History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c10.26

v1.c10.26

Such is the great change in religious sentiment which came over the people with respect to animal slaughter in the momentous reign of the emperor Harsha. There is no example in history of a great and vast people giving up animal food for the sake of religious merit. The Ahinsā doctrine has indeed raised Hinduism to a high position of glory and has added to its spiritual power. But the historian cannot but observe with Max-Muller that while it has enabled India to live a higher spiritual life, it has contributed largely to bring about its political death. For a vegetarian people cannot ordinarily hope to compete with the flesh-eating peoples of the world in the struggle for existence, as the history of India in the succeeding centuries but too painfully proved.