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SEPTEMBER, 1908.)
THE ORIGIN OF THE DEVANAGARI ALPHABET.
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भण्डद्वयस्थानीयो हो बिन्दू. सिरास्थानाया रेखा. शिवो मुष्कद्वयमध्यवर्ती नाडी मणिः पचरागः इति साम्प्रदायिकी व्याख्या,
Pp. 10–12, Commentary of Bhaskarananda on the Varivasydrahasya. Two dots represent the two eggs referred to above. And a straight line represents the plough-sbare. The ruby-like nerve (nervous stone) between two testicles is Siva. This is traditional commentary.'
It is more than probable that in its earliest form this kind of Phallie worship was purely symbolic and simple. But in the course of time it is likely to have become a means to the · sensualistic clergy of the Tantric faith for realising their lascivious purposes. For there are
Tantric texts which teach the abominable practice of worshipping naked women. Abominable as it was, this worship, with its revelries of drinking, fresh-eating, and sensual excesses, had the power to attract and hold under its sway & number of people. Thus, when it grew in importanc. and in extent, in spite of its revolting practices, a few Brâhman philosophers, who were pure in life and thought, seem to have thought it proper to pnt down the mischievous practice with all the means in their power. So they formulated a right form of Tantric worship under the name of Dakshinachára, right-hand worship. They called the other kind of worship as Vamachara, left-hand practice, and condemned it as leading to hell, though it might appear fruitful in this world. They composed what is called the Subhdgama Panchalta, five auspicious Agamas. These Agamas are attributed to five authors of Purânic fame, Vasishțha, Sanaka, Suka, Sanandana, and Sanatkumara. The sútras of Agastya and of Gaudapâda, and the works of Sankarûcharya and of many other Brâhman philosophers teach and propound the Dakshinachâra. In propounding this, without leaving its original symbolical aspect, they incorporated with it almost all the doctrines of their Monistic philosopby. In its two aspects, that of Dakshinachara full of higher and nobler ideas and that of Vâmâchâra full of abominable practices revolting to philosophers, but attractive to the mob, this worship of the hermaphrodite deity called Siva-Sakti counted a vast number of people among its followers, and the other ancient sects of the Hindus could not stand aloof. They had either to incorporate some Tantric doctrines into their own religious texts or to see the followers of their own faith dwindle in number. They seem to have chosen the first alternative and thus arose various systems of Tantric worship, having a few of the Tantric doctrines common to all. It is probable that at the same time, the single worship of Siva-Sakti branched off into two different kinds of worship, that of Siva under the names Kâma, Rudra, Hara, &c., and that of Sakti under the names Durga, Kâmi, Pârvatî, &c. But common to all the systems of the Tantric cult, whether ancient or medieval, is the worship of mysterious figures and the recitation of mystic syllables known as mantras. These mantras consist of moaningless monosyllabic sounds, formod out of single or compound alphabetic letters. Another peculiar feature, common to all the systems of the Tantric cult, is the designation of alphabetic letters composing the mantras by the names of gods or goddesses. For instance, the mantra called the Panchadasi, which is, as the name suggests, composed of fifteen alphabetic letters, such as ka, e, i, la, hrin; ha, sa, ka, ha, la, hrana ; sa, ka, la, hriin, is thus described by Sankaracharya, in his Saundaryalahari :
FET : : ffatu alasan : स्मरी हंसस्तदनु च परामारहरयः अमी हल्लेखाभिस्तिसभिरवसानेषु घटिताः
भजन्से वणोस्ते तव जननि नामावयवताम 0, Mother, the letters known as (i) Siva, Sakti, Kama and Kshiti; (ii) then the letters known as Ravi, Sitakiraņa (the moon), Smara (Kama), Hamsa (the sun), and Sakra (Indra=Kshiti); (iii) and then the letters known as Para (Sakti ), Mara (Kama), and Hari (Indra); these letters together with three hrillekhds, hrin-sounds put at the end of each of the three groups, form the constituents of thy name.'
