The Religions of India: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris JastrowHopkins, Edward Washburn
Religion
The Religions of India: Handbooks on the History of Religions, Volume 1, Edited by Morris Jastrow
Hopkins, Edward Washburn
India -- Religion
[Footnote 9: The later law-books say expressly that women
and slaves have a right to use _mantra,
mantr[=a]dhik[=a]ri[n.]as._ But the later legal Smritis are
no more than disguised sectarian Pur[=a]nas.]
[Footnote 10: Compare the visit of the old Muni on the
prince in iii. 262. 8. He is _paramakopana_, 'extremely
irritable'; calls for food only to reject it; growls at the
service, etc. Everything must be done 'quickly' for him. "I
am hungry, give me food, _quick_," is his way of speaking,
etc. (12). The adjective is one applied to the All-gods,
_paramakrodhinas._]
[Footnote 11: Each spiritual teacher instructed high-caste
boys, in classes of four or five at most. In xii. 328. 41
the four students of a priest go on a strike because the
latter wants to take another pupil besides themselves and
his own son.]
[Footnote 12: The saints in the sky praise the combatants
(vii. 188. 41; viii. 15. 27); and the gods roar approval of
prowess "with roars like a lion's" (viii. 15. 33). Indra and
S[=u]rya and the Apsarasas cool off the heroes with heavenly
fans (_ib_. 90. 18). For the last divinities, see
Holtzmann's essays, ZDMG. xxxii. 290; xxxiii. 631.]
[Footnote 13: The original author of the Mah[=a]bh[=a]rata
is reputed to be of low caste, but the writers of the text
as it is to-day were sectarian priests. It was written down,
it is said, by Ganeça, 'lord of the troops' of Çiva, i. 1.
79, and some historic truth lies in the tale. The priests of
Çiva were the last to retouch the poem, as we think.]
[Footnote 14: Agni-worship is partly affected by the
doctrine that the Samvartaka fire (which destroys the world
at the cycle's end) is a form of Vishnu. In Stambamitra's
hymn it is said: "Thou, O Agni, art the all, in thee rests
the universe ... Sages know thee as single yet manifold. At
the expiration of time thou burnest up the three worlds,
after having created them. Thou art the originator and
support of all beings" (i. 232. 12). Elsewhere more Vedic
epithets are given, such as 'mouth of the gods' (ii. 31.
42), though here 'the Vedas are produced for Agni's sake.'
In this same prayer one reads, 'may Agni give me energy;
wind, give me breath; earth, give me strength; and water,
give me health' (45). Agni, as well as Çiva, is the father
of Kum[=a]ra K[=a]rtikeya, _i.e_., Skanda (_ib_. 44).]
[Footnote 15: But the Açvins are Ç[=u]dras In the 'cast-hood
of gods' (the caste-order being Angirasas, [=A]dityas,
Maruts and AÇvins), xii. 208. 23-25; and Indra in one
passage refuses to associate with them, xiii. 157. 17 (cited
by Holtzmann, ZDMG. xxxii. 321).]
[Footnote 16: Manibhadra, in iii. 64, is king of Yaksash; he
is the same with Kubera, _ib_. ch. 41 (V[=a]içinavana).]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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