History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c44.38

v3.c44.38

Though the dharmasūtras speak as shown above of images and temples, it strikes one as somewhat strange that none of the principal gṛhya and dharma-sūtras contains any procedure of consecrating an image in a temple, while in the purāṇas and some of the digests much space is devoted to the topic of devatā-pratiṣṭhā. The Matsyapurāṇa in chap. 264 and the Agnipurāṇa in chap. 60 and 66 deal with devatāpratiṣṭhā in general. There are special chapters in the purāṇas on the consecration of the image of Viṣṇu or of Śiva or the Liṅga. It would be impossible to deal in any detail with all this matter. The worship of god can be done in two ways, viz. without any outward symbol and with a symbol. The first is achieved by a prayer and offering oblations into fire; the second by means of images. But even image worshippers are quite conscious that god is pure consciousness (*cit*), is one without a second, is without parts and without a physical body, and that the various images in which he is thought as in-dwelling are so imagined for the benefit of worshippers.²⁰⁹⁰