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CHAPTER V.

THE ARGUMENT FROM HISTORY (continued).

III. THE HINDUS.

Importance of the Discovery of the Sanskrit. - View of the San

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- The UPAVEDAS. - The VEThese contain no History.

Severe Judgment upon the Sanskrit Literature by Missionaries. Reason for this. - Comparison between the Hindus and Greeks. — Origin of the Vedas. Their Contents.Their Antiquity. They contain Nothing inconsistent with the Bible Chronology.

THE discovery of the Sanskrit language and literature may almost be said to have constituted an era in the world. As the discovery of the continent of India — for it may appropriately be termed such — by the Portuguese, at the close of the fifteenth-century, was an era in the history of commerce, so the introduction of its sacred language, and the treasures it contains, to the knowledge of Europeans, was an event of signal importance in the history of literature, philology, and ethnology. This event oc

curred about one hundred years ago, at which time the language began to be successfully unfolded by Sir William Jones and other Oriental scholars. At the present time, the Sanskrit literature has been pretty fully explored, though much remains to be done in reference to portions of it. Within the last ten years, several important works have been published upon it, and much discussion, active, if not violent, has been had both among European and American investigators.

I shall endeavor, first, to give a summary idea of the nature of the Sanskrit literature, and, secondly, inquire what it contains, as bearing upon the question of the antiquity of man on the earth.

I. The whole circle, of Hindu knowledge and science is divided into eighteen parts. The first four of these are the VEDAS proper, so called from ved, the law, which are named respectively the Rig-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, and the Atharva-Veda. These are regarded as having come immediately from God, and as containing the true knowledge of the Deity, of his religion, and of his worship. Each Veda consists of two parts, the first called Sanhita, comprising hymns, prayers, and ceremonies to be used in sacrifices. and oblations; the second, Brahmana, describing the First Cause, and the creation of the world, also

moral precepts, duties, rewards, punishments, purifications, etc. Next to these rank the UPAVEDAS, or supplementary Vedas, of which there are four, treating of disease and medicine, of music, of the fabrication and use of arms, and of the mechanic arts. Next are six VEDANGAS, i. e., members of the Vedas, which are also supplementary to them, relating to the sacred sciences, pronunciation, meter, grammar, explanation of words, astronomy, and ceremonials. Lastly, four UPANGAS, called Purana, or history, Nyaya, or logic, Mimansa, or moral philosophy, and Dharmshastra, or jurisprudence. Several of these departments of literature contain numerous treatises. For example, there are six systems of philosophy, eighteen puranas, eighteen siddhanta, or treatises on besides works on grammar, logic, etc. to these, there are the Institutes of Manu, a code of civil and religious laws, and the two great epic poems, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which are sometimes called a fifth Veda.

astronomy,

In addition

Our purpose does not call for any detailed account of the contents of these sacred books. It would indeed require a large volume, perhaps many volumes, to do this. The single inquiry before us is, What do they contain that affords any light as to the past duration of our race on earth?

The following estimate of the Sanskrit literature, from the pen of one who had thoroughly studied it, given in the Calcutta Review, will be, perhaps, our best answer to this inquiry:—

"The Sanskrit language contains nothing of genuine importance, no national annals, no biography of eminent patriots, statesmen, warriors, philosophers, poets, or others, who have figured on the theater of Indian life, public or private. Not a single page of pure historical matter, unmixed with monstrous and absurd fable, is extant, or probably was ever written in it. It supplies us with no assistance whatever in rescuing from eternal oblivion the worthies or the curses of past ages. It affords no certain clew to the discovery or even the origin of the races who first spoke or adopted it. Fabulous and extravagant legends are all that in this class it furnishes. European ingenuity, penetration, and perseverance, may indeed, by dint of hard and continued labor, elicit a few isolated facts here and there, and by comparison of dates and circumstances, rejecting the crudities and absurdities that have gathered round them, bring them to bear upon some point of ancient story yet in the depths of obscurity. But nothing is certain ; all is only a happy guess, or probable inference, at best. The very principle of historic narration

appears either to have never entered into the minds. of early writers in this language, or else a base and selfish policy led them to falsify, obscure, and mysticize all events, in order to conceal their own usurpations, violence, and injustice."

The writer then proceeds to specify particulars in exemplification of these remarks, such as relate to geography, astronomy, music, medicine, the fine arts, etc., and making a partial exception in favor of logic, geometry, and arithmetic, finds little in these treatises worthy of commendation, or as having any value. Or if they contain some truth and real science, it is still mixed with a great deal that is crude, and fanciful, and puerile. He adds, "The real domain of Sanskrit literature is in the departments of grammar, rhetoric, and poetry." (p. 18.) In this estimate this author is doubtless, in general, correct, though possibly, in some respects, he may be too severe. Missionaries to which class he belongs have often been accused of unfair judgments respecting the heathen, especially the Hindus. The explanation is natural and easy, and does not compromise either their ability or disposition to judge fairly. In their every-day work they come into contact with heathenism in all its corruptions, degradation, and sin, and know these to be the legitimate fruit of the doctrines embodied in their

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