Essay name: Bhasa (critical and historical study)
Author: A. D. Pusalker
This book studies Bhasa, the author of thirteen plays ascribed found in the Trivandrum Sanskrit Series. These works largely adhere to the rules of traditional Indian theatrics known as Natya-Shastra.
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respectable followers and to have degenerated into genii.
Curiously enough, we find belief in the half male and half
female godhead-the Ardhana膩r墨艣vara form of Siva. It
may not be supposed that this form connotes a later phase
of Hindu society as we find it prevalent among the
Mohenjo-D膩ro people.
Turning to another aspect of Hinduism, viz. idol
worship, we find that there is absolutely no mention of
idols in the Rgveda, nor is there any reference to temples
or public places of worship where people were to
congregate, though the ancient Vedic Aryans worshipped
thirty three gods. In the opinion of Mr. Kunte, the
Aryans showed a leaning towards idolatory in the third
period of the Vedic polity, viz., that of the Vajasaneyi
and Taittiriya Samhitas. The Indus civilization clearly
shows the existence of iconic and aniconic worship. Idol-
worship, however, did not form part of the daily duties of
the Vedic Aryans. The Grhya Sutras which regulate the
life of the householders are silent as to the particulars of
the worship of the idols of gods. By the period of the
R膩m膩ya峁嘺 and the Mahabharata, we find that there were
erected public temples dedicated to Visnu, Siva, Skanda,
etc. Yet the Grhya Sutras do not prescribe idol-worship
in the daily nityakarmas in the epic age. The existence
of temples and images at the time of the epics gives a
direct lie to the view that the advent of Buddhism brought
in its wake idol-worship. Panini's silence as to idol-
worship is rather difficult to explain. The Buddhists did
not sanction idolatory during the first and second periods
of their history. One is struck with wonder by the
comparatively small number of temples in such a big city
as Vai艣膩l墨 in the Buddhist period. The temples were then
known by the names of their owners. Indra and Varuna
among the Vedic gods were worshipped, and Visnu was
but an unimportant deity, being mentioned in the
Mahasamayasutta among minor gods. No reference is
found to Siva, Ganapati, Dattatreya and Devi; and R膩ma
and Krsna were held as mere historical personages.
Patanjali clearly refers to the images of Siva, Skanda and
1. Avi, II. 12鈥攁ngga携GIMME | 2 Vicissitudes of Aryan Civilization,
pp. 391-392. 3 Marshall, Mohenjo-Daro and the Indus Civilization. 4 R膩m膩ya峁嘺,
II. 6. 4, 11; 25, 4; 71. 41, Vaidya, Upasa峁僪ara, pp. 1427-429. 5 Cf. Joshi,
Aravinda, 1921, p. 351; Dasaratha and Ghata J膩takas.
