Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 6
6 disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. Jesus also taught the apostles: Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. 8 Vedas Also a National Scripture Among the followers of the Vedas, the reading of the Vedas had become so exclusive a prerogative of the high castes that Gotama Rishi says: If a Sudra happens to hear the Vedas then it is the king’s duty to drop molten lead and wax into his ears; if a Sudra were to recite the Vedic Mantras the king should cut off his tongue and if he try to read the Vedas, the king should cut his body. 9 The teaching about ‘foemen’ in the Vedas is extreme and barbarous. In the Atharva-Veda the orthodox are taught to put the non-Vedics in chains and to plunder their houses: Consume, with lion aspect, all their hamlets, with tiger aspect, drive away thy foemen. Sole lord and leader and allied with Indra, seize, conqueror, thine enemy’s possessions. 10 Similarly Vedic prayers addressed to the sun, moon, fire, Indra, and even grass, seek the destruction of the non-Vedic dharmis. Thus we have: Bewildering the senses of our foemen, seize thou their bodies and depart, O Apva. Attack them, set their hearts on fire and burn them: so let our foes abide in utter darkness. Whetting thy bolt and thy sharp blade, O Indra, crush thou the foe and scatter, Those who hate us. 11 Blind, O my foemen, shall ye be even as headless serpents are: may Indra slay each best of you, when Agni’s flame hath struck you down. 12 Cleave through, O Darbha, amulet, my foes, my adversaries heart; Rise thou and batter down their heads. 13 We also have: Do not hold discourses with non-Vedic dharmis. 14 Should anyone criticize the Vedas, turn him out of the country, that is, condemn him to a life-sentence. 15 Confucianism and Zoroastrianism also were national religions. They did not address their Messages to the whole world, nor did they try to teach on any large scale. Just as Hinduism regards India as God’s favoured land, so does Confucianism regard