BRA 



li.>undi:cl occp.n, fiom which it originr.IIy ifTiied. Thcfe Joc- 

 trincs of the Bramins conserninjj the deity, as tiie foul 

 which pervades all nature, giving adUvity aiul vigour to every 

 j;irt of it, as well as the final re-unii>n of all intellgent crea- 

 ■iires to their primx'val fourec, coincide with the tejiets of 

 lie Stoical fcliooi. In the errors alio of their thccjiogical 

 I'jciilatlons we may difeover a great fimilarity. As it was 

 , iniutained by many among the Greek and Roman philofo- 

 iihers, that the vntgar and iinltarned-liad no right to truth, 

 i:iie Bramins of India adopted limilar ideas, and they regu- 

 lated their conduct in the fame maimer with refpeft to the 

 great botly of the people. To their order btlongcd tlic 

 exchifive right of reading the facred books, as wtU as of 

 cultivating and teacliing fcience ; and therefore they had it 

 in their power more ei'l'eilually to prevent all who were not 

 members of the order from acquiring any information beyond 

 what they were plcafed to impart. Hence it happened, 

 that, like raany of the fages of Greece, the Bramins of In- 

 dia carried on, with Ihidied artifice, a fclieme of deceit, and, 

 according to an emphatical exprcfilon of an infpired wiiter 

 (Rom.i. iS.), they ddahtcd the truth in unrighteoufnets. 

 Whilll they themfelves knew and approved what was true, 

 they laboured among the rell of mankind to fuppurt and 

 perpetuate what was falfe. 



The Bramins of Hindoilan have a language peculiar to 

 themfelves, which they call Sanfcrit of Shaiiferit (which fee) ; 

 and in this language they have ancient books written, as they 

 allege, by their gri;at prophet and founder Brahma ; fuch as 

 the Beda, or Vedam, delivered, as they fay, to their lawgiver, 

 Brahma, by the Deity ; the Shajler, or Sl.\i/}ah, which is their 

 bible ; and Ptiran, or Pouranc, a hillory which they deem 

 facred, and which they pretend to have been didlated by 

 God himfelf, containing alfo the explanation of the (barter. 

 For an account of thefe books, fee each of thefe terms. 

 Tlicfe facred books are kept in clofe cuftody by the Bra- 

 mins ; nor do they fuffer their contents to be communicated 

 to their own laity, much lefs to ilrangers. The (hafter con- 

 tains a fiimmary of their moral and ceremonial laws, together 

 with the diltribution of mankind into tribes and clafTes, and 

 an account of the rules of conduft appropriated to each. 

 (See Shastah.) From this book, on theprecepts of which 

 the Bramins profefs to found their praflice, it appears, that 

 their religion, and particularly the ceremonial part of it, con- 

 fitls in frequent ablutions in their rivers, and more efpecially 

 in the Ganges, muttering over divers prayers under green 

 trees, and in their temples, accom.panicd with proceffions, 

 tinkling of bells, offerings to images, unftions, and limilar 

 rites, the obfervance of falls and lelHvals, pilgrimages, invo- 

 cations of faints, and divers ftrange and uiiaccountable pe- 

 nances. From their Vedam they pretend to derive ftveral 

 piivileges, peculiar to their own order ; fuch as thofe of cele- 

 brating the feaft called " lagam," at which they kill animals, 

 and eat llclh, and offer a beaft for facriilce, which they 

 ftrangle, in order to avoid lliedding its blood ; of teaching 

 the Kuttcries the manner of celebrating this feaft ; of read- 

 ing the Vedam, and of teaching it to their own tribe, and 

 that of the Kuttcries ; of demanding but not of giving alms ; 

 and of never being punilhtd with death, even for the moll 

 enormous crimes. Tlieir iIHce is to teach others not only 

 reading, writing, and arlthn etic, but the principles of their 

 religion. As a recompence for their time and labour, the 

 kings, or rajahs, affign for their fupport the revenues of cer- 

 tain villages, and they alfo receive contributions from the 

 inhabitants of the ftveral countries in which they refide. 

 Thty are alfo allov,fed to officiate as merchants, and to 

 praftife phyfic, but are llriftly forbidden to employ them- 

 lelves in tillage, or any handicratt trade ; or to perform any 



BRA 



fervilt ofHce, C'vcn for the king. An offence ( f this kind 

 would incur degradation and expulfion from their tribe ; 

 however, they are permitted to aCl as fecretaries, ambalfa- 

 dors, or counfellors to their fovcreigns, and, indetd, thty al- 

 iiioft wholly cngrofs thefe honourable ofhc;.-s to themfelves. 

 The birth, baptifm. and ediicalion of the Br.imins are at- 

 tended with ciicunillances and ceremonies peculiar to tlicm- 

 lelves. At their baptifm, they are net only wafhed with 

 water, but anointed with oil, which rites are accompanied 

 with prayers and benediftioiis. At an early age, they are 

 invclled with a fmall cord, which is hung on the left (liouldrr, 

 and defcends low on the right (ide ; and whieli they retain 

 as an cd'ential article of tlieir attire. The Bramins never 

 contraft marriage out of thtir own tribe, and that they do 

 at a very early period of life. On this occafion they receive 

 a fecond little cord, refembhng the firlt, and to this alfo they 

 ufually annex a third, which fervcs inftead of an upper 

 garment. When the Bramins arrive at maturer and more 

 advanced age, they are allowed to take wives out of th« 

 other tribes ; but they never marry their children to near 

 relations, as incefl. is deemed by them one of the five mortal 

 fins which is fcarcely ever to be forgiven. Among the 

 Bramins polygamy is indulged to great excefs ; and as an 

 apology for it, thty allege, that the Vedam has rot forbidden 

 it. For concubinage and adultery thev have no puniihment ; 

 but a Bramin who finds his wife to be inconilaiit, confines 

 her and lupphes her with food while (he lives ; and if he is 

 inucii attached to her, he requires her to ferve at a feall, to 

 which he invites feveral of his tribe, and after the guclts have 

 received vifluals from her hand, (lie is regarded as an honelt 

 woman. Their diet, like that of the ancient Brachmans, is 

 fimple and temperate, and confifts folely of rice, roots, fruits, 

 and herbs, and their drink is waterand milk. They never ufe 

 any intoxicating liquor ; for they-abhor drunkennefs, and 

 reckon it among their mortal fins. Although the Bramins 

 decline eating fieih, becaufe they deem the llaughter of ani- 

 mals for this purpofe to be a great fm ; they are, however, 

 charged with inconfiflency by the Kutterits and Soudras, 

 who eat fifli and fiefli, as they dillodgc many fo\ils from their 

 bodies by plucking up roots and plants, which, upon their 

 fyllem of tranfmigration, are endued with fouls as wtU as 

 animals. 



The Bramins, as we have already obfervcd, are priefls both 

 fecular and regular, and have amongll them an eftabhflied 

 hierarchy, compofed of feveral orders, that are varioufly 

 dillinnuiflied in the feveral provinces of Hindoilan. The 

 learned Bramins conftitute two claffes ; the firll of which is 

 called " Kuru," and belongs to the priellhood; the fecond, 

 denominated " Salliriar," or " Slialliriar," comprehends 

 the profellors of the different fyflems of theology. Beiides 

 thefe two claffes of learned Bramins, there are many others, 

 not much inferior to tliem ia v-iifdom and erudition, whofc. 

 chiel bufineis is to inllruft youth in thofe points which relate 

 to the ceremonies ufed in public worfliip, and folenin 

 fellivals. The miniilerial funtlion of the Bramins confifts 

 in praying with the people, and reading their law. To them 

 it alfo belongs to educate the young perfons of the fame 

 tribe, who advance by various gradations to the prieftly 

 office. When they are fct apart to this office, they are en- 

 joined not to change their tribe ; to obferve all things con- 

 tained in the law of the Bramins ; and not to communicate 

 the myrteries of their religion to any of a different ptrfua- 

 fion. 



The Bramins are divided into fix fefts ; viz. Weiftnomva, 

 Seivia, or Aradheya, Smartu, Shauvakka, Pafenda, and 

 Chcktea, who are diftinguiflied by certain differences in their 

 tenets, and ceremonial pratliccs. For a further account of 



the 



