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) Alberuni further goes into the subject of the heliacal rising of the stars and tells us how the mythical story of Agastya (Canopus) ordering the Vindhya mountains to wait until his return, arose out of astronomical observations on the heliacal rising of the Canopus. Into these and various other interesting matters of which our author speaks, we cannot enter. While explaining all these interesting points of Hindu astronomy, Alberuni regrets with every impartial scholar that the minds of even the greatest Hindu intellects were warped by mythical legends which they could not break through. Side by side with the most advanced Digitized by Google CHAP. XV.] LATER PAURANIK CIVILIZATION. 495 notions of astronomy, Hindu astronomers seriously reproduced silly conceptions and ancient myths which were wholly irreconcilable with their own advanced theories. The whole fabric of Hinduism, of the caste system, of the supremacy of priests, was built on such ancient legends, and the greatest Hindu minds could not or did not break through them. These remarks strike us forcibly when we turn to the geography of the Hindus. The geography of India at least was pretty well known to the Hindus both before and after the Christian era, witness the Buddhist scriptures and the accounts or Kalidasa's poetry and Varahamihira's astronomy. But whenever we meet with a connected account of the configuration of the earth, we find the same old story of seven concentric seas and seven concentric islands ! The central island is Jambu Dvipa surrounded by the salt sea; round it is Saka Dvipa surrounded by the milk sea ; round it is Kusa Dvipa surrounded by the butter sea ; round it is Krauncha Dvipa surrounded by the curd sea; round it is Salmali Dvipa surrounded by the wine sea ; round it is Gomeda Dvipa surrounded by the sugar sea ; and last of all is Pushkara Dvipa sur- rounded by the sweet sea ! (Chap. XXI, quoting from the Matsya Purana). A more intelligible account of the provinces of India is quoted by Alberuni from the Vayu Purana, The Kurus, Panchalas, Kasis, Kosalas, &c, were the central people. The Andhras (in Digitized by 496 PAURANIK PERIOD. [BOOK V. Magadha) Vangiyas, T&mraliptikas, &c, were in the east. The Pandyas, Keralas, Cholas, Maharashtras, Kalingas, Vaidharvas, Andhras, Nasikyas, Saurashtras, &c, were to the south. The Bhojas, Malavas, Hunas, (Huns then possessing a part of the Punjab),&c, were to the west. And the Pahlavas (Persians) Gandharas. Yavanas, Sindhus Sakas, &c, were to the north. (Chap. XXIX.) Albcruni gives us some account of Hindu arithmetic and numbers — a science in which the Hindus beat all nations on the face of the earth. " I have studied the names of the orders of the numbers in various langua- ges, " says Albcruni, "and have found that no nation goes beyond the thousand," i. e., the fourth order of numbers, commencing from the unit. But the Hindus "extend the names of the orders of numbers until the iSth order," and this is called the Parardha. (Chap. XVI.) Our author also speaks of the various kinds of alpha- bet in use in India, the SiddhamdlrikA used in Kashmir and in Benares, the N&gara used in Malwa, the Ardha nagari, the Marwari, the Sindhava, the Karnata, the Andhri, the Draviri, the Gauri, &c. The last named is no doubt the Bengali alphabet. Various materials too were used in various parts of India for writing, the Tal leaf in some places, the BMrja in northern and central India, &c, (Chap. XVI.) A chapter is also devoted to Hindu medical science. The science seems to have always been the monopoly Digitized by Google i HAP. XV.] LATER PAURANIK CIVILIZATION. 497 of a few, and much superstition was mixed up with it. Ignorant pretenders professed through Rasdyana to turn old age into youth and to work many other wonders, and thus preyed on the more ignorant public As in the middle ages in Europe, so in India, the greedi- ness of kings to convert metals into gold knew no ♦ bounds, and pretenders prescribed many dark and even inhuman rites to work this wonder. Indeed, in many respects the tenth and eleventh centuries in India resembled the middle ages in Europe. A noble religion had become the monopoly of priests, and had been all but smothered with monstrous- legends and image worship. War and sovereignty were the monopoly of another caste, the Rajput Kshatriyas of India, and the feudal barons of Europe, who had both come to the fore front from the struggles of the pre- ceding dark ages. The people were ignorant, dispirit- ed, enslaved, in one country as in the other. The last of the poets of the Augustan and Vikramadityan ages had disappeared and had left no successors. The great names in science and learning were also a memory of the past ; none had appeared again to take their place. And as if to make the parallel complete, the last remains of the Latin and Prdkrit-Sanscrit spoken tongues were replaced after the dark ages by modern languages, the Italian, French, and Spanish in Eur- ope and the Hindi, &c, in India. The people were kept in ignorance, fed with unwholesome superstition R. C. D., A. I.— III. * 32 Digitized by Google 493 PAURANIK PERIOD. [BOOK V. beguiled with gorgeous and never-ending festivals. Everything bore the appearance of disintegration and decay ; and national life seemed extinct. But here the parallel ends* The sturdy feudal barons of Europe soon mixed with the people, fought the people's battle in the field, the council board or the counting house, and thus infused a new and vigorous life in modern nations. In India the caste- system prevented such a fusion, and the Rajput Ksha- triyas, isolated from the people, soon fell a prey to foreign invaders and were involved in a common ruin. Darker days then followed on the loss of indepen- dence. Kshatriyas and Vaisyas were equally pros- trated. The bold myth was then proclaimed that all who were not Brahmans were Sftdras j that none but Brahmans were entitled to religious knowledge, or could perform sacred rites or wear the sacred thread. A grosser superstition and a deeper degeneracy follow- ed in the wake of monopoly in knowledge, — that know- ledge which was the CQmmon right of all Aryans for three thousand years, — that knowledge without which a nation is dead. Terrible is the penalty which the Hindus have paid for their national ignorance and caste disunion, their social degeneracy and political weakness. For six cen- turies after 1200 A.D. the history of the Hindus is a blank. They were the only civilized Aryan nation in Digitized by Google CHAP. XV.] LATER PAURANIK CIVILIZATION. 499 the earth over three thousand years ago ; they are the only people socially lifeless and politically prostrate to-day, not only among Aryans, but among all the civi- lized nations of the earth ! After six centuries of national lifelessness, there are indications of reviving life. There is a struggle in the land to go beyond the dead forms of religion, and to recover what is pure, nourishing, life-giving. There is an effort to ignore caste disunion, to create a social union which is the basis of national union. There is an endeavour to interpret social usages in their original sense, to tear asunder senseless restrictions, to eschew unhealthy modern customs. There are be- ginnings of a national consciousness among the people. It rests mainly with ourselves what use is made of these opportunities. Nations shape their own destiny ; and there is no modern nation in Europe but has won its place in the world's history by hard, honest, unre- mitting struggle. If, true to ourselves and our educa- tion, we can eradicate what is hurtful and disuniting in us, and cherish what is healthy and life-giving ; if, conscious of our common sad fate, we can forget our littlenesses, and sacrifice our petty class interests in order to unite; and if, confident of our common destiny, we can learn to work honestly and unselfishly and stead- fastly in the path of progress and advancement — our national future is assured. Digitized by 500 PAURANIK PERIOD. [BOOK V. It may be England's high privilege to restore to an ancient nation a new and healthy life. Under the vivifying influences of modern civilization, ancient races in Greece and in Italy have begun a new intellectual and national career. The influence of civilization will spread, and the light of progress which has been light- ed in Southern Europe will yet spread to the shores of the Ganges. And if the science and learning, the sym- pathy and example of modern Europe help us to regain in some measure a national consciousness and life, Europe will have rendered back to modern India that kindly help and brotherly service which India ren- dered to Europe in ancient days — in religion, science, and civilization. INDEX A Abhidhmma Pitaka. II, 191 ; 193 ; m ; 196; III, 1QL Abhimanyu, (king of Kashmir.) L la ; 111,54; 262. Abhira (tribe). Ill, 51 ; 65 ; 150, Abhisheka (Baptism). II, 332 ; •m Abinas Chandra Kaviratna. Ill, 3X3. Aborigines, L 24 seq. ; 81 et see/. ; m; 16SL; 21Q;216; 219 ft seq. \ 238; ^9; 225; II, 19; 2Q; 28; III, 155 to 151 ; 310 ; 32G. Abu. II, 2} ; III, m ; 35L Acharanga Sutra. II, 32Q et seq. Acharya. II, 89j 109. Acharya (caste). Ill, 150, Actors. Ill, 146; 319; 320. Adhvaryu (priest). I. 1G9; 170 ; 2TL Adhyatma Raraayana. Ill, 2QL Adisura (king of Bengal). Ill, 215; 246. Aditi. L 123; 124 et seq. ; 132 3 t III, 409. Aditya. L 124 et seq. ; 132 ; 221 ; 294; 111,485; 493. Administration. Lilj 182; II, 35 et seq. ; 85 ; III, HQ et seq. ; 340. Adoption. 1, 107. (SeeDatta.) Adultery. L1Q2; 207; 201; 264; 11,42; 48; 103; 111,190; 191; 190 ; 342 ; 490. Agastya, story of. Ill, 494. Agni.