History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c44.43

v3.c44.43

The general procedure of consecrating an image has been given above at some length from the Matsyapurāṇa in order to convey some idea how in the first centuries of the Christian era the consecration of images was done. It will be noticed that mostly vedic mantras were employed though a few pau-rāṇika mantras also occur. In medieval digests like the Deva-pratiṣṭhātattva other elements were added from Tantra works. Special attention may be drawn to the fact that in the above procedure the word prāṇapratiṣṭhā does not occur in the Matsya. Raghunandana (in Devapratiṣṭhātattva) quotes Devīpurāṇa to the effect that prāṇapratiṣṭhā is done after touching the cheeks of the image with the right hand and that without this vivification a mere image does not attain to the position of a deity worthy of worship. In the Devapratiṣṭhātattva, the Nirṇaya-sindhu, the Rājadharmakaustubha and other works the prāṇa-pratiṣṭhā is based on the 23rd chapter (*paṭala*) of the Śāradā-tilaka (verses 72-76). The mantra is given below.²⁰⁹¹