ABSTRACT
The Samhitas are collections of mantras, or hymns, most of which sing the praises of one or another personal god. The preceding brief survey of the varying conceptions of God in the Samhitas quite naturally raises two questions. The first is this: Why is it that one god, another, is lifted to the loftiest position and celebrated as the supreme divinity? The Brahmanas, in comparison with the Samhitas, are concerned with practical, everyday things—with the details of sacrificial rites and with specific duties and rules of conduct. The duties and rules of conduct prescribed by the Brahmanas are largely those common to all religious creeds. Self-control is emphasized, and love, and kindness; theft, murder, and adultery are forbidden. The Aranyakas, or forest treatises, need detain us but a moment. They may most simply be regarded as a supplement to the Brahmanas—and a corrective.
