Men who knew nothing but the joys and sorrows of this short span of earthly life, and whose ideas and aspirations were all confined to that life, made a great advance when they were taught of an existence after death. When they further knew that life in Svarga was infinitely happier and far more lasting than what they called life on this earth, they made the beginning of a really spiritual life. The Vedic Devas are permanent dwellers in Svarga, and the Vedic Sacrifices establish communion with them by means of Apurva, a spiritual force generated by the performance of sacrifices, and life in Svarga becomes prolonged for a very very long period. People took time to understand this truth, but in time they accepted the performance of Vedic Sacrifices as the only religion for man. There was however a re-action. The intellectual giants, called Râkshasas, looked down upon Vedic Sacrifices, and they did not care for any life after death. They were the worst enemies of the Vedic Rishis. Vishvâmitra took the help of Râma in protecting the Rishis in the peaceful performance of Yajnas. But people had grown old in their ideas about Vedic sacrifices. The first seceders were some Kshatriyas. They did not understand why Vedic Sacrifices should be the monopoly of Brâhmanas, and they aspired to the position acquired by them. The foremost of these Kshatriyas were the Haihayas and Tâlajanghas. But they were defeated by Parashurama, who re-established the supremacy of the Brâhmanas. But a silent revolution was going on, in which the Kshatriyas and Brâhmanas equally took part. King Janaka and Rishi Yajnavalkya gave the finishing stroke to the Upanishad movement, and side by side with Karma Kânda grew up the Jnâna Kânda of the Vedas. Râma brought the two divisions of the Vedas into closer union, as he was himself the resting place of both. And as Vishnu himself, He became the object of Upâsanâ. The three Paths appeared, that of Karma, Bhakti and Jnâna. Vedic Sacrifices held their own, and a school grew up which accepted these as the highest Karma which man could perform. Another school, following the very old teachings of Kapila, dissected the transformable parts in man and discriminated the same from the non-transformable. A sister school followed up the teaching with practices in conformity to these, and taught how to concentrate the mind on the discriminated Atmâ. Another school confined itself to the properties of matter and mind, soul and oversoul, and remained wonder-struck at the superior properties that divided Jiva from Íshvara. Schools of independent thought grew up. Each school had its followers. There were differences and dissensions. There was disunion, self-sufficiency, pride, envy, jealousy and other evil traits of human character that thinks too much of itself. Every one followed his own faith and hated the follower of other faiths. This was the cycle of Shishupâla and Dantavakta.