In various pos t ac ross the internet, I have often seen manypos ts agains t idolatory and thus , calling H induism a paganreligion and blah.. blah.. blah.. etc .So, in this pos t, I would begiving more than fifteen reasons on why there is nothing wrong inidol worship in H induism. Before going though the reasons , let usgo through the his tory of idol worship. History has proven that the most primitive of all religionsincluding Hinduism (other being Mayans, Zoroastrians, Sumeriansetc) worshipped idols. So, most of the P hilosophers has laiddown the following philosophy behind the rise of other religions .O ne of the philosophers said that “In olden days , many people in M iddle Eas t and other parts ofthe world used to worship idols . (Example Mayans , Zooras trians ,H induism etc ). In that time some c lever people who had adifferent perspec tive s tarted abrahamic religions (espec iallyJudaism, C hris tianity and Is lam) to s top that prac tice. Foundersof those religions used some tactics like god forbidden idolworship, god will get angry if you pray to idols, god will sendyou to hell if you pray to idols etc . us ing these tac tic s theys tarted converting people and those who res is t convers ion wereeither branded as idolaters or killed by the followers ofabrahamic religions .”

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Idols of Sumerians god First of all, Since I am against blasphemy of any religion, Ifound this statement little offensive but I wanted to prove thepoint that the idol worship is most primitive form of worshipand also that almost everyone in this world use some kind ofimage to worship god either physical image or mental image. So,without unders tanding the concept of idolatry in H induism, Don’ttry to s imply find faults in H induism.”Having said that, now let us see the reasons behind idol worshipin Hinduism:

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1) Idol worship is a way of acknowledging the omnisc ience andomnipresence of God. I f God is omnipresent, then everything inthe universe, inc luding the idol one worships , is filled with H isenergy and presence. For Ex: If you want to remember anyone, then it’s difficult to remember himdirectly.But if you have his image (Photo), then you quite easily remembers him and alsothe various incidents you have shared with him. In idol worship the approach of a devotee is much the same. Heascribes a particular form or image to his personal God and givesHim as much love and respect as he would give to God Himself . This s tatement has been beautifully explained by SwamiV ivekananda, V ideo for which can be seen below: Why Idol worship is not wrong-Swami V ivekananda<http://www.malls tuffs .com/V ideos/V iewV ideo.aspx?V ideoId=10241&V ideoType=Spiritual>

2) Idol worship gives immense freedom to an individual toworship God in his own way. This is in line with the truetraditions of H induism which gives unlimited choice to itsfollowers to approach God in whatever they choose to worshipH im. The idols help the devotee to become deeply religious . Adevout H indu goes to a temple and worships his favorite deity tocharge himself with religious currents and keep himself going fordays together amids t busy worldly ac tivity. O nce ins talled in thehouse or in a puja mandir (place of worship in a house), the veryhouse becomes a place of God’ res idence, a very sac red place, a temple by itself. The image that stands there remindsthe devout members of the household to become constantlyaware of the divine presence amidst them and of their religiousduties and responsibilities. It inspires devout men to keep theirhouses pure and clean and not to indulge in sacrilegious acts. 3) The s tatue s tands symbolically for the whole process of

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c reation. According to Hinduism the worlds and beings came intoexistence when Purusha (Divine Will and consciousness) enteredPrakriti (Nature, Energy or Matter). The forms and ideas alreadyexis t in the consc iousness of H iranyagarbha (the world soul, thefirs t c reative golden germ) and He brings them to life by pouringinto them His essence. The world (V iraj) was an idea until thelife breath entered into it and brought it to life. When an idol isworshipped with intense love and devotion, almost a s imilarprocess takes place in the mind of the worshipper. The s tatue isno doubt inert and inac tive piece of matter at the phys ical level,but in his mind, the devotee can pour his devotion and thoughtenergies into it and bring it to life and derive inspiration andguidance from it. This is exac tly what happens when someoneworships a deity deeply and devotedly. The idol, which isphysically inert and unmoving, becomes alive and active at leastin his thoughts and dreams. In doing so the worshipper is butrepeating the act of creation. With the help of his mentalenergies, he is trying to bring to life in his mind an image that isoutwardly inactive. Thus , deep in his inner world, he becomes ac reator, the very H iranyagarbha, God H imself.

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Image of H iranyagarbha (the world soul, the firs t c reative goldengerm) . A ccording to H induism, man is verily divine. He is themic rocosm, the very Brahman in his aspec t as A tman. A ll thedivinities exis t in him. A ll the powers too. A c tually when he isworshipping the idols , praying in front of them, he is invoking thedivinity within himself to wake up and liberate him. 4) I t is alsonot known to many that when a devotee worships an idol in themost traditional manner, firs t he trans fers a part of his prana (lifeenergy) into the deity (sometimes various ly to the water in a pot,

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a yantra, or a lump of sandal pas te etc .,) and thereafter worshipsit as if it is a living and breathing deity, giving to it all therespec t due to God as per the sc riptures and laid downproceduresWhen a devout Hindu folds his hands in front a deity,and prays, his hands point to both the deity in front of him andthe deity that reside in his heart, thus symbolically representingthe fact that worship of deity is also worship of the divinitythat exists in oneself . There are many reasons why a devoutH indu worships idols . These Reasons may not satis fy theintellec tual curios ity of an erudite scholar. But for a deeplyreligious H indu, it is the bes t way of communicating with hisgods and seeking their bless ings . Religion is a matter of faith.No religion can arrogate to itself the ownership of God or thes tatus of a true religion condemning others . The paths to Godare many and many are the ways one can reach him.

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Keralite Brahmin teaching foreigners on how to ignite innerdivinity 5) A ccording to Sc ience, more than any abs trac t concept, animage or a symbol (yantra) is the bes t aid to concentrate andcontrol one’s mind and attention. By keeping the mindconcentrated on a particular image, the mind can be s tabilized.Modern sc ience is s lowly unraveling the sec rets of the mind andits capac ity to manifes t reality. It is now a widely accepted factthat mental images and forms one entertains in one’s mindgreatly shape one’s life and destiny and that the mind

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(especially the subconscious part of it) has the capacity torealize whatever form or symbol it concentrates upon. Theancient Hindus were aware of the potentiality of the mind andtherefore they did not object to the worship of idols. 6) Idol worship is the bes t means of s ilent communication. Idolworship is more effec tive than a prayer. P rayer is a part of idolworship but not as effec tive as the latter. Idol worship helps usto concentrate the energies that emanate from a prayer intoone strong f low of current in one particular direction. Bes ides ,the supposed phys ical proximity to God intens ifies theemotional fervor and makes the prayer charged with onesdevotion and faith The H indu epics and puranas are full of ins tances where manydevas , asuras and human beings obtained boons from God afterworshipping him in a particular image. The mighty demon kingRavana in the epic Ramayana was a great devotee of Lord Shivaand worshipped H im religious ly in the image of a shivling everyday. 7) A lthough idol worship is cons idered as lowes t form ofworship in V edas yet In H induism there is a religious sanc tionfor such a prac tice.

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Ravana praying to lord Shiva (Shivaling)

8) Idols are not the idle fanc ies of sculptors , but shiningchannels through which the heart of the devotee is attrac ted toand flows towards God. Though the image is worshipped, thedevotee feels the presence of the Lord in it and pours out hisdevotion unto it. That is why. , when an idol of god is carved outof s tone, then it is no longer treated as a s tone. Moreover, I t isbelieved that seeing the sculptors perseverance, hardwork anddevotees faith, god get's impressed and a part of the god s tayswith that s tone carved idol forever.

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9) A common illiterate labourer and an intellec tual scholarrequire different concepts of God to satis fy them. So Hinduismdeclares that each can worship God in whatever form suits thecompetence and stage of spiritual evolutionThe A bsolute ofthe worshipper. brahman, in relation to the material universe iscalled Isvara. When we refer to Isvara in H is c reative aspec t, wecall H im brahmA. Note the dis tinc tion between the word brahman(which is a neuter gender noun, s tanding for the A bsoluteT ranscendental Reality) and the word brahmA (which is amasculine noun s tanding for the name of the C reator-A spec t ofGodhead). When we refer to H is aspec t of sus tainer andprotec tor, we call H im vishNu. When we think of H im in H isdes truc tive and dissolutive aspec t, we refer to H im as Siva. Ineach case the power or energy of the aspect is referred to asthe corresponding Goddess. Jus t as sunlight is inseparable fromthe sun, so also is the power (Sakti) of ISvara inseparable fromISvara and India naturally worships this power as parA-Sakti, theSupreme Mother Goddess of the Universe.

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T rinity of brahma, vishnu, mahesha 10) P ratima (idol) is a subs titute or symbol. The image in atemple, though it is made of s tone, wood or metal, is prec ious fora devotee as it bears the mark of his Lord, as it s tands forsomething which he holds holy and eternal. A flag is only a smallpiece of painted c loth, but for a soldier, it represents his countryand dignity. He is prepared to give up his life in defending hisflag. Similarly the image is very dear to a devotee. It speaks tohim in its own language of devotion. Just as the f lag arousesmartial valour in the soldier, so also the image arouses devotion

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in the devotee. The Lord is superimposed on the image and theimage generates divine thoughts in the worshipper. 11) When H indus worship an image, they dont say, “This imagehas come from Mumbai. This image belongs to Sarin... Hebrought it for 100 Rupees . I ts height is 23 inches . I t is made ofwhite marble.etc .” Ins tead, They superimpose all the attributesof the Lord on the image and pray, “O Antaryamin (Inner Ruler)!You are all-pervading; you are omnipotent, omniscient, all-merciful. You are the source for everything. You are self-existent. You are Sachidananda(Sat-Chit-Ananda). You areeternal, unchanging. You are the Life of my life, Soul of mysoul! 12) A piece of ordinary white paper or coloured paper has novalue. You throw it away. But, if there is the s tamp or pic ture ofthe King or Emperor on the paper (currency notes), you keep itsafe in your money purse or trunk. Even so, an ordinary piece ofs tone has no value for you. You throw it away. But, if youbehold the stone Murti of Lord Krishna at Iskcon or any otherMurti in shrines, you bow your head with folded hands, becausethere is the stamp of the Lord on the stone. The devoteesuperimposes on the stone Murti his own Beloved and all theattributes of the Lord.

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A s per Iskcon, M illions of people ac ross the world, daily worshipto idols of iskcon Lord Krishna everyday 13) The moment I say formless what comes to your mind? Thesky, an ocean, an open space comes to our mind. A gain it’s aform, but it’s not desc ribed by length, breadth and depth. Unlesswe experience it, we cannot relate with something formless . Soas an initial way to relate some forms are c reated. I t’s atechnique. For example after learning to ride a bike, we canremove our hands from the handlebar and ride the bike, butinitially we need to hold it and learn. Similarly, we cannot see the

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true form of god but it can appear in any form or many formsand so, it’s very easy to realize god if we try to see him in someform and hence, worshipping idols.14) Worshippers realize that the image is not God, that God isnot contained within the image. To illus trate this point, SwamiSivananda uses an excellent analogy of a radio channelingmus ic . He explains that the mus ic is not confined within theradio, "a mere piece of a mechanical lifeless s truc ture," butserves as a channel to bring the mus ic to our ears . God is notconfined within the idol or image (a mere s tatue of plas tic ), butcan serve as a concrete link to the devotee. Worship of God is avery personal matter, a very intimate ac t of devotion and love.H indus are s imilar to devotees of other world religions .Meditation, prayer, mantras and concentration on holy images ofdivine aspec ts of God are all paths to draw c loser to god, tounite with the Divine.P eople do not worship idols ; they use theidols and images as a channel to focus the mind uponworshipping God. 15) When a person bows (Namaste) in front of the idol of God<http://www.ganges india.in/s tatues-1/s tone.html> he or she is asymbol of purity and innocence which is almost child-like. I t isan ac t of total submiss ion. These qualities cannot be achievedelsewhere in the material world. However these qualities arevis ible in people who are on the Bhakti marg or on the true pathof devotion.

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Meaning of Namaste and why H indus bow down doing Namaste Even people of other religions follows idolatory in one way or theother. A c tor’s treats amitabh bachhan/ tom c ruise as their idoland praise them. Young c ricketers praise sachin tendulkar astheir idol and keep his pos ter in their home and so on.. In short,everyone has their own idol. Everyone praise their idol for theirqualities . Everyone worship their idol because they want tobecome like their idols . Similarly, some hindu pray to lord shiva,some hindu pray to lord vishnu and some hindus pray all

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gods . 16) Idolatory exis ts everywhere.Value of any object change according to the forms it takes. ForEx: Thousand of s tones thrown roads ide are of no value but if ahouse is built out from such s tones , then each s tone is of greatvalue. P iece of coal is of no value but if diamond is found in thatpiece of coal, then the same piece is worth thousands of c rores .Similarly, I t is believed that when an idol of god is carved out ofs tone, then it is no longer treated as a s tone. Moreover, it isbelieved that seeing the sculptors perseverance, hardwork anddevotees faith, god get's impressed and a part of the god stayswith that stone carved idol forever. People who do not believe in God f ind excuses to f ind fault withthe worship of God through idols and appear to be 'more loyal'than the religious, by propagating the argument that God isformless and so should not be worshipped through idols. God cantake any form and so the form of the idol is good enough for us toworship God Following quote from the Upanishad represent this exac tly. na tatra sUryo bhAti na candra-tArakaM naimA vidyuto bhAntikuto'yam-agniH / tameva bhA ntaM anubhA ti sarvaM tasya bhA sA sarvam-idaMvibhA ti // Mundaka upanishad, I I -2-10 Translation: 'H im the Sun cannot light, nor the moon, nor thers tars , nor lightning, nor what we call fire; through H im all of themshine, and through H is express ion, everything is expressed': Even Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita"I t is much difficult to focus on God as the unmanifes ted than

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God with form, due to human beings having the need to perceivevia the senses .". In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna does not condemnworshipping gods in various forms, though He advises hisdevotees to worship the Supreme Self only because, those whoworship gods go to them while H is devotees would come toH im only. (V II . 23). C hapter 7 ,8 ,9 ,10,11 and 18 of bhagavad gita says that all formsand formlessness of god is true and god is all of them. Yo yo yaam yaam tanum bhaktah shraddhayaarchitum icchati;Chapter 7, verse 20

Tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam taameva vidadhaamyaham. T rans lation:Those, whose wisdom has been rent away by this orthat des ire, go to other gods , Following this or that rite, led by their own nature. Chapter 7, verse 21. T rans lation:Sa tayaa shraddhayaa yuktas tasyaaraadhanameehate; Whatsoeverform any devotee des ires to worship with faith-that (same) faithof his I Labhate cha tatah kaamaan mayaiva vihitaan hi taan.

make firm and unflinching so that he can worship that diety. 22 . Chapter 7, verse T rans lation: Antavattu phalam teshaam tadbhavatyalpamedhasaam; Endowedwith that faith, he engages in the worship of that (form), and from

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it he obtains his des ire, these being verily ordained by Me(alone).Devaan devayajo yaanti madbhaktaa yaanti maamapi. 23 . Chapter 7, verse Avyaktam vyaktimaapannam manyante maamabuddhayah;T rans lation: P aram bhaavamajaananto mamaavyayamanuttamam. V erily the reward (fruit) that acc rues to those men of smallintelligence is finite. The worshippers of the gods go to them, butMy devotees come to Me.

Idolatory in other major Religions C hris tianity: C ross Sign,Images of God jesus and St.Mary

Is lam: Kiss ing Kaaba Stone, Bowing to Kaaba Stone, andP raying with head fac ing Mecca. Sikhism: Images of gurunanak, arjan dev and other s ikh gurus

The advice from the Isa Upanishad is very appropriate here as aconclusion to this subject Into blinding darkness enter thosewho worship ignorance and into s till greater darkness those whoworship knowledge alone... He, who knows both knowledge andignorance together, c rosses death through ignorance and attainsimmortal life through knowledge.

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