2023-02-16 06:27:17 by ambuda-bot
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INTRODUCTION
13
fearful places-caves, forests and groves-and as being
greatly worshipped by savage tribes-Sabaris, Barbaras
and Pulindas But she is also described as the Savitr
of the Vedas and hailed as the knower of Brahman and
finally as supreme Brahman
On these early hymns Bhandarkar makes the
following comment in his book, Vaishnavism, Sarism
etc -
In the account here given it will be seen that there
is one goddess with a number of different names But
the critical eye will see that they are not merely names
but indicate different goddesses who owed their
conception to different historical conditions but who
were afterwards identified with the one goddess by
the usual mental habit of the Hindus'
The critical eye will see here something more than
what the learned author has indicated It will see not
only the process of identification by which a host of
tribal deities are brought under one supreme Goddess,
but also another mental hbit of the Hindus of those
days that of bringing all the cults and cultures of the
land under the aegis of the Veda an 1 the spiritualizing
influence of the Vedanta philosophy while allowing
them to retain a large measure of their individuality.
For we find that the tribal deity of mountain fastnesses
who is fond of flesh and wine and the sacrificial
victims offered by the tribesmen is here already being
huled as the mother of the Vedas and as the presiding
deity of Brahma-vidya and even being identified with
Brahman These are the germs which develop later
13
fearful places-caves, forests and groves-and as being
greatly worshipped by savage tribes-Sabaris, Barbaras
and Pulindas But she is also described as the Savitr
of the Vedas and hailed as the knower of Brahman and
finally as supreme Brahman
On these early hymns Bhandarkar makes the
following comment in his book, Vaishnavism, Sarism
etc -
In the account here given it will be seen that there
is one goddess with a number of different names But
the critical eye will see that they are not merely names
but indicate different goddesses who owed their
conception to different historical conditions but who
were afterwards identified with the one goddess by
the usual mental habit of the Hindus'
The critical eye will see here something more than
what the learned author has indicated It will see not
only the process of identification by which a host of
tribal deities are brought under one supreme Goddess,
but also another mental hbit of the Hindus of those
days that of bringing all the cults and cultures of the
land under the aegis of the Veda an 1 the spiritualizing
influence of the Vedanta philosophy while allowing
them to retain a large measure of their individuality.
For we find that the tribal deity of mountain fastnesses
who is fond of flesh and wine and the sacrificial
victims offered by the tribesmen is here already being
huled as the mother of the Vedas and as the presiding
deity of Brahma-vidya and even being identified with
Brahman These are the germs which develop later