History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c92.297

v7.c92.297

Some Sanskrit medieval Dharmaśāstra works from the 13th century A. D dilate at some length on mudrās Hemādri on Vrata (vol I. pp. 246-247) speaks of mudrās called Mukula, Pankaja, Niṣṭhura and Vyoma. The Smṛticandrikā (1st half of 13th century A.D) names and defines 24·mudrās (I. pp. 146-147). The names are the same as in Devībhāgavata XI. 16. 98-102. The Pūjāprakāśa (part of Vīramitrodaya) defines in all 32 mudrās of which eight, viz. Āvāhanī, Sthāpanī, Sannidhāpanī, Samrodhinī, Prasāda, Avagunthana, Sammukha, Prārthanā are common to the worship of all gods, some are specially appropriate in Viṣṇu worship, some in worship of the Sun, Lakṣmī and Durgā and the Añjali and Saṁhāra mudrās (the last two) used in the worship of all gods. The Āhnikaprakāśa (part of Vīramitrodaya) names 24 mudrās to be shown at the time of the japa of Gāyatrī (pp. 298–299) which are the same as in Devībhāgavata XI. 16. 98–102, but it quotes them as from Brahmā.¹⁸⁵⁰ It is difficult to say what work is meant by Brahmā. Mudrās were not universally practised. It is clear from the Dharmasindhu and Saṁskāra-ratnamālā quoted in note 1831 that Nyāsa and Mudrā were held to be non-vedic in Mahārāṣṭra at least.