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Worship of Substitutes
and Images. The next points to be considered are the worship of Pratikas or of things more or less satisfactory as substitutes for God, and the worship of Pratimas or images. What is the worship of God through a Pratika ? It is "joining the mind with devotion to that which is not Brahman, taking it to be Brahman." * Says Bhagavan Ramanuja :“Worship the mind as Brahman', this is internal; and 'the Akasa is Brahman', this is external". The mind is an internal Pratika, the Akasa is an external one ; yet both can be worshipped as substitutes of God. Similarly Sankara says—"'The Sun is Brahman, this is the command,'... 'He who worships Name as Brahman,' and in all such passages the doubt arises as to the worship of Pratikas.” The word Pratika means going towards,
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ब्रमणि ब्रहत्याऽनुसन्धानम् ।
