________________
CHAPTER III
THE VILLAGE
N the Buddha's time and in that portion of North India where the Buddhist influence was most early felt — that is to say in the districts including and adjoining those now called the United Provinces and Behar-the social conditions were, on the whole, simple. But there are several points of great interest on which they differed from those of the same districts now, and from those of related tribes in Europe then.
Divergent theories have been propounded to explain these differences. The influence of food and climate is assigned a paramount importance. Vegetarian diet is supposed to explain the physical and mental degeneracy proved by the presumed absence of political movements and ardent patriotism. Or the enervating and tropical heat of the sultry plains is supposed to explain at once the want of political vigour and the bad philosophy. Or the overwhelming mental effect of the mighty powers of nature -the vivid storms of thunder and lightning, the irresistible rays of the scorching sun, the depressing
42
Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat
www.umaragyanbhandar.com
