34 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM The word, ‘mudra*,98 is terived from the ryot, ‘mud’, meaning ‘ to repice®, andthe root ‘7@* mean'rg ‘to give’, The word then is taken to mean ‘giving dilight’ «vd ndy to the deity before whom this ts disp'ayed To emp’ siz that the display of mudr@ 1s obligatory, attempts have heen mide to explain the connotation of this word Tw = purpos 97 ire indie cated through this ¢ nnotation One is Uatwh t s under © ble could be dispelicd by this displey Sins got removed, defects disappear and malicious spirtts are cleared away, smooth.ning the pi h of worship fore sprint T serd purpose is that the desire» of the aspirants get fuifii! d hrough this display 98 Mudras are numerous, as several feclings and situs seonst ve to berepresented Somet xisotth A,amas av a cn 99 which describes how th: several mudrds are to be f mi d and displayed. They have to be displayed in iccordac ost the mantras that are recited. ws Vide Bat over arora qraraseaerag foarqaraiiaaaial az Aza | Pra, atic -hpdava, p.88, Sors Lill 82, Sabrekaloscruna IM p 745 Cl Mahesvar it apda’s co..mentary or M herth.nafijora, p 131 97, Is XXIV 2, Pars, XIV.1; Pas. IV. 22 L4anativequrudeva- pardhati, 1 pp. 72-74, 28 Vide £. © weareqafa areqar araxrardaradt | Sabdakulpadrima, 11 p. 745, Suprabhedagama, 1X The mudra 13 also explained as offaring reioicing to the self through the body, Itis ako said te af?) d rehef for the self from adverse planetary influ rcesand to destroy sins Tre former 1, im iatdtyth+ eon and the latter by dra, Vide .—Tsntrasira ciled onp 7 9 of the S ms ara- ratnamala 89 SKS Ru Wy; iS XXIV. JS VIN, Pars XIV; Ps IV 22, Saracatiuka, XXII. Cf Smyticandrikd, 1. pp. 148-148,INTRODUCTORY 35 Worshipping the deity invotves sixteen kinds of ceremonial prictic.s (upacdra) 100 which ire Avd@hana, S$ hapana, Sanudhana, Sinnirodhana, Avagunthana, Dhenumudrad Arghya, Pa@lya, Acama- niya Puspaddna, Dhiipa, D.pa, Nawvedya, Pa iya Fapaamarpana and Arairrka, Sometimes, the first ten alone are take up for enumeration, All these are classificd according to the five elements out of which they could have sprung. On occasions, the idol or yantra is to be given a ceremonial bath, the preparations for which are to be made on an e aborate scale There are varieties of the bath 101 Minute detai's are giv.n for selectirg he right type of flow rs!02 and of plucking them The prepared food to be offered to the deity 1s called Avis 103 The nature of the grains and o her ingr dic “ts of the p epasation 1s dealt with according to the quanti y required for the off.ring Tis Agama texts generally have the words, ‘émtra’, ‘saine fila, and other: atthe end of their nam s | Mrgendri sphitd, Mt inj yatantra Laksnitantra, etc, Ttis shows that th Agama t.% S cume into being after the Vedec traditions b.came ~ able 1zd, and also that they are all based om the Vedu exis, However, these details do not belong exclusively to avy one creedorr i gion Apart from Hinduism, the Buddhist religion too had tdntrika aspects A diffi ulty arises, in the absence of acceptable evidence, in setthng the identity of some of these concepts, Ev.r since foreign scholars began handling Indological sub) cts, particularly Hindu traditions, their tendency bas been to deny outright ICO Shakti and Shakta, p 233. 101 VK p 416, SA Lil Narayana: Tantrasamuccaya, Past Il pp 375442 Suprabhedagama, XV. 102 $aradatilaka, p 157, 103 SKS. wa, V Cf. Aghorativa: Devipratisthavidhi, p. 200. Appayyanikyta; Sivsscanacandrika, pp. 61-8%, Suprabhedigama, X, XVII,36 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM indigenous origin toany concep’ that has been oubstinding in its excell.nce or attrictiven ss, Erne vie Gk tradition or Buddhistic developments hav b en cited ay hiveg served ss the founJat ons for or ay having insp r d the H du co cepts to growaid develop, Tris could b. conced d, hid th re b.en avilable any evid nce ofa d cisive na ure in fivour of such views, How ver, suchevid ncetsysttsb fourlout Ov he oterhand, whicv ris available ty the contrary is summa iy dismiss d as of no cyssequenes Ti r.fore, the yu ston of Greek influence is yet to de settled on surer grounds. As regards the Baddhest influence, what dev lop ¢ ¢ atu. ries after the Buldha’s d mise his been attrinuted to hs preach ings which are yet not avitlab'e in the form of sp ¢ fi banks If the Buddha had aot pr ached gainst he Vedte tridt ton, then No concept could be autributed to hin as excigavely Buddhistic, I’ he had preaches against Brahminisn (a tern coimed by the Western Osientalists with 1 view to creste mu'ual distrust and lack of esp ct among the Indian communities and therery to decry the indigenous chariecr of Hindu ret gid.), he. the tantric practice. w' ich sprang imong th: Bu 'd sytyot lac ¢ days, could ony be exvtic to Baddhism = They must hive bec wken by the Buddhists from others. It is also suggested that the oviginal inhabitants of Indu, who hid no progressive an! civiz d notons of lif. sheu'd hav been fo'l wing ‘hese practe 5 Ti fuund 4 of Taunt icism siw in th m much thi was need.d oispire the creaton cf ancweult. The Vedic source for the tive uf the Agawas 's thus sought to be denied This theory requircs critical consideration Tt pr -supp s tbat enligitencd men cane from outside to I.dia where there were already the natives who were inferior to them in all res- pects, This preesupprsition is bised on tgnorince ard pre- judice. No society has ever consisted of members having che same standards of culture, education and other equipment.INTRODUCTORY 37 This must apply also to the people who lived in ancient India. This society did not certainly migrate into India from without Practi.es of the people should have varied, and the different Practices could have reacted on one another C itun of them might have been taken up by a section which did not have th'mb fore. These practices have been there ever since the enlightened szcrion of people had their own way of religious and secu'ar life fully orginiz.d. The foreign or tribai origin of the Agamas does not therefore merit acceptance Th- sourccs for the Agamas must therefore be admitted to hive been viered but Indian, nermuting the votaris of the various cul s to dtaw out whatever they required. Besides mutual influence, exouc impact cannot be totally dented, The Himaliyan regions 10! where Kai’asi is situated, are said to have ben the home of the S'arwa Agamas Some think 105 that it 1s from Bengal the Agamas spread to A-sam, Nepal, Tibet and China. Assaml06 is the nital home according tasom others It would be prudent to avont taking sid.s on his problem, u til evidence becom s asatlble, That the (dutric pricite s have becn largely prevalent in Certain ar as cannot h Ip in determining their orignal home The exentol forcien inflance cannot also be decid d, even if it were to b: prov.d that there was such influ nce on the development of the Agumas, for the Indiin tradition d pts what 1s borrow d from others so asto bein harm>.y wih ws character. Tne result has been the loss of individual ty of the burrowed features, when there are any. The date of the Agamas poses another prooem The evidence will have to be found in works, both Vedic ind Agamre, Tne system of the Agamas must have taken its rise in the remote past and uidergone development gradually and nut at any 1C4 The Tantras* Stu ties in thelr Religion and Philosophy, p 6. 103 Winterniz: Indian Literature, 1, p 592, fn. 4 108, Ibid.38 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM uniform pace Long after its full development, the system would be recorded in works. The concept of sors uy ping the deity in a con.rete form co ild have been evolved ven wh.n the ma.tra portions were accommodated to form sections of Vedio ritual in the Yajerveda, Sémaveda and their Bra@hmanas Was absurd to believe that those who had a ycaraing to sivaal ze Gd watted and watted for centuri.s to wi ness thee d of the er. fithe Vidic city Is aad the prsduction of Vid cot ature, Ta Tgeme cons pe nat have been developing alor.sid the ritualistic literature, bat certainly a long tine after the mani as became powerful ia ans in the haads of ti: siges to invoke the pr sence of the gods. Siges hike Atri, Kassapi. Marit, Markigleya, Siunikay, Saas kandgra and of rs were ad iatinitely conn cted wih the devlopnent of the Vedic ritual and the philosoph cal disci- plives) Their nim» ars als> associated wih the concepts of th. Agamie tradition and with sone works on the Agamas An anci.nt date even for the evolution of thes: concep s 1s not ace ptible to the Ocientals s who bave promyuic d predil ce tions for placing thes ata very late date, | avi g the earlier periods to bs marked by mental Stagnation and Ii.k of inspira. ton Bat the Kulpasitras OT refer o a few imyortant sag s associated with so ne of the Agamic concepts. Avis ssid that the Agamz, must have risen after the V.dic Period, but this does not make clear even the probable date, In ths contex:, itis necessary to understand what the expr s ston, ‘Vedic periol", means. Tas Ortentasts dvide Socket liversture into Vedic, epic and classical periods, The epic Period is suid to have begua after the close of the period of the 107 Bhavatrata's commouiary on Jumim’s Sraufasitra mentions Sigd lya, (p 224, Biudhiayana’s Srautasiitra m-thon. A'm, 16 ¢8 and Bnygu 216, nestambifrauasitra firs 10 Bhgu, 2 § 069, Ari sav, 24, 8-0, K-pijda, g0 140, Koyspa 13 65, ana Bhars bvsja, 24, 6, 48 and 7. 3-10.INTRODUCTORY 33 Vedas which include the Sa/nhitas, Brahmanas, Xranyakas and Upanisads and also the Vedatgas. The classical period commen- ced after the epics were composed Those who are guided by this opinion of the Orventalists, forget that Vedic texts contain garratives, episod.s and other epic-hke formations C8 Lik « wise, the language and contents of the epics have much «f th. classical features. So, itas to be realized that these periods overlap one another The Vedas continue to be recited down to the present day, The rituals are still performed, though not on such a large scat as in the distant past. The Vedic passages hiv-> been analys d, interpreted and expounded by eminent au ‘orities 1 ke Ya ka, Skandasvamin, Sayana, Bhattabhaskara and others, all of whom did not live in the so called Vedic period The spirit of the Vedas 1s still glowing, and this itselfis a mark of the V.dic atmosph-re which prevatls even today. Ka idasa is suppos.d by modern scholars to have lived at some time be- tween the Ist century BC and Sth century AD., and ‘o him gres the credit for th. composition of the following gloku 109 tn a Vidic metre He did not certainly live an the Vedic period, adt af cit: eaafgear: afagea: ateasiedtitqat: 1 atmeat giea sean Yarareat aga: qraag Abhywdnasakuntaia, \V. 7 108 For m=nton of akhyana, see $8r. 1 3.4.3 2, dsvalayana 4rauta Sitra, X 6, for ‘purdna’, see S8r.1. 6.6.8; Chand, Up. ill 41,2, VILi 8,4, 11 109° Thi, ¢Jo'a1s composed in an admixtare of two kinds of Tristubh] namely Vatormy and Sahni.40 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAV(SM The arcé form is stated to have been intrsduc d hy the sages for worship at the beginning of the Tretayuga 110 Vide :— BI saa wen gty qetaat o aag ama usiercatiza aa aenq wa fe qed wararear wat» ear aat tat aomagaraat a1 1 Barizg atrat fart afta: Harb aatsalai ef Raz dread avian snea sreaig ag geigag o (Bh VIL 14, 39b-40,) The Ram yan refers to the temple of Vgnu by the word, ‘ov tinal ani heabsdss of gs 4s thro gh the words ‘dend- gerae und ‘sthéna* 13 T es> could bs taken to refer to p rticulir places where shrines were built for the worsh p of deities, Tris not the holy fir>-pit (homakund2) of the ritualists where the offerings were mad for he deities, However, there is no mention f the idol or any symbol in these cases, Any- way, aspecific structure (agar:) wis eracted to worship the d-ity (deva), The word, ‘sthdna’, in anoth:r passage,14 should also point to the same structures. Tie Vignupurtpa 8 contains unmistak thle evidence to the eyitha doctrine of the Pajicardtra The Mahabharcta refers to VU Arcs 19 mentioned as one uf tne seven places where worship cola be offered Vide -Ryvidhina [il 29 2, Bh XI 27 9 Eight kinds of mages are enumerated: [bid , XI 27 12. DL RIL 4 112 Jord 7h. 40, VIL 3t 13. WR [bri WW 1B 17-21, M4 Ibid Po-ad tailed trea’ment, see ‘Ri nu) 4y7.and Tem_les* in BBRAS, XXIII p. 242,INTRODUCTORY 41 idols in temples 116 and 'o the Pafcaratra doc'rines 117 Ths Harivamsall8 refers to the temple of Indrani where the goddess was worshipped by Rukmini The Bhagavata refers to the oyitha doctrine of the Pafcargtra,119 the arca form,120 worship, temples 121 and ¢anink initiation 122 Many Purdnas contain glorification of the holy places where temples are described 123 All this evidence could nct be summarily dismissed as baseless The glortfication of the holy places could have been included in the Purdnas at different periods, but long before such accounts were composed, the temples should have been in existence, though not in their present form The Bhagavata refers to come holy places like the river Ganga, Kuruksstra, Nitm'$i and others In the same context, the places where the idols of V snu are enshrined are glorified and shown as sp-cially suitable for worship 124 A passage cited abov: from the Ramayana mentions also the names of deities other than Visnu, indicating that they also 11S VP, V 18 68 116 Vide Baar afaar aa atafta @ calet a aafta efat aed. ferafta saaiet a a Mbbh VI 2 26 117 Mbh XII 342-389 118 Harivaméa, Il 59 33, 34 119° Bh X 16 45, X 40 21 120 Ibid X 53 44-60, X 84 11 121 Ibid X 53 39-49, X,79 12-15 122 Ibid XI 4 47-55, XI 11 37, XI. 27 123° The Vamana, Skanda Markandeya, Varaha, Brahma and Padma Puranas glorify Tirumalai, the Saura glorifies temples of Siva, the Brahmanda treats of Kafici and Ahobila, the Skanda glorifies Badankaframa andsoon A reference may be made here to TA (X 43-47) which deals with the worship of Sivaliiga 124, Bh. X 79 asv—642 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM. received worship in particular places. The passage in the Mahabharata makes a general reference to the gods, which shows that deities other than Visnu had their {dols in temples for worship. The Puranas contain references to the temples of these gods All this indicates that idol worship, as enjoined in the Agamas, must have been very ancient The structures to house these deities could have sprung up later, of which alone the Purdnas have references and descriptions, It must rot be surprising, if references in the Ramayana to the various spotsin hermitages for many deities should turn out to be Agamic without any tinge of the use of yantras and tanirtka mantras, The vyiha doctrine of the Paxcaratra refers to the names of Krsna and the members of His family. This may be a later addition made at the end of the Doaparayuga. Or, those names, which should have been in vogue long before that period, could have been given to the members in the family of Krsga, just like the name‘ Vasudeva” Anyway, the Maha- bhavata which must have taken a specific shape by 3000 BC 125 should justify this date as the lowermost limit for the prevalence of the Agamic doctrines 128, V. Varadachari: Reraeasafaa:, aha IV, 1.14,CHAPTER II VALIDITY OF THE “AGAMAS’ The authenticity of the Agamas has been questioned from about the beginning of the Christian era. There was objection to their validity in a general way and also to that of particular kinds of Agamas The whole objection is based only on one point, namely, worship of God. These who raise this objection, rest their arguments on the supposed non-Vedic character of the Agamas The word ‘non-Vedic’ means that which 1s not Vedic, not based on what the Vedas stand for By ‘Vedic’ the Vedas and the Veddigas are meant These are concerned with the performance of the rituals enjoined in the Kalpasiiiras in accordance with the procedures recommended therein on the basis of the Brahmanas, They do not uphold the exclusive worship of any single deity. On the other hand, the rituals have different deities to be worshipped according to the nature of the rites It fs sacri- legious to offer worship to a deity in any ritual in which he fs not to receive worship, 1m the place of another who 1s to receive it The Agamas which recommend strongly the worship of particulir d-ities in an exclusive manner, go against the Vedic concept of deities Again, the Agamas miss the Vedic concept of God Idol worship marks the Agamic mode of adoring God The Vedas nowhere refer to the distinct concrete form of God, nor do they speak of adoring that form God {s transcendental and also immanent, and so could not be comprehended by any one as having a finitized form, There ts nothing in the world which can represent God, for whatever exists is neither tran- scendenial, nor subtle enough to be immanent. Hence it 1s a sacrilege to conceive the idol or any other form as God44 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM Secondly, in order to get qualified for performing the worship in the sacred fire, one must have investiture with the sacred thread (upanuyana). And offering worship in the fire is the only mode of worship according to Vedic religion. The members of the first three castes ulone are eligible to have upanayana Crntrary to this practice, the Agamas have allowed the Sid-as ana women also to take part in offering worstip to the deity. The quulificr:ion for this is initiation (diksa) This is necessary for s1! and »gcomes the second qui ification for the twice-born, Tnere is no second initiation or special diks@ sanctioned by che Vedas, and so the Agamas hrvc no validity as regards the worship of God. Thirdly, the Agamas prescribe tanirika mantras for adoption in worship, so that they can be used by all, irrespective of their having had upanayana, This is criticised as an anti-Vedic practice that proves the Agamas to be invelid. Fourthly, the ceremony of installation (pratistha) of an idol or any figure is unwarranted according to the Vedic rules of the tituals. There is invocation (@vdhana) and dismissal (visarjanq) for a deity in Vedic ritual. The same cannot become applicable to idols in which the deities are ever present after installation. To add to non-Vedic practices, the Agamas prescribe the performance of such things as mudr@ and nydsa as part of the ac: of worship. Thesz too have no Vedic s3-ction and, besides, ie meaningless. Fifthly and lastly, the Agamas enjoin the practice of certsin cruel rites such as marana ucedtana, vasikarana, akargana santi~ karma, paustikakarma, viducsana and oth-rs, Ti.sc are calcv'ated and intended to do harm to others, A system which does not promote justice and good deeds and encourages, by enjoining, such acts as corrupt the mind of the pirformers, does not deserve to be followed, There are also other detestable practices such as drinking wine, eating flesh, taking fish,VALIDITY OF THE AGAMAS 45 gestures and sexual intercourse Five important detestable practices are set out below - armed wet atl aur acedt gar Agata = 1 qaavafag attr Pfs faatotat 1 aarqad Bfa tararafy goua | Guptasa dhanetantra, VII, Tt1s also argued that the origin of the Agamas is to be solely traced to the practices of primitive tribes, Those who base their ritaals on Vedic authority, would not accept vie Agamas as valid, not to speak of followmg the practices jad down m them. The life of the primitives {s not governed by law or custom, nor based on ethical standards, Head-hunting vindictive pursuits and gruesome practices characterize the life of primitive peoples The Agamas, it 1s asserted, took their rise among them or at least arose under the 3 rong t fluence of their practices and so cannot be held as valid. Thy sbysetons noted above lose ground, when it is rem mbered that the Agamas are very near the Vedas, rather base fon the Vedas They cite the Vedas for authority and so cannot be treated as npn-Vedic or anti-Vedic What 1s treated in the Vedas neud not be treated in other texts New concepts und theories could have been evolved as a result of Vedic influ- ence, and they do not, on that account, become non-Vedic. The whole of the Veda, the Smrt texts, the conduct of those who know the Vedas, the conduct of the good and the satisfac- tion of the self become the sources of dharma.126 All these cannot be declared to be invalid, because they are not treated or mentioned in the Vedas, The Mimansa@ school seeks to defend the Vedic authority for certain practices which do not have direct Vedic sanction, but are dealt with only in the Smypti 128 MS 11646 AGAMAS AND SOUTH INDIAN VAISNAVISM texts, In such cases, the source of these practices {s {nferred to be some passage of the Vedas,127 Similarly, the monotheism of the Agamas is a concept derived from Vedic sources The Aitareya Brahmana makes an emphatic Statement that, among gods, Agni is the lowest and Visnu the highest.128 It fs evident from this that Visnu, being at the head of the divine beings, must have been held then as not only the Supreme Deity but also as one who is preferred to others for worship, This concept was developed in the Agamas which {8 a proof to show that they are not non-Vedic For the same reason, {dol worship, as enjoined in the Agamas, needs to he treated as a religious act which is a logical extension of the monotheistic tendency. This is enough to concede that idol worship ts not non-Vedic According to the Varivasydrahasya, the Agamas are Smrt texts and are to be treated a3 supplements to the Upanisads.129 Secondly, it is true that the Agamas enjoin a special initia- tion (dikgd-visega) as conferring a qualification for performing worship. It becomes an additional qualification for those who have upanayana, Such specific initiation is not non-Vedic, but is a Vedic practice, as it is enjoined also for performing certain sacrific-s, Here the agent who ts already qualified to perform the ritual by virtue of having had upanayana, is required to undergo a special initiation.130 Thus the special initiation is rot confined to the Agamas alone. 127. Mimamsa-sitras 1.3, Vide: Tantravartika on 1 3 2 128. Vide- afgd taacaaad Yaar fre: acaeaqata aay wear Faar: | A br... 129, Varivasyarahasya, ¢1 8. Cf. Madhusidanasarasvati: Prasthuna- bheda, p. 16 130. Mimdmsd-sutras, X.6.57; X. 8,12, X1.2,89, X14. 20, 2) XU, 1.25. Cf. Pas, 1V 1,9, 10.VALIDILY OF THE AGAMAB 47 Thirdly, although the study of the Vedas is prohibited for Sidras, there are some references which uphold thelr participation in the performance of sacrifices The following passage occurs in the Apastamba Srautasittras (I 19 9) — ekvetatft araoes, efengrmefa cuaevea, afivaqrgata agaea, efvegrarafa ares | Here the Sidra is described as one preparing the hans or offering it in the same way as the members of the other three castes, though the verb differs in calling the offerer of oblation from each caste The hunter and architect are known to have been allowed 10 perform the sacrifice 131 The wheelwright 19 asked to ignite the holy fires 132 These persons are lower than th: Siidras in the social scale,133 but they are permitted to take 131 fawrgeagit aaa (Katyayana $rautasiitra XXII 11. 11) _ The wheelwright 1s permntted to have upanayena in the rainy season’ (Apastamba $rauta-sitra, V 3 18) frorgranreat crararghaaad qeigqoarat a Paeae 1 (Satyasadha Srauta-sitra, 1M 1) Vide eacfafaarg: errsasqaracaiq | fagastara | (Mimamsa-sitras, VI 1 51, 58) 132 eeppretstatarezetia | The agni to be used here must be of the Jaukika kind (Bhattadipike on ibid ) aregad Og ae Stq. | aaa faugeah aaa! avatfeararaigtatigat faat aaa afaet freer aga gaiq (CJauniniya-nyayamala on ibid.) 183. Vide Searat afrargeast arfcer: | axtat aeatgerar alcalt 0 Yayravalkya-smyt, 1, 95 atfestor afteat gq cane: saraa | 7 carat " fasta: agerarat @ area eae ila48 AGAMAS AND SOUTA INDIAN VAISNAVISM an active part in the performance of the ritual. In orderto make them get fully qualified on particular occasions, they areallowed to study and repeat the particular mantras when these rites are to be performed Tne same principle must apply to the Sidras and women for performing worship The Agamas do not permit them to utter the Vedic mantras, but have evolved new mantras on the model of the Vedic ones These are tdntrska mantras, which no: only thes» who are not qualified for Vedic study, but also others are asked to utilise, The Vedic mantras also have to be used by the twicc-born. The tantrika mantras are created for use in certuin practices which do not have Vedic mantras Thus the Aganus are more liberal in allowing the act of initiation (diks@) to all, and this answers the second objection Provi- sion in the form of tdntrila mantras which is thus made, silences the third objection. Fourthly, the objection may be made to stand on the strength of a passage which declares that worship in the fire 1s for the Brahmins, that in the heart for those who could perform yoga, that in the idol for the unlearned and that 1n all these three for those who view the world impartially 134 This may be admitted, but 1 comment ts required here Absence of the spirit of devotion which characterizes the cuiture of the Vedas, need not wctuilly mean rej*ction of the idol ven those whose outlook tn life 1s characterized by detachment require a con- crete form for worship. The question of the aspirant being unlearned or otherwise 1s immaterial Worship of the idol 1s discussed in the Agamas and recommended by great siges lik- Sanatkum&ra, Bharadvaja, Atri, Kasyapa and others who were the staunch followers of the Vedas They could not be regarded as wanting 1n wisdom in preaching idol worship to various audi- ences who were also, like them, following the practices laid 134, Vide ant faefa fasrot efe facie afar 1 sfaaearagiat aaa aaafiary ttVALIDITY OF THE AGAMAS 49 down in Vedic texts. Idol worship, which the Agamas recom- mend, should be looked upon as deriving its authority from the Vedic practices themselves, though the Vedic texts may not make a direct recommendation to that effect The Agamas enjoin also worship of gods in fire and meditation through yoga and, as such, could not be taken to go against Vedic authority, Any figure made out of any vaterial cannot receive worship The presence of the deity will have to be infused into the idol, for which purpose Vedic mantras are primarily employed This ritual cannot be called non-Vedic For the purpose of ensuring the installation of the immanent God in the idol or yantra, pratisthd 1s required to be done Mantra, nydasa, bhittaguddht and mudra@ are quite necessary to offer worship to God who has taken His abode ina finitized form Mantras are classified into bia, pinda, sarnyn@ and nada, This has full relevance to practical utility, as they require to be changed according to the deity whose adoration 1s to be under- taken, This 1s not meddling with Vedic mantras. A change in mantra mvolves the introduction of alterations in the case- suffixes, number and other parts of the words occurring in the Vedas, so as to suit those mantras for application in the particular contexts. This 1s sanctioned in the Mimamsa. Vide: sreaearaqfrargrataceraa: | Fer sti fasa gearacdize: (Faiminiya-nydyamala, 1X, 1, 1). Such a change has the sanction of the grammarians also. Vide: wilemaaerten sala (Katyayana’s Varttka, cited by Patatjall in the Paspasahnika of his Mahabhasya,) ASV—7