Everything about Idol Worship in Hinduism
A gross mind needs a concrete symbol as a prop or alambana and a subtle mind requires an abstract symbol. It is not only the pictures or images in stone and wood, that are idols but dialects and leaders also become idols.”Worship is the expression of pure devotion, reverence and love for the Lord, of keen yearning to be united with Him and of spiritual thirst to hold conscious communion with Him.
Worship is the effort on the part of the Upasakai. e. one who does Upasana or worship, to reach the proximity or the presence of God or the Supreme Self. Upasana means sitting near God. Upasana is approaching the chosen idol or object of worship by meditating on it following the teachings of sastras and the Guruand dwelling steadily in the current of one thought, as a thread of oil poured from one vessel to another(Tailadharavat).
Worship of the Lord purifies the heart, generates harmonious vibrations, steadies the mind, purifies and harmonises the five sheaths, and eventually leads to communion fellowship or God-realisation.
Upasana changes the mental faculty, destroys Rajas and Tamas and fills the mind with sattva or purity. Upasana destroys Vasanas, Trishanas, egoism, lust, hatred, anger, etc. It turns the mind inward. The devotee sees the Lord face to face, frees the devotees from the wheel of births and deaths, and confers on him Sayujyamukti or liberation.
The mind becomes that on which it meditates per the analogy of the wasp and the caterpillar (Brahma Kita Nyaya). There is a mysterious or inscrutable power (Achintya Sakti) in Upasana which makes the meditator and the meditated identical.
In the Bhagavatgeeta Chapter XI-54, one will see
Bhaktya tvananyaya sakya
aham evam vidhe’rjuna
Jnatum drashtum ca tattvena
Pravestum ca paramtapa.
But by unswerving devotion to Me, O Arjuna I can thus be known, truly seen and entered into, O oppressor of the foe (Arjuna). An ideal devotee is one, who realises by all the senses only one object, God. He adorns God with all his spirit and heart. Sakshatkara or the direct perception of the divine form is possible for the true devotees.
Patanjali stresses in Raja Yoga Sutras the importance of Upasana. Even for a Raja Yogi, Upasana is necessary. He has his own Ishta Devata or chosen guiding deity, Yogisvara Krishna or Lord Siva. Self-surrender to God (prapti) is an Anga (limb) or (Raja Yoga) and Kriya Yoga.
Eating, drinking, sleeping, fear copulation, etc. are common in brutes and human beings, but that which makes one a real man or God-man is the religious consciousness.
Philosophy of Pratima
Pratima is a substitute or symbol. For a beginner Pratima is necessary. The idol is made up of five elements. Five elements constitute the body of the Lord. Just as a child develops the maternal bhav (master feeling) by playing with its imaginary manner, so also the devotee develops the feeling of devotion by worshipping the Pratima and concentrating upon it. Pictures, drawings, etc. are only different kinds of Pratima.
Science of Worship
The individual soul (jiva) desires to unite himself with his father (Isvara) the supreme soul. This is done through worship. An object of worship is necessary for a man to pour forth out his love and devotion. As the Absolute or Infinite cannot be comprehended by a limited adjunct and finite mind, the conception of the impersonal God in His lower, limited form came into existence. The Nirguna Brahman assumes forms for the pious worship of the devotees.
The term “sadhana” comes from the root “sadh”, which means “to exert”, or “to endeavour to get a particular result of siddhi”. He who does the attempt is called sadhaka. If the desired result is achieved, he is a Siddha. That which is obtained through sadhana is sadhya (God or Brahman).
Upasana
Upasana means worship. It means to sit near God. One who does upasana is an upasak. The object of worship is upasya. Upasana in a broad sense includes meditation, japa, daily swadhyaya, prayer, stotra etc. It is of two kinds viz. Ahamgraha Upasana or meditation one Nirguna Nirakara Brahman and Saguna Upasana or meditation on Iswara with form and attributes. The former is called Avyakta Upasana and later Vyakta Upasana.
Upasana is again gross sthula or subtle (Sukshma) according to the nature of Adhikari, his degree of competence. He who worships a pratima or Murti, rings bells, and offers sandal paste, flowers etc. does a gross form of worship. He who visualises his Ishtam meditates on it and offers mental offerings, does a subtle form of worship.
Lord Krishna gives a beautiful description of worship to Uddhava in the eleventh chapter of Bhagavata “The sun, fire, earth or clay, water, a Brahmin, any image of Mine in the concrete, clearly thought out as seated in the heart, may be worshipped in My name sincerely with such articles as could be obtained by him (devotee)”.
Saguna Upasana and Nirguna Upasana
Ahamgraha upasana is Nirguna Upasana or meditation on the formless and attributeless Akshara or transcendental Brahman. Meditation on idols, saligrama, pictures of Lord Rama, Krishna, Siva, Gayatri Devi etc. is pratika upasana. The blue expansive sky, all pervading ether, all pervading light of the Sun etc. are also pratikas for abstract meditation. Saguna upasana is concrete meditation. Nirguna Upasana is abstract meditation.
Hearing the Lilas of the Lord, kirtana or singing his names, constant remembrance of the Lord (smarana), service of His feet, offering flowers, prostration, prayer, chanting of Mantra, self-surrender, service of Bhagavatas, service of humanity with Narayana Bhava etc. constitute Saguna Upasana.
Chanting of Om with Atma Bhav, service of humanity with Atma Bhav, mental japa of Om with Atma or Brahma Bhava, a meditation on Soham or Sivoham or on the Mahavakyas such as Aham Brahma Asmi or Tat Tvam Asi after sublating the illusory vehicles through Neti Neti doctrine constitutes Ahamgraha upasana or Nirguna Upasana.
Saguna Upasana is Bhakti yoga or the yoga of Devotion. Nirguna upasana is Gnana Yoga or the Yoga of Knowledge. The akshara or the imperishable is very hard to reach for those who are attached to their bodies. Contemplation on the Akshara or Nirguna Brahman demands a very sharp, one-pointed and subtle intellect.
The Bhavas in the Bhakti Yoga: The Yoga of Bhakti or devotion is much easier than Gnana Yoga or philosophical meditation.
The Gita Govinda written by Jaya Deva is full of Madhurya Bhav. The language of love which the mystic uses cannot be comprehended by worldly persons. Gopis like Radha, Mira, Tukaram, Narada, Hafliz and similar other great devotees or the Lord can understand this language.
Puja and Ishta Devata
Puja is the common term for ritual worship of which there are numerous synonyms such as archana, vandana, bhajana etc. though some of these stress certain aspects of it. The object of worship is the Ishta Devata whom the devotee worships – Narayana or Vishnu or His forms Rama and Krishna in the case of Vaishnavas, Siva in His eight forms in the case of Saivaites and Devi in the case of Saktas.
Sometimes the devotee selects his kuladeva or kuladevi, family deities for his worship. Sometimes in the absence of a guru, he selects himself the chosen deity that appeals to him. This is Ishta Devata.
An image or a useful emblem is likely to raise in the mind of the worshipper the thought of Devata. Saligrama stone induces easy concentration of mind.
Everybody has a predilection for a symbol or image. Idol or Murti (Vigraha), sun, fire, water, Ganga, saligrama and lingas are all symbols or pratikas of God which help the aspirant to attain one-pointedness of mind and purity of heart. Psychologically, all this means that a particular mind finds that it works best in the directions desired by utilizing a particular instrument’s emblems or images.
In puja, an image or picture representing some divine form is used as the object of worship. The image is adored. An image, a sila, or vigraha or Murti represents the particular Lord who is invoked in it. A linga represents Siva. It represents the second less, attributeless and formless Brahman.
The Sruti declares “Ekamevadvitiyam Brahma”. The Brahman is one alone without a second. There is no duality here. A Linga is shining and attractive to the eyes. It helps concentration. Ravana the ten-headed monster propitiated Lord Siva and obtained boons by worshipping the Siva Linga.
There is no reference to the worship of idols in the Vedas. Puranas and Agamas give descriptions of idol worship both in the houses and in the temples. Yogins and Vedantins are all worshippers of idols. They keep some image or the other in their mind.
The mental image also is a form of idol. All worshippers, however intellectual they may be, generate a form in the mind and make the mind dwell on that image. He who gives up all desires and moves free from attachment, egoism and thirst for enjoyment, attains peace.
An Integral part of Virat
By worshipping an idol, Iswara is pleased. The Pratima is composed of five elements and the five elements constitute the body of the Lord. The idol becomes an idol but worship goes to the Lord. An idol is a part of the body of the Lord.
He does shodosapachara for the idol, the sixteen kinds of paying respects or services to the Lord.
- 1. Avahana.,
- 2. Asana.,
- 3. Padya.,
- 4. Arghya.,
- 5. Snana.,
- 6. Vastra.,
- 7. Yajnapavita.,
- 8. Chandana.,
- 9. Pushpa.,
- 10. Dhupa.,
- 11. Deepa.,
- 12. Naivedya.,
- 13. Tambula.,
- 14. Niranjana.,
- 15. Swarnapushpa (gift of gold) and
- 16. Visarjana.
He attains purity of heart and slowly annihilates his egoism.
Idol worship develops devotion
Idol worship makes the concentration of man simpler and easier. This is one of the easiest modes of Self-Realization.
Regular worship unveils the Divinity in the idol
Regular worship (Puja) and other modes of demonstrating our inner feeling or recognition of Divinity in the idol unveil the Divinity latent in it. The idol speaks. Divinity in the idol acts as a guardian angel, blessing all, and conferring the highest good on those who bow to it.
The idol is only a symbol of the Divine. He visualises the indwelling presence in the Murti or image. All the Saivaite Nayanmars, Saints of South India, attained God Realisation through worship of the Linga, the image of Lord Siva.
When Idol Becomes Alive
To a Bhakta or a sage, there is no such thing as Jada or insentient matter. Everything is Vasudeva or Chaitanya. Vasudeva Sarvam lti. The devotee beholds the Lord in the idol. The Murti is the same as the Lord, for it is the vehicle of the expression of the Mantra Chaitanya which is the Devata.
Vedanta and Idol worship
A pseudo vedantin feels himself ashamed to bow or prostrate himself before an idol in the temple. The sixty-three Nayanmar – Saints practised Charya and Kriya only and absorbed and attained God’s realisation. They were embodiments of Karma Yoga and all practised Yoga of Synthesis.
Tukaram sings in his Abhanga “I see my Lord all-pervading, just as sweetness pervades the sugarcane” and yet, he always speaks of his Lord Vittala of Pandarpur with His Hands on his hips. Image worship is not contrary to the view of Vedanta but rather a prop or a help.
Types of Bhakti (Ritualistic Bhakti to Para Bhakti)
Bhakti is of two kinds viz. higher Bhakti or Parabhakti and lower Bhakti or Ritualistic Bhakti. Ritualistic worship is Vaidh or Gauni Bhakti. Mukhya Bhakti or Para Bhakti is an advanced type of devotion. It transcends all conventions.
The aspirant who worships the idol, in the beginning, beholds the Lord everywhere and develops Para Bhakti; he passes on the Ragatmika Bhakti or Prema Bhakti. He beholds the whole world as Virat as the Lord. The ideas of good and bad, right and wrong, vanish. He sees the Lord in a rogue, dacoit, cobra, scorpion, ant, dog, tree, log of wood, block of stone, sun, moon, stars, fire, water, earth etc. His vision or experience baffles the description.
The devotee who worships the idol, has to repeat Purusha Sukta and to think of the Virat Purusha with countless heads, countless eyes, countless hands etc. who extends beyond the Universe, the Lord or the Atman who dwells in the heart of all beings.
The same man who burns incense-scented sticks and camphor before the idol says;
“The Sun does not shine there nor the moon nor the stars nor the lightning. All shine after Him”.
The ways and rules of worship (Puja Vidhi) and the secrets of worship that are described in the Hindu scriptures are scientifically accurate and highly rational.
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