Jignasa Journal Of History Of Ideas And Culture Part 02

Author(s): Vibha Upadhyaya and Others
Publisher: University of Rajasthan

Page 88

304
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Jijrasa
living creature (jīva) in itself nothing, a reflection of Consciousness in the mind - that self abiding Consciousness in its true state am I" says Supreme Consciousness of itself. Sakti exemplifies it, on her own level, with luxurious grace and sadness, or any of the emotions, which belong to the human face." And she sums up in the same philosophical note "India thinks in images: the image (mūrti) itself is beheld as a divinity" as she quotes from Brahamavaiavrta Purana "Mürti (image), the wife of Dharma (the order of things in the cosmos and righteousness in man), is Form, luminous and charming. Without her, the Supreme Spirit (Paramātman), whose abode is the whole universe, would be without support." Her charm and attractions are those of the Anima Mundi, cosmic vitality, active in the middle region (antariksa), in space. There the temple has its extension." But will the understanding of the continuum of the divine feminine emerge from these insights, or from the counter explanation of her narrative of the female power in the Hindu temple, even when in parts her perceptions are valid? either way Kramisch's authoritative work cannot be undermined in any case, as she herself had read through the symbolism, that only the face keeps changing in the mirror.
IV The Osian Feminine Images:
The Osiān saktis or the energizing Powers as 'Images' During the Pratihāra and the Chauhāna period the region witnessed advances made both by the Jaina and the Brähamaņa community. The tradition of the worship of Cāmundā as a goddess of 'malefic' who was to be pleased by animal sacrifice, was quite entrenched in Osiān, and possibly the arrival of Jainism as a faith in the area may have used this 'religious violence as an issue to spread the message of non-violence of their faith. D.R. Bhandarkar's observation has been referred to which states that on the basis of a Brahmana tradition, that when Ratnaprabha-Sūri's effort of converting the rulers and a sizable population of the city to Jainism was successful, then the local deity Saciyāmātā (or the Cámunda) supposedly became angry and cursed the people.67 The anger of the goddess supposedly emerged out of the non-availability of the sacrificial animal non-vegetarian food and oblations which were earlier made to her. It is believed that later the people of Oswala community (considered to be original inhabitants of Osiān) prayed to the deity and were successful in relieving her anger by the prayers offered to her, wherein they promised to offer her the mandatory animal sacrificial flesh during the marriage celebrations and other important samskäras. And since then there is a tradition amongst the said community, according to which post worship of the goddess they leave the place immediately and refuse to stay the night at Osiān, for fear of being overtaken by some calamity. Upakeśagacchapattāvali supports the above legend, whereby the name of the kuladevi is given as Candikā and Cāmundā, and also describes the efforts made by Ratnaprabha-Sūri to stop the practice of animal sacrifice.68 The transformation of the name of Chandikā as Satyakä (or Samccikā or Saciyā) appears to be connected to the condition of her acceptance now of vegetarian offerings and the firmness of her resolve is considered to have been the reason of her being called 'Satyakā.' And with the lapse of time she was identified and made popular as Samcikā or Saciyā. KharataragacchaBrahadgurvāvali also presents the transformation of this local deity from the aspect of violent to *civilized or the saumya in nature, or to a vegetarian and non-ferocious. Saciyāmātā was the tutelary deity of the Sāṁkhalā Paramāras and Upala Deva is believed to have built the temple of Saciyāmātā situated atop a hillock and is accepted to be dated of eighth century. It is evident from the various traditions and the extant iconography of the Sacchikā found at other places that the worship of