er assumes it. All deeds of sin are deeds of darkness, _tamas_.
The devils live underground in darkness; the hells are below earth and
are gloom lighted only by torture-flames.

The development of devil-worship (the side-scenes in the theatre of
Civaism) introduces devils of another sort, but the general effect
remains. The fire-priest Bhrigu says: "Untruth is a form of darkness,
and by darkness one is brought to hell (downwards); veiled in darkness
one sees not the light. Light is heaven, they say, and darkness is
hell," xii. 190. 2-3. This antithesis of evil as darkness, good as
light, is too native to India to admit of the suggestion that it might
have been borrowed. But an isolated and curious Puranic chapter of the
epic appears to have direct reference to the Persian religion. All
Hindu gods have sacrifices, even Civa the 'destroyer of sacrifice.'
Now in iii. 220, after a preliminary account of the _p[a]ncajanya_
fire (vs. 5 ff.) there is given a list of 'gods that destroy
sacrifice,' _dev[=a]s yajnamu[s.]as,_ fifteen in number, who 'stand
here' on earth and 'steal' the sacrifice. They extend over the five
peoples in three divisions of five each. The first and third group
contain names compounded with Bh[=i]ma and S[=u]ra respectively; while
the third group is that of Sumitra, Mitravan, Mitrajna, Mitravardhana,
Mitradharman. There are others without the _mitra_ (vs. 10). The
appellation _dev[=a]s_ seems to take them out of connection with
Civa's demoniac troops, and the persistency of _mitra_ would look as
if these 'gods' were of Iranian origin. There may have been (as are
possibly the modern S[=a]uras) believers in the Persian religion
already long established among the Hindus.

The question will naturally present itself whether in the religious
_olla podrida_ known as the Mah[=a]bh[=a]rata there are distinct
allusions to Buddhism, and, if so, in how far the doctrines of this
sect may have influenced the orthodox religion. Buddhism does not
appear to have attacked or to have attracted the 'holy land,' whence,
indeed, according to law, heretics are 'banished.' But its influence
of course must have embraced this country, and it is only a question
of in how far epic Brahmanism has accepted it. At a later period
Hinduism, as has been observed, calmly accepts Buddha as an _avatar_
of Vishnu. Holtzmann, who is inclined to attribute a good deal to
Buddhism, sees signs of it even in the personal characteristics of the
e