The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c8.72

v1.c8.72

While the religion of the Rigveda seems to stand free of foreign elements, it cannot be assumed that the version presented to us in that collection is at all a complete record of the religion of the period of the composition of the hymns. It contains the poetry used by the priests in the sacrifices to the high gods, but not, with rare exceptions, the lower religious or magical beliefs. Even, however, of the hieratic views it gives no complete account: the collectors of the hymns in the main were interested in the Soma ritual, and the great majority of the hymns deal with some form or other of that rite: the animal sacrifice is hardly noticed, save in the case of the most important and rare sacrifice, that of the horse. Moreover it cannot be doubted that much of the poetry is highly artificial, the expression not of naïve faith but of refined speculation : there is much—usually empty—mysticism, and phrase making, the work of competing poets without religious inspiration. On the other hand there are numerous hymns which are perfectly simple in thought and even in diction, and part of the obscurity of the poetry is due merely to the fact that it is rich in references to myths, which are, as is inevitable in hymns, only alluded to and not set out in detail. Such references are of comparatively little importance in the consideration of Vedic religion, of which it is possible to obtain definite views irrespective of the exact force to be ascribed to obscure myths.