History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s1.15

v7.c96.s1.15

Among the numerous civilizations and cultures that flourished in the world there are only two (namely, the Indian and the Chinese) that have survived and kept up a continuity of tradition for four thousand years (if not more) in spite of recurrent invasions by foreign hordes like those by Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Huns, Turks and notwithstanding internal conflicts and convulsions,²⁶⁰⁴ India absorbed such people and made many Greeks, Śakas and other foreigners adopt the spiritual ideologies of India and found for them a place in the Indian social fabric (as has been and will be shown later). Not only so, India could spread its literature, religion, art and culture, not by invasions or annexations but mostly by peaceful means, viz. teaching, translations of Sanskrit works and persuasion, to Ceylon, Burma, Sumatra, Malaya, Java, Bali, Borneo, China, Tibet, Japan, Mongolia and Corea.²⁶⁰⁵ The charming island of Bali is still Hindu with four varnas, priests being called Pedanda (Pandita), consecrated water for worship being called *Toya* (vide S. Levi's 'Sanskrit texts from Bali' Preface p. XIII G. O. S.), priests still repeating one quarter of Gāyatrī, viz. 'bhargo devasya dhīmahi' (ibid. p. XV) and repeating the yajñopavīta mantra (yajñopavītam paramam etc.) in a corrupt form.