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Other poems which are supposed to have been re- modelled in the 13th century are *' Crescentia,'* ''Duke Ernst,** and the " Roland Song." Lachmann supposed the same to have taken place with the " Nibelungen Klage.** rx ^^^-A.X^'X'ER I. pefy^cf, x^l^jt^ ^hicH we have to K - lasrnuoh as it forma the conTectint r and we must r>lacie several works w.u^ shalX aaso :fincZ others which, althon -~^ on-tli=LVioi:is -A. xixxsVi-tubh-Slokaa, or m ^^---w LnteT'rx3.i^^<3. ^witli. Xrishtubfa and oth*'^'^ ^^ Eor ixis-e£i.xxG6y so:me o^ t^e Pr4tiMfchv ^ ma-n.ls, ek-nd tlae still more modern Pa^^' it t>e cionsV<3.<3x*ecl. o.s the last productions ^'^ i-ge, -txres^sksslxi^ iia o. certain degree upo*^^''^:^ ■ of thei Xatex- Ss.xisls.T-it. ^"V^ E.cu\t to e:x:p>Xain the peculiaritiea of th le Sdtira. Xitera-tiare to any one who has n^^^^^^^ LS ^ay tVkxro vigil, the Siltras themselves, r '^:^^ Lble -bo give a.uy tilling- like a literal transU ~^:^ Leae ^orlts, -wrrittert as *oy fre in themo^\> ela\>oi.a.te, si^a ^r^i^matical f^^ Sti^]^=^ rUig ; ana sU the works wrxtte,! in t>^^^^ BAxbjeets the moat various, are n^^^ h^^^T iz^to the xio3t ooncise ^"""".^ Sl^^;;;^,^ V^ .t ohjeet o£ this -'^^ V^ ^^^^i 'o^^^^^V\^ .rhlal sayiTas (taken from the ^^^K^^^^,,,^^ 72 StyXRA STrLE. amongst the Pandits^, that ^^ an author rejoiceth in the economising of half a short vowel as much as in the birth of a son." Every doctrine thus propounded, whether grammar, metre, law, or philosophy, is re- duced to a mere skeleton. All the important points and joints of a system are laid open with the greatest precision, and clearness, but there is nothing in these works like connection or development of ideas. ^^ Even the apparent simplicity of the design vanishes," as Colebrooke remarks, " in the perplexity of the struc- ture. The endless pursuit of exceptions and limi- tations so disjoins the general precepts, that the reader cannot keep in view their intended connection and mutual relation. He wanders in an intricate maze, and the clew of the lab3nrinth is continually slipping from his hands." There is no life and no spirit in these Sutras, except what either a teacher or a running commentary, by which these works are usually accompanied, may impart to them. Many of these works go even further: they not only express their fundamental doctrines in this con- cise form of language, but they coin a new kind of language, if language it can be called, by which they succeed in reducing the whole system of their tenets to mere algebraic formulas. To understand these is quite impossible without finding first what each algebraic a?, y, and z, is meant to represent, and without having the key to the whole system. This key is generally given in separate SAjtras, called Paribh&shd^ which a pupil must know by hea^rt, or always have present before his eyes, if he is to ad- vance one step in the reading of such works. But > Beofunea Magazinci Oct. 1849. ^ ^* w^ouZc^ bG Imposaihle to arrive ^^ rs*;n<^x^^ €>y=- t^Ae subject, without beiJ^ V iioTi o^ t;hG Jar%rs o£ the so-called AnLt^ rr^V^. ZMTo Gsszpla,xzx the meaning of jj,*^ pirox-^s> -ive mwsisti 2-emenaber that the SAtr tgr^'^ fc^ ^f>ti e/^r :fi3rward one propositi- ), 'v^b.iclx Is ^a.-fib^x-wa^r'^a never repeated \> be UJa<iei-s*oo><J, *ill a. new subject of *l s izi*jrc>ciu<;^<3- -^\-:£Tbei- t;he statement of a sua. thox" gOGa. ox l>y s-iving a first rule, whi< its inflix^i*<5^ o-v^x- -fcHe next following rul^ se bo x-es<:x-i<3<:io>jris or amplifications of i ctive x-vales ^:x:x-c:is€5 again their influen^ extent; o-v&icr otl^ex- x-ules, so that the who j continxxomis cslxain, each link held a^ r the o-fcl^ex-s, a.xi<i itself holding to aw lie rest- TTla^ ixirfluence of one rule o^ ' L8 ca.lle3- .^^^^t^-^ri^t^-p its cessation, iViryj^Viv" .owina: -fclxe -v^oxr^i^ of th^ two laws, wh,-^: ^^.wrwo:?^r^s-- th?::.c:iiSSi^ >€ ^^^-X>^^^^ SiaahAnta (conclusion).^ reasoTia 57"*^ 'o:^o.toation of pros and cons ^' ' ^^ ^\tre"^x^-i doubtful to ^i,,,^ ,^^ hor liiTxiaelf ^^^^ is indeed one of ., , m^^^^ J Icixias o£ Ixterarjr *^ though ^ *'* *v^ - 74 stTVLA 8T7LB. this difficult form, so as to have made it the vehicle of expression for every kind of learning. To introduce and to muntain such a species of literature was only possible with the Indian system of education, which consisted in little else except implanting these Siitras and other works into the tender memory of children, and afterwards explaining them by com- mentaries and glosses. An Indian pupil learns these Siitras of grammar, philosophy, or theology by the same mechanical method which fixes in our minds the alphabet and the multiplication-table ; and those who enter into a learned career spend half their life in acquiring and practising them, until their memory is strengthened to such an unnatural degree, that they know by heart not only these Siitras, but also their commentaries, and commentaries upon commentaries. Instances of this are found among the learned in India up to the present day. These numerous Siitra works which we still possess, contain the quintessence of all the knowledge which the Brahmans had accumulated during many cen- turies of study and meditation. Though they are the work of individuals, they owe to their authors little more than their form ; and even that form was, most likely, the result of a long-continued system of tradi- tional teaching, and not the invention of a few indi- viduals. There is a great difference, according to the notions of the Hindus themselves, between a work composed previous to the S&tra period, and a S&tra composi- tion. The difference of style between a BriLhmana and a S&tra work (with the exception of some Ealpa- SAtras, to be mentioned hereafter) would strike every ^^^IS^ *^^'^<''^**^^^^ periods, t: belo**^ tbe ^fTor *1>®^^ Sutras and .^odo^ g^^^ oo^^, *^:?-V t::^-^^ ' ..tot ^-3^ ^^^*^^ ^ *^ i. -S^" ^ irregulattor^ 76 BRAHMANAS AND st^tRAS. is wanting from the iSruti, can they have any claim to independent authority. Now, even if we had no other means of proving that the Siitras could have been composed only after the composition of the Brahmanas, there would be no reason to consider this distinction, drawn by the In- dians themselves between their sacred and profane literature, as altogether artificial and devoid of his- torical meaning, particularly if it can be shown how great an influence that very distinction has exercised on the religious struggles of India. It is clear that this distinction has ever been the stronghold of the hierarchical pretensions of the Brahmans. We can understand how a nation might be led to ascribe a superhuman origin to their ancient national poetry, particularly if that poetry consisted chiefly of prayers and hymnfi addressed to their gods. But it is difierent with the prose compositions of the Br&hmanas. The reason whytheBr&hmanas, which are evidently so much more modem than the Mantras, were allowed to participate in the name of Sruti, could only have been because it was from these theological compositions, and not from the simple old poetry of the hymns, that a supposed divine authority could be derived for the greater number of the ambitious claims of the Brahmans. But, although we need not ascribe any weight to the arguments by which the Brahmans endeavoured to establish the contemporaneous origin of the Mantras and Br&hmanas, there seems to be no reason why we should reject as equally worthless the general opinion with regard to the more ancient date of both the Br&hmanas and Mantras, if contrasted with the Siitras and the profane literature of India. It BRAHMANAS AND SUTRAS. 77 may easily happen, where there is a canon of sacred books, that later compositions become incorporated together with more ancient works, as was the case with the Br&hmanas. But we can hardly imagine that old and genuine parts should ever have been excluded from a body of sacred writings, and a more modern date ascribed to them, unless it be in the interest of a party to deny the authority of certain doctrines con- tained in these rejected documents. There is nothing in the later literature of the SAtras to warrant a sup- position of this kind.