History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c96.s1.83

v7.c96.s1.83

It was recognised in India from very early times that in the matter of religious worship and philosophical doctrines, there are different grades among human beings. All are not competent to grasp and act upon abstruse metaphysical doctrines or to follow higher forms of worship This has been brought out in several places before. Vide above p. 973 note 1593 and p. 1462. Abstruse metaphysical doctrines are likely to be misunderstood and therefore we find that there is an effort to keep such doctrines secret and frequent warnings are given in the Upanisads not to impart the knowledge of *brahman* to all and sundry and to keep it secret. Vide p. 1071-72 and Chān. Up. III. 11. 5 set out above on p. 1460, Śv. Up. VI. 22, Katha Up. III. 17, Br. Up. III. 2. 13 (Yājñavalkya and Ārtabhāga did not discuss *brahman* among people). The word Upanisad came to mean 'secret doctrine' (vide Tai. Up. II. 9 and III. 10). This tendency to keep abstruse doctrines secret obtained in other nations in antiquity (vide St. Mark 4. 11, 34-35). The Hathayogapradīpikā²⁶²⁸ has similar provisions (vide p. 1460 above). Many modern writers condemn people that engage in image worship. The reasons advanced for image worship by Indian works are given in note 1593 p. 973 above. The worshipper of an image of Gaṇeśa or Kālī casts the image in water (a river, sea &c.) after a day or more (when the period of the festival is over). So it is not as if he worshipped the wooden or earthen object but he has an emotional idea for the time being that God is enthroned in that object. These common people, if questioned, will say 'God is everywhere, in you, in me and in the wooden image'. The Nṛsiṁhapurāṇa 62. 5 (quoted by Aparārka p. 140 on Yāj. I. 101) says that sages declare that the worship of Hari (God Viṣṇu) may be performed in six ways, viz in water, in fire, in one's own heart, in the sun's orb, on an altar or in an image.²⁶²⁹ The Viṣṇudharmottarapurāṇa appears to have been conscious that image worship came later in Kali age and was not prevalent in former ages (III. chap. 93. 5-7 and 20). The present author saw in several European Churches the images of the Madonna or the images or pictures of certain saints worshipped by Christian people that addressed prayers to the image of the Madonna or the pictures of saints for fulfilment of their desires. Therefore, he thinks that it would not be wrong for him to say that the religion of many Christians in Europe is image worship.²⁶³⁰ The several darśanas (except that of Cārvāka) were looked upon generally as approximations to truth. There was no question of all of them being false and one alone as containing the truth.