1876.] Rajendralala Mitra — On Human Sacrifices in Ancient India. 77 



rations were inspired by a dread of some, to it, unknown force which brings 

 on misfortune, the human susceptibilities of being vexed at disobedience and 

 appeased by flattery and peace-offering, were early attributed to him. In fact 

 a cruel, fierce, vindictive being, whose grace could be purchased by coaxing 

 and presents, was one of the earliest conceptions of the Godhead among 

 primitive races. With the advancement of civilization this conception was 

 materially and greatly purified and improved, but the idea of winning the 

 good-will of an offended, or indifferently disposed, being of great power 

 could not be shaken off, and the coaxing and the presents had, therefore, to be 

 retained under some shape or other. All mantras, charms, and prayers — all 

 offerings, oblations and sacrifices — in fact, the whole history of religion, may 

 be looked upon as the gradual development of this cardinal idea. And 

 inasmuch as the efficacy of an offering, in the case of man, is dependant upon 

 its nearness of relation and preciousness to the offerer, and in primitive times 

 the prime of the flock was the most valued article of possession, sacrifices of 

 animals naturally obtained the highest place in the cultus of ancient wor- 

 shippers. The owner of the flock was, of course, the nearest and most pre- 

 cious to himself, and his children, the next after him, and accordingly they 

 would be deemed the most appropriate to be offered as sacrifices ; though^ 

 generally speaking, the main object of worship, in early times, having been 

 the temporal good of the worshipper, it was by no means convenient for 

 him to offer himself as a sacrifice for it. Children, particularly when there 

 happened to be several in a family, could be more readily spared, and they 

 would accordingly be more frequently given up for the purpose. 



Again, working out, with reference to the Divinity, the human practice 

 of professing submission by putting oneself into privations and degradation 

 in the presence of the person whose good- will has to be secured, penance and 

 mortification early formed a part of religion, and indeed have been co-exten- 

 sive with religion itself ; and the conclusion was soon arrived at, that if the 

 mortification of the flesh was gratifying to the Divinity, its entire dedica- 

 tion to Him would be much more so. But self-love here intervened, and 

 suggested the idea of substitutes or vicarious sacrifice, which has exercised 

 so potent an influence in the evolution of the religious cultus everywhere. 



Further, rejoicings after success in warfare formed a most important 

 element in the annals of primitive society, and as such successes were uni- 

 versally acknowledged to be due to divine interference, the idea of offering 

 to the intervener the fruits thereof was but natural, and the offering of pri- 

 soners-of-war as sacrifices was the obvious conclusion arrived at. The 

 extreme difficulty of keeping in security and feeding large bodies of prison- 

 ers-of-war has often suggested the necessity of summarily disposing of them 

 by slaughter, — even Napoleon I., it is said, once felt compelled to resort to the 

 odious method of poisoning some of his sick comrades whom he could 



