The Religion of the Veda Given Before Va Rious Learned Institutions O F
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W A M E R /CA N L E C TUR E S ON TH E H IS TOR Y OF R E LI GI ON S — — SEVENTH S ERIES 1 906 1 90 7 THE RELIGION OFTHE VEDA THE AN CIENT RELIGION OF INDIA (FROM R I G-VEDA T O U PAN I SH AD S) BY D LL. D. A R E BLOO F ELD Ph . M U IC M I , P rofessor of San skrit an d C om parative Philology in John s H opkins U n i ersit B a im o e v y, lt r P PUT AM’S SONS G. N NEW YORK AND LONDON B ? AM ’S SON S G . P . P UTN t he finickerbocker p ress. FA PR E C E . H IS volume reproduces with some little ampli ficatio n six lectures on the Religion of the Veda given before va rious learned institutions o f d a — America uring the f ll and winter O f 1 906 07. The period of time and the amount O f literature embraced in the term Vedic are large ; moreover a n y discussio n of this religion that d eserves th e n am e must also include a gl a nce at the prehistoric periods h O f whic preceded the religion the Veda . Con n a u seque tly my tre tment m st be selective . It was n o t ffi u h n o di c lt to make the selection . I ave t thought it n ecessary to include a complete account O f Vedic mythology and legend nor d id the d etails of priestly ritu a l a n d religious folk -practices seem to me to c a ll for elaborate exposition at this time a n d under the circumstances of a popular treatment O f n On h d d Vedic religio . the other an , it seeme both interesting an d important to bring o ut as m a rkedly as possible the development O f the re ligious th ought of th e Veda in d istinction from P refa ce m a a myth and cere ony . The re der o f these p ges a will , I hop e , le rn to his satisfaction how the religion of the Veda rests upon a prehistoric foundation which is l argely n ature myth ; how it continues in the Rig-Ved a hym ns as hiera tic ritu a l worship of polytheistic gods ; how this religion grew more a n d more form a l and mechanical in the Yaj ur-Ved a s a n d a a a Br hman s , until it was pr ctically abandoned how and when a rose the germs of higher religious fi a thought ; and , n lly , how the motives and prin ciples th at underlie this entire chain of ment a l u a a events landed H ind thought , at a comp r tively re early period , in the pantheistic and pessimistic ligio n O f the Upanishads which it has n ever a ga in a ab ndoned . A ICE LOOM IELD M UR B F . OH NS H O P KI N S N IV RSITY J U E , BALTIMOR A rzl 1 0 E , p , 9 7. A NN OUNCEM ENT . H E American L ectures on the H istory of Religions are d elivered under the auspices of the American Committee for Lectures on the H istory O f . 1 8 2 Religions This Committee was organised in 9 , for the purpose o f instituting popular courses i n n the History of Religio s , somewhat after the style of L in d d the H ibbert ectures England , to be elivere an n ually by the best scholars O f Europe an d this i n country , various cities , such as Baltimore , Boston , h Brooklyn , C icago , New York , Philadelphia , an d others . The terms o f association u nd er wh ich th e Commit tee exist are as follows I O A n . The bject of this ssociatio shall be to provide courses of lectures on the history of religions , to d a be delivere in v rious cities . 2 A d d s . The ssociation shall b e compose of elegate i co -O from Institutions agree ng to perate , or from Local Bo ards organised wh ere such co-operatio n is not possible . d — a O r 3 . These elegates one from e ch Institution vi An n o u n cem en t L oc a l Bo ard sh a ll constitute themselves a Council under the n a me O f the Americ a n Com " m itte e for Lectures on the History O fReligions . The Council sh a ll elect out of its n umber a Ch a ir m a n a S a . , ecretary , and a Tre surer All a O f a a a 5 . m tters loc l det il sh ll be left to the In stitu tion s L a or oc l Boards , under whose auspices a re the lectures to be delivered . 6 A . course of lectures on some religion , or phase of a O f w religion , from an h istoric l point vie , or on O f a a subject german e to the study religions , sh ll a a m a be delivered annu lly , or at such interv ls as y a f re re be found practic ble , in the dif erent cities p A sented by this ssociation . a a 7 . The Council ( ) sh ll be charged with the selec O f b tion the lecturers , ( ) shall have charge of the 5 a funds, ( ) sh ll assign the time for the lectures in h each city , and perform suc other functions as a may be necess ry . 8 . Polemical subjects , as well as polemics in the treat a ment of subj ects , sh ll be positively excluded . The lecturer shall be chosen by the Council at least ten months before the date fixed for the O f course lectures . The lectures shall be delivered in the va rious cities a n d between the months o f S eptember J une . The copyright o f the lectures sh all be the prop e r a ty of the Associ tion . An n o u n cem en t ’ n e - a m a a 1 2 . O h lf of the lecturer s co pens tion sh ll be p a id a t the completion O f the entire course and the seco n d h alf upo n the publicatio n of the lectures . 1 n u 3 . The compensatio to the lect rer shall be fixed in each c ase by the Cou n cil . 1 4 . The lecturer is not to deliver elsewhere any of the lectures for which he is e n gaged by the m h Co mittee , except wit th e sanction of the Committee . The Committee as now constit uted is as follows a a an L S t . Prof . Cr wford H . Toy , Ch irm , 7 owell , D r. a a . C mbridge , Mass Rev J ohn P Peters , Tre s 2 th t u re r 2 W S . , 5 est 99 , New York ; Prof Morris r S 2 8 S 2 d S t . Ph ilad e l J astrow, J . , ecretary, 4 outh 3 , P a F a a . phi , Prof r ncis Brown , Union Theological h il a . Gott e S emin ry , New York ; Prof Richard , Col w N e F . umbia University , York ; Prof . R . Harper, a U niversity of Chic go , Chicago , Ill . Prof . Paul 1 A 2 1 . Haupt , 5 Madison venue, Baltimore , Md ; F W . n n Prof . H ooper, Brookly I stitute , Brooklyn , W a Y . N . ; Prof E Hopkins , New H ven , Conn ; d x a Prof. Edwar Kno M itchell , H rtford Theologi cal S a . F . emin ry , Hartford , Conn ; Prof George F . a d a . S Moore , C mbri ge , M ss Rev K anders , n a F S a Bosto , M ss . ; Pres . C . outhworth , Me dville S a a . Theological emin ry , Me dville , Pa The lecturers in the course O f American Lectures on the H istory of Religions and the titles o f their volumes a re as follows —1 8 — - 1 8 . W . Ph D D . 94 9 5 Prof T Rhys avids , Buddhism . 1 6— — D M LL D 8 1 8 . D . 9 97 Prof aniel G Brinton , , Religion of Primitive Peoples . — — — D . D . 1 8 1 8 8 . 97 9 Rev Prof T K Cheyne , J ewish L Religious ife after the Exile . — — D — 1 8 8 1 8 . a D . 9 99 Prof K rl Budde , Religion of Israel to the Exile . — - Ph . D 1 0 1 0 . S . 9 4 9 5 Prof Georg teindorff, The A a Religion O f the ncient Egypti ns . — 6— r e P ro f. G eo W D . D D . 1 0 1 0 LL . 9 5 9 g illiam Knox , D O f a a The evelopment Religion in J p n . The present course of lectures , the seventh in the s e ri es w as , delivered by Professor Maurice Bloomfield , D m P h . D . L . O f a a L . S , , Professor nskrit an d Co par tive a t Philology the J ohns Hopkins University , and one O f L a the leading authorities o n Vedic iter ture .