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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(SEPTEMBER, 1908.
the Bhagavat himself taught the religion to the seer Närada, who taught it to, amongst others, the son, who communicated it to mankind. The greatest and most worshipped of all the incarnations of the Bhagavat, - that of Râma-chandra, — was by human origin a descendant of the sun. Several of the legends connected with Bhagavata saints are also connected with the sun. Sugriva, Rama's ally, had the sun for his father. Many stories are told about Draupadi, the wife of the five Påndavas, but in the Aeta Sanctorum of the Bhagavatas, the Bhakta-mála, only one is thought worthy of mention, and that is connected with a miracle performed by Krishna with the aid of a marvellous cooking-pot given to her by the sun. Satrájit, Kțishna's father-in-law was a sun-worshipper, and received from the luminary a jewel which became the subject of many stories. One of the very earliest heretics recorded in Brahmanical literature was Yajñavalkya. According to the Vishnu Purana (III, v, ff.) he refused to obey his preceptor's command to join in worship with people whom he styled "miserable and inefficient Brühmaņs." He explained that he acted "in" or "for bhakti" 13 (the MSS. differ) and rejected so much of the Yajur Veda as he had learut from his teacher. He then departed and worshipped the sun, who imparted to him a new and schismatical White Yajur Veda of its own. With this he betook himself to Janaka, a famous king of the Outland, the legendary father-in-law of Rama-chandra, and intimately connected with the origins of the Bhagavata monotheism. The Brihaddranyaka Upanishad (III, i) of this Véde tells how he discussed religious matters with Janaka and converted him, and how he disputed with and silenced orthodox Brâhmaņs. According to Bhagavata eschatology, the saved soul first of all passes through the sun on its way to the Bhagavat after death. Nimbâditya, the earliest of the modern Bhagavata reformers, commenced his career by causing the sun to stand still, and was an incarnation of the eun. Even at the present day the sun is given the title of "Bhagavat" by the peasants of Northern India. In modern language Bhagavat Surya, the Adorable Sun, becomes Suruj Bhagavan. Finally, in the latter stages of the Bhagavata Religion, the Bhagavat is identified with Vishna, a deity who, in the oldest Indian literature, was worshipped as a san-god.
We know little about the Bhagavata Religion as it was originally promulgated by Krishna Vasudeva. The usual tradition is that it was taught by the Deity Himself to the ancient Risbi Nárada, who taught it to various saints, including the Sun. The Sun told it to the Rishis in his train, who taught it to the Gods, who taught it to Asita, a famous Hindú worthy, the traditional Simeon of Buddbism, though not a Buddhist, From Asita it spread over the world through various channels.
Modern Bhagavatas recognize two great teachers of their Religion. One of these was the Narada just mentioned, to whom is attributed & work entitled the Naradiya-bhaktidstra. It possesses great authority. Equally esteemed is the collection of Sandilya-bhaktisútras. Like the other it is of modern origin. The author to whom it is attributed, composed the Sandilya-vidyd quoted in the Chhandogya Upanishad, III, xiv.14
The doctrines of the Bhagavata Beligion will be discussed on a later page. Here we may briefly say, that in contradistinction to the Pantheistic Brahmaism of the Madhyadeba, it was from the beginning strongly monotheistic. It also taught that the Supreme Deity was infinite, eternal, and full of grace (pragada), and that salvation consisted in a life of perpetual bliss near him.
1This is important for what follows.
14 This famous doscription of Brahma olovely agrees with the idea of the deity found in Bhagavata soriptures: It is noteworthy that Sankaracharya (Vedanta-antras, III, ii, 19, 81 and elsewhere) maintains that it does not teach the knowledge of the Highest Brahma, who is destitate of constituents. Ramanwja (III, iii, 19, 32) who was bimself a Bhagavata, quotes the tout with approval.
