SAIVA-SIDDHANTA

The
THE SAIVA RELIGION. 287
same mantras, as pointed out by Svami Vivekananda,* in his
famous address before the Chicago parliament of Religions, used
in the old sacrificial worship, into the new system of worship,
and the offer of the self as a sacrificial oblation was made in the
place of animal sacrifice. The Pasu was the animal in man and
when it was offered as sacrifice in Jnana Agni,
it became the
Nandi or Siva.
PURANAS.
The Puranas are the earliest interpreters of the Ve"da and
the Upanishats. Whole passages from the Upanishats are
quoted and explained. The principles are illustrated by stories
and parables, and the Vdic stories themselves are more ela
borated. All these explain the difference between the old and
new system of worship and thought, bring out fully the differ
ence and distinction between the Supreme Brahman Siva and
man, and illustrate the paths to salvation.
These stones are the
the churnir^^JjhejnjU^ocear^, and Tripura
Puia etc. The Lifiga Purana specially deals
with the birth of the Jyotir Linga. The largest number
of Puranas are Saivaite, and the oldest of them is the Vayu
or Siva Purana, as pointed out by Wilson. The Chhandogya
Upanishat traces the wisdom of old from Skanda Sanatkumara
(cTTfl^TiWN idw 1 3 1
3, ^FT^fWl^cTg ^F^r^cf cKr-M^T^cT Chand.
26th Kapda,) and Skanda Purana accordingly deals with the
sam-* subject. The Uttara portions of some of the puranas are
clearly later interpolations showing
faiths.
the rise of new sects and
*
"
Tantras as we have said represent Vedic rituals in a manifold
form, and before any one jumps to the most absurd conclusions
about them, I will advise him to read the Tantras in connexion with the
Brahmanas, especially the adhvarya portion. And most of the Mantras
used in the Tantras will be found taken verbatim from these Brahmanas.
As tg their influence, apart from the Srauta and Smarta rituals, all
other forms of ritual observed from the Himalayas to the Comorin have
been taken from the Tantras and they direct the worship of the Saktas,
Saivas and Vaishnavas alike."