The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c21.36

v1.c21.36

Besides the introduction of evil spirits and bucolic divinities into the ritual of the domestic service, we find in the Sūtras for the first time the recognition of images of the gods, which must be implied by the regulations concerning the deities Īçāna, Mīḍhushī, and Jayanta ('lord,' 'bountiful one,' 'conqueror') as well as the 'lord of the field,' Kshetrapati, who are moved about and given water to drink (Āp., *G.S.*, vii, 19, 13; *ibid.* 20, 1–3 and 13).