Devta Murtiprakaranam tatha Rupmandanam

Author(s): Upendramohan Sankhyatirtha
Publisher: Metropolitan Printing and Publishing House Limited

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very few. Yet these subjects are of so great importance, that some methods must be found out for the correct understanding of these texts.
Speaking from personal experience, the present writer can confidently recommend two very certain methods.
1. The first method is to compare Texts kindred, or, parallel and to compare, them again and again,
By kinship, must be understood similarity as regards essence and spirit, and proximity in point of time and place. For there can be no real comparisons between subjects which have no points of similarity e. g., between a donkey and a mush-room.
Salzáya, similarity, in the most rigorous technical sense, is defined as follows93 :
तद्भिन्नत्वे सति तद्गतभूयोधर्मवत्त्वं सादृश्यम् । Two objects, though they be different, if they have a sufficient number of common characteristics, might be regarded as Similar. The essence of similarity, Salsya is this common characteristic Samanya dharma
Some notable examples of objects with such common features are the Abhinaya-hastas, the Natya-hastas or Karanas, the “ilpa-hastas and the Tantrika Mudrās, which may be compared with one another. But it would be useless waste of time and energy to try to compare heterogeneous objects and such comparisons will be impossible when kinship etc., are lacking.
II. The second important method of interpretation of obscure passages is to trace these back, if possible, to the Source Books. Especially, when we have to do with compilations, (as is the case, with the present work, the Devatamārti-Prakarana) which are based entirely on earlier texts, this method is very effective; and it is at once corroborative and corrective ; for all citations can be thus checked at once and with absolute certainty.
93. See Annambhatta's Tarkasamgraha :
See Mm. Bhīmācārya Jhalakīkar : Nyāyakośa (Bombay Skt. Series) S. V, HER