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8. AGE OF REASON
CHAPTER 8
THE AGE OF REASON:
THE DECLINE OF VEDISM
AND
THE RISE OF RATIONALISM
Radical changes in Indian religion and thought occurred during the Later Vedic Age.
This development is clearly seen in the Brahmanas. Here we see the emergence of the Brahmin priests to a position of supreme power and privilege in society. There is a marked difference in the approach to deity before and after the Brahmana period. During the Early Vedic Age, sacrifice had been only a means of appeasing the gods of nature and getting favors based on the mercy and mood of the gods themselves. Now the tables are turned. The Brahmanas has the power to compel gods to act. Gods will have to act under compulsion if proper rituals are performed. Now it became the means of compelling the gods to act, provided the correct ritual was employed in ritual purity. In effect, gods became the servants of the Brahmin priests.
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