Bīrūnī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, Alberuni's India (v. 1)

(London :  Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.,  1910.)

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ALBERUNPS INDIA.
 

Page 34.
 

Story of
Romulus
and Remus,
 

Idol-wor-
sliip as re¬
stricted to
the low
classes of
people,
 

passes by after the setting up of the monument, genera¬
tions and centuries, its origin is forgotten, it becomes a
matter of custom, and its veneration a rule for general
practice. This being deeply rooted in the nature of
man, the legislators of antiquity tried to influence them
from this weak point of theirs. Therefore they made
the veneration of pictures and similar monuments ob¬
ligatory on them, as is recounted in historic records,
both for the times before and after the Deluge. Some
people even pretend to know that all mankind, before
God sent them his prophets, were one large idolatrous
body.

The followers of the Thora fix the beginning of ido¬
latry in the days of Serugh, the great-grandfather of
Abraham. The Romans have, regarding this question,
the following tradition :—Romulus and Romanus (!),
the two brothers from the country of the Franks, on
having ascended the throne, built the city of Rome,
Then Romulus killed his brother, and the consequence
was a long succession of intestine troubles and wars.
Finally, Romulus humiliated himself, and then he
dreamt that there would only be peace on condition
that he placed his brother on the throne. Now he got
a golden image made of him, placed it at his side, and
henceforward he used to say, " We (not /) have ordered
thus and thus," which since has become the general
use of kings. Thereupon the troubles subsided. He
founded a feast and a play to amuse and to gain over
those who bore him ill-will on account of the murder
of his brother. Besides, he erected a monument to the
sun, consisting of four images on four horses, the green
one for the earth, the blue for the water, the red for the
fire, and the white for the air. This monument is still
in Rome in our days.

Since, however, here we have to explain the system and
the theories of the Hindus on the subject, we shall now
mention their ludicrous views ; but we declare at once
  Page 112