Early History of the Vaishnava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c10.s1.50
Early History of the Vaiṣṇava Faith and Movement in Bengal, from Sanskrit and Bengali Sources c10.s1.50
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c10.s1.50
The objects of outward worship are the image of the deity and the Śalagrāma stone. The image (Mūrti) may be of various kinds according to the material out of which it is constructed, namely, stone, wood, metal, sand, jewels, paint and drawing material, besides being purely mental (Manomayi). The special characteristics, which confer upon an image the names of Vāsudeva, Keśava, Nārāyaṇa etc., are then enumerated : and twelve principal varieties are distinguished, some authorities like the Siddhārtha-saṃhitā giving as many as twenty-four varieties of the image of the deity.