The following pages are taken from the Forlong Bequest lectures whichI delivered in March last at the School of Oriental Studies. Owing toexigencies of space, much of what I then said has been omitted here,especially with regard to the worship of Śiva; but enough remains tomake clear my general view, which is that the religion of the Aryansof India was essentially a worship of spirits—sometimes spirits ofreal persons, sometimes imaginary spirits—and that, although in earlydays it provisionally found room for personifications of naturalforces, it could not digest them into Great Gods, and therefore theyhave either disappeared or, if surviving, remain as mere Struldbrugs.Thus I am a heretic in relation to both the Solar Theory and theVegetation Theory, as everyone must be who takes the trouble to studyHindu nature without prejudice.
L. D. B.
May 29, 1922.
| I. | The Vēdic Age: | |
| Popular Religion, p. 9—Ṛig-vēda and priestly religion, p.11—Dyaus-Zeus, p. 14—Ushās, p. 18—Sūrya, p. 19—Savitā, p.19—Mitra and Varuṇa, p. 19—Agni, p. 22—Sōma, p. 23—Indra, p.25—The Aśvins, p. 35—Vishṇu, p. 37—Rudra-Siva, p. 42—Summary, p.42. | ||
| II. | The Age of the Brāhmaṇas: | |
| Growth of Brahman influence in expanding Aryan society, p. 45—Systemof priestly doctrine: theory of Sacrifice and mechanical control ofnature thereby, p. 48—Its antinomianism: partly corrected by thegrowing cult of Rudra-Śiva, p. 53—The Upanishads: their relation tothe Brāhmaṇas, p. 59—Brahma the Absolute, p. 60—Karma-Saṃsāra, p.63—Results: Śaiva Theism, p. 65—Kṛishṇa: early history and legends,p. 66—Teachings, p. 68. | ||
| III. | The Epics, and Later: | |
I. The Great War and the Pāṇḍavas, p. 70—Vishṇu-Kṛishṇa, p.74—Nārāyaṇa, p. ... BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR! |