About this item: 20.500.12592/0wmpb4
The Religions of India
1885
Summary
In the third section which may be denominated the kernel of the book the subdivisions and order of presentation necessarily vary the division into periods being best adapted to one relgion the geographical order for another the grouping of themes in a logical sequence for a third ; but in every case the range covered will be the same namely the beliefs including the pantheon the relat [...] dition to supplying this want the arrangement of the manuals will it is expected meet the requirements of reliable referencbooks for ascertaining the present status of our knowledge of the religions of antiquity while the popular manner of presenttion which it will be the aim of the writers to carry out justfies the hope that the general reader will find the volumes no less attractiv [...] The cleft btween the theology of the Rig Veda and that of the lirdmanas even from the point of view of the mass of hymns that comprise the former is too great to allow us with any content to explain the conceptions of the one by those of the other. [...] Between the Rig Veda and the formation or completion of the next Veda called the A that-van the interval appears to have been considerable and the inherent value of the religion incucated in the latter can he estimated aright only when this is weighed together with the fact that as is learned from the Atharvan's own statements the Aryans were now advanced further southwards and eastwards [...] That the race was still migrating may be seen from the hymns of the Rig Veda itself.' Their journey was to the south-east and both before and after they reached the Indus they left settlements chiefly about the Indus and in the Punjab (a post-Vedic group) not in the southern but in the northern part of this district.2 The Vedic Aryans of this first period were acquainted with the Indus Sutlej
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