Development of Hinduism

8. AGE OF REASON
As Buddhism entered the Christian era it got mixed with Gnosticism also and developed myths
and legends parallel to that of Hinduism. They reacted with the myths and legends of Hinduism
which emerged by that time in strange ways. Later Mahayanist took over many of the Hindu
magic and sorcery. It is this fall from the heights of science into magic and myths that finally
destroyed Buddhism. It started by laughing at the myths as the following stories and Jatakas
illustrate.
Kevaddha sutta Dig. Nik. XI tells of how a monk who wanted to know about the dissolution and
formation of cosmos went about asking of it to various gods who always pointed him to
somebody else.
Finally he arrived at Brahmâ himself along with all the host of the other gods. After hearing the
question, which was ‘Where do the elements cease and leave no trace behind?” Brahmâ replied,
"I am the Great Brahmâ, the Supreme, the Mighty, the All-seeing, the Ruler, the Lord of all, the
Controller, the Creator, the Chief of all, appointing to each his place, the Ancient of days, the
Father of all that are and are to be." "But," said the monk, "I did not ask you, friend, whether
you were indeed all you now say, but I ask you where the four elements cease and leave no
trace." Then the Great Brahmâ took him by the arm and led him aside and said, "These gods
think I know and understand everything. Therefore I gave no answer in their presence. But I do
not know the answer to your question and you had better go and ask the Buddha."
Kevaddha Sutta has a strange account of how Brahma himself came to be eternal. Dig. Nik. I.
chap. 2, 1-6. [The radiant gods are the Abhassara, of Dhammap 200]. ‘There comes a time
when this world system passes away and then certain beings are reborn in the World of
Radiance and remain there a long time. Sooner or later, the world system begins to evolve
again and the palace of Brahmâ appears, but it is empty. Then some being whose time is up
falls from the World of Radiance and comes to life in the palace and remains there alone. At last
he wishes for company, and it so happens that other beings whose time is up fall from the World
of Radiance and join him. And the first being thinks that he is Great Brahmâ, the Creator,
because when he felt lonely and wished for companions other beings appeared. And the other
beings accept this view. And at last one of Brahmâ's retinue falls from that state and is born in
the human world and, if he can remember his previous birth, he reflects that he is transitory but
that Brahmâ still remains and from this he draws the erroneous conclusion that Brahmâ is
eternal.”
Still there was a great body of Buddhist and Jain legend in ancient India which handled the same
stories as Brahmanic legend—e.g. the tale of Krishna—but in a slightly different manner. The
characteristic form of Buddhist legend is the Jâtaka, or birth story. Folk-lore and sagas, ancient
jokes and tragedies, the whole stock in trade of rhapsodists and minstrels are made an edifying
and interesting branch of scripture by simply identifying the principal characters with the
Buddha, his friends and his enemies in their previous births
In Maj. Nik. 49 Buddha tells his disciples how he once ascertained that Brahmâ Baka was under
the delusion that his heaven was eternal and cured him of it ( See Hinduism and Buddhism –
Charles Eliot 1902)
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