Part 41 - Sun-god and the Image-Worship

Though the image worship was not prominent in the Vedic period, yet it is evident to think that it was prevalent in ancient India. For example, the citation about the hands, limbs, mouth, etc., of different divinities carries out the mind of the people towards the image worship. Again, in the Agnicayana sacrifice a gold man^[1] is placed along with the gold plate and the Lotus leaf. This gold man as the representative of the Sun-god is a very prominent concept of the Upaniṣads: ya eṣoʹntarāditye hiraṇyamayaḥ puruṣo dṛśyate/^[2] The concept of the Sun-god as the supreme power is well established in the Ṛgvedic period and in the Hiraṇyagarbhasūkta he is mentioned as the creator.^[3] The Lotus leaf represents the generative aspect of the Sun-god and the gold plate represents the solar orb that upholds the whole universe. The gold man of the Śatapathabrāhmaṇa represents the man in the solar orb.^[4] The text also directs the way how to make the image of the gold man.^[5] All these, presupposes the conception of the image worship of the Sun-god in the Vedic period.