SECTS OF HINDOOS. 



and no trifling, fource of the revenue and power of the 

 pricfthood. 



We fhall notice a few of the chief religious fefts into 

 which the race of Hindoos comprifed in the above four 

 grand civil clafTes are fubdivided. To enumerate them all 

 would be fcarcely poffible, even with the affiitance of learned 

 natives ; and to place them in their relative rank, altogether 

 imprafticable : for it is a point involving great differences of 

 opinion ; as may be imagined when the religious feelings and 

 pride of many individuals clafli, and where great fcope is 

 afforded for their difplay in a field bounded by no precife 

 authority. 



Five principal fefts are recognized who worfhip exclu- 

 fively a (ingle deity. Thefe are i . The Sahas, who worfhip 

 Siva. 2. The Va'ijhnavas, who worfhip Vifhnu. 3. The 

 Sauras or Suras, who worfhip Surya, or the fun. 4. The 

 Ganapatyas, who worfhip Ganefa. 5. The Sottas, who 

 worfliip Parvati. But if we examine clofely the relation 

 which they refpetlively bear to each other, we fhall find the 

 fourth and fifth to be ramifications of the firft, or left of 

 Saiva ; of which may be traced thefe diitinftions. i. Sniva 

 itfelf, generally fuppofed to include both the worfliippers of 

 Siva 'ingly, or of him and Parvati conjointly. ( See Saiva. ) 

 2. Lingi, the adorers of Siva under his phalhc emblem 

 called Linga. (See Linga and Lixci.) 3. Sakta, the 

 adorers of Parvati, under her fymbol the Yoni. (See Sak- 

 ta and Yoni.) 4. The Ganapatyas, worfhippers of Ganefa, 

 fon of Parvati and Siva. (See Pollear.) Thefe four fefts, 

 and many diftindlions and divifions of them, may be deemed 

 as comprehended in the firll named, Saiva, or Saivabakt. 

 The worfliippers of Baghefa, or Siva, are fometunes called 

 Soma Siddhanta. 

 , The fecond great feft of Vaifhnava is alfo varioufly di- 



vided and fubdivided. Two principal divifions or branches 

 are the Golalajlha and Ramanuj, or worfliippers of Vifhnu, 

 in two of his grand incarnations of Krifliria (one of whofe 

 names is Gokal), and of Rama. Thefe two principal fedts 

 of Vaifhnava are each divifiblc into tlirec. Tiie Gohalajlhas 

 are i. Thofe who exclufively worfhip Kriflma as Viflinu him- 

 felf ; and this feci is extenfively confidered as the true and 

 orthodox Vaifhnava. (See Krishna and Vaisiinava.) 

 2. Thofe who exclufively worfhip Radlia, as the fakti of 

 Krifhna. (See Radha, Sakta, and Sakti.) This feft 

 is fometimes called Radha-hallahbi. 3. The worfhippers of 

 Krifhna and Radha conjointly. Tlie three diflindtions of 

 Ramanuj are, i. Thofe wlio worfliip Rama only. (See 

 Rama and Ramanuj.) 2. Tliofe who worfhip Sita only. 

 And 3. Thofe who worfliip both Rama and Sita conjointly. 

 See Sita. 



The feft of Ganapatyas we have confidered as a divifion 

 of that of Saiva ; and the feci of Saura, worfhippers of 

 Surya, or the fun, we are difpofed to clafs under tiiat of 

 Vaifhnava ; for although Siva be the fun as well as Vifhnu, 

 yet the latter, and more particularly in his incarnation of 

 Krifhna, is more generally reckoned the archetype of the 

 folar deity ; or, what amounts to the fame thing, the (un, 

 a fymbol or type of Viflinu. Individuals of fevcral fedts 

 of Saivas do no doubt mix their adorations with the folar 

 worfhip ; as do alfo many fcdls of tiic Vaifhnavas. See 

 Saura. 



Under our article Sakti we have obferved tiiat the Hin- 

 doo mythology has pcrfonified the abilradt and attradtivc 

 powers of the divinity, and afcribed fcxcs to thefe mytho- 

 logical perfonagcs. The Sakti, or energy of an attribute 

 of God, is female, and is fabled as the confort of tliat pcr- 

 fonified attribute. Hence lias ariien fuch a feries of lidtioiis, 

 comprehending all natural and moral phenomena, obfcurcd 



by mythological and fexual allegories, as it is fcarcely pofTi- 

 ble to explain. (See Lakshmi, Parvati, and Saras- 

 wati.) Refpecting the ^ai/aj, that is, thofe who worfhip 

 exclufively or chiefly the Sakti or female power, this dikinc- 

 tion has been noticed ; fome of them, adopting what is 

 called a left-handed path, accompany their devotions by 

 divers obfcene and indecent adls : others do not. The fcft 

 of Radha-hallahhi, wlio are fuppofed to worfhip the female 

 energy in Lakflimi, under her form of Radha, are accufcd 

 of thefe indecencies. (See Radha.) Among the Saktas 

 of the Saiva tribes tiiere is alfo a left-handed or indecent, as 

 well as a right-handed or decent mode of worfliip ; and 

 thofe who adopt the former are faid to go the length of ex- 

 treme profligacy. (See Sakta.) We fhould be difpofed 

 to clafs all the individuals who thus, either in the right or 

 left-handed path, adore the female power, under the deno- 

 mination of Tonijas, or worfliippers of the Yoni ; the fym- 

 bol more efpecially of Parvati : but for this, though a rea- 

 fonable clafTification, wc cannot quote any immediate autho- 

 rity. (See Yoni.) None of the fedt of Ramanuj are accufed 

 of the left-handed enormities. Ii; mod parts of India they arc, 

 when known, held in defervcd detcllation ; and the decent 

 Saktas forbear making any ollentatious profcfTion of their 

 tenets, or wearing on their foreheads the mark of their feci, 

 left they fliould be fufpedled of belonging to the other 

 branch of it. 



There is another very numerous feet of Vaifhnavas, 

 called Bhagavatas, of more modern origin than the others. 

 Their tenets and practices are grounded on the eighteenth 

 Purana, which is chiefly a liiftory of the life, adventures, 

 and dodfrines of Kriflina, and is entitled Sri Bliagavata, 

 which fee. The work is afcribed to Vapadeva, who endea- 

 voured to reconcile and unite all fedls, by recognizing the 

 deities of each, but as fubordinate to the Supreme Being, 

 or as attributes or manifedations of God. This is, in fact, 

 the dodlrine of the Gita ; but that work, as well as the Sri 

 Bhagavata, while profefTrng to uphold a unity in the deity, 

 claims tiiat pre-cminency for Krilbna ; and although the fcdt 

 of Bhagavata is very numerous, and included individuals of 

 or from many other iedls, iUU a purity of dodtrinc is far dif- 

 tant from all, while a mythological pcrfonage continues 

 clotlied in tlie attributes of the Amiighly. For all the 

 otlier fedls, or at leal! a portion cf the moll enligiitened and 

 hberal individuals among them, are fufficieiitly ready to 

 profefs a belief in the unity of the deity, if llieir claim 

 of tiiat awful defignation for liie objedl of their own 

 adoration be conceded. See Kkisiina, Saraswati, and 

 Siva. 



The Bhagavatas, while recognizing the five divinities 

 worfliipped by the other fedls rcfpedlively, and even paying 

 them in turn their daily adoration, and on particular occa- 

 fious extending it to other deities, ilill deny the cliarge of 

 polytlieifm, and repel the imputation of idolatry. It may 

 be eafily imagined that but few, we may almoll fay none, of 

 the numerous followers of this fedl can fully comprehend 

 the dodlrincs they profefs. They incline much to real poly- 

 tlieifm, but do at lead rejcdl the derogatory notions of the 

 deity wiiich the other fedls feein to liave adopted. The 

 pradlice of adoring images of celeHial fjiirit!, they Jullify 

 by arguments finiilar to thofe wliicii have been cllewhcrc 

 employed in defence of image wor(hip. ( See Gentoos and 

 Idolatry.) If tlie dodlrincs of llic Veda, and even thofe 

 of the Puranas, be clofely examined, the Hindoo iheology 

 will be found confident moiiotheifm, llioug 1 it contains the 

 feeds of polytheifm and idolatry. See Piuana and Vi;da. 



Modern Hindoos feeni to have niifunderdoudtlie mimerou* 

 texts in their facred books, which declare llie unity of the 



gudlicad, 



