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Appendix.
Religious Trend of People.
"Read the history of the past; and one fact would come out before you plainly and clearly not only in India, but all past great civilizations-you may study a great civilization whether it be that of Egypt, China, Persia, Greece or of Rome, you will find that in palmiest days of the civilization, religion was the guiding force of the State. When were the days when India was mightiest, when her thrones were most secure, when her people were most intelligent, when her manufactures and arts, and industries and commerce flourished, when her sailors were known in far distant and the products of her artizens covered the face of the world ? It was in the days when religion was more che. rished than wealth, in the days when Rājas would bow before the Rishies that instructed them."
Before the birth of śramaņa Bhagavāna Mahavira, the Brahmanical cult of the Pour Védas, Nighantu, and Ithāsa (some of the Purāņas ) was very prevalent.
According to Kapla Sūtra, when Rışabhadatta questioned a Naimittika (fortune-teller ) about the fruit of the fourteen Great Dreams seen by his wife Dévānandā, the astrologer predicting the acquisions of Sramana Bhagavāna Mahävira, replied that the boy will be clever in the four Védas ( 1 Rig Veda 2 Yaju ---Véda, 3. Sama Veda and 4. Atharvana Véda ), in Nighantu and in Itihāsa.
Leaving aside a variety of opinions existing among Brahmins themselves, and confining ourselves to Rig Veda alone, we notice
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