Introductory - Global Sikh Studies

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inviolability of the laws laid down by them, became a cardinal part of
the religious belief of Brahmanism, old and new. The Brahmins came
to monopolize the interpretation of these scriptures. 26 The Brahmanical
interpretation of these scriptures became the main prop for sanctifying
and maintaining the caste system and social reaction. Above all, the
Brahmanical interpretation of the scriptures in the respect was neither
challenged for thousands of years, nor a single voice raised against it
from within orthodoxy. Anybody who dared to differ from the
Brahmanical view was declared a heretic, and this so-called heresy
was the main plank for combating Buddhism and other liberal trends
controverting or doubting the validity of the caste system or
Brahmanism. ‘To acknowledge the authority of the Vedas, as demanded
of the Hindu, means, fides implicita in a more fundamental sense
than that of Catholic Church, and precisely because no saviour is
mentioned whose revelation could have substituted new law for old. ’27
And, ‘Brahmanical and caste power resulted from the inviolability of
all sacred law which was believed to ward off evil enchantment. ’28
c) Tradition and Antiquity: Closely allied to the sanctity of the
scriptures was the authority of tradition and antiquity, which got so
mixed up with each other. In actual practice in the orthodox society,
the latter came to exercise weight almost equal to that of the former.
‘In practice, this (fides implicita) meant simply the acknowledgement
of the authority of Hindu tradition resting on the Veda and the
continued interpretation of its world image; it meant acknowledgement
of the rank station of its leaders, the Brahmans. ’29 Manu claims that,
‘the whole veda is the (First) source of the sacred law, next the tradition,
and the virtuous conduct of those who know (the Veda), also the
customs of holy men, and (finally) self-satisfaction’. 30 ‘Ancient
Brahmanism cannot be separated from the Veda on the one side, and
from modern Brahmanism on the other, and the later, again, is so
intimately connected with all the branches of Hinduism that too sharp
a division runs the risk of breaking vital connections. ’31 This link-up
of Neo-Brahmanism with that of remote past was not achieved
through doctrinal continuity. It was based on claims and assumptions
which were sanctified by faith and tradition without subjecting these
to logical scrutiny. Summing up the development of Neo-Brahmanism,