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RELIGION
203 of fact, Brahmanism was the only form of higher religion in India which could affiliate all the popular cults without any feeling of contradiction. The religious beliefs and practices grew up among different tribes, races and nations and were cherished by them with veneration and joy. It was left to the founders and exponents of the higher religions to decide how far, and in which manner these were to be utilised, modified, improved or replaced. But we shall see anon, in spite of the apparent victory and predominance of the higher religions over the folk, the latter always held the ground and the sum total of results of the age-long conflict was nothing but a widening of its, scope and enrichment of its contents. The folk religion afforded indeed the living ground of synthesis of contending faiths. And with the march of time when it became sufficiently strong and self-conscious, it asserted itself as a great religion of Bhakti influencing the whole domain of the higher faiths, Jain, Buddhist, and all.
* We have in the Pali canonical texts a faithful account of the Vedic religion as practised by the Sotthiyas and Mahāsālas of the age. On its emotional side, it consisted in the invocation of Inda, Soma, Varuņa, Isāna, Pajāpati, Brahmā, Mabiddhi and Yama. The invocation was practised either by way of supplication (āyācanahetu), or by way of prayer (patthanahetu), or by,
