History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c10.8

v1.c10.8

Along with the worship of these gods there still survived the old Vedic worship of fire. The Brahmins seems to have generally kept up the agnihotra and the Kshatriyas appear to have performed more elaborate sacrifices. Aśvamedha or horse sacrifice is shown by epigraphic records to have been performed by powerful kings in different countries. It is not, therefore, improbable that the prohibition of this sacrifice in the Kaliyuga dates later than this period. In fact according to our view the Kalivarjas arose hereafter for reasons which will be discussed in our next volume. This and kindred sacrifices were performed by Brahmin, Kshatriya and Vaiśya kings* and not by Śūdra or foreign kings. This explains the spread of Buddhism among the Śūdra and foreign kings who being debarred from performing these Vedic sacrifices leaned naturally towards the Buddhist religion opposed to sacrifice. During the reign of Harsha, however, these bloody sacrifices involving as they did the killing of cows, horses and other animals must have ceased to be performed causing dissatisfaction among orthodox kingly families and constituting one of the grievances which led after the death of Harsha to a concussion between Hinduism and Buddhism. For, the Vedic cult of sacrifices too was not without its superstitions. Sacrifice was believed to be potent in obtaining anything a man desired in this or the next world and in enabling the sacrificer to wield power over the forces or deities of earth and heaven. For a time, however, while the strong hand of Harsha wielded the sceptor of the world all slaughter, as mentioned by Hiuen Tsang was stopped and bloody sacrifices were again in abeyance, after having