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HINDUISM
I. THE HINDU SECTS — THEIR GREAT DEITIES.
assign to new divinities of popular origin, identified with Rudra-Çiva and with Vishnu. — Caivas and Vaishnavas. — Growing importance of Rudra in the Veda : the (^atarudriya. — Civa, Devi, and their surroundings. — Advent of Vishnu to the supremacy coincident with the first appearance of Krishna. — Vishnu and Lakshmi. — Theory of the Avataras. — Myths and cycle of Krishna. — Myths and cycle of Rama. — Though formed of the same materials as those of the ancient religion, the new divinities are of u, more obstinate personality, with a marked tendency to monotheism. — Different combinations of these divinities among themselves, and with elements supplied by ancient theology and speculation : the Trinity, Brahma- Vishnu-Çiva. — Its theoretic and literary character. — The true objects of the sectarian theology, Vishnu and Civa, with their feminine counterparts. — A
fourth term introduced into the Trinity. — The Trinity reduced to two terms : Harihara.The characteristic common to the majority of these religions is the worship of new divinities exalted above all the rest, and the highly concrete and intensely personal conception of which comes out in sundry descriptions of a biographical nature. These divinities are identified either with Çiva, who is himself connected with the Vedic god Eudra, or with Vishnu ; and according: as it is the one or other of these which is raised to the supreme rank, the religions are called Qivaite or Vishnuite, and their respective followers styled Qaivas or Vaishnavas. The genesis of these religions is involved in extreme obscurity. The Vedic writings chance upon them, and, as it were, go alongside of them, during the very period of their
