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INTRODUCTION.
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And among the less ancient works, prior to which we may place the Gita on account of the facts now under consideration, are Manu and Apastamba. Now Manu's date is not ascertained, though, I believe, he is now generally considered to belong to about the second or third century B.C! But Dr. Buhler, in the Preface to his Apastamba in the present series, has adduced good reasons for holding that Apastamba is prior to the third century B.C., and we therefore obtain that as a point of time prior to which the Gità must have been composed.
The next important item of internal evidence which we have to note, is the view taken of caste in the Bhagavadgita. Here, again, a comparison of the doctrine of the Gitá with the conception of caste in Manu and Åpastamba is interesting and instructive. The view of Manu has been already contrasted by me with the Gità in another place. I do not propose to dwell on that point here, as the date of Maou is far from being satisfactorily ascertained. I prefer now to take up Apastamba only, whose date, as just now stated, is fairly well fixed by Dr. Bühler. The division of cases, then, is twice referred to in the Bhagavadgita. In the first passage (p. 59) it is stated that the division rcsts va differences of qualities and dutics; in the second (pp. 126, 127) the various duties are distinctly stated according to the diffcrcaces of qualities. Now in the first place, noting as we pass along, that there is nothing in the Gitá to indicate whether caste was hereditary, according to its view, whereas Apastamba distinctly states it to be such, let us compare tbc second passage of the Gità with the Satras of Âpasamba bearing on the point. The view enunciated in the Gita appears to me plainly to belong to an earlier ageto an age of considerably less advancement in social and religious development. In the Gità, for instance, the duties of a Brahmana are said to be tranquillity, self-restraint, and
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Professor Tiele (History of Ancient Religions, p. 127) considers the main features of Manu to be 'pre. Buddhistic.' • P. u .
See the lacrodactory Eway to my Bhagavadgful in English verre, published • 1675. p. ae.
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