When Idols Become Alive

For a devotee or a sage, there is no such thing as insentient matter. Everything is
consciousness. The devotee actually beholds the Lord in the idol. Narsi Mehta was put to the test by
a king. The king said, “O Narsi! if you are a true, sincere devotee of Lord Krishna, if, as you say, the
idol is Lord Krishna Himself, let this idol move.” According to the prayer of Narsi Mehta, the idol
did move. The sacred bull, Nandi, standing before Shiva’s idol, took the food offered by Tulsidas.
The idol of Krishna played with Mirabai. It was full of life and consciousness for her.
When Appayya Dikshita went to the Tirupati temple in South India, the Vaishnavas refused
to grant him admission. The next morning they found that the idol of Lord Vishnu in the temple had
changed to the idol of Lord Shiva. The priest was greatly astonished and startled. He asked pardon
and prayed to Appayya Dikshita to change the idol again to that of Lord Vishnu.
Kanaka Das was a great devotee of Lord Krishna in Udipi, in the district of South Kanara, in
South India. He was not allowed to enter the temple on account of his low birth. Kanaka Das went
round the temple and saw a small window at the back of the temple. He seated himself in front of the
window. He was soon lost in singing songs in praise of Lord Krishna. Many people gathered round
him. They were very powerfully attracted by the sweet melody of his music and the depth of his
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PHILOSOPHY OF IDOL WORSHIP
devotion. Lord Krishna turned round to enable Kanaka Das to get His Darshan. The priests were
struck with wonder. Even today, pilgrims are shown the window and the place where Kanaka Das
sat and sang.
The idol is the same as the Lord, for it is the vehicle of the expression of the
Mantra-consciousness which is the Deity. The devotee should regard the idol in the temple with the
same attitude of respect and reverence that he would evince should the Lord Himself appear before
him in person and speak to him in articulate sound.
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
realisation. 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
practised 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 realisation. They were practical Yogis and their hearts were
saturated with pure devotion. They were embodiments of Karma Yoga. All practised the Yoga of
synthesis. The idol was all consciousness to them, not a mere block of stone.
Madhusudana Swami, who had Advaitic realisation, 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 realised 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 realised 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 realise God through worship of the
idol; that the idol is a great aid for the realisation 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-realisation.
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
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HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS
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 realisation.
Conclusion
Idol worship is only the beginning of religion. Certainly it is not its end, The same Hindu
scriptures which prescribe idol worship for beginners, also speak of meditation on the Infinite or the
Absolute and contemplation on the significance of Tat Twam Asi for advanced aspirants.
There are different grades of worship. The supreme state is Self-realisation. Second in rank
is meditation on the Supreme Self. The third is the worship of symbols. The fourth is the
performance of rituals and pilgrimages to holy places. The Shastras, the Gurus, are like kind
mothers. They take hold of the hands of the aspirants and take them step by step till they are
established in the highest superconscious state. Glory to the Hindu Rishis who take aspirants from
the lower to the higher form of worship!
Beloved children of the Lord! Shed your ignorant disbelief this moment. Enshrine supreme,
unshakable, living faith in your heart this very moment. Recall to your mind the glorious examples
of saints of the past. They believed, and they reaped the rich spiritual harvests. You too can enjoy
great peace, happiness and prosperity here, and attain Him here and now if you have faith in idol
worship.