History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.337

v7.c91.337

VIII In re-orienting their religious outlook and practices to stem the tide of Buddhism and make Hinduism popular, the brāhmaṇas and other leaders of Hindu society of the centuries before and after the Christian era had to make compromises of a far-reaching character; the old Vedic gods (like Indra and Varuṇa) receded into the background though not totally forgotten, most of the Vedic sacrifices had to be given up, deities like Devī, Gaṇeśa and the Mātṛs had to be brought to the front, Paurāṇika mantras came to be used along with Vedic ones as the mantras even in śrāddha (e g 'dātāro nobhivardhantām' &c. which occurs in Manu III 259, Yāj I. 246, Matsya 16. 49-50, Padma, Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 9 117, Kūrma II. 22. 60 and other works). Even an early writer like Varāhamihira (first half of 6th century A.D.) in describing the Puṣya-snāna for the king provides ordinary mantras (Br. S 47. 55-70) to be recited by the *purohita* along with mantras in the Atharvaveda, Rudra (Tai. S. IV. 5. 1-11), the Kūṣmāṇḍa mantras (Vāj S XX. 14-16 and others, Br. S. 47. 71) and winds up the whole procedure with a well-known Paurāṇika verse ¹⁶⁵³ Even Aparārka (pp. 14-15) had to say that in Devapūjā the procedure to be followed is that in the Narasiṁhapurāṇa (probably something like the one in chap. 2 of the Narasiṁha Purāṇa) and in the matter of 'pratiṣṭhā' (establishment of images) also Paurāṇika procedure was to be adopted. Besides, emphasis was laid on ahiṁsā, charity (dāna).