Great Indian Religion

Author(s): G T Bettany
Publisher: Ward Lock Bowden and Co

Page 47

KINGS. Students of the Vedas had to study each for twelve years, but might restrict their study to one Veda only. After the Veda had been studied, he might The four choose which order of Brahmans he would orders of enter; that of the student, the householder, the Brahmans. ascetic, or the hermit in the woods. The ascetic was required to live by alms, to restrain every desire, mm and maintain an attitude of indifference towards the
The ascetic. all creatures, whether they did him an injury or kindness. The hermit was to live in the forest, and subsist on roots and fruits, practising austerities. He was to
e hermit. worship gods, manes (ancestor worship), men, goblins, and Rishis (great Vedic teachers). He must not enter a village, nor step on ploughed land; his dress must be made of bark and skins.
For the householder, marriage and its rites are of the utmost importance, and full directions are given as to the choice of a wife and the ceremonies attend- The houseing marriage, which vary according to the holder's kind of marriage. The offspring of marriages duties. with other castes give rise in each case to a distinct caste. Complex domestic ceremonies are prescribed, with offerings to the deities presiding over the eight points of the horizon, at the doors of the house to the Maruts, to the deities of the dwelling inside the house, to Brahman in the centre of the house, to the Waters near the water pot, to the Ether in the air, and in the evening to the beings walking about at night. A kindly courtesy is shown in the direction that a householder before he eats shall feed his guests, infants, sick people and women, aged men, and those of low condition. A Brahman is allowed to earn his living by varied occupations in times of distress; but he is forbidden to sell a great many specified kinds of goods.
The authority of kings is upheld in Gautama's Institutes, but at the same time high privileges are demanded for Brahmans, who, if of high rank and religious character, must not be corporally punished, Kings. imprisoned, fined, exiled, or reviled. Truth-speaking and the ascertainment of truth are strongly inculcated.