G E N T O O S. 



Menu." Thus it is fald, "■ the fouls that animate worms and 

 infccls, ferpeiits, moths, beads, birds and vegetables, attain 

 heaven by the power of devotion." 



Tlie do(ilrine of tranfmii^ratiiui is one of the diftinguifliing 

 tenets of the Gentoos. With regard to tliis fnbjedt it is their 

 opinion, according to Mr. llolwcll, that tliofe fouls which 

 Irdve attained to a certain degree of purity, either by tlie in- 

 nocence of their manners, or the feverity of their mortilica- 

 tions, are removed to regions of happinefs, proportioned to 

 llieir refpeftive merits ; but that tho'e who cannot fo far 

 furmount the prevalence of bad example, and the powerful 

 deg' neracy of liie times, as to deferve fuch a promotion, are 

 condemned to undergo continual pnriillnncnt in the animation 

 of fucceffive animal forms, until, at the ftated period, ai other 

 renovation of the four jogucs Ihall commence, upon the diffo- 

 lution of the prefent. They imagine ii>: dillercnt fpheres 

 iibovo this earth, the highell of which, calleilyi/W^c, is the 

 r^lidence of Brhima, and his particular favourites. This 

 fphere is alfo the habitation of tliofe men who never uttered 

 a fallhood, and of thole women who have voluntarily burned 

 Jaemfelves with their huihands ; the propriety of wliich 

 prartice isexprefsly enjoined in the code of tlie Gentoolaws. 

 This code, printed by tl;e Eaft India company in 1776, is a 

 very curious colletlion of Hindoo jurifprudcnce, which was 

 felcCled by the moft expcr!er,ced pundits, or lawyers, from 

 curious originals in the Shanfcrit language, who were em- 

 ployed for this purpofe from May 1773 to February 1775 ; 

 afterwards tranflated iTito the Terlian idiom, and then into 

 the Engliih language, by Mr. Halhed. 



We have already obferved, that the Hindoos are divided 

 into four great and original tribes, which, according to the 

 Gentoo theology, proceeded from the four different mem- 

 bers of Brhima, the fuppofed immediate agent of the crea- 

 tion under the ipirit of the Almighty. Thefe tribes are the 

 Bramins, which proccedtd from his mouth, and -vvhofe office 

 is to pray, read, inilvuft, and c<.ndudt the lacriHces ; the 

 Chehteree, which proceeded from his arms, whofe office is 

 to draw the bow, to fight, and to govern ; the Bice, pro- 

 ceeding from the belly or thighs, who are to provide the ne- 

 cedaries of life by agriculture and traffic ; and the Sooder 

 from the feet, which are ordained to labour, fcrve, and tra- 

 vel. See Cast. 



Few Chriftians, fays the tranflator of the Gentoo Code, 

 have expreffed themfelves with a more becoming revcnnce 

 of the grand and impartial defigns oi Providence in all its 

 works, or with a more cxtenfive chariiy towards all lhe;r 

 iellow-creatures of every profeiTion, than the Genloos. It 

 is, indeed, an article of faith am.ong tlie Bramins, that God's 

 all-merciful power would not have permitted Inch a number 

 of diflerent religions, if he had not found a pleafure in be- 

 holding their varieties. 



Mr. Holwell, and alio Mr. Dow, attempt to exculpate 

 the Hindoos from the charge of polytheifm and idolatry. 

 "Let us reil affured," fays the latter, "that whatever the 

 external ceremonies of religion may be, the fan-.e intnnte 

 being is the object of univerial adm-ation." But though 

 the Hindoos acknowledge one Supreme Being, from whoi^i 

 all power is derived, thev fuppofe that the immediate go- 

 vernment of the world is placed by him in other hands. To 

 thefe inferior deities their prayers and religious lervices are 

 extenially addreifed ; and this worfliip is encouraged and en- 

 joined in their facred books. According to their fyllem, 

 thfre fprung from the Supren.e Being, as emanations of his 

 divinity, an infinite number of fubaltern deities and genii, of 

 which every part of the vilible world was the ieat and tem- 

 ple. Thefe intelligences did not barely refule in each part of 

 aature ; but they diredcd its operations, each element being 



under the guidance of fome being peculiar to it. Thefe 

 inferior gods, being of various and oppofite difpolition and 

 character, their wurfhippers adopted diflerent tnethuds of 

 deprecating their anger, and foliciting their favour. Hence 

 proceeded a great variety of whimiical and abfurd, and 

 alio of cruel and dreadful, as well as impure, rites. I'he ve- 

 neration of the Hindoos for the images of their gods fubjefts 

 them jullly to the charge of idolatry and polyihcifni ; al- 

 thougli I lie learned Bram.ins pretend, that they co n<it wor- 

 fliip t!ie vifible idol, but the invifible being reprefented by it. 

 Mr. Soimerat fays that, befides thofe whom the Hir.dooj 

 pl:<.ce in the rank of gods, they have alfo " faints," whofe 

 pictures they place in their temples, and tiiat they addrefs 

 prayers to them as well as to their gods. Nor let it be faid, 

 that thefe are the accounts of travellers, in the facred books 

 of the Hindoos mention is made (>f various divinities befides 

 tlie Supreme Being. The worlkip of the fun, fays fir W. 

 Jones (Difl". 3cc. v. i. p. 481.) is principally recommended 

 in the Vedas. The " lullitutes of Menu" fjy, that " the 

 Supreme Being created an alfemblage of inferior deities, and 

 divine attributes, and pure fouls, and a number of genii ex- 

 ([uilitely delicate." In this work mention is alio made of 

 " orders of demi-cods that are wafted in airv cai'S, vrenii of 

 the figns and lunar manllon?=, SiC." The worlliip paid to the 

 manes, or ancellors, is a great article in the fylKm, and is 

 mentioned almoll in every page of the " Inllitules." All 

 the neighbouring nations whofe religions have fome affinity 

 to that of the Hindoos are polytheiils. The ancient reli- 

 gion of the northern European nations was, in feveral re- 

 ipc6ts, liniilar to that of the Eaft ; and we find among them 

 the acknowledgment of one Supreme God, with the wcrfnip 

 of feveral inferior ones. Thus, their deities, Odin the god 

 of war, Frea his wife, and Thor the gid of thunder, were 

 the principal objetbs of worfiiip to all the Scandinavians. 



It has been faid that the polytheifn) of ti.e Hindoos, and 

 others, was m.ild and tolerant in its nature ; but the facl is, 

 that hke the ancient Egyptians, they quarrelled with one 

 anoth"r on accout of their attac!n;ient to different deities, ef- 

 pecialiy in Malabar ; and mild as the religicH of the Hindoos 

 appears to be, and gentle as are their general n'-anncrs, they 

 can a'i'ume a very diflerent character when their religion is 

 concerned. The Bramins exterminated the Sammanians, 

 and the foilo'.\cr3 of Bndda, with fire and fword, leaving 

 none of tLeni on the weft fide of the Ganges, under a pre- 



tence of their being atheills ; and 



any Hindoo is con- 



verted to Chrillianity, he is not only banifhed from his tribe, 

 but abandoned to the infults of the whole nation. Such 

 alfo was the treatment of thofe who wore excommunicated 

 by the Druids. The Hindoos regard all Cliriiiians v.ith the 

 utmoft abhorrence and deteftation, as much below the loweft 

 of ih.eir own fects. The Bramins themfelves can be cruel 

 and malignant, where their religion is concerned. Never- 

 iheleis, when the Hindoos cimverfe with Clirifiians on the 

 iubject of religion, they profefs to belie%e, as we have aV- 

 reauv oblerved, that the Supreme Being is cipially pleafed 

 with all religions, and intended that all th.e different modes 

 of it ihoidd be adopted by difTerent nations. 



Although there r.re many points of refem.blance between 

 the religion of the ancient Egyptians and that of the Hin- 

 doos, yet in mrfnv refpecls tiiey ju'e exceedingly difTerent ; 

 fo tliat though thev may have gone together at the lirll, 

 they mull have feparated at a verv early period. The Hin- 

 doos never worlhipped living animals, whicli is a principal 

 feature in the religion of tl;e Egyptians ; and the names, the 

 ch.iraCiters, and ttie images of tlieir deities have very little 

 refemblance to each other. But between the religion and 

 mythologv.d fables of th.e Greeks and thofe of the Hindoos, 

 N 2 there 



