शिवज्ञानबोध (मेय्कण्डार - शैव सिद्धान्त का आधारभूत दार्शनिक सूत्र ग्रन्थ)

116 SIVAGNANA BOTHAM.
" Like the fire latent in wood and the ghee latent in milk,
the Great Jodhi (Light) is non-apparent. But with the churner
of Love and the rope of knowledge, one churns the milk or rubs
the firewood, butter or fire will become apparent."
So it is in the body of Bhaktas that God's Presence is a
living Presence, and it is by reason of this, the divine word
that " Ye are the Temple of God," is pre-eminently true. So
when we want to worship Him, we must worship Him in the
Bhakta. But it is not the whole truth to say that we are alone the
Temples of God. He is everywhere and especially in forms which
excite our Love most (4a). This is the general rule for all.
It does not matter what form people choose, provided it is that
which excite their Love most. Passing beyond this law, is
the principle that all the forms in the temples are what
are said to be Mantra Sorupam. The Form adopted is not an
unmeaning stock or stone but one full of meaning and of the
Divine Idea. I have elsewhere enlarged upon this subject, and
it may be here sufficient to remark that mantrams are symbolic
representations of the Deity by the ear and when the same are
converted into symbols of the eye, we get the Forms in our Tem-
ples. (3b) Let the ignorant, therefore, not sneer at our temples.
The various cautions conveyed in the arguments and illustrations
of this very sutra, not to mistake the symbol for the truth, and
not to suppose that God is only present in these Forms, will
clear up all doubts that may exist in the matter. Then, again,
of all the Forms, that are to be met with in our temples, from
Gouri Shanker (Mt Everest) to Cape Comorin and beyond, and from
the Caves of Elephanta to Mahabalipuram, the form of the Linga
is the most universal and frequent; and not only so, it is, in fact,
the most ancient form of worship. It may be noticed that the
Linga Form of worship is the one most met with in the pages of
the Mahabaratha; for instance, see the conversation which takes
place between Vyasa and Ashwathama after the latter was de-