Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/149

other countries, and in other civilizations, the word "religion" has no equivalents in other languages. One essential characteristic of a "religion" is that it is the tradition of a theophratry, that is, tribe or brotherhood based on theological doctrine or worship.

I have then examined the Hindu system by itself, and have shown, that according to Hindu terminology the word which comes nearest to the word "religion" is sampradāya. I have regarded this word as one of scientific value, and to convey its meaning I have used the word theophratry.

For the purposes of sociology two kinds of tribes should be distinguished. They are (1) socio-political (natural) tribes, and (2) theophratries (tribes based on theological doctrine or worship).

Theophratries are necessarily later growths. They can arise only when the protection of the individuals in the theophratry is guaranteed by an existing political society.

Theophratries, by the institution of new gods, methods of worship, sacraments, customs, ceremonies, feast days and holidays, give rise to dissimilarities, and thus create a division in the tribe or nation. Thus theophratries are anti-social in their very nature. The theophratries are always a nuisance to a nation unless the theophratry is co-extensive with the nation, that is, all the members of the nation are members of the theophratry.

If all the members of a nation are also members of the theophratry, and if that theophratry is doing missionary work, then the theophratry and the nation become a nuisance to the neighbouring nations; a portion of a neighbouring nation becomes like the missionary nation, and unlike