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people. They were exactly the class to whom the kings, courtiers, and the rest turned for consultation and ministration when they were frightened by some unnatural dreams or occurrence of abnormal events, celestial or terrestrial, or by apparitions. Curiously enough, the leaders of such highly protestant religions as Buddhism and Jainism could not help satisfying this insistent popular demand. The Buddha 18 represented as a better interpreter of dreams than the Brahmins, when he was consulted by king Pasenadi at the instance of his queen.2 The improvisation of Parittas as saving chants in early Buddhism was undoubtedly due to the dire necessity of meeting the same popular demand.
RELIGION
8
4
The people of India in their worldly existence had certain fears which are enumerated in the Pali canonical texts as sixteen, and in the Milinda as seventeen, such fears as might arise from the tyranny of the ruler, from the action of thieves, robbers, etc., from the action of men, malevolent spirits, stars, water, air, fire, famine, disease, pestilence, reptiles and wild beasts, etc. They were naturally inclined to avail themselves of all possible means to avoid
1.Digha, 1, p. 9f.
» Jätaka, 1, p. 234f
3 Anguttara, 11, p. 121f
4 Milinda, p 196
