Idol Worship in Hinduism
What could be the problem with idol worship? Why do people of other religions mock Hindus for praying to idols. There are several sects among Hindus too who downplay the importance of idol worship in Hinduism. Abrahamic religions say that praying to idols is blasphemy. But these people are also dependent on certain symbols that they consider holy. So, what’s wrong if someone uses an idol (a symbolic God) to be able to connect to the Supreme?
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Can You Focus on the Vacuum?
Idol worship in Hinduism happens because not everyone can focus on vacuum. Only successful jnana yogis can meditate like that. Others need some sort of symbol. The cross is holy. The crescent is holy. And so is the OM. Some people take OM and create a personal God out of it. They create a symbolic God (an idol or a painting) so that they feel connected. They’d perform rituals like bathing the idol, draping it in clothes, and would feed it (at least they think they are doing service to God).
God never laid out any rules. He didn’t say pray like this or don’t pray like that. But then, every religion has rules. These rules were laid out by people who claimed to have experienced God. The intellect of humans is limited. No one can understand God. At most, they can present their own interpretations.
You might have heard of the story of blind people who tried to describe an elephant by touching different parts of its body. That’s what even the learned know.
Views of Bhagavad Gita on Idol Worship in Hinduism
Some people say Srimad Bhagavad Gita prohibits idol worship. It is not true. In Hinduism, Gita is considered the summary of the Vedas. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that if one can see the creation and Creator as one, he or she has attained Moksha (salvation). Personally, I am yet to meet, nay, hear of such a yogi. I have read a few scriptures, yet I cannot understand how to pray to a formless God.
Lord Krishna further said that if you can’t view Creator in Creation, believe Him to be a separate single entity and focus on Him. If you cannot assume a single formless entity, pray to God by imagining Him in some shape. Here is where the need for idols (symbols) steps in.
In the same chapter, Lord Krishna said that if you cannot even focus on an image or idol, just go ahead with your life after placing your faith in God, without attachments to the actions you take. Such actions are supposed to be done for God and hence lead to Salvation (Moksha).
People Pray to God in Form of Idols
So, you see, symbols are part of our attempts to get closer to God. Those symbols can be natural, like trees, rivers, and stones. Or they can be man-made such as idols and paintings. Rejecting symbol worship right away doesn’t suit the wise.
The Bhagavad Gita says that the wise know God to be formless, but they don’t try to stop others from idol worship because they don’t want to play with the idol worshippers’ faith. Idol worship in Hinduism is just another method to pray and show your love to God.
Idol Worship in Hinduism: Conclusion
In short, not every mind is fully developed. If someone needs a symbol or an idol to be able to pray, let them do it. They’re not praying to idols. They’re praying to God via the idols. That’s the concept of idol worship in Hinduism or any other religion that allows idol worshipping.
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