Essay name: Devi Tantra, Mantra, Yantra (study)
Author:
Srider Basudevan Iyer
Affiliation: University of Mumbai / Sanskrit, University Department
This essay studies the history of Devi (the Goddess) in relation with worship using Tantra, Yantra and Mantra. The study explores the concept of the 'Female Principle' or Goddess, examining her role and significance in ancient Indian society.
Chapter 4 - Worship and The Worshipper
5 (of 95)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Worship & worshipper 306 the case of the sadhaka. To this gross form which might be either a bronze
cast statue or granite idol are offered various upacaras 4. These upacaras are
offered either physically or by the way of display of mudr膩s or by a
combination of the two.
Means of worship.
Worship is to be offered to the goddess directly. Since in is beyond
the human capacity to do so, worship is offered to the different goddesses
forms. Here the term 'forms' does not mean manifestation of the goddesses
but means the various places or objects in which the goddess is said to be
present. The MLRK5 lists the folowing objects on which the goddess is
invoked for worship - idol, cakra, pot, 艣膩lagr膩ma stone, mirror and a virgin
girl. The Puranas like the Tantras believe that the chosen deity can be
represented by an image, Yon墨, Yantra, Book, Sthan岣峣la, P膩duk膩, Fire,
Water and the Orb of the sun. The goddess is also worshipped on a Sword,
a Trident, a circle enclosing a drawing of a lotus in it, the cloth on which the
image of goddess is painted, a knife, an arrow, a bow etc... These objects
are otherwise unfit if Pr膩峁嘺pratisth膩 is not done. The goddess accepts
worship through the via-medium of these forms. On the basis of study the
different mediums can be classified as
(i) Natural objects
(ii) Man-made objects and
(iii) human substitutes.
4 For a detailed list of the sixtyfour Upacaras see Appendix- III.
5 MLRK XIV.107
6 KP ch. 60.31, 32, 1, 47; ch.78. 2,3.
DBP ch. 42. 14; ch. 46.18; ch. 51.1; ch. 123.20; ch. 145.22,23 and 151.17.
7 8
DBP ch III. 21, 22,26; VII. 38,39; KP 91. 10,11,12
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