Vedanta and Idol Worship
A pseudo-Vedantin feels
ashamed to bow before an idol in the temple. He feels that his Advaita
(attitude of oneness) will evaporate if he prostrates himself. Study the lives
of the reputed Tamil saints—Appar, Sundarar, Sambandhar, and others. They all
had the highest Advaitic realization. They saw Lord Shiva everywhere. Yet, they
visited all temples of Shiva, prostrated before the idol and sang hymns which
are on record till today. The sixty-three Nayanar saints solely practiced the
worship of the idols of Shiva and attained God-consciousness thereby. They
swept the floor of the temple, collected flowers, made garlands for the Lord
and put lights in the temple. They were illiterate, but attained the highest realization.
They were practical Yogis and their hearts were saturated with pure devotion.
They were embodiments of Karma Yoga. All practiced the Yoga of synthesis. The
idol was all consciousness to them, not a mere block of stone.
Madhusudana Swami, who had
Advaitic realization, who beheld oneness of the Self and who had the feeling of
oneness with all creation, was intensely attached to the form of Lord Krishna
with flute in His hands.
Tulsidas realized the
all-pervading essence. He had Cosmic Consciousness. He communed with the
all-pervading, formless Lord. And yet, his passion for Lord Rama with bow in
His hand did not vanish. When he was at Brindavan, beholding the idol of Lord
Krishna with flute in hand, he said, “I will not bow my head to this form.” At
once Lord Krishna’s form assumed the form of Lord Rama. Then only he bowed his
head.
Tukaram also had the same
cosmic experience as that of Tulsidas. He sings in one of his songs: “I see my
Lord all-pervading, just as sweetness pervades the sugar-cane”, and yet, he
always speaks of his Lord Vittala of Pandharpur with His hands on the hips.
Mirabai also realized her identity with the all-pervading Krishna, and yet she
was not tired of repeating again and again, “My Giridhar Nagar!”
From the above facts, we can
clearly infer that one can realize God through worship of the idol; that the
idol is a great aid for the realization of the Lord in His all-pervading,
formless aspect also; that the worship of the idol is very essential for the
purpose of concentration and meditation in the beginning; and that such a
worship is not in any way a hindrance to the attainment of God-realization.
Those who vehemently attack
idol worship are groping in extreme darkness and ignorance, and have no real
knowledge of worship. They enter into unnecessary, vain debates and discussions
against idol worship to show that they are learned persons. They have not done
any real Sadhana at all. They are persons who have made idle talking and tall talk
their habit and profession. They have ruined themselves. They have unsettled
the minds of countless persons and ruined them also. The whole world worships
idols alone in some form or another.
The mind is disciplined in the
beginning by fixing it on a concrete object or symbol. When it is rendered
steady and subtle, it can be fixed on an abstract idea such as Aham Brahma
Asmi. As one advances in meditation, the form melts in the formless and one
becomes absorbed in the formless essence. The worship of idols is, therefore,
not contrary to the view of Vedanta. It is rather an aid to the highest
Vedantic realization.
Excerpts from:
Vedanta and Idol Worship – Philosophy of Idol
Worship by Sri Swami Sivananda
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