9. The Word of God

The right hand is held in Hamsasya Hasta for ascertaining instruction here it means the Word of God. According to the scriptures it is an expansion of the living personality of God (Yahweh) and it has the power derived from Him. God (Yahweh) puts His word in the mouth of Jeremiah (1:9), and the conscious possession of the word distinguishes the true from the falseprophet (Jer 23:16-23). The word makes the vision intelligible (1 Kind 22:17-23). Creation a word-thing which is heard even though it does not speak, because it is the word uttered by the Creator (Ps 19:2-5). The left hand is held in Pataka Hasta to denote Palmyra, here to mean the written work (tala-patra). This word of God is the life of Israel (Dt 32:47, 8:3). Ultimately this conception developed into the conception of the Sacred books as the word of God. Thus hasta means the Word of God both heard and written.