A History of Indian Literature v1.c8.s6.70

v1.c8.s6.70

These riddle games form an equally important part of the worship of the gods as the prayers and sacrificial formulæ. However, the term "worship" of the gods expresses but inadequately the purpose of the prayers and formulæ, indeed, of the sacrifices themselves. The majority of the sacrificial ceremonies, as also the Yajus formulæ do not aim at "worshipping" the gods, but at influencing them, at compelling them to fulfil the wishes of the sacrificer. The gods too, love "panem et circenses," they, too, wish to be not only fed, but entertained as well: the Vedic texts very frequently assure us that the gods take a particular pleasure in the mysterious, the enigmatic, the barely hinted-at.³