1849.] Br 'ahmans and Buddhists. 127 



the Buddhists, had such existed, should have passed them over in 

 silence ; but very strange and inigmatical that the brahmans, — whose 

 sacerdotal rivalled their political ambition, should have hidden their tow- 

 ering heads under a humble mud cabin. 



The transition period, if such there was, had not apparently passed 

 when Buddha appeared, for he did not discard the brahmans. 



Admitting even that the Brahminical society had reached its acme 

 in Sakya Muni's time, are we to consider that society as embracing more 

 than a merely fractional portion of the Indian population — or as ex- 

 tending beyond the tribe of brahmans ? Baron C. Hugel says, " that 

 there is no doubt of one fact, that when Alexander was in the country 

 of Taxila, the people neither belonged to the Brahminical or Buddhist 

 faith — as they ate at his table, and did not burn their dead, but (like 

 the Parsees) gave them to be devoured by vultures. Hence," he adds, 

 " the people were of the same religion as the Parsees, and it would be 

 worth something could the latter be identified with the brahmans." I 

 do not quite apprehend who are here meant by the people. The brah- 

 mans had certainly some connexion with Persia — and so had the ori- 

 ginal Indians I suspect, as has been already alluded to.* But Sir W. 

 Jones has commented fully on this subject, as I have already quoted. 



There was no prohibition I think, in original Buddhism, of its votaries 

 eating with any other class, and the present Buddhists to the eastward 

 do not object to sit down to table with Europeans. 



And were all their gods and goddesses and suite of minor divinities 

 indeed worshipped by the people in the midst of which Sakya lived 

 with his ascetics 1 constantly and exclusively worshipped by all castes ? 

 If so, Buddhism must have had no existence at all when Buddha ap- 

 peared. We require to have such gods or deities as did exist in the 

 minds of the people, selected from the Buddhist works, which after rigid 

 inquiry, shall be found of the greatest antiquity. All I have seen regard- 

 ing the gods in the Buddhist Bali works of Siam seem to have reference 

 chiefly — if not only, to Brahma, Indra and Devatas ; although the gods 

 of the Hindus have been subsequently mixed up with their system. 



It is quoted from M. Burnouf that " the Kshatrya caste also existed at 

 the time of Sakya, from which the kings emanated." But Indian 

 history, such as it is, exhibits many kings who were not of this caste, 

 and who were served by brahmans. 



* Baron C. HugePs travels in Cashniir and the Punjab, page 24. 



