The great Indian religions : being a popular account of Brahmanism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism : with accounts of the Vedas and other Indian sacred books, the Zendabesta, Sikhism, Jainism, Mithraism, etc. / by G. T. Bettany.

  • Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas), 1850-1891.
Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The great Indian religions : being a popular account of Brahmanism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism : with accounts of the Vedas and other Indian sacred books, the Zendabesta, Sikhism, Jainism, Mithraism, etc. / by G. T. Bettany. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    94/306 (page 82)
    spectators ask them questions about missing relatives or future events, and their deliverances are supposed to he oracular” (Monier-Williams). Many strange festivals are held in connection with this devil-worship in India, and the facts show how general must formerly have worship of been the practices now found among the more animals and savage races. The extensive animal worship trees. 0f C0WS) serpents, monkeys, etc., and the wor- ship of trees still prevailing is another considerable sur- vival of more primitive times. It depends largely in India on the view taken of the sacredness of life, and the transmigration of the souls of men into animals. Deification of Again, the worship of great men seems even heroes and more deeply implanted m the Hindu than m saints. £}ie (Chinese mind, and again and again great leaders, preachers, teachers or saints are deified, and regarded as incarnations of Vishnu or Siva ; and even men of moderate fame are after death honoured and Avorshipped, and a shrine is set up to them in the place where they were best knOAvn. Surely we have said enough to show that in every way the Hindus are very remarkable for their worship of the superior powers in all conceivable forms. [See “Oriental Religions: India,” by S. Johnson, English and Foreign Philosophical Library. Sir W. W. Hunter’s “ India,” vol. vi. of the “ Im- perial Gazetteer of india,” and also separately published. Rev. W. Ward’s “View of the History, Religion and Literature of the Hindus, 1818.” llev. W. J. Wilkins's “ Hindu Mythology and Modern Hinduism.” Sir Moniei- AVilliams’s “ Religious Thought and Life in India,” and “ Indian Wisdom ; ” “ Sacred Books of the East.”]