History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c40.11

v3.c40.11

6. Lastly, we cannot conclude this short survey of the subsidiary causes of the downfall of Rajput kingdoms in Northern India without drawing the attention of the reader to the recrudescence during this sub-period of the Buddhistic sentiment of Ahimsa which, as we shall show in our chapter on religious survey, is evidenced by the rise of new Vaishnavism and the great popularity, power, and progress of Jainism and of Lingayat and other sects during this period. Though the rise of Vaishnavism or the spread of Jainism or other sects cannot be assigned as a direct cause of the downfall of Northern India, as Buddhism can be as a cause of the downfall of Sind, it cannot be denied that the dominance of the docile doctrine of Ahimsa throughout the Hindu society at this time made it inoffensive and weak. Most Brahmins whether Śaiva or Vaishnava, and almost all Vaiśyas Saiva, Vaishnava and Jain accepted at this time the non-slaughter of animals as a binding religious principle and gave up animal food altogether as we will show later on. The result was that with the exception of the Rajputs the whole Hindu mass became unfitted as well as unwilling to fight. (This influence of food on the nature of people can not be denied.) The masses of Indian people in the several states excepting the Rajputs, (the Śudras generally following the Brahmins and Vaiśyas through imitation as well as indigence) were like Indian elephants. Inspite of its enormous size and strength, the elephant is by nature timid and inoffensive. The elephant's arm of offense, its trunk, is delicate and is easily slashed. The elephant is usually afraid to endanger its life and shrinks at the least display of fire. No doubt, it can be trained to fight and to courageously withstand fire. So also the vegetarian Hindu can be trained to fight and perform deeds of valour. But where there is no such training, both by nature being inoppressive are easily subdued and made to obey the master. There are no doubt examples of Brahmin and even Jain brave generals and soldiers in this sub-period, but the generality of the people being unaccustomed to fight and becoming by their food inaggressive and docile, when the Rajputs failed, all the Hindu kingdoms from the Sutlej to the Brahmaputra and from the Himalayas to the Vindhyas succumbed and almost willingly submitted to the Moslem yoke within the short period of a quarter of a century. As stated in the preface to Volume I, the message of history to Hindus, especially those who have conscientious objection to a meat diet, is so to strengthen themselves by physical training and mental alertness as to enable them to take their share honourably in the internecine physical struggles of the human race which will never cease but will ever go on.