The Rashtrakutas and their Times c21.73

c21.73

Now let us consider the religious position of the Kshatriyas. The queens and kings of earlier periods like Nayanikā, Samudragupta, Pṛthvīsheṇa, who were presumably Kshatriyas, are known to have performed several Vedic sacrifices. In our period these sacrifices had become unpopular, as shown already in the last chapter; so we do not find any kings celebrating them. The Kshatriyas, however, were still permitted to study the Vedas, for Alberuni tells us that they could read and learn them in his times. (50) He, however, immediately adds:—‘ He (i. e. the Kshatriya) offers to the fire and acts according to the rules of the Puranas.’ All the Hindus of our period were following the Puranic rather than Vedic rules and rituals, as shown in the last chapter. It is, however, not unlikely that Alberuni’s statement refers to the Kshatriyas performing their rituals and sacraments with the help of the Puranic rather than the Vedic Mantras. If so, it would follow that the Kshatriyas were rapidly going down to the position of the Vaishyas and Sudras, as far as the religious privileges were concerned. The absence of the mention of their gotras by the kings of our period in their copper-plate grants would also show that they were getting more and more dissociated from the orthodox Vedic atmosphere.