The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-12
SOME NEW BOOKS.


Ceylon and in Nepaul. II has long been
extinct in India, for it is "a mistake to sup
pose that Jainisrn In modified survival
OF il. seeing that Janism existed when
Buddha was born. Yet, although the
Brahminic chroncers would gladly have
consigned the fact to oblivion, and siren
uously tried to do 30, il has for some
time been known that in the first half
Of the third century b. C. Buddhism was
the preronderant religion in the greater
part of India. The latest addition to the
STORY of the Nations" series, entitled
Buddkia India, by T. W. RHYs DAvIDs
(Putnams), embodies the first attempt
to describe ancient India during the period
Of Buddhist ascendancy, from the view
point, not so much Of the Brahmin as OF
the Rajput, or noble. The two points of
view naturally differ very much. There
are those, as the author owns in his preface,
who may regard any such attempt as a
kind Of lese majestic. The Brahmin view
was in possession Of the field when Euro
peans entered India, ard has been regarded
by sh@n 30 long with reverence that it
now seems almost an impertinence to
put forward the other, II would be
absurd, however, to expect people who
have found coins and Inscriptions TO re-
frain from considering them seriously
because they cannot be adjusted to the
Brahmin theories OF caste and history.
Nor are the materials for history Of
Buddhist India confined to coins and in
scriptions. Something may be learned
about it from Megasthenss, a Greek his
torian, who wrote about the close Of the
Ian
extracts from his history that have been
preserved. At the beginning of the re-
searches into the subject on tho part OF
European scholars, the Ceylon Chroni-
Cles were Of most service. When in the
second quarter Of the nineteenth century.
James Princep, the most accomplished
and original OF Indian arch~ologists,
was wearing himself out in efforts to de-
cipher the coins and inscriptions OF India,
at the time when the very alphabets and
dialects we're as yet uncertain The received
continual help from George Turnour of the
Ceylon Civil Service. For in Ceylon
there was a history, indeed, several books
Of history, whereas in Calcutta, the Brah-
mimic records were devoid of any relia-
BILE data to help in the Identification OF the
new names which Prinosp thought he
could make out, Prof Davids deems IL
not too much to say that without the help
of the Ceylon books the identification
of the King Piyadass OF the inscriptions
with the King Aaoka of Buddhist his
tory would never have been made. Once
made, 1t rendered subsequent steps COM
paratively easy. The purpose Of the
book before us is to show how much prog
ress has been thus far made in the path
that Princep opened.
Q.
It appears that, when Buddhism arose
say about coo b. C.--thsre was no para
mount sovereign In India. The kingly
power WAS not, Of course, unknown. There
had been kings in the Valley Of the Ganges
for centuries, long before Buddhism. and
the time was fast approaching when the
whole OF India would he under the sway
OF monarchioal government. In those
parts OF India which came very early under
the influence of Buddhism there were,
besides still surviving number Of small
aristocratical republics, four kingdoms
Of considerable extent Of power. There
were also a dozen or more of smaller king
doms like the German duchies. or the prov
inces into which England was divided in
the time of the Heptarchy. No one OF
these was of much political importance.
The tendency toward the gradual absorb
ton Of these domains, and also of the re-
publics into the neighboring kingdoms.
was already in full force The evidence
ut present available does not suffice to give
an exact idea either Of the extent Of coun-
try or OF the volume of population under
the one or the other form Of government.
nor has any attempt been so far made to
trace the history of political institutions
in India before the rise of Buddhism. Prof.
Davids can do no more, he SAYS, than state
tho fact that the earliest Buddhist records
reveal the survival, side by side with more
or less powerful monarchies, Of republics
possessing either a complete or a modified
independence.
II is, as our author says, significant that
this important factor Of the social con-
diti0n OF India in the seventh or sixth CEN
fury b. g. has remained hitherto unno-
tioed by scholars, either in Europe or in
India. They have relied for their infor
nation about the Indian peoples too ex-
clusively on the Brahminic books These,
partly because OF the antipathy felt by
the priests toward the free republics,
partly because OF the later date Of most
OF tho s1tant presily literature, and es-
pecially OF the law books, ignore the real
facts. They convey the impression that
the only recognized, and, in fact. univer-
sally prevalent form Of government was
that Of kings under the guidance and tmte-
lage OF priests. The Buddhist records,