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iv
Vyavahāracanda
songs of the different tribes in different the Rgveda that the most important provinces. Literary works of the earli- nucleus for a social history of India is to est days reaching down to our own be found. Then follow the Yajurvedadays have been studied and published Samhitas in the following order : the Taitand splendid collections have been made tiriya, the Kathaka, the Kapis'thala, the of them in libraries. Well-ordered his- Maitrayaniya and the Vájasaneyi. The tories of the languages, of the religions, Samhitäs of the Samaveda and Atharof the philosophies, of the customs and vaveda follow next. Most of the verses of the castes as well as of the dynasties of the Samaveda being identical with those the Indian kings have been written. of the Rgveda, the former may be regard Plenty of material has been thus made ed as belonging to the same period as the available for a study of India and it is | latter. Western scholars put the Yajurbeing enriched from day to day. And veda-Sambita as anterior to the Atharvayet Sanskrit religious literature is proba- veda-Samhita, but from the evidence it bly of the highest importance in all the does not appear that they belong to material mentioned above for a history different epochs, although from the point of Indian sociology. For the Hindu view of view of cultural evolution the culture of life includes in the sphere of religious disclosed in the Atharva-Samhita appears ideology all endeavour and thought for to be less advanced and therefore earlier the conservation and advancement of than that of the RV.-Samhita. After the society and that is why the history of Samhitas follow Brāhamaņas, the AranyaHinduism includes a substantial portion kas and the Upanişadas in due order and of the history of the social life of Hindus. then come the Nirukta, the Srautasutras The history of Hinduism in fact ought so and Grhyasūtras and the Dharmasutras. to extend its sphere as to include a study All this literature from the RV. to the of the family rites and religious usages, Kalpasutras may safely be regarded as of the expiratory rites, of the sacrifices, pre-Buddhistic. After this the next place of the festivities and modes of worship, has to be given to the two epics, the Manuof the fasts and the pilgrimages, of the smrti, a part of which is probably prereligious faiths and of the gods, of meta- Buddhistic and a part post-Buddhistic, and physical speculations and the philoso- the other smrties. Quotations from Puraphies, of the rules governing the indivi- nas, Āgamás, Tantras and similar dual conduct towards the family, the kinds of literature have been accordcaste or society, of ethics, law and politics led the next place, and then finally come and of all social institutions of the extracts from the ancient commentations Hindus.
and the authors of treatises, dating from The religious literature of the Hindus the seventh century onwards, like CT4, affords all this material and the Dharma- fa254, fafe and fast followed by kos'a is intended as a classified statement those from later commentaries and of this material, arranged according to treatises that were composed up to the general and special headings in chrono- end of the 18th century. logical order and as an exposition of the This ocean of literature conceals in historical conclusions that may be its bosom valuable historical material gleaned from it. The quotations from which could throw a light on the history Rgveda on each topic have been given of Indian Sociology, which when arranged the first place. For it stands as the with the proper perspective, would most oldest and most authoritative work truly reflect the social life, civilization iņ our religious literature and it is in and progress as well as the detetioration
