125 
HINDOOSTA N. 
'the Sachas, or branches of each Veda. Tradition, pre- 
ferved in the Puranas, reckons fixteen Sanhitas of the Rig¬ 
veda ; eighty-fix of the Yajujh ; or, including thofe which 
branched from a fecond revelation of this Veda, a hun¬ 
dred and one; and not lefs than a thoufand of the Sama- 
v:da\ befides nine of the AtTiarvana. But treadles on 
the ftudy of the Veda reduce the Sachas of the Rich to 
live ;■ and thofe of the Yajujh, including both revelations 
of it, to eighty-fix. 
It may be proper to remark, that each Veda confifts of 
two parts, denominated the Mantras, and the Brahmanas ; 
or prayers, and precepts. . The complete collection of the 
hymns, prayers, and invocations, belonging to one Veda, 
is entitled its Sanhita. Every other portion of Hindoo 
feripture is included under the general head of divinity, 
Brahmana. This comprifes precepts, which inculcate re¬ 
ligious duties; maxims, which-explain thofe precepts; 
and arguments, which relate to theology. But, in the 
prefent arrangement of the Vedas, the portion, which con¬ 
tains' pafiages called Brahmanas, includes many which are 
ItriCtly prayers, or Mantras. The theology of the Hindoo 
feripture, comprehending the argumentative portion en¬ 
titled Vedanta, is contained in trafls denominated Upani- 
Jhads -, fome of which are portions of the Brahmana, pro¬ 
perly fo called ; others are found only in a detached form ; 
and one is a part of a Sanhita itfelf. The Sanhita of the 
firft Veda contains mantras, or prayers ; which, being for 
the moll part encomiaftic, bear the name of Rigveda. 
On examining thefe voluminous compilations, a lyftema- 
tical arrangement is readily perceived. Succelfive chap¬ 
ters, and even entire books, comprife hymns of a fingle 
author ; invocations, addreffed to the lame deities, hymns 
relating to like fubje&s, and prayers intended for fimilar 
occafions, are for greater convenience generally clalfed to¬ 
gether. 
In a regular perufal of the Veda, which is enjoined to 
all prlefts, and which is much praCtifed by Mahrattas and 
Telingas, the ftudent is required fpecially to notice the 
author, lubjeCl, metre, and purpofe, of each mantra, or 
invocation. To underhand the meaning of the paffage, 
is thought lefs important. The inftitutors of the Hindoo 
lyltem have indeed recommended the lludy of the lenfe ; 
but they have inculcated with equal ftrenuoulhefs., and 
more fuccefs, attention to the name of the Rilhi, or perfon 
by whom the text was firft uttered, the deity to whom it 
is addreffed, or the fubjeCt to which it relates, and alfo its 
rhythm or metre, and its purpofe, or the religious cere¬ 
mony at which it Ihould be uled. The practice of modern 
priefts is conformable with thefe maxims. Like the Koran 
among the Mohammedans, and the Bible among Chrifti- 
ans, the Veda is put into the hands of children in the 
firft period of their education ; and continues afterwards 
to be read by rote, for the fake of the words, often with¬ 
out the fmalleft comprehenfion of the fenfe. 
The perfon, to whom any divine paffage was revealed, 
or by whom its ufe and application was firft adopted, is 
called the Rijki of that mantra. He is therefore confidered 
as the atithor of fuch prayer; but it is an article of the 
Hindoo creed, that the Vedas were compofed by no human 
author. It muft be underftood, therefore, that, in affirm¬ 
ing the primeval exiftence of their feriptures, they deny 
thefe works to be the original compofition of the editor 
Vyasa, but believe them to have been gradually revealed 
to infpired writers. 
The deities mentioned in the Vedas appear to be vari¬ 
ous and numerous; but, according to ancient annotations 
on the Hindoo feripture, thole numerous names are all 
resolvable into‘different titles of only three deities, and 
ultimately of one God. The Nig'hanti, or gloffary of the 
Vedas, concludes with three lifts- of names of deities : the 
firft comprifing fuch as are deemed fynonymous witri fire ; 
the fecond with air ; and the third with the fun. In the 
laft part of the N>.rn 61 a, it is twice aflerted, that there are 
but three gods; “ Tijra eva devatah." The further infer¬ 
ence, that thefe intend but one deity, is fupported by many 
Vo:,. X. No. 646. J y 
paffages in the Veda; and is very clearly and concifeiy 
listed in the beginning of the index to the Rigveda, on 
the authority of the NiruEla, and of the Veda itfelf: thus, 
in the Sanlkrit: 
“ Y afya vacyam, fa Rifiiir ; ya ten’oehyate, la devata ; 
yad aclhara-parimanam, tach ch’hando. Art’hepfava rl- 
fliayo- devatas ch’handobhir abhyad’havan. Tijra eva 
devatah ; cfiiity-antarielha-dyu-fl’hana, agnir vayuh fury a 
ity: evam vyahritayah proCta vyallah ; famaftanam praja- 
patir. O'ncara larvadevatyah, paramefht’hyo va, brahnio, 
daivo va, ad’hyatmicas. Tat tat ft’hafia. anyas tad vib- 
hutayah,; carma pnt’hafiltwad d’hi p.iihag abhid’liana 
ftutayd bhavantv: ec’aiva va mahfin fitma devata 1 ; fa furya 
ity achacfhate; fa hi ferva-bhut' atnaa. Tad urCtani lillii- 
n'a : Suryd dtma jagatas tajl'kujhas' ch’cti. Tad vibliu.- 
tayo’ nya devatas. Tad apy etad Hillin'’ 6flam •) Indram, 
Milram, Varun'arn, Agtlim ahur iti.” 
Thus tranflated : “The Rilhi [of any particular paf¬ 
fage] is he, whole fpeech it is; and that which is thereby 
addreffed, is the deity [of the text:], and the number of 
Syllables conftitutes the metre [of the prayer.] Sages, 
(Rilhis,) folicitous of [attaining] particular objects, have 
approached the gods with [prayers compofed in] metre. 
The deities are only three ; whole places are, the earth, the 
intermediate region, and heaven; [namely] fire, air, and 
the fun. They are pronounced to be [the deities] of the 
myllerious names feveraily; and (Prajapati) the lord of 
creatures is [the deity] of them colieclively. The fylla- 
ble O'm intends every deity; it belongs to (Parameftithl) 
him, who dwells in the fupreme abode; it appertains to 
(Brahme) the vast one ; to (Deva) God ; to (Adhy- 
atma) the fuperintending ioul. Other deities, belonging 
to thofe feveral regions, are portions of the [three] Gods ; 
for they are varioufly named and deferibed, on account of 
their different operations ; but [in faft] there is only one 
deity, the great soul, (Mahan atma.) He is called 
the Sun; for he is the foul of ail beings; [and] that !• 
declared by the fage ; The fun is the foul of what m6vcs, and 
of that which is fixed. Other deities are portions of him ; 
and that is exprelsly declared by the fage: “ The wife call 
fire, Indrp, Mitra, and Varuna." 
Thus the ancient Hindoo religion, as founded on the 
Indian feriptures, recognifes but one God; yet not fuffi- 
ciently diferiminating the creature from the Creator.— 
However, to render the fafl more fufficiently obvious, we 
lhall felecl a few very ftrong and curious pafiages, from 
different parts of the Vedas. 
Creation of the World: from the Rigveda. —“Then 
was there no entity, nor nonentity; no world, nor Iky, 
nor ought above it; nothing, any where, in the happi- 
nefs of any one, involving or involved ; nor water, deep 
and dangerous. Death was not; nor then was immor¬ 
tality; nor diftinCtion of day or night. But That [the 
Supreme Being] breathed without aftlation, fingle with 
her who is fuftained within him. Other than him, no¬ 
thing exifted, [which] iince [has been.] Darknefs there 
was; [for] this unlverfe was enveloped with darknels, 
and was undiftinguifnable [like fluids mixed in] waters ; 
but that mafs, which was covered by the hulk, was [at 
length] produced by the power of contemplation. Firft 
defire was formed in his mind; and that became the ori¬ 
ginal productive feed ; which the wife, recognifing by 
the intellect in their hearts, diftinguilh, in nonentity, as 
the bond of entity. 
“Did the luminous ray of thefe [creative aCls] expand 
in the middle ? or above ? or below ? That productive 
leed, at once, became providence [or fentient fouls,] and 
matter [or the elements:] file, who is luftained within 
himlejf, was inferior; and he, who heeds, was luperior. 
“Who knows exaCtly, and who lhall in this world de¬ 
clare, whence and why this creation took*place? The 
gods are fubfequent to the production of this world ; then 
who can know whence it proceeded? or whence this va¬ 
ried world arofe ? or whether it uphold [itfelf,] or not ? 
He, who, in the higheft heaven, is the ruler of this un - 
K k verie. 
