THE jAixs. 289 



ties, nearly the whole pantheon of the orthodox 

 Hindus. Tliey differ, indeed, in regard to the history 

 of the personages, whom the}- have deified ; and it 

 may be hence concluded, that they have had distinct 

 founders ; but the original notion seems to have been 

 the same. In fact, this remarkable tenet, from which 

 the Jainas and Baudd'has derive their most conspicu- 

 ous peculiarities, is not entirely unknown to the or- 

 thodox Hindus. The followers of the Vedas, accord- 

 ing to the theology, which is explained in the Ve- 

 ddfita, considering the human soul as a portion of the 

 divine and universal mind, believe, that it is capable 

 of perfect union with the divine essence: and the 

 writers on the Vedanta not only affirm, that this union 

 and identity are attained through a knowledge of 

 God, as by them taught ; but have hinted, that by 

 such means the particular soul becomes God, even to 

 the actual attainment of supremacy *. 



So far the followers of the Vedas do not virtually 

 disagree with the Jainas and Baudd'has. But they 

 have not, like those sects, framed a mythology upon 

 the supposed history of the persons, who have suc- 

 cessively attained divinity ; nor have they taken 

 these for the objects of national worship. AH three 

 sects agree in their belief of transmigration. But the 

 Jainas are distinguished from the rest by their ad- 

 mission of no opinions, as they themselves affirm, 

 which are not founded on perception, or on proof 

 drawn fiom that, or from testimony. 



It does not, however, appear, that they really with- 

 hold belief from pretended revelations : and the doc- 

 trines, which characterise the sect, are not confined 

 to a single tenet ; but form an assemblage of mytholo- 



* Vrxhad 6ran'yaca Upanishad. 



Vol. IX. u 



