Notes on the Religious, Moral, and Political State of India Before the Mahomedan Invasion: Chiefly Founded on the Travels of the Chinese Buddhist Priest Fai Han in India, A.D. 399, and on the Commentaries of Messrs. Remusat, Klaproth, Burnouf, and Landresse |
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Allahabad amongst ancient antiquity Arhans Arrian As-o-ko Asoko authorities Benares bo-tree Brah Brahmans Buddha Buddhist Buddhist emblems Buddhist inscriptions Buddhist priests called caste caves century before Christ Ceylon chaitya chap character China Chinese travellers coins Deva Deva Nagari dhist doctrines dynasty ecclesiastics edicts existence Fa hian fact Ganges Gaya gods Gujarat Gupta gymnosophists heretics hian hian's Hindu Hiuan thsang honour India Indra J. A. S. B. vol Jain Kanouj king kingdom Klaproth Kshatrya language Linga Magadha Mahawanso Megasthenes mentioned Menu miles modern monasteries numerous Old Pali Ougein Patna period princes Prinsep Professor Wilson Puranas quoted Raja Rajputs Ramayana reigned relics religion religious Remusat sacred Sakya Sakya Muni Samvat Sanskrit language says Sena seventh century Siva sophists Sudra supposed temple tion topes tower tribe trident Turnour Vaisya Vedas Vishnu Vishnu Purana worship δὲ καὶ μὲν οἱ τὰ τε τὴν τῆς τὸ τὸν τοῦ τῶν
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Page 177 - Taking up his residence in the secluded Ganthakara vihara, at Anuradhapura, he translated, according to the grammatical rules of the Magadhas, which is the root of all languages, the whole of the Singhalese Atthakatha (into Pali). This proved an achievement of the utmost consequence to all languages spoken by the human race.
Page 196 - the only Sanscrit composition yet discovered to which the title of History can with any propriety be applied.
Page 130 - Brahmans are now polylheists, and the best that can be said of them is, that they may anciently have worshipped the elements, while the sophists worshipped ONE GOD.
Page 190 - giver of poison," and a "suborner of perjury," that Brahmans would have gone to sea. May not the interdict be fairly considered the consequence of the practice? and this would date the Institutes of Menu after the fourth century ! The last indication of modernism that occurs to me is the mention of the Puranas; and in the same verse, the heroic poems (although not by name) are referred to, which would give a date to Menu 1 From his high birth alone a Brahman is an object of veneration, EVEN TO DEITIES;...
Page 199 - It is highly probable that, of the present popular forms of the Hindu religion, none assumed their actual state earlier than the time of Sankara Acharya, the great Saiva reformer, who flourished, in all likelihood, in the eighth or ninth century.
Page 180 - The following races of Kshatriyas, by their omission of holy rites, and by seeing no Brahmans, have gradually sunk among men to the lowest of the four classes : Paundracas, Odras, and Draviras, Kambojas, Yavanas, and Sacas; Paradas, Pahlavas, Chinas, Kiratas, Deradas, and Khasas.
Page 151 - The Brahmin eats but his own food ; wears but his own apparel ; and bestows but his own in alms : through the benevolence of the Brahmin, indeed, other mortals enjoy life.
Page 160 - Oh ! Yudhisthira, formerly in this world of ours, there was but one caste. The division into four castes originated with diversity of rites and of avocations. All men were born of woman in like manner. All are subject to the same physical necessities, and have the same organs and senses. But he whose conduct...
Page 20 - ether" being paramount. 2nd. Mokiali: he falsely believed that the good and evil of mankind did not result from previous action, but were accidental. His doctrine, therefore, was that of chance. 3rd. Sanjaya [recta victoria] his mother's name being Vairagi [non agens]. His heresy consisted in believing that it was not necessary to search for the doctrine in the sacred books; but that it would come spontaneously when the ages of births and deaths had been passed through. He also believed that after...
Page 153 - The tract of land thus assigned for the first establishment of Hinduism in India, is of very circumscribed extent, and could not have been the site of any numerous tribe or nation. The traditions that evidence the early settlement of the Hindus in this quarter, ascribe to the settlers more of a philosophical and religious, than of a secular, character, and combine, with the very narrow bounds of the holy land, to render it possible, that the earliest emigrants were the members, not of a political,...