DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.636#0023
Vedism. 11
men (his twin-sister being Yami) and the first of men who
died. Hence he is supposed to guide the spirits of other
men who die to the world of spirits. Sometimes Death is
said to be his messenger, he himself dwelling in celestial light,
to which the departed are brought, and where they enjoy his
society and that of the ancient patriarchs. In the later my-
thology he is God of death and punisher of the wicked. In
the Veda he has no such office,—but he has two terrific dogs,
with four eyes, which guard the way to his abode (see p. 16).
In brief, enough has been said to show that the early
religion of the Indo-Aryans was a development of a still
earlier belief in man's subjection to the powers of nature
and his need of conciliating them. It was an unsettled
system which at one time assigned all the phenomena of
the universe to one first Cause; at another, attributed them
to several Causes operating independently; at another, sup-
posed the whole visible creation to be animated by one
universal all-pervading spirit. It was a belief which, ac-
cording to the character and inclination of the worshipper,
was now monotheism, now tritheism, now polytheism, now
pantheism. But it was not yet idolatry. Though the forces
of nature were thought of as controlled by divine persons,
such persons were not yet idolized. There is no evidence
from the Vedic hymns that images were actually worshipped,
though they appear to have been occasionally employed-1.
The mode of divine worship continued to be determined
from a consideration of human likings and dislikings. Every
worshipper praised the gods because he liked to be praised
himself. He honoured them with offerings because he liked
to receive presents himself. He pretended to feed them be-
cause he required food himself. This appears to have been
the simple origin of the sacrificial system—a system which was
afterwards closely interwoven with the whole Hindu religion.
1 For example, in Rig-veda II. 33. 9 an image of Rudra is alluded to ;
and in I. 25. 13, V. 52. 15, visible forms of some kind seem implied.
men (his twin-sister being Yami) and the first of men who
died. Hence he is supposed to guide the spirits of other
men who die to the world of spirits. Sometimes Death is
said to be his messenger, he himself dwelling in celestial light,
to which the departed are brought, and where they enjoy his
society and that of the ancient patriarchs. In the later my-
thology he is God of death and punisher of the wicked. In
the Veda he has no such office,—but he has two terrific dogs,
with four eyes, which guard the way to his abode (see p. 16).
In brief, enough has been said to show that the early
religion of the Indo-Aryans was a development of a still
earlier belief in man's subjection to the powers of nature
and his need of conciliating them. It was an unsettled
system which at one time assigned all the phenomena of
the universe to one first Cause; at another, attributed them
to several Causes operating independently; at another, sup-
posed the whole visible creation to be animated by one
universal all-pervading spirit. It was a belief which, ac-
cording to the character and inclination of the worshipper,
was now monotheism, now tritheism, now polytheism, now
pantheism. But it was not yet idolatry. Though the forces
of nature were thought of as controlled by divine persons,
such persons were not yet idolized. There is no evidence
from the Vedic hymns that images were actually worshipped,
though they appear to have been occasionally employed-1.
The mode of divine worship continued to be determined
from a consideration of human likings and dislikings. Every
worshipper praised the gods because he liked to be praised
himself. He honoured them with offerings because he liked
to receive presents himself. He pretended to feed them be-
cause he required food himself. This appears to have been
the simple origin of the sacrificial system—a system which was
afterwards closely interwoven with the whole Hindu religion.
1 For example, in Rig-veda II. 33. 9 an image of Rudra is alluded to ;
and in I. 25. 13, V. 52. 15, visible forms of some kind seem implied.