History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c37.6.1

v3.c37.6.1

It is extremely doubtful whether images were generally worshipped in the ancient Vedic times. In the Ṛgveda and the other Vedas, there is worship of Agni, the Sun, Varuṇa and various other deities; but they were worshipped in the abstract, as powers and manifestations of the one Divine Person or as separate deities or functions behind natural phenomena or cosmic processes. There are no doubt passages where the deities of the Ṛgveda are spoken of as possessed of bodily attributes. A few verses may be cited in this connection. Indra is described in Ṛg. VIII. 17. 8 as ‘tuvigrīva’ (with a powerful or thick neck) and ‘vapodara’ (having big or capacious belly) and ‘subāhu’ (having well-shaped arms). Ṛg. VIII. 17. 5 speaks of the limbs and sides of Indra and prays Indra to taste honey with his tongue. In Ṛg. X. 96. 8 Indra is spoken as having dark green (*hari*) hair and beard and in X. 105.7 again it is said that the hair on his chin are dark-green and his chin is never injured (in battle).¹⁶⁸⁸ In Ṛg. II. 33. 5 Rudra is said to be ‘ṛdūdara’ (whose abdomen is soft), ‘babhru’ (of brown colour) and ‘suśipra’ (with a fine chin or nose). The Vāj. S. 16. 7 speaks of Rudra as having a dark-blue throat and red (complexion) and 16. 51 says he wears a skin (*kṛtti*). In Ṛg. I. 155. 6 Viṣṇu is said to approach a battle with his huge body and as a youth (‘bṛhac-charīra’ and ‘yuvā’). In Ṛg. III. 53.