till their prominence in literature, and probably
in popular mythology, is posterior to the Vedic period. The change
created by their appearance is not merely the addition of two imposing
figures to an already ample pantheon; it is a revolution which might
be described as the introduction of a new religion, except that it
does not come as the enemy or destroyer of the old. The worship of the
new deities grows up peacefully in the midst of the ancient rites;
they receive the homage of the same population and the ministrations
of the same priests. The transition is obscured but also was
facilitated by the strength of Buddhism during the period when it
occurred. The Brahmans, confronted by this formidable adversary, were
disposed to favour any popular religious movement which they could
adapt to their interests.

When the Hindu revival sets in under the Guptas, and Buddhism begins
to decline, we find that a change has taken place which must have
begun several centuries before, though our imperfect chronology does
not permit us to date it. Whereas the Vedic sacrificers propitiated
all the gods impartially and regarded ritual as a sacred science
giving power over nature, the worshipper of the later deities is
generally sectarian and often emotional. He selects one for his
adoration, and this selected deity becomes not merely a great god
among others but a gigantic cosmical figure in whom centre the
philosophy, poetry and passion of his devotees. He is almost God in
the European sense, but still Indian deities, though they may have a
monopoly of adoration in their own sects, are never entirely similar
to Jehovah or Allah. They are at once more mythical, more human and
more philosophical, since they are conceived of not as creators and
rulers external to the world, but as forces manifesting themselves in
nature. An exuberant mythology bestows on them monstrous forms,
celestial residences, wives and offspring: they make occasional
appearances in this world as men and animals; they act under the
influence of passions which if titanic, are but human feelings
magnified. The philosopher accommodates them to his system by saying
that Vishnu or Siva is the form which the Supreme Spirit assumes as
Lord of the visible universe, a form which is real only in the same
sense that the visible world itself is real.

Vishnu and Rudra are known even to the Rig Veda but as deities of no
special eminence. It is only after the Vedic age that th