I ran across some
people on the internet the other day who insist that the
transition from the Vedic period to the early Hindu period
involved, not a transition, but a wholesale rejection of
the Vedic gods and their replacement with Hindu ones. They
say the Vedic gods are reviled in Hinduism.
This goes against everything I know about this transition.
It seems to originate from some very early Indological
writings by Western scholars but they haven't been able to
provide me with anything more than a list of *possible*
books -- Oldenberg, McDonnell, etc. -- no page references.
Does anyone know where this idea may have arisen? I can
see how they might have gotten this idea from the
Buddhist/Jain texts or the later Bhakti period but not
about the development of early Hinduism.
Also, can anyone provide me with a reference to succinct
discussion of the current scholarly position that I could
pass on to them rather than having to write something
myself from the source texts?
Best,
Dean
Dean Anderson
East West Cultural Institute
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