English
A passage for editorial review. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PR LONDON: HENRY FROWDE FROM-THE-LIBRARYOF TRINITYCOLLEGETORONTO A PRIMER OF HINDUISM PRIMER OF HINDUISM BY J. N. FARQUHAR, M.A. LITERARY SECRETARY, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS, INDIA AND CEYLON SECOND EDITION REVISED AND ENLARGED a.vaKttpa.Kaiujaa.aOa.1 rd iravra iv OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON: HENRY FROWDE 1912 OXFORD : HORACE HART, M.A. PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY 121268 MAR 2' 4 W8S PREFACE IT is the conviction of the writer of this Primer that Hinduism cannot be understood unless it be studied historically. For this reason the first thirteen chapters of the book deal with the growth of the reli gion in connexion with the political and literary history of the country. Only when the student has realized how Hinduism came to be is he in a position to attempt to study any particular part of the religion. To think of the religion as a sort of intricate machine to be .studied in pieces is to misconceive the whole. The practical purpose in view has dictated the method of teaching the history. The long millen niums have been divided into periods, so that the mind may be able to retain the course of events. But it is most necessary to realize that these divisions are artificial, and that, while they do correspond to changes, they must not be pressed too far. There is usually no hard line between the periods : one melts into the other. The exact dates of most of the events in the history of Hinduism are unknown, and the same is true with regard to the literature. But, although the dates are 6 PREFACE unknown, the order of events, and the relative age of the great groups of books, and of many of the indi vidual books, are well established. For this reason the general place of certain events and books is often indicated in the tables of this Primer, even when no definite dates are available. The Illustrative Readings will, it is hoped, enable the reader to envisage the character of the leading books more vividly than is possible from a bare de scription. The tables are meant to bring chronological and other relationships before the mind in concrete form, and to serve for reference. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS n PART I. OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF HINDUISM CHAP. I. PREHISTORIC PERIOD .... 15 TABLE :— I. The Aryan Family of Languages . . 20 CHAP. II. CREATIVE PERIOD .... 21 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS: — 1. A Hymn to Agni 26 2. Funeral Hymn 27 TABLES : — 2. Divisions of the Vedic People .... 28 3. The Three Orders of Brahmans .... 28 4. The Vedas and their Names ... .28 5. Growth of the Three Vedas 28 CHAP. III. SACERDOTAL PERIOD ... 29 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS : — 3. The Origin and the Power of Sacrifice ... 35 4. A Charm against Fever 36 TABLES: — 6. The Chief Schools with their Brahmanas . . 37 7. Relative Age of the Brahmanas .... 37 8 CONTENTS PAGE CHAP. IV. PHILOSOPHIC PERIOD: ESSENTIAL HINDUISM 38 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS: — 5. The One Reality 44 6. Excommunication 45 TABLES :— 8. The Ages of the World 46 CHAP. V. PHILOSOPHIC PERIOD : THE UPANI- SHAD&, BUDDHISM, JAINISM 47 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS :— 7. The Vanaprastha and the Asrama . . • • 53 8. The Horse of the Asvamedha .... 54 9. The Human and the Divine Self 55 TABLES :— 9. Relative Age of Early Upanishads . . 56 10. The Hindu Canon 57 CHAP. VI. SCHOLASTIC PERIOD .... 58 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS: — 10. Sutras 68 11. Buddhist Sutta 69 12. Passage from a Verse Upanishad .... 70 13. Buddhist Teaching in Verse 71 14. Satyaki's Sons Slain 72 TABLES :— 11. Scholastic Period 73 12. Manuals of the Vedic Schools .... 74 13. Interrelations of Vedic Literature . ... 76 14. The Buddhist Tripitaka 77 15. The Four Asramas ...... 78 CHAP. VII. INCARNATION PERIOD ... 79 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS : — 15. Hindu Incarnation ...... 92 16. Buddhist Incarnation ...... 93 17. From the Veddnta Sutras 94 CONTENTS 9 TABLES : — PAGE 16. Chronology of Incarnation Period ... 95 17. The Six Systems of Philosophy . 96 18. Buddhas, Incarnations, and Tlrthakaras . . 97 CHAP. VIII. PERIOD OF DECADENCE . . 98 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS: — 1 8. Vishnu as Saviour of the Gods . . . .105 19. Living Souls in Particles of Earth . . . 106 TABLES : — 19. Period of Decadence 107 20. The Hindu Pantheon ...... 108 CHAP. IX. PERIOD OF RECONSTRUCTION . 109 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS: — 20. The Praise of &va in Tamil 124 21. The Praise of Vishnu in Tamil . .125 22. Extract from a Commentary 126 23. Sutras on the Nature of Bhakti . . . .127 TABLES : — 21. Period of Reconstruction . . . . .128 22. The Vaishnavas of the South . . . .129 CHAP. X. BHAKTI PERIOD 130 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS:— 24. Baby Rama in His Mother's Arms . . . 140 25. The Praise of Krishna in MarathI • • • 141 TABLES : — 23. The Bhakti Period 142 24. The Tamil Literature of the £aiva Siddhanta . 143 25. The Literature of the Saivas and Vaishnavas . 144 26. The Followers of Ramananda . . . -145 27. Adoration Mantras 145 28. The Kablrpanth 146 29. Canon of the Vedanta 147 30. Northern Krishnaite Leaders . . . .148 31. The Modern Bhiigavatas 149 io CONTENTS PAGE CHAP. XL PERIOD OF WESTERN INFLUENCE 150 ILLUSTRATIVE READINGS:— 26. The Folly of Idolatry 161 27. A New Reading of History 162 CHAP. XII. HISTORY OF THE HINDU FAMILY 163 CHAP. XIII. HISTORY OF INDIAN ASCETICISM 167 PART II. HINDUISM AS A SYSTEM CHAP. XIV. WHAT IT IS TO BE A HINDU TO DAY 177 CHAP. XV. THE RELIGION OF THE LOWER CLASSES 184 CHAP. XVI. FORMATIVE ELEMENTS OF HIN DUISM 191 CHAP. XVII. THE FUTURE OF HINDUISM . 198 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . ... 203 INDEX ... .... 215 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 1. Vanaprastha and Hut 31 2. An Asrama ......... 32 3. Early Indian Coin 38 4. Hindu Idolatry, Image of Sri 59 5. A Hindu Temple in Buddhist Sculpture ... 60 6. North Gate of Sanchl Stupa . . . . .61 7. Buddhist Worship, a Stupa 62 8. Buddhist Worship, a Dharmachakra . . . -63 9. Relic Casket from Peshawar So 10. The Boar Incarnation of Vishnu 81 n. Hindu Idolatry, Siva on a Kushan Coin ... 82 12. Buddhist Chaitya 83 13. Image of Buddha 84 14. Bodhisattva from Yusufzai 85 15. Mahayana Worship : Stupa at Kenheri ... 86 16. Mahayana Worship : Devotional Sculpture . . 87 17. Mahayana Worship: Image at Nara, Japan . . 88 1 8. The Trimurti 99 19. The Marriage of S'iva 100 20. Buddhist Image from Java 101 21. Rock-cut Shrine ........ 102 22. The Temple of Muktesvara 103 23. Rock-cut Shrine 104 24. Jain Sculpture no 25. Temple of Siva at Tanjore HI 26. Lihga Shrine 113 27. Siva the Dancer 115 12 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE 28. Temple of Jagannath, Purl 116 29. Chalukyan Temple at Somnathpur . . . 117 30. 1 mage of S* ankara 119 31. Image of Ramanuja 121 32. Gopurams 123 33. Hindu Pillars in Mosque at Delhi .... 131 34. Qutb Minar at Delhi 132 35. Temple of Subrahmanya 133 36. Gopuram at Kumbakonam 134 37. Flamboyant Pillars in Dravidian Temple . . . 135 38. KabirpanthI Picture in Chaura Monastery, Benares . 147 39. Tridandl Ascetic 1 68 40. Sivaite Sadhu with Head-dress 169 41. Sadhu wearing Sandals filled with Spikes . . .170 42. Modern Tapas 171 43. Sivaite Sadhu 172 44. Shrine of Chengalamma ...... 185 45. Shrine of Bontala Gangamma 1 86 46. Shrine and Stake of Potu-raju 187 47. Shrine of Potu-raju 188 48. Shrine of Poleramma 189 49. The Uncleanness of the Outcaste . . . .190 PART I OUTLINE OF THE HISTORY OF HINDUISM CHAPTER I PREHISTORIC PERIOD 1. (A) The Aryan People.