Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c10.19

c10.19

The lack of the historical sense was a special characteristic of the brahmans. The Vedic texts, notoriously, are not books of historical purpose, nor do they deal with history (p. 2). Before the introduction of writing the brahmans had, like every one else, to rely on tradition when referring to preceding times, and, even after writing was introduced, they discountenanced it so far as their religious books were concerned. There is no want of references to prior events in the Rigveda as well as some to contemporaneous occurrences, and allusions to bygone men and events were necessarily drawn from tradition, such as those to Nahuṣa, Yayāti and others, who were ancient even then. So also the mention of Yadu, Turvaśa (Turvasu), Druhyu, Anu and Pūru is generic, referring to the families and kings descended from them, and not to the progenitors themselves, who had passed away into tradition even then. Similarly as regards Bharata, his descendants are introduced, but he himself was a bygone figure.