The Religions of India Part 23

He is about to be slain. Then Dogstail prays to 'the first of G.o.ds,'

the Father-G.o.d, for protection. But the Father-G.o.d tells him to pray to Agni, 'the nearest of the G.o.ds.' Agni sends him to another, and he to another, till at last, when the boy has prayed to all the G.o.ds, including the All-G.o.ds, his fetters drop off; Hariccandra's dropsy ceases, and all ends well.[72] Only, when the avaricious father demands his son back, he is refused, and Vicv[=a]mitra adopts the boy, even dispossessing his own protesting sons. For fifty of the latter agree to the exaltation of Dogstail; but fifty revolt, and are cursed by Vicv[=a]mitra, that their sons' sons should become barbarians, the Andhras, Pundras, cabaras, Pulindas, and M[=u]tibas, savage races (of this time), one of which can be located on the southeast coast. The conclusion, and the matter that follows close on this tale, is significant of the time, and of the priest's authority. For it is said that 'if a king hears this story he is made free of sin,' but he can hear it only from a priest, who is to be rewarded for telling it by a gift of one thousand cows, and other rich goods.

The matter following, to which we have alluded, is the use of sacrificial formulae to defeat the king's foes, the description of a royal inauguration, and, at this ceremony, the oath which the king has to swear ere the priest will anoint him (he is anointed with milk, honey, b.u.t.ter, and water, 'for water is immortality'): "I swear that thou mayst take from me whatever good works I do to the day of my death, together with my life and children, if ever I should do thee harm."[73]

When the priest is secretly told how he may ruin the king by a false invocation at the sacrifice, and the king is made to swear that if ever he hurts the priest the latter may rob him of earthly and heavenly felicity, the respective positions of the two, and the contrast between this era and that of the early hymns, become strikingly evident. It is not from such an age as this that one can explain the spirit of the Rig Veda.

The next selection is the famous story of the flood, which we translate literally in its older form.[74] The object of the legend in the Br[=a]hmana is to explain the importance of the Id[=a] (or Il[=a]) ceremony, which is identified with Id[=a], Manu's daughter.

"In the morning they brought water to Manu to wash with, even as they bring it to-day to wash hands with. While he was washing a fish came into his hands. The fish said, 'Keep me, and I will save thee.' 'What wilt thou save me from?' 'A flood will sweep away all creatures on earth. I will save thee from that.' 'How am I to keep thee?' 'As long as we are small,' said he (the fish), 'we are subject to much destruction; fish eats fish. Thou shalt keep me first in a jar. When I outgrow that, thou shalt dig a hole, and keep me in it. When I outgrow that, thou shalt take me down to the sea, for there I shall be beyond destruction.'

"It soon became a (great horned fish called a) _jhasha_, for this grows the largest, and then it said: 'The flood will come this summer (or in such a year). Look out for (or worship) me, and build a ship.

When the flood rises, enter into the ship, and I will save thee.'

After he had kept it he took it down to the sea. And the same summer (year) as the fish had told him he looked out for (or worshipped) the fish; and built a ship. And when the flood rose he entered into the ship. Then up swam the fish, and Manu tied the ship's rope to the horn of the fish; and thus he sailed swiftly up toward the mountain of the north. 'I have saved thee' said he (the fish). 'Fasten the ship to a tree. But let not the water leave thee stranded while thou art on the mountain (top). Descend slowly as the water goes down.' So he descended slowly, and that descent of the mountain of the north is called the 'Descent of Manu.' The flood then swept off all the creatures of the earth, and Manu here remained alone. Desirous of posterity, he worshipped and performed austerities. While he was performing a sacrifice, he offered up in the waters clarified b.u.t.ter, sour milk, whey and curds. Out of these in a year was produced a woman. She arose when she was solid, and clarified b.u.t.ter collected where she trod. Mitra and Varuna met her, and said: 'Who art thou?'

'Manu's daughter,' said she. 'Say ours,' said they. 'No,' said she; 'I am my father's.' They wanted part in her. She agreed to this, and she did not agree; but she went by them and came to Manu. Said Manu: 'Who art thou?' 'Thy daughter,' said she. 'How my daughter, glorious woman?' She said: 'Thou hast begotten me of the offering, which thou madest in the water, clarified b.u.t.ter, sour milk, whey, and curds. I am a blessing; use me at the sacrifice. If thou usest me at the sacrifice, thou shalt become rich in children and cattle. Whatever blessing thou invokest through me, all shall be granted to thee.' So he used her as the blessing in the middle of the sacrifice. For what is between the introductory and final offerings is the middle of the sacrifice. With her he went on worshipping and performing austerities, wishing for offspring. Through her he begot the race of men on earth, the race of Manu; and whatever the blessing he invoked through her, all was granted unto him.

"Now she is the same with the Id[=a] ceremony; and whoever, knowing this, performs sacrifice with the Id[=a], he begets the race that Manu generated; and whatever blessing he invokes through her, all is granted unto him."

There is one of the earliest _avatar_ stories in this tale. Later writers, of course, identify the fish with Brahm[=a] and with Vishnu.

In other early Br[=a]hmanas the _avatars_ of a G.o.d as a tortoise and a boar were known long before they were appropriated by the Vishnuites.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: In _[=A]it. Br_. I. 22, there is an unexplained ant.i.thesis of Rik, Yajus, S[=a]man, Veda, and Brahma; where the commentator takes Veda to be Atharva Veda. The priests, belonging respectively to the first three Vedas, are for the Rig Veda, the Hotar priest, who recites; for the S[=a]man, the Udg[=a]tar, 'the singer'; for the Y[=a]jus, the Adhvaryu, who attends to the erection of the altar, etc.

Compare Muller, ASL. p. 468.]

[Footnote 2: It is the only literature of its time except (an important exception) those fore-runners of later S[=u]tra and epic which one may suppose to be in process of formation long before they come to the front.]

[Footnote 3: There are several schools of this Veda, of which the chief are the V[=a]jasaneyi, or 'White Yajus,'

collection; the T[=a]ittir[=i]ya collection; and the M[=a]itr[=a]yan[=i] collection; the first named being the latest though the most popular, the last two being the foremost representatives of the 'Black Yajus.']

[Footnote 4: The different traits here recorded are given with many ill.u.s.trative examples by Schroeder, in his _Literatur und Cultur_, p. 90 ff.]

[Footnote 5: Compare Weber, _Ind. Streifen_, II. 197.]

[Footnote 6: Weber, _Lit_. p. 73.]

[Footnote 7: The _cata-patha Br[=a]hmana_ (or "Br[=a]mana of the hundred paths") II. 2. 2. 6; 4.3.14.]

[Footnote 8: The chief family priest, it is said in the _cat. Br_. II. 4. 4. 5, is a man of great influence.

Sometimes one priest becomes religious head of two clans (an extraordinary event, however; only one name is reported) and then how exalted is his position. Probably, as in the later age of the drama, the chief priest often at the same time practically prime minister. It is said in another part of the same book that although the whole earth is divine, yet it is the priest that makes holy the place of sacrifice (III. 1. 1. 4). In this period murder is defined as killing a priest; other cases are not called murder. Weber, _IS_. X.

66.]

[Footnote 9: Barth, _loc. cit._ p. 42.]

[Footnote 10: He has a.n.a.logy with Agni in being made of 'seven persons (males),' _cat. Br._ X. 2. 2. 1.]

[Footnote 11: Compare M[=a]it. S. IV. 2. 12, 'sons of Praj[=a]pati, Agni, V[=a]yu, S[=u]rya.']

[Footnote 12: _cat. Br._ I. 3. 4. 12; IV. 3. 5. 1.]

[Footnote 13: Interesting is the fact that only priests may eat sacrificial food and drink _soma_ at this period. When even the king should drink _soma_, he is made to drink some transubstantiated liquor which, the priests inform him, has been 'made into _soma_' for him by magic, for the latter is too holy for any warrior really to drink (VII. 19; VIII.

20). But in the more popular feasts there are indications that this rule is often broken. Compare Weber, _R[=a]jas[=u]ya_ p. 98.]

[Footnote 14: For the relations of the different castes at this period, see Weber, in the tenth volume of the _Indische Studien_.]

[Footnote 15: The Atharvan is not yet recognized as a Veda.]

[Footnote 16: And even the p.r.o.nunciation of a word or the accent is fateful. The famous G.o.dly example of this is where Tvashtar, the artificer, in anger misp.r.o.nounced _indra-catru_ as _indracatru,_ whereby the meaning was changed from 'conqueror of Indra' to 'Indra-conquered,' with unexpected result (_cat. Br._ I. 6. 3. 8; _T[=a]itt. S._ II.

4. 12. 1).]

[Footnote 17: The word is _a[.m]sala_, strong, or 'from the shoulder' (?). In III. 4. 1. 2 one cooks an ox or a goat for a very distinguished guest, as a sort of guest-sacrifice. So the guest is called 'cow-killer' (Weber, _Ved. Beitrage_, p.

36).]

[Footnote 18: Compare _ib_. I. 9. 1. 21, "let the priest not say 'guard me (or us),' but 'guard this worshipper (sacrificer),' for if he says 'me' he induces no blessing at all; the blessing is not for the priest, but for the sacrificer." In both pa.s.sages, most emphatically, _yajam[=a]nasy[=a]iva_, 'for the sacrificer alone.']

[Footnote 19: _Ya[.m] k[=a]ma[.m] k[=a]mayate so 'sm[=a]i k[=a]ma[h.] sam[r.]dhyate_.]

[Footnote 20: [=A]suri's name as a theologian is important, since the S[=a]nkhya philosophy is intimately connected with him; if this [=A]suri be not another man with the same name (compare Weber, _Lit_. p. 152).]

[Footnote 21: The regular sacrifices to the Manes are daily and monthly; funerals and 'faith-feasts,' _cr[=a]ddha_, are occasional additions.]

[Footnote 22: Each generation of Manes rises to a better (higher) state if the offerings continue. As a matter of ceremonial this means that the remoter generations of fathers are put indefinitely far off, while the immediate predecessors of a man are the real beneficiaries; they climb up to the sky on the offering.]

[Footnote 23: Compare _cat. Br_. i. 8. 1. 40; ii. 6. 1. 3, 7, 10, 42; ii. 4. 2. 24; v. 5. 4. 28.]

[Footnote 24: This pa.s.sage (_ib_. ii. 1. 2. 7) is preceded by a typical argument for setting up the fires under the Pleiades, the wives of the Great Bear stars. He may do or he may not do so--the reasons contradict each other, and all of them are incredibly silly.]

[Footnote 25: This last fee is not so common. For an oblation to S[=u]rya the fee is a white horse or a white bull; either of them representing the proper form of the sun (_cat. Br_. ii. 6. 3. 9); but another authority specifies twelve oxen and a plough (T[=a]itt. S. i. 8. 7).]

[Footnote 26: _cat. Br_. ii. 1. 1. 3; 2. 3. 28; iv. 3. 4.

14; 5. 1. 15; four kinds of fees, _ib_. iv. 3. 4. 6, 7, 24 ff. (Milk is also 'Agni's seed,' _ib_. ii. 2. 4. 15).]

[Footnote 27: Yet in _[=A]it. Br_. iii. 19, the priest is coolly informed how he may be able to slay his patron by making a little change in the invocations. Elsewhere such conduct is reprobated.]

[Footnote 28: For other covenants, see the epic (chapter on Hinduism).]

[Footnote 29: _cat. Br_. iii. 4. 2. 1 ff.; iii. 6. 2. 25; iv. 3. 3. 3; iv. 4.1.17; 6. 6. 3; 7. 6, etc.; iii. 8. 2. 27; 3. 26; _[=A]it. Br._. i. 24.]

[Footnote 30: _ib_. ii. 6. 2. 5. Here Rudra (compare civa and Hekate of the cross-roads) is said to go upon 'cross-roads'; so that his sacrifice is on cross-roads--one of the new teachings since the time of the Rig Veda. Rudra's sister, Ambik[=a], _ib_. 9, is another new creation, the genius of autumnal sickness.]

[Footnote 31: _cat. Br_. ii. 2. 1. 21. How much non-serious fancy there may be here it is difficult to determine. It seems impossible that such as follows can have been meant in earnest: "The sacrifice, _pray[=a]ja,_ is victory, _jaya_, because _yaja_ = _jaya_. With this knowledge one gets the victory over his rivals" (_ib_. i. 5. 3. 3, 10).]

[Footnote 32: Although Bhaga is here (_cat. Br_. i. 7. 4. 6-7, _endho bhagas_) interpreted as the Sun, he is evidently the same with Good Luck [Greek: typhlhos ghar ho elohhytos] or wealth.]

[Footnote 33: _cat. Br_. iii. 1. 2. 13 ff.; l. 1. 2. 18; iii. 6. 1. 8 ff.; ii. 5. 2. 1; iv. 2. 1. 11; iii. 4.4. 3 ff.; 2. 3. 6-12, 13-14; iv. 5. 5. 12; 1.3. 13 ff.; iii. 2.

4. 5-6; 3. 2. 8; 7. 1. 17; iv. 2. 5. 17; 4. 1. 15; i. 7. 4.