"The ut hŭrvй-védů, as is well known, contains many forms of imprecation for the destruction of enemies. But it must not be inferred, that such is the chief subject of that védů; since it also contains a great number of prayers for safety and for the averting of calamities: and, like the other védés, numerous hymns to the gods, with prayers to be used at solemn rites and religious exercises, excepting such as are named yugnŭ."

SECTION VII.

Method of reading the Védă,

"IN a regular perusal of the védů, which is enjoined to all priests, and which is much practised by Marhatas and Telingas, the student or reader is required to notice, especially, the author, subject, metre, and purpose of each măntră or invocation. To understand the meaning of the passage is thought less important.* The institutors of the Hindoo system have indeed recommended the study of the sense; but they have inculcated with equal strenuousness, and more success, attention to the name of the rishee or person, by whom the text was first uttered, the deity to whom it is addressed, or the subject to which it relates, and also its rhythm or metre, and its purpose, or the religious ceremony at which it should be used. Accordingly the védŭ is recited in various superstitious modes: word by word, either simply disjoining them, or else repeating the words alternately, backwards and forwards, once or oftener. Copies of the rig-védŭ and yŭjoosh (for the samă-védů is chanted only) are prepared for these and other modes of recital, and are called půdů, krămă, jūtŭ, ghǎnů, &c. But the various ways of inverting the text are restricted, as it should appear, to the principal védŭs; that is, to the original editions of the rig-védé and yujoosh: while the subsequent editions, in which the text, or the arrangement of it, is varied, being therefore deemed subordinate sakhas, should be repeated only in a simple manner."

* It was not, I dare say, because the bramhuns were ashamed of the védús, that they taught students to regard the meaning of a passage as of less importance than to know the author, the metre, and the purpose of each incantation: but, in giving such advice, surely their ideas of the importance of the meaning of their most sacred books must have been very low.

SECTION VIII.

Specimens of the Hymns of the samŭ-védů.

From the Arůnyŭ-gană.

"Possessed of innumerable heads, innumerable eyes, innumerable feet, Brămhu fills the heavens and the earth; he is whatever was, whatever will be; he is separate from all; in this separate state he exists in a three-fold form above the universe, the fourth part is transfused through the world: he is therefore called the Great Being; his command is as the water of life; from him proceeded the Virată-poorooshŭ;* he

The Shree-bhagŭvŭtŭ and several pooranis thus describe what is here called the Viratu-poorooshů, viz. the whole universe existing as the body of the deity; in which he dwells as the animating soul: -The upper part of his thighs form the earth; his navel the firmament; his breast, the heavens; the higher parts of his body, the heavens of the rishees; the back of his shoulders, the heaven of the pitrees; his neck, the heaven of those who were the most rigid ascetics; his head, the heaven of Brŭmha; his breach, the first of the regions below the earth; his thighs, the second region; his knees, the third; his legs, the fourth; his ancles, the fifth; the surface of his feet, the sixth; the soles of his feet, patalu, or the world of snakes. His mouth, words, (the védŭ) fire and its regent, the seven principles of bodies, and the rules of verse; his tongue, burnt-offerings, food, the water of life, water, and the regent of the waters; his nose, the five breaths, the regent of air, scents; his eyes, every shining substance, the sun and moon; his brows, the evening; his ears, the ten regions and their regents, also vacuum and sound; his whole body, the excellent part of every thing on earth; his skin, contact, sacrifices and offerings: the hair of his body, the trees, grasses, &c.; the hair of his head, the clouds; his beard, the lightning; his nails, the metals; his arms, the guardians of the regions; his feet, prayer, and preservation; his penis, children, &c. ; his anus, death, injury, hell; his left side, ignorance, and irreligion; his veins, the male and female rivers; his bones, the mountains; his belly, the sea that surrounds the earth; his mind, religion, Brumha, and Shivă; his heart, the rishees, Vishnoo, and true wisdom; his favour, religion; his frown, irreligion. In short, Brimha, Shivu, the gods, the titans, precious stones, men, serpents, birds, beasts, creeping things, the upsurus, the dukshus, the rakshŭsus, the bhōō'ús, the siddhus, whatever passes through the waters, dwells in the earth, or flies in the air, the planets, stars, the clouds, thunder, ligh ning, and all that composes the visible universe, are parts of the Viratŭ-poorooshů.— How strikingly does this agree with a Fragment by Epictetus, lately found in Herculaneum: "Chrysippus, referring every thing to Jupiter, maintains, that the world is, as it were, an animated body, and that God is the governing power, and the soul of the whole; that the world is one of the intelligent principles, governing in common with gods and men. Diogenes, the Babylonian, also, in his book concerning Minerva, asserts, that the world is the same with Jove, and that it comprehends that divinity as the body of man does his soul. All the followers of Zeno, therefore, if they have left us any gods at all, as some of them have left none, and others have taken away many, say, that God is one; or, in other words, the universe and its soul: and those who allow a plurality, vary in their statements, being aware, that, if they affirmed the existence of one God only, they might be traduced before the multitude as destroying the gods, by allowing only one universal deity and not several, much less all those who are generally held in estimation: while we assert the existence not only of the gods worshipped by the Greeks, but also of many more. Besides, they have not thought fit to leave even those, respecting whom they agree with us, in å form like that in which they are universally worshipped: for they admit no gods in the resemblance of men, but only the air, and the winds, and the æther: so that I should confi. dently assert, that they are more reprehensible than even Diagoras: for he has treated the gods with levity almost, but has not directly attacked them, as Aristoxenus has observed in the customs of the Mantinean; and in his poetry, he remarks Diagoras has adhered to the truth, introducing nothing like impiety in any of his verses; but in the capacity of a poet, speaking with reverence of the deity.”

K k

is the source of universal motion; he is not separate from the universe; he is the light of the moon, of the sun, of the fire, of the lightning, and of all that shines; the védŏ is the breath of his nostrils; the primary elements are his sight; the agitation of human affairs is his laughter; his sleep, is the destruction of the universe; in different forms he cherishes the creatures, as, in the form of fire, he digests their food; in the form of air, he preserves them in existence; in the form of water, he satisfies them; in the form of the sun, he assists them in the affairs of life, and in that of the moon, he refreshes them with sleep; the progression of time, forms his footsteps; all the gods are to him as sparks from fire. In the form of fire, he cherishes the gods;+-therefore I bow to Ilim, who is the universe; to the gods who dwell in heaven, I bow; to the gods who dwell in space, I bow; to the gods on earth, I bow; to the regent of waters, I bow; to the gods who guard the regions, I bow."

*

"Brůmhŭ is the life of life, mind of mind, sight of sight; he dwells in the centre of light; he, without eyes, sees whatever was, is, or shall be; without hands or feet, he holds every thing, and executes his purposes with the rapidity of lightning; without the appropriate members, he hears and tastes of every thing; becoming the cultiva tor, he tills the ground; becoming the clouds, he waters it; becoming corn, he fills the creatures. His power is seen in the cooling draught, the burning fire, the scorching sun, the cooling beams of the moon; in the butter-yielding milk; while he dwells in the body, it retains the vital heat; when he retires, it becomes cold; he preserves the life of those appointed to live; he conceals those who are appointed to be hid; he beholds the world; he appoints the names and forms of things, and thus makes them known; he who seeks refuge in him, is worshipped by all the gods; he destroys the sins of such a devotee as fire consumes the cotton thread; to the holy, he is ever near; from the wicked he is afar off; he is the source of truth and of falsehood; to assist men in their worship, to him have been assigned name, form, and place; he who takes refuge in him, is a holy person; he whose face is turned from him, is a blasphemer."

It appears, that when the Hindoos chant these hymns, the sounds are modified by

peculiar rules of prosody, which may properly be called the melody or tune in which they are chanted.*

SECTION IX.

Specimen of the Prayers of the védů.

"O Ŭgnee, come and eat; sit on this kooshŭ seat; I invite thee to feed on clarified butter, that thou mayest invite and entertain the gods; thou are adored by all the gods. The gods have placed thee on earth, to cherish all. O йgnee, thou who dwellest in the mind, as well as in all places, thou knowest all creatures; make known my desires to God, that my sacrifice may be accepted, and that I may be honoured among men. He has no enemies, who praises Ugnee, and who presents offerings to him in the sacrifice, while the flame, unmixed with smoke, burns bright, and surrounds the altar from the south. Like a guest, Ŭgnee is welcome among men. He is applauded as an excellent charioteer, or as a swift messenger; to know kim is the object of desire. He is the most excellent of all the gods; the Great Lord of earth; he makes known the good and evil belonging to all. O Ŭgnee, satisfy, as Chundru by his welcome beams; preserve us from our enemies; come before us; deliver from all fear of future birth."

"OŬshwinee-koomaru! we entreat your presence. The juice of the somă is prepared in one place, on the seat of the kooshu, for you both. Come, and receive all this somů. What do you resemble? you are the destroyers of enemies; the removers of disease; the lovers of truth. As the giants make their enemies weep, so make our enemies weep."

"We seek for more riches from Indrů. Whether thou procure it from men, or from the inhabitants of heaven, or the lower heavens, or from whatever place, only make

us rich."

"O Indră! for our preservation, collect riches."

* See a paragraph in page 288.

"By riches we obtain strength to wound and destroy our enemies in war, therefore give us riches."

"O Indră! we entreat thee to order it, that we may have excellent jewels, and precious stones, and a very large portion of riches. We call those riches which may be enjoyed, Vibhoo; a great quantity of riches we call Průbhoo (Lord.)”

"At the close of the sacrifice, increase the fruit of the sacrifice, which is food."

“O Ŭgnee! thou who receivest the clarified butter, and art always glorious, reduce to ashes our enemies, who are constantly injurious and spiteful.”

"O Indră and Vuroonů! according to our desires, give us riches, and in every res pect fill us. We pray thee always to continue near us."

"O Indră! the active, the possessor of divine wisdom, the all-powerful in the field of battle, to obtain riches, we bring thee food."

"O Indră! the giants stole the cows, and concealed them in the cave: thou with the vayoos (winds) soughtedst and obtainedst the cows.* What do the vayoos resemble? They can penetrate into the most difficult recesses; in an invisible manner they can remove things from one place to another."

"Indră! He at once harnesses his two horses named Huree. They are so well instructed, that at the mere word of Indra they become united in the chariot. Indru is covered with ornaments."

"Formerly, the giant Vritrů brought darkness on the world; to remove which, and give light to the inhabitants of the earth, Indră fixed the sun (Sōōryŭ) in the heavens. Sooryu, by his rays, has rendered the mountains and the world visible."

* This alludes to a story, that the giants stole some cows from heaven, and hid them in a dark cave. Indru, in conjunction with the winds, overcame the giants, and delivered the cows. There are 49 different winds,

which are represented as the servants of Indru.