V E D 



V E D 



B. C. for the Inftitutea the more probable. This would 

 give the Yajurveda an age, in 1815, of about 2995 years. 



Mr. Colebrooke (Af. Ref. vol. vii.) infers, from fe- 

 veral data there given, the probabiUty that the Vedas 

 were not arranged in their prefent form earlier than the 

 14th century before the Chnilian era ; but cautioully 

 marks the inference as vague and conjeiftural : about 3200 

 would hence be affumed as the maximum of elapfed years 

 fince the prefent arrangement of the Vedas. And de- 

 ducing, by fir Wilham Jones's method, the comparative 

 age of the Puranas, they will be 2500 or 2600 years old 

 at mod ; and the Inftitutes 2800. See Purana and 

 Menu. 



As to the relative age of the different Vedas, fome dif- 

 ferences of opinion will have been feen to exift. We (hall 

 only remark farther, that Mr. Wilkins, in the preface to 

 the Gita, obferves, that Krilhna throughout the whole 

 makes mention of three Vedas only ; and thofe, the three 

 firft in their prefent order ; the fourth, proving itfelf a 

 pofterior work, mentions him. On this being noticed to 

 fome Pandits who affifted in the tranOation, they expreffed 

 great aftonifhment at it, as it had efcaped all the numerous 

 commentators on the Gita. It may be remarked, in paf- 

 fing, that Menu is often mentioned in the Veda, and the 

 Veda by Menu ; a proof of interpolation fomewhere. 



It is evident that the Vedas are anterior to the herefy or 

 reformation of Budha ; one of his leading innovations 

 being the condemnation of the practice of kiUing and eating 

 animals, as enjoined in the Veda, and by Menu. See Sects 

 of Hindoos, and SradHA. 



So holy are the Vedas efteemed by the Brahmans, that 

 no individual of the fourth, or fervile tribe of Sudra, is 

 permitted to read them. In this interdiftion are included 

 ieveral other divine works. Both the poems entitled " Ma- 

 habarat" and " Ramayana," are likewife efteemed to con- 

 tain fiaffages and defcriptions too awful for the eye of a 

 Sudra : he may hear them read by a Brahman, who is 

 likely to be careful as to what he communicates. Of this 

 fee under Mahabarat, Ramayana, Sects of Hindoos, 

 Sudra, and Vaidya. 



The Yajurveda is declared by Menu, in a text quoted 

 above, to " relate to mankind." It is, as already noticed, 

 afcribed to a celeftial phyfician : it contains an entire 

 Upanifhad on the internal parts of the human body ; with 

 an enumeration of nerves, veins, and arteries, a defcription 

 of the heart, fplecn, and liver, and various difquifitions on 

 the formation and growth of the foetus. From this, and 

 from many texts of Menu, we may perceive that the ancient 

 Hindoos were fond of reafoning, in their way, on the myf- 

 teries of animal generation ; and on the comparative in- 

 fluence of the fexes in the produftion of perfeft offspring. 

 Ihe phyfiological difputes on this latter point exacerbated, 

 by mythological warmth, appear to have led to violent 

 fchifms in rehgion, and even to bloody wars. See Saras- 

 WATi and YoNi. 



There can be little doubt but the learned world would 

 thankfully receive a faithful unintcrpolated tranflation of fuch 

 portions of the Vedas as tend to throw light on the ftate of 

 knowledge among a people who lo early engaged in fuch 

 difquifitions as are contained in the Yajurveda, above indi- 

 cated. Thefe would, doubtlels, be valuable, and are, 

 indeed, iieceffary to complete the hiftory of univerfal phi- 

 lofophy, and to fupply the fcholars of Europe with 

 authentic materials for an account of the opinions anciently 

 formed on this head by the philofophers of Afia. We will 

 not fay how far the Atharvana Veda may deferve the ho- 

 nour of tranflation. It contains a rnofl, complete fyftem of 



incantations and magical devices ; artd would be fo far 

 curious, as to evince that, both in antiquity and ingenuity, 

 the demagogues of Europe are vaftly outftripped by their 

 fapient brethren of the Eaft. 



We are not able to ftate the exaft fize or extent of the 

 Hindoo fcripture, or Veda. The following is as near an 

 eftimate as can be made. 



The firft, or Rig-Veda, contains about 10,000 verfes, 

 or rather ftanzas, of various meafures. The fecond, or 

 Yajur-Veda, is divided into two ; the luhite and the black: 

 together, they include about 9000 verfes. The third, or 

 Sama-Veda, about 3000. The fourth, or Atharva-Veda, 

 about 6000. Of gloffes, or commentaries, it is not eafy to 

 form any but a vague eftimate : but we are, we think, 

 warranted in the opinion, that, fuppofing the whole could 

 be coUeAed and printed in the manner of our diclionaiy, 

 they would form a work larger than this ! 



In all Hindoo writings connected in the leaft with theo- 

 logy, and, indeed, in many others, extrafts from, and 

 allufions to, the Veda, frequently occur. Several articles 

 in this work contain fuch, and are farther explanatory of the 

 contents of thofe revered volumes. Thofe^ therefore, de- 

 firous of more information hereon, are referred to the follow- 

 ing ; Idolatry, Krishna, Matsyavatara, Saras- 

 WATi, (in which is an extradl of fome length defcriptive of 

 the powers or energies of that goddefs, ) SnyyiTAH, Suttee, 

 Sects of Hindoos, Sitanta, Sradha, Sudra, Sura, 

 SuRYA, Trimurti, Upanishad. 



Veda is the correft way of writing the title of the 

 Hindoo fcripture colleftively. In different parts of India 

 it is varioudy pronounced ; and it is varioufly fpelt by 

 European writers. Vedam and Bodam are occafionally feen \ 

 thefe are the modes of pronunciation in the Carnatie. 

 Among the Mahrattas, Bede, or Bhade, is not uncommon : 

 and its reputed compiler is called Beafs, and Beafs Muni. 

 (See Muni.) The Bengal alphabet having no -v. Bed or 

 Beda is the ufual pronunciation in that quarter. 



VEDAM, a name fometimes given to the Feda ; 

 which fee. 



VEDANGA, in Hindoo Mythology, a name (*f the fun, 

 more commonly called Surya ; which fee. The name of 

 Vedanga feldom occurs, as of the fun ; but it is applied to 

 certain portions of books of divine knowledge, as they call 

 them, derived from the Vedas. Of this fee under our 

 article Veda. 



VEDANTA, in Philofophy, a feft among the Hindoos, 

 fo named from their theory being profeffedly founded on, 

 the doftrines contained in the Veda, or fcripture, in a de- 

 gree exceeding that of any other of the philofophical fchools 

 or fyftems. (See Veda.) The fundamental tenet of this 

 fchool confifts, not in denying the exiftence of matter, but 

 in correcting the popular notion of it ; and in contending 

 that it has no exiftence independent of mental perception ; 

 that exiftence and perceptibihty are convertible terms ; tliat 

 external appearances and fenfations are illufory, and would 

 vanilh into nothing, if the divine energy, which alone fiif- 

 tains them, were fufpended but for a moment. This 

 opinion feems to have been adopted by Epicharmus and 

 Plato, and was maintained in the laft century by a writer 

 of our own nation. The founder of this fchool is named 

 Fyafa (which fee), and his theory is comprifed in a little 

 treatife in four chapters. An attempt has been made to 

 elucidate the obfcurity of this writer by the judicious 

 and learned Sankara, in his commentary on the Vedanta. 

 (See fome account of him under the article Sankara- 

 CHARYA.) His efteemed work is entitled " Baftiea." 

 Sir W. .Tones, after reading this commentary with great at- 

 tention. 



