History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.215

v7.c91.215

¹⁵⁹³ The proposition that God is only one, that He is worshipped under various perceptible forms for concentrating the mind on Him, worship or contemplation of a formless object being difficult, are doctrines taught in the Purāṇas in spite of the fact that they preach worship of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, Devī and others. Vide H of Dh. vol. II pp 714–715 and pp. 118–119 above The विष्णुधर्मोत्तर I 65. 32 states. साकारे बद्धलक्षस्तु शून्ये शक्नोति चिन्तितुम् । अन्यथा तु सुकष्टं स्यान्निरालम्बस्य चिन्तनम् ॥; vide also विष्णुधर्मोत्तर III 108. 23 ff, particularly the verse आदौ कृत्वा महाभागे साकारे लक्ष्यबन्धनम् । ततः समर्थो भवति शून्ये ध्याने नरोत्तम ॥ 26 Indian theologians and philosophers deliberately spared lower forms of worship with the thought that it was better to begin at a lower rung of the ladder to the highest goal than not to have a footing at all. A well-known verse is : अग्नौ क्रियावतां देवो दिवि देवो मनीषिणाम् । प्रतिमास्वल्पबुद्धीनां योगिनां हृदये हरिः ॥ नृसिंहपुराण 62. 5 q. by अपरार्क on p. 140.