288 OBSERVATIONS ON 



n'u, forwarded to me, at my request, such books of 

 his former faith, as were yet within his reach. 



It appears, from the concurrent result of all the 

 inquiries which have been made, that the Jainas con- 

 stitute a sect of Hindus, differing indeed, from the 

 rest, in some very important tenets ; but following, 

 in other respects, a similar practice, and nmintaining 

 like opinions and observances. 



The essential character of the H'mdu institutions is 

 the distribution of the people into four great tribes. 

 This is considered by themselves to be the marked 

 point which separates them from Mleclihas or Bar- 

 barians. The Jainas, it is found, admit the same 

 division into four tribes, and perform like religious 

 ceremonies, termed Sanscaras, from the birth of a 

 male to his marriage. They observe similar fasts, 

 and practise, still more strictly, the received maxims 

 for refraining from injury to any sentient being. 

 They appear to recognise, as subordinate deities, 

 some, if not all, of the gods of the prevailing sects ; 

 but do not worship, in particular, the five piincipal 

 gods of those sects ; or any one of them by prefer- 

 ence; nor address prayers, or perform sacrifice, to 

 the sun, or to fire : and they differ from the rest of 

 the Hindus, in assigning the highest place to certain 

 deified saints, who, according to their creed, have 

 successively become superior gods. Another point, 

 in which they materiallj^ disagree, is the rejection of 

 the Vidas, the divine authority of which they deny ; 

 condemning, at the same time, the practice of sacri- 

 fices, and the other ceremonies, which the followers 

 of the Vedas perform, to obtain specific promised 

 consequences, in this world, or in the next. 



In this respect, the Jaiiias resemble the Baudd'has 

 or Saugatas, who equally deny the divine authority 

 of the Vedas ; and who similarly worship certain pre- 

 eminent saints, admitting likewise, as subordinate dei- 



