Two Old Faiths | Page 5

prepared for them on earth, and, sitting on the
sacred grass, rejoice in the exhilarating draught.
[Sidenote: The subjects of the hymns of the Rig Veda.] The hymns of
the Rig Veda celebrate the power, exploits, or generosity of the deity
invoked, and sometimes his personal beauty. The praises lavished on
the god not only secured his favor but increased his power to help the
worshiper.

[Sidenote: The holiest prayer.] There is one prayer (so called) which is
esteemed pre-eminently holy; generally called--from the meter in
which it is composed--the Gayatri.[7] It may be rendered thus:
"Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the Divine Son (or Vivifier);
may he enlighten our understandings!"
It has always been frequently repeated in important rites.
[Sidenote: Atharva Veda. Inferior morally and spiritually to the Rig
Veda. Explanation of deterioration.] So far we have referred almost
exclusively to the Rig Veda. The next in importance is the Atharva,
sometimes termed the Brahma Veda; which we may render the Veda of
incantations. It contains six hundred and seventy hymns. Of these a few
are equal to those in the Rig Veda; but, as a whole, the Atharva is far
inferior to the other in a moral and spiritual point of view. It abounds in
imprecations, charms for the destruction of enemies, and so forth.
Talismans, plants, or gems are invoked, as possessed of irresistible
might to kill or heal. The deities are often different from those of the
Rig Veda. The Atharva manifests a great dread of malignant beings,
whose wrath it deprecates. We have thus simple demon-worship. How
is this great falling-off to be explained? In one of two ways. Either a
considerable time intervened between the composition of the two books,
during which the original faith had rapidly degenerated, probably
through contact with aboriginal races who worshiped dark and
sanguinary deities; or else there had existed from the beginning two
forms of the religion--the higher of which is embodied in the hymns of
the Rig Veda, and the lower in the Atharva. We believe the latter
explanation to be correct, although doubtless the superstitions of the
aborigines must all along have exerted an influence on the faith of the
invaders.
[Sidenote: The offerings.] The offerings presented to the gods consisted
chiefly of clarified butter, curdled milk, rice-cakes, and fermented
Soma juice, which was generally mixed with water or milk. All was
thrown into the fire, which bore them or their essences to the gods. The
Soma was also sprinkled on the sacred grass, which was strewn on the
floor, and on which the gods and fathers were invited to come and seat

themselves that they might enjoy the cheering beverage. The remainder
was drunk by the officiating priests. The offerings were understood to
nourish and gratify the gods as corporeal beings.
[Sidenote: Animal victims.] Animal victims are also offered up. We
hear of sheep, goats, bulls, cows, and buffaloes being sacrificed, and
sometimes in large numbers. But the great offering was the Asvamedha,
or sacrifice of the horse. The body of the horse was hacked to pieces;
the fragments were dressed--part was boiled, part roasted; some of the
flesh was then eaten by the persons present, and the rest was offered to
the gods. Tremendous was the potency--at least as stated in later
times--of a hundred such sacrifices; it rendered the offerer equal or
superior to the gods; even the mighty Indra trembled for his
sovereignty and strove to hinder the consummation of the awful rite.
[Sidenote: Human sacrifice.] Human sacrifice was not unknown,
though there are very few allusions to it in the earlier hymns.
[Sidenote: Sacrifice deemed of very high importance.] Even from the
first, however, the rite of sacrifice occupies a very high place, and
allusions to it are exceedingly frequent. The observances connected
with it are said to be the "first religious rites." Sacrifice was early
believed to be expiatory; it removed sin. It was substitutionary; the
victim stood in place of the offerer. All order in the universe depends
upon it; it is "the nave of the world-wheel." Sometimes Vishnu is said
to be the sacrifice; sometimes even the Supreme Being himself is so.
Elaborated ideas and a complex ritual, which we could have expected
to grow up only in the course of ages, appear from very early times. We
seem compelled to draw the inference that sacrifice formed an essential
and very important part of the pre-Vedic faith.[8]
In the Veda worship is a kind of barter. In exchange for praises and
offerings the deity is asked to bestow favors. Temporal blessings are
implored, such as food, wealth, life, children, cows, horses, success in
battle, the destruction of enemies, and so forth. Not much is said
regarding sin and the need of forgiveness. A distinguished scholar[9]
has said