied “ ’
S o let i t be L et not y o ur father s shame a f
, .

fe ct you but depart immediately for your father w ill

, ,

neither eat nor bathe until you are out of the city .

Although goaded th us by her merciless tongu e he qui ,

e tl
y answered “
I obey the w ill of the
, Maha raj a for -
,

t h ere is n o act of virtue greater than that of obeying

the command o f a father and fulfilling his engagements .

But I g o first to take leave of my loving mother ,

K a u Sa l y a and to comfort my beautiful S i t a

, An d
bo wing himself again at the feet of h is wretched
father he left the apartment fo llo wed by L a k sh m a n a
, , ,

who had witnessed the whole interview .

K AU SAL Y A .

When R a ma entered the elegant rooms of his devo

ted m other he sa w that Sh e w a s propitiating the gods
,

in h is behalf She was even then fanni n g the sa cr ifi

.

cia l fire while around her lay the curd s the rice the
, , ,

sweetmeat s the whi t e garland s the sacrificial wood and

, , ,

the j ars o f holy water She j oyfully arose and em .

“
braced her s o n saying May you a t tain the age the
, , ,

renown and the V irtue which are worthy of y o ur race

, ,

Oh, R a ma for even this day you are to be in stalled in

,

the o ffi ce of c o adj u t o r of the raj according t o your ,

’
father s pro m ise ”
Then R a ma saluted her and said
.
, ,
,

“
Oh mother ! Ar e you unacquainted with the heavy
,

calamity now pending ? I t is Bharata wh o is to be

in stalled and a s ' f
, or me I am t o g o f o r fourteen ,

years into the f o rest of D an daka and live upon ro o t s

and fruit s .

When K a u éa ly a heard these terrible words sh e fell

 T H E S T ORY O F T H E R AM AY AN A . 18 9

of the city street s ; h o w then could you live in the

Wilderness ? Yo ur feet are as delicate as the petals of
a lily ; h o w could y o u w alk o n the cru el thorns of
the wood ? There are terrible serpent s and crocodile s
and tigers The rank w eed s conceal snake s so ven o
.

m o us that even their breath will kill a man Some .

times yo u would have to l ive upon bitter roots and

’
fruits Y ou w ould thirs t when you c o uld have no
.

wa ter F or garments you w ould have to wear the

.

bark of trees and the skin of an antelope and at night ,

s leep upon gra s s o r the bare earth R eptile s m osqu i .

,

toes flie s and scorpion s w ould bite and sting y o u in

, ,

y o ur sleep F earful R aksh a sa s ( demons ) infest the

.
l

wilderne ss and they w ill eat a man at a single

,

meal Be s ide s you w ould be w ith out friends and how

.
, ,

can that b e endured by a w o man ? Y ou are dearer t o

me than my o w n life and I cannot take you into the ,

wilderne ss and expo se you t o these terrible perils Y ou .

w ill alway s be in my thought s but y o u must remain ,

here where I can at lea s t kn ow that y o u are safe

,

”
and comfortable B ut she o n ly nestled closer in h is .

a rm s an d answered
,

’
A wife must share her husband s fate My duty .

is to follo w thee
’
Where er thou goest Apart from thee I would not .

dwell in heaven itself !

Th R k h
1 e se l wh d i b d h p l
a s a sa s a r e e sed u lm t ere e s cr e as s a e e ss a n cr e on s e rs

wh p p t t t
o er i bl u t g h g i g th i f m t pl u T h y
e ra e err e o ra e s, c an n e r or s a ea s re e a re

p th th i k t ti g w y t h l d i ifi i l
.

re t d
re se n eh id i g i as n d
n e c e s , ca s n a a e a es a n s a cr c a

v l f th d v t
e s se s o d d fil i g t h i
e ff i g w i th bl
e d
o e e s, a n Th m e n e r o er n s oo e o st

v l t i g d i pti giv l pp
.

re o n e s cr f th i tu on s a re l ug h i t i en o e r na ra a e a r a n ce , a o s

l i m d th t t h y
c a e t w i ll
a u m t h m t f i ti g f u
e ca n a Th a ss e e os a sc n a n ea re s e

m y th h p b bly g w f m x g g t d d i pti b ig i l
.

a s ro a f th
ro n ro e a era e e s cr on s o e a or na

t ib
r f u d i th j u g l f I d i
es o n n e n es o n a .
1 90 TH E ANC I EN T B OOK S o r I ND I A .

D eserted by her lord a wife is like a miserable ,

corpse .

C l o se as thy shadow would I cling t o thee in this

life and hereafter
,
.

Thou art my king my guide my o nly refuge my , , ,

divinity .

I t is my fixed resolve to f ollow thee I f thou must .

wander forth
Through thorny trackless forest s I will g o before
, ,

thee treading d o wn
,

Th e prickly brambles to make smooth thy path .

Walking before thee I

Shall feel no weariness The f o re st thorns will seem .

like silk en robes ;

The bed of leaves a cou ch of down , To me the .

shelter of thy presence

I s better far than s tately palaces and Paradi se it self , .

Pr o tected by thy arm god s d em ons men s hall have , , , ,

n o power to harm me .

’
With thee I ll live c ontentedly o n roots and fruit s .

Sweet or not sweet ,

I f given by thy hand they will t o me be like the ,

fo o d o f life .

R oaming with thee in de sert wa stes a thousand years ,

will be a day .

’
D welling with thee e en hell itself would be to me
,

” 1
a heaven of bli ss .

But R a m a yielde d n o t t o her pleading s and seeing ,

her tears he b o wed h is head in sadness Then sh e .

drew her form up t o it s full height and with her dark ,

l ’
W i l l i a m s tr a n s In d W i s p 366
.
, . .
1 92 T HE ANC IEN T B OO K S or I ND I A .

TH E F ARE W ELL S .

A rumor had spread through the city that instead

of the installation R a ma and his wife S i t a and h is
, ,

half br o ther L a ksh m a n a were to be sent a s exiles into

-
,

the forest o f D an daka The people loved R a ma a s

.

they loved no one el se an d the terrible news fell up o n

,

Ay o dhy a like a funeral pall The gor eo u s pr o ces sion

g
.

gradually separated and mou rnful crowds with tear

,

stained face s to o k it s p lace .

At la st the t wo prince s and the wife of R a ma were

seen walking with bare feet toward the palace of the
Maha raj a -
The indignation of the populace could n o t
.

longer be suppressed and bitter denunciations were

m ingled w ith wailings The Maha raj a w a s bitterly
.
-

denounced s ome declaring that he must be posse s sed

,

o f demon s o r he could n o t do so cruel a thing Ot h .

e r s sneered at his weakness in being contr o l led by a

wicked w o man and other s s till pr o po s ed that all the
,

inhabitants and t heir families s hould take their wealth

and follow R a ma into the w ilderne ss leaving a de ,

se r t e d city for Bharata and h is heartless m o ther to

rule over .

While the people were lamenting the little party ,

approached the palace and C ounselor Su m a n t r a made

,

kno wn to D a sa r a t h a that R a ma was at the d o o r The .

Maha raj a h ad s umm o ned all the inmate s of the pal

-

ace and in their presence was still cur sing K a ik ey i

,

when R a ma and S i t a and L a k sh m a n a entered the room .

The Maha raj a ar o se from his seat to receive them

-
,

but overcome with grief he sank back again R a ma .

a n d L a k sh m a n a too k him u p in their arm s and laid

 T H E S T O RY OF T H E R AM AY AN A . 1 93

him u pon the royal couch w hile the cries o f the ,

w o men mingled with the clanging of their o rnaments

, ,

filled the palace Then R a ma w ith j o ined hand s said

.
,

I entreat y o u oh Maha raj a t o lo o k with a pro

, ,
-
,
-

pitious eye up o n me wh o am ready t o de part to the

wilderness of D an daka Permit als o L a k sh m a n a an d
.

”
S i t a to accompany m e to the forest .

Then the Maha raj a ans wered

-
Oh R a ma ! I have , ,

been infatuated with thi s wicked woman se t a s id e my -

c o mman d — become this day the raj a of K e sa la ”

B ut .

R a ma replied My lord the Maha raj a h a s yet a thou

, ,
-

sand year s to live upon the earth and I w ill abide ,

in the forest fou rteen years but when I have com ,

p l e t e d the vow I will again embrace t h e feet of my

father .

“
G o then beloved son
, , returned the Maha raj a ,
-
,

“
but g o in a s afe and g o od road and g o n o t away ,

to day
-
. Spend this night w ith your mother and me ,

and to morrow d o as y ou think best

-
Oh R a ma ! .
,

I have been deceived by a vile woman who has co v ,

”
ere d her evil de s ign s as a fir e i s c o vered w ith ashes .

But R a ma persisted in going immediately as he had

promised Al l the w o me n o f the palace w ept bitterly
.

except the remorseless K a ik ey i The chief counselor .

al so mingled his tear s wi t h their s but his indigna t i o n ,

overcame h is grief and turning wi th fierce denuncia

,

ti o ns upon K a ikey i b e accu sed her of murdering the

,

raj a and his family and uttered the threat whi ch the
,

people were making — that they would with o n e accord

desert the raj and leave her and h e r so n in a d eso
late city .

Then the Maha raj a gave the following command to

-
 94 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S or IND I A .

S u m a n tr a : Order
the troops to make ready a t once
to accompany R a ma L e t beautiful dancing girls and
.

musicians and rich merchant s adorn the train of my

so n . L et the warlike engines follo w R a ma and t h e ,

citizens also L et all my storehou ses of grain and

.

treasure accompany my children that they may dwell

happily in the w ilderness But R a ma supplicated the
.

Maha raj a to countermand the order declaring he had

-
,

no u se for soldiers or followers So with many lov .

ing word s t o the Maha raj a and tender care sses to Kau
-

s aly a the exiled tri o left t h e palace

,
But the raj a .

declared that R a ma shoul d not g o a way o n foot ; if

he mu st go he should at leas t travel in a style b e fit
,

ting the great prince that he w a s The royal chariot .

was ordered a u d R a ma and S i t a and L a k sh m a n a w ere

,

seated therein while the chief counselor hi mself took

,

the reins and guided the willing steeds as they moved

,

proudly a way .

The whole city was now in a state of e xcitement ,

and the afflicted people ran after the chariot or hastily

mounted hor ses to accompany it E very carriage that .

happened t o be ready wa s pre s sed into service and a ,

great crowd of people f o ll o wed them E ven the Ma .

h a raj a and K a u sa l y a came after them and cried to

-

S u m a n t r a t o rein in the horses that they might once

m ore l o ok into t h e face of R a ma B ut the you ng .

prince commanded his charioteer to drive on and

“
s aid , When the Maha raj a ask s you why you did not
-

o bey him tell h im that you did not hear his or d er

, .

”
My deep d istress has driven me to this fal sehood .

An d so the great chariot w ent out of the city fol ,

lowed by a vast concour s e o f mourning people ; while

196 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

C overed the mountains till they looked like watery

heaps and torrent s poured
,

D own their sides filled with loose stones an d r e d as

, ,

dawn with mineral earth ,

Winding like serpents in their cour se ; then at that

charming season I , ,

L onging to breathe the air went forth with bow and , ,

arrow in my hand ,

To seek for game if haply by the riverside a

,

bu ffalo ,

Or elephant or other animal might cross at eve my

, , ,

path ,

C oming to drink Then in the dusk I heard the

.

sound of gurgling water ;

Quickly I took my bow and aiming toward the sound , ,

S hot o ff the d ar t .

A cry of mortal agony came from the spot —a hu man ,

voice
’
Was heard and a poor hermi t s son fell pierced and
,

bleeding in the stream

’
.

‘
Ah wherefore then he cried
,
‘am I a harmless her
, , ,

’
mit s son struck down ? ,

H ither to this lone brook I came at eve to fill my

water j ar .

By whom have I been smitten whom ha ve I offended ?

Oh I grieve
,

N ot for myself or my own fate but for my parents , ,

Ol d and blin d ,

Who perish in my death Ah ! what will be the end .

o f that loved pair ,

L ong guided and supported by my hand ? This barbed

dart hath pierced
 TH E ST O RY OF T H E R AM AY AN A .

Both me and them ’ H earing that piteou s voice I

.
, ,

D a éa r a t h a ,
W ho meant no harm to any human creature young or ,

Ol d ,
became
Palsied with fear ; my bow and arrows dropped from
my sen sele ss hands ,

An d I appr o ached the place in horror ; there with dis

may I sa w ,

Stretched o n the bank an innocent hermit boy w rith ,

-
,

ing in pain a n d smeared

W ith dust an d blood his kno t ted hair disheveled a nd
, ,

a broken j ar

Lying beside him I stood pe trified and speechless

. .

H e on me
F ixed full his eyes an d then as if to burn my inmost
, ,

so ul he said
,

‘H ow have I wronged thee monarch ? that thy cruel ,

hand has smitten me

’
Me a p o or hermit s so n born in the forest F ather
, , .
,

m other child ,

H ast thou tran sfixed with t his o n e arrow ; they my ,

parents sit at home

,

E xpecting my return and long will cherish hope —a , ,

prey to thir st
An d agonizing fears G O to m y father —tell
. him of
my fa t e ,

L est h is dre ad curse consum e thee as the flame ,

dev o ur s the with ered w o od .

But fir st in pity d raw thou forth the shaft that pierces

to my heart ,

And checks the gu shing life blood a s t he bank -

,
s

o bstructs the bounding s tream

’ .
1 98 TH E AN C IEN T B OO K S OF IN DI A .

H e ceased and as he rolled his eyes in agony and

, ,

qu ivering writhed
U po n the ground I slowly drew t h e arrow from the
,

’
poor boy s side .

Then with a piteous look his features set in terror he , ,

expired .

D istracted at the grievou s crime wrought by my hand ,

unwittingly ,

Sadly I th ought within myself how best I m ig h t repair

the wrong ,

T hen took the way he had directed me to ward the

hermitage .

There I beheld his parents Ol d and blind ; like two ,

clipped W ingless birds

,

Sitting forlorn without their guide awaiting his arrival

, ,

anxiously ,

An d to beguile their weariness conversing of him ,

tenderly .

Quickly they caught the sound of footste p s and I ,

heard the Ol d man sa y

‘
W ith chiding voi ce Why hast tho u lingered child ? , ,

Quick give u s both to drink

,

A little water L ong forgetful Of u s in the cooling

.
,

stream
H ast thou disported come in—for thy mo ther y e a r n e t h
for her son
I f she or I in aught have caused thee pain or spoken ,

hasty words
’
,

Think on thy hermit s duty of for giveness ; bear them

not in mind .

Thou art the refuge Of u s r efu g el e ss—the eye s of thy

blind sire .
2 00 TH E AN CI EN T B O O K S OF I NDI A .

Thrilled by the touch the father cried , ,

‘
My child ,

hast thou n o greeting for u s ?

N O w ord of recognition Wh eref o re lies t th o u h ere '

upon the gr o un d ?
Ar t thou o ffended ? o r am I no longer loved by thee ,

my so n
See here thy mother Thou wert ever dutiful towards
.

us both .

W hy wilt thou o embrace me

n t ? Speak one tender
word Who m shall I hear
.

R eadi n g a gain t h e s acred S a stra in the early morning

hours
Who now will bring me roo t s and fruits to feed me like
a cheri shed gu est ?

H o w weak an d blind can I support thy aged mother

, ,

pining for her s o n ?

’
Stay ! G O n o t yet t o D ea th s abode —stay with t h y p a
rents yet o n e day .

To m orrow we will both go with thee o n the dreary way

-
.

F orlorn
An d sa d deserted by our child without protector in
, ,

the wood ,

Soon shall we b o th depart toward the mansions Of the

King Of D eath ’ .

Thu s bitterly lamenting he performed the funeral rites ;

,

then turning
Toward s m e thus addressed me stan ding reverently ,

near I had
But th is one child and thou hast m a de m e childless
, .

N o w strike d o wn
The father I shall feel no pain in death But thy
. .

requital be
 T H E ST O RY OF T HE R AM AY AN A . 01

That sorrow for a child shall one day bring thee also to
the

When he had fini shed the sad recital the king fell ,

back exhau sted but rallied u nder the influence Of restor

,

atives applied by the phy s icians around his bed and ,

taking her hand again he drew his stricken wife more

closely to him saying in pitiful heart broken tone s
, ,
-
,

C ome nearer my wife let me feel you r loving arm s I

, , .

cann o t se e y ou —m y sight h a s gone after R a ma ”

There .

w a s darknes s in the city but t h e darkness o f grief lay ,

like a pall up o n t h e palace w here the faithful watchers

sto o d ar o und the dying king S o on the throbbing pulse .

wa s still the tortured heart had ceased to beat and

, ,

the fainting wife was carried away by her attendants .

B H AR AT A .

The prince who had been summoned came with j oy

, ,

to attend as b e supp o sed the installati on o f R a ma the

, , ,

rightful heir to the throne H e went first however to .

, ,

his mother K a ik ey i who told him in exulting tone s all,

that had taken place Bu t instead o f receiving h is .

gratitude and congratulations S h e was overwhelmed ,

with his reproache s and denunciations for her wicked

ne ss “
H ave you come into this family he demand
2 ”
,

“
ed , to de stroy it a s darkness destroys the universe ?
My father t h e Maha raj a who suspected no evil has
,
-
, ,

embraced burning coals and met with his death through ,

y ou ! O h you are bent upon evil ! This family has

,
.

been forever r o bbed o f happiness through your i nf atua

i lli a m s t r a n s pp 350 35 2
1 W ’ Ind W is -

l t h t t h g u i l tl Bh p by
.
.
, . .

2 It i s s ta te d i n th e or ig i na a e e ss a ra ta wa s a ined
’
h i s m o t h e r s co n d u ct a s by t u m th t h d b
a or a a e en O p e ned w i th a kn i f e .
2 02 TH E AN CI EN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

tion T he eldest among the s ons of a raj a is always

.

appointed to the raj Thi s is the rule amongst all

.

raj as and especially those of our race But I will bri ng

,
.

back R a ma from the w i lderne ss Of D an daka I will

‘
.

bring the young heir from t h e forest and install him

”
upon his rightful throne
’
.

Bharata s half brother Sa t r u ghua heard his words

-
,
-
,

and applau ded the position he had taken and leaving ,

K a ik e y i overwhelmed with shame and confu s ion the

t w o brothers went together to the apartments of Kau
Saly a with the glad news that her beloved son was t o
be brought back from exile and seated upon the throne
which w a s his rightful inheritance .

On the fourteenth day after the funeral Obsequies

Of the Maha raja the Offi cial time for m ourning
-
,

having passed by the great council convened in the

,

court hall of the royal palace and the counse l ors for,

mally offered the throne to Bharata But he replied .

,

“
Oh excellent men ! in our family the raj has
,

ever been considered the inheritance o f the eldest son ,

and it is right that my eldest brother R a ma s hould , ,

become y o ur raj a and that I sh ould re side fourteen

,

years in the forest Therefore prepare a large army

.
,

an d I will lead them into the f o re s t and restore the

rightful heir We will go forth with a splendid
.

retinue of troop s with horses an d elephant s bear i ng ,

all the sa cred uten sils necessary for h is installation ,

”
and he S hall return t o h is throne and kingdom .

These generou s words were received with shouts and

cheer s even fr o m the high Officials and as the news
, ,

S pread through the city the people to o k up the glad r e

,

frain and their m o urning was turned to j

,
o
y H appy .
 CH AP TER XV .

TH E S TOR Y OF TH E R AM AY AN A , C ON TIN U E D .

LE AV ING TH E —TH E G AN G Es —C I T R A
ATTEN DAN Ts
K U T A —LIEE I N EX ILE — B H AR AT A S ARRI V AL ’
T H E I N TE R vI E w —A W ARNIN G AN D DE PAR T URE
AT RI AN D AN AS U Y A T H E N E W HO M E — SC R PA N AK
- -

H A—R AV AN A—TH E AB D U C T IO N —TH E S E ARC H —S U

GR i V A , T HE M ON K EY K I NG — E x p E D I TI O N O F TH E
Y A — —
M ON K E G ENER L H ANU M AN L N K TH E P AL A A —
AC E OF R AV AN A—TH E ASO K A G RO V E—I N T ER V I E W
B E TW EEN H ANU M AN AN D S IT A—H ANU M AN DE ST ROY S
T H E M ANGO G RO V E T H E B URNING O F LAN K A—H AN
—
U M AN R EJOI N s T H E M O N K EY AR M Y .

HE people continued to follo w the chariot of R a ma

eve n after t h e Maha raj a had been carried back to
-

the palace D etermined to s hare in his fortunes an d

.

hardships the great proces si o n continued alm o st u n

,

broken until they reached the banks Of the beautiful

river Tamasa wh ere it wa s determined to encam p for
,

the nigh t S O the horses w ere loosed an d allowe d t o

.

drink from the clear flood bef o re being tethered for the
.

night while the pe o ple ate Of t h e wild fruits and

, ,

making beds of th e f o rest leaves lay down to sleep

beneath the great trees .

I n the early m orning R a ma awakened S u m a nt r a

“
and his brother and said to them These d e voted ,
 T HE S T ORY OF T H E R AM AY AN A . 2 05

people have vowed to take us back and t he y will ,

never leave u s while their live s remain L et u s there .

f o re quietly mount the chariot a n d depart while they

”
are still a sleep . Then S u m a n t r a harnessed t h e hor ses
as quietly a s p o s sible and R a ma with his wife and
,

brother entered the chariot T he charioteer in com

.
,

li
’
a n ce with R a ma s request drove the h r es slowly
p o, s

backward over the r o ute by w hich they came that the ,

people might n o t be able to foll o w their track and then ,

turning took a different direction into the wilderness .

When the people awoke and found that the ch a r io t

had gone the y followed its backward t ra ck u ntil it
,

wa s lo st in a multitude of other s ; then they returne d

with sad hearts to the city of mourning .

CRO SS ING TH E G ANGE S .

I n the meantime the chariot of R ama pursued its

way to the sacred S hores o f the G ange s The deep .
,

c o o l waters were dashing between the green bank s in

a rapid current then r o lling away int o the quiet pool s
,

below where the creamy l o tu s blos s om s rai sed their

,

heads above the b right surface and loaded the air with
their fragrant breath Ju st above them the fair river
.

gleamed like a Stream of silver again st the golden

sands upon the shore and aroun d them were massive
,

tree s some of w hich were laden with flo wers and

, fi ,

o thers bending low beneath a weight O f golden fruit .

H ere they paused to pay their tribute of devotion to

the beautiful river by chanting the musical H ind u
name Of G ang a ! G ang a !
Then the fair g o ddess of the stream r a is% d their
chariot in h er hand s and bor e it in the air above t h e
2 06 TH E AN CIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

waters to t he other side This wa s the river which fell .

to earth from the divine feet Of Vishnu l G ang a wa s .

the eldest daugh t er Of H imavat “

L ord Of the Moun ,

tains but the beautiful river fl owed only through the

,

fields of heaven .

Sagara an early king of Ayodhy a had sixty thou

, ,

sand son s and he sent them out one day to recover a

,

horse which had been de signed for the Asva medha -

sacrifice but had been stolen by a R akshasa

, The .

gigantic sons O f the solar race having searched the

earth u nsuccessfully proceeded to dig through int o ,

the lower region s ; they found many wonderf u l thing s

I n the course of their excavations and at la st met a ,

living sage Kapila They promptly accu sed h i m Of

,
.

having st o len t h e h orse when he responded to their ,

accusation by reducing them all to ashes The grand .

son Of Sagara attempted to perform the funeral rites ,

but was t o ld that the G ang a m ust wa t er the ashe s

with her s acred stream B h a g i r a t h a the great grand
.
,
-

son of Sagara then performed severe penances to

,

induce the gods to send d o wn the celestial river H e .

wa s told that his reque st s h o uld be granted but he ,

must secure the intervention Of S iva or the earth ,

wo u ld be destroyed by the force Of the torrent .

“
As th ou prayest it shall be .

G ang a whose waves in heaven flow

, ,

I s daughter Of the L o rd of Snow .

Win S iva that his ai d be lent

To h old her in her mid des cent .

F o r earth alone w ill neve r bear

The se torrents from the upper air .

l Th e fu o n t a i n o f th e G a n ge s is sa i d t o b e i n th e g r e a t t o e of t h i s g od .
2 08 THE AN CIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

’
Thus flowing d o wn the long c o il s o f S iva s hair the ,

fearful torrent reached the earth and fell int o Vind u

L ake whence proceed the s even s acred streams of I n
,
1

dia I mmediately after crossing the G ange s R a ma d i s

.
,

missed S u m a n t r a s ending him back to Ay o d h y a with

,

the chariot and w ith admoniti o n s t o be careful Of the

feeling s of the Maha raj a and th o ughtful for the hap -
,

p i n e s s O f h is m other K a u éa l a
y H e al so s ent kin d , .

s alutati o ns t o B harata a s the ruler of the raj I n vain , .

the fait h ful S u m a n t r a pleade d t o be all o wed t o spend

the fourteen year s o f exile with them and carry them
home in the chari o t H e wa s kindly but firmly sent .

b a ck to the city without them .

CIT R A -
K U TA .

aid R a ma
L a k sh m a n a , my poor S i t a will n o w s ,
“

be obliged to endure the privations Of f o rest life and ,

the fear of lions and tigers and other wil d animals .

We will protect her as far a s lies in our power Y ou .

may go on before and I will follo w beh ind her that ,

sh e m ay be shielded on all sid es Then taking .

their bows and arrows in their hands they w alked

bravely int o the fore st They traveled slo wly and .

carefully with occas ional rests on account o f S i t a s ’

,

tender feet until they came near to the beautiful moun

,

tain of Citra k u ta -
.

A fair green slope which lay at its feet wa s co v

ered with flowering tree s i n whose fragrant blossoms ,

the wild bees dro wsily b u m m e d a s they gathered the

honey from the tinted cup s and stored it a w ay in the
1 NO s u ch la k e is k n o wn , a nd Of th e se v en s a cr e d str e a ms m e n
ti o n e d in t h e l e ge n d on ly t wo ( th e G a u ge s a nd th e In d u s ) a re kn o wn
t o g e o g r a h e rs p .
 T HE S T O RY O F T H E R AM AY AN A . 2 09

In
’
great c o mb s hanging beneath the S helving r o ck s .

the crevi ce Of the cliff t h e cry s tal spring s fo rmed cas

cade s that w ent da shing d o w n the m o untain s ide and -

poured t h eir cool water s into t h e river M a n dak in i a s

it s wept around the ba se of the slope and rolled away
in th e distance Bey o nd the flowering trees an d j u st
.

at the fo o t Of the m o untain stood a gr o up o f lofty

p i pal s w h o se trunks w ere enwreathed with flowering
,

vine s like garlan ds fe s to o ned up o n the column s o f

,

so me fair temple While they looked a gazelle w hich

.
,

had never been startled by m a n walked carele ss ly out ,

o f t h e shade and went do w n t o the river t o drink of

its clear waters .

E nchanted with the scene R a ma turned to his

.

“
brother with the w o rd s Thi s shal l be o u r wildwo o d
,
.

home ; w e will b uild a cot beneath t h o se trees and in ,

the shade of the sacred mountain we w ill spen d the

”
year s o f o u r exile Then turning to S i t a he pu t his
.
,

arm ar o und her and said :

L o o k round thee dear each flowery tree
, ;
T o uched w ith the fire of morning see .

The K in Su k n o w the fro sts are fled

,
1
,

H ow gloriou s w ith his wreaths of red !

The bel tree s see so loved of men , ,

H anging their boughs in every glen ,

’
O e r b u r d e n e d w ith their fruit s and flowers !

A plenteou s store o f food is ours .

See L ak s hman ! in the lofty tree s

, ,

’
Where er they mak e their h o me ,

D o w n hangs the w o rk o f laboring bees ,

The ponderou s honey comb ! -

1 Th e b ut ea f r ond osa w h i ch , h a s g or g e o u s re d bl ossom s .

2 10 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

I n the fair wood before u s spread

T he startled wild cock cries .

H ark where the flowers are soft to tread

,

The ’
peacock s voice replies !
Where elephants are roaming free ,
’
An d sweet birds songs are loud ,

The gloriou s Citra k u ta see -

,

H is peaks are in the cloud .

On fair smooth ground he stands displayed

, ,

Begirt b y m any a tree .

Oh br o ther in that holy shade

, ,

H ow happy we Shall be ” 1

LIFE IN EX ILE .

Beneath the dense foliage of t h e tr o pical trees

L a k sh m a n a built a tent w ith graceful b ranches and
entwined it wi t h the gigantic flowering vines that grew
around it forming a bower of beauty and fragrance
, .

F ree from the cares of state the y o ung prince gave

,

himself up t o the Ofle r in g o f sacrificial rites and to the

company of his beautiful wife .

To R a ma and S i t a every tree and flower were glori

fie d by the divine light o f l o ve H and i n hand they
.

w andered through the long ai sles of woodland beauty

an d gathered the rich fruits and fragrant flowers of the
fore s t
.

L u xury can never taste of happiness if it is n ot ,

O ff ered by the hand of a ff ection ; bu t l o ve can be su

p r e m e l y happy even in the home of p o ve r ty for priva ,

tion has no po w er to break the chain which gilds even

her own ruggedness with beauty .

1 B k2 C
oo , a nto 56
.
2 12 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

musicians and dancing girl s gaily appareled in brilliant ,

col ors .

L a k sh m a n a gazed for a moment i n s ilence upon the

“
gorgeou s pageant ; then he said to his brother Oh , ,

chief of m e n ! Thi s mu st be the army of Bharata .

,

the son of K a ik e y i Jealou s even O f exiles in the

.

wildern ess he is coming to destroy u s both I see his

, .

flag upon the chariot ; he c omes like a destroying

”
k ing .

But R a ma answered “
Perhaps B harata has come,

hither for a ffection only or to surrender the raj to ,

me . Why d o you speak so harshly of him ? ”

“
L a k sh m a n a replied Possibly the Maha raj a has
,
-

com e to see y o u and will take u s home again

, I .

see the great imperial elephant marchi n g at the head

of the army but I cannot see the white canopy of
,

our royal father .

When the procession came near the mou n tain Bha ,

'
rata ordered a halt that only himself and h is broth er
, ,

Sa t r u gh n a with the chief c o un sel o r S u m a n t r a should

-
, , ,

fir s t approach the exiled prince .

TH E I N TE R VI E V ‘ .

The three men approached the m ountain and came

!

toward t h e large and plea sant tent Above the door .

Of the outer room was placed an enormou s b o w gleam ,

in g with g o ld like the b o w of I nd ra and be side it

, ,

re sted a great quiver Of arrow s a s bright a s the rays ,

of t h e su n and as keen as the face o f a serpent B e .

f o re t h e d o or o f the tent Bharata saw his elder brother ,

dressed in the garb o f a devotee and near him L ak ,

sh m a n a also wearing garment s o f bark while the beau

, ,
 T H E ST OR Y OF TH E R AM AY AN A . 13

tiful S i ta was nestling clo se to her hu sband her great ,

dark eye s dilated with w o nder and fear .

Then Bharata bowed him s elf in tears at the feet Of

R a ma saying
,
“
This is my elder br o ther wh o once
, ,

had tho u s ands of s uit s Of apparel wh o is n o w wearing ,

ve stment s o f bark The b o dy o f t h at excellent one

.
,

which wa s f o rmerl y perfumed with costly sandalw o o d ,

i s c o vered w ith the d u s t o f the f o re s t R a ma wh o .

,

is worthy of all happines s has undergone all of the se

,

privation s becau se of m e
B ut R a ma embr a ced h is brother saying “
Oh b e , , ,

loved brother ! where is Ou r fa ther Da éa r a t h a that you

have come to thi s fore st ? Is the Maha raja alive or -
,

has he departed fr o m this life Bharata replied with

“
j oined hand s , O h excellent one ! my val iant father
, ,

having sent you int o exile at t h e instance o f my mother

K a ik e y i has departed to heaven overwhelmed with
, ,

grief.
”
At the ann o uncement of this terrible news ,

which fell upon R a ma l ike a thunderb o lt from I ndra ,

the prince sank up o n th e ground like a lof ty tree that ,

has been felled wi t h the ax .

I t was a pitiful scene of mourn ing at the foot of

the silent mountain when the gall a nt brothers mi n gled
,

their tears together over the memory Of their dead

father . Then R a ma and h is br o thers walked down
t o the river M a n da k i n i and de scending into the stream
,

perf o rmed the fu ner a l oblation s for their father As .

the prince sprinkled the water toward the regions of

Y ama he exclaimed
, Oh raj a of rajas ! may this
, ,

pure water given t o y o u by me al way s qu e flch your

”
thir st in the Spirit land-
Then h o lding the hands O f
.

his brothers he led them agai n to the d o or Of the tent .

 TH E ANC I EN T O
B O KS OF I ND I A .

T he troo p s n ow advanced bringing K a u Sa ly a and ,

the ladies of the royal hou sehol d in cluding the h u ,

m il ia t e d K a ik e y i R a ma fell down at the lotus like feet

.
-

of his m other w h o wiped the du st fr o m h is hair with

,

her soft caressing hand s ; then t w ining her arms around

him a s he ar o se to h is feet Sh e wept for j oy in the ,

arms o f h e r manly so n .

At length Bharata addres sed R a ma in the pre sence

“
Of the tr o ops and the atten d an t s w ith the w o rd s My ,

m other K a ik e y i having given the raj to me is sati s

fi e d and n o w I give it t o y o u
,
Oh R a ma ! with .
,

bowed head I entreat y o u to wipe O ff t h e guilt Of my

’
mother s anger a n d d eliver my father fr o m sin But .

if you tu rn y o ur back u p o n m e and per si st in going

farther int o the f o re st I w ill surely g o with you
-

;
,

But R a ma answered h i m “
N ay Bharata you must
, , ,

be the raj a of m en and I w ill be the raj a of wild

,
’
beasts The royal c an o py sh all S hade y o u r head from
.

the sun while mine S hall be Shaded by the tree s of

,

”
the w o od .

I n thi s u seless pleading the night wore away When .

the m orning su n again illum ined the peak s o f Citra

k u ta Bharata brought to the prince a pair Of san d al s
,

embr o idered with g o ld an d be so ught him to p u t them

on . R a ma did so and returned t hem t o h is br o ther ,

“
w h o bowed l o w bef o re t h em s ayi n g F o r f o urteen
, ,

year s I will wear the garb o f a dev o tee and live upon
ro o t s and fruit s I will re s ide with o ut the city a wait
.
,

ing y o ur ret u rn and I w ill co mmit th e management

,

of the raj t o y o ur san d al s I f y o u d o n o t return to

.

Ay o dhy a within five day s after t h e c o m pleti o n Of the

fourteenth year I will enter my pyre
,
”
.
2 16 TH E ANC IEN T B OO KS OF I N D IA.

T he birds made their nests in the trees above her head

and fluttered down to the door o f her leafy home to
find the food which Sh e never failed to fur n ish them .

B ut a great sage wh o lived in a hermitage not far

away came to them one d ay and bade them beware
,

of the R a ksha sas who infe sted the great j ungle b e

yond them T he R a k shasa s were demons wh o fed
.

u pon living men and changed their own f o rm s at

pleasure Of late they had becom e m ore abu ndant
.

and obtrusive and th e hermit s had all decided t o

,

leave the danger o u s region The sage be so u ght R a ma

.
,

also to heed the warning and g o

,
.

S O they bade farewell to the bright b ower beneath

the massive trees and went forth again int o the wilder
ness .

A T RI AN D AN AS U Y A .

At the close of the second day of their j ourney they

arrived at the hermitage o f a h o ly sage named Atri who ,

lived in the wi l d f o rest with h is excellent wife Anas u y a , ,

and had sanctified h is life by l ong penance H e gave .

them a cordial welc o me fo r even the b irds seemed,

to have heard the s tory of the illu strious R a ma H e .

“
introduced his wife to the exiled prince saying Oh , ,

s inle s s o n e ! This my wife is a Brahm a n i renowned

, , ,

fo r her v o ws and the constant perf o rmance o f pio u s

deeds By the power of her a u steri t ie s rain was
.

brought and fruit s and flower s were pr o duced during

’
a ten years dearth and the holy G ang a was brought
,

near our d welling I f Sh e a sk o f the g o ds any boon

.

it will be granted her I be seech you t o let y o ur beau

.
~

tiful S i t a go into her presence ”

Then R a ma sa id to .
 T HE ST ORY OF T H E R AM AY AN A . 2 17

his wife ,
“
you hear th e w o rd s o f the sage ? Y ou
DO
may g o now into the pre sence O f Anas u y a ”
T hen .

‘
S i t a appr o ached Wi t h reverent m ien the aged woman
and bo wed a t her feet The venerable matron s aid
.

to her , Oh honorable S i t a ! Y o u h ave aband o ned you r

,

relatives and friend s to f o ll o w y o ur brave hu sba n d

into exile . The w o man w h o l o ve s her lord will Ob
tain a great reward hereafter .

S i t a replied I t is tru e that a w oman should love her

hu sban d even though h e be p o o r and wicked but how
, ,

much m o re mu st she reverence h im when he is the

”
embodiment o f vi r tue and kindness The ag ed woman
.

then dre w the fair face Of S i t a toward her and i m ,

pre ssed a reverent kiss u p on her forehead saying I am

, ,

greatly pleased w ith thee beau t iful o n e and I wi s h to

, ,

c o nfer a ble ss ing up o n t hee Thou shalt ever wear thy

.

y o uthful beauty and thy s ilken raiment S hall never

,

become s oiled or frayed—thou shalt al ways remain thy

beautiful self Time cannot tarni s h thy beau ty n or
.

”
s oil thy fair robe s .

On receiving the crown of eternal youth an d beauty ,

S i t a thought o nly of R a ma and the plea s ure that it

w o uld bring to his heart “
I shall be m o re beautiful
.

in his S ight she whi spered

,
Oh pearl am o ngst w o
.
,

”
m e n ! Thou ha st filled my heart w ith gladne s s When .

R a ma and L a k sh m a na heard that S i t a was to retain

her youthful beauty through all the coming years the y ,

rej oiced with her that she was thu s favored above all
others .

They were cor d ially ten d ered the modest h o sp ita l i

ties of the hermitage for the night and in the morn ,

In
g I n
qu I r e d of the devotees where they could find a
218 TH E AN CI EN T B OOK S OF I NDI A
.

pleasant home in the forest B ut they . were t o ld that

the whole wilderness of D an daka was infested with
the terrible R a ksha sa s wh o m it was, hoped Prince
R a ma would be able to destroy or stop , their depreda
tions .

TH E N EW HO M E .

The m orning s unlight w a s crowning the distant

m o untain top s with glory and piercing with its rays
the dense f o liage of the tr o pical f o re st when the ,

h o mele ss ones again se t ou t to find a resti n g place -

.

The air wa s perfumed with the breath o f the blossom

laden m an go tree s ; t h e tall tamarinds lifted their
feathery plume s in the di stance ; fl o wering creepers of
gigantic S ize a n d g o rge o u s c o l o r s fe st o oned the j ungle ;
and water lilie s re sted their pearly cups up on the
bosom of every p o o l .

T hey wandered thr o ugh the beautiful scene with the

enthu sia sm Of children fo r the changeful face o f natu re
,

never wearies her faithful l o vers a n d this was the flo w

,

ery fore s t Of Pa n é a va t i .

“
H ere i s beauty and happine ss exclaimed R ama , .

“
L et u S seek a place for o u r hermitage in s o me pleas
ant thicket where t h e sacrificial w o o d m ay be Obtained
, ,

and n ear a fl o wing stream whose banks are covere d

with fl o wers and ku s a gra s s .

They f o u nd the place they so ught in a beautiful

spot o n the sh o res O f the bright river G od a var i wh o se ,

gentle current s ang in a mu s ical m o n o tone a s the

clear water s wandered away N ear it gleaming like a
.
,

gem i n the sun s hine w a s a lake which fed the S tream

, ,

and made the breeze s fragrant with the breath of i t s

white lilies .
220 THE AN CI EN T B OO K S OF I ND I A .

She grim of eye and f o ul o f face

, ,

’
L oved h is s w eet glance and f o rehead s grace
S h e wh o se f o ul wig u ncleanly hung
, ,

H im whose dark l o ck s o n high br o ws clung

, .

D ay after day ha u nted their f o ot s teps bec o ming

sh e ,

m o re and more infatua ted with R a ma an d more deter ,

mined to de stroy their happine ss and ruin this pure

man by p o lluting hi m with h er vile a sso ciati o ns She .

s a w him cha s te and true an d lo n ged t o degrade him

,

to her own level by bringing him under her vile in flu

ence . What a grand chief he w o uld make for a
R akshasas tribe if sh e could bu t dec o y him into their
,

camp and u se his noble life for h er own base

service !
She loved R a ma if it be lawful to call that love
, ,

which was only the pas sion of a degraded creature seek

ing to pollute and de stroy her victim I f then s h e .
, ,

could steal fro m S i t a the loving heart of her husband

and rob them of their leafy home both her lust and her ,

avarice w ould be gratified As she lingered one d a y

.

gazing u pon them sh e turned green wi t h envy and

,

ground her teeth in her rage B ut s h e could as s um e

.

other forms at her pleasure and s h e muttered ,

“
I too , , ,

can wear the face and form of beauty ; I t o o can as , ,

su m e the m anner s o f an innocent woman and I will ,

show her that Sh e cannot stand between me and my

”
wishes .

S O saying she sprang to her feet and assume d a

,

form of beauty a n d grace Then going o u t into the

.

thicket Sh e uttered a piercing s hriek o f distress to lure

R ama from the side of his wife H e gallantly ru shed .
 T HE ST O RY O F T H E R AM AY AN A . 22 1

int o the f o rest t o rescue a woman in di stres s and b e

held the beautiful creature wh o appealed t o h is sy m
,

a t h ie s S O effe ctually that he could n o t at o nce tear

p
him self a w ay fr o m her S he appr o ached him and with
.

pleading eyes be so ught him to flee fr o m the terrible

R a k s hasas of the w o od w hile her o w n l o veline s s and a p
,

parent helple ss ne ss appealed to him fo r pr o tecti o n .

D rawing nearer and h o lding her beautiful face up to

ward his o w n she poured f o rth a pa ss i o nate s tory of her
l o ve for him F lattered by the appr o ache s o f the S iren
.

he addre ssed her with winning c o mpliment s but at la s t

,

explained that he wa s already bound by the marriage

tie and she wou ld n o t wi sh to share his cares s e s with
,

“
a rival . There shall be no rival between me and
R a ma ! S h e s creamed ;
” “
I will de stroy this odious
”
S it a . She ran to w ards the tent ; but L a k sh m a n a
divined her cruel purp o se and with a drawn s wo rd cut
O fi her n o s e and ear s ,whereupon sh e rushed into the
wo o d s making the echoes ring with her shriek s and
,

vowing vengeance upon the m o rtal s who had thus

th warted and di sfigured her She cast O ff her di sguise
.

and wore a personal appearance corresponding to her

m o ral depravity ; her claw like hands returned and
-
,

dem o n that sh e was she bounded thr o ugh the forest ,

ho wling with rage and pain and rushed into the pres
,

ence of her br o the r Khara .

Seeing his S ister covered with blood an d almost ex

“
hansted with fury he exclaimed
, W h o has done this
,
?

Who is there who even in sp o rt would vex wi t h his

,

finger a black serpent full O f venom ? W h o w o uld take

the rope of death and tie it ar o und h is o wn neck Y et
the man who has done this h a s drun k of the deadly
p oison .
”
222 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

Then Sur pa nakh a told her story in her o wn way

-
,

and the enraged brother ca l l I n g fourteen powerfu l

,

R aksha sa s commanded them to go with h is sister and

,

bring the three exiles t o him a s pri soners Wild w ith .

rage an d filling the air with their maledictions the

R a k sha sas fell u pon the herm itage but only to receive
,

from the b o w of R a ma fourteen bright arrow s which ,

sped through the air like meteor s piercing their black

,

heart s and carrying them to th e regi o n s o f Yama .

Sur p a nakh a gave o n e piercing shriek an d fled t o

-

Khara with th e tiding s that his bravest w arri o r s were

slain H e replied in a voice like thunder
.
“
Wipe away ,

y o ur tears a n d Shake Off your terr o r fo r this day I will

,

s end the s e m o rtals t o the ab o de of Y ama T hen turn .

ing to h is brother D u sh a n a he said , E quip f o urteen

,

th o usand R a ksha sas who are dreadful as a thunder

b o lt and valiant as tiger s Bring also my chari o t my
.
,

b o w s and my arr o w s I my self w ill g o t o the front

, .

and drink the life bl o o d o f R a ma

-
”
.

When R a ma heard the demon tro o ps appr o aching

w ith l o ud beating O f d rum s and terrible war crie s ,

he commanded L a k sh m a n a t o carry S i t a for safety

t o a cave in the m o untain s while he prepared to
,

meet the fo e al o ne The black h o rde came o n with

.

s cream s and yell s and peal s o f hide o u s laughter They .

p o ured d o w n up o n R a ma like a black raging se a but , ,

he received their mi ssile s as the o cean receives her

river s and drawing his bow in a circle s ent his death
,

dealing arr o ws int o their ranks until the c o nquered

army lay in slaughtered heaps upon the plain Khara .

t h en ru s hed t o ward R a ma in h is o wn chari o t but ,

R a ma seized the h o w of Vishnu and di s charged 3 .

2 24 T HE ANC IE N T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

sn ake Ta k sh a k a .
l
Such wa s the fear he in spired that ,

eve ry living thing shuddered and shrunk out of sight

upon h is appr o ach E ven the w inds crept silently by.
,

and the angry se a f o rg o t to rave and o nly m o aned in

“
terror w hen he l o o ke d up o n her bill o ws The c o urage .

”
O f the Three W o rl d s a s he w a s o ften called s a t up o n
, ,

the g o lden thr o ne in the great c o uncil hall o f h is

.

palace surr o unded by h is chieftain s and c o un s el o rs

, .

O n either S ide o f the languid dem o n were great

ma ss e s o f fragrant fl o wer s which had been ga thered and
br o ught t o him a s O ff ering s wh ile at h is feet were ,

pile s o f g o ld and j ewel s which he had ex to rted a s

tribute s fr o m h is t err o r stricken s ubje ct s O ver h is -
.

numer o u s hea d s his attendant s in mi sty O riental garb

w aved fan s who s e handle s were O f pearl and se t w ith
d iam o nd s AS they m o ved them gracefully to and fr o
.

they kept time t o a dreamy mu si cal mea s ure which ,

fl o ate d t hr o ugh the air Bu t w hile the dem o n s a t .

h o lding council with h is chiefs he wa s di sturbed by a ,

c o nfu s ion am o ng h is c o urtier s o ut s ide the palace and ,

in a moment t o h is angry a s to n i sh ment h is S i s te r the

, , ,

terrible Sur p a nakh a da shed int o t h e r o o m H er gar

-
, .

ment s were t o rn her l o ng hair wa s di sh eveled and , ,

her m angled face w a s c o vered w ith bl o o d .

The dreadful R a vana sprang t o h is feet and sh o uted , ,

Speak ! wh o h a s dare d t o m o le s t the s ister Of R a vana ,

” ”
the v icto r O f the g o d s ? W h o h a s d ared indeed ! ,

bu r st fro m the lip s o f the vindictive female fiend .

“
H ere I find y o u s urr o unded by luxury and fanned t o
1 Va s u k i a n d Tkh k
a l s a a a re ea d in g N a ga s, to w h om a se p a ra te d o m in i o n
o v er a p o rti o n of th p t e ser en r a ce is so m e t i m e s a s si gn e d In co m p y
an

y ul v l
.

w i th S e s h a , t h e r ke o e r sn a es i n g en e ra a nd t h ei r d o m i n i o n i s i n t h e
l o we r re
gi ons .
 T H E S T ORY O F T H E RAM AY AN A . 22 5

S leep by the perfumed breath o f flo w er s while I c o me ,

bleeding fr o m the battle fie l d w here the vulture s are

-
,

feeding up o n our w arri o r s wh o peri shed in trying t o

avenge my wr o ng s A d wh o s the cau s e o f all thi s
n
. i ?

— a m o r tal ”
S h e s c reamed
,
“
a man by the name O f
,

R a ma a mere y o uth wh o h a s bee n exiled fr o m h is

°

father s c o urt ! But he carrie s a b o w like a rainb o w ,

and fr o m it he send s f o rth blazing arr o ws w hi ch are fatal ,

a s the p o i s o n o f s erpent s I sa w the army falling befo re

.

him like a cr o p O f grain that is s mitten by the rain s Of

I ndra . O h R a vana ! thi s R a ma h a s a beautiful wife
of charming face an d l o vely f o rm and her co m ,

plexi o n is bright a s m o lten g o ld O h my br o ther ! .

,

I t wa s becau se I w anted t o bring thi s beautiful w o man

a w ay t o be y o ur w ife tha t I w a s di sfi gured by th e
,

cruel L a ks h m a n a .O raja o f the R a k sha sa s avenge ,

the death o f y o ur br o ther s u p o n R a ma and L a k s h m a n a ,

”
a n d take the beautiful S i t a t o be y o u r w ife !

Ben d ing d o wn t h e haughty dem o n laid h i s hand

care ss ingly up o n the r o ugh head O f Sfl r p a nahk a and -
,

an s wered in t o ne s o f thunder “
I will indeed avenge,

my fallen br o t her s a n d I w ill bring thi s dainty

,

beauty t o my o wn c o ur t .

Then ordering h is g o lden chari o t which m o ved ,

thr o ugh t h e air at the w ill O f the chari o teer he called ,

o n e o f h is co urti er s t o acc o mpany him a n d w hile t hey ,

m o ved o n their w a y he gave h is o r d er s H e w a s met .

with exp o stulati o n s and warning s but he o nly replie d ,

“
The s o vereign o f t h e wo rld is n o t t o be c o ntradicted .

I did n ot a sk y o u r ad vice ; I o nly c o mmande d y o ur

a ssi stance . Y o u mu s t a ssu me the f o rm o f a golden
deer and g o ing int o the pre sen ce O f S i t a yo u must
,
.
attract her attention H aving done this you are at
.
,

liberty to go where you please fo r I Shall have no fur ,

the r need of you .

“
D oubt not the lady w hen S h e s ees ,

This w o ndr o us deer am o ng the tree s ,

Will bid her l o rd and L akshman take

’
The creature fo r it s beauty s s ake .

Thy life if t h e n the ta sk essay

, ,

I n j e o pardy may stand .

Opp o s e me and thi s very day

,

”
Thou diest by this hand .

TH E B DUC T IO N
A .

It wa s evening i n the wilderne ss o f D an daka The .

d a y w i th her s andal s di pped in d e w w a s passin g

through the g o lden gate s o f the we s t and the cre s ,

cent m o o n and t h e evening s tar h a d c o me f o rth to bid

her g o od night R a ma and h is young wife stood at
-
.

the d o o r o f their leafy tent lo o king in S ilence upon

the gl o rie s of the we s t ern sk y when a beautiful fawn ,

came o u t o f the thicket a n d entered the plantain gr o ve ,

w h i ch h a d been cleared Of i t s u ndergr o w th

‘
I n the .

evening light he shone like burni she d g o ld fle ck e d

w i t h s p o t s o f s ilver a n d h is tiny h o rn s s eemed t o be
,

tipped with sapphire while h is delicate mouth and fine

,

n o stril s were like the red l o tu s bl o sso ms and h is dark ,

eye s l o o ked fearle ssly int o the face o f t he prince ss .

.

S i t a was delighted w ith h is beauty and appealed t o ,

R a ma t o capture him for her “

We c o uld keep it
.
,

“
said Sh e ,
in o u r leafy d w elling and w hen o u r t erm o f
,

exile is finished we could take it with u s to Ay o dhy a .

228 TH E ANCIEN T B O O K S O F INDI A .

aid T he distan t cry was heard by the listening pair

.

at the d o or Of the hermitage and S i t a bes o ught L a k sh

,

’
mana t o fly t o her h usband s aid I n vain he argued .

’
that it was a deceitful cry—that R ama s p o wer wa s such
that he needed n o aid ; sh e w o uld n ot li sten to a r e
fu sa l and at la st taunted him with cowardice and
,

with motives which were even more u n worthy Stung .

by her severity he darted into the fore s t leaving the ,

beautiful princes s alone amidst the rapidly falling shade s

Of night .

A feeling of loneliness and terror came over her at

once b ut she w o uld not call him back and Sh e wa s
, ,

s o on comf o rted by seeing a humble prie st approach

ing her little d welling I n o n e hand he bore a staff
.

and in the o ther a s crip O n h is f o rehead was a .

straight m ark and on h i s fingers were large rings Of

sacred g rass H is body wa s emaci a t ed an d his feet
.

o n ly partial ly c o vered by h is torn s andals H e meekly .

approached her asking for f o od and supposing him to

, ,

be a true hermit she paid him l o wly reverence and

gladly invited him to enter her little h o me an d re st
“ ”
u n til her hu sband returned Beautiful lady he s aid
.
, ,

“
y o ur smile is entrancing a n d y o u r radiant eye s ill u m
,

ine with brightne ss even the appr o aching dark n e ss .

H o w came s o beautif u l a gem t o be i n thi s r o ugh s e t

ting ? Why S houl d so fair a lady be f o un d in thi s
? ”
gloomy fore st S i t a inn o cently t o ld him t h e st o ry o f
their exile when the mighty raja o f the R a k sha s a s
,

s aid to her
“
,
I am R a vana the terr o r o f the w o rl d
,

I have a ssumed thi s l o w ly f o rm o nly t o gain admi ssi o n ‘

to your pre sence fo r my p o wer is k n o w n thr o ugh o u t

,

the universe Y o ur beauty o h radiant o n e eclip s e s

.
, , ,
 TH E S O T RY OF T HE R AM AY AN A . 229

in my eye s the beauty O f a l l my o wn w ives ! Will

y o u n o t be my rani — the chief o f them all ? L ank a ,

my beautiful city is o n an island of the se a

, Built .

o f palaces and filled w i t h gl o rie s it is as reno w ned as

,

the city of I n d ra There O S i t a you shall w alk with

.
, ,

m e among the gr o ve s and feel n o w i sh t o return to

thi s f o re st Y o u shall be the chief O f all my wive s
.
,

and five thou sand beautiful handmaids S hall attend

you .

But sh e indignantly replied Kn o w t hat I am the

,

daughter Of raj a Janaka a nd my hu sband is my deity , .

As a li o ne ss attends a str o ng li o n so am I the co n ,

'

s t a n t a tt e n d a n t o f t h e m aje s tic R a ma ! D O y o u a pit ,

ifu l j ackal wi sh t o Obtain a li o ne s s w h o is t o y o u like

, ,

a ray o f the su n t o a firefly

Then t h e dem o n wa s enraged and he exclaimed , ,

I nfatuated a s y o u are Oh S i t a y o u cannot kn o w Of

, , ,

my p o wer I can t o rment the su n and pierce the earth

.

through w ith my arr o w s I can S lay the King of D eath

.

him s elf in s ingle handed c o mbat

-
Behold me in my .

o wn f o rm . An d a ss uming h is own per s onality he ,

s eemed a s va s t a s a m o untain and a s terrible a s Y ama

“

H is r e d eye s glared u p o n her and h i s en o rm o u s body ,

s eeme d t o be c o vered with bri s t le s o f fire and great ,

earrings o f m o lten g o ld gleamed in all h is ear s With .

h is ten h o rrible hea d s a n d t wenty terrible arm s he s to o d

befo re her like a bla ck angry cl o u d fla shing w ith light
, ,

h ing s . With o n e pi tiful cr y O f “

R a ma ! R a ma ! ”

sh e fainted at h is fee t Then w ith a fien d ish laugh

.

he lifted her fr o m the gr o und and calling fo r h i s

chari o t he entered it bearing h is beautiful prey in his
,

arm s .
2 30 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

TH E S E ARCH
The gra s s and ferns were heavy with the evening
dew when R a ma turned fr o m the R akshasa that had in
death revealed h is tru e character and started w i t h a ,

heavy heart t o ward his h o me So o n he S aw h i s br o ther

.

ha stening t o ward him and upbraided him bitterly for

,

leaving S i t a al o ne L a k sh m a n a explained that he ca m e

.

o nly in o bedience to the c o mmand Of S i t a who felt ,

that her husban d w a s in danger Then they knew they .

were the Vi cti m s o f a pl o t and hurrying in silence to

,

the hermitage their fear s w ere realized ; fo r the beau

tiful S i t a wa s not t o be found They searched ar o und
.

the little tent and d o wn by the cry stal s tream that

went murmuring by s inging in i ts dream s all u n co n
, ,

s ciou s o f their ag o ny Then their lamentations were

.

pitiful to hear . R a m a bewailed the cruel losse s of h is

life which had culminated in the l o ss Of her who wa s
,

dearer far than life it self .

T o ssing his mighty arm s o n high ,

H e sought her with an eager cry .

F ro m sp o t t o sp o t he wildly ran ,

E ach c o rner of his h o me t o scan .

H e l o oke d but S i t a wa s not there

, ,

H is co t was de so late and bare ,

L ike streamlet in the winter fro st ,

The glory of her lilie s l o s t .

With leafy tear s the sa d tree s wept

As a wild w ind their branche s s wept .

M o urned bird and deer ; and every fl o wer

D ro oped fainting r o un d the l o vely b o wer .

The sylvan deitie s had fled

 32 TH E AN CI E N T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

the half withered fl o wers and while he pressed them

-
,

t o his lips h is eye caugh t s ight of a friendly vulture .

The vulture told them that R a vana the dem o n ki n g , ,

had hurried by a short time before bearing a beauti ,

ful woman in h is arm s and pointed out the way he

,

h a d g o ne They stayed fo r a fe w questi o ns and then

.
,

performed the funeral rites of the vulture who died ,

befo re their eyes having received a death wound fr o m

,

R a van a in c o nsequence of h is vain attempt s t o re scue

,

S i t a from the gra sp o f the fiend H aving performed .

this l a b or o f love fo r their lost friend and thereby a s

v

sured t o him a higher birth and an entrance to heaven ,

they ha stene d onward .

SU G R IVA, T H E M O N K EY K ING .

After a long and weari s ome j o urney R a ma and ,

L a k sh m a n a came t o the beautiful lake of Pampa with ,

i t s wealth of w ater lilie s and lot u s b l o s so m s .

The .

sweet breath O f the fl o wer s mingled with the rich Odor

of the sandal tree s and multitu de s o f w ater bird s with
,

radiant plumage st o od up o n the green bank Of t h e lake

o r h o vered j o you sly o ver i t s cry s tal s urface Amid s t the .

den se f o liage o n t h e o ther s h o re t h e wild c o tt o n tree

of I ndia lifted here and there i ts leafles s bran che s ,

gl o wing with heavy crim so n bl o sso m s an d o ver all the ,

peaceful s cene re sted the benedi cti o n o f the parting

day . H ere they remained thr o ugh the n ight t h e ,

faith ful L a k sh m a n a making a b e d o f l o tu s fo r h is

br o ther and b r in g I n g w ater from the lake t o bathe h is
w eary feet .

R i sing early in the m o rnin g they perf o rme d their ,

cu s t o m ary abluti o n s in the clear w aters o f the lake ,

 T H E ST O RY OF T HE R AM AY AN A . 2 33

and pre ssed fo rw ard toward the mountain R ish ya

mukha where lived the m o nkey raj a S u g r i va
, , .
l

S u g r i va and his m o nkey c o u nsel o r s be held their a p

‘

proach from a fo rt on the t o p of the mountain and ,

“
the raj a said There are two men coming from the ,

Pampa ; they are dre ssed like devotees but they carry ,

arm s I fear they are enemie s

. .

Bu t H anu man wh o was the chief among his coun ,

“
sel e r s answered , Be of g o o d cheer oh S u g r i va for , , ,

these are the s o ns of a raj a and they have come for ,

our deliverance ”
Then H anuman d e scended the moun .

tain t o meet the traveler s and escorted them into the ,

pre sence Of his king .

R a ma told his story to S u g r i va and t he monkey ,

king replied “
Some days a g o I wa s S itting here with
,

m y coun selors when a fearfu l darkne s s came over the ,

wh o le m o untain and l o oking up ward we s a w the ,

terrible R a vana passing over u s I n his arms he hel d .

a beautiful w o man who was calling up o n the trees an d ,

t h e sun to re s cu e her and w h o as they passed us , , ,

thre w d o wn her ornaments and her veil which we ,

”
have kept h Op in g to identify her by them
, .

1 I n th e p t f I d i th
so uh t m u l ti tu d
e rn f m ar ky fg t o n a e re a r e es o on e s o rea

i t ll i g
n e d h
e n ce a n wd Th i u fu l t i p
s re v l m t i m p bl ne ss e r s cce s s r s o er a os a s sa e

b i pp t g i z t i h v m d g im p
.

a rr e r s d th a n eir a t a re n i or a n a on a e a e a s ro n re ss o n

u p t h u p ti ti u t i v w h m t g d t h m
on e s e rs o s na tu h lf e s, o se e o re ar e a s cr e a re s a

h um an d h lf d i v i
an I th C l v f th
a wh
ne Vi h u n e
“
o nc a e O e en s n

p m i d t v th w t h d m h m m d d t h t h d i t i t
.

ro se o o er ro e e on , e co an e e o er e es o

a ss u m th f m f m k y d m t h i i t
e e or o It i v y p b
on e s an co e o s a s s s a n ce s er ro a

h w v k y f S u th I d i h v b fu dd
.

ble, o th t t h
e m e r, a e on e s o o e rn n a a e ee n co n o n e

w i th f b i g i l ti v w h w h i p d t h i i m l
a r a ce o a or na g d I na es o o rs e s an a as a o n a

t l t uth u bj t S i M i W i ll i m s y T h
.

“
r e ce n t th e te r hi o e a or o n t s s ec r on er a s a s, e

m on k y f th g t E pi
e s O lly t h b ig i l t i b f I d i wh
e re a cs a re re a e a or na r es O n a o

b l g t l w t yp f h u m i ty d w i v y l ik
,

e on o a o er i t ti m e o an a n e re n a nc en es er e

ky p i pp th y v b ig i l
,

—
m on e s or a ( es n a w wh th e a r a n ce a s e a re e en no e re e a or na

t yp ei p s v d ) I t h m w y th p w fu l D v id i w h
r e se r e n e sa e a e o er ra a ns , o co n

q u d t h b i gi Ay a ll d
.
,
M
e re e d w a t ort h nes a n aIr fs m e re a err o r o t e r a n Inv c e

fi r st 1 5 ! a
(
d m
e o ns
! -
 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

Su n va then sent fo r the o rnaments and handed

them to R a ma H e t o o k the little silver bells that
.

had tinkled round her graceful ankles and rai sed them
t o his lips amid s t a fl o o d of tear s ; the delicate veil h e
ki ssed over an d over again while all around hi m were ,

deeply affected by the scene .

H anuman built a fire and R a ma and Su gr i va made

,

a covenan t o f mutual frie n d ship befo re it Then the .

m o nkey king t o ld the st o ry of his o wn grievance as

f o ll o ws : “
I am the younger son Of a great monkey
raja . On e day g o ing o u t t o hunt with my brother
,

Bali wh o had j u st a scended the thr o ne we f o und a

, ,

dem o n wh o fled int o a cave

, Bali dire cte d me t o
.

s tand at the m o uth o f the cave while h e went in and

killed the dem o n I s t o o d there until I sa w a stream

.

o f bl o o d i s s uing fr o m the cavern Still my r .

came n o t o u t S O s upp o s ing that the d e m

.
, ad
slain him I s t e pp e d u p the m o uth o f th e cave with a
,

rock and went back t o the city The m o nkeys accepted .

m e as their raja I n a few day s h o w ever my br o ther

.
, ,

returned and w a s very angry wi t h me f o r s upplanting

,

him in the raj H e t o o k my wife t o be h is o w n an d

.

bani shed me t o thi s m o untain where I have n o raj a s , ,

y o u may se e ,
but only a f e w fai t hful f o ll o wers w h o ,

ch o se t o S hare my exile .

Then said R a ma “
C a st asi d e my friend all fear
, , ,

o f Bali ; I pr o mi se t o make y o u free Put o n y o ur .

war dre ss and g o t o th e gate s o f the pala c e and chal

lenge y o ur brother to S ingle c o mbat and when he c o me s ,

o u t again s t y o u I w ill slay him

”
.

Then S u gr i va s e t o u t fo r the m o nkey city aec o m ,

a n i e d by R a ma and L a k s h m a n a When t hey arrived

p .
,
2 36 TH E ANCIE N T B O O K S O F I NDI A .

had n o w c o mmenced R a ma t o ld S u g r i va t o enj

o y him ,

self in his n ew capital until the rains were over and ,

then go w ith him in search of S i t a .

E X P E DI T IO N OF TH E M O N K EY G ENE R AL , H AN U M AN .

W hen the rainy sea s on cl o sed an d the land of , I ndia

wa s luxuriant with the gl o ries of her n e w foliage and
delicate bl o s s om s a large force of m o nkeys wa s gath ,
-

ered together and sent out in search o f S i t a T he .

troops were under the command of H anu man who ,

was the shre wde s t and m o st p o werful of all the m e n

key general s When h e departed he a sked o f R a ma
.

s o me t o ken which he could give t o S i ta if he f o und

her a s a p r o o f that he wa s in d eed a me ssenger sent
,

fr o m her hu sband R a ma gave h im a ring which he .

had re ceived o n his wedding day fr o m Janaka the ,

father of S i t a .

The expediti o n m o ved t o the s o u t h ward and s earched

the country i n every directi o n w i t h o u t finding any
cle w t o t h e l o cati o n of the fair captive Aft e r a
/
.

m o nth S pent in this way they were retu rning t o

S u g r i va di s c o uraged and disc o n sol ate w h en o n e
, ,

evening a s they had c o mp o sed their weary limb s for

,

the night they sa w up o n a di s t ant cr a g t h e chief Of

,

vulture s S a m p a t i ,
O n e of the m o nkeys ventured t o .

climb up the crag where he wa s sitting and inquired

S u g r i va a nd B li
a a re t h e co m b a ts Of m on e ky s As reg a rd s t h e n a r ra
v i ly f l v
.

t i e , i t ce r t a n se e m s to re er to so m e r e a e ent a m on g th e a b o rig i
na l tr I be s : vi z th e ld qu d y u g b th
a rre l b e t we e n an e er a n a o n er ro er

p u b q u t ll i
.
,

for th e i f j d th
o s se s s o n o a f R m
ra wi h
a n e s se en a a n ce O a a t
y u g b th m k bl pp
,

th e o n er It i rom wh t er th t R m s so t e a re ar a e a a a a e a rs o

h v f m d ll i g p ty f f B li
.

a e or e w ith t h
an w a a n ce th ig h t e ro n a r or e r o a

vi d tly u p i t t h t f S g i p i lly w h y
,

w as e en s d it i
er o r o a o u r va a n s es ec a o rt

mp f B l i by yt
,

o f t
no e th t R m a d th
a d ath co t
a s se t e ea o a a n a c co n r a r o

a l l th e l f f i fi g h ti g
r u es o (S V l I I pp 323
a r n . ee o .
, .
 T HE ST ORY O F T H E R AM AY AN A . 2 37

revere n t ly o f him if he remembered having seen

the dem o n king ru s hing thr o ugh the air during t h e
la st fe w m o n t hs “
I n d eed an s wered the vul t ure
.
,
“
I ,

remember it w ell fo r I w a s up o n the wing in s earch

,

of fo od and n o t a living creature wa s in s ight

, A .

terrible h o rr o r s eemed t o fill t h e very air and n o t ,

even a m o u s e ventu red f o rth t hat I might appea se

my hunger As I s earched everywhere in vain I
.

n o ticed that the Sky w a s gr o wing dark a s if a tem ,

pe st were h o vering ab o ve u s and glancing upward I ,

sa w t h e terrible R a vana H is fiery eye s glared up on

.

me ; but h is attenti o n was d iverted fr o m m e by a pit

ifu l cry fr o m a beautiful w oman w h o m he held in
h is arm s and hurrying into a thi cket I e s caped with
,

” “
my life . That bea u tiful w o man is the Obj e ct o f
o u r s earch s aid the m o nkey
,
“
C an you tell me whi ch
.

”
way the dem o n w ent ?
Y es ,
he went t o ward the i s land o f C eyl o n and ,

it is d o ubtle ss i n his palace in the city o f L ank a that

”
y o u will find h i s capti ve r e sp o nded
, S a m pa ti a s he ,

sm o o thed h is feather s and began t o make him self co m

fo r t a b l e fo r the n ight
“
I have often soared ab o ve it
.
,

a n d it i s the fine s t city in thi s part o f the w o rld ;

but the R a k shas a s wh o inhabit it are eve n m o re d a n
e r o u s and terrible then me n are a n d I w o uld advi s e
g ,

”
you m o nkey s t o stay a w ay and let them al o ne B ut .

t h e adven t ur o u s me ss enger o verj o yed at the reception

,

of the ti d ings ha s tened t o h is c o mmander with t h e

,

info rmati o n As so o n as the m o rning da w ned H anu

.

man awoke h i s f o ll o w ers and after a ha sty br ea kfa s t

,

o f fruit and leave s in the branches o f the tree s the

littl e fell o ws started bravel y fo r the se a c o ast B ut .

2 38 TH E AN CIEN T B O O K S OF INDI A .

t hey beheld the island they sought f u lly sixty miles

fr o m the shore n o r were there b o ats o r bridges to e n
,

able th em to make the hazardou s pa ssage .

H anu man called fo r v olunteers t o g o t o the islan d

and Obtain the de sired info rmati o n but not one Of the ,

di s mayed little s o l diers rai s ed a hand At la s t H anu .

man s aid “
As n o ne O f y o u d are t o un d ertake it I
, ,

w ill g o myself B ut I shall j ump all the way acr o ss

.

”
the s e great bill o ws and land u p o n the i sland
, Then .

there w a s a great cheering and chattering fo r be sides ,

the admirati o n felt fo r their brave c o mmander every ,

ape w a s greatly relieved t o kn o w that he w o uld n o t

be c o mpelled t o u ndertake t h e ta s k H anuman then .

di s ten d ed h is f o rm u ntil it wa s a s large a s a m o un

tain an d h is b o dy gl ittered like g o ld in the s unlight
, ,

w hile his face w a s as red a s rubie s H is arm s w ere .

extended like the w ing s o f a great drag o n a n d his ,

tail w a s SO l o ng that t h e end o f it c o uld n o t be seen .

H e t o o k h is p o siti o n up o n the m o untain Mandara ( the

fabled center o f the earth ) and cried in a v o ice of
thunder ,

’
S w ift a s a shaft fr o m R a ma s bow
’
T o R a va n s ci t y I w ill g o
”
.

The n extending h is l o n g arm s he drew in his neck ,

erected h is ears and rai s ing him self u p o n the m o un

,

tain sprang t o ward the south and alighted u p o n the

i sland o f C eyl o n with a b o und that made the i sland
tremble The dem o n king sent fo r h is c o un s el o r s and
.

demanded of them w h y the earth w a s quivering beneath

h i s capital city They an s wered that it wa s an earth
.

quake but one wh o wa s b o lder than the others v en t

,
2 40 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I N DI A .

sa w hideous R a k s hasa s of every S hape and form

, .

Some Of them were a s tall a s the tree s and other s w ere

d w arf s S o me o f them had o nly t wo leg s while others
.
,

had three o r f o ur S o me had head s like serpents

.
,

o t hers w e re the feature s o f d o nkey s S o me had heads.

like h o r se s w hile the face s o f o t h er s w ere decorated

,

with trunk s like elephant s .

While the m o n k ey gener a l in the s hape o f a cat wa s

carefully Observing the s e thing s the shade s o f night ,

s e t tl e d d o wn up o n the city and the S treets were

deserted .

T HE P AL AC E O F R AV AN A .

After the dem o n s had fallen a s leep the s trange ,

s cout Slipped quietly int o the palace o f raja R a vana .

Thi s re splendent man s i o n wa s s urrounded on all s ide s

with a canal fr o m wh o s e clear water s ro s e the green
,

leaves and bright bl o s s o m s o f the l o tu s w hile the even ,

ing air wa s laden with their fragran ce Within thi s .

,

watery barrier the g o l d en wall s ar o s e t o s uch a heigh t

th at the bird s c o uld n o t fly ab o ve them and the pil ,

lars on each side o f the gates w ere made o f black

cry stal . The gate s were guarded by th o u sand s o f
R ak shasa s and o ver the wall s fl o ated the soft strains
,

“ ” “
of music Surely th o ught the little Spy
.
, thi s raja ,

R a vana must have been a very virtu ou s man in his

former life and fo r this rea s on he e n j o ys so mu ch
,

w ealth now T hen he slipped thr o ugh the gate and

.

into t h e inner apartments of the palace where he ,

found fountain s and p o ol s of clear water with mas se s ,

of gorge o us tropical fl o wers ar o und them .

Th e slee p ing r o o m o f R a vana p resented a scene Of

 T H E S T O RY O F T H E R AM AY AN A . 41

barbaric splend o r The walls were blazing with g o ld

.

and gems while the fl o or was inlaid w ith black

,
crys
tal T he r o yal couch wa s as beautiful a s art could
.

make it Th e draperie s were as s o ft and white a s

.

waves of milk G o lden jars fill eil wi t h water s t o od in

.

the c o rners o f the r o o m and lamp s O f precious stones ,

were hung fr o m the ceiling H undred s o f beautif u l .

w o men were s leeping in vari o us parts of the great

r o om and the demon king lay upon h is royal bed a
, ,

cro wn o f g o ld up o n each black and terrible head and h is ,

twenty hands laden with heavy j e weled rings While .

he slept H anuman l o o ked caref u lly around the r o o m

, ,

bu t among all the beautiful w o men there he f o und n o

o n e that answered t o the de s cription o f S i t a L eaving .

the palace he entered a luxuriant,

ASO K A G RO V E .

H e has t ily cli m bed into the branches of one

the of

tree s and l o oking ar o und him s a w n o t far a way a

1

beautiful w o man wh o se eyes were red with c o nstant

,

weeping She was sitting sadly up o n the ground sur

.

r o unded by hide o u s R a k shasa w o men The fair girl .

reminded him of a beautiful doe surrounded by tigre sses ,

whi ch were ready at any mo ment t o feed up o n her

delicate fle s h H er attendant s w ere pleading with her
.

t o become the w ife o f R a vana but sh e o nly replied ,

by chanting in a sweet minor key the name o f

“
R a ma “
R a ma ! ”

While H anu man still looked the demon king him ,

self appeared attended by all the women of h iS cou rt

,
.

1 Th e J o n e si a As o k a is one of th e l v li
o e e st tr e e s of p l lim
t h a t tr o i ca c e, i ts
f o li a g e b e i ng cr o wn e d wi t h a p f
ro u si o n o f g org e o u s re d bl o ss om s .
2 42 T HE ANCIE N T B O O K S OF INDI A .

The little spy then crept along the branches nearer t o

S i t a When R a vana w ith h is attendant s came int o the
.

g r o ve S h e starte d and shivered with terror

, T he raja .

appealed t o her t o wipe a way her tears and enj o y the

” “
luxurie s o f h is court D O not fear me
. he said for , ,

I am y o ur slave an d you need have n o fear of being

di scovered by o ther s for no man can enter my palace
, .

L et me send fo r w o men wh o will wa sh y o u with water

and c o stly perfumes ; wh o will dre ss your beau tiful
hair and ad o rn y o ur lovely form with magnificent robes
and the riche s t j ewel s o f the east Y ou shall be the .

mi s tre ss of all my o ther wive s and the queen of my

”
heart .

Oh lord O f L ank a y o u a r e
'
“
But S i t a answered , , ,

renowned thr o ughout the w o rld for y o ur w ealth strength , ,

an d valor D O n o t I impl o re y o u s o il your reputa

.
, ,

ti o n by wickedne ss R e st ore me I pray you to my

.
, ,

hu sband R a ma and entreat his f o rgivene s s My hus

, , .

band is my wealth H e is more to me than all the

.

riches at y o ur c o mmand .

H e c o ntinued to plead with her until sh e turned

up o n him and threatened him with the anger of her
Oh wicked R a vana
“ ” “
hu sband .
, Sh e cried you have , ,

n ot long to live Y o ur golden L ank a will so o n be a

.

heap Of ashe s and y o ur numberle ss army shall fall like

ripened grain bef o re the arrows o f R a ma There is as .

mu ch d ifle r e n ce be tween yo u and him as there is b e

tween a m ouse and a lie n or a mo s qu ito and a hawk , .

Y o u are only a glow worm but he i s the noonday sun

-
, .

Y ou are a grain o f sand but he is a preciou s ,

”
stone .

’
Stung by her taunts the demon s eyes flashed fire , .
244 TH E ANCI EN T B OO KS or IND I A .

any man except my husband Besides if you took me .

,

away by stealth the world would say that R a ma is a

,

coward and is unable to puni sh R a vana S o she .

dismissed him with l o ving messages fo r her husband

and with an admonition for him to hasten to her r e
lief as only two months remained for her t o live
,

unless he came She sent to R am a the only ring she

.

still possessed and placed his upon her own fi n ger ,

begging H anuman to hasten his de p arture with her

messages .

H AN U M AN D E ST ROY S TH E M ANGO G RO V E .

’
But R a ma s messenger wa s not content to leave the
beautiful island without avenging in some way S i t a s ’
wrong upon the demon king ; so in the form of an
immense baboon he rushed int o a beau t iful grove of
mango trees and tore Off the rich fruit and f oliage
, ,

breaking th e branche s until b e de s troyed every tree in

the grove The g uard s o f R aks h a sa s were awakened
.

by the noi se and instead o f stopping to d o battle

,

with the invader they ru shed Off and inf o rmed the
,

king that a huge monkey had entered L ank a and was

destroying all h is tree s .

When R a vana heard of this he ordered an army o f ,

eighty thou sand R ak shasa s to capture the invader and

bring h im in chains before the king But the valiant .

monkey after a short confli ct sent the wh o le body O f

tro o ps to the regi o n s of Y ama When the king h eard .

that his soldier s were all slain he s ent the giants O f ,

his army b u t t hey t OO met the s ame fate At last a

,
.

s hrewd R a k s ha sa captured the marau d er w ith a p o w

e r fu l n o ose and he w a s led into the c o uncil hall Of
,

R a vana
.
 T H E ST ORY OR T HE R AM AY AN A . 24 5

H anuman then defied the k i n g to his face and de

cl a r i n g himself t o be the ambassador o f R a ma de
m a nded the re s t o ration o f S i t a But the king arose .

from his thr o ne in a terrible rage and ordered that

the monkey should be beheaded H is chief counselor .
,

however declared that they had n o right to kill an

,

ambassad o r although according t o the S a stras they

, , ,

could mutilate him in one of three way s H e might .

be di s figured or beaten with stripes or his head

, ,

might be shave d .

Then said R a vana “

I will n o t kill thi s monkey
, ,

but he shall not go unpuni she' d ; and a s h is tail is h is

principal ornament I S hall have it se t on fire and ,

”
burned .

T HE B URNING O F L AN K A .

’
The king s orders were quickly obeyed an d the ,

’
monkey s tail was wrapped w ith inflammable fabrics ,

which were so aked with o il and se t o n fire Bu t H an .

u man immediat ely reduced h is b o dy t o a diminutive

size and slipping quickly out of the noose sprang
, ,

up o n a wall and before they could recapture him was

,

lashing the roof with his flam ing tail .

He se a l e d
the palaces and sprea d ,

The co n fla g r a t ion where he s ped .

F r o m h o u se t o h o u se he hurried o n ,

An d the wild flames behind h im shone .

E ach man si o n O f t h e fo e he s caled ,

An d furi o u s fire it s roof a ss ailed

Till all the c o mm o n ruin s hared .

’
Vib h i sh a n s h o u se al o ne w a s spared
l
.

l Th e co u l n se o r wh o ha d sa v ed h is li f e .
24 6 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

F rom blazing pile to pile he S prang ,

An d lou d h is s hout of triumph rang .

L ou d was the roar the demons rai sed

’Mid walls that S plit and beams that blazed ,

AS each with vain endeavor strove

To stay the flames in hou se or grove .

H e saw the flames a scend and curl

R o u nd turki s diamond and pearl
, , ,

While silver floo d s and m o lten gold

F rom ruined wall and lattice rolled .

As fire grows fie r ce r as it feed s

O n wood and grass and crackling weeds ,

S o H anuman the ruin eye d ,

”
With fury still unsatisfied .

H ANU M AN RE J OIN S TH E M ON K EY AR M Y .

L eaving the blazing city to be cared for by its ter

ror stricken inhabitants H anuman ru shed to the sea
-
,

shore and with a mighty leap landed in the midst of

his own tr o ops a n d triump h antly relate d the st o ry of
his exploit s i n L ank a The army wa s placed in
.

marching order and j o yfully se t out to carry the glad

tiding s to raj a S u g r i va chanting a s they advanced the
,

name Of R a ma When they arrived at the cou rt

.

H anuman advanced into the royal pre sence bowing ,

him s elf befo re the m o nkey raj a a n d a l so before R a ma

'

to whom he t o ld the st o ry of h is adve n tures He .

’
placed in R a ma s han d the ring which S i t a h a d given
him and delivere d her m e ss age s saying that unle ss
, ,

sh e could be re s cued w ithin two m o nth s R a vana would ,

surely accompli sh his murderou s threat R a ma received .

 CH AP T ER X VI .

TH E S TOR Y OF TH E R AM AY AN A C ON C L U DED , .

T H E M ON K EY E X P E D I T IO N AG AI N S T L AN K A T H E
S OU T HERN S E A — TH E O CE AN B RI D GE — I N V AS ION
OF L NK A A — R AV AN A AN D R AM A I N S I NGLE C O M
B AT — TH E DE AT H OF R AVAN A R ESTO R ATI O N OF
AN D V I ND I C AT IO N —TR I U M
m

’
s i TA— S IT AS T RI AL

P H AN T RE T URN To AYOD H Y A—TH E B ANI S H M E N T

O F s I TA TH E S ON S O E S IT A—TH E DE P AR T URE
'
'
-
.

NE bright morning the tropical sun l o oked down

upon an innumerable ho st of m o nkey s ready to
march u pon L ank a at the word of command The raja .

had given the cont ro l of h is troops into t h e hands of

R a ma who was t h e c o mmander general of the exp e
,

dition while L a k sh m a n a an d S u g r i va were his chiefs

,

of sta ff The vast army extended in length a thou

.

s and mile s When they were all arrayed in military

.

o rder the heroic m o nkey s so unded their conch S hell s

, ,

and the earth trembled beneath their exultant scream s

and the la shing Of their tails The innumerable h ost .
1

poured over the mountains and thr o ugh the great fo r

e sts and living upon the fruits and leave s o f the
,

1 Se e th e Ad h y a tm a v e r si o n v
w h i ch i s d i i d e d i n t o se v en b k b
oo s ea r

ing th e sa me ti t l es a s V lm ik
a
’v
i s e r sio n It s O bj e ct i s to Sh o w th a t
p Sup Spi it yp
.

R a ma is a re r e se n t a ti o n of th e re m e r , a nd t h a t Si t a is a t e

of N at u re .

248
 TH E S T OR Y O F TH E R AM AY AN A . 24 9

tree s they de solated the land like an army o f locusts ,

leaving n o t e ven a flower in their tra ck They S wept .

like a t o rrent o ver the fertile fields and fl o wery vales ,

until they reached the fair sh o res of

TH E S O U T H E RN S E A.

H ere they called a halt for befo re them the wild

,

billo ws f o amed with rage and the dark tide came

s w eeping i n clo s er and cl o ser to their feet wit h every

throbbing p ul s e fr o m the great heart of the o cean .

L ank a lay in safety far bey o nd their sight entrenched ,

behind th e pathle ss billows

‘
While the chiefs were
.

gathered in c o un sel up o n the shore an o ther night came ,

d o wn up o n them and the s tar light t ouched with s il

ver the h ead s o f the da shing waves .

Wearied by the rapi d march and perplexed by the

h o pele ss s ituati o n R a ma left the c o uncil o f his chiefs
,

and with his head bared to the c o o l night air walked

S l o wly to
’
the water s edge As the dark breakers
.

came rolling in he bent above them invoking the aid ,

o f the fair g o dde ss o f the sea when suddenly in the

,

coral chamber s beneath the s urf there fla shed a ph o s

p h o r e sce n t light
,
which S l o wly f o rmed it s elf into a
beautiful woman . H er White sh o ulders gleamed like
pearl beneath the tide and her crim so n lip s were wet
with the ki sses o f N eptune H er heavy hair w a s b o und
.

with delicate Spray s o f the sea w eed and her shell

tinted r o be w a s fa s tened with branche s o f c o ral In .

gentle t o ne s sh e a sked “
,
What wilt th o u R a ma that , ,

I shall d o fo r thee ? ”
F air g o dde s s o f the se a he ,

“
cried ,
a dem o n h a s st o len my wife a way a n d cru shed
my heart beneath h is feet My beautiful bride is a
.
250 TH E AN C I EN T B O OK S OF I NDI A .

pri s oner on y o nder i sle —help me t o bridge this path

less deep and avenge her wrong s with my gallant
”
troops .

Again her sil very voice was heard amid the r o aring
of the surf “
Say t o N ala that he shall build a
bridge and every stone he touches shall float upon my
,

”
waves . Then turning away she waved her graceful
hand an d the dark d rapery o f the waves hid her from
,

h is sight .

T HE O CE AN B RI DGE .

As soon the crimson light Of morning kissed

as

the mountain peaks and crowned the o cean waves with

light R a ma so u nded up o n h is conch shell the call o f
,

“
Attention Pr o mptly his troops were gathered at
.

his feet and he sent for N ala the shre wde st general
, ,

in h is army After giving hi m a fe w directions he

.

turned t o the rank and file and o rdered them to bring

t o N ala all the material they coul d fin d with which ,

t o build a bridge to the fair i sland of C eyl o n that ,

they might march in triu mph to i t s capital city Al l .

the w earine ss o f the l o ng march wa s f o rgotten and ,

the o rder w a s re ceived with scream s an d s houts o f ex

u l t a t io n I n a few minutes thou sand s of m o nkeys
.

were running in every direction and bringing t o N ala ,

r o ck s and the trunk s o f trees with w hich t o build ,

the great bridge E ven mountain s w ere t o rn up and

.

h u rle d up o n the water s where beneath the magic t o u ch

,

o f N ala every tree and S t o ne and the great ma ss e s O f

earth fl o ated t o gether int o o n e unyiel d ing ma ss .

I n the mean t ime the m o ther o f R a vana began t o

se e e vil o men s o n every s i d e and calling t o her o ther
,
 52 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S . OF I NDI A .

Strain s o f d i scordant m u sic Their cavalry was m o unted .

o n buffaloe s camel s li o n s hyena s w o lves and even

, , , , ,

h o g s Their arm s c o n si sted o f s w o rd s club s bo ws and

.
, ,

arro ws spear s and m any n o nde s cript weap o n s

, , .

I n the m eantime R a ma having mar shaled the ranks ,

Of the m o nkey s pla ced him self at their head and led
, ,

them t o the attack S o me of them h ad t o rn up the

.

trunk s o f tree s fo r weap o n s an d s o me carried i mmen se

r o ck s in t heir arm s while o ther s depended upon their
,

teeth and n ail s which they had s harpened like s w o rds

, .

They were drawn up in l o ng line s o f battle w ith ten ,

m illi o n m o nkey s i n each line S o un d ing their s hell s .

“
they m arched t o the fray sh o uting Vict o ry t o ,

R a ma ! ”
T he fight w a s l o ng an d t h e i ss ue d o ubtful ,

when S u g r i va s eizing a large tree t o re it u p by the

, ,

ro o t s and hurled i t up o n I n d r a j
it t h
e famou s S O II o f ,

R a vana w h o had o nce c o nquered I ndra

,
The tree .

cru shed h is chari o t and killed h is h o r s es and charioteer .

The dem o n retreated and Offered a sacrifice t o Agni ,

when suddenly o u t o f the fire came a g o lden chariot

drawn by f o ur h o r se s and I n d r a j i t s eating him self
, ,

wi t hin it became invi s ible and di s charged h is arr o ws a t

,

R a ma an d L a k sh m a n a w h o c o uld n o t se e wh ence they

,

came At la st he threw a n o o se made o f serpents o ver

.

the t wo br o thers and caught them in i t s me shes B ut .

G aru da the bird up o n w hich Vi shnu ride s came t o the

, ,

re scue and when the s erpents sa w him they fled

, , ,

leaving the br o thers unharmed .

F inding tha t the tide o f bat t le was going agains t

h is tr o op s R a vana marche d t o the field in per so n at
the head o f p o werful r e enfo rcements H is ten face s-
.

were blac k with rage and his heads appe ared l ike
 T H E ST O RY O F T HE R AM AY AN A . 25 3

rough m o untain s .H is twenty eyes gleamed like fiery

furnace s and his eyebr o ws and whi skers were com
po sed Of the S hining b o die s o f black s erpents As the .

‘
terrible con flict c o ntinued R a m a and R a vana came
,

face t o face in the fight and were s o o n engaged in

S INGLE CO MB AT .

The go d I ndra l o oked d own fr o m heaven and seeing ,

that R a ma wa s with o u t a chari o t sent hi m h is o w n , ,

wi th arm o r and w eap o n s and al so h is charioteer

, As .

the terrible duel progres sed growing m o re and m o re

,

de sperate every hour the go d s became s o ab so rbed i n

,

the fight that they c o uld n o t refrain from j o ining i n

the fray even a s the g o d s of G reece to o k part in the
,

siege of Tr o y .

When the powers de s cending s welled the fight

Then tumult r o se fierce rage and pale affright
Varied each face ; then D i sc o rd so und s alarm s ,

E arth ech o e s and the nations ru sh t o arm s

, .

N o w thr o ugh the trembling s hores Minerva calls ,

An d n o w sh e thunders from the G recian walls .

’ ’
Mar s h o vering o e r h is Troy h is terror shrouds
, ,

I n gloomy tempe st and a night of clouds ”1

.

Vishnu and I n dra with all their allies t o o k side s

with R a ma wh ile the evil spirits j o ined their force s
,

with R a vana . The demon king rode in a m agic car

which was drawn by hor se s having human face s The .

armies on both sides soon stopped fighting fo r the ,

wh o le interest of the troops was c o ncentrated up o n the

t errib l e conflict between R a ma and R a vana in which the ,

I II
.
, B oo k XX .
254 T HE ANCIEN T BO OKS OE I NDI A .

g o ds them s elves t o ok part The dem o n king was at

.

la st driven fr o m the field by h is chari o teer b u t he furi ,

o u sl y com m anded him t o return to the fight The .

battle raged w ith u ndimini s hed fury for seven days

and nights Again and again R a vana was borne down
.

by the mi ssiles Of R a ma and his chari o teer drove h is

,

master in a fainting co nditi o n to the wall s Of his castle .

As s o o n a s he recovered however he angrily bade him

, ,

return t o th e conte s t.

With w o ndr o u s power and mighty skill

The giant f o ugh t with R a ma s till .

E ach at h is fo e h is chari o t d r o ve ,

An d s till fo r death o r vict o ry str o ve .

’
Th e warri o r s s teeds t o gether da shed ,

An d pole with p o le r e ech o ing clashed

-
.

D en se cl o u d s o f arro w s R a ma sh o t
With that str o ng arm that re s ted not
An d s pear and m ace an d club and brand
’
F ell in dire rain from R a va n s hand .

The storm of mis s iles fiercely ca s t

Stirred up th e oceans with i t s blast ,

An d s erpent g o d s and fiend s wh o dwell

-

Bel o w we r e tr o ubled by the swell .

The earth with hill and plain and brook

An d grove and garden reeled and sh o ok ;
The very su n grew cold and pale ,

An d h o rror stilled the rising gale .

AS the fight grew m ore and more de sperate t h e ,

combatant s drew clo s er and at la s t an arr o w hissing

,
’ ’
from R a ma s b o w c ut o fi one Of R a vana s h ead s ; but
li ke the hydr a who se h eads were severed by H ercules ,
25 6 T HE AN CIE N T B OO K S OF INDI A .

’
R AV AN A S D E AT H .

Then M a ta li t o R a ma cried ,

‘
L et other arm s the day decide ;
L au nc h at the fo e thy dart who s e fire
Was kindled by the Almighty Sire ’ .

’
H e cea sed and R a gh a s son obeyed .
,

U p o n his string the hero laid

An arr o w like a snake that hissed ,

Whose fiery flight had never mi ssed .

’
By Brahm a s self on him bestow ed
When f o rth t o fight L o rd I ndra rode , .

H e l aid it on the tru sted cord

’
An d turne d the p o int at L ank a s lord ;
An d swift the limb dividing dart -

Pierced the huge chest and cleft the heart ,

An d dead he fell upon the plain ,

L ike Vr it r a by the Thunderer slain

l
.

The R a k sha s host when R a van fell ,

Sent forth a wild terrific yell , ,

Then tu rned and fled all hope re signed , ,

’
Through L ank a s gates nor looked behind .
,

H is v o ice each j oyous Vanar raised ,

‘ ’
An d R a ma conquering R a ma prai sed .
, ,

S o ft from cele stial minstrels came

T he soun d of mu s ic an d acclaim
Soft fre s h and cool a ri sing breeze
, , ,

Brought od o rs from the heavenly trees ;

An d ravishing the sight and s mell
, ,

A wondrou s rain of blo ss o ms fell ;

1 Th e sp i r i t o f e v il wh o w a s sl a i n by In d ra ,
“
th e Th u n d er er ,
!
 T H E S T ORY OF T HE R AM AY AN A . 25 7

An d v o ice s breathed r o und R a g ’

h u s so n
‘
C hampion of g o d s well d o ne well d o ne
, , .

E re long the cry that the m o narch h a d

fallen was
borne to his palace and all his w ive s came o u t with
,

di sheveled hair and w ent t o the battle fie l d uttering -

,

bitter crie s as they pa ssed thr o ugh the terr o r stricken -

throng in the s treet s Whe n they cam e to the dead

.

body of the demon some of the m fainted and o ther s

,

cares sed the hideou s creature a s if he w ere still alive .

R a ma was touched by their s orro w and ordered Vib ,

h i sh a n a t o take the women back to the inner apart

m ent s of the palace and perform the funeral rite s for
his br o ther R a vana .

'
The dead raj a wa s buried with elaborate ceremonies
and all the p o mp appr o priate t o an imperial funeral .

As soon as the day s o f mourning were ended Vib h i ,

S hana w a s installed as raj a o f L ank a .

T HE RE ST O R AT IO N O F s i TA .

When all the rites had been performed R a ma for ,

mally demanded Of the n e w raja the return o f his wife .

Vib h i sh a n a immediately ordered that a multitude of

maids S hould attend upon S i t a ; that they should dress
her hair and adorn her per so n in a w a y that b e fit t e d
her queenly estate . She had received the crown o f
youth from the aged dev o tee i n the f o re st an d wa s
beautiful as a dream N either tears nor suffering had
.

p o wer to mar her bright face o r change the delicate

lines of her beautiful mouth .

H is lovely queen was brought in imperial state to

R a ma attended by a l o ng proce ssi o n o f mu sicians and
,

dancing g irl s her palan q

,
uin well nigh c overed w ith
-
2 58 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

flowers R a ma ordered the carriage to be Opene d and

.

bad e hi s wife descend that her great beauty might be

,

seen by the troops wh o had so valiantly f o ught for her

rescue Although this order w a s a violation Of H ln d fi
.

etiquette which did not allow a wife to be seen u n

,

veiled the l oving S i t a obeyed with o ut hesitation and

,

stepped out i n full V ie w of the multit u de A low .

murmur Of admiration pas sed thr o ugh the throng a s

the beautiful vision dawned upon them S i t a stood in .

the presence Of her lord with her l o ving eyes upon the
,

ground while with j oined hands sh e reverently waited

,

h is summ o ns to fly int o h is arms T he thought o f his .

loving welcome had been her only c o mfort i n the ter

rible hours of her captivity and her l oyal heart hu n,

er e d for the warm love an d care s se s which had been

g
her life in the year s that were g o ne .

But n o word of affection n o l o o k of love greeted, ,

the restored captive With fol ded arms and stony eyes
.

he thu s addressed her

L ady at length my task

,
is
done ,

An d t h e n , the prize of war art , wo n .

I f fr o m my home my queen was reft

This arm hath w ell avenged the theft ;
An d in the field has wa sh ed away
The blot that on my honor lay .

,
’
B ut lady twas not love
,
f or thee
’
That led mine army o e r the se a .

I battled to avenge the cause

Of h o n o r and insulted laws ,
2 60 TH E ANCI EN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

N o love or truth i n womankind ?

D oubt others if th ou wilt but own ,

The truth which all my life h a s shown .

I f when the giant seized h is prey

Within his hated arm s I lay
An d felt t h e gra sp I dreaded b lame ,

F ate and the r o bber not thy dame

, .

What co uld a helple ss woman do ?

My heart wa s thine an d s till was true .

Then turning t o h is bro ther L a k sh m a n a wh o h a d ,

always been h er l o yal friend sh e c o mmanded him t o

,

prepare fo r her a funeral pile declaring that i ts fire

,

w a s her only refuge i n her dark d espair Said she .

,

“
I will n o t live beneath the weight o f the shame and
inj u s tice which have been heaped u p o n m e ; I will
end my w o e s by entering the fire and t h e n my , ,

brother in preparing it for me wilt prove my best

,

”
an d truest friend .

H is m ournful eyes the hero raised

An d wi stfully on R a ma gazed ,

I n wh o se stern look n o ruth wa s seen ,

N O mercy for the weeping queen .

N o chieftain dared t o meet th o s e eyes ,

TO pray to question or advi s e

, , .

The word was pa ss ed the wood was piled

, ,

’
An d fain t o die stood Ja n a k s child .

She slowly paced ar o und her lor d ,

The gods with reverent act ad o red .

Then raising suppliant hand s the dame

, ,

Prayed humbly to the lord of flame :

‘
As this f o nd heart b y virtue swayed
 TH E S T O RY OF T HE R AM AY AN A .

Fro m R ag
’
h u s son has
never strayed ,

S O univer s al witne ss fire , ,

Protect my b o d y o n the pyre .

’
AS R a gh u s so n h a s idly laid
Thi s ch a rge o n S i t a h ear and a id ’ .
,

She cea sed a n d fearle ss t o the la s t

, ,

’
Within the flame s w ild fury pas sed .

L a k sh m a n a and o ther s l o o ked anxi o u sly at R a ma ,

expecting to see so me S ign o f rel en ting in h is st o ny

fa ce ; but he w a s the victim o f h is o wn false ideas
’
c o ncerning w o man s purity and h o n o r and s t o o d look
ing o n with f o lded arm s while the flames wreathed
,

the fair fo rm O f his w ife The beautiful victim qu iv

.

ered in angui s h and crie s of repr o ach came from the

,

tr o o ps .When it was t o o late t o s ave her fr o m her

fate R a ma seemed t o relent and he cried
, ,
“
Alas ! ,

I have reproached her fo r n o thing— I shall never find

”
s o faithful a wife again But the cruel pyre blazed
.

‘
o n amid s t the cries an d lamentati o n s o f the multitude ,

w hen 10 ! the g o d O f fire came f o rth from the flame s ,

bearing S i t a i n his arm s a beautiful living q

,
ueen .

F air as the m orning was her sheen ,

An d gold and gem s ad o rned the queen .

H er f o rm in crim son r o be s arrayed ,

H er hair was bound in glos sy braid .

G iving her to R a ma Agn i said Take her as ° “

your wife She i s withou t a stain

. I know the .

hearts o f all an d had sh e the shad o w o f a sta ifi upon

,

her cha stity sh e c o uld never have pa ss ed in safety from

me . Then R a ma placed h is arm ar o und her an d ,
2 62 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S O F I N DI A .

as hamed to confess the great wrong that he had done

her c o mplacently said
,
“
I kne w my bel o ved S i t a was,

cha ste and true but I put her t o the te s t of the fire
, ,

l est men sh o uld blame m e N o w I am free from all .

c en su re
”
H is troop s applauded him and S i t a with
.
, ,

that womanly f o rgivenes s which is so nearly akin to

’
the divi ne ne stled again in her hu sband s bos o m .
,

T RI U MP H AN T RE T UR N To AYO DHY A .

The time O f h is exile w a s n o w drawing t o a clo se and ,

R a ma ordered that the great g o lden chari o t l which

had been u sed by R a vana s h o uld be made ready fo r
their t riump h al departure B ut Su gr i va and all of .

the m o nkey s and Vib h i sh a n a and even the i nh a b i

, ,

tants of L ank a begged that they might be allo wed to

,

witness his inaugurati o n at Ayodhy a R a ma therefore .

c o m m an de d that all of the m o nkey s an d all of the

R a k sha sa s s h o uld enter the g o lden chariot '
Then the .

great car laden w ith millions of monkeys and demon s

, ,

with R a ma an d S i t a in the seat O f h on o r ar o se in the ,

air and fle w rapidly t o the n o rthward When they .

arrived at the beautiful m o untain o f Citra k a ta R a ma -

,

s ent H anuman to the city in order to inform his

brother Bharata Of h is approach .

When th e y o unger br o ther received the glad n ew s

h e summ o ned h is c o u nsel o r s t o gether an d i ssued a j oy

ful proclamation to the people : “

C a st a side all s o rrow
an d gri ef and prepare to receive R a ma L et the whole .

city be adorned and l e t wo r ship be o ffered t o every

g o d L et
. every h o rse and elephant and chariot be
m
‘
1 Th i s w a s th e se lf m vi
-
o n g ca r P u s h p a k a , w h i ch t h e de fm k i ng had l
s to e n

f ro m th e g od of we a l th .
 B OO KS
!

2 64 TH E ANCIEN T OF INDI A .

with many j ewels The ladie s of the court attended

.

to the toilet o f S i t a and Sh e t o o w a s arrayed in ex

, , ,

q u i sit e garments .

The great procession then started to return t o

Ay o dhy a and R a ma directed the m onkey s to choose
,

whatever conveyance they ple a s ed S o m e of them .

,

therefore m o unted the chari o t s o r s u spended t h e m

,

selve s fr o m th e e d ge above the wheel s and o ther s ,

curled their tail s around t h e tusks of the elephant s

and r o cke d t o the s w aying m o ti o n of the anim als ,

w hile o thers s till clung to the mane s o f the h o rse s .

When all wa s ready the strains o f mu s ic again pealed

through the fore s t and the great pr o ce ssion went
,

back to the capital city .

R ama wa s installed as the raj a amid the great r e

jo icin g of the pe o ple and the city w e r e its gala r o bes
, ,

while the street s re so unded w ith glad mu s i c for many

days and nights “
L ong live Maha raj a R a ma wa s
.
”
-
,

the j oyou s cry that rang thr o ugh the air at all hours
Of the nigh t and ,
“
L o ng live Maha raj a R a ma was ,

the glad refrain th at greeted the light of the m o rn

ing . D ay after day musician s haunted the windows
of the palace chanting the prai ses of the i mp e I ia l
,

pair and the years went s of t ly by wearing the

, ,

s andals of peace and the brigh t robes of happine ss .

NO wid o w mourned her m urdered mate ,

N O hou se was ever desolate ;

The happy land no murrain knew ,

.
The fl o cks and herd s in a se d and gre w
The earth her kindly fru i ts supplied ;
.

N O harvest failed —no children died .

 T H E S T ORY OF T HE R AM AY AN A . 65

U nknown were want di sea se and crime

, ,

”
S O calm so happy wa s the time
,
.

B ANI S H M EN T O F SI TA .

At las t however it began to be whispered in the

, ,

capital t hat a woman wh o had spent m o n t hs Of her

life at the court of th e dem o n k ing w a s unfit to be
the queen of Ayodhy a O n e o f his m ini s ter s wh o wa s
.

b o lder than the o ther s fo und c o urage to sa y to R a ma ,

“
There is p o verty am o ng your s ubj ects Oh Maha , ,

raja ! be cau s e of y o ur S in in taking S i t a back The .

cl o ud of di s c o ntent c o ntinued t o gather around the

r o yal pair and o ccasi onally the rum o r s were brought t o
,

the ears o f the ki n g H e knew that his wife w a s a s

.

pure as the sn o w up o n the d i stant pea k o f the H im a

laya ; he knew that she was as far ab o ve imm o rality a s
that icy coronal was above the du st in the vale at i t s
feet. The g o d of fire had br o ught her out of the
flames becau se of her unc o nquerable cha s tity and had ,

presented her to him a s pure gold is brought from

the crucible But this divine R a ma the mere chant
.
,

ing of whose name is still supp o sed to bring ab s olu

tion fr o m all sin had not the manline ss to s tand by
,

his loyal wife in the hour of her greatest need .

She had gladly left a Court of luxury to follow in

his exile the man sh e wor shiped F or his sake sh e
.

had bravely met the terrors Of the j ungle and but ,

for her loyal l o ve t o him she w o uld not have been ex

po s ed to the terrible han d of the dem o n king But .

h is danger was pa ss ed ; pro sperity n o w fl o wed up o n

R ama in o n e broad golden river and h is vanity craved
,

e ven a stronger adulation f ro m his subjects .

2 66 T HE ANCIE N T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

He the m odel of all the H ind a divinities the

wa s ,

noblest and brave st of all the gods of their mythol

o gy but he turned treacher o usly against the brave
woman whose life had been one long scene of dev o
ti o n to him She was soon to become a mother
.

s o o n to give him an heir to the thr o ne ; but without

deigning to give h er any explanation he sent her ,

away to face the dangers of the j ungle under the pre ,

tense that sh e w a s t o vi sit the sage s there She wa s .

acc o mpanied o nly by L a k sh m a n a who was ordered t o ,

'
explain the situation to her and then leave her alone
in a thicket which was near the mountain of Citra
'
k Ii ta
l
.

H ere came the banished in terri w ife a nd

’

p a u se d
ble agony not far from the co t which sh e had made
so happy fo r her exiled prince H er faithful brother .

h a d wept bitterly when he t o ld her o f the cruel order s

of her hu sband and be so ught her t o t r y t o reach the ,

hermitage of V alm i ki B ut Sh e knew n o t which way .

to turn to find the humble h o me o f the dev o tees .

O verwhelmed with suffering S h e wandered over a sandy

plain o n which t h e tr o pical s u n blazed like a fiery
,

furnace H er tender feet were t o rn with thorns and

.

burned to bli ster s while ever and an o n her frame q u iv ,

ered with a new strange ag o ny that she had never ,

kno wn befo re Phy sical s uff ering is hard en o ugh t o

.

bear b ut cannot be c o mpared with the su ffering s of a

,

loyal heart which is being trampl ed to death by the

1 Thl l g d t th ff t t h t R m
e re is a t hi
so f i th fu l
a e en o e e ec a a a se n s a

b th i t xil
ro er d J T lb y
n o Wh l m k
e th t e,W migh tan a o s ee er re ar s a
“
e

l m t i f f m t h u t f t i l t d i ti t h R m
.

a os n er ro b d
e c r re n o na on a ra on a t a a as e a

va n ced i y b m j l u d p v i h l i k H y t h E i g h th
n e a rs e ca e ea o s an ee s e e nr e
”

f I d V l II p
, .

( Hi t s . o n .
, o .
, .
 68 TH E AN CIEN T B OO K S OF I N DI A .

'

upon them the wealth o f a fi e ct io n t ch had been s o

“

cruelly despised by R a ma They in return alm o st w o r

.

sh ip e d th eir beautif u l m o ther doing everythi n g in ,

their p ower for her co m r t and happiness .

As the year s pas se d by R a ma began to feel u neasy ,

not on account Of his cruelty to S i t a but because he ,

had slain R a vana wh o w a s the son o f a B r a hman To

,
.

s lay a Br a hman w a s a griev o us s i n t o the H in d fi s he ,

therefore re solved to perf o rm the horse sacrifice and

thereby obtain ab so luti o n fo r h is crime in o rder that ,

he might not forfeit a n y of the rewards in future

births .

The h orse was procu red and given h is liberty with

’
the usual cerem onies an d R a ma s younger brother
,

Sa t r u gh n a foll o wed h im with an army

- As he wan .

dered away without control he at last came to Citra

'
k II ta where the son s of S i t a were hunting
,
L ava had .

j ust sent h is unfailing arro w thr o ugh the heart o f an

‘
antelope when his eyes fell upon a magnificent horse
,

which appeared to b e entirely uncontr o lled H e cap .

t u r e d the beautiful animal and was leading it a w ay ,

when he was attacked by the wh o le army T urning .

upon them however he called his br o ther wh o was

, , ,

a little further in the j ungle and the t w o gallant b o y s

,

s oon pu t the whole army t o flight When R a ma heard .

wh a t had occurred he angrily ordered L a k sh m a n a t o

,

go out with another b o dy o f m e n and recover the

horse B ut his tr oo ps al so were defeated by the wo n
.

d e r fu l prowess o f L ava and K u Sa and h e him self was ,

left fo r dead upon the field .

At last R a ma went in pe rs on at the hea d o f an

a rm y dete r mi n ed t o con q
, uer an enem y wh o thr ea tened
 T H E S T O RY OF T H E R AM AY ANA . 2 69

to become invincible H aving reached the place of the

.

former defeat he went alone to meet the t wo y o ung

men and as cer t ain if p o s sible wh o they were S o on he
,
.

saw t wo splendid specimen s of manhood coming to w ard

him w ith a fearle ss step and an imperial bearing which ,

told him they were of r o yal birth The youths bowed

.

reverently before him and R a ma i nqu ired of them

,

whose sons they were “ ’

Ou r m other s name
. an ,

s we r e d L ava
“
is S i t a but we do n o t know w h o o u r
, ,

fathe r is We have been brought up and educated by

.

the good sage V a lm i ki wh o live s near u s

, .

When R a ma realized that his own sons stood before

him he was o vercome with em otion and before he
,

could speak V a lm i ki appeared upon the scene a n d

begged Of him to be reconciled to h i s wife .

H e then s ta ted to V a lm i ki that he knew S i t a to be

the s o ul of purity an d wa s rej oiced to find that his
“ ”
sons had become such noble men But said .
,

“
he, it is necessary to pr o ve the chastity Of S i t a an d ,

tu rning to his assembled troops which had been ,

brought fo rward by h is command h e complacently a n,

n o u n ce d t o them that S i t a woul d again dem o n strate

her innocence by undergoing the fiery ordeal and ,

ordered V al m i ki to bring his wife into his presence .

T HE D E P AR T URE O F TA
SI .

But the grandest and purest devotion that ever lived

in the heart of woman may be murdered by persistent
outrage R a ma h a d by his own condu ct deliberately
.

killed the great love which his faithful wife ha d borne

for him SO many year s F o r the first time in her life
.

Si t a re fuse d to Obe y his call , declarin g that sh e h a d

2 70 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

no wish to look upon his face again But her old .

friend V alm i ki who had been a father to her in her

,

time of need urged her to lay aside her personal feel

,

ings in the matter a n d for the sake of he r children to

,

forgive their father U nable to re si s t the entreatie s

.

of V a lm i ki and his noble wife sh e at last con ,

sented Bathing herself in perfu med waters and wear

.

ing silken garment s Sh e wa s brought t o the pl ace of

,

sacrifice .

She still wore the cro wn o f eternal y o uth which had

been given her in the f o rest and the mother of the s e ,

stalwart s o ns appeared befo re her hu sband in all the

youth and beauty of the bride whom he had won so
m a ny years before E xclamations of w o nder and a d
.

m ir a t io n pa ssed fr o m l ip to lip and R a ma gazed a s if ,

spellb o un d upon this Vi si o n o f l o veliness which e n ,

tranced h is senses as in bygone d ay s She heard again .

his v o ice but her mur d ered heart c o uld not leap again
,

fo r j o
y .She s t o od before him again w ith d o wnca s t

eye s which she w o uld not rai se t o ward her treacherous

,

hu sband But in s tead o f i n vo k fn g t h e g o d of fire as

.
,

before sh e said
,
“
Oh E arth if I have never t u rned
, , ,

my thought s t o ward a ny man but R a ma ; if my truth

and purity are kn o w n t o thee ; I be s eech o f thee t o
o pen a pa ssage for me and receive me into thy b o s om ,

for I w ill never again beh o ld the face o f any living

” 1
creature O n hearing the se terrible wo rd s a thrill
.
,

o f h orror ran through the multitude and they waited ,

spellbound for the la st s cene in the great drama The .

earth thus appealed t o slowly heaved and opened ,

while the terror strick e n throng l o o ked 011 in breathle ss

-

1 S e e t h e Ad h y a t m a v e r si o n .
 CH AP T E R XV II .

TH E M AH AB H AR ATA
-
.

T H E CO MPANION O F T HE R AM AY AN A —A CO LO S SAL
P OE M — D E RI V AT ION OF T HE N AM E — HI S T O RIC AL
V ALUE O F T HE M AH A B H AR AT A — TH E RELIGION O F
-

T H E G RE AT E P I C — LI T ER ARY S T YLE —TH E AG E O F

T H E M AM A B H AR AT A —
-
T R AN S L AT ION O F T HE W OR K .

N OT HE R I ndian E pic of colossal proportions is

.

the Mah a bh a rata I t is th e companion piece

-
.

of the R a m ayana and naturally foll o w s it in the

,

arran gement of San skrit literature Although some .

portion s of it w ere doubtles s w ritten bef o re the other

p oem it was pr o bably completed a hundred years later
,

than the R a m ayana .

The Mah a bh a rata is the m ost gigantic poetical

-

work k nown to literature I t consi sts o f two hundred

.

and twenty th o usand lines w hile the I liad and Ody s sey
,

combined contain only abo u t thirty t housand I t is .

divided into eighteen Pa r va n s or sections nearly every , ,

one o f which would make a la rg e volume .

I t is claimed in the introdu ction that the word

“
Mah a bh a rata is derived from its large size and great
-

weight because the poem is de scribed a s o ut weighing

,

all the four Vedas and the m ystical writings taken

”
together .

T he wo r d however really come s from mah a mean

, , ,

27 2
 T H E M AH A B H AR ATA
-
. 73

ing great and bh a rata relating to Bhara t a and the

, , ,

title of the p o em signifies The G reat War of Bha

“

”
rata.

TH E HI S T O RIC AL V ALUE OF TH E M AH A B H AR AT A
-
.

S o me historian s clai m that the legend s of the Mah a

bh a rata are but little better for historical pu rp os es
than the dreams of a madman but it must be admit ,

ted that even the wildest fictions illustrate the ideas

and the moral standards of the ti mes in which they
'
were produced . The literature of the H in d ii s is
largely found in their t wo great epi c p oems the ,

R a m ayana and Mah a bh a rata

-
.

The s e masses Of tr a dition and fable are the national

treasuries fr o m which their bards have b o rro wed the
themes for their ballad s and their genealogists have
,

taken the materials for their se called his t ories H in d fi -

.

art i s indebted to them for her s ubj ect s and the ,

'
H in d i I d rama co n stantly illustrate s the characters of
the t wo poem s . Mu ch of the matter of the Pur a nas
h a s been taken from these storehouse s of literature ,

and the later Br a hmans have also drawn from them

the subj ects and largely the matter of their religious
, ,

di sc o ur se s
. To rej ect these stories then as u nfit to , ,

s erve in any way the purp o s e of the hi storian w ould

be t o l o se valuab le hint s c o ncerning the inner life o f

thi s ancient people I t i s indee d questionable how far
.
, ,

they repre sent the real facts of the period t o w h ich

they refer but they certainly mu st reflect to a con sid
,

crable degree the feelin g and the j udgment of th e age

,

in which they were comp o sed .

The mas s of Oriental literature found in these two

2 74 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S OF I ND I A
“

great E pic s c o mprises all that their own writers have

left us Of the social p o litical and religious hi story of
, ,

I ndia A familiarity with the s e t w o poem s therefore

.
, ,

i s indi spen s able t o a kn o wledge O f the H in d fis as ,

their influen ce upon the pe o ple i s s tr o nger and more

univer s al than E uropean s and Americans can fully a p
r e cia t e T hey are held sacred the repo s itories of
p . a s

their faith and are cheri shed a s the treasures of the

,

hi st o rian .

We might have expected that the traditi o n s of the

r o yal h o use o f Bharata would throw s o me direct light
upon the Aryan c o nque st o f I ndia ; but the attenti o n
o f the earlier warri o r bards s eems t o have been coneen

t r a te d up o n the fratricidal c o nte st between the t wo

rival branches Of the royal family L egends have .

indeed been pre served concerning th e early rajas but ,

the Kshatriya bards declared that the rajas of Bharata

w ere de s cended from the moon and that one of them ,

had conquered I ndra the ruler of the gods

, The .

B r a hmanical compilers of these stories promptly admit

ted both statements b ut in order to establish the
,

superiority of their own ca ste they asserted that the

moon itself was begotten by a Br a hmanical sage and ,

that the raja conquered I ndra with the assistance of

the Br a hmans .

I t is with such material as this that the historian

has to deal N evertheless there is an apparently
.
,

auth entic tradition to t h e e ffect that the Kauravas ,

who were the sons of the blind raj a D hrita r ash tra ~

engaged in a long and bitter rivalry with their cous

ins the P a n davas wh o were the sons of raj a P a n du
, , ,

and that it was this rivalry between the two branches

2 76 TH E ANCIEN T BOO K S O F IN DI A .

the poem exhibits almost all of the multitudinou s

forms Of H in d a ism ; at times its heroes are model s
'

Of strictnes s in their adherence to the rules of priest

craft and again they di splay the greatest laxity o f

,

conduct and a marked Opposition to the ritual o f t h e

ecclesiastics But upon one p o int at least it i s always
.

a unit and that is the assert i o n Of its own sanctity

, .

Vy a sa the suppo s ed author or compiler says in h is

, , ,

“
exordiu m to the work : The readi n g of the Bh a rata \
is sacred ; all the s in s of him wh o reads but a porti o n
of it sh all b e obliterated with o u t excep t ion He .

who in faith shall persevere in li s tening to t h e recital

of this sacred book shall obtain a l o n g life great ,

”
renown and the way to heaven
,
To this day it is .

devoutly believed that only to listen to port ion s o f

“

either poem is a deed of such merit that it w ill insure

prosperity in this world and happiness hereafter ; t hat
it will bring wealth to the poverty stricken and chil -

dren to the barren woman Patriotism as well a s .

,

religion has shed a halo of sanctity over these great

,

E pics wh ich are regarded by the H in d iI as a nati o nal

'

possession and cherished by him as the peculiar heritage

of his race .

LI T E R ARY S T YLE .

The Mah a bh arata unlike the R a m ayana is not a

-
, ,

single poem ; it is an immen s e collection o f H in d fi

mythology legend and philosophy
,
The main narra .

tive i s merely a thread connecting a vast number of

traditions and myths the arrangement of which resem
,

bles somewhat that of the Arabian N ights .

I n consequence of its m iscellaneous origin an d the

 T HE M AH A B H AR AT A
-
. 2 77

pr otracte d peri o d o f its comp o sition the s t yle o f the ,

w ork is exceedingly varied ; but the langu age i s usu

ally simple and natural i n its constructi o n T he progress .

o f the st ory is checked by no limitati o n s either of time ,

space o r nu mber s ; i t is full o f fabulous chronol o gical

,

and hi st o rical details and i ts as serti o ns are generally

,

of the wildest character Space i s measu red by mill

.

ion s Of mile s and time by million s of years

, I n the .

d e s cripti o ns o f battle s cene s h o r s e s men an d elephants

, , ,

are al l said t o nu mber milli o n s Y et the ficti o n s o f

.

the two E pics are s till e ss ential to the religious creed

o f the H i n d I I S I t is true that the educated classe s
'
.

l o o k up o n the m o re extravagant myth s as alleg o rical ,

but the great ma ss o f t h e pe o ple receive t hem a s liter

ally tr u e

T he speeches which have been pre served i n the

Mah a bh a rata are n o t characterized by the fiery e l o
-

’
u e n ce which breathes fr o m the lip s o f H omer s her o e s ;
q
on the contrary they Often seem childish and puerile
,
.

Still there are occa sional scenes which are character

,

iz e d by vigorous and dignified thought H omer s ’ .

her o e s ho wever a ssisted by their tutelar deities are

, ,

always men ; but i n t h e I ndian E pics every great man

is a g o d and h is fe e s are dem o ns
, .

The d e ifica t io n o f their heroes is supposed to be

largely the w o rk o f Br a hmanical c o mpiler s who sought ,

by thi s mean s t o bring int o their o w n rank s the m o st

distingu i s hed men o f t h e K sh atriya cla ss The regard .

O f the I ndian s o ldiery for their fav o rite com man d er s

still find s e xp r e ss io n in an act of w o r ship The gal .

lant J o hn N ich o lson was revered by his men as a demi

g o d
, and was even com p elled t o puni s h them for their
2 78 T HE ANCI EN T BO O KS OF IND I A .

superstitiou s dev o tion Therefore it is natural that in

.
,

the I n dian E pics the boundarie s between the divine

and the human should be quite indefinite D eities or .

semi divi n e persons are c onstantly appearing upon the

-

scene while g o d s a nimals and men are liable at any

, , ,

tim e t o c hange places .

I n the I liad an d Ody ssey the supernatural is per

haps almost as prevalent but i t is int r o duced and ,

maintained with more consi s tency and hen ce adds to ,

the sublimity of t h e se p o em s instead O f detracting ,

'

from them as is frequently the case with th e H in d iI

,

E pics B ut in portrayi n g scene s of d o me stic love and

.

loyalty the S anskrit writings can not b e s urpassed even

, ,

by the eloquence Of the G recian classics H uman .

nature is world wide and the warm heart of the H in d fi

-
,

pours out his love in t h e luxuriant poetry of his own

tropical clime We al s o find the highe st portrayal of
.

’
woman s truth and purity e ven though sh e is often ,

held in a position entirely unw o rthy of her great devo

tion . The sacredness of love a n d the holiness of do
m e stic ties are as beautiful in the lines of the H ind u
poet as in the grander numbers of H o mer .

TH E AG E O F T H E M AH A B H AR AT A
-
.

T his work appear s to have been the slow growth of

t hree or f o ur centuries I t is s u ppo sed that the ear
.

liest part Of it wa s written before the R a m ayana ; for

it describes a conflict bet ween rude col o nist s at a time
which i s nearer t o the earlie st set t lements of the
Aryan s while the R a m ayana represent s a more a d
,

van ce d c ivilization But the principal narrative of the

.

Mah a bh a rata is so completely covered by later addi

.
-
2 80 TH E AN CIE N T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

their rendering of this passage it proves beyond a ,

d oub t that s o me part s of the Mah a bh a rata were writ -

ten during the C hri stian era Prof Weber also wh o . .

, ,

is a man of critical j u d gment and pr o found sch o larship ,

“
says ,
The final redacti o n of the w o rk in it s p r es en t
s hape m u s t have been some centuries after
” 1
the c o mmen cement of ou r era .

We may als o ci t e the testimony of the d istingui shed

native scholar K a Sh in a t h Trimbak Telang M A w h o
, , . .

s tates that we have reas o n to believe some part s

of th e Mah a bh arata to have been in existence prior t o
.
-

the sixth century after C hrist and t ha t s o me part s o f ,

the t hirty seventh chapter w ere probably extan t in the

-

time of Pa ta n j a li viz the secon d century bef o re .

,

C hrist ”
.
2

J Ta l b oy s Wheeler claims that a p art of the story

.

of D uryodhana was b o rr o w ed fr o m the Koran of the

“
.

Mussulman s ”
I f h e is correct in thi s supposition it
.
-
,

brings some porti o ns of the Mali a bh a rata d o wn int o -

the C hristian e ra at leas t as far a s the seventh cen

t ury .

T R AN S L AT IO N OF T H E W O R K .

We have not a s yet a complete translation o f this

great treasury of H in d ii literature but many porti o n s ,

o f it h ave been given to the E nglish Speaking worl d -

and some of them h ave been repeatedly translated .

The task o f a n a l y z in g and fairly repre s enting the w o rk

°

as a wh ole by E ur o pean sch olar s h a s been greatly facili

t a t e d by the discovery of a manu s cript translation o f

l Hi st p 188
Ind L it
p 1 40 a l i i s s t i ll b qu
. . . . .

2 Se e Bh g d g it
a a va -
a Th e ti m e of Pa t a n j a de a te d es

t P f M M il l i pl uy
, . .

tio n , b u ro . ax er a ce s h im a f te r t h e t h i r d ce n t r of th e Ch ri s

tia n e r a .
 TH E M AH A -
B H AR AT A . 281

the more imp o rtan t p o rtion s which was probably made

,

by the late Prof H II Wil so n

. . . This valuable docu .

ment was placed s ome years ago i n the C alcu tta library ,

under the head o f Bh a ga va d g i t a bu t it was at last

-
,

fou n d t o contain the b u lk o f the Mah a bh a rata The -

.

di sc o very wa s m a d e by J Ta l b o y s W heeler wh o pre

.
,

pared a critical and valuable dige st of the whole paper ,

con si sting Of nine f o li o volumes .

Sir M o nier William s D r Muir R ev H Milman

, .
, . .
,

an d other s have al so made careful tran slation s o f s o me

p o rtion s o f it an d o ther parts have been rendered int o
,

E ngli sh by a pr o minent native s ch o lar We have .

,

be side s m o re than one careful analysi s of the whole

,

poem .

I n the two following chapters w e shall give as briefly

as p o ssible the principal story o f t h e Mah a bh a rata A -
.

full tran slation Of the wh o le o f thi s c o l o ssal p o em

would fill ab o ut s eventeen volume s but we shall present ,

m erely an outline of what pu rports t o be the historical

portion .

The events here recorded are represented as taking

place in an age p reviou s to the one i n which the poet
wrote the heroes of the great war having lived and
,

died perhap s a thousan d years before their deeds were

placed upon rec o rd The s e event s which took place ( if
.
,

at all ) in the early Vedic peri o d o f I ndian hi st o ry ,

have been very mu ch col o red and changed b y the .

Opinions of the su cceeding age The religion which

.

flourished at the time o f the great war had to a great

extent pa ssed away and a n e w o n e had been estab
,

lish e d before th e p o em s were compose d H ence the .

,

heroe s of the Mah a bh a rata are more or le ss deified by

-
2 82 TH E ANCIEN T B OO KS O F INDI A .

the fancy of th e Br a hmanical compilers and the stu

,

d ent o f m o dern times can only guess at the amount

of historical fact w hich may have been trans m itte d
orally from one generation to another during this long
period .
2 84 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

R aj a P a n du died while yet comparatively young ,

and the blin d king took the surviving widow Of his

br o t h er and her five sons into his own palace He .

tried to nurture in the you n g princes a gen uine r e

spect and affection for each other but a Spirit of ,

rivalry and jealousy seemed to exi st bet w een them from

the first hour in which they shared the same home .

A famou s preceptor named D ro n a was engaged to e du

cate them in the use of arms but he was so in d is ,

cr e e t as to exhibit a preference for t h e P a n davas e s ,

p e ci a l l y in the ca s e o f Arj u n a w h o w a s ev i dently his ,

‘
favorite . This manife s t preference Of the preceptor
added fuel to the flames of j ealousy and D uryodhana , ,

the eldest of the Kauravas was e specially vindic t i ve ,

again st Arj u na who un d er t h e in struction of D rona

,

became the most fam ous archer of his ti m e .

TH E T O URN AM EN T .

After years of careful instruction and faithful pra o

tice the roy al pupils were all expert s in the depart
,

ments they had chosen Bh i ma the young man of .

,

the voracious appetite applied his herculean strength ,

to the dexterous use of the club N akula was master ,

o f the art of taming and ma n aging horses and the ,

others had been taught to h andle skilfully the sword

and spear .

D rona then approached his royal patron and said to

him “
Y ou r own son s an d the sons of your brother
,

P a n du are now exp ert i n the use of weapons and they ,

q u t d th t h m i g h t b
ch o o s e , a n d s h e r e es e a s e e co m e t h e m o th e r o f a h u n d re d

sons A d i g ly h g v b i t h t
cco r n S el um pa e r o a of fle sh w h i ch th e sa ge v
d i id e d
m ll p i pl i pi
.
,

i t
n o hu d d
a n d
re an one s a e ce s , a c ng e a ch e ce in a j
ar w h er e
th y u l tim t ly b h ild
,

e a e m e ca e c re n .
 LEG END S OF T H E M AH A B H AR AT A -
. 2 85

are prepare d to meet any foe up o n the battle fie l d -

.

The Maha raj a replied

-
“
L et a place be prepared on
,

the great plain outsid e the city where your pupils may
engage in a mock combat an d display their skill before
S O D rona
”
all the chiefs and the people of the raj .

ordered that preparation s be made for a great tourna

ment without the city and had the vast space ass igned
,

for the sport protected b y barriers On one side of

.

the ground galleries were built for the Maha raj a and -

h is chieftains ; o n the other were placed galleries for

all the ladies of the royal hou s e of H astin apur .

The morning of the tournament da w ned withou t

cloud s
. The great trees in the amphitheater sto o d
like tall c o lumns supporting the heavy roof of foliage
ab o ve them a n d were decorated with bright flag s
, .

L o ng garland s of rich tropical flowers w ere fe sto oned

around the gallerie s loading the air with their fragrant
,

breath. At an early h o ur the p o pulace from all parts

of the raj filled the great plain pre ssing as closely as
,

p ossible around the barriers of the amphitheater .

Soon the blind raj a was led in and escorted to his

place on a thr o ne which had been erected for him and
covered with the faire s t blos s oms of the land At h is .

right hand s a t his faithful uncle B h i sh m a who man

, ,

aged the affairs of the raj fo r the king who had been ,

h is care from childhood O n the left of the Maha raj a

.
-

sat Vi d u r a his half brother who was app o inted to ex

,
-
,

plain to him the s cenes that took place on the plain

below them . The ladies of the royal house occupied
the o ther gallerie s which were bright with th e sheen
,

o f s ilken garment s and the ra d iant light o f j e wels

flashing amidst the flowers But the most highl y
.
 TH E AN CI EN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

favored Of the l a dies were G a ndh a r i the mother of the ,

Kauravas an d Kunt i the m o ther o f the P a n davas

, , .

Their womanly hearts were thr o bbing w ith j oy o u s a n

t icip a ti o n over the gallant deeds of their princely sons ,

and they waited anxiously for the opening o f the t o ur

nam ont .

When all was ready D rona the preceptor entered , ,

the arena clad i n garments o f the pure s t white and

offered the incen se o f prai se to their g o d s Then came .

the princes lightly girded fo r exer ci s e and bearing

their bo ws in their hand s Bowing l o w at the feet o f
.

their precept o r they awaited h is commands As they .

stood there in the gl o ry Of their y o ung manh o od a ,

loud cheer went up fr o m the multitude fo r their ,

training had devel o ped every muscle and their fine ,

phy s iques and princely bearing won the hearts of the

pe o ple Their skill w a s te st ed in shooting arrows —fir s t
.

on fe e t ; then galloping around the amphitheater on

horses they still s truck the mark with w ondrous pre
cis i o n
. Afterward they exhibited their archery from
chari o ts or the back s of elephants al w ays winning l Ou d ,

hu zzas from the spectators Then there were brilliant

.

mock fights with the s w o rd and buckler .

D rona at last called upon his favorite pupil Arj una , ,

and the young chi efta i n stepped forth as stalwart and

han d s ome as one of the gods H e en t ered the arena
.
.

clad in golden mail and gracefully bearing in his hand

a b o w inlaid with pearl The multitu de greeted him
.

as another I ndra and the glad heart of his mother

,

wh o sat in the gallery ab ove him throbbed with exul

t a t io n ;
‘
There had been se t up the figure o f a n ir o n
b e a r and Arj una sent five arrows into its m onth at
,
 88 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

The glad cheer s Of the multitu de gave way to cries

of h o rror but some of the spectator s caught the spirit
,

of the fray and ran wildly t o and fro shouting each for ,

his favorite in the fight D rona sent his son to separate

.

the c o mbatant s but n o one heeded him ; then D rona

,

hastened to them bu t his w o rd s had n o in fluence and

, ,

h e wa s compelled to lay han ds up o n the m and separate

them by main force and send them t o their home
, .

The multitu de went a w ay in sorrow ; the flower s

dr o oped and wilted in sadne s s and the l o ving m o thers
,

grieved in s o litude fo r blo o d had been shed in anger

, .

!
t This t o urnament which had o pened S O j oy o u sly wa s the
beginning of th o s e l o ng feuds and terrible c o nte sts
which stained fo r many years the e s cutcheon of the
noble h o u s e o f B harata .

The blind king thinki ng t o di s pel the ill will b e

,

tween the t wo faction s at last divided h is raj and gave

,

t o the P a n dava s the m o s t di s tant p o rti o n o f it SO .

the P a n davas to o k leave O f their bel o ved preceptor ,

D ro na , and bidding fare well to their kindred t o ok their

m o ther with them and went int o a s trange land On .

the bank s o f the beautiful river Jumna they b uilt a , ,

f o rt and c o llected their s ubjects t o gether under the

.

rule o f the el d e s t br o ther Y u d h i sh t h i r a The new-

.

raj a so o n won the heart s o f h is pe o ple by h is wi sd o m

and kindne ss . H e promptly puni shed evil d o ers and -
,

tho s e wh o had been wr o nged went to him fo r aid a s ,

chil d ren g o to a l o ving father H is fame a s a wi s e

.

and b e n e fice n t ruler extended thr o ugh o ut I ndia and h e ,

built a fair city called I ndra pra stha -

But befo re it .

wa s fini shed the br o ther s attended the S va y a m va r a o f

the princess D r a u p a d i which pr o ve d t o be o n e o f the
,

m ost imp o rtant event s of their lives .

 LEGEND S OF T H E M AH A B H AR AT A-
. 89

TH E S VAY AmVAR A
.

On e of the institutions Of I ndia in early times

w a s the S va y a m va r a ; it re sembled the t o urnament
.

of the Middle Age s wherein t h e Victor was crowned

,

with the lau rel wreath by the Queen of L ove an d

’
Beauty . B ut in the H in d II c o ntests the prize was a
lovely bride—u sually the daughter of a royal house .

The r a j ‘
a Dr a u pa d a
, who reigned o ver the kingdom
of Pa né al a
, wa s blessed with a b e autiful daughter .

The fair prince ss w a s as radiant and graceful as if s h e

were de sc ended fro m t h e g o ds H er dark eye s beamed
.

with intelligence and her cheek s glowed with the rich

,

crim son blood o f her race . The fame of her love

l in e ss spread even bey o nd that o f her father s name
’
,

and the raj a s of the neighb o ring kingdom came t o ask

h e r hand in marriage . But her proud father deter
m ined t h at no o rdinary ruler s houl d win his beautiful
s olitaire ; therefore when s h e came t o a marriageable
,

age he announced a great S va y a mva ra in which the ,

neighb o ring raja s were i n V it ed t o take part and a n ,

n o u n ce d that the prince w h o perf o rmed the greate s t

feats of archery s h o uld be rewarded with t h e lady s ’
hand . I t w a s said that all the rajas fr o m the four
quarter s o f the ear t h w o uld be pre s ent to compete for
the hand o f the l o vely prince ss D r a u p a d i Th e five
.

P a n dava s had been greatly interested in the acc o unt s

’
they had heard of the lady s beauty and decided to
j o in the illu stri o us throng o f c o mpetit o r s ; but they dis
gui sed them s elve s as Br a hman s and appeared up o n the
brilliant s cene in the garment s o f the p ri es th o od .

When they reached the city they found a vast number

2 90 TH E ANC IEN T B O O K S O F I ND I A .

of raj as encamped there with their hosts of troops and

attendant s and a multitude o f hor s es and elephants
, .

There were al s o Br a hmans Kshatriyas traveling mer

, ,

chants and a great throng of spectators

,
.

O ut side Of the city a great plain had been enclosed

w ith barriers an d supplied with glittering pavilions for
the benefit o f the m o st di sting u ished guests and the ,

long galleries were draped with bright flags and decor

ated with masses o f flowers At one end of t h e amp h i
.

theater sto o d a tall pole which upheld a golden fish ,

and j ust belo w the fish a large wheel was rapidly r e

volving s o that any arro w striking the fish m ust first
, ,

pas s through the spaces in the re volving wheel .

The rule of the S va y a m va r a w a s that whoever dis

charged a n arrow through the wheel at the first shot
and st r uck the eye Of the golden fi sh should be the
husband of the princess Dr a u p a d i .

The assembled throng spent many days in sporting

an d feasting before the time arrived fo r the contest ,

but at last the memorable m orning dawned upon the

fair city of K a m p ilya .

At the rising of the su n the whole city was awak

ened by the j oyous s trains o f martial music At an .

early hour the great galleries and vast pavilions of the

amphitheater were thr o nged with di s tinguished g u es t s ,

while the multitude gathered in dense masses around

the inclosure .

Without the barriers pressed the countless crowd .

Skirting the di stance multitudes beheld

The field from g o lden lattices o r thr o nged
,

The high housetops whose towering su mmits touched

,
2 92 T HE AN CIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

An d j ealou s hatred swelle d their haughty minds .

E ach on h is rivals bent a lowering glance ,

An d friends till now they m et

, ,
as deadliest fe es .

The rajas looked in dismay at the golden fish beyond

the flying wheel and then at the huge bow and heavy
arrow that was to be u sed The more prudent suitors
.

retired fr o m the field b ut at la st o n e raj a who wa s

,

braver than the others stepped fo rward an d lifting the

bow tried to bend it but failed in the attempt and
,

retired at last amid s t the deri s ive la u ghter of the spe c

tat e rs O n e after ano t her the great raj as then made
.

the attempt but no o ne o f them succeeded

, .

N O hand the stubb o rn b o w c o uld bend —they strained

F ruitle ss each nerve and many on the field
,

R ecumbent fell whil st laughter pealed around

,
.

I n vain t hey ca st as ide their r oyal r o be s

An d diamond chain s an d glittering d iadems ,

An d with unfettered arm a n d ample che st

Put for t h their fullest S trength —the b o w defied
E ach chief n o r left the h Op e he might succeed
, .

At la s t a young man princely bearing w earing

Of ,

the garb o f a priest came f o rward

,
As he lifted the .

great bow the eyes of the princess brightened fo r sh e ,

had seen h is hand s ome face and admired h is godlike

form .

A cry of astonishment rang thr o ugh the a ss embly

upon s eeing a Br a hman enter the c o mpetitive li s t at
.

a S va y a mva r a The Br a hmans feared tha t s uch an

.

act w o uld o ffend the raja s so that they w o uld n o t b e

st ow the cu st o mary gift s and they pleaded with h i m
,
 LEGEND S OF T HE M AH A B H AR ATA -
. 2 93

to withdraw from the c o nte st B ut the n e w competi .

t o r wa s Arj una the her o o f the P a n davas and heed

, ,

less alike Of praise or blame

H e gra sped the ponder o u s weapon in hand h is

An d w ith o n e vig o r o u s eff o rt braced the string .

Quickly the s hafts were aimed ; s w iftly they flew ;

The mark fell pierced ; a shout o f vict o ry
R ang thr o ugh the va s t arena ; fr o m the sky
’
G arl an ds of fl o wer s cr o wned the hero s head ,

Ten th o u sand fluttering scarfs w aved in the air ,

An d drum and tru mpet s o unded f o rth h is triumph .

The beautiful prince ss came gladly f o rward and

cr o w ned the han d so me vict o r w i t h th e garland sh e
held in her hand and permitted h i m t o lead her away , ,

acc o rding t o the rule s o f the S va ya m va r a T he cheer .

ing o f the multitude ho wever wa s quickly dr o wned , ,

by the v o ice s o f di s c o ntent that came fr o m the dis

“
co m fit e d raja s I s raj a D r a u p a d a t o invite u s t o a
.

S va y a m va r a and then give h is daughter t o a Br a h

man ? ”
they cried “
D o wn with the g u ilty ra ce o f
.

”
Dr a u p a d a ! and they gathered angrily ar o und the
king wi t h n aked sw o rd s and threatened t o burn the
prince ss alive unle ss sh e ch o s e a K shatriya fo r a hus
band B ut a t the fir st o n set up o n the raj a Dr a u p a d a
.

they were met by the P a n dava s The herculean Bh i ma .

t o re up a tree u s ing it e ffectively as a club

, Arj una .
,

t oo ,ru shed up o n h is f o e s like a wild elephan t and ,

1 W ll i ’
ia m s t r a n s Th i s p
d e s cr i t i o nmi d f th
re n s o ne O e s ce n e i n th e
Od y y ly
.

ss e w h e re U ss e s
“
Th e n n o t ch e d th e sh ft
a l d d g v i t wi
re ea se a n a e ng ;
zz i w v i h d f m th
, ,

Th e wh i ng a r ro a n s e i g ro e s tr n

u d d v y i g (B k
,

”
S ng o n d i r e ct , an d th re a e e er r n . oo
 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I ND I A .

the royal suitors vanquished in archery and conquered

,

in fig h t were glad t o leave the fair princes s in the

,

hand s of the gallant y o uth wh o had fairly won her

and retire from the fie l d in sullen anger .

TH E H O M E C O M ING
-
.

At evening the P a n dava s arr i ved at their home a o ,

companied by Ar j ’
u n a s beautiful prize and o n e o f the ,

so
’
n s h a stened to h is m o ther s apartment exclaiming ,

“ ”
We have made a fine acqui s ition to day The moth -
.

er supp o sing they had brought h o me s om e trophies of

“
war an s wered ,Share it equa l ly am o ng your s elve s my ,

”
so n s
. Then Y u d h i sh th ir a exclaimed
=
,

what have you said ? Arj una h a s t o day W o n a beau -

tiful damsel at the S va y a m va r a Arj u na led the fair

.

’
princess into h is m o ther s presence but the whole ,

family w ere i n griev o u s tr o uble ; fo r the w o rd s o f a

parent thu s sp o ken could n o t be se t a s ide without
bringing sa d mi sf o r tune The five br o ther s it is true
.
, ,

were all in l o ve with D r a u p a d i but Y u d h i sh t h ir a ,

-

said t o Arj una “

Y ou have fairly w o n her and we w ill
, ,

marry her t o y o u acc o rding t o l a w ”

Arj una m od .

“
e s t l y replied , Y o u are the elde st brother ; to y o u b e
l o ng the tr o ph ie s o f war and this damsel is worthy
,

of being e sp o u s ed by y o u .

Then the elde s t br o ther said I t is the raj a D rau

,

pada who has the di spo sal o f h is own daughter and ,

”
we will leave the matter to him .

DR AU P AD I M ARRI E S FI V E H U S B AND S .

I n the meantime the raj a ,

ha d
been greatly troubled
with the thought that h is daughter had been won by
296 TH E ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

share the prize which Arj una had won T he raja

then gave h is c o nsent to thi s s trange union The .

princes s was therefore arrayed in the riche st fabrics of

the E a st ern looms and ad o rned with many j ewels , .

She was first married to the eldest brother and then to

each of the o t hers in the order of their ages The .
1

ceremony was celebrated with all the pomp and m a g

n ifice n ce pertaining to royalty and both families were ,

greatly streng thened by the allian ce .

TH E CO U N CIL S OF WVAR .

A long mythical account is given Of the feuds and

adventures of the foll o w ing years Y u d h i sh th ir a wa s .
-

invited to V i sit the Kaurava s and while t h ere played ,

'

d ice with an a ccompli shed ga mbler a n d l ost all o f his

wealth h is kingdom h is br o thers h is wife and finally
, , , ,

h is o wn liberty D r a u p a d i wa s finally re s t o re d t o them

.
,

but by the term s o f the game they w ere all bani shed
to the j ungle for a se ries of years Their exploits and .

adventure s are interminable even the st o ri e s t o ld by ,

the m during their exile being gi ven ; a part o f th e

R a m ayan a i s recited ; the s t o ry o f the deluge a s f o und
in t h e S a t a p a t h a br a hmana ( se e page 8 1 ) is al so r e -

a t e d and many other digre ss ion s are made

p e .

After t h e years of their bani shment had expired a ,

council of princes w a s called by Vir a ta and a con sul

l PO l y a n d ry i s ll p ti
ll t i b i th Hi m l y
s ti g
ra c ce d a m o n g th e h i -
r es n e a a a ra n e

n ea rS im l ; i t a m g th Td
a l p v il
so d th N y t ib i M l
re a s a on e o a s a n e a a r r es n a a

b d
a r, a n m g m f ha t ib onf th P i fi i l d Af i
so e d A
o t e r es O e ac c s a n s, r ca an us

t lira C a h g th i t B it
ae s a r c w i th t h
ar m p ti
es (S D e a nc e n r o ns e sa e ra c ce . ee e

B ll G ll i V
.

e o a co ,

u t m f p ly d y m u t l h v x i t d i v y ly t im
,

Th e c s o o o an r s a so a e e s e n er ea r es

a m g th V d i A y
on th
e b i g h ym i t h R ig v d w h i h p
e c r a ns, er e e n a n n e e a c re re
-

t
sen s a m id th p iz f h i t
a en a s wh i h w w by t h t w
e r e o a c ar o r a ce , c as on e o

A vi s (Sns R . M d I Hy m ee1 19 V .
-
v .
,
au .
,
n ,
erse
 LEGE ND S OF T H E M AH A B H AR ATA -
. 2 97

tati e n was held as to what course the P a n davas ought

to p ursue H aving honorabl y complied with their
.

agreement they were entitled t o their p o rt ion of the raj

, ,

which had been hel d during their exile by the Kaura

‘
vas but D uryodhana who had become the virtual
, ,

mas ter of his blind and aged father refu sed to give ,

it up .

To this council Kri shna w a s invited ; al s o their 1

father in law t h e raja D r a u p a d a and indeed all the

- -
, ,

allies o f the P a n dava s The c o urtly company was .

gathered in the magnificent council hall o f raja

Vir a ta wh o s e daughter had j u s t been w ed d ed to the
,
'

j
so n Of Ar u n a
”
The gr e at hall w a s tran s f o rmed
. into
a floral b o wer and the rich perfume o f tr o pical blos
,

s o m s filled the g o rgeou s ro o m .

When all t h e chieftain s were seated the situati o n ,

wa s freely d i s cu ss ed and it w a s decided t o send the ,

family prie st o f raj a D r a u p a d a to H a s tin a pu r a s a

me s senger o f peace demanding h o wever that the , , ,

Kau rava s make a fair trea ty an d re st o re to the Pa n

dava s th e ir o w n territ o ry H aving little faith in the .

s uc ce ss o f their amba ss ador the P a ndava s and their ,

allies pr o p o s ed to make war in ca se of a refu sa l .

B ut even bef o re the prie s t had s tarted D ury o dhana ,

had determi ned t o g o to war rather than relin q”

ui sh
h is ill gotten territ o ry
-
With t his purpo se i n vie w .
j
‘

the rude and am o rou s wa r r i o r of

\
“
he vi sited Kri shna ,

t h e Y a dava tribe i n o rder t o gain h is a ss istance, .

.

Arriving at h is re s idence he w a s t o l d that Kri shna ,

_

l J Ta lb o y s W l h ee er sa y s,
“
Th e g re a t m a s s o f d e ta i l s w h i ch a s so ci a t e

K P v b v y t b
.

h i m ( r i s h n a ) w i th t h e a nd a as e a rs e er r a ce Of e ing a s e r ie s o f

y l
m th i ca i n te r o a t i o n s pl of th e B hmra a n i ca l m pil
co ers, wh o so u gh t to d ei fy
Vo l I p
”
th e h ero .
(H ist . of Ind .
, .
, .
 298 TH E AN CIEN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

was asleep but the haughty raj a of the provinces did

,

n o t stand upon courte sy ; entering K r

’
i shna s sleeping
room he took a seat at the head o f h is bed to await his
awakeni ng Before the chief of the tribe awo k e
.
,

however Arj una entered the ro o m with the same Ob

,

j e c t in view modestly taking,

h i s seat at the foot of

the bed On a wakening theref o re the eye s of K r ish

.
, ,

na re s ted fir s t on Arj una B ut D uryodhana pressed . .

his o wn claim as being param o unt on the ground ,

'
that it wa s he wh o first enter e d the r o o m At last .

Kri shna said t o t hem “

I will pu t myself alone into
-
,

o n e s cale and l l the warri o rs o f my army int o the

a
o ther and y o u can ch o o s e between the two ; bu t if
,
.

y o u ch o o s e me remember I s hall n o,t fight th ough I ,

will give c o un sel ”

Arj una at o n ce decided to take
.

Kri s hna al o ne and D ury o dhana was plea s ed to receive

,

’
t a l l the warri o r s o f Kri s hna s army th o ugh the chief ,

him self wa s o n the s ide of t h e fo e 1

D uryodhana r e .

turned t O H a stin a pur i n time t o receive the Br a hman

envoy from raj a Dr a u p a da
The blind Maha raj a called a c o uncil to li s ten t o -

the me s sage and w h en the chieftain s were gathered

,

t o gether the B r a hman spoke a s f o ll o ws “

An envoy
i s the tongue of the party by wh o m he is sent and ,

if h e fail s in the di s charge o f h is trust he is guilty of ,

an act of treachery H ave I theref o re your permis .

, ,

si o n to repeat t he me ssage Sent by the P a n davas

The assembled chieftai ns answ ered with one accord ,

1 Wh p i t t th i m p i b i l ity f y u h i t v i w t k i g p l e
l
e e er o n s ou e o ss o an s c n er e a n ac

H ti p u b i g v h u d d m i l i t li f mD k
,

as na r e n se di en n re d es n a rec ne ro va r a a an

m y th i l h i t p l ti v i d tly i
,

sh w th
o s e t f th
ca c wh i h w
a ra c e r o e n er o a on, c as e en h

t d t p h ip f K i h d ity ( Hi t f I d V l I
“ ”
se r e m t
o th w
ro o e e ors o r s na a s a e s o n o
pp
. . .
, .
,

.
300 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

final council cl o sed a defiant speech wi t h the words

“
What then are all the beggarly P a n davas that you
, ,

s hould think t o frighten me with them ? N ever will

I st e e p and humble myself to them say what you ,

”
will .

P RE PAR AT ION S FOR T HE GRE AT W AR .

D uryodhana called an o ther council of war im m édi

ately after the departure of the last env o y of the Pan ; '

davas and re quired the members of his co u n cil t o

,

m ake a s o lemn covenant with h im that they w o uld

never y ield to the fe e bu t would fight as l o ng as lif e ,

la sted H e then summoned h is wh o le army and

‘
.

marched to the plain o f Kuru k sh e t r a where he fired -

,

their hearts with vindictive speeches and drew up his ,

battle line with barbaric pomp an d magnificence He .

s tationed h i s army behind a beautiful lake in the c n

e
ter of the plain and dug a deep trench on the flank ,

of h is troop s f o rtifying it w ith t o wer s up o n which h e

, ,

placed great j ar s filled with p o i sonous serpent s and

scorpi o n s and reservoir s O f bu rning sand and b o iling
,

O il . The venerable B h i sh m a was enthr o ned wi t h elab

orate ceremonie s as th e generali s simo o f all his armie s ,

and w a s br o ught int o the field w earing the r o bes of

r o yalty with the sacred can o py held over his head
, .

The P a n davas al so mar shalled their force s ch o o sing ,

for their commander ih chief D h r is h t a d y u m n a th e - - -

,

brother of their wife Dr a u p a d i and marched with ,

1 I n m o d e r n t im e s , t h i s pl
P p t) i l b t d h v i g i n ( n o w ca e d
a a ni ll a s ce e ra e a s a n

b th
ee n f th
e s ce n e o v b l l d t h f t f u pp I d i
re e d e ci s i e a t t e s w h i ch s e a e e a e o er n a :

i 15 2 6 w h
n B b hi i v
en i f I dia m pl t ly d f t d t h i m p
er o n s n a s on o n a co e e e ea e e e

i l f
r a ; i 1 5 56 w h
o r ce s hi g d
h Ak b th m b t l fi ld
en s ra n so n, a r, o n e sa e a t e- e co n

q u d H m u t h Hi d u m m d
ere e d fi lly t h 7 i h f J u y i
e n co a n e r, a n na on e O an ar n
v ig f C bu l h t t d th u i ty f th M h tt p w
, ,

1 761 w h th en e so ere n o a s a e re e n o e a ra a o er,

by p p i g th w y f B i ti h u l
,

th e re re ar n e a or r s r e .
 LEGE ND S OF T H E M AH A B H AR AT A
-
. 301

st r a ins of martial music to the beautiful plain as yet ,

unstained with blood They w ere drawn up i n solid

.

phalanxes on the western S ide of the clear waters Of

the lake while the h o st s of the Kaura vas were e h
,

camped up o n the ea stern shore T he tropical sun

.

l o oked d o w n up o n the gay trappings o f h o rse s and

men u pon glittering spears and burni shed shield s
, .

The ri chly caparis o ned elephants w ere mounted by

chieftains clad in brilliant armor and h o lding conch
shells up o n which they s ounded the s ignal of advance
, .

Be side the camp o f t h e P a n dava s the river Sara swati -

fl o wed gently al o ng between banks bordered w ith

cor o neted palm s while t h e many col o red l o tu se s ri s ing
,
-

above its b o s om burdened the air with their fragrance .

TH E C H ALLENG E G I V E N AN D AC CE P T ED .

When the tr o o ps o n b o th S ides were ready fo r bat

t l e D ury o dhana called one o f h i s k i n s m e n and ordered
‘

him t o carry a challenge int o the other camp H e was .

re ceived by the P a n dava s accor d ing t o the c o urte s ies

of war and ad dresse d them as f o ll o ws
,
“
Y o u have
s w o rn Oh
,
P a n dava s that w hen y o ur exile wa s ended
, ,

y o u w o uld w age a war again s t us and the time h

, a s

co me fo r y ou t o fulfill y o ur o ath Y o u have been .

deprived o f y o ur raj ; y o ur w ife D r a u p a d i h a s been

griev o u sly in sulte d and y o u have bee n d riven int o
,

exile ” Why then d o y o u sit u nc o ncerned w hen yo u

ought to rush into bat le with y ur heart on fire
t o s ?

Where is t he sleepy Bh i ma who threatened t o ,

drink the bl o od Of D u h sa sa n a wh o w ait s fo r him here

,

We are a ss ured that wh o ever c o me s o u t to battle

again st u s be he man or elephant w ill never e s cape with
, ,
 302 T HE ANC IEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

his life and though you are o u r brethren you know no

, ,

m ore of our power than the frog wh o live s in a river

knows of the cave s beneath it I n order to obtain a .

raj men s hould have g o o d fortune a s well a s s trength

, .

Of w hat u s e was the b o w of Arj una a t the gambling

m atch where you staked yourselves to become our
slave s
Thi s speech elicited an angry response and eager
acceptance ; but bef o re the t wo armie s were hurled
against each other the f ollowing rule s of warfare were
agreed upon
l“ 1 There shall be no strategy or treachery
. .

2 When we are not fighting there may be free and

.

friendly interc o ur s e between the t wo ca m ps .

3 The fugitives the suppliants and the charioteers

.
, ,

shall not be slain .

4 H orsemen shall fight only with horsemen and

.

footmen with f o otmen .

5 When w arrior s are fighting w ith words only n o

.
,

one shall take u p arm s again s t them .

6 N O mau sb all take up arms against an o ther with

.
‘

o u t giving him warning .

7 When t w o c o mbatants are engaged with each

.

1
other no third man shall inte r fere .

'

The rule s o f warfare being d eci ded up o n night ,

came do w n up o n the plain and wrapped the expectant

armies in a sleep which was lighted by dream s o f vic
t o ry Bu t when the mo o n came out in the troubled
.

1 Th e se p uli
ecf ar r ul
v i d tly i t p l t i f l t
e s Of wa r a re a re e en an n er o a on O a er

d t a Th eg t w w e t f ugh t u p
re a ar th p i i pl
a s no d th y o on ese r nc e s, a n e a re

t v i b b u h t f th ti m w ll
.

a w i th t h
a r a n ce e ar a ro w i th
s c a ra c er o o se es, a s e a s

th fi e h t d w h i h p v il d b t w
e r ce a re th p ti I t i p b bl
c re a e e ee n e ar es s ro a e,

f th t th fi t t b tw k pl i m m
.

th e re o r e , a the twrs mi t
o nse e ee n e o a r es oo a ce e

d i t l y ft
a e th i u l t i g h ll
a er g f Du y dh
e ns nh d b c pt da en e o r o a na a e e n a cce e .
 CH AP T ER X I X .

L EG EN DS O F TH E M AH AB H AR ATA
-
. TH E G R EAT W AR ,

C ON C L U DE D .

T H E B H AG AVAD G i TA—TH E ATT AC K AN D RE P UL S E OF

-

T H E K AU R AV AS —T HE T HI RD D AY —F ALL O F B H i S H
MA A
- —
NIGH T S C ENE W AR OF E X T ER M IN AT IO N
—
R AJ A Y U DH I S E T E I R A T HE D E S T RUC T IO N OF T H E
-

— —
T RI B E O F Y AD AV AS D E AT H O F K RI S H N A AB DI
~
C AT I O N AN D P ILG RI M AG E O F T H E R AJ A—AS CEN S ION .

HE great plain glittered with radiant armor and

the bright trapping s of war h o r s e s while the ,

impatient armie s a waited the s ignal s of their chief

tain s and a terrible c o nflic t w a s m o mentarily expected .

At thi s point in the account a later hand h a s in t e r p o

late d a l o ng serie s of discour se s by Krishna called the ,

vad g i t a which w ill be treated in an o ther chap

-
,

Ac co rding to s o me w riter s the fo e c o n s ider

a tel waited until this
,
“
D ivine Song w a s fini shed
”
,

an then the attack w a s made by B h i sh m a wh o a d ,

va n ce d with the tro o p s o f the Kauravas .

The mighty h o s t p o ured o ver the plain w ith their

lances gleaming in the su nlight an d g o rge o u s banner s
waving ab o ve them The gallant Karna led his faith
.

ful bands cl o se behind the battalion o f h is commander .

The m o narch in g o lden armor r o de upon his great

, ,

war elephant w h ose g o rge o u s trappings were in har

,
 LEGE ND S OF T HE M AH A B H AR AT A -
. 305

mony with the glittering unifo rm o f the king AS .

they marched t o the front the wa r shell o f B h i s h m a

so unded i t s d efiant challenge ab o ve the s trains o f mar

tial music an d the wh o le army was hurled upon the

fe e .

The son s of P a ndu marked the coming st o rm

An d swift arrayed their force T he chief divine
’
.

An d Arj una at the king s re q ue s t

Ra i sed in the van the ape emblazoned b anner l -
,

’ '
The h o st s conducting s t a r t h e guiding light ,

That cheered the bravest heart and as it swept ,

The air it warmed each breast wi t h martial fi res

,
.

Arj una led his battalion in person

Standing in his .

chariot covered with gleaming mail and s ternly gras p

,

ing h is massive b o w G a n di va he was looked upon by

, ,

his men as the messenger of fate .

N ow, as on either hand the hosts advanced ,

A sudden tumult filled the sky ; earth shook

C hafed by the wind s the sands upcurled to heaven ,

An d spread a veil before the sun .

An d ever and anon t h e thu nder r o ared ,

An d angry lightnings fla s hed across the gloom ,

Or blazing meteors fearful s hot t o earth .

R egardless of the se awful signs the chiefs ,

Pre ss ed on t o mutual slaughter and the peal ,

Of shouting hosts commingling shook the w o rld .

l Arj
u na h a d e n tr e a t e d th e m o nk y d m ig d H u m
e e o an an to l e nd h im h is
a id , b ut H an um a n re pl i ed th a tif h w uld p
e o ut a

h is b a nn er i t wo ld u a n swer e v y pu p
er r os e .
 TH E ANC IEN
'
T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

The battle became general a t the fir st attack and

in a m o ment the air w a s thick with whiz zing arro ws ,

w hile the whole plain re so unded t o the beating of the

drum s the so unding o f the war shells the neighing
, ,

o f t h e horses and the roaring o f elephants

, I n the .

first terrible charge it seemed a s if heaven and earth

had c o me t o gether S w o rd s and spear s fla shed like
.

lightning s in th e sunlight and every s tr o ke wa s fol,

l o wed with bl o od which stained the gleaming arm o r

,

bef o re it reached the so d o f the plain A cl o ud Of .

d ust soon dimmed the light o f the sun and beneath ,

its pall the sh outing combatants struggled in deadly

conflict .

At la s t the son of Arj una seeing that the battle ,

was g o ing again st the P a ndavas made a personal a t ,

tack upon Bh i sh m a and h is staff H e succeeded in .

cutting d o wn the ensign o n his chari o t and in his ,

reckless charge left many a fe e helples s upon the

fiel d . Bu t the night came d o wn upon the fearful
scene and the warriors retired to their camps with o ut
,

any deci s ive gain to either s ide The next day how .
,

ever after many hours o f h ard fighting the P a n davas

, ,

were victori o us Arj una in a brilliant charge d riving

,

the fe e fr o m the field R ising still higher in his

.

chariot he exclaimed :

F ear not my friends still still your fame maintain ! ’

, , ,

SO peaking o n he da shed with whirling wheel

s ,

Through the deep stream s of bl o od with carcasses ,

An d shattered weapons choked and thu ndering drove ,

Against t h e Kuru ranks Around his c o urse .

I n clou ds the arrows flew and darkened earth ,

308 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

“
were repulsed They rallied however under t h e ape .
, ,

emblaz o ned banner o f Arj una and the Kaurava s were

”
,

again defeated while s h o uts o f Vict o ry and the tri ,

u m p h a n t n otes o f s hell and b u gle aro s e fr o m the h o s t s

o f P a n du .

F ALL O F BH IS H M A.

F ive days l o nger the terrible c o nte s t went with on

varying re sult but the advantage w a s m ainly w i t h the ,

P a nda va s At la st stung by the repr o ache s o f h is

.
l
,

king and receiving an i n timati o n that th e re signati o n

,

o f his c o mman d w o uld be ac ceptable B h i s h m a declared ,

that upon t h e m o rr o w he w o uld either be vict o ri o u s o r

w o ul d be left dead upon the field O n the tenth day .

o f the war theref o re b e challenged Arj una t o single

, ,

c o mbat and after many h o u r s O f de sperate fighting he

,

received a m o r tal w o u nd fr o m t h e hand o f h is fav o rite

pupil D r o na w a s then given t h e p o s iti o n o f co m
.
2

mander ih chief and the fighting be came if p o ss ibl e

- -
, , ,

more de spera t e .

“
F o rgot years —the veteran chief t ain fired
h is
With rage t h e energy o f y o uth re sum ed ,

Amid s t the P a n du rank s h e sm o te re s istle ss ,

An d man y a headless corse and mangled limb

1 l
T h e w i d e s t d e s cr i t i o n s p a re v
g i e n o f t h e Vi ct o r i e s O f t h e s e w a r r i o r s
ju k i ll i fi b v
.

Ar na i s d e s cr i ed a s ng ve u
h n d r e d w a r r i o r s a t o n ce ; a s co e r i n g t h e
pl i w i h d d d fi ll i g h
a n t ea bl B a n p n t e v
r i e r s w i th oo d h i m a i s r e r e se n t e d
i il i g w i h i g l bl w f h i l ub m u l ph w i h l l
.

a s a nn h a t n t a s n e o o s c a o n s tro s e e a nt t a

th e ffi o m u d up
ce r s i d m y f o l d i b id w h il h
n te on t, a n a n oo t so e rs es e, e t e

y u g P d v f m i h i w u ti g ff h u d f h d
o n er an a a s, ro th e r c a r o ts, e re c t n O t o sa n s o ea s

a nd wi g h m l k
so d up
n h t u d e i e se e on t e g ro n

h v b v ly p i d i v y p f h i b d y
.

Bh i h m i
2 id
s a s sa to a e ee n so e en e r ce n e er a rt O s o

by h t w f A ju
e a r ro h wh h f ll m
s o lly w u d f m h i
r na t a t en e e o r ta o nd e ro s ch a r

d up pi d l y hu f yw k
.

i
o t, h h
e r e s te f h w on tm e o nts o t e a r ro s a n a t s or an ee s
.

Th e w h o l pie e s od e is p b bly
ro a a n i n te r p l o a tio n .
 LEGEND S OF T HE M AH A B H AR AT A -
.

’
An d car de serted marked the w arri o r s path .

F a st fle w his arr ow s with u nerri ng a im ,

An d heaven loud echoed t o h is rattling b o w .

'

The s oil wa s sa dd e n e d w ith the crim so n s tream

Of the vast number s men and s teed s and elephants , ,

’ ’
Wh o m D r o na s s haft s t o Y ama s hall s c o n signed ”
.

The fight bet ween Dh r is h t a d y u m n a and D rona wa s a -

l o ng a n d d o ubtfu l c o nfli ct At length Kri shna su g .

ge s ted that if Y u d h i sh t h ir a w ould a ss ure D rona that -

h is so n ASva tt h a m a n wa s d ead the o ld w arri o r w o uld

, , ,

l o se all heart and bec o me an ea sy prey t o h is o pp o

nent Y u dh i sh t h ir a h o wever refused to tell the ba se
.
-
, ,

fal seh o o d required o f him Kri shna then d irected t h e .

P a n dava s t o kill an elephant that wa s named ASva t t

h a man a n d D r o na w a s t o ld that ASva t t h a m a n was
, \

dead N o t b e li e vm g it he f o ught fiercely and his

.
,

fatal bl o ws fell wi t h terrible e fle ct upon b o t h t h e cav

a l r y and infantry of t h e fo e F eeling anxi o u s h o w .
1
,

ever abo u t h is s o n he called to Y u d h i Sh t h ir a t o kn o w

, ,
-

if he were indeed d ead Y u d h i sh th ir a an s wered : .

-

“
ASva t t h a m a n is dead —n o t the man but the elephant , .

Knowing t hat he w a s abou t t o tell the w h o le truth ,

Kri shna and Arj una s o unded their war shell s furi o u sly
a s so o n as the fir s t words w ere uttered so that D rona ,

heard o nly the me ssage o f death Believing that his .

so n had in d eed fallen he laid d o wn his arms and ,

w illingly received the fa t al bl o w The death of the .

great c o mmander was the turning p o in t in the terrible -

c o nflict .

1 Th e o r ig i na l s t a te s t h a t th e i n fu i r a l
t e d co m m a n d e r s e w t e n t h o u sa n d

ca vly a r a nd tw e n t y th o u sa nd in f ty
a n r a t t h i s cr i t i ca l j u tunc re , a nd wo uld
ha v d e e s tr o y ed t h e wh o e l a rm y of th e en em yh d a he no t b e e n r e s t r a i ne d by
th e g o d s , wh o r e m i n d e d h im t h a t h e w a s a B hm
ra an .
31 0 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

A NIGH T S CENE .

T he days went by with bl o od stained feet and m u l

-
,

t it u d es of brave men had been lost on both sides .

The gallant son of Arj una —a mere stripling — had

fallen while fightin g bravely again s t a cordon of Kuru
chieftains . H is grief stricken father had s worn ven
-

g e a n ce upon t h e S layer s o f h i s so n and the terrible

,

conflict grew more an d more de sperate An d n o w at .

set of sun there was no stay to the spilling of bl o o d ,

as heretofo re . The troop s f o ught on while darkness

gathered around them . F riends instead of fe e s so me
time s fell beneath the strokes o f the warriors but still ,

no trumpet called retreat The pale moon came up

. .

and lo o ked upon the awful scene but a s her light sil ,

vered the spear s a n d helmet s it lighted up also d ark

,

pools of blood and the headle ss form s Of the slain .

Then sh e grew paler still and sh u ddering with horror

drew back her face behind the cloud s O f night .

But the furious avenger o f the fallen boy ordered

ligh ted torche s to be brought and s o on every w a r
,

rior was carrying a gleaming fla m b e a u in one hand and

h is sword in the other while the chari o t s O f the com
,

manders fairly blazed w ith lurid light The w h o le plain .

wa s illumined with the fit fu l fire and the gol d en ar m o r

,

of the raj as shone in the light that fell upon the living
and the dead . Their jeweled arm s sparkled beneath
the glare as if in mockery of the groan s of dying men ,

and their S words gleamed in the fir eligh t as they d rank

the blo o d Of the foe H our after h o ur passed away in
.

the terrible w o rk u ntil midnight hushed the v o ice s

,

of anger and Arj una called his wearied troops to re st .

31 2 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

Or as the noo se armed god of death o r as

-
,

The peaked Kail a sa or the Thunderer ,

H imself or as the trident bearing g o d

,
- -
,

Or as a m addened f o res t elephant .

H im to defy d id Bh i ma hastily
Advance wielding al o ft h is m assive cl ub
, .

A th o usand c o nchs and trumpet s and a s hout ,

’
F iring each c h ampion s ard o r rent the air , .

F r o m either h o s t s pectat o rs of th e fight

, ,

‘
Bur s t f o rt h applau ding c h eer s : The Madra King
’
Al o ne they cried ‘ can bear the ru sh o f Bh i ma ;
, ,

N o ne but her o ic Bh i ma can su stain

The f o rce O f S alya ’ N ow like two fierce bull s
.

Sprang t h ey t o war d s each o ther m a ce in han d , ,

An d fi r st as cauti o u sly they circled r o und

Whirling their w eap o n s as i n sport the pair ,

Seemed matched in equal c o mbat Sa l y a s club ’ .

,

Set with red fillet s glittered as with flame, ,

While that o f Bh i ma gleamed like flashing light

ning .

An o n the clashing iron met and scattered round

A fiery sh o wer ; then fierce a s elephant s ,

O r butting bull s they battered each the other .

Thick fell the bl o w s and s o on each stalwart frame

, ,

Spattered with g o re glo we d like the Kin s uka

, ,

Bedecked with s carlet blo sso m s ; yet benea t h

The rain Of stroke s un shaken as a rock , ,

Bh i ma su stained the mace of S alya he ,

’
With equal firmne ss b o re the other s blow s .

N ow like the r o ar o f cra shing th under cl o ud s -

S o unded the cla shing ir o n ; then their club s ,

Brandishe d aloft eight paces they retired

, ,
 LE GE ND S O F T HE M AH A B H AR AT A -
. 31 3

An d ift again advancing t o t h e fight

sw

Met i n the mi d s t like t wo huge m o u nt a in crags

,

H urled int o contact N o r c o uld either bear

.

’
T he oth er s sh o ck ; t o gether d o wn they rolled
Mangled and cru shed like t wo tall standards fallen
, .

The Kaurava s af t er c o ntinual rever s es rallied their

scattered f o rce s fo r a final charge which led t o a co m ,

p l e t e r e n t and general slaughter O nly t hree or f ou r .

o f t heir chief s remained alive and n o t a single so ldier ,

of thei r eleven armie s had s urvived the campaign .

T he vict o rs i n the fight were bu t little better o ff ; at

the end o f the terrible c o nte s t o n ly the five P a n dava s
and t wo Of their adherent s still lived O f the many .

m illi o n s said to have been engaged o nly eleven war

ri o rs survive d the c o nte st .

R AJ A Y U D H I - SH TH I R A .

The elder br o ther o f t h e P a n davas was duly crowned

as king o f t h e entire raj G reat pomp and m a g n ifi
.

cence attended the cerem o ny but the will o w was , ’

ent wined with the laurel and the cypress o f death ,

was wreathed with the r o ses Of victory The aged .

Dh r it a r a sh t r a m ourned his fallen s o ns and the new

-
,

raj a was sad at heart I n the triumphal proces sions

.

i n h is hon o r the l o w wail of su ffering was mingled

!

with the strain s o f martial music ; fo r his V icto ry had

been w o n at a fearful c o st and the r o yal canopy above ,

his head seemed draped with mourning But he sub .

mit t e d t o the splend ors o f the ceremo n y a nd s a t up o n ,

’
the r o yal tiger s skin bef o re the sacrificial fire w i t h
1 Will i a
”
m t r a n s I nd W i s . .
, p . 406 .
31 4 TH E AN C IEN T B OOK S OF INDI A.

Dr a u p a d i,the wife of all the P a n davas With no S ign .

either o f sorr o w or j o y he di stributed the usual gifts ,

and in his public addre ss b e ann o u n ced that he lived

‘
o nly fo r h i s pe o ple and t O promote the happiness of

the blind king who s e sons had been slain in battle

, .

The d ay s went by amid splendid p a geantry whose royal

magni ficence w a s O ften di sturbed by the requiems for
the dead . At la st the new raj a wi t h a retinu e Of ,

attendants s o ught the counsel of the aged B h i sh m a

, ,

who still lay up o n h is arrowy bed on the forsaken

battle fiel d
-
(.See note to page
Passing over t h e br o ken arrows wrecked c h ariots and , ,

unburied f o rms of their kinsmen they found the suf ,

fe r in g patriarch patiently awaiting h is release He .

delivered a long di scourse to Y u d h i sh th ir a on his duties -

t o ward th e l iving and then bade them farewell

, The .

arro ws left his body h is skull divided and his spirit

, , ,

bright as a meteor a scended throu gh the top Of his

,

head to th e s kie s Then they covered him with beau

.

tiful garland s of fl o wer s and carried him to the sacred

,

wave s of the G ange s The purifying water s were

.

sprinkled over h is S ilent f o rm and the oblations for ,

the dead were done .

R eturning to h is kingd o m the raj a resumed the ,

dutie s Of his government but t h e splend o r s of h is

,

po s ition br o ught no rest to his b urdened heart—n o

peace t o h is troubled spirit When he S lept the h e r
.

r o r s o f the battle fie l d intruded up o n h is vi s i o n

-
and in ,

h i s waking h o urs h i s han d s seemed s tained with blo o d .

At la st he determined up o n the perf o rmance o f an

As va medha t h e greate s t and m o st difficult rite that
-
,

a raja can perfor m by the acc o mplishment o f which

,
31 6 TH E ANCIEN T B O O K S OF INDI A .

western sky and darkne ss settled down upon the foam

ing river when from the re stles s b o som o f the tide
,

arose living knight s in armor B h i sh m a and Dr O na .

appeared in their chariot s an d the starlight gleamed ,

s oftly U p o n their golden arm o r T hen came th e her o ic .

so n of Arj una and the five s ons o f Dr a u a d i ; after

p
them all the heroe s of the war mounted upon h or ses
, ,

or c h ariot s and carrying their banners an d weap o ns .

But peace rested upon the en sign of the ri sen host ,

and voices were heard chanting their prai se s The .

glad w ife embraced her rest o red hu sband ; the mother

sought her b o y s ; si s ter s rej o iced over their brothers ,

and in the glad h o u r o f reunion the fifteen years of ~

1
loneline ss and pain w ere forg o tten T he night passed .

away in the fulness o f j oy but when the m o rning , ,

dawned t h e risen warri o r s m ounted their h o rses an d

chariots and rode away in the gray ligh t of the coming
day and the l o yal widows went down and drowned
,

them s elves in the river that they might j oin their

husband s in the land beyond the tomb .

Then the raj a and h is brothers and their wife D rau

pad i took lea ve Of the blind king on the s h o res of the
G ange s and ret u rned to the capital city They never
,
.

sa w his face again fo r in a fe w d ay s t h e news came ,

that there had been a terrible fire in the j ungle and

that D h r it a r a sh tr a a nd all o f h is family had perished
-

in the flames .

1 F or ma n y ce n t ui
r es th e s a cr e d b k oo s Of th e Hi n d u s ly t u g h t
had st e a d i a

th e t ra n sm i g r a ti o n of th e so ul a nd th i s s ud d en c h g t t h v y pp i t
an e o e er O os e,

l p f t h t p ti
,

viz : t h e d o ct r i n e o f t h e res u r r e cti o n , is a d d i ti o n a ro o a f th or ons o e

M bh ft y Ch i t h d p t t d
.

a ha a ra t a w e r e w r i tte n a er t h e st o r of th e i
r se n r s a e ne ra e

I nd ia Th e a uh
t or is s u pp o r te d i n th i s O pi nio n by Ri h d C ll i M A
c ar o ns,

P h il ph i l S y B
. .
.
,

of th e o so ca o ci e t of G re a t r i ta i n .
 LEGEND S O F T H E M AH A B H AR ATA -
. 17

DE S T RUC T I ON OF T H E T RI B E O F Y AD AV AS :
The burning Of the j ungle w ith its fatal results
brought terr o r to th e heart s of the P a n dava s for they ,

l o o ked up o n it as a bad o men fo r the future—the b e

ginning Of horrors I n a short time sa d tiding s came
.

fr o m Dva r a k a the capital o f Kri shna who was the

, ,

chief o f the tribe of Y a d avas The fa n city wa s s ituated

.

up o n the o cean shores and the vine laden valleys around -

it were beautiful as a poet s dream’ B ut the rich .

clu sters of fruit were perverted from their legitimate

u s e and the fermented j uice of the grape became the

curse of the city by the sea K ri shna and his br o ther

.

“
Bala r a ma are sp o ken of in the Mah a bh a rata as
-
the -

wine l o ving B ala r a ma and the am o r o us Kri shna

- -
.

The capital was Often the scene of di sgraceful dis

si a t io n
p f
, o r the tribe of Y a da v as
( co w herd s ) were -

never noted for their morality D va r a k a w a s vi sited

.
,

it i s said by a fearful apparition w hich Sh o wed itself

, ,

at the d o or s of all the h ouses The people declared .

that it wa s death in human form for its c ol o r wa s ,

black and yellow and its head wa s s horn and all of

, ,

it s limbs were di stort ed The y who sa w it were para

.

l y z e d with fear or convul s ed with trembling Then .

a great wind arose and tree s were uprooted and car

ried away by the p o wer of the tempe st while the ter ,

r ifie d rat s sw armed into the house s by thousands and

even gnawed the hair an d beard s of the sleeping ih

mates The frightened o wl s al so sought the c e mpan
.

io n sh ip of men and crowded int o their habitation s ,

while other birds cried in terror during the long hours

of the night .

At last K rishna issued a proclamation that on the

31 8 T HE AN CIEN T B O O K S OF I NDI A .

morrow all the people o f the city should go down t o

the sea sh o re and pay their dev o ti o n s to the deity of
D va r a k a B ut a s if in defiance o f this pr o clamation
.

‘
the apparition o f a black w o man cl o thed in black gar ,

ment s w alked Sl o w ly int o t h e s treet s F r o m h o use to

, .

hou se Sh e wandered l o o k ing in at the w indows and

,

grinning at the inmate s h e r great yell o w teeth p r o

,

j g
e ct i n bey o nd her d i s t o rted lip s I f any o
. n e attempted

to seize her Sh e vani s hed o u t o f h is hands with a

l o w m o cking laugh and S h o wed her hi d eou s head far
.

a w ay Then the chari o teer of Kri shna harne ssed h is

’
ma ster s hor se s but t hey bounded into the air and bore
,

the chari o t far o u t o ver the f o aming sea where they ,

di sappeared f o rever fr o m sight .

H o ping t o put an end to these terrible omen s and

avert further di saster the people gathered upon the
,

shores of the s e a t o propitiate the god o f D va r a k a .

S ome took up their ab o de in tents upon the sand ,

while others sought the shelter o f trees ; but they car

ried with their provi si o n s a great abu ndance of wine ,

a n d the expedition which w a s intended as an act O f

devotion became a scene of di sgraceful revelry All .

the chieftains of the Y a davas were there and the wine ,

flowed freely So o n in s ults began to take the place of

.

j esting angry words were foll o wed by angry blows .

At last Krishna ordered a friend to repeat a story

which represented one of the chieftains as a thief and
a m urderer whereupon the in s ulted chief drew his
,

sw o rd and calling upon h is friends to aid him they

,

s lew the man w h o t o ld the st o ry and al s o a son of

Kri s hna with many o ther w arriors The melee now
,
.

became general for Krishna S prang into the fi ght and

,
32 0 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

now I have seen all o f the Y a d av as slain the m o urner ,

sa t d o wn near the dead b o d y o f h i s br o ther an d gave

himself up t o tr o ubled thoughts B ut a hunter pa ss .

ing near saw him and mi staking him fo r a w ild ani

“
mal sh o t him killing him in stantly , Th u s d ied the .

”
mighty Krishn a
T he city of D va r a k a w a s n o w a ci t y o f w i d o w s and
orphan s ; the w ail o f w o nder n children w a s mingled
w ith the lamentati o n s o f t h e w o men .

E ach one o f the Sixteen thou sand wives o f Krishna

appeared to think that her w ifely duty co nsi s ted I n
making l o uder dem o n strati o n s o f grief than the o ther s ,

and when Arj una entered the city he wa s di s tracted

w ith the terrible ho wling s within her w all s ; fo r the
m ourning w ives came to meet him w ith di s heveled hair
and violent outcrie s As so o n a s Arj una could com.

mand him s elf he w ent to th e scene o f the dru n ken

,

melee where the Y a dava s had slain each other With .

'
the assistance of the Br a hman s w h o had s urvived the
di sa ster he gathered a great quantity of fuel and
burned t h e b o dies of the dead not neglecting the u sual ,

funeral o blati o ns Then he sent partie s o u t i n vario u s

.

d irecti o ns to s earch fo r t h e b o die s o f Bala r a ma and -

K ri shna which when f o und he cau sed t o be burned

,

“
with much preci o u s Odor s and sprinkled water
for their soul s ”
.
’
F o ur o f Krishna s wid o w s burned
themselve s upon t h e funeral pile and all the o thers ,

assumed t h e dress of devotees and retired to the j un

g l e
l
. A rj una to o k the trea sures of the city an d the

l Th e n um b er of h is wi v es is l
e sewh ere v
g i e n d e n i te asfi ly ixt s een

th o u sa n d o ne h u n d r ed a n d ni n e It is a l so s ta te d t h a t h i s w i e s v b h im o re

u y
.

one h n d red a n d e ig h t t h ou s a nd so n s , b u t i n th i s im m e di ta ti
e co n n e c on

n o th i ng is sa id Of th i s l a rge f a mi ly of f a l l
t h e r e s s ch i d r e n , e x p t th t h i
ce a s

s o ns a nd g r a n d so n s w er e kil l ed i n th e d r u n ke n me l e e,
 LE G END S O F T H E M AH A B H AR AT A -
. 32 1

remnant of her pe o ple —a fe w Br a hman s and a multi

tude o f w o men and children—h o me w i t h him and ,

s ettled them in I ndra pra s tha Scar cely had they left -
.

the s cene o f revelry an d cri m e w hen the w ave s Of the ,

se a ar o s e and s wept the dev o ted city d o w n int o her

i

b oso m F ish e s s w am thr o ugh the gilded s al oo n s o f

.

D v a r a k a a n d the sea m o s se s t w ined around corni ce

.

and pi l lar while the m e a n in g wave s s ang t h e requ iem

,

O f fallen s plendor and t h e billows chanted the d irge

fo r the dead .

AB D IC AT I O N .

The reig n o f Y u d h i sh t h i r a w a s one l o ng d rama o f -

s o rr o w—o n e dark s cene O f tragedy The S tain o f fra .

ternal bl o o d w a s o n h is iv o ry thr o ne and o n the c o stly

draperie s o f h is palace E ven w i t h the strains o f .

martial mu sic w ere mingled the minor ch o rd s o f

grief and the drum beat s seemed muffled a s for a fun
,
-

eral dirge F o r thirty S i x years he s truggled bravely

.
-

to o vercom e the di s as te r and glo o m that met him o n

every S ide bu t at la s t he decided t o abdicate the
,

thr o ne which had been Obtained at su ch fearful cost ,

’
and make a pilgrimage t o I ndra s heaven in the r o cky ,

heights o f M o unt Meru When h is l oyal br o thers .

1

heard of thi s high resolve they determined to share ,

l Th e m o u fu l
rn j m id t th m g i fi
gr a n d e r u of th e ra a a s e a n ce n ce o f h is
co u t u gg t
r s u es s i B k X III f t h O d y y
t h e t o ch i n g s ce n e n oo o e sse wh en
Uly ft t y y
,

sses a f w
er d t en m ea rs o f w d i g ar an en ea rs ore o an er n r e a ch e s

th e
g l f h i m b i ti u p t h h
oa o s a f It h B i tt ly th h
on on e s o res O a ca er e e re be
w i l h i d i pp i t m
.

a s s t sa o n en

Th th d h g d hi w
en on l th y t’ e
e sa n s e ra n e s ea s or

g ld th v t th t ip d um b d
,

Th e o ;
e e s s, e r o s n ere o er

f u d b till i l t
,

Al l t h h e se e o n ut s n e rr o r os

l t h w d
,

Di th
s co n s o at e e an ers on e co a s

u ty dl m t gi
,

Sig h f hi s or s co n r an a en s a a n

T th d f k dh o u di g m i
e ea roc s an o a rs e r e s o
-
n n a n .
”
32 2 TH E ANCIEN T B O O K S O F INDI A .

his fate and with D r a u p a d i f o llowed him to the great

,

wilderne ss The people pre ss ed after r e m o n st r a t

.
,

ing and pleading with the raj a to return but finding ,

him immovable they bade the wanderers farewell

‘

and returned to the city H i s wife and brothers and

.

a faithful d o g were n o w h i s o nly courtiers Th e i m .

perial can o py w a s the blu e heaven ab o ve him and his

kingdom the wildernes s ar o un d him .

Then the high minded sons -

of P a n du and the noble
Dr a u p a d i
R oamed o nwards fa sting with their faces towards the
, ,

ca st their heart s
;
Y earning for union with the I nfinite bent o n abandon ,

ment
Of worldly things They w andered o n t o many cou n
.

tries many a se a
,

An d river Y u d h i s h t h ir a walked in front and next t o

.
-
,

him came Bh i ma ;
An d Arj una came after him an d then in o rder the , , ,

twin brothers .

An d la st o f all came D r a u p a d i with her dark skin and ,

l o tu s eye s
The faithful D r a u p a d i l o velie s t o f women best of noble
, ,

w ives
Behind them w alked the o nly living thing that share d
their pilgrimage
The dog An d by degree s they reached the briny s ea ;
.

They reached the n o rthern regi o n and beheld with

heaven aspiring hearts
-

The mighty mountain H imavat Beyond its l o fty peak

.
1

they passed
I Hi m l y a a a .
32 4 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

Worthy of endless bliss let her too come , , , . I n mercy

”
hear my prayer .

I ndra replied that the spirits of and his Dr a u p a d i

brothers w ere already in heaven and that only the ,

king himself could be permitted to ascen d in his

bodily f o rm Y u d h i sh t h ir a then impl o red that his d o g
.
-

might be permitted to go with him to Paradise but ,

I ndra indignantly as serted that H eaven wa s n o place

“

for m en accompanied by d o gs The king h owever

.
, ,

‘
firmly refused to g o int o the radian t home Of I ndra
“
unle ss his d o g could bear him c o mpany Y ou have .

abandoned Dr a u p a di and y o ur br o thers w h y n o t fo r ,

”
sake your d og ? the g o d demanded To this the .

king replied : “
I had no power to bring them back
to life ; how can I abandon th os e who n o longer live ? ”

F inding that Y u d h i sh tir a wa s determined not to

-

leave him the dog who had been the king s father ’
, ,

in a former birth assume d hi s human form and the

,

two went together into Paradise There beneath the .

golden d ome and amid s t the j eweled thr o nes he found

D uryodhana and all the Kauravas but neither h is ,

brother s nor Dr a u p a d i were pre sent Addre ssing I n .

dra he declared that he could not stay in heaven

without the presence of tho s e he loved and be s ought ,

the god t hat he might share their fate in hell A .

radiant me ssenger was therefore sent from the throne

of I ndra to condu ct the king to the lower regions .

H e entered a dense fore st compo sed of trees w hich

bore terrible thorn s and swords in stead of leaves .

With naked feet he walked over pave m ents made o f

razor s with the edges upturned t o meet the culprit .
 L EGEND S OF TH E M AH A B H AR AT A
-
. 32 5

H e passed o ver the foul and mutilated b o dies Of th o se

wh o had preceded him w hile hideous shapes flitt e d ,

thr o ugh the darkne s s and hovered with outstretched

hand s above him On w ard still on w ard he urged
.
, ,

h is way with cu t an d mangled feet until he came t o ,

the place of burning where the form s of h is brother s

,

w ere seen in the pitile s s flame s with multit u des O f

other s .

D r a u p a d i turned her s uffering eye s to h im an d

reaching out her bu rning hand s s h e pleaded with him
t o save her The be seeching v o ices of his br o ther s
.
,

also were b o rne to h is ear an d in a moment the

, ,

her o ic heart had ch o s en t o s hare their pain Turning .

t o h is angel guide h e bade him go and leave him

,

there with t h o se he l o ved Brave so ul ! I t wa s the.

la st trial o f h i s loyal heart and the terrible illusion ,

vani s hed .

H e wa s h id d e n to g o and bathe in the sacred waters

o f the G ange s a n d a s he entered the cooling w ave s
,

heaven was o p ened ab o ve him and there in the land ,

of u ndying fl o wers he w a s greeted by the gentle

Dra u p a d i . Advancing fr o m curtain s of azure with ,

her dark eye s gleaming w ith light and love sh e gave ,

h i m o n e delicate hand and led him t o a r o yal throne

gleaming with j ewel s an d draped w ith fl o wer s On .

bey o nd a fl o ral gr o ve h e saw the glad face s O f h is

brother s amid the ro s e s and turn i ng he made a j oy
,

ful salutati o n t o I n d ra the g o d o f battle s

,
.

Be s ide t h e m ain st o ry Of the Mah a bh a rata which -

we ha ve here given there i s an interminable ma ss o f

,

myth and legend con si s ting mainly o f fairy tale s of

,

little o r n o literary value F o r instance in the orig

.
,
32 6 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S O F I NDI A.

inal poem there are hundreds of pages devoted to the

adventu res of the horse w hich Y u dh i Sh th ir a allowed t o
-

wander at his will d u ring the prescribed year o f prepa

rati on fo r the Asva medha sacrifice
-
.

Bu t there is o cca si o nally a gem of sentiment which

ought to be preserved su ch a s t h e V ictory of love
,

over death in the beautiful legend o f S a vitr i an d

S a t y a va n
. This little poem is well worthy o f the
attenti o n which has been given it by variou s sch olars .

Of all the myths of the Mah a bh a rata i t is perhaps

-

the purest and mo st t o uching . We give a prose ver

sion o f it in the following page s .
32 8 T HE ANC I EN T BOO KS OF I N DI A.

line that I do penance and have perf o rmed my vows

10 ! the se many years G ive me an heir for my throne
.

and kingdom ; give m e children to grace my royal

”
hearthst o ne. T hen the radiant goddess smiling sai d
“
I knew thy wi sh Oh king and there shall be born
, ,

a daughter unto thee — n o t a son bu t a fair girl ,

the l o veliest that the stars have ever shone upon ;

and s miling still the beauteous vi sion vanished in t h e
, ,

sacrificial flame .

Time pa ssed on with flying feet and ere l o ng a ,

child was given to t h e r o yal h o use and c o urtier s

brought their p rai se unto the palace gates while the ,

streets of the city were ringing with j oyou s m u SI C

and everywhere the glad new s went that the queen
had b o rne a daughter —a babe o f lovelie st mould .

The child was named S a vitr i and the h appy father

made a r oyal birthday fea st ; the poor were fed and
t h e city was decorate d with bright flags and long fe s
to o n s of fl o wer s .E very porch an d pillar was made
bright and fragrant with floral vin e s a n d the great ,

vas e s in front of the p alace were filled with branches

of orange and mango trees .

The little o n e who m et with such a r oyal welcome

grew more beautiful as the years went by an d when ,

she reached the fair heights of w o manhood sh e wa s a

V ision of g race and l oveliness The lithe figure of thi s
.

I ndia n m aid was like a d ream Of beauty a n d grace ,

an d t h e r o sy light of health fla shed through the Olive

S hades o f h er face The crim so n lip s smiled o ver
.

pearly teeth and the great dark eye s were lumin o u s

with light and l o ve But s till n o raja dared to a sk t h e
.

hand o f the prince ss in marriage H e r l o veline ss and

.
 LEGEND S OF TH E M A H A B H AR AT A
-
. 32 9

truth her queenly independence had awed them int o

,

silence .

At last her father gave to her a princes s right to’

ch oose for her self a l o rd and gave his royal word that
,

the man she ch o se should be welcomed by her s ire .

A r o yal train moved thr o ugh the provinces and vi s ited

every c o urt for S a vitr i w ith her mini ster s and maiden s
,

w o uld take the air and travel for the prin ces s health
’ .

They received everywhere a r o yal w elc o me but Sh e ,

l o ved be st the tree s and groves ; hence they wandered ,

t hrough the fragrant wood s and gathered fru its and

flowers there .

O n e day they fo u nd a hermit aged and blind who , ,

with his faithful w ife sa t in the den s e shade of a teak

tree wh o se abundant leave s gleamed in the s un s hine
,

ab ove them and protected t hem fr o m it s heat The .

gentle princes s s tayed to give them a fe w kindly word s

and enj o y the wild fl o wers around the hermitage .

While she listened to their st o ry a young man came

fr o m th e thicket bearing the sacred wo o d to be use d
in t h e evening sacrifice H e st o pped in w o nder and
.

admiration before S a vitr i and her eye s re sted a mo

,

ment upon h is manly f o rm and honest face I t was .

’
Sa ty a va n the hermit s so n who s tayed t o serve h is
, ,

aged parent s in their bani shment The pri n ce ss had ,

dawned u pon his vi s i o n like a dream o f heaven and ,

like a dream she vani shed fr o m h i s wo o dland home ,

leaving her mem o ry to hau nt h is steps and make h is

l o neline s s more terrible I n the still h o ur s o f the night
.

he heard her v o ice and saw the lovely face wh ich had
become part o f h is being .
330 TH E AN CIE N T B O O K S OF I ND I A .

’
S AV I T R I S CHOICE
'
.

On e da y the Maha raj a sat in h is council hall with

-

the sage N a rada They were talking in l o w tone s o f

.

’
the a ffairs o f state when the king s daughter was a h
n o u n ce d
. Wit h her dark eyes gl o wing with light and
happiness sh e stepped into the royal pre sence and
b o wed meekly before her fa t her w h o laid his h a nd ,

lovingly up o n her dark hair a s he b ent d o wn and ,

cares sed his child N a rada l o oked in admirati o n upon

.

“
the princess and said t o the king Thy daughter i s ,

very fair Thou should st give her in marriage t o the

.

raj a of some g o o dly kingd o m ” “

F or this purpo se S h e .

”
has been abroad replied the king
, Then turning t o .

“
his daughter he said My chil d ha s t thou cho sen
, ,

”
thy l o rd ? Bu t sh e an s wered n o t Standing befo re .

the sage with her face crim so ned w ith blu shes her ,

eye s mutely appealed to her father t o stay h is que s

ti o n s
. R eading her wi s h he s aid “
F ear not my, , ,

child t o speak befo re the s age N a rada ; he is thy

,

’
father s be st and truest friend ; but tell me if th o u
ha st f o und the Object o f thy search Then sh e .

answered : “
F ather I have been l o ng away ; I have
,

vi s ited the court s o f pri n ce s ; I have O ffered sacrifice

in the s acred gr o ve s and I have f o u nd in o n e of the se
,

the bani shed king Of C h a l va wh o l os t h is throne and ,

kingd o m because of blindne ss An u s urper reigns up o n .

h is thr o ne and h is fai t hful queen s tays with him in

,

t h e woodlan d co t Their l o yal so n ministers to their

.

want s ; he bring s the m fruit and game fo r food ; he

feeds their sacrificial fire and pull s the s acred ku sa
grass t o make their couch b o th soft an d warm ; h e
332 T HE ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

TH E M AR RI AGE .

H aving given h is
r o yal s ancti o n t o h is ’
daughter s
choice the king o rde r ed that preparation s s h o uld be
,

made fo r the c o ming nuptial s T h o ugh the bride .

S h o uld d w ell in a l o nely hermitage s h e w o uld s till b e

’
a king s daughter an d her r o be s even in the w o o dlan d
,

s h ould b e fit her n o ble birth I t w a s an imperial .

pageant that went fo rth t o the hu mble d w elling o f

the hermit There w ere t h e prie s ts an d sage s and
.

courtier s and the r o yal family m o unted upon t h e war

, ,

elephant s w ith their co s tly trapping s .

Amid the strain s o f m artial mu sic th e train w ent

f o rth fr o m the palace gate s N O c o urier had been .

s ent t o give warning o f their c o ming ; t heref o re the

king o rdered a h al t when near the hermitage and he ,

him self went f o r w ard to h o ld c o uncil w ith the blind

l o rd o f t h e h umble h o me C ourteou s salutati o n s were
.

passed between them and after extending t h e m o de s t

,

h o spitalities that s till w ere h is th e blind king a sked ,

what brough t the Mah a raja to h is d o or - “

I have .

” “
come s aid he
,
t o a sk o f y o u that you will ratify my
,

’
daugh ter s ch o ice ; she hath ch o sen y o ur so n S a ty a va n
”
to be her lord .

Then an swered the bani s hed king “

I n the days of ,

my prou d po sition it wa s my ambiti o n t o link my h o u s e

with yours by tie s of blood o h noble king ! but now , ,

that my kingdom is lost and I am but a dethroned

and bani shed s o vereign I c o uld not take the lovely
,

princess from her palace home t o share our humble

”
fate .

B ut the raja re p lied “

Y ou and I are both too old
,
 LEG E ND S OF T H E M AH A B H AR AT A
-
. 333

to think that happine ss is depen d ent u p o n luxury We .

kn o w th at l o ve can h o ld h e r sylvan c o urt in humble s t

’
bo w er and y o ur s o n is t h e lady s ch o ice
,
She h a s
.

ch o sen t o d well in m o de s t g u i se w ith h im sh e love s

rather than s hare the splen d o r s o f an o t her Shall w e .

deny her w i sh “
N ay never s ai d the bani shed
, ,

king .
“
H er gra ci o u s w i s h is mine and great h o n o r
,

sh e bring s t o o u r fallen h o u s e May the ble ss ing s

.

o f I n d ra re s t up o n her beaute o u s head !

”
and calling
S a t y a va n he t o ld h i m w h y the raj a came The b e.

wildered prince c o ul d s carcely believe the l o vely prin

ce ss had ch o s en him H is w o rd s w ere fe w ; but h is
.

e yes were el o quent w ith the j o y his lip s refu s ed t o

v o ice .

Then the r o yal train w a s ordered int o vie w and ,

there beneath t h e ma ss ive tree s w ere gathered prie st

and sage w i t h g o lden j a r s filled from the w ave s of t h e
s acred G ange s Bey o nd the great trees whe re the
.

hermitage st o od were thicket s o f ro se laurel wh o se ,

fragrance filled the ai r ; o n the o t h er S ide a silver

br o o k was hasteni n g by to find rest in the bos o m o f
a clear lake beneath the fragrant cups of l o tus
,

bl o sso ms and wh ite lilie s ’

H ere in N ature s temple
.
,

beneath her s hining d o me and be sid e her s acre d p o o l s ,

with legal rites the t w o were bound i n holy marriage ;

and L o ve st a y e d b y and held h is court where the r o yal
’

lovers pledged their faith .

The raj a and h i s queen bade their child a fond

farewell and when they passed fro m sight the princess
,

t o ok fr o m her hand s and arm s the c o stly j e wels that

s h e w e r e and laid a s ide h e r s ilken robe s then on her
d elicat e form she p laced the rough garment s that b e
 34 TH E AN CIE N T B OO K S OF INDI A .

fitted her new station as a hermit s wife ’ Thu s Sh e .

proved the great love that brought her h ere ; she could
not wear a finer robe than he ; sh e could not see her
little hands decked with gold an d ge m s while h is were
roughened w ith h o ne st toil .She had chosen t o share
the f o rtune of t h e m a n she love d and n o ray of bar
,

baric s plend o r S h o uld s uggest to him that she cared

for things he c o uld not furnish The gray haired
.
-
.

’
mother l ooked smilingly On and loved the loyal wife ,

wh o se gracious w ays and loving word s s oon won the

heart of the bani s hed king a s w ell .

The little family dwelt in their fore s t home in s weet

content and the day s went by o n s ilver feet To Satya .

’
v a n i t s eemed that life s ill s all were d o ne and he re s ted,

in the heaven o f h is happine ss feeling that the g o d s

c o uld d o no m o re . B u t S a vitr i carried in her l o ving
heart a fearful dread —a cou nting o f the d ay s when
the death decree sh o uld be ful filled When the su n
.

went d o wn in the s e a and the so ft f o ld s of night

co o led the fevered earth she k ne w that one day le ss
remained to S a tya va n .

LO V E CON Q U ER S D E AT H .

At la s t the d ay s fl —
had nearly e d the lit t le grew w ife
s trangely still ; her gentle l o ving d ee d s were s t ill her
,

o wn ,b u t her s o ng s were h u shed in tearful prayer s .

When the time was nearly c o me Sh e sa t beneath a great

tree like a beautiful statue an d neither ate nor drank .

F o r three l o ng days an d night s sh e s a t thu s mutely ,

’
imploring the god s to save fr o m death s d ecree the man
she l o ved D uring all the year sh e had carried the
.

fatal s ecret in her o w n faithful heart She c o u l d not

.
336 T HE AN CIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

attention t o the strange wild fl o wer s springing fr o m the

mo sses at their feet An d s mil ing the lit t le w ife re
.

plied even w hile the fearful dread around her h eart

,

almo s t s tayed i ts beating .

Afar fr o m h o me they ga t hered fruits and flo wer s

,

for the even ing sacrifice and all th e while the anxi o u s ,

w ife watched w ith aching heart every l o ok and moti o n

o f her lord H e struck the tree t o gather sacred wo o d
.
,

and blow after bl o w of h is ax ech oed thr o ugh the fore s t .

At la s t he reeled in s udden pain and cried “

I cann o t ,

w o rk ; then falling at her fee t he fainted there .

Quickly the bel o ved head w a s laid up o n her lap and ,

eagerly sh e str o ve by chafing the temples a nd tired

hand s t o bring the life tide back She knew it was .

the day Of fate but still S h e c o uld not yield

, .

S uddenly at her s ide Sh e sa w a fearful shape that ,

—
was neither god nor man tall and d ark w ith vi sage
grim he lo o k ed d o w n pitile ssly up o n them b oth
,
H is .

garments were crim son a s if with bl o od ; his cruel eye s

gl o wed like b urning c o als in their deep socket s In .

one hand he bore a long black noose and bent over

.

S a ty a v a n As the spectre leaned above h er husband

.
,

the trembling prince s s laid the head tenderly up o n the

ground and springing up reverently folded her h ands
,

in su pplication an d prayed t o kn o w wh o he was and

,

why he came H e an s wered .

“
I am Y ama the god of , ,

death and I am c o me to bear away the soul Of Satya

“ ’
,

” “ ”
va n . But pleaded the wife, tis thy me ssengers ,

t hat bear away the s ouls of men Why is it mighty .

,

? ” “
chief that thou hast come
,
Because Prince Satya
v a n wa s the grande s t noblest of his race replied t h e
, ,

god “ ’
and non e save Y ama s self was worthy t o bear
,
 LEGEND S OF T HE M AH A B H AR ATA -
. 33 7

h is ul away and bending l o w er still he fitted the

so ,

dreadful noo s e and dre w o u t the s oul o f S a t y a va n ; 1

then s ilently he strode a way t o ward the southland

with h is prize leaving the p o or b o dy pale and col d
, ,

with life and grace an d beauty g o ne .

But the s tricken prince ss f o ll o wed h im With her .

hand s f o lded in supplicati o n sh e hastened o n behin d

thi s fearful King Of D ea t h At last he turned Go . .

” “
back s aid b e
, wh y d o s t t h e n f o ll o w i n my s tep s ?
,

’
N O m o rtal e er h a s dared to co me w hither I s hall g o .

G o back and perform the f u neral rite s for thy dead

”
l o rd .

'
But sh e replied Wherever my lor d is b o rne ,

there I s hall s urely g o ; he is my life my all ; I cann o t .

leave him and I mu s t go w ith the e By reas o n o f my

, .

wifely love th o u wilt let me c o me

”
An d s till Sh e fo l .

lowed on u ntil the King of D eath himself felt pity for

the faithful wife and turning back he said , R eturn °

my child to life and heal t h,

Thy w ifely l o ve is g o o d .
,

but the kingd om of Yama is n o t the place fo r t hee .

Still I will grant thee any b e e n that th o u d o st crave

, ,

except thi s life that I am bearing away ”

Then said .

S a vitr i “
L et the blind and ban i shed ki n g my hus
, ,

’
band s fa ther have both his sight and throne re stored ”
.
,

“
I t shall be so returned the god
” “
I grant thee
, .

thi s because of thy purity and fidelity ; but now turn

back ; ou r way is long and dark thy little feet are ,

already w eary and thou wilt die upon t h e road

,
.

“
I am not w eary said S a vitr i
” “
I canno t tire , ,

l Acco r d i n g to Hi n d u th e o l gy
o th e so ul of a d ea d m a n is a b ut
o th e
z
si e of th e h um an th um b At d e a t h a ho e l Sh o uld b e d ug n o r th e a s t w a r d

ul u ti l b dy bu
.

of th e fi r e w h e r e th e so ca n wa i t n th e g r o s s o is r ne d , a nd

t h e n e m e r g in g b e ca rr i e d wi th t h e sm o k e to h e a v en .
 38 TH E ANCIE N T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

while I am near to S a t y a v a n Wherever he is borne ,

there the l o yal wife must g o An d the tireless feet

.

t o iled patiently on behind the King o f D eath until he

turned again and said : “
D arkne ss is coming on soon ,

thou canst n o t find thy way al o ne I will give t o thee .

another b o o n — anything ex cept this life and then th o u ,

mu s t return Q u ickly the pr i nce ss th o ught o f her

.

o wn s ire, w h o se o n l y child n o w followed D eath

thought o f his l o nely h o me an d coming age and she ,

s aid ,
“
G ive t o my father princely s o ns t o bear h is
r o yal name . Thi s is the b e e n I crave oh mighty , ,

“ “
o ne . S O shall it be returned the king
,
and n o w ,

I have granted thy wi she s go back t o life and light

,
”
.

B ut she o nly an s w ered plaintively “

I cannot g o great , ,

king . I cann o t leave my l o rd Thou ha st taken him .

and my heart is in thy hand I mu st surely come .

”
with thee .

D arkne ss came slowly down in the de n se forest and ,

her tender feet were torn with thorn s and cut with the
s harp s t o nes of the rugged path H u n gry w o lve s .

and j ackal s pre ssed ar o und her while night bird s ,

S pread the i r black wing s ab o ve her and s tartled the

silence with their crie s Tre m bling with terror and
.

faint with grief and hunger she still pursued her w a y , .

H er tear blinded eyes c o uld n o l o nger see the terrible

-

s hape she f o llowed but sh e heard his f oo tfall s and

,

almost felt his fearful s trides for it seemed that every ,

step came down upon her bleeding heart .

At last they came to a cavern dark and damp as ,

death itself and here again Y ama turned upon the

,

pitiful figure in the darkness behind him an d thi s ,

time he fi ercel y demanded “

Ar t thou still upon my
,
34 0 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I ND I A .

Then at his feet she fell in grateful j oy and ten

”
d e r l y caressed them This time Oh king sh e cried
.
, , , ,

“
thou hast excepted n o thing an d I ask no t wealth nor , ,

throne nor h eaven itself

, I crave my heart my life
.
,

”
give me my S a t y a va n ! The fire in his eyes beamed
m ore softly and the light in them was almost tender
,

as he said “
F air qu een thou a r t the brightest gem
,

o f womankind H ere take thy Sa t ya va n

.
, Saved by .

his peerless wife he lo n g shall live and reign with

,

her and his line shall be upheld by princely sons wh o

,

shall call thee mother G o now my child time hasteth

.
, , ,

”
and long ha st t h e n been with me Then turning
gloomily away he went down —down int o the darkness
.

of the cavern B ut the glad wife holding her precious

.
,

treasure close to h e r heart retraced her steps back ,

through the d arkness of cavern and wood her torn feet ,

climbing the a scending pathway fearing nothing know , ,

ing nothing save that in h e r arm s she carried her b e

,

loved .

I t was dar k in the forest where the dense foliage ,

almost shut out the light of noontime bu t it was ,

lighter here where only little groves of sacred fig tree s

and thickets o f flowering shrubs obscure d the vi sion ,

and traces o f gol d an d crimson still lingered ro un d the

setting sun . Thankful for the light Sh e hastened to ,

where the body lay and rai sing the head pre ssed it
,

tenderly again t o her bosom and gently wo o ed the ,

life tide back to heart and pul s e Soft and warm his .

hand became and h is l ip s m o ved t o speak a tender

,
a

w o rd that had died up o n them when Y ama came .

The evening light was g o n e and darkness came d own ,

w ith velvet touch ar o und them but the glorious star s ,

 LE GEND S OF T H E M AH A B H AR AT A
-
. 34 1

came out and the southern constellation s fla shed like

crown j ewels above the living prince and his loyal
wife
.
 C H AP TE R XXI .

TH E B H AG AVAD -
G ITA .

E V I DEN T LY AN IN T E R P OL AT ION —AG E O F T HE G IT A—I TS

O RIGI N — “
TH E D I V I NE S ONG
” —
S E LF AD UL AT ION OF -

K RI S H N A— DI V IN E FO R M O F K RI S H N A .

E AVI N G
the Mah a bh a rata proper we will n o w -
,

turn o u r attenti o n t o the B h a g a va d g i t a which -

,

alth ough i t n o w forms a part o f the great E pic is inde

pendent of it .

While the armie s of the great war were drawn u p

in clo s e proximity t o each other impatiently awaiting ,

the order to charge Krishna is repre sented as deliver ,

ing to Arj u na a l o ng phil o sophical and religiou s dis

c o urse called the B h a g a va d g i t a or D ivine S ong
,
“ -
, .

I t is clearly an interpolati o n like many others ,

1

which have been placed i n the Mah a bh a rata by the -

more modern c o mpiler s and s cholar s can o nly wonder ,

why the Br a h m ans who placed it in the text c o uld n o t

s e e the impropriety of thr o wing i n a l o ng di s cour s e o f

l bl i d M h j i p
T h e ch a r i o t e e r Of t dth e t t i i g hi n a a ra a s re r e se n e a s en er a n n s

m t d u i g th
a s er x i ti g b t tl — t by d i p t i f t h fi g h t b t w i th
r n e e c n a e no a e s cr on o e u

l g d i t t i u p th g g p h y f th p i lly f I d i
,

a on sse r a on th ond e eo ra o e ea r a n es ec a o n a

Th v bl B h i h m ft ivi g m t l w u d i t p m i tt d t
, .

e e n era e s a a e r r e ce n a or a o n s no er e o

y w k u p t h p i t f u p tu d
,

b t mu t li f
,

di e, u m s e or an w i ee s on e o n s o rne a rr o s, n

or d ter d liv ot th e k i g l g th y p h t h d u t i f j t
er o e n a en s eec on e es O ra a s, e c

ff t h b p d by t h l t m p i l t v t th t y f t h
.

N o e or as een s a re e a e r co e rs o co n er e s or o e

g t w
re a i t arm d iu m f
n o B h m i l t h i g d m ti m t h i
a e or ra a n ca ea c n a n so e es e r

i t p l ti k ilfu lly i t w v w i h t h l d t xt t h t i t i l m t
,

n er o a o n s a r e so s n er o en t e O er e a s a os

im p i bl t
o ss p t th m
e o se a ra e e .
34 4 T HE AN C IEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

the C hri stian era We might also qu o te Prof Weber . .

,

of Berlin Prof L a ssen and D r L o r in se r wh o as

, .
, .
,

sign it to ab o ut the third century A D ; but a . .

repetition of authorities is u seles s a s it i s abun ,

da u tly proved to belo n g to the C hristian era .

O RIGI N O F T H E G IT A .

Thi s w o rk appears to belong in Sansk rit literature

to the family o f U pani shads I t s philosop h y its .
,

‘
strong pantheism and radical doctrines o f transmigra
tion and its literary style all p o int to th e one concl u
,

sion that it h a s been derived largely from the U p a n

ish a d s This view is well supp o rted by the ver sion of
.

the G i t a w hich wa s publi shed in B o mbay in 1 7 8 2 .

“
There i s a stanza in this editi o n which says : Th e
U panishads are the c o ws ; Krishna the milkman ; Ar ,

j una the calf ; and the milk i s the nectar like G i t a

,
”
- .

This statement sufficiently illu strates the traditi o n

among the H ind a s that the work is derived largely
from the ancient U panishad s and contains the es sence ,

of their teaching .
1

TH E
“
DI V INE S ONG
b egins with the regrets of Arj una at seeing his breth
ren arrayed in lines o f battle waiting the w o rd of ,

comman d t o enter u p on a fratricidal war Ad dressing .

h is charioteer Kri shna he says , ,

Beholding the se my relatives arrayed

B ef o re my eyes in serried line o f battle
1 Th e na v
ti e s ch o a r l K a s h i n a th T rim b k T l g i tu l ly i l i d t
a e an s na ra nc ne o

th in k h t a t th e G it a ma y h a v b e een a p t f t h ig i l M h b h t
ar o e or na a a -
a ra a ,

al t h u h
o g he sa ys
“
it is w ith f li
a ee ng O f p i fu l d i ffi d
a n th t w xp e n ce a e e ress

o u lv
r se es re ga r di ng th e so u n d n e ss o f an
y l u i wh t v
co n c (I t s on a e er
”
n .

p
.

B h a g a v a d g i ta , -
.
 T HE BH AG AVAD -
G IT A. 345

Preparing for the deadly fray my limbs ,

Ar e all relaxed my blood dries up a tremor

, ,

Palsies my frame the hairs upon my skin ,

Bri s tle wi th horror All my body burn s .

As if with fever and my mind whirl s round

,

So t h at I cannot stand upright nor h o ld

The b ow C a n di va slipping from my h and
, , .

I cannot—will not— figh t O mighty K ri shna .

,

I seek n o t vict o ry I seek no kingdom ,

.

What shall we do with royal pomp and power ,

What w ith enj oyments or with life itself ,

When we have slaughtered all our kindred here

Krishna make s a l o ng reply to this in which h e ,

exhorts Arj una to d o h is d uty as a soldier regardle ss ,

of re s ult s H e repeatedly urges him to fight with o u t

.

wa sting regret over the necessary slaughter of his rela

t ive s .

’
Better to do the duty of one s caste ,

Though bad and ill performed an d fraught with evil -

,

T han undertake the bu sine ss o f an other ,

H o wever good it be F or better far .

Aband o n life at once than not fulfil

’ ’
One s own appointed w o rk ; another s duty
Bring s danger t o the man wh o meddles with it
,
.

Perfection I s alone attained by him

Who swerves not from the business of his ca ste .

The imperative duty o f ’

l o yalty to o ne s ca ste which ,

is here inculcated is repeated in various por tions of

,

the p o em .

1 ’
Wi lli a m s tra n s . I nd W i s . p 139 .
2 In d . W is p . .
, 140 .
,
. .
34 6 TH E ANCI EN T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

The fi rst section of the B h a g a va d g i t a or D ivine -

,

Song dwells chiefly on the Y oga system or intense

, ,

c o ncentration of the mind upon one subj ect claiming ,

that the end and aim of asceticism is to enable man

to embrace the doctrine of panthei s m and realize that
G od is everything a n d everything is G od .

Arj una is exhorted to fulfil the duties of his war

rior caste and proceed to kill his relatives on th e
, ,

ground that death is merely a transmigration from one

form to another .

The wise grieve not for the departed nor for those ,

who yet survive

’
.

N e er was the time when I was no t nor thou nor , ,

yonder chiefs and ne er ’

,

Shall be the time when all of u S sh a ll be not As the '

.

emb odied soul

I n this corp o real frame moves swift ly on through boy
hood youth and age
, , ,

So will it pass through other forms hereafter—b e not

grieved thereat .

The m a n whom pain an d p l easure heat an d cold a f ,

feet not he is fit,

F or immortality Whatever is n ot cannot be ; what

.

ever is
C an never cease to be Know this—the Being
.

that spread this u niverse

I s indestructible W h o can
. de s tr o y the I nde s tructible ?

The se bodies t hat enclose the everlasting s o ul in scr u t ,

able ,

I mmortal h ave an end ; but he who thinks the soul

,

can be destroyed ,
34 8 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S or IND I A .

ible principle none can bring about therefore do e n , ,

gage in battle 0 so n o f Bharata

, for to
one that is born death is certain and t o one that die s ,

birth i s certain therefore you o ught n o t

to grieve fo r any being Y o u o ught n o t t o falter for
.
,

there is n o thing better fo r o n e o f the warrior caste

than a righte o u s battle —a n open d o o r to heaven B ut .

if y o u will n o t fight thi s righteou s battle then you ,

will have aband o ned y o u r o w n d uty and y o ur fame ,

and will incur sin All beings t o o will tell o f y o ur

.
, ,

everla s ting infamy and t o o n e wh o h a s been honored

,

infamy is a greater evil than death .

S ELF -
AD UL A T IO N OF K RI S H N A .

The second divi si o n o f the poem teaches the pan

thei stic doctrines o f the Ved a nta more directly ,

Kri shna in the plainest language claiming ad o ration

as being one with the great universal spirit p e r va d
ing and al so constituting the universe
,
F or the
, .

twofold purpose of enforcing his arguments and com

pelling Arj una to fight and als o to glorify himself
, ,

Kri shna pr o ceed s as follows “

I have pas sed thr o ugh
many births O Arj una ! and you al s o
, I know them .

all but y o u d o not know them

,
E ven though I am .

unborn and inex h au stible in my essence ; even th o ugh

I a m lord of all beings still I take up the control
,

of my own n ature and am born by means of my

delusive power Whensoever piety lang uishes and im
.

piety is in the a scendant I create myself , I am .

b o rn age after age for the protection o f the good ;

for the destruction of evil doer s and the establishment
-

1 S e e B h a g a va d g i t a
-
Te l a n g
’
s tr a n s .
, p . 46 .
 T HE BH AG AVAD -
'
G i TA . 34 9

of piety I am the sacre d ve i se I too .

, ,

am the s acrificia l bu t ter and I the fire I th e o ffering ,

.

I am the father o f thi s u niver se ; the m o ther the ,

creat o r the grand sire ; the thing to b e kn o wn the

, ,

means of sa n ct i fica t io n the syllable Om ; the ,

1

g o al t h e s u stainer the l o rd th e supervis o r residence

, , , , ,

the a sylum the friend the s o urce receptacle and

, , , ,

the inexhau stible s eed I am the thun .

d e r b o l t am o ng w eap o n s ; the w i sh giving co w am o ng -

c o ws . Am o ng serpent s I a m Va s u k i ; am o ng
N aga s nake s I am Ananta Am o ng dem o n s .
,

t o o I am P r a l h a d a
, I am the w ind am o ng .

”
those that bl o w T here are many page s o f the
.
2

w ilde s t self prai se after w hi ch Kri s hna inf o rm s Arj una

-
,

“ ”
tha t there i s n o end t o my divine emanati o n s the ,

extent of which h a s been only partially de s cribed .

D I V I NE F OR M OF K RI S H N A .

H e then exhibited him self in his divine form hav ,

ing many eyes and m o uth s and faces and weap o ns .

Arj una st o o d before him with bowed head his hair ,

standing o n end and w ith j oined hands he said ,

“
Oh god ! I see y o ur b o dy the g o d s as also all the
, , ,

groups o f vari o us being s : and t h e lord Brahman

seated on his l o tus s eat and all the sages and celes ,

tial snake s I see y o u who are of countless f o rms

, , ,

posse ss ed of many ar m s s t o machs mouth s and eyes , , ,

on all s ides An d oh lord of the universe ! oh you

.
, , ,

o f all forms ! I d o n o t s e e you r end o r middle or , ,

beginning .

1 Th e s yll bl
a e Om i s sa i d t o co m pi r se a l l th e d e itie s of h ea v e n , e a r th , a nd

2 B h a g a va d g i ta , T e l a n g
-
’
s t ra n s .
, pp . 58 6 9 .
35 0 T HE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

I see bearing a coronet and a mace and a

y o u

di scu s—a ma s s o f gl o ry brilliant o n all side s d iffi

, ,

cult t o lo o k at having o n all s ide s the e ffulgence of

,

a blazing fire o r sun and in d e fin a b l e , I .

see y o u void of beginn i n g middle end—o f infinite , ,

po wer ; of unnumbered arms having the su n and ,

m o on fo r eye s ; having a m o uth like a blazing fire ,

and heating the u n iver s e w ith y o ur radiance F or .

thi s space between heaven and earth and all the ,

quarter s are pervaded by you alo n e L o oking at .

this wonderful and terrible f o rm o f y o urs oh high , ,

s o uled o n e ! the three w o rld s are a ff righted F or here .

the s e gr o ups o f gods are entering int o y o u .

Seeing y o ur mighty f o rm with many m o uths and ,

eye s ; w ith m any arm s thighs and feet ; with many

, ,

stomachs and fearful with many j a ws all people and

, , ,

I like wi se are m uch alarmed o h y ou o f mighty arm s !

, , ,

Seeing y ou o h Vi shnu ! t o u ching the skie s radiant

, , , ,

po s sessed of m any hues w ith a gaping m o uth and ,

w ith large blazing eye s I am mu ch alarmed in my ,

inm ost self and feel n o c o urage n o tranquillity

, , .

“
Seeing y o ur m o uth s terri b le by rea so n of the ,

j aws and re s embling the fire o f destr u ction I cannot ,

recognize the vari o u s direc t ions ; I feel n o comfort .

Be gracious o h lord of god s ! wh o p e r va d e st the un i

, ,

verse . An d all these s o ns o f D h r it a r a sh t r a together -

,

with all the band s o f kings and Br a hman s and D r o n a , ,

’
and this chari o teer s son likewi se t o gether with our ,

principal warri o rs also are rapidly entering your ,

mouth s fearful and horrified by rea son of the rug

,

g e d n ess and di s torti o n o f y o ur face a n d j aw s find .

some w it h their heads smashed are seen to be stu ck

 TH E ANC IEN T BOOKS OF I ND I A.

with throat choked up again spoke to Kri shna after

sal u ting him ”
. H e still pleaded the humane side of
the question but in vain
, .

Then follow many pages of questions and l o ng dis

courses on the spiritual pha ses of Br a h m anical teach
ing at the end o f which Arj una decides t o fight and
,

declares that he is ready to do the bidding of Krishna ,

and thereupon enters the battle .

Thus it will be seen that th e “

D ivine Song is
quite foreign t o the style an d al so to the subj ect mat
ter of t h e Mah a bh a rata so much so indeed that Sir
-
.
, , ,

Monier Williams claims that its proper place in the

arrangement of San skrit literature would be at the
close of the subject o f philosophy I t contains many
.

sentiments which have evidently been b orrowed from

the U panishads and like some of the m o re m odern
,

writi ngs of this class the B h a g a va d g i t a is largely an-

e ff ort to reconcile the various systems of philosop h y

by combining them with o n e another .

The n ext important division of Sansk rit literature

which claim s our attention i s th e Pur a na s , The s e .

w o rks are s till later an d bel o ng to m e d imva l time s but ,

they are important as sh o w ing the devel opment o f

Kri shna wor s hip I t is claimed that they were de
.

signed t o teach the doctrines of H ind u ism in their

sim p lest f o rm .
 CH AP T ER XX I I .

TH E P uR AN As

E xTE N T O F T HE P u R AN As—S IG NI FIC AT ION O F T H E

N AM E —T HEI R T E AC HING —CO MP AR AT I V ELY M OD ERN
O RIG I N—T HE H AR I VAN sA—TH E B R AH M A P U R AN A
TH E P AD M A O R G OLDE N LO T U S —T H E V AI S H N AV A O R

V I S H NU —B I R T H OF K RI S H N A—W I V E S AN D C HILD REN

or K RI S H N A—DE AT H OF K RI S H N A—T HE sAI VA—sni
B H AG AV AT A—TH E M AR K AN D E Y A—T H E AGN I —T H E
V AY U —TH E B H AVI s HY A—TH E B R AH M A VAI VAR TA
T H E LING A—T H E VAR AH A TH E S K AND A—T HE V TAM
-

AN A—T H E K B R M A—TH E M AT S Y A—T H E G ARUD A

T HE B R AH M AND A .

M ON G the later form s of H ind u literature are

the Pur a na s which p r esent a c o mparatively
,

modern field fo r investigation . They are eighteen in

number be sides several smaller produ ction s of a si m
,

i l a r kind called U p a or Min o r Pur a na s the general

,

character of which is very much like the larger work s .

The Mah a o r principal Pur a nas contain about six

.

teen hundred th o u sand lines and when w e consider

,

that each m inor w o rk al so c o ntains many chapters we ,

realize something of the labor requ ired to examine ,

index and translate thi s en o rmous ma s s of literature

,
.

T he H ind u s them selve s claim ( in th e Padma P u

“
r a na ) that these books
, c o nsi sted originally of one
35 4 TH E ANCIEN T B OO K S OF IND I A .

thousand million stanzas b ut four hundred thousand

,

of them were th ought sufficient for the instru ction of

”
man the rest being pr eserved by the gods
,
These .

four hundred thousand s tan za s h owev er are e qual to

, ,

sixteen hu ndred thousand line s and th e stu dent cer ,

t a i nl y h a s reason t o be grateful that the god s kept the

greater portion of this literature fo r their own private
benefit .

The theology and cosmogony Of these books are

largely drawn from the earlier writing s ; the d octrines
which they teach the in stitutions which they describe
, ,

and a part of the legend s which they relate belong

to a period l ong prior to their own compilation .

S IG NI FI C AT IO N OF TH E N AM E, AN D
'
O BJ EC T OF T H EIR
CO M P I L AT I O N .

T he name Pur a na signifies Ol d traditio n al story .

These narratives are said to have been compiled by

Krishna d va ip ay a n a ( the dark col o red and island born )
- -
,

the arranger of the Vedas and the Mah a bh a rata -

.

The obj ect of their compilation seems to have been

the checking of the tide of Budd hism by stimulating
the worship of Vishnu an d S iva I n the Mah a b h a
.
-

rata these deitie s had been regarded as but little m ore

than great heroes while in the Pur a nas they are rep
,

resented as rival gods .

This department o f Sanskrit literature claim s t o

teach mythol ogy and cosm o gony g eography and as ,

t r on om y chronology and grammar and sometimes

, ,

even anat o my an d medicine a s well as t o give the

,

geneal o gies o f kings ; but the main o bject i s evidently

the exaltation of Br a hma Vi shnu and S iva i n their
, ,
35 6 TH E ANCIEN T B O O K S OF IND I A .

m ost charitable conclusion that one can co m e to in

the matter is that M Ja coll io t wa s victimized in the
.

same way . Ou r translat o rs soon recognized the fact

that there was only one w a y t o arrive at the truth ,

and the clo se earnest work of many years has been

,

p r o ductive o f magnificent results .

I t is true that so far as chron ology and direct his

t o r ica l statements are concerned the Pur a na s are Of
little or n o value but their myth s and legends fo rm
,

correct pictures of the time s t o which they bel o ng .

They give u s a view o f the myth o l o gy and religi o n o f

thi s peculiar pe o ple and indire ctly reveal much of
,

their true hi s tory They were pr o bably at fir s t the

.

trad iti o nary tale s o f t h e p o et s wh o were at o nce the

,

eul o gist s and hi st o rian s o f the family B ut with the .

geneal ogie s many myths were blen d ed and these m a ,

te r ia l s were w o ven int o c o nnected form by later writ

ers. T o the mythol o gy al so system s o f cosm o g o ny
, , ,

ge o graphy an d a stronomy were added After thi s the .

contending sects a d ded to them a ma ss of ab surd fic

tions cal culated to glorify K ri shna S iva or any o ther
, , ,

deity who happened to be the fav o rite of the writer .

CO M P AR AT I V ELY M O DERN O RIGIN .

The Pur a na s are the work o f different generati o ns

and o f varied circumstance s the nature o f which must
,

be c o njectured from internal evidence Probably n o ne .

of them assumed the f o rm in which w e find them

earlier than the time o f S ankara Aé a r y a who flo u r ,

i sh e d about the eighth or ninth century Of the .

Vaishnava teacher s R a m a n u j
, a lived in the twelfth
century M a d h w a ch a r y a in the thirteenth and Val
, ,
 TH E P UR AN AS . 35 7

labha in the sixteenth and the di fferent Pur a nas ,

seem to have acc o mpanied or f o ll o wed the innovation s

of these men and t o have adv o cated the doctrines
,

1
they taught .

They are ackn o wledged by all sch o lars t o be the

m o st m odern o f the sacred b o ok s Says Wil s on : “
I .

believe the o lde st o f the m n o t t o be anterior to the

eighth o r n inth century o f o u r era and the m o s t re ,

cent Of them t o be n o t more than three or f o ur cen

” “
t a rie s o l d Sir M o nier William s says :
.
2
The Olde st
we posse ss can scarcel y d ate fr o m a period m o re r e
” 3
mote than the s ix t h o r s eventh century o f o u r era .

T H E H ARI -
VAN sA

is a v o lumin o u s wo rk c o n si sting o f six t een t h o usan d ,

three hundred and s eventy f o ur s tanzas o r m o re than -

,

the I liad and Ody ssey combined I t is a s upplement to .

“ ” “
th e Mah a bh a rata But
-
say s Wil so n it may be
.
, ,

m o re accura tely ranked with the Pur a nic co mpilati o n s

of lea s t authenticity and late s t o rigin ”
I t i s chiefly .

o ccupied with t h e adventu re s o f Kri shna but it ,

rec o rd s the particular s o f the creati o n o f the w o rld

and the dy na stie s o f king s The c o mpilati o n i s care .

less and inac cu rate but h a s been carefully tran s lated ,

int o F ren ch by M A L angl o i s I t repre sent s Kri sh na . . .

a s frightening a w ay all t h e inhabi t ant s o f Vr a j a by

c o nverting the h air s o f h i s b o d y int o hu n dre d s o f
w o lve s t o hara s s and alar m them .

I t rec o unt s the s t o ry o f the pr o te cti o n o f t h e co w

her d s in a st o rm b y Kri s hna w h o lifted a m o u n t a in , g

l Vi s h . Pu r . In t . , p . 10
.
2 R e l . o i n i Vo l
,
. II p, . 68 .
3 1n d . W is .
,
p . 4 93
.
35 8 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

an d held it over their heads until the storm passed

over This narrative i s repeated with some variations
.

in several o f the Pur a nas I n the Bh a gavata he is rep .

resented as protecting the g o p i s from the wrath of

I ndra by holding t h e e l e va t e d mountain on h i s finger .

I t appears from this Pur a na that I ndra was enraged

with the gop i s and tried t o de stroy them with a
deluge on accoun t Of their l ove for Krishna who ,

spent h is time with them an d finally married a

thousand of them .

T he H ari va n sa also contains an epitome of the

-

R a m a yana and m a ny other legends which are repeated ,

with m ore or less variation in the different Pu r a n a s .

l

T H E B R AH M A P U R AN A -
.

Th e greater portion of th is work is devoted t o

legendary and local descriptions of the greatness an d
sanctity Of particular temple s and individual deities .

I t treats especially Of the holine ss of U t k a l a the ,

country which includes the low range of sand hills ,

where stands the celebrated temple of Jagan n ath -

.

I t also gives due honor to the worship of the sun

and of M a h a de s .

The adora t ion of Vishn u as Jagan n ath began t o -

flouri sh in its greatest vigor after the twelf th cen

tury of the C hristian era The wor ship of the sun .

is al s o c o m paratively m odern the great temple known ,

a s the Black Pagoda being built A D 1 2 4 1 The . . .

in ternal evidence w h ich the work pre sent s there fore

makes it very probable that t h e Brahma pur a na was -

1 U l
n e s s o th e r w i s e i n d i ca te d e xt r a ct s f ro m t h e se w o r k s wi l l b e ma de f ro m

W ’
i l so n s t r a n s l a tio n s
360 T HE ANC I EN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

portion i s wanting I t was evidently written after

.

the G upta k ings who reigned i n the seventh cen ,

tury as it makes an hi st o rical m ention Of them

, .

I t also allu des to the B a u ddh a s who were in existence ,

as late a s the twelfth century .

These and other facts prove the compilation o f

this work to have taken place s o mewhere between
the s eventh and twelfth centuries a nd t h e a p p r o xi ,

m ate date is placed by Wil son a t A D 1 04 5 . . .

Being dev o ted t o Vi shnu it represent s him a s the ,

Supreme G o d H e is spoken o f a s puru sha ( spiri t )

.
,

pradh a na ( crude matter ) and vy a k t a ( vi sible f o rm ) , .

The course o f elementary creati o n in t h e Vishnu

pu r a na as well as in t h e o ther s appears t o be taken
, ,

largely fr o m the S a nkhya philo so phy which wa s ,

the d octrine of ev o lu ti o n a s believed a n d taugh t by

a certain s cho o l of H ind u phil o so pher s more than
t wo th o u s and year s a g o This sy stem claim s that .

pure spirit cann o t o riginate i n i mpure matter and , !3

denies that anything ca n be pr o duced o u t o f nothing
”

The f o ll o wing aph o ri sm s contain a brief exp o s ition

“
of it s d o ctrine s There cann o t be the pr o duction o f
.

something o u t o f n o thing that which is not cannot be ,

d eveloped int o that w hi ch is The pr o du cti o n of what .

does n o t already exi s t ( potentia l ly ) i s imp o s s ible a s a ,

h o rn on a man ; becau se there mu s t o f nece ssity be a

material out o f which a produ ct i s devel o ped ; and
becau se everything cann o t occur everywhere at all
time s an d becau se anything possible m u s t be pro
,

d u ce d from something c o mpetent t o produce it

1
Thu s .

l Th i s Sa nkh y a cr e e d i s h igh ly u
s g g e sti e v of th e d o ct ri n e s of E pi
cu ru s , as e xp u d
o n ed by Lu u
cr e t i s , w h o a r g e s u t h a t th e w o r l d a nd o th er
 T H E P UR AN AS . 361

curds come from mi l k n ot water A p o tter pro , .

duce s a j ar fro m clay not from cloth Pr o duction , .

”
is o nly a manifestation o f w hat previously existed .
1

B ut in the Pur a nas t h e agency o perating on pa ss ive

m atter is c o nfusedly exhibited in con sequence of the
all prevailing doctrine o f pantheism and the partial
ad e p t ion of th e Ved a nta philos o phy wh ich is ba sed
up o n pure panthei s m I t s creed is s imply stated .

in t h e Ch a n d o g y a U pani shad a s f o ll o w s : “
All thi s
u niver s e indee d is Brahma ; fr o m him doe s i t p r o
”
ce e d int o him i t is dis so lved T he Ved a nta system .

h a s s o me s imilaritie s t o the ideali s m o f Plato and ,

indeed the H in d fi Ved a ntist fo ught the S a nkhya

the o ry o f ev o luti o n very mu ch a s d id the G recian
phil o sopher I t I s I n s trict acc o r d ance with the Ve
.

d a nta phil o so phy and the Pur anic d o ctrine o f pan

“
thei s m that Vi shnu is repre s ente d as being the cau se
of creati o n exi stence and end o f thi s world ; wh o is
, ,

”
the root of the w o rld and consi st s o f the world .

The creation is referred to a s in t h e oth er Pur a nas , ,

as c o ming from the egg which rested up o n th e bosom

Of the waters Thi s is a widely diff u s ed O pinion of.

antiquity and it i s supp o sed by Bryant and F aber that

,
2

the c o smic egg so often allu d ed t o repre s ented the

ark fl o ating up o n the water The Vi shnu pur a na al so .
-

m a te r ia l bj o e ct s w e re f o rm ed by t h e l
co a e s ci n g of a to m s a n d p im r ord ia l
se ed s Th e E pi c u re a n th e o r y w as se v ly i ti i
ere cr c se d by C i ce r o , wh o
l u uld p d u w ld u gh
.

c a im ed th a t if a co n co r se of a to m s co ro ce a or it o t
l p u pl u f
,

a so to ro d ce te m e s, ho s e s, ci t i e s , a n d o t h e r t h i n g s w h i ch a re orm ed

m u ch m o re e a si ly t h a n wor ds l .
( Se e D e N a t u ra D e o ru m , II ,

1 I nd W is p 89
T y u y P
. .
. .
,

2 r a ce s o f th i s t h e o r o cc m o n g s t th e S r ia n s ,
r a e r s ia n s , a n d E g y p

tia n s ; b e sid e s th e O ph ic r e gg a m o n g s t t h e G
r e e s a n d t h a t d e s cr i e d k b by
Ar i s t o ph a n e s, a p a rt of th e ce r e m o n yi n th e D i o n y s i a ca co n s i s t e d of th e
co n s e cr a ti o n o f a n e gg, w h i ch a cco r d i n g to P ph y y
or r s ig n i fi ed th e wo r l d .
362 T HE ANC IEN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

speaks of the successive creations so O ften alluded to ,

an d the repose Of the Supreme G od during the in

t e r va l s upon his mighty serpent couch in the m idst
o f the deep . I t al s o pre sen ts the raising of the earth
from the water by the t a sk s Of the great b e a r and ,

the ch urning of the sea of milk for the recovery of

the lost ambrosia I t describes at great length the
.

variou s w o rl ds heaven s hell s and planetary sphere s

, , , ,

and give s th e same description of the seven circular

c on t inent s and concentric ocean s that is found in the
Mah a bh a rata
-
.

I t describes al so the arrangement o f the Vedas

and Pur a nas by Vy a sa an d give s the rule s of caste
, ,

in w hich the Pur a na f o ll o w s t o a great extent the

C ode o f M a n n B o o k I V o f thi s immen se v o lume is
. .

o ccupied with list s o f king s and dyna s tie s Book V . .

corre sp o nds with B o o k X o f the Bh a gavata pur a na .

-
,
'

an d is devoted t o a l ife o f Kri shna Kri shna is rep .

resented as the eighth child o f h is mother ( the first

s ix having been the off s pring o f a demon
) and a s o rig

in a t in g in a black hair taken from the head O f Vi shnu .

H is mi s si o n is t o destr o y the de m on Kan sa wh o tries ,

to f o re stall him by killing him in h l S I nfancy Thi s .

i s prevented h o wever by h is father wh o carries him

, , ,

away in the night and excha n ge s him for another

child Bo o k V I describes the gradual deteri o rati o n of
. .

mankind duri n g the f o ur ages and the de s truction o f

the world by fire and water at the end of a Kalpa .

B I RT H OF K RI S H N A .

On t h e day of h is birth the h o riz o n was radiant

with l ight and happine ss and the wave s o f the sea j o ined
,
3 64 THE ANCIE N T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

into the lake of the serpent king and conqu ering him ,

by setting h is foot upon t h e terrible head which had

hitherto been unbended The dying serpent feebly .

plead s for mercy and Krish na all o ws him to live

, ,

but commands h im to depart immediately with all

his family and foll o wer s into the sea I t w ill be Ob .

served th at there are some re semblances to t h e g ospel s

in this Pur a na which dates from the eleventh century
,

of the C hri stian era .

TH E W IVES AN D CHILD REN OF K RI S H N A .

According to thi s authority the first wife of Krishna

was B a dh a ; af terward he married Ja m b a va t i the ,

daughter of a bear This marriage was the result o f

.

a terrible contest w ith the father of the bride Kri shna .

fo ugh t the bear twenty o ne day s and at la s t c o nquered

-

“
him The bear t h en exclaimed
. Th o u mighty being , , ,

art surely invincible by all the dem on s and by the

spirits of heaven earth and hell Much le s s art t h e n
, , .

to be vanquished by creatures in human shape and ,

s t i ll les s by w e wh o b or n th e b r u t e
s u ch as f a re o cr ea
”
t io n Then humbly pro strating him self at the feet o f
.

his c o nqueror he pre sented t o Krishna h is daughter

,

J a m b a va t i as an o ffering s uitable t o a gu e st and the ,

bridegro o m led her a way in triumph Kri s hna then .

1

married three beautiful girl s and afterward e sp o u sed ,

the t w o daughter s o f the king o f M a ga d h a H e al so .

s eized and carried Off by violence the beautiful prince s s

R u k m i n ik i .

In my t hology R a vana the dem o n king o f

H in d fi ,

C eylon was born again as S iSu p a la one of the char

,
-
,

Vi sh . Pur .
, p . 4 27 .
 T H E P UR AN AS . 3 65

a ct e r s of the Mah a bh a rata H e w a s betr o thed t o

-
.

R u m in ik i but Krishna forcibly carried a w ay the bride

,

and made her his o wn Afterward Bh i sh m a declared

.

that the u sual prize awarded to the greatest a n d str o ng

est o f their number was due to K rishna ; but S i s u p ala -

publicly obj ected t o having the award made to a co w

herd w h o wa s al so a murderer and after s o me bi t ter
, ,

“
language on both sides Kri shna w hirled his cakra
furi o u sly at S i su p a la and severed h is head from h is
-

b ody
”
. H e after ward married n o t only R u m in ik i but ,

also still later s ixteen th o u sand and o n e hu ndred other

wive s at a single ceremony We quote fr o m the .

“
Vishnu pur a na :-
Sixteen thou sand a n d one hu ndred
was the nu mber o f the maiden s ( included in the la st
'
m a rriage ) an d in t o so many f o rms did the fe e o f
,

Madhu ( Kri shna ) mul t iply him s elf t hat every one o f
the dam sel s th o ught that he had w edded her in his
S ingle per s on and t h
, e creat o r o f the w o rld —the as
s umer of univer s al s hape — abode s everally in the dwell
ing Of each o f the s e h is wive s l I t is declared that
”
,
.

the se wive s b o re t o Kri sh na one hundred and eighty

th o u sand son s and th e Bh agavata pu r a na give s the
,
-

name s of ab o ut eighty member s of thi s numerous

family .

D E AT H O F K RI S HN A .

The Vi s hnu pur a na agree s with the Mah a bh a rata

- -

concerning the principal incident s connected with the

death of Kri s hna The de s tru cti o n o f h is tribe is re
.

c o unted an d al so the particular s of the drunken melee

,

in w hich the fratrici d al Y a d ava s sle w each o ther It .

is here again declared t h at Kri sh na wa s slain b v t h e

1 Vi sh . Pur .
, p 5 28
. .
366 THE ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

arrow of a hunter who mistook him for a wild animal ,

but an additional incident is given to the e ffect that

K rishna was sitting with on e foot resting upon his
knee and the arrow entered the sole Of his fe e t which
, ,

was the only vulnerable spot upon h is body .

Thi s Pur a na enu merates twenty Eight hells one Of -

,

them being called the Kri shna o r black hell which , ,

is reserve d for sinners who li ve by fraud or who tres ,

’
pas s upon other pe o ple s lands The bo o k cl oses with a .

prophecy of the Kali age wh en all evil shall be de ,

stroyed .

SAI V A .

S aiva give s the geneal o gies of the patriarchs and

description s o f the u n ivers e m ingled with prai se s o f ,

S i va and the myths and legends of which he is the

h ere I t al so teache s the e fli ca cy of Y oga and the
.
1

gl o rie s of S iva pura o r t h e dwelling of S iva with whom

-
, ,

the yogi or devotee i s t o be u nited

, ,
.

SR I B H AG AV AT A
is a w o rk Of p o werful influence in I ndia contr o lling ,

the o pinion s and feeling s o f the people more than any

o ther O f the Pur a na s I t i s called B h agavata on a c .
,

c o un t of i t s being dev o t ed t o the gl o rification o f

Bhagavat or Vi shnu I t give s a cosm o g o ny which .
,

1 Th e Y o ga is co n s i d e r e d a b r a n ch o f th e Sa n h k y y a s stem o f p h il o s o
p h y, b u t It a ea rs re a pp lly
t o b e a so r t o f pu p e n a n ce f o r t h e r o s e o f co n p
u y up yll bl
ce n t ra t i n g t h o g h t w i t h t h e g r e a t e s t i n t e n s i t on th e s a e O m , w h i ch

fi B
i s s o m e ti m e s d e n e d t o b e p v
ra h m a , a n d a g a i n , a s th e r e r e s e n t a t i e o f a l l

th eg d f
o th i
s o d ky Th
ea r m t u tu
a r, a nl d p i fu l p t u
s e os nn a ra an a n os re s

u m d by d v t p itd i f y It l
, .

a re a ss e d m ti m e o e e s, an so e es ers s e n or ea rs a so

l u d t w i ti g d t t i f h l imb u pp i f th b
.

inc es s n s an co n o r th on s o t e s, s re s s o n s o e re a

b v i ty d i t i ty f t h v i u
,

an d utt er f mi d
a Th s e n ce o n e a r e a n n e ns o e ar o s

f m f u ff i g w h i h lf i fli t d u p t h d v t w u l d
.

or s o s er n c a r e se -
n c e on e e o e e s, o su r

p l l d i bi l i t y i f th y w
a ss a cr e t tt t d by t u t w t h y v i d
e e re n o a es e r s or e e n ce .
368 T HE AN CI EN T B OO K S O F IND I A .

“ ? ”
q u estions : Why was Vasu deva born a s a mortal
-

“
H o w is it that D r a u p a d i became the wife Of the five
? ” “
P a n du s Why did B a l a d e va do penance fo r Br a h
” “
m a n icid e ? and Why were the children o f Dr a u p a d i
destroyed w hen they had Krishna and Arj una to de
? ”
fend them The account Of the creation is also
repeated by the birds Thi s Pur a na is n o t easily
.

placed w ith any degree o f certainty but is supposed to ,

belong to the ninth or tenth century .

TH E AG N I .

The Agni or Ag n ey a treats of primitive and s a bse

quent creation s t h e genealogies of de migods an d
,

kings the reigns of the Manus the histories of the

, ,

royal dynasties and other m atters Of a very di fferent

,
'

character As it is e vid e nt l y a compilation its date is

.
,

of very little importance I t is not unlikely however

.
, ,

that chapters have been arbitrarily supplied during the

last few centuries F or the Agni an ancient Pur a na
.

called the V ayu is Often subs t ituted .

T H E V AY U .

The V ayu p a r a na is so named in consequence it

-
,

is said of having been communicated by V a yu the ,

deity of the wind t o the assembled sage s I t treats

, .

of the families of sages and kings followed by a co s ,

m og on y terminating with the destru cti o n of the world

at the en d of each Kalpa While it teaches the doc
.

trine Of panthei sm it also all o w s to t h e Supreme B e

,

ing an exi s tence s eparate from his wo rks alth ough he ,

appear s to be without attributes The astr o nomy of .

thi s P ur a na p resents the relative sizes and situations

 T HE PuR AN As . 369

of the planets with their car s and steed s and other

,

appurtenance s revolving arou nd the p o le ( to which

,

they are attached by cords Of air ) a s the wheel turns

on its pivot .L ittle informati o n concernin g its exact
age is to be derived from internal evidence but it is ,

supposed to be one of the Olde st of the Pur a nas .

TH E BH AVI S H Y A,

containing fourteen thou sand five hundred stanzas

treats o f the creation repeating almo s t the very w o rds
,

of the first chapter Of M a n n the rest Of the w o rk b e

,

ing purely a manual o f religious rites and ceremonial s ,

although a few legends enliven t h e series of precepts .

I t is not very properl y calle d a P a r a n a and was prob ,

ably written prior t O the Mohammedan conquest .

B R AH M A VAI VAR TA .

Thi s is decidedly a sectarian w o rk and appears to ,

have no other reason fo r it s existence than to induce

faith in Krishna and R a dh a I t is of little value as
.

collateral au t hority and the most of it s st o ries are t o o

,

absurd for repetition Krishna is here spoken of as

.

“ —
the sole exi stent and eternal being the center of a
lu minous sp lie r e of immeasurable e xte n t and in co n ce iva
”
ble splend o r. Vi shnu is rep resented as coming from
his right S ide and S iva from h is left Brahm a wh o is .
,

often spoken of a s the Supreme G od is represented a s ,

springing fro m Krish na Al l t h e god s and goddesses

.

proce e d from different parts o f h is per s on and each ,

of them at birth recites a s hort hymn o r prayer in his

h onor Brahm a is repre s ented as saying :
.

“
I adore Krishna who is fre e from the three qual
,
370 T HE AN CIEN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

ities the one imperi s hable G o vinda who is invisible

, ,

and void of f o rm ; who i s vi sible and assumed t h e

shape O f a co w herd the l o rd of the mystic
dance and it s performer a nd the delighter in the
, ,

graces of i t s ev o luti o n s ”
R a dh a his favorite wife
.
, ,

pr o ceeds from h is heart ; fr o m the pores of her skin

proceed three hundred million gop i s or nymph s while (
,

a like nu mber of g o p a s the swain s of the nymphs

, ,

’
procee d from the pores of Kri shna s s kin an d the ,

c o w s which the se s wains are to attend also iss u e from

’
the p o res o f Kri sh na s skin .

The t wenty eighth and twenty ninth chapters are

- -

dev o ted t o a descripti o n of G oloka the heaven of ,

Krish na .I t is a sphere of light tenanted by gop i s ,

o
g p a s and cows the only
, human beings admitted b e

ing the v o taries of Krishna The author sometimes.

de s cribe s G ol o ka a s being round and again speaks o f ,

it as a square I n one passage he gives it a diameter

.

of thirty millions of yoj anas and in another he ex ,

tends its circumference to a thousand millions Ih .

deed the c o mpiler see in s t o have pai d very li t tle

,

attenti o n to the c o nsistency Of t h e narrative assigning ,

various origins to the same g od or goddess Thus .

,

Sarasvat i th e goddess of speech is said in one para

, ,

graph to come out of the mouth of K rishna and in ,

another is represented as one of the subdivisions of

Prakriti and again is spoken of as issuing from the
,

tongue of L ak shm i
‘
These incoherencies are quite
.

characteristic of this Pur a na which is full Of contra ,

d ict or y repetitions .

According to this work the original and only cau se

’
of Krishna s incar nation was his love for R a dh a and ,
37 2 THE ANCIE N T B OO K S O F I NDI A
.

from a sect wh ich originate d abou t four centuries ago

with the G o sa in s .

TH E L I N G A

consists of eleven thousand stan zas and i s said to have ,

been original ly compo sed by Brahm a I n the acc o unt .

o f creation as given by this Pur a na Brah m a and Vishnu

,

are represented as fighting for the supremacy during

the interval s o f creation but the great fiery L inga
,

su ddenly springs up and puts them both to shame as ,

after traveling upwards and downwards for a thousand

years neither of them could find its beginning or
ending U pon the L i n ga the sacred syllable Om is
.

visibl e by which Brahm a and Vishnu become e n

,

lightened and acknowledge and eulogize the superior

glory of S iva S iva repeat s the story of his incarna
.

tions ( twenty eight in number ) intended doubtless t o

-
,

exceed in nu mber the incarnati o ns of Vi s hnu The .

work is assigned to about the eighth or ninth century .

THE VAR AH A

is n arrated by Vishnu as Var a ba ( th e b e a r ) to the

, ,

personified earth L ike the L inga pur a na this is a

.
-
,

religi o us manual alm ost wh olly occupied with forms

of prayer and rules for devotional Observances a d
dressed t O Vishnu There is no leaning to the par
.

t icu l a r adoration Of Krishna and there are other indi

,

cations o f its belonging to an earlier stage of Vishn u

worship .

T HE S K AN D A
“
Is that in which the six faced deity ( Skanda ) h a s
-

re l ated the event s of the Ta ta p u r sh a Kalpa enlarged

 T H E P UR AN AS . 37 3

with many tales I t is sa id to contain eighty one

.
-

thou sand and one hundred s t anzas This Pur a na has .

no existence in a collected form an d the fragment s ,

in various parts of I ndia which are affi rmed to be

p o rtions of it aggregate a ma ss o f s tanzas even m o re
f o rmidable than h a s been enumerated They contain .

minu te description s of the temple of S iva and a vast ,

number Of legend s illustrating the h o line s s of K a s i .

O ther portion s are devoted to the holiness of U ri ssa

and o ther l o calitie s and temples I t is d o ubtful what
.

pr o p o rt i o n of these fragments properly belongs to the

Skanda pu r a na
-
.

T H E VAM AN A
contains an account o f the d warf incarnation Of Vish
nu and includes ab o ut se ven th o u sand stan zas I t is .

largely devoted t o t h e wor ship Of the L inga and to

the illu s trati o n o f the sancti t y o f certain h o ly places .

I n th e wor d s Of a di st ingui she d Orientalist ( Wilson )

I t s co mpilati o n may have amu s ed the leisure of some
Br a hman of Benare s three or four centuries ago .

TH E K U RMA
“
is that in which Ja n a r d d a n a in the f o rm of a t e r
toi se in the regi o ns under the earth explained the o b
je ct s O f life duty ,
wealt h pleasure
,
and ,
liberation , .

The greater part of it inculcate s the wor s hip of S iva

and D urg a although it is repre sented a s being given
,

b y one of the incarnation s o f Vi shnu I ts date can .

not be very early for it i s avowedly posterior to the

,

establi shment of the T a ntrika the S a tka a n d the Jain

,

sects and these were not k now n in the early centuries

,

of our era .
 TH E AN C I EN T B OO KS O F I N Di A .

TH E M AT S Y A .

This Pur a na after the u s ual prologue opens with

, ,

the account of h o w the Mat sya or fish avatar of ,

Vi shnu preserved a king named Manu with the seeds

,

of all thing s in an ark fr o m the waters of the great

inundation the story of the flo o d which was told in
,

one of the Br a hmanas and later in the Mah a b h a ,

-

rata b eing sub stantially repeated here

, The gen .

e a l og ica l chapters are much the same as those of the

Vi shnu pur a na-

T he w o rk has drawn largely from
.

the Mah a bh a rata ; it also quotes the Padma p ur a na

- -
,

and is therefore subsequent t o that work .

TH E G ARU D A .

The greater part of this document is devote d to the

description o f Vr a t a s o r v o ws o f self re s traint of hol
,
-
,

i d a y s of s acred places dedicated t o the su n and to

, ,

prayers addressed to the sun to S iva and to Vishnu , , .

I t c o ntains also treati s es on a s trol o gy palmi stry and , ,

preciou s stones and one still more extensive o n medi

,

cine. There is nothing in thi s w o rk t o j u stify the

name . G aru da is the eagle bird ( half man ) o n which
Vi shnu rides and it is p o ssible that there is no genu
,

ine G aru da pur a na in exi stence

-
.

T HE B R AH M AN D A .

That which has declared in twelve thou sand two

hundre d ver s e s the magnificence o f t h e egg o f Brahm a ,

and in which an accou nt of the future Kalp as is co n

t a in e d i s called the B rahm a n da pur a na
,
and wa s r e -
,

”
vealed by Brahm a This Pur a na like the Skanda is
.
, ,
 CH AP TER X X III .

KR I H NA S .

A M ULT I T UDE O F P E R S ON S N AM ED K RI S H N A—LIFE O F

K RI S H N A T HE S ON OF V AS U DE V A — D E AT H O F
,
-

K RI H N
S A— RE S E MB L AN CE S T O CH RI S T I AN H I S T O RY
—
V E RY S LIG H T W O R S HI P O F T H E “
D AR K G O D
S U MM ARY .

N TI M ATE L Y
connected with the Pur a nas is their
hero Kri shna The meaning of t h e word is
, .

“ ” “
dark or black and the frequency wit h which ,

the name o ccurs in H ind a literature would seem

to indicate that whenever a mal e child was born
with a complexion unusually dark he was named
Krishna or that in later times he was named fo r the
,

popular god of the Pur a nas .

The earliest mention of the name in the R ig veda -

is where a hymn of adorati o n t o I ndra praises that

god for having slain the w ive s Of K ri shna 1
.

Afterward the same god is said to have slain fifty

l ’
W il so n s t r a n s R ig v ed a S a n h i ta , Vo l I, p g e 260
a
-

ll ti v
. . .

Sa n h i ta so m e t i m e s mea n s co d ec o n, an th e R ig - ed a Sa n h i ta co n

ta i n i n g one th o u sa n d a nd se v t h ym
e n ee n n s, is th e Ol d t d m t im
es an os

p o r ta n t co ll e ct i o n of th e e a r ly p y i v ra er s, n o ca tio n s d h ym
an f th ns o e

u l V d u p h i lly’
,

Hi nd s S a n h i ta may a so m ea n th e word s of th e e a e o n ca

bi d p P t xt P f Wil
.

co m ne i n ste a d of se a r a te d a s in th e a da e ro so n s

l ti b up y tiv h l S y
. .

tra n s a on is a se d on t h e co m m e n t a r of th e n a e sc o ar a a na

p l li V h t h Hi d u h v p
.

It re r e se n t s th e on g ne of a i d i c t r a d i t io n w h i c e n s a e re

se r v ed , a nd sh o w s th e E glin sh re a d e r wh a t th e n a ti v u pp th R ig
es s o se e

v eda to mea n . S e e n o te t o p a g e 23 .
 K RI S H N A . 37 7

thousand K r ish n a s all o f who m were R akshasas or ,

l

demons I ndra is represented as the great protector

.

of h is votaries in bat t le H e defended his Aryan .

worshipers in all th eir conflicts ; he al s o puni shed for

the benefit of man those wh o neglecte d religiou s
rites H e ( I ndra ) tore Off the black skin Of the a g
.

g r ess o r as if burning with flame ; he utterly c o nsumes

him who delights in cruelty .
1

“
Allusion says the translat o r
,
“
is here m ade to ,

the legend that an Asura named Kri shna t h e black , ,

advan ced with ten tho u sand followers t o the banks

of th e Am su m a t i river wh ere he committed fearful ,

devastation until h e was d efeated by I ndra who .

,

”
strippe d him o f his skin The s wift m oving K r ish .

na with ten thou sand demon s stood on the Am su m a t i ;

by his might I ndra caught him s n o rting in the water .

H e ( I ndra ) sm ote his malici o us band s I have s een .

the swift moving demon lurking in an inacces s ible

place in the depths of the river I ndra with his ally .

smote the g o dle ss h o st as they drew near .

Krishna a R i shi of An gira is also spoken of in

, ,

the R ig veda Sanhit a -

I n the Mah a bh a rata the name .
-

Kri shn a is an epithet applied to the princess D rau

3

pad i who married the five P a n davas Krishna d va i .

-

p ayana ( th e dark colored i sland born m a n ) was the

-
,
-

grandfather o f the Kauravas who bore s o important

a part in the great war and he is also said to be the ,

arranger or editor of the Mah a bh a rata and the com -

piler of the Pur a nas the Oldest o f which are ascribed ,

1 Th e re is no m e n ti o n i n t h e R i g v
-
eda of a ny go d by th i s fra m e .

2 Vo l V p 192
k fi l f f
.
, . .

3 Th e lo ng m a r on th e na a ,
i n di ca t e s t h e em ini ne o rm of th e
wo r d .
378 TH E ANC I EN T BOO KS OF INDI A .

to th e sixth or seven t h century of the C hristian era .

The H in d fi s have an easy method however of dispos , ,

ing o f little chronological difficultie s of a few centuries

by asserting that their heroes are born again as men
whenever their services are needed upon the earth .

I n the Ch a n d ogya U panishad we find a Krishna who

was the s o n of D e va k i p u t r a but of him nothing is ,

known except that he was a pupil of G hara

’

The .

na m e wa s also b orne by a son of H a vir d hana and by -

one o f the Andhra princes .

I n the later forms of H in d ii literat ure we find

‘

Krishna the s o n of V a su d e va and D evak i who

,
-
I
,

figured a s a great chieftain in the Mah a bh a rata an d -

,

during a large part of the C hristian era has had d ivine

honor s paid to hi m Kri shna was also one of the
.

names Of Arj una I n the Mah a bh a rata where the son

.
-

of D rona is said to have entered the camp Of the Pa n

’
dava s at night to avenge his father s death his pro ,

gress wa s arre sted at the gate by the gigantic form o f

S iva Thi s god of destruction was robed in a tiger s
.
’
S kin ,
while h is long arms were adorned wi t h bracelets
of serpents H is body glowed like the sun and hun
.
“
,

dreds and thousands of Kri shnas were manifested from

”
the light is suing from h is per s on Kri shna tark a .
-

l a n k a r a a commentator flouri shed somewhat later a n d

, , ,

Krishna misra the dramatic author is supposed to have

-
, ,

li ved in the twelft h century of the C hristian era .

Krishna Bahad ur was the name of a publi sher in C al

cu t t a in 1 8 4 0 Thus we find that in H in d fi literature
.
,

the name Krishna i s applied to sixty thou sand beings

“ ”
who were demons hundreds and thousands more
,

1 Th e r e a re nin e V ud v
as -
e as in Ind i an l i t e ra t u re .
38 0 THE AN CIEN T B OO K S O F IND I A .

depredations I t was during a great fes tival which

.

was attended by raj a Kan sa the u s urper wh o w a s ,

bitterly hated by h is subj ects D uring the fe stivitie s .

a wres tling match degenerated into a disgraceful fight ,

in which K rishna and his older brother Bala r a ma ,

-
,

bore a prominent part Many men w ere slain and at

.

la st the unpopular raj a himself was killed by Kri shna

.
.

The ru de c o wherd became popular from having r e

lie ve d the city Of a tyrant and an eff o rt was made ,

to ennoble his birth by repre senting him to have been

in reality the son of a chieftain of the tribe 1
.

H e eventually became a chief and is represented ,

as a successful warri o r altho u gh rather u nscrupulous

,

as to the means emp l oyed for the attainment of his

ends . F or instance the G reat W ar of the Mah a
,

bh a rata seems to have turned upon the death Of D rona ,

the venerable com mander in chief of the Kauravas - -

.

H e had nearly vanquished the P a n davas by the slaugh

ter of their troops but Krishna kno wing of his great
, ,

love for his gallant son suggested that word h e sent ,

h i m that his son was slain The cruel falsehood .

pierced the brave heart Of the father although the ,

arrows of the foe had failed t o reach it and layi n g ,

down his arms he became an easy prey to the Pa n

,

davas Again in the desperate single combat b e

.
,

tween Arj una and Karna when Arj una was badly ,

wounded and nearly defeated an accident to the wheel ,

of his chariot compelled Karna to cease fighting ,

and laying down his arms he called t o his opponent ,

sayi ng “
H old your hand fo r a moment and give me
, ,

a chance to recover my wheel for it is no mark of ,

l ’
Wh ee l e r s Hist of Ind Vo l . 1, p . 45 9 .
. .
,
 K R I S HN A . 38 1

m anhood to strike at me whil st I am in this extremity .

Arj una temp o rarily stayed his hand but being ins t i ,

gated by Kri shna he severed the head o f Karna fr o m

,
’
his b ody while the victim was e n g a g e d u p o n the
,
“

wheel of his chari o t l The Mah a bh a rata rec o rds .

still an o ther in s tance in which Krishna ad vi sed a blo w

so cowardly that it bro u ght upon the man who gave
it the bitter reproaches o f his o wn brother B ut .

the ru de and amorous warrior wa s the Ap o llo o f the

cowherds H an dsome da shing and vain t his u niver
.
, , ,

s a l lover appeal ed to the admiration Of feeble minded -

women every w here and around the very slight frame ,

work which history furnishe s masses of myth and leg ,

end have gro w n H e is represented a s the hu sband

.

of sixteen th o usan d wives and the father o f one hu n ,

dred and eighty thou sand son s while his military ex ,

p l o i t s have been repeated with wonderful exaggerations

and m y thical additions .

TH E DE AT H OF K RI S H N A .

Th e incidents connected with the death of Krishna

are as well attested as anything co n cerning which we
are entirely dependent upon H ind a s ources for in fo r
mation The Mah a bh a rata relates the story in care
.
-

ful detail a n d it is repeated and corroborated by the

,

Vi shnu pur a na and also endorsed by the Brahma

-

va iva r t a pu r a na
-
.

According to these and other H in d i I authorities

’

Kri s hna and the people of his capital city Dvar a k a ,

encamped at a place of pilgrimage up o n the sea shore -

,

1 Th i s ch a pt b
er ei ng s om e wh a t o f th e na t u re of a s um m y
ar n e ce s sa r i ly
u
i n cl d e s a f e w i n ci d e n t s p vi u l y ll u d
re o s a ed to .
38 2 TH E AN CIEN T B OO K S OF I ND I A .

ostensibly for the purpose Of pay ing their devotions t o

the deity of D va r a k a but they carried an abundance
of wine with their other store s and feasting and ,

drinking became their chief occupati o n There were .

j ugglers mu sician s dancers and actors to furni sh e n

, ,

t e r t a in m e n t b u t the chief attraction s were the great

,

j ar s o f wine an d th e warriors of the tribe sa t d o wn

,

in group s around t h em L aughing an d j e sting being

.

f o ll o we d by ta unts and bitter w o rd s the scene of rev ,

e l r y became a drunken melee i n which the in t o xi,

ca t e d men fough t each other blindly until the wh o le

tribe was exterminated except Kri shna an d o n e o r t wo
o ther s who were n o t inj ured them selves although ,

they had slain their full share of vi ctims After .

the disgraceful fight wa s over Krishna found his ,

o lder br o ther dead beneath a banyan tree and g o ing ,

into a thicket near by he sat d own in t roubled med

it a tio n upon the los s o f h i s k indred an d the d est r u c
tion of his tribe While th us ab s orbed i n his o wn
.

sad thoughts he was seen by a pa ssing hunter who

, , ,

mistaking him for a wild animal discharged an arrow ,

and slew him upon the sp ot .

The Mah a bh a rata gives a description of the funeral

rites and pictures the grief of his sixteen thou sand
widows , five of whom w ere burned alive upon
’
Krishna s funeral pile The story of his death has
.

been repeatedly endorsed by H ind a authorities as ,

late as the eleventh century of the C hristian era .

I t cannot however be received as hi story in our

, ,

sense of the w ord as there is really no authentic his

,

tory i n connection w ith thi s strange character The .

i dea that K rishna was cruci fi ed is an extravagant

38 4 T HE ANCIE N T B OO K S O F I NDI A .

duce improve m ent s into the hereditary creed a nd m ore ,

especially t o make the worship of Krish na V a su deva -

the mo st prominent feature Of their system ”

In .
1

addition to the te s timony o f these celebrated Oriental

is t s we have m uch internal evidence in the Mah a b h a -

“
rata that improvements have been introduced in
fav o r o f Kri shna for the primitive work h a s been
,

incrusted a n d o verlaid w ith legends and myth s which

have h is gl o ry fo r their sole obj ect I t is so evident .

that the se are interp o lati o n s Of a later date t hat J .

“
Ta l b oy s Wheeler s ay s : The c o mpilers of the Mah a
bh arata have s o frequently ta mp er e d w i th th e text fo r
the purpo se o f a sso ciating K ri sh na and his family
with the P a n davas that it is diffi cult to accept state
m ents that have thi s o bj ect in vie w .

The Br a hmanical c o mpiler s i n their anxiety to co n ,

n eet him with the her o e s o f the G reat War have ,

ign o red even the ge o graphical p o s ition and repre s ent ,

the P a n dava s a s visiting the Y a dava chieftain in h is

bed chamber while he take s a part in their c o uncils
-
,

as frequently as if he lived in the same city w h ereas ,

’
Kri shna s re s idence at D va r a k a was o n the we stern
coa s t o f the penin s ula o f G uj ar a t at lea st s even hu n ,

dred miles in a direct line fr o m the city of H a st in a

pu r . But they could only interp o late incident s and
overlay the pr imitive poem wi t h st o ries o f h is marvel
o u s power ; they c o uld not make him the hero Of the

Mah a bh a rat a but only an erratic chieftain who indeed

-
.
,

poses sometimes as a g o d but whose a s sumpti o n o f di ,

vinity is greatly at variance with h i s per s onal character .

After the hi story of C hri st had been in the w o rld

1 P a ge 2 7 9, t h i s v lum
o e .
2 Hi st . of 1nd , Vo l . I, p . 68 .
 K R I SH N A . 38 5

fo r hu ndred s of years the Pur a nas as the H in d fis

, ,

n o w have th e m made their appearance and here we

, ,

find the wilde s t gr o wth o f fan cy c o mbined with slight

imitati o ns o f hi st o rical facts Th o se which are espe .

c ia l l y dev o ted t o the exaltati o n o f Kri shna are the

Vishnu which d ate s fr o m A D 1 04 5 the Bh agavata
,
. .
, ,

supp o s ed t o have been written by Vo p a d e va in the ,

t welf t h century the Brahma va i va r ta w hich appear s

,
-
,

t o have emanated fr o m a s ect called G o sa in s ab o ut ,

f o ur centurie s a go and the Padma pur a na of the fif

,
-

t e e n t h century
’
.

I n the se w o rks o f the m e d imva l time s Kri shna s ,

birth is s urr o unded by w o nderful phen o mena The .

sk i s lumin o u s ab o ve h is head and the n ymph s of

y ,

heaven s ing w ith j o y o ver the birth o f the f o ur armed -

child . R aj a Kan sa ap p ear s in the character of King

H er o d and slay s t h e fir st six children o f D evak i the ,

m o ther o f Kri sh n a ; the s eventh so n Bala r a ma escape s ,

-
,

his hand o nly by a miracle Therefo re the father take s .

the infant Kri shna a s so o n a s he is b o rn and carries

him a way t o a place of safety H e is follo wed by the .

many headed serpent S e sha and the snake protect s

-
,

the babe fr o m the rain by spreading h is h o od s over

him u ntil the child i s exchanged fo r t h e daughter of
,

Y a éo d a w h o is carrie d back and placed in the arms

,

o f D evak i Krishna is afterward s repre sented as con

.

q u ering the s erpent and in an

,
s wer to h is plea for

mercy all o ws hi m to live but c o mmand s him to depart

,

w i t h all of h is f o llo wer s into the se a .

The re semblance s to C hri stian hi story in th e life

of Krishna are ho wever very S light even in the m o st
, , ,

recent forms of H ind a literature ; but it must be con

 38 6 THE ANCIEN T B OO K S OF I NDI A .

fessed that others have been added in m odern times

by men wh o cannot read a word of San skrit H is .

name has b een spelled C h r ish n a or even C h r ist n a a p , ,

p a r e n t l y for the purpose o f confounding the two H e .

has al s o been called Y e z e u s and sometimes Je z eu s for ,

the same rea so n B ut the dishonesty of thi s course .

( provided al w ays it is not the result O f ignorance ) is

u npardonable .

The name of Y e z e u s a s an appellation of K rishna

w a s invented according to Max M ii l l e r by a fanciful , ,

F renchman and R ichard C o llins in h is address b e ,

1
,

f o re the Philo sophical S o ciety O f G reat B ritain say s ,

“
The addition of the name Je z e u s to Krishna has no
warrant from any H i nd a b o o k that I am acquainted
with I t bears n o resemblance to any of the many
.

name s by which Krish na is common ly denoted in

I ndia and it is n o t po s sible for it to be a t r a n sl ite r a
,
‘
tion o f any imaginable combinati o n o f letters either ,

i n Sanskrit o r in any of the dialects of South I ndia “

.

The statement that Krishna wa s born in a cave ,

that h is herald wa s a s tar and his pre s ents g o ld and

frankincens e etc are all the pr o ducti o ns Of a vivid ,
.
,

imagination in ver y m oder n t im es The idea that he .

was b o rn o f a virgin cann o t be entertained fo r a mo

m ent by any o n e who is at all acqu ain t ed with the
s ubj ect in vie w o f the great pr o minence given t o
,

’
Kri shna s Older br o ther in H i n d II literature
'
.

l PrOf M u ll er w r i te s : “
Th e n a m e Y e z eus wa s in v e n te d , I b l i v bye e e,

up i u I
.

Ja co l l i o t , a n d is a m e re co r r t on o f Y a d a n swe r e d Ja co l l i o t o n ce ( In t .

pg b k h d ly d v ti (T
.

t o S ci o f R b t th el a e u e se oo s ar e se r e no ce
”
ra n s Vi c
I t Vl i p g Si M W i ll i m d P f E B C w ll
. . . . .

ns o xxi a e r o n er a s an ro o e of Cam
b i d g t h i k th t th m J u p ti f th w
, ,
. . . .

r e n m y b a e na e ez e u s a e a co rr on o e ord I sa ,
w h i h p p ly b l
c g ro t i tl t S i v
er e on s a s a e o a

T Vi I t V l X X I p 17 4
.

2 r a ns c ns o . .
, ,
. . .
38 8 T HE ANCIEN T B O O K S OF I NDI A .

opened his mouth and she looked in and Sa w three ,

w orlds and sh e marveled greatly fo r a while and

,

”
then remembered it n o more T he picture of K r ish .

na as the boy thief stealing butter and curds from

the cowherds or carrying o ff the garments o f the ,

bathers has an irresistible a ttraction for his wor

,

sh i e rs
p .

S ome of his later adventu res ar e too gross for repe

tition bu t they illu s t rate the low origin o f the cow
,

herd and the dis o rder an d vi o lence which prevailed

,

in his tribe H e is also c onnected with the horrible

.

rite s of Jagan n a th and in the festivitie s of this god

-
,

the images Of Kri shna and his elder br o ther Bala r a ma ,

-
,

and al so o f h is S i ster S u b h a d r a are brought prom , ,

1
i n e n t l y forward The Padma pu r a na gives a li s t of
.
-

one hundred and eight n ames of Kri s hna t o be r e

p ea t e d by the devotee every morning and t h e reader will ,

recall that in the B h a g a va d g i t a he reveals himself in -

h is glory to Arjuna whereupon the frightened warrior ,

exclaims “
0 god I see your body I see you are of
, , ,

c o untle ss forms possessed of many arms s t omachs , , ,

m o uth s and eyes o n all S ide s I se e you void o f b e

, , .

ginning m iddle end ,

Of infinite power of n u , .
,

nu mbered arm s having the su n and m o on for eyes , ,

having a mouth like blazing fire an d heating the ,

u niverse with your radiance The three worlds are .

a ff righted fo r the se gr o up s of gods are entering into

,

you ; seeing y o ur mighty f o rm with m any m on t h s and

eyes with many arm s thighs an d feet with m any
, , , ,

1Mj G a l Cu i g h m w h
or e ner a bly d u nn n a o so a co n cte d th e Ar ch aeo l o g i ca l

Su v y f I d i
,

r e ho d m t t d t h t th
n a im g as e ons ra e a e a es of th i s g o d a nd h is
b th t h t m pl v f
,

ro d i t
er a n i th J g s s er t F l n e a a n -n a e e a ur w e r e d e r i ed ro m th e
three m bi d mb l m
co f th B u d d h i t T i
ne e t e s o e s r na ra .
 K RI S H NA . 38 9

stomachs and many j aws all people are much alarme d , .

An d all the band s o f kings together w ith our principal ,

w arrior s are rapidly entering you r m o uths fearful and

, ,

h o rrified by reas o n Of you r j aws An d some of their .

head s are seen S tuck in the spaces bet wee n the teeth .

’
As a river s waters run to w ard s the s e a so d o the se ,

her o es enter y o u r m o uths As butterflies enter a blaz .

ing fire so d o the s e pe o ple enter your m o uth s o nly t o

,

their destruction S wall o w ing all t he se people you are

.
,

licki n g them over and o ver again from all si d es w ith

y our blazing m o n t h s .

I t is impo ssible t o imagine a greater contrast than

that between thi s de s crip t i o n and the S imple st o ry of
the C hri st ; but the tedi o u s an d u nmeaning ceremonies
s till performed in the pre s ence O f t h e id o l are equally

s ugge s tive of thi s contrast Sir M o nier Williams dur .

,

ing a recent visit to I n d ia wa s all o wed t o witness the ,

early morning s ervice in a Vai sh nava t emple at P o ona , ,

an d we give h is graphic de s cription of the scene in h is

o wn w o rd s .

“
The id o l of the god Kri shna first u nder w ent a
pr o ce ss o f being ar o u sed fr o m i t s s upp o sed nocturnal
s lu mber s by the attendan t prie st wh o inv oked the ,

deity by name Then a re spectful o ffering o f water in

.

a b o at shaped ve ssel w a s made t o it

-
N ext t h e wh o le .

i d o l wa s bathed in h o ly water poure d o ver it fr o m a

s mall perf o rated metal lota Then the attendant prie st .

standing near applied s andal pa ste with h is finger t o

,

l B h a a va
g d g i ta , Te l a n g
-
’
s tra n s pp 93 9 5
-

p v u p p b ll
. .
,

In a re i o s ch a t e r ( a g e 60) a t t e n t i o n h a s e en ca ed to t h e d if
f e r e n ce i thn t l e ra ns a ti o n s fu r n ish e d n a ti e by v a nd E gl i n sh l
S ch o a r s

iv h l li l u
.

Th e na t e sc o a rs a re inc n ed to u se co a r s e r a ng ag e th a n th t a re

fi d ne E gli h wh i h
n s c co m e s to us f ro m th e p ens of s u ch m e n a P f
s ro

W i ll i M ui
.

'
a m s , M a x M ii l l e r , D r . r, a nd o th e r s .
39 0 T HE AN CI EN T B OO K S OF INDI A .

’
the idol s forehead and limb s and taking a brush ,

painted the face with a b right c o l o ring s ubstance prob ,

ably s affr o n N ext the id o l wa s dre ssed and decorated

.
,

with costly clothe s and o rnament s Then the priest .

bu rnt camph o r and incen se and m o ved the lights b e

fore the image at t h e same time ringing a bell Then
,
.

flo wers and the leave s of the s acred tulas i plant w ere ,

offered f o llowed by an oblati o n O f food c o n s i s ting o f

, ,

c o o ked rice an d sugar N ext water w a s taken out o f a

.
,

s mall m etal ve ss el w ith a s poon and presented fo r s ipping .

The g o d wa s s upp o sed to c o n s ume t h e fo o d o r fea st up o n

it s aroma receiving at the end O f every m eal an o fi e r in g
,

o f betel fo r t h e s upp o sed clean s ing O f h is m o uth and ,

a spo o nful more o f w ater fo r a s ec o nd sipping .

“
F inally t h e prie st pr o stra t ed himself before t h e
i d o l an d terminate d t h e whole cerem o ny by putting
,

the god t o sleep fo r the day .

“
While he wa s g o ing th rough these ceremonial act s
he appeared t o be muttering text s and during the ,

wh o le service a B r a hman wa s s eated o n t h e ground

n o t far O ff who intoned porti o n s o f the tenth b o o k o f
,

the Bh a gavata pur a na descriptive o f t h e life o f K r ish

-
,

na reading fr o m a c o py o f t h e work placed befo re

,

him At the s ame time a band o f mu sician s o ut side

.

the temple played a di sc o rdant ac companiment wi t h

tom tom s fife s and drum s
-
, , .

“
I n t h e evening the process o f Wak ing un dressing ,

and redre ssing the image wa s repeated but without ,

bathing F lower s and fo o d were agai n o ffered prayer s

.
,

and text s were intoned a mu sical s ervice wa s per ,

” 1
formed and the id o l was put t o sleep o nce more .

1 B ra h . a nd H in .
, p . 144 .
39 2 T HE ANCI EN T B O OK S O F I ND I A .

from S iva the god o f destr u ction an d in the wh ole

, ,

dark multitude of person s wh o bear this name we ,

find represented go d s and demons men and devils , ,

warriors and prince s sages and commentators editors

, ,

and publisher s .

3d. That the light thrown upon the real life o f

the warrior who wa s afterwards deified by his admirers ,

reveals a very unscrupul o u s character .

4 th . That the re semblances t o the facts of C hris

tian history are very slight and evidently introdu ced
into H ind a literature in later time s .

5 th . That the effort to Show a sim ilarity between

two names of such entirely o pp o site significati o n a s
C hrist and Kri sh na is of very modern origin and r e ,

u d ia t e d by all s ch o lars
p .

6t h .
’
That the revelation of Krishna s character
which wa s made to Arj una is as far fr o m divine sym ,
~

metry as h is c o nduct w a s from decent morality .

7 th . Tha t th e idolatry o f the b oy thief t h e dis ,

honorable warri o r an d the licentious l e ve r is utterly

,

degrading to the people of I ndia .

8 th
. That t h e fairest e stimate Of any b o o k o r relig
i o n is a n examinati o n Of it s influence up o n the live s
o f men ,
and the w o r ship o f this d eity w ith h is s ix
teen th o u sand wive s h a s n o t elevated or improved the
m o ral s o f h is d ev o tee s I t is certain that mu ch o f the
.

p o llution and degradati o n a t tendan t upon Kri shna

w or s hip is utterly unfit fo r de s cripti o n .

F ar o ver and ab o ve the w o r ship of the H in d fi stand s

the ever living S o n o f G o d F r o m H is s t ainle ss life
-
.

and cruel cr o ss h a s been b o rn the h o pe o f the wo rld .

On e gl o ry lit sentence fr o m H is divine lips if liv ed

-
,
 K RI S HN A
. 39 3

out in the lives o f men bani shes forever the pages of

,

wrong and cruelty from the blo o d stained earth On e

-
.

touch o f H is hand h a s broken the cold seal of the

death angel and brought immortality to light through
the g o spel
.
’
On e mark of H is f o ot step left in earth s
tomb illumines its portals with the golden promise of
l ife
. On e word from H is lips will lead H is risen host
to the f o untain of living water s where the waves of
,

the beautiful river flow from the foot of the throne .

H e is the C aptain of o u r Salvation leading on

“
,

to victory ; H e is the “
Morning Star ”
,
shining in
brightne ss beyond the night ; H e is the “
Sun Of
R ighte ousness flooding with gol d en light t h e coming
”
,

age s .
 CH AP T E R XX I V
C ON C L U S I ON .

HIND U LI T ER AT U RE HI ND U I S M T E ACHING TH E

E P I C P O E M S —TH E P UR AN AS —V EDI C W O R S HI P B ET

TE R T H AN I DO L AT RY .

E have n owf oll o wed the principal line of H ind a

literature fr o m its earl iest beginning s in t h e
. hymns of the R ig veda
-
down t o the Pur a nas of the
Middle Ages H aving examined the liturgy of the Br a h
.

manas the mystical philosophy Of the U panishads an d

,

the legal c o de o f the H in d fi s ; having wandered thr o ugh

t h e tr o pical luxuriance o f their epic p o etry and the fan
cifu l c o s m o gonie s of their Pur a na s having studie d the
character o f their gods from the beginning o f their
myth o logy down to S iva and Krishna their mo s t ,

modern deitie s we are prepared t o a ppreciate not

,

o nly the beautie s of their l iterature but the relative ,

value Of their teachings .

'
H I N D II I S M .

The term H in d a ism is applied to the complex sys

tem of faith which characterizes the m o dern H ind a
th o ught an d which appear s t o be a uni o n of Br a h
,

mani sm and Bu ddhism ; o f thei s m an d p o lythei s m—a

sys tem which although influenced to a cer tai n extent
,

by a purer principle scruples n ot t o w o rship still the

,

39 4
39 6 THE ANCIEN T B OO K S O F INDI A .

when her rivers were l o w and famine was abroad in

t h e land ; then the clou d s were ga t hered in a dar k
can opy before the sun and showers were poured up o n
,

the thir sting earth while the so ns of the Southlan d

,

looked upward again and brought their offerings of

praise to I ndra the rain g o d
,
.

When the soft wind passed through the heated air

and came laden with the fragrant breat h o f the orange
and mango bl o ss om s they prai s ed the bright Maruts ,

“
the breeze s with their dappled steeds that bro u ght
healing unt o man .

When night came down and cooled t he fevered

landscape with h er gentle tou ch and ki ssed with her
,

0001 breath the burning br o w O f her wor s hiper then ,

he sang of Varu na the sk y g o d whose countless eyes

, ,

lo ok d own upon the deeds Of men .

When the sh adows o f n igh t fled a way before the

gray light o f morning the imaginative H in d fi dreame d
,

that the dawn w a s a beautif u l w o man wearing a robe

of silvery cloud an d a diadem o f tinted pearl When .

the crim son sunlight flushed the eastern sky he fancied

that her pure face w a s blushing beneath the kis s e s of
the god of day and U s has the goddess o f the m o rn
, ,

ing wearing her crown of golden light received h is

, ,

homage .

Thu s the early hymns of the Veda were chanted

prayer an d prai se and H in d fi i sm was brighte s t and
,

purest at it s fountain head But this s imple nature

.

worship multiplied itself in a th o u sand forms It .

w a s burdened w ith the liturgy a n d priestcraft o f the

Br ahman as the my stical teaching s Of the U panishad s
, ,

and the cruelty of the C ode of Manu Altars were .

 CO NCL U S ION . 39 7

stained with hu man blood and for t wo thou sand years

,

living women were burned upon the dead b o dies of

their h u sband s while innocent babes were thrown to
,

the sacred cr o codile s of the G ange s Beg inning with .

the a d oration Of the su n and stars H in d a ism sank ,

l o wer and l o wer until in the Pur a na s of m e d imva l times

even the c o ndu ct of Kri s hna is eul o gized and liceu ,

t io u sn e ss becomes a feature o f public worship .

TE A CHI NG S .

We have s ee n that the earliest h ymn s o f the R ig

veda are beautiful s o ng s o f prai se t o the fo rce s and
glorie s of nature which h o wever so on degenerate int o
, , ,

t h e rambling , weari so me liturgy o f th e Br a hmanas

w ith their burden o f prie s t ly rule and their cardinal
d o ctrine o f panthei s m which claim s that G o d is
,

everything and everything is G od ; that the gods

are n o uri shed by t h e f o o d which is Offered in s acri
fice and with o ut which their deities would peri s h with
.

hunger .

We have fou nd the U pani sh ad s t o be the doctrinal

p o rtion o f the Veda —a wildernes s o f my stical s pecula
ti o n w ith fanciful c o smog o nies and the o rie s concern
ing the origin of man The main o bj ect o f the
.

U pani shad s a ppears t o be the di s covery o f s ome method

o f e s caping from the endle ss r o und o f tran s migration

and o f re s ting in the arms o f Oblivi o n To thi s e n d is .

inculcated t h e virtue Of ab so lute inaction of body and

mind Man is taught that he mu st neither love nor
.

hate hope nor fear fo r the m o s t c o mplete m ental and

, ,

p hy s ical idlene s s the

,
utm o st freed o m from all emo
tion is the nearest a p proach to t h e heavenl y state of
,
39 8 TH E ANC IEN T B OO K S O F I ND I A .

complete and eternal u nco n sci o usness w hich is the ,

highest spiritu al ambiti o n Of H in d fi ism .

I t is claimed that he 4 t w o uld attain this per

fe ct e d state mu s t g o through S ix succe ss ive courses o f
penance each cour s e to be c o ntin u ed fo r t welve years
, ,

and that during these s eventy t w o years he mu st do -

ab s olutely n othing except t o meditate u pon Brahma .

I f he d o es n o t do this in t h e pre sent life he may

perform the necessary penance in s o me future condi
ti o n induced by tran smigrati o n .

Sir M o nier W illiams s peak s of t wo devotee s w hom

he sa w in I n dia t h e o n e at G aya and the o t her at
,

Benare s .The arm o f the fir s t w a s entirely withered

by ina ction while h is m o ti o nle s s fist wa s so tightly
,

clenched that the nail s were gr o wi n g through the

“
back o f h is hand The o ther l o o ked like a piece o f
.

s c ulpture s itting in a
, niche o f the Anna purna tem -

ple perfectly m o ti o nle s s and impa ss ive with naked

, ,

b o dy smeared all o ver w ith w hite a she s ma tted hair , ,

and t h e f o refinger o f the uprai sed hand p o inting to

the heaven t o w hich in imagination he seemed to be
”
already tran sporting him self .
1

The epic poem s o f I ndia the R a m ayana and the ,

Mah a bh a rata al so teach the phil o so phy o f self d is

-
,
-

ci li n e and m o r t ifica t i o n until a conditi o n o f complete

p
apathy is attained .

There is a c o n stant r o und of cerem o nie s sacrifices , ,

and oblati o n s There is the w o r ship o f m o nkeys a nd

.

s erpents o f bird s an d tiger s

,
o f elephan ts and parrots , ,

of the turtle the cr o c o dile and a mul t itude o f o ther

, ,

ani mals as well as tree s plant s and st o ne s I n d eed

, , ,
.
,

l Bra h , a nd H in .
, p . 87 .
4 00 TH E ANCIEN T B OO KS OE IND I A
.

rendered through thousand s of inferior god s ; through

the gho s t s of dead ancestors ; thr o ugh living her o e s ,

animals and plants ; thr o ugh mountain s and st o ne s ;

,

through the stars of heaven or the painted idols of

earth . H ence he assert s that whenever any o n e of
,

the million s of god s i n the H in d fi panthe o n i s pro

p i t i a t e d by sacrifice o r oblati o n s t h e Supreme L ord, is
“
gratified But in stead O f believing
. that there i s o n e
”
m ediator between G o d and man he h o lds that there ,

are thousand s nay milli o n s of m ediato r s any o n e o f

, , , ,

which m a y be a tiger o r a co w a fish or a s erpent a , ,

croc o dile or a bab o on .

‘
The early Vedic w o r shiper paid h is h o mage t o t h e
su n and moon bu t the m o dern H ind a a d o res the
,

cr o co d ile which hi d es amid s t the w eed s of the G ange s

, .

H o w i s the mind o f the wor s hiper fallen when , ,

in s tead o f o ffering h is prai s e s t o the icy br o w o f the

H im alaya flu shed w ith t h e ray s o f the setting s u n
, ,

he bring s his o blat i o n t o t h e s erpent s that infe s t t h e

rock s at her feet ?

F ar better than modern idolatry wa s their primi t ive

w o rship o f m o u ntain and sto rm ; better than the co n
fu sed me d ley o f their creed s were the o bla t i o ns d own
by th e sh o re s o f t h e cre s ted sea ; better than warri o r
w o r ship ,
their s o ng s Of prai se t o the s tars that s weep
ar o und the m idnight thr o ne ; better than the id o l
temples of t O day were t h e s acred gr o ve s on the f o o t
-

hill s o f the H im a laya s w here th e g o l d en eagle cir cled

,

above the highe s t crag s and t h e g o d de s s o f the m o rn

,

ing w ith tinted r o be and cr o w n o f pearl smiled

, ,

down up o n her w o r s hiper .

 IN D EX .

A .
Ar y an i n a d e rs , n 2 33 ; m t h s , 48 ; y
Ab ra h a m , 6 15 7 4 7 9 r a ce , 24 , 2 9, 48 , 4 9 , 64 , 1 60,
Achi ll es , 1 5 5 , 1 5 7
.
, , ,

. 2 79
Asc l e p ia s a cid a 2 2
.

Ad a m 6 . .

Ad e lu n g 12
, ,

. As oka , a t r e e 24 1
Ad h y a t ma R a m a ya n a n 248
, , .

. Aso k a t h e C o ns t a nt ine o f B u d d h
Ad it y a 1 0 32 33 5 3 1 2 2
, ,

ism , n 1 2
v
.
, , , ,
.
,

fE O l u s , 5 1 . As a -m e d h a , 44 , 1 5 9 , 1 64 , 2 06 ,

Ag ni 1 0 30 63 69 9 6 1 1 6 1 32 314 , 32 6
v p
, .

y
, , , , , ,

2 6 1 ; h m n t o 31 . k
As a - a t i, ing o f K e k a y a , 32 7 .

pu
,

Ag ni- r a n a , 368 As va t t h a m a n, 309

v
.

yk
.

Ait a r e y a Ar a n a a , n 1 33 . As in s, 1 7 0 .

Ait a r e y a B r a h m a n a , 7 6, 7 9 , 109 At e r g a t is , Sy
r ia n g o d d e s s n 55
v
.
,

Ai t a r e ya U a n ish a d , 109 . At h a r va - e d a 1 0 5 3 .

kb
, ,

A a r, n 3 At h e n s , 35 .

lx
A e a n d e r n 1 2 , 13 At ma n 1 34, n 39 9
l
.
, ,

A e xa n d r ia , 11 . At r i , t h e sa g e , 2 1 6
v
.

ll p
A a h U a n is h a d , 1 01 A a t a rs , 5 7 .

y y
.

y
Am e t h s t 2 8 A od h a ( Ou d e ), 1 5 5 161 e t s eq
v
. , , .
,

Am su m a t i r i e r , 37 7 .

l y b y
An a o g , e t we e n m th s , h a s C p .

I I, I II . l
Ba a , n 100 .

uy
An a s a , w i fe o f At r i 2 16 b
Ba e r n 300
b k
.
, .

byl
,

Ancie n t o o s, 1 , 2 , 12 1 5 Ba o n , 80
l byl l
. .
,

Ang a d a , so n o f B a i, 2 35 Ba o n ia n e g e n d , n 5 5
l
.

u
.

An im a s, cr ea t io n o f, 1 31 , 1 35 Ba cch s, 2 2
l v
.

137 . B a a - d e a , 368
l l
.

An i m a sa cr ifice s , 44 , 7 6, 9 5 B a a - r a m a , 5 6, 31 7 , 38 0, 388
b
.

l
.

k
An a , o f Ar a ia , 58 . Ba d e r n 4 9 .

l
,

Ana n t a va t , 11 7 . Ba i , 5 6, 2 34 , 2 35 , 35 9
pu pl
.

An n a - m a t e m e , 39 8 B a u d dh a s , 360
lp l
. .

An te o e , in sa cr ifice , 9 6 . Be a , 4 .

Ar a n y a ka s , 7 4 1 01, 1 09 , . B e n a r e s, 373, 39 8 .

p
Ar im a s ia ns , 5 8 . Be n t in c k L
or d W m , 7 3
ju
. .
,

Ar n a , 2 8 3, 344 , 35 1 39 2 ; d e Bh a g a va d -g i t a , n 2 8 0, 2 8 1 304 ;
u p
, ,

scr i pt io n o f, 2 8 6 ; t r i m h O f, a g e o f 34 3 ; o r ig i n a t 344 ; e x
, ,

2 9 3 ; a t Dva ra k a , 32 0 f
t r a cts r o m , 34 4 , 34 6
bl v
.

pu
.

Ar u nd e lia n m a r e s 48 , . Bh a g a a ta - r a n a , 35 8 , 362 , 365 ,

Ar u n d h a t i , 90 . 38 5 , 39 0 .
4 02 I ND E X .

Bh a g i ra t h a 206 , .

B h a r a t a , 1 7 7 , cl seq a n 30 0 . C bul
pu
.
,

B h a vish y a r a n a , 369-
C ze sa r , n 2 9 6 . .

Bh i m a , 2 83 2 9 3, 301, 323 , C a it r a m o nt h o f, 1 75 .
, .

B h i sh m a , 299 , 300, 308 , 314 , 365 C a r a , 168 , 365 . k

p l y Clu
.

B h o g a va ti , ca it a o f s er e nt cit , a c tt a 6, 68 , 2 8 1 , 37 8
’
p
l v
.
,

2 23 . C a m a l a ta o e s cr e e e r , n 2 8 , p
j j
,

B h fi s , sa cred in ter ect ion 1 1 14 9 , . .

B h fiva s , sa cr ed I n t e r e ct io n , 1 1 C a m a sa n e , n 55 .

bl
B i e , 6, n 1 5 8 a st e , 2 1, 85 8 7 ;
. s ins a g a ins t C
bl
, ,

B i io t h e ca In d ica , 1 09 , n 1 1 0 1 45 .

M
.

Bla va t z sky , a d a m e n 383 a ca sia n m o u nt a i n s, n 5 7 . C u

b
,

Cl
.

B irt h s , nu m e r of, 1 44 e t ic n 29
v ly
. .
,

Bo a r , h e a e n , 1 18 , 12 7 e r e r s 35 . C b u
y
.

B od , wit h ou t 1 1 3, 1 1 9 e r e m o n i e s , 7 6, 7 8 , 84 , 88 , 9 7. C
y
,

B o se s , 7 1
' r de n O f 74 9 0 9 7 ; f n e ra bu u l
v
.

p y l
, , , ,

B ra h m a , ra e r , 4 1 ; u n i e rs a 84 ; m a r ria g e 84 , 8 9 , .

p
s i r it , 5 2 , 1 1 4 , 1 15 , 1 20 , 13 ,
1 n ere s , 5 0, 5 1 C
C yl
.

399 e o n , 2 2 3, 237 , 2 50, 364 .

C l
.

B r a h m a , cre a to r , 1 0 2 2 , 50, 5 1 , h a d e a n s , n 1 00 , .

5 2 85 , 1 34 ; d a y o f, 1 2 3 ; d e sce n t C h a l va , i ng o f, 330 k .

l
,

o f a n i m a s fro m , 135 ; d e a t h o f, h a m o l l io n, n 35 C .

1 1 5 124 . C h a n o g a U a n ish a d , 101 1 24 y p

S p Sp
, , ,

Bra h m a n , u re me irit 1 34 , 14 1 361 e xt ra ct fr o m 1 04 , 12 1 , , , ,

1 4 7 ; fe e t o f, 1 16 37 8 . .

B r a h m a n s, p
rie sts , 5 , 8 4 1 , 4 2 , C h il d , g o d en , 18 2 7 ; h mn to , , l , y
5 6 7 4 , 8 5 , 8 8 ; d i vin e rig h t o f
,
l8 .

7 5 , 84 , 86, 97 h i na , 1 4 80: d ra g o n o f 5 8
. C .

V
, ,

B r a h m a na s , a rt o f t h e ed a 8, p
h i s fro m a e r m a n W o r sh o , C p G k p ,

1 1 , 5 4 , 7 4 7 8 , 1 01, 1 13, 39 6 ,
n 6, n 1 3, n 1 5 n 1 9 , n 2 9 .
, .

B r a h m a n a e ri o d , 1 4 p h r is t 38 3 38 7 . C , ,
.

B ra h m a n i , 2 1 6 h ri st ia n e ra 5 4 , 92 , 15 8 , 378 C
pu
.
, ,

Br a h m a - r a n a , 35 8 38 2 383 .

y bl
.
,

B r a h m a va i va r t a , 369 38 5
- h r ist ia n h is to r , r ese m a n ce s t o , . C
B r ah m a n is m , n 9 ; o r i g in o f, 7 5 383, 38 5 , 392
y
.

ul y y C
,

8 6 ; fo r m a t io n o f, 1 4 ; t r a nn h rist ia nit , 62 , 9 2 .

o f, 8 5 92 h r ist ia n s r ia n 62 C Sy
l y
, .
, .
,

B r a h m a nism a n d H in d u ism , n 1 5 , h ro no o g , 15 8 , 2 7 7 , 356 C .

n 17 , n 390, n 39 8 C it ra - uta , 2 14 2 62 2 66, 268 ;

. k
l pl
, ,

B r a h m a n ica co m i e r s , 2 77 , 2 8 2 d escr i t io n o f, 2 08 p
lb k
.

B r a h m a n d a u r a n a , 37 4 -
p
C o e r oo , H T , 3 67 , 367 . . . .

C l
,

B r id g e , o cea n , 250 o l i n s , R ich a rd , 11 316, 34 3, 386

u
. .

B r ig h u 8 5 o nf uci s 1 4 C .

y
,

y
.
,

B r a n t , 361 o sm o g o n 59 ; H ind u, 12 1 C
u M
.
, ,

B d d h a , 14 , 5 6 1 2 2 , 12 8 ; o sa ic, 1 2 9
u p y
. .

B dd h is m , 1 01 , 35 4 o s m og r a h , 1 2 6 . C .

kl y
B u c e , 48 o s m o s 128 , n 1 29 C .

C u l
.

u by J
,

B sh ,
H , 68 . o n ci s o f w a r 2 9 6
. .
, .

B ii h l e r , 4 C o w , s a cre d , 23, 7 6, 9 5 .

u ll P
.

B rr D r 34 3
, . ,
o we , . rof E B 4 , n 1 10, n C . . .

38 6 .
4 04 I NDEX .

u
Ga r da ir d
’
V is h n u s
5 7 , 58 b H e nr y th
E ig h t h , n 266 e .

ul
, ,

165 , 1 68 2 5 2 H erc e s , 2 54 .

u pu
, .

Ga r d a r a n a , 37 4
-
H e r m it , 1 8 0, 1 9 6, 2 16
’
. .

G e n es is 1 2 8 . H e r m i t s s o n , d ea t h o f, 1 9 7 , 2 00 .

y
,

G e r m a n , 6, 1 0 5 . H or m b d n 4 9 .

u
,

G erd, 49 H e r o d o t s, 4 8 .

j
,

G ir a v-ra a 1 85 H es io d , 34 n 60
l v
.
, .
,

G o d s, co n c a e o f 1 65 , n 2 33 H e s t i a , 30
v
. .

y
,

G o d a va r i r i er , 2 18 H e ne , n 4 8
G l k l
. .

o o a , 37 0 . H ie r o O is , n 5 5 .

G p l
o a a , 35 9 H im a a a s 1 , 7 1 5 3, 22 3 y
v
. ,
, .

G o p a s , 37 0 H i m a a t 206, 32 2
v
. .
,

G o g r a , r i e r , 1 61 . H in d u, d e it ie s, 62 , 64 , 2 66 ; t h e
G p
o i s , 35 8 , 37 0 l y
o o g , 1 4 6, n 337 ; l a w , 8 4 , cl
v
.

G pl
o s e s , re s e m a n ce s t o , 364 bl . l
seq; i t era t u r e , di i s io n s o f, 8 ,
.

G o sa i n s , 37 2 38 5 , . 7 4 , 9 9 15 2 ; s cr i t ur es , 1 2 ; w o
, p
G ota ma , 40 . m e n 9 1, 2 7 5 , .

G r ea t W a r 2 7 3, 2 8 3 ; re a ra p p H in d uis m 394 39 6 , .

y
, ,

t io n s for , 300 . H is t o r o f I nd ia 11 2 35 : o f S a n ,

l u
,

G k
r ee , n 29 . s kr it it e ra t r e It 1 2 , n 1 3 n , ,

G r e e ce g o d s o f, 4 3, 4 5 , 4 7 50,
, , 14 , n 19 .

2 53 H o m e r , 7 , 4 8 , 1 5 8 , 27 7 , 2 7 8 .

l u bl
.

G r e cia n a ws , 1 4 H m o d t , B a ro n Vo n, 1 28
v ly
. .

G r iffi n o f ch i a r 58 , .

G riffi th s 4 , n 1 63 .
I .

l y
,

G rote , 4 8 Id o a t r , 1 7 , 2 6, 4 00
G v
. .

r o es s a cr e d , 1 , 1 5 , 1 0 0 I ia d , 36, 44 4 7 , 4 8 , 2 78 , . l
Gu
, ,

ta ki n 3 6 0 35 7
p . .

G uj a r a t, Inca r na t io ns o f ish n , 1 5 9 V u .

Ind ia , 1 .

H Ind ia n e ics 9 , 15 2 p .

u
,

H a n m a n, 2 33, 2 36, n 305 ; i a Ind r a , 2 4 , 29 , 4 2 5 4 , 64 , 396 ;

y
,

t e r vie w wit h i t a , 24 3 ; ca t re S
h m n t o , 2 5 , 4 6 ; h o r ses o f, 4 7 , pu
o f, 244 48
v
. .

H a m a sa , fla m i ng o , 1 17 I nd r a j i t so n o f R a a na , 2 52 .
, .

H a r d wic , n 2 7 9 k I nd ra - ra st h a 2 88. p , .

H a r i 131 . I n scr i ti o n s, 1 4 p
p l
.
,

H a r is ca nd ra , i n g , 7 9 k
I nt e r o a t io ns , 1 5 9 , 2 7 9 , 2 00, n .

H a r i- va nsa , 35 8 2 9 7 , n 302 , 34 3, 384

.

p
H a s t i n a u r , a n cie nt D e hi, 2 8 3 Isa U a n is h a d , 1 1 2 l .

H a ng P
r of , n 7 7 , n 7 9 I s lo r 111 -

v l l
. . .
,

H e a e n o f B r a h m a , 1 4 7 , 165 ; o f Isr a e , chi d ren o f, n 1 00 .

I n d r a , 148 ; t e m o r a r , 1 4 6 ; o f p y
V i h n u , 1 49 ; i nh a ita n t s o f, J b
s
.

15 a co i, 4 J b .

b
H e r e ws , 1 4 Ja co ll i o t M , 35 6
. . .

J
,

H e cto r , 1 5 7 a g a n - n a t h , 358 35 9 , 388

pl
. .

J
,

H e! , a ce o f t h e d e a d , 4 9 a m b a va t i, 364 .

ll b J j
.

H e s , n u m er o f, 14 9 , 366 ; v a a na a r a a , 1 69 k
J u
.
,

r ie t y o f, 1 50 a na a , d a g h t e r o f, 1 7 0 k .

l J
.

H e e n , 1 55 . a nu s , 5 1, n 5 5 .
 IND EX . 4 05

Jpa 58
a ne se , K r is h n a Dva ip a y a n a 35 4 37 7
J p h th 1 1
.
, .
,

a e , . K r is h n a - m is r a , 37 8
J m i 15 4
.

e s sa ne , K r is h n a t a r ka l a n k a r a 37 8
-

v
.
.
,

J b 12 8
o K r is h n a - a r m a , 37 9
J lly 4
, .

y
.

o . K s h a t r i a , 5 6, 8 6, 8 7 , 9 0, 96 -

J
, .

S i W m 3 6 12
o ne s , r .
, , , , 9 4 , 1 12 , K a r a 2 83 .

u
,

35 5 K r m a , t o r t o i se , 5 5 5 9
J v 2 9 4 3 44 4 5
.

u u
, .

o e, K r ma r a n a , 37 3
Ju m i v 288 379
, , , . .

na r e r, , . K u r u ks e t r a , 300
-

u
.

K s a , s o n o f R a m a 2 67 2 68
u
.
, ,

K .
K s a o r sa cre d g r a s s, 77 96, 11 8
j
, ,

Ka ike y i w ife o f ra a , 1 7 7 , e t s eq 2 18
l
,

uv l
. .

K a i, K e r a , g o d o f wea t h 166, 1 84 ,
lp p
,

Ka a , e r io d o f t i m e , 12 6 1 34 , , 2 63 .

15 1, 37 2
l v
.

K a ma g o d o f o e , 5 1
, .
L
K a n sa , k
i ng , 362 380, 385 L a k s h m a n a 1 68
v
, .

Lk V u
.
,

Ka n a , 75 a sh m i , w ife o f is h n 14 9 ,
pl
.
,

K a i a , sa g e , 206 37 0 .

M
.

K a r n a , 2 99 , 311 L a n l e is , A 35 7
ky
. . .

K a r t t i e a g o d o f wa r , 5 1
-
L a n a , 1 5 5 2 39 2 4 5 , 2 5 1
bk l L
, , , . .

K a s h in a t h Tr i m a Te a ng , 1 5 8 P
a sse n, r o f , 2 7 9 344 , 37 5
L
. .
,

2 80, n 344 a t in 1 1 , n 2 9 .

L
.
,

K as l 37 3 p
a t in o e t s, n 35
L v
. .
,

K a t h a U a n is h a d 1 06 p a a , s o n o f R a m a , 2 67
u v
.
,

L
.

K a ra a s 2 7 4 2 8 3 304 e g ge 4
u
,

L
, , .
,
.

K a u s a l y a q e e n , 1 68 1 8 6 e i t n e r , Dr 38 7
xl
, .

L
.
,

K a u sh i ta ki b r a h m a n a U a nis h a d -
p ife i n e i e , 2 10 2 15 , 2 18
L pu
, .

1 10 . i ng a - r a n a , 37 2 .

K e ka y a , in g o f, 327 k . Lko i , n o r t h e r n g o d o f fir e , 4 9 .

p
K e na U a n is h a d , 1 05 L o r i n se r , Dr 344 .

u
.

K e r ke s o f t h e T u r s , 5 8 , 37 5 k L o ve co nq e r s d ea t h , 334 , 34 0
Lu u
.
,

K h a nd a 1 0 cr e t i s , n 360 .

Ly ju bl
, .

K h a n d a s e r io d , 1 5 p . in g s t i fia e , 92 , 1 8 1 .

K h a u d o g y a , n 1 01 .

K ha r a , b
r o t h e r o f S a r a na a 3 p -
k M
2 2 1 , e t s eq . M k a c e n z ie , C ll in o , 3 .

k
K i n s u a t r e e , 2 09 , 312
, . M a d h wa co m m e n t a t o r , 137 , 138
, .

K ir n i 5 8 M a d h wa ch a r ya , 35 6 .

lp
, .

K a ro t h , 11 M a g a d h a 364 .

M b
. ,

K o sa l a , r a j ,
a ha -
h a r a t a , 5 , 9 , 13, 14 , 5 3
K r is h n a , 2 79 5 5 , 83, 1 5 2 , 1 5 5 , 2 7 2 , 32 5 , 34 2
b
37 6 ; ir th o f 362 37 1 ; w i e s o f, v 35 4 , 35 7 , 362 , 37 8 ; a g e o f, 2 7 8
l
, ,

n 320, 364 ; d e s cr i t io n Of 34 2 , p d e r i va t io n o f, 2 7 2 h is t o r ica va l

l l l
,

34 9 ; se f a d u a t io n o f, 34 8 ; -
u e o f, 2 7 3, 2 7 5 ; r e ig io n o f , 2 7 5 ;

p
w o r sh i o f, 387 d e a th o f, 31 9 , sa n ct it y
o f, 2 7 4 , 2 7 6 ; t r a n s l a
365 , 38 1 t io n o f, 2 80; e g e n ds o f, 28 3, l
u
.

K r i sh n a B a h a d r , 37 8 . 304 .

K r i sh n a , a R is h i o f An g ir a 37 7 M a h a d e s 35 8
v
.

M
.
, ,

K r is h n a , s o n o f De va k i pu t r a , 37 8 a h a de a , 53
-
.

K r i sh na Dr a u p a d i , 37 7 , 37 9 . M a g h a ve n , 7 5 .
 06 I N DEx .

M hra a tta, n 300 . of P er i 29 ; o f o rt h er n Eu

s a N
l
,

M a n, o r ig in o f, 1 31 . r op
e, 29 45 48 , 4 9 , 5 8 ; o f a t e r
u
, ,

M a n, r e co n st r ct io n O f , 1 34 H i n d u w o r s, 5 0; R o m a n , n 5 5 k
Ma v
. .

na a s , a s ch o o o f B r a h m a ns , l
84 N .

v
.

M a n d a k in i r i e r , 2 09 . N a ciketa s 1 07 .

M l
,

a n d a a , 1 39 . N a g a s, s er e n t p d e m o n s , 1 24 , n
M u
a n d a ra m o n t a in , 5 9 , 238 . 2 2 4 , 34 9
M V
.

p
a ntra , o r ti o n o f eda , 8 , 1 1 k ul
N a a 2 83
M x
.

Na l a m onk e y g e ne r a l
,

a n t r a s t e t s , 69 , 8 4 , 9 8 . 250 .

M u
, ,

a n , 10, 1 4 , 8 1 , 8 5 Na n d i g r a m a 2 15
-

’
. .
,

M a n n s co d e , 8 3, 8 4 , 5 2 , 54 , 1 4 5 N a r a d a , 330, 331
ll b l y
.

362 ; infa i i it o f, 9 8 ; d a t e o f N a r a sin h a , 5 5

-

v y
.

uly
8 4 , 1 39 ; cr e t o f 9 3, 9 4 . N e ct a r , re co e r o f 5 9 , .

M V
,

p
a n u scr i t s , 3 ; e d ic, 1 3 fo r g e d , p
N e t u n e , 34 , 35 4 9 .

l J
,

6 . N ich o so n oh n, 2 7 7 ,
.

M a r ka n d e y a ‘p u r an a , 367 . N id h o g g , s e r e n t , n 5 8 p .

M a r r ia g e , ch i d , 2 6 ; o f a B ra h l N ig h t scen e , 310 .

m a n , 88 ; o f R a m a a nd i t a , 17 1 S y p
N m h s , ce e stia 14 7 l l
S v
.
,

o f S a t y a v a n a nd a it r i , 332 .

M a rs , 4 9 , 5 1 .
0 .

M a rs h m a n , 7 3 . C a n ne s n 5 5 .

M u
,

a r t s s t o r m g o d s , 23, 30, 39 , 5 4 , Od in , 4 5
y y y
, .

39 6 ; h mn to , 39 . Od s se , 36, 2 7 8 , n 29 3, n 32 1
M
.

a s s ie , D r , 7 0 . . ( E g ir , 4 9 .

M l
a t a i, 2 5 6 . l b
O d e n e rg , 4
M yll bl
.

a t h u ra , 37 9 . Om , s a cr e d s a e , 67 ,
M y
a t s a , fi sh , 5 5 . n 34 9 , 37 2
M y pu
.

a ts a - r a n a , 37 4 . Ome n s , 9 6, 31 7 318 .

M l u l
,

e n e a s 1 55 Or ie n t a ist s , 3 1 5 , 7 2 , 1 5 9 .

M
,

u
. ,

e r cu r 51 O d e , 1 61
M xu v
. .

er u , o n u t , 1 2 6, 1 4 8 , 32 1 . O s r i e r 39 5 .

M py
,

e t e m s ch osis , 26, 1 1 0 1 39 .

M l
,

id d e Ag e s, 1 1 5 1, 2 8 9 .
P .

M ll P a d a t x t n 37 6
,

i , D r , n 1 00 . e
Ml
, ,
. .

i m a n , De a n , 2 8 1 . Pa d m a p uran a 353 -
35 9 385 ,
M v
, , ,

in e r a , 5 1 . 38 8
M bl k
.

it fo r d , 14 , 4 8 . Pa g oda , a c , 358
P l v
.

M it h il a , 1 7 0 . a h a i , 38 3
M
.

it r a 2 3 24 , 32 , 34 , 7 8 , 395 P l
a m e r, 4
v
. .

M
, ,

o h a m m e d a n i n a s io n , 37 1 lk
Pa m a a e , 2 32
M ky v
. .

o n e s , 1 37 , 1 68 , 2 4 8 , 2 5 0 2 62 Pa n a a s , 2 7 4 ,
M k y xp
,

on e e e d i t io n 2 4 8 . Pa n d i t s , o r H in d u r o fe s s o r s , 3 p
M
, ,

o n o t h e is m , 1 9 , 2 1 . 5 , 6, 60 .

Mu ir , D r H 38 n 5 3 2 8 1 , n 38 9
.
, , ,
. Pan d , 2 83 u .

M ii ll er , r of P
M a x, 2 , 3, 4 5 , 7 , .
, P p
a n i a t , n 300 .

12 , 11 1 9 , 1 01 , 1 02 , 1 12 Pa n t ae n u s , 383 .

n 2 80, 34 3 38 6, n 38 9 . Pa n t h e ism , 19 , 2 1 1 1 4 , 1 25 , 1 37 ,
Mu l x
, ,

t i a t e d t e t , 67 . 35 5 , 361
My l y V
.

t h o o g o f e d a s , 2 8 ; o f r e e ce , G P u
a r a s -r a m a 56
yp P j
.
,

30, 35 , 4 8 5 1 ; o f Eg , t , n 35 ; a r i at a, 5 9 .
4 08 I N DEx .

S h it 4 37 6
an a , , n . 23 ; u ice , 2 3, 24 , 4 0 9 9 ; t h e j
pl
,

S k A a y 109 35 6
a n a ra c r a, ,
m o o n , n 2 2 14 2 ; a nt 22 .

S a k h y p h il p h y 138 360
.

Sp l
, ,

n a o so , ,
n o h oc e s , n 35 .

S ul l y
,

366 367 , . o , i
m m o r t a it o f 1 08 , 1 4 6
S k it l g g 2 5 1 1 12 S ul
.
,

a ns r a n u a e, , , , o , o f t h e w ic e d , 14 6 k
S ul ul
.

1 3 68, o , of t
h e fa i t h f , 14 7 .

S k it h l 67 7 4 101 Sp
.

a ns r sc o a rs , ir i t , d est in a t io n o f 1 1 3, 14 1 .

S k it l it t
, ,

S u l l
, .

a ns r 1 6 9 7 1 52
e r a ur e , , q ir r e o f Yg g dra si , n 5 8
, .

1 5 5 35 2 35 4 . S r ad d h a , 1 72
S h w if f Abr h m 6
, , .

a ra e o a a S N , 60
v
, . .

S m a 36 9 7
,

a ra S r i B h a g a a t a , 366
S v t i g dd v v l
.
, ,

a ra s a f po h 51
e ss o s ee c , S r ut i, d i in e r e ea e d now ly k l
S y u i v 1 61
.
,

a ra r er e d g e , 9 8 , 1 01 , 113
.

S v
, .

S a tr
s 2 00 2 4 5
a, . te e n so n , 1 5
S t p th b a hm
, .

a a a a 54 5 5 8 1
r a na ,
-
, , S t H il ia r e , 1 5
S y
. .

83 1 4 0 2 9 6
, , . t o m a h m n , 1 09 .

S a t r u -g h u a , 1 68 2 12 , 268 S u b h a d r a , s is te r o f K r ish n a , 38 8
. .

S u
,

a t r n , 30 . S fi d ra , 2 2 ,
S y
a t a firs t a g e 5 6 , S ug r i va , 1 38 , 2 04 , 2 32 2 62 ; s to r , y
ll
, .

S a t y a k a m a , 1 16, 11 7 o f, 2 34 : i n s t a . a t io n o f, 2 35 .

S a t y a v a n , r ince , 32 6 p S u m a n t r a , co n se o r , 1 7 6 u l
v
. .

S a it r i p
r i n cess , 32 6 ; a s a cre d S u m it r a 1 68
x y
, , .

t e t , 7 0, 9 3 . S u n a h s e p a , s t o r o f, 7 9 .

S y
a a n a , n 23, 109 , u 37 6 reme e in g , 5 3, 64 Su p b
S b S b
. .

p
cr i t ur e s , H e r e w 2 , 5 a ra h i, s a cr e d co w , 5 9
, . .

S e a , g od d e ss o f 1 5 4 , 2 4 9 , S ur p a - n a h a , 2 19 k .

lk
.

S e a o f m i , 1 26 1 61 , 1 67 , 1 68 S h r y a , 2 0, 30 32 . .

Sl
. ,

e f, h ig h e s t , 1 1 4 133, 1 36 S ur y a s h kta , 9 0 . .

S l u S
,

e m it ic a ng a g e s , 1 3 ut r a , 7 4 .

S
.

e m it ic r a ce s , 1 9 S fi t r a e r iod , 1 3 14
. p . .

p
S e s h a , s e r e n t , 64 , n 22 4 , 363 S fi t r a k a ra s , 6
S l y y S v
.

i m i a r it o f m t h s , 28 , 2 9 , 31 u t t ee , 66 ; d isg r a ce o f a o id in g ,

7 0; e o g o f, 7 1 ; i n sta n ce o f ul y
S P
im u r g h , o f e r s ia n m t h o o g , y
e sca e fr o m , 7 0; n o t ta g h t i n l y p u
57 R ig - e d a 66, 7 0 7 2 v .

Sv
. ,

upl j
,

S is - a a , 365 a r , sa cre d i nt e r e ct io n , 1 1
v
. .

S p
i t a , 1 5 5 , 1 7 0;
“

e t it io n o f, 1 91 ; S va y a m - a r a , 2 8 9
b
.

a d uct io n o f, 2 2 6 ; se a r ch fo r S ve t a s va t a r a U a nis h a d , 1 1 9 p .

pl
2 30, 2 36 ; r e ie s t o H a n m a n , S ve t a , 62 u
v
.

pl
2 4 3 ; r e ies t o R a a n a , 2 2 8 , r ia n g o d d e s s , n 5 5 Sy
v
.

l
2 4 2 ; t r ia a n d in d ica t io n , 2 5 9 ;
b a n is h m e n t o f 2 65 ; s o ns o f T .

p u l u
,

2 67 ; d e a r t re o f 2 69 Ta m d , n 5 7 .

v
.

u
,

S i a , g o d o f d e st r ct io n , 39 , 4 2 , Ta r ta r us , i ng , 1 5 0 k .

5 0 5 1 , 5 2 , 5 4 , 61, 64 1 4 9 1 69 , Te s t a m e n t , O l d , 2 , 5 , 1 2 .

v
, , .

1 7 1, 2 9 1 , 35 4 366 ; r e ce i i ng Te s t a m e n t , n e w 5 .

u l u
. ,

t he G
a n g e s , 2 06 208 Te t o n ic a ng a g e , n 2 9
’ y
.

Sk pu
.
,

a nd a - r a n a , 37 2 , 37 5 Th eog o n , H e s io d s , 36
’
. .

Sl pe i ni r , O d i n s h o r s e , 4 8 Th e t is n 60
v ly
.

S
.
,

m r i t i 9 8 , 1 01 . Th ie i ng , e na t fo r , 9 4 p .

S y
,

o m a , t h e g od , 2 2 , 4 1 ; h m n t o , Th o r , 4 3, 4 5 , 48 .
 IND EX . 09

u
Th n a r ,
’
Sx a on , 43 V ayu i 10 2 3 5 1 a r,
V a yu t h g d 1 1 6
.
.
, ,

Tig e r s ki s n, s a cr e d , 18 2 3 13 ; e o .

by S iv V a yu p u a 368
, , ,

wo rn a 62 -
r na .

V d 1 5 8 1 6 ; tiqu t y f 5
.
, ,

To d a s n 2 9 6 . e a , , , an i o
11 ; d t i l p t i
,

u
, , ,

To r n a m e n t , 2 84 . f 99
oc r n a or on o .

Ved 9 14 36 4 2 1 7 7
,

p
Tr oo s , d is os it io n o f, 301, p 303 a s, .

Vd d Su tt
, , , ,

307 e as an 66 e e, .

V d a t 102 1 25 14 1 348 361

.

l
Tr a n s a to rs , 3 4 , . e n a , , , , , ,

r a u s m i g r a t io n , 34 6, 34 7 , 34 8 , 367 .

39 7 t r i e s st e m o f, 1 39 ;pl y da n V d i g 9 44 ; d it i 37 4 2
e c a e, , e es ,
hym
,

e r s o f 1 4 3 ; O f s i n n e rs , 14 6 ; 4 7 5 0; g 1 7 11
son s or ns ,
g ,

ul
, , ,

d iffic t ies o f, 14 2 1 3 15 2 9 4 6 4 8 5 0 1 5 5 1 62
u t h it y 8 69 7 2 ; l it t u
.
, , , , , , ,

Tr ia d , 5 1 , 5 2 a or , , e ra re

y
.
,

Tr o , 1 5 5 , 6, 16, 1 01 , 1 13 , 1 15 , 1 20,
l
Tu a s i d a s a , n 1 5 8 , 1 5 9 wo r sh i p , 4 00
V u
. .

Ty r , n o r t h e r n g od o f wa r , 4 9 en s, n 60 .

V tl
.

es a s, 31
b v
.

U . Vib h i s h a n a ,
ro t h e r Of Ra a na ,

U d g a t r i , r ies t , 103 p . 25 1 .

U d g it h a 1 02 , 103, 104 Vid u r a , 2 8 5 .

V u lk
.

ly
,

U ss e s , 5 1 , n 2 9 3, n 32 1 . i n d , a e , 2 08 .

v
U n i e rs it ie s 6 Vir a se co n d a r cr e a t o r , 2 2 , 1 2 3
j y
V
. , .
,

p
U a n is h a d s , 9 , 5 2 69 7 4 , 83, 9 3, k
ir a ta , ing , 2 9 6 29 7
v
.

V
, , ,

99 , 34 4 , 35 2 , 39 6 ; d e r i a t io n o f, is h n u , 2 8 , 5 0, 5 6, 5 7 5 9 , 64 , 8 1,
l
,

1 00; a g e o f, 1 01 ; m o n o t h e is m 35 1 35 4 ; s h ie d o f, 22 3 ; cr e a
,

o f, 1 14 ; t ea ch i ng o f, 1 13 12 1, by
t io n 1 2 7 ; a s the s reme up
u b
,

u
,

1 31 , 1 36, 1 40; n m e r o f, 1 00 .
g o d , 1 1 8 ; i n s t it t es o f, 1 5 0;
U rd ju
dg m ent h a , n 58 ll . i n ca r na t io ns o f 5 4 , .

V up
,

U r is sa , 37 3 . ish n - a r a n a 5 3 1 23, 1 2 7 , 135 , , ,

U s h a s , t h e d a w n , 2 6, 2 7 , 30 33 ,
14 9 , 35 9 , 367 , 38 3, 38 5 , 38 7 .

37 , 4 9 63, 396 . . Vo p a d e va , 367 .

U t ka l a , 35 8 j
Vr a a , 35 7
vl p
. .

Vr it r a , e i s i r i t , 4 3, 25 6
Vul
.

V ca n, 4 3, 44 .

Va h is h m a n a , 104
-
p a
a v . Vy a sa , 15 9 2 9 5 , 362 .

V y
,

a is a , 8 6, 8 7 .

Va j a s a ne y i U a n ish a d , 1 1 1 p W .

Vk
.

a a Da l b h y a , 10 4 . W a r co n ci o f, 2 9 6 u l
ul
, .

Va lla b h a , 35 6 . W a r fa r e r e s o f 302
b
.
, ,

Va l m i k a , 1 37 , 1 38 n 1 5 8 , 1 5 9 , ,
W e e r , P r o f , 62 1 40 .
, ,

2 66 2 69 ,
. 2 7 9 2 8 0, 34 4 , 383
, .

Va m a u a , d wa rf, 5 6 W est, 4
pu
.

l J
.

Va m a na r ana -
373 . W h ee er , Ta l b o y s , 5 , 15 , n 18 1 ,
V b b
.
,

a r a a , t he oa r, 54 55
, . n 2 35 , n 2 66, 2 8 1 , n 2 9 7 , 38 4
V pu y P f
.

a rab a t a ri s , 37 2
-
. W h it n e , ro W D , n 1 0, n 1 2 .

V u
. . .

a r n a , s k y g o d , 2 3, 2 4 , 30, 33 f
W i e , d ir e ct io ns fo r ch o os ing , 8 8 .

34 , 38 , 63, 64 , 7 8 , 39 6 . lf L u
W i or d , ie t , 5 , 35 5 . .

Va s is h t ha , sa g e , 1 7 6, 1 82 lk
W i in s , 1 59
v
.

u l M
.

Va s d e a , 363, 368
-
. W i li a m s , S ir o n ier , n 9 1 5 n
V u v
, ,

as d e a s , n ine , 11 37 8
-
. 1 7 , 60, 8 8 , 9 4 , 9 8 , 101 , 1 5 7 , 1 60,
Va su ki, se r p e n t , 5 9 2 2 3, n 2 2 4 , 34 9 , . 2 33, 2 7 9 , 2 8 1 , 34 3, 35 2 , 35 7 ,
4 10 INDEX .

y ul
7
3 9 n 38 3 , n 386, n 38 9 , 39 8 , n
,
a wa t h e so of S a t ya va n ,
3 99 336
’ S v
.

l b
.

W i so n , Pr of H H , 2 , 3, 4 , 1 5 Y a m a s o o n s t o a it r i 338
. . .
, , .

2 4 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 7 1, 7 3 1 37 , 2 8 1 , Y a s o d a , 363, 385
, .

35 7 , 360 Ye z eu s , 38 6
' ’
. .

l l
W i son s t r a ns a t io n, R -v S a n Y g g d r a si , 5 8 . l .

h it a , n 2 3, n 35 8 , n 37 6, 39 1 Y og a , 34 6, 366
v
. .

u
W i es, d tie s Of, 69, 7 7 90, 9 1, Y og in n 1 1 8 .

j u
, ,

96 Y o a n a , a m e a s re , 1 2 7 , 37 0
v
. .

W i e s o f K r ish n a , 320, 364 , 392 Y u d hi -sh i ira 283 29 6 ; co r o n a

v v
.

b
, ,

W i es o f R a a n a , 2 2 9 24 1, 2 5 7 t io n O f, 313 ; a d ica tion o f, 32 1 ,

.

pl
,

W oo d , 48 . i g r im a ge o f, 32 2 ; a sce n s io n
l
W or d , d e str uct io n o f, 1 2 3, 12 4 o f, 323 ; I n h e , 324 ; i n h ea e n
. ll v ,

32 5
bl b
.

Y Y u kh u sh , fa ed ir d o f t h e Ta l
.

v
Y a d a a s , 29 7 mu d , n 5 7 .

v up p u
.

Y a d a a s , d e s t r u ct io n o f, 31 7 Y a - o st , se d in sa cr i fice , 7 7 .

u v j
.

Y a d , n 386 Y u a -ra a , 1 74 , 235 .

v
.

Y a g u s, e rse s 1 1 ,
.

Y a m a , 35 , 64 , 1 07 , 1 5 0 .
z .

b
Y a m a , a o d e o f 36, 1 40; d o g s o f, Z e h r s , 5 1 p yu .

y b
.

35 , 37 ; h mn t o , 36 ; e a r in g Z or o a s te r , 14 .