Sutras or Aphorisms, and the Bhagawat Gita are also ascribed to the same writer.

THE INSTITUTES OF MENU.

This name is given to a code of religious and civil laws, and makes a part of the Hindu Scriptures.* The general opinion of orientalists is that it was compiled about 9 or 10 centuries before the Christian era, which would be soon after the reign of Solomon. This work contains a long and obscure account of the creation of the world, the origin and laws of the different castes, the laws which kings are to observe in administering the affairs of their governments and carrying on war, penalties and penances for offences, rewards and punishments after death, etc. These Institutes give us the best account we have of the civil, social, and religious state and character of the nations of India at the time they were compiled. And as such a work is in part a compilation of previously existing usages and laws, these give us a view of the people for considerable time previous to the compilation's being made.

As these laws profess to be of divine origin, kings had no authority to change them; their duty was to administer their governments according to them. There was to be no toleration of any neglect or violation of these laws by any class of people. In these respects they resembled the laws given by Moses and contained in the Old Testament. In no nation were ever civil and religious matters more closely united than among the Hindus. All the rules concerning caste were to be fundamental laws of the country, and kings were to govern according to them and to enforce them. Brahmins were the expounders and interpreters of these laws, and kings and all invested with authority were to carry these laws into effect. If this system of civil and religious laws, including the regulations concerning the different castes (and these regulations were regarded as of the highest importance) contained in these Institutes, were carried into effect according to their spirit and intention, it is not easy to conceive of any despotism more absolute and unhappy in its consequences. And such probably the ancient governments of India

* Sir William Jones made an English translation of this work.

were. Such the governments in heathen nations have generally

been.

THE PURANS.

There are 18 works of this class which are generally known by different names, as the Bhagawat Puran, the Vishnu Puran, the Padma Puran, etc. They all belong to the Hindu Scriptures. They are popularly ascribed to Vyas, and were formerly regarded as of early origin in the history of India. But the general opinion of orientalists now is that most, if not all of them, were written since the commencement of the Christian era. They are generally written in the form of dialogues between disciples and their religious teachers, the latter supposed to be some deity, or god in human form, or some inspired sage. They treat of the creation, preservation, destruction, and renovation of the universe, of the genealogy of the gods, of chronology according to their fabulous system, of rites, ceremonies, legends, etc. Some of them were written to exalt some particular one of the gods, and to set forth his good qualities and his marvellous actions. There is much of repetition in them, and much that is contradictory, absurd, and to all but Hindus, utterly incredible. The idea of using any reason and criticism in judg ing of the contents of their sacred books, or of comparing different professedly inspired works, or different parts of the same work, with each other so as to ascertain their consistency or otherwise, appears never to occur to the Hindus so long as they believe in their own religious system.

There is also a class of works called the Upa-Purans, commonly reckoned 18 in number. They are supplementary to the Purans, containing such matter as the writers thought had been omitted.

The Ramayan, and the Mahabharat are not generally classed with the Purans, but may be reckoned among the Hindu sacred books. Of the former name are two works, one of which is ascribed to Vyas, the reputed compiler of the Vedas. Whatever he wrote, has been believed to be inspired, and so this work may be classed with the Hindu Scriptures. The other work was written by Valmiki, and is more common and better known.

Of this work it is often said, and perhaps it is the general opinion of the Hindus, that it was all written before the events and actions described in it took place, and that when these occurred, every thing was found on comparison to have occurred exactly as they had been previously written. This opinion involves the highest degree of inspiration, and so would confirm the truth of every thing in it. The subject of the Ramayan is the life, actions, etc., of Rama or Ramchundra, king of Ayodya, and believed to be one of the incarnations of Vishnu.

The Mahabharat is also ascribed to Vyas, the compiler of the Vedas. The principal subject is the life, actions, etc., of Krishna, one of the incarnations of Vishnu. These works were written before the Purans, and evidently furnished much of the materials of which they are composed. The Bhagawat Gita, sometimes called in India the 5th Veda, and which has excited so much attention in Europe, is an episode of one of the chapters of this work. This part is regarded as possessing the highest degree of inspiration, the author or speaker being no other than Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, or of Vishnu himself incarnate in the person of Krishna. It teaches and illustrates Vedantism or pantheism.

THE SUPREME BEING.

The Vedas say in repeated texts that "There is in truth but one Deity, the supreme Spirit, the Lord of the universe, and whose work is the universe." A brahmin who was learned in the Vedas gave the following view of the Deity, as his character is described in these works:-"Perfect truth, perfect happiness, without equal, immortal, absolute unity; whom neither speech can describe nor mind comprehend; all-pervading, all-transcending; delighted with his own boundless intelligence, not limited by time or space; without feet, moving swiftly; without hands grasping all worlds; without eyes, all-surveying; without ears, all-hearing; without any intelligent guide, understanding all; without cause, the first of all causes; all-ruling, all-powerful; the creator, the preserver, and the transformer of all things; such is the Great One." This Being the Hindus call Brahm. . 'A distinguished writer on the history, religion, etc. of the Hin

dus, and long a resident in India, says, "The primary doctrine of the Vedas is the unity of God." The same author, referring to the Institutes of Menu, says, "The doctrine of Monotheism prevails throughout the Institutes, and it is declared towards the close, that of all duties the principal is to obtain from the Upanishads the knowledge of one supreme God."

The meaning of such language appears to be plain and explicit, and we should naturally expect that this asserted unity of God would pervade all their religious views, and that he alone would be the object of their homage and worship. But it is necessary before we can understand the religious principles and practices of the Hindus, to see what other doctrines their sacred books contain. And here we find that it is said in the account they give of the creation, that the eternal and infinite Spirit, or Brahm first created the god Brahma, and "he created an assemblage of inferior deities with divine attributes and pure souls, and a number of genii exquisitely delicate." These deities are declared to be worthy to be adored, and their favor and protection are to be sought and procured by prayers and offerings. Some of these deities are described as presiding over the elements and intrusted with the performance of certain parts in the government of the world. Agni is the god of fire, Pavun is god of the wind, Warun is the god of water, Indra is god of the skies, Yama is god and judge of the dead, etc. Prayers, praises, oblations, and sacrifices are to be offered to these deities. Indeed, no inconsiderable part of the Vedas consists of prayers, praises, rites, and ceremonies to be used in oblations and sacrifices to these gods. The Institutes of Menu, which are regarded as of divine authority, in the account they give of the creation, mention the names of many deities who are declared to be "lords of created beings, eminent in holiness, and who are to be adored and worshipped." Thus, though according to the Hindu sacred books, there is only one self-existent, eternal, and unchangeable Deity, yet they also teach that he or Brahma by his power, "created an immense assemblage of inferior deities with divine attributes,” that these deities are intrusted with power in the government of the world, that they can interfere whenever they please in human affairs, and so are to be feared, praised, propitiated, and worshipped. The number of these deities is almost infinite.

In the early history of the Hindu religion and in their oldest sacred books nothing is said of idolatry. Images are mentioned as worthy to be reverenced, but whether these were images of their deities or of their ancestors, is uncertain; probably they were the latter. But an ignorant and superstitious people like the Hindus, with such a system of polytheism, were not likely long to retain and practise only the spiritual worship of such deities. It was easy and natural for them to conceive, form, and use some material and visible objects as the likeness or symbols or representatives of their deities. And we find that such things, as objects or pretended aids in worship, were soon introduced and in common use among them.

These deities, and the supposed incarnations of them, are believed to have the control of human affairs, and to have the power of conferring any favors which can be enjoyed, and of inflicting any evils which can be endured in this life. So they are the objects of religious homage and worship. Their favor is desired, and means are used to obtain it; their displeasure is dreaded, and means are used to avert it. But the Hindus have yet stronger reasons for worshipping these inferior deities, for their shastras further teach that the supreme and self-existent Spirit feels no interest and takes no part in the affairs of mankind. Kapila declares the true doctrine of the Vedas to be that "the Supreme Spirit has nothing to do with creatures, nor they with him." He is described as existing in a state of serene repose or quiescence, quite indifferent to every thing exterior to himself; sometimes he is described as unconcious of every thing whatever, like persons in a state of sleep, and in this state he will continue till the end of the world — all the affairs of the created universe being superintended and managed in the mean time by the inferior deities he has created. So, as the infinite and self-existent Spirit takes no interest in human affairs, all worship or fear of him, all prayers or praise or gratitude or love to him, are vain and useless. To him no temple is ever consecrated, no worship is ever offered. The Hindu sacred books contain declarations concerning the Supreme Being and their learned men often use expressions concerning him, which would naurally be understood by one not acquainted with their philosophy and their religious system, to exclude all other deities and make