History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.24

v7.c92.24

Though Dr. Bhattacharya admits that Buddhism and Jainism exploited Hindu gods in the earlier period, he asserts (on p. 147 of his Intro. to B E.) that 'it is possible to declare without fear of contradiction that the Buddhists were the first to introduce the Tantras in their religion and that the Hindus borrowed them from the Buddhists in later times'. It is no honour to ancient Hindus to be called the pioneers in the practice of black magic. But scholars have to seek truth irrespective of the question of honour or dishonour. Very weighty arguments are advanced by Valleé Poussin (in E. R. E. vol XII. p 193), Winternitz and Payne (on 'Śāktas p 73) for the opposite view and the present author agrees with them. Hundreds of works were translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan and Chinese. The traffic of borrowing has been all one way from India to Tibet and China. Vide a paper on 'China's debt to India' by Prof. Liang Chi Chao in Viśvabhāratī Quarterly, vol. II. for 1924–25 pp 251–261, where it is stated that 24 Hindu scholars from A. D 67 to 789 came to China, besides 13 from Kashmir and that the Chinese scholars that went to India for study from 265–790 A. D. numbered 187 of which the names of 105 can be ascertained.