Devta Murtiprakaranam tatha Rupmandanam

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

Page 82

CONCLUSION
As has been clearly pointed out, the Devatā-mūrti-prakara. ņam of Sūtrabılant Maņdana, the Atmaja, son of Śrīkşetra, is a compilation.
The author has used many Texts which he has freely modified, that is, at his will he altered their readings. Such changes, as far as they concern the Dhyāna ślokas, are not authorised by the Tantra or Upāsana Šāstras. We can, therefore, take these verses at best, only as mere descriptions of images, for the guidance of artists and they are not to be taken too rigorously, or to be followed too literally.
The work demonstrates a striking spirit of rapprochement or mutual assimilation on the part of the different sects ; even the Jaina deities are allotted a conspicuous place. Thus we have not only the well-known Fermaphroditic Umā-Maheśvara and the Ardha-Nārisvara forms but also such composite forins as the Kysņa-Sankara, the Krsņa-Kārtikeya.
Not only, we have such deities ils Siva-Nārāyaṇa, Hari Hara-Pitāmaha, (Sūrya ?) Hari-Hara-Pitāınaha, CandrānkaPitāmaha, Hari-Hara —revealing close admixture of Siva, Vişnu, Brahman, Sūrya and Candra ; but we are told of thirty-two different images formed by the combination of Krsna and Sankara—which have not, unfortunately, been described (for fear of prolixity but they must be learnt from Brāhmaṇas). It is, however, doubtful if all the described images were actually worshipped. Sadāśiva Worship seems already to be extinct by the time.
Finally, my thanks are due to the learned Editor and the Publishers of this well-known Series, who invited me to write out this Introduction to the DMP. I have tried to do my work, as best as possible, in spite of the limitations of time and resources etc., at my disposal. I shall be highly gratified if it will be of any service to students of the subject.
31st Chaitra, 1341 B. E:
SANTINIKETAN
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