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sin: ‘©O Agni, thou who hast been kindled with this adora- 
tion, greet Mitra, Varuna, and Indra. Whatever sin we have 
committed, do thou pardon it!” * The forgiveness of sin is 
not a prominent doctrine of later Hinduism ; and its existing 
in the early hymns of the Rig-Veda must point to an exalted 
conception of the moral character of the Deity amongst the 
forefathers of the Vedic poets. 
Under still another aspect the Deity is Indra, the rain- 
giver. He has become the chief god of the Vedic period ; an 
illustration, perhaps, of how the more material and immediate 
has always had'a tendency to override the more spiritual and 
profound in religion. He has still, however, all the attributes 
of the supreme god; he is the creator, preserver, and up- 
holder of all things. 
Now, what especially strikes us is that the same attributes 
of Deity are ascribed to all these gods, whether Aditi, Varuna, 
Agni, or Indra, as also to others not here mentioned. Why 
this unity, or identity, of character? Had these gods been 
originally separate creations of the human mind, would they 
not have differed more in character as well as name? ‘There 
is an immense difference between these ancient gods and the 
later Krishna, Rama, Ganapathi, &c., who were deified men, 
and had their separate and distinct characters. We can only , 
account for the unity of character in these Vedic gods by 
looking upon them as originally the same Deity under different 
names. ‘his, moreover, is the view of some, at least, of the 
Rishis of the Vedic hymns themselves. One says, ‘‘ That 
which is one, sages name it in various ways. They call it 
Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.” + Another says, “‘'The wise poets 
represent by their words Him who is one with beautiful 
wings, in many ways.” { 
There is still another term, under which the idea of Deity is 
expressed: it is Atman. Atman was never the name of a 
god, but is the Self of both God and man, and is used to 
describe the Deity. Thus, in Rig-Veda, i. 164, 4:—‘‘ Who 
saw him when he was first born, when he who has no bones 
bore him who has bones? Where was the breath, the blood, 
the Self of the world? Who went to ask this from any that 
knew it ?”? Professor Max Miiller quotes an early authority, 
of not later, he believes, than the fifth century B.C., who 
says, ‘ That there is, in reality, but one God, but he does not 
call him the Lord, or the Highest God, the Creator, Ruler, 
* Rig-Veda, vii. 93, 7. + Ibid., i.:164, 46. 
t Ibid., x. 114, 5, quoted by Max. Miiller, India, p. 144. 
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