Tempo:
OLD INDIAN CREEDS
CHAP. II
25
ascetics; he converted the solitary 'Dandi', with his staff
and waterpot, into one of an order, a monk or friar, at
once coenobitic and mendicant, who lived upon alms
and who practised chastity.^ The order was rendered
still further distinct by the choice of Siva as the truest Ramanuj
type of God, an example which was soon followed; and, establishes
during the eleventh century, Ramanuj
fraternity
of
Brahmans, named
after
established a other orders.
himself, who
^"Jj^^ ^^
adopted some refined rules of conduct, who saw the ^^^^^^^^y
Deity in Vishnu, and who degraded the Supreme Being go^, a. d.
by attributing to him form and qualities.- A conse- 1000-1200.
of many people in India, particularly the Bhagat Mala (or History of the Saints) and its epitomes; but the advantage is great
of being able to study the subject with the aid of the notes of
a deep scholar personally acquainted with the country. It is only
to be regretted that Professor Wilson has not attempted to
trace the progress of opinion or reform among sectaries; but
neither does such a project appear to have occurred to Mr.
Ward, in his elaborate and valuable but piecemeal volumes on
the Hindus. Muhsin Fani, who wrote the Dabistan, has even less
of sequence or of argument, but the observations and views of
an intelligent, although garrulous and somewhat credulous,
Muhammadan, who flourished nearly two centuries ago, have
nevertheless a peculiar value; and Capt. Troyer's careful translation has now rendered the book accessible to the English
public. [Colonel Kennedy, in his valuable Researches, takes no
notice of the modern reformers
and he even says that the
Hindu religion has remained unchanged for three thousand
years (p. 192, &c.); meaning, however, it would seem, that the
Unity of the Godhead is still the doctrine of Philosophy, and
that Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are still the principal divinities
of Polytheism.
J.D.C.]
1 Shankar Acharj was a Brahman of the south of India, and
according to Professor V/ilson (As. Res., xvii. 180), he flourished
during the eighth or ninth centjury but his date is doubtful,
:
—
:
and if, as is commonly said, Ramanuj was his disciple and
sister's son, he perhaps lived a century or a centurj^ and a half
la'ter. He is believed to have established four muths, or monasteries, or denominations, headed by the four out of his ten
instructed disciples, who faithfully adhered to his views. The
adherents of these four are specially regarded as 'Dandis', or,
including the representatives of the six heretical schools, the
(Cf. Wilson, As. Res., xvii.
whole are called 'Dasnames'.
169, &c.)
- Ramanuj is variously stated to have lived some time between the beginning of the eleventh and the end of the twelfth
(Wilson, As. Res., xvi. 28, note.) In Central India he
understood to have told his uncle that the path which he,
Shankar Acharj, had chosen, was not the right one; and
the nephew accordingly seceded and established the first four
century.
is
'suinprdaees', or congregations, in opposition to the four muths
or orders of his teacher, and at the same time chose Vishnu as
the most suitable type of God. Ramanuj styled his congregation
that of Sri, or Lakshmi. The other three were successively
founded Ijy, first, Madhav; secondly, by Vishnu Swami and his
better-known follower Vallabh; and thirdly, by Nimbharak or
Nimbhaditya. These, although all Vaishnavis, called their
>
CHAP. II
25
ascetics; he converted the solitary 'Dandi', with his staff
and waterpot, into one of an order, a monk or friar, at
once coenobitic and mendicant, who lived upon alms
and who practised chastity.^ The order was rendered
still further distinct by the choice of Siva as the truest Ramanuj
type of God, an example which was soon followed; and, establishes
during the eleventh century, Ramanuj
fraternity
of
Brahmans, named
after
established a other orders.
himself, who
^"Jj^^ ^^
adopted some refined rules of conduct, who saw the ^^^^^^^^y
Deity in Vishnu, and who degraded the Supreme Being go^, a. d.
by attributing to him form and qualities.- A conse- 1000-1200.
of many people in India, particularly the Bhagat Mala (or History of the Saints) and its epitomes; but the advantage is great
of being able to study the subject with the aid of the notes of
a deep scholar personally acquainted with the country. It is only
to be regretted that Professor Wilson has not attempted to
trace the progress of opinion or reform among sectaries; but
neither does such a project appear to have occurred to Mr.
Ward, in his elaborate and valuable but piecemeal volumes on
the Hindus. Muhsin Fani, who wrote the Dabistan, has even less
of sequence or of argument, but the observations and views of
an intelligent, although garrulous and somewhat credulous,
Muhammadan, who flourished nearly two centuries ago, have
nevertheless a peculiar value; and Capt. Troyer's careful translation has now rendered the book accessible to the English
public. [Colonel Kennedy, in his valuable Researches, takes no
notice of the modern reformers
and he even says that the
Hindu religion has remained unchanged for three thousand
years (p. 192, &c.); meaning, however, it would seem, that the
Unity of the Godhead is still the doctrine of Philosophy, and
that Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are still the principal divinities
of Polytheism.
J.D.C.]
1 Shankar Acharj was a Brahman of the south of India, and
according to Professor V/ilson (As. Res., xvii. 180), he flourished
during the eighth or ninth centjury but his date is doubtful,
:
—
:
and if, as is commonly said, Ramanuj was his disciple and
sister's son, he perhaps lived a century or a centurj^ and a half
la'ter. He is believed to have established four muths, or monasteries, or denominations, headed by the four out of his ten
instructed disciples, who faithfully adhered to his views. The
adherents of these four are specially regarded as 'Dandis', or,
including the representatives of the six heretical schools, the
(Cf. Wilson, As. Res., xvii.
whole are called 'Dasnames'.
169, &c.)
- Ramanuj is variously stated to have lived some time between the beginning of the eleventh and the end of the twelfth
(Wilson, As. Res., xvi. 28, note.) In Central India he
understood to have told his uncle that the path which he,
Shankar Acharj, had chosen, was not the right one; and
the nephew accordingly seceded and established the first four
century.
is
'suinprdaees', or congregations, in opposition to the four muths
or orders of his teacher, and at the same time chose Vishnu as
the most suitable type of God. Ramanuj styled his congregation
that of Sri, or Lakshmi. The other three were successively
founded Ijy, first, Madhav; secondly, by Vishnu Swami and his
better-known follower Vallabh; and thirdly, by Nimbharak or
Nimbhaditya. These, although all Vaishnavis, called their
>
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