The benefits arising from those rules of the shastră which relate merely to the duties of social and civil life, the division of property, the punishment of crime, &c. are confined to the present state. The rules which relate to religion, and are connected with promised benefits, are to be referred to a future state; as well as others, the benefits of which are to be enjoyed both in the present and in the future state.

From one law, according

Some commands are to be gathered from interdictions. to the dispositions and actions of those who are subject to it, a great variety of consequences arise. Works give birth to invisible consequences, propitious or unpropitious according to their nature; and, beside works there is no other sovereign or judge. These consequences, ever accompanying the individual as the shadow the body, appear in the next birth, according to the time in which the actions were performed in the preceding birth. Works rule, and men by them are led or driven as the ox with the

hook in its nose.

The doctrine, that at a certain period the whole universe will be destroyed at once, (mŭha-prălăyŭ) is incorrect. The world had no beginning, and will have no end: as long as there are works, there must be birth, as well as a world like the present, to form a theatre on which they may be performed, and their consequences either enjoyed or endured.

The progress of all actions whether they originate in the commands of the shastrů or in the customs of a country, is as follows: first, the act is considered and resolved upon in the mind; then it is pursued by means of words, and lastly it is accomplished by going through the different parts which are essential to the action. Hence it follows, that religion and irreligion refer to thoughts, words, and actions. Some actions however are purely those of the mind, or of the voice, or of the body. The virtue or the vice of

all actions depends upon the state of the heart.

The opinion of a sage of the school of Joiminee is here given: God is simple sound; to assist the pious, in the forms of meditation (incantations) he is represented as light; but the power of liberation lies in the sound God-God. When the repeater is per

fect, the incantation, or name repeated, appears to the repeater in the form of simple light or glory.

The objects of worship which are within the cognizance of the senses, are to be received, for without faith religious actions are destitute of fruit: therefore let no one treat an incantation as a mere form of alphabetic signs, nor an image as composed of the inanimate material, lest he should be guilty of a serious crime.

There are four different characters in the world: he who perfectly observes the commands; he who practises the commands, but follows evil; he who does neither good nor evil, and he who does nothing but evil. If it be asked respecting the third character, it is observed, that he also is an offender, for he neglects that which he ought to observe.

SECTION XXX.

Other systems of philosophy.

The whole of the Hindoo philosophy may be said to be comprized in the six durshůnus; yet it is proper to add, that there have existed in India several other sects, the Shatwătă, the regular Pouranics, the Khăndănŏs, the Bouddhŏs, &c. Of these four sects, we shall here take a slight notice.

SECTION XXXI.

Of the doctrines taught by these sects.

Previously to the time of Ramanoojacharyŭ the Shatwătă sect had sunk into oblivion, but since that period a body of persons called by this name has always been found in different parts of India: at present they are most numerous in Kurnatů.-These persons study the work of Ramanooju, and a comment by Tatacharyŭ; also the essence of these writings as selected and formed into a separate treatise by Arushamů-PalungVyŭnkŭtacharyй, and another treatise, containing remarks on the doctrines of this sect, by Rughoo-Nat'hu-Deekshitů. Their opinions appear to be in substance as follow: God is possessed of form; the terms government, participation, effort, desire, motive, cause, &c. are wholly inapplicable to a being destitute of form or body. Those who have spoken of God as destitute of form, meant only that he was not clothed with a body derived from the primary elements. The mind regulates, through actions, the future destiny, but mind is an appendage to body, and not a part of abstract spirit. From the divine form proceed rays of glory, so that God appears as a body of light. deity is perfect joy. Creation arose from his will; and the desire to create, from that energetic joy which is essential to the divine nature. As soon as the mundane system was formed, God entered it, and began to display all the operations seen in the visible universe. In obtaining liberation, devotion is more efficacious than wisdom or ceremonies. A future state of bliss is connected with a residence near the deity in the unchangeable abode of the Divine Being. This sect rejects the idea of absorption, pleading that it is far more pleasant to drink the sweet and cooling draught, than to be

The

lost in the ocean; and that the highest happiness of which we are capable is to be near the deity, partaking of his overflowing blessedness.

Although the pooranŭs appear to have led the people to the popular mythology rather than to philosophical enquiries, they still abound with speculations from which many systems of philosophy might be formed. One system, it is well known, was taught by Lomă-Hõrshŭnă, who attracted around him many disciples, and formed a distinct sect.* The doctrines which this sage appears to have taught comprized, among others, the following: Narayănă, the supreme cause, possesses a visible form. For the purposes of creation, &c. he assumes the names of Bromha, Vishnoo and Shivé, under each of which names some one of the three qualities prevails. For the good of mankind, Narayŭno, has been frequently incarnate, either as a divine teacher, as a leader or guide, or as a hero. In the different forms of the gods, to meet the immediate and private wants of mankind, as, to remove diseases, &c. he assumes various shapes. The worship of God is to be performed by bodily services, such as bowing to his image, doing menial service in a temple, &c.; by words, that is, by reading, singing, repeating his name, &c. and by the mind, as meditating on the forms which he assumes.

Shree-Hursho, the author of the Noishudhu, a poem, is said to have taught, in a work called Khundănă, a system of philosophy different from all the dŭrshŭnus, and to have received in consequence the name of Khandŭnăkarů, or the destroyer; but the author has not learnt in what points he differed from the dürshunis.

Amongst the Bouddhŭs there were six sects of philosophy, some of which taught doctrines similar to many of those of the orthodox sects, but all agreed to explode an intelligent separate first cause. As the author has given some account of these sects and of their principles in the second volume, from page 383 to 430, he begs leave to refer the reader to what is there inserted.

In Bengal, at present, those who are called pouranics are persons who have merely read some que or more of the pooranus.

SECTION XXXII.

Of the Law Books, or Smritee* shastrus.

The original smiritees

The Hindoo legislators united in their persons the character of the philosopher, the lawgiver, and the hermit. They never appear to have formed a distinct body of civil and criminal law, for we find almost every religious duty and ceremony mentioned in the works called smritee, as may be seen by a slight inspection of the translation of Munoo by Sir W. Jones, and of the following list of books still extant. are said to have been compiled from the védů by certain sages, Munoo, Ŭtree, Vishnoo, Harēētă, Yagnŭvălkyŭ, Ooshŏna, Ŭngira, Yămă, Apŭstůmbă, Sŭmvărttŭ, Katyayănă, Vrihăspătee, Pŭrashărů, Vyasů, Shünkhö, Likhitó, Dăkshă, Goutămă, Shatatŭpů, and Vashisht'hu, accounts of whom will be found in the fourth chapter of this volume. Each of these sages, it is supposed, wrote a separate volume under the different titles of law. The modern smritees give quotations from these ancient writers in confirmation of the opinions maintained by their authors; but if we except Mŭnoo, it does not appear that the entire work of any one of the sages has survived the ravages of time;† the sentences of Yagnǎvůlkyù, found in the comments of Mitakshŭra, Ŭpŭrarkŭ, and Veerŭmitroduyă, cannot be the whole of the work of Yagnŭvůlkyŭ.

SECTION XXXIII.

List of the Law Books still extant.

Ancient works.-Mŏnoo, the work translated by Sir W. Jones.-A comment on ditto, by Koollooků-bhăttů.—Another by Médha-tit’hee.—Münoo-sănghita, an abridgment of Munoo.-Extracts, or, the works of Ŭtree, Vishnoo, Harēētu, Yagnüvülkyŭ, Ooshŭna, Apăstŭmbă, Sămvörttŭ, Boodhů, Vrihăspătee, Vyasă, Shůnkhŏ, Likhitů, Dõkshŭ, Goutŭmů, and Vŭshisht❜hů.-Yagnŭvůlkyŭ-sŭnghita, explanation of the sentences of Yagnŭvůlkyǎ.—Deepŭ-kǎlika, a comment on the work of Yagnüvůlkyŭ, by Shōōlůpanee.—Another by Ŭpŭrarků. Mitakshŭra, another comment on the same work.-Mitakshura-teeka-soobodhinee, a comment on the Mitakshura.-Another, by Balăm-bhuttă.

* From smree, to remember.

+ This is the opinion of the bramhůns, but a respected friend says, "I believe all the ancient smritees are in the College library: some of them are comprized in a few pages, but I have no doubt of their being all extant."

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