Towards The Formless Through the Form
(Idol Worship - Bane or Boon)
Anant Kandoi
Aurangabad (CSN)
Hari Aum!
My pranaam at the Feet of Maa.
The Lord is referred to, by different names. Vedantins call Him Brahman, Shaivites call Him Shiva, Nyaya shastra followers call Him Karma, but essentially they all worship the One Supreme, Who is Formless, Changeless, Eternal! Thus began our early morning sessions on the much debated subject : Idol Worship - Boon or Bane.
The Aurangabad study circle was blessed to have Maa with us in the last week of March. Over three morning sessions, Maa patiently explained this oft confusing notion, dispelling our doubts and answering all our questions.
Some of the key takeaways from the sessions were as follows:
⁃ We are too accustomed to Form worship - we cannot conceptualize the Formless. We cannot even imagine it! Therefore, we need a Form. Hence the Idol - here it becomes a boon, as it facilitates our worship.
⁃ We must however remember that Bhagwaan is not restricted to any specific place or Idol.
⁃ The Idol should be looked at as a concentrated version of the Supreme Power - as something into which the entire pervasiveness has been conceptualized.
⁃ Idol worship becomes a bane when we get too attached to a particular Idol. We must not get “conditioned” by the Idol. This is also true for other practices like Havan, Japa, Meditation - at no point should we allow it to become a ritual that we follow without understanding the real purport.
⁃ In the Geeta Dhyaan Shloka - Who is being worshipped? “Devaaya Tasmai Namaha”- That Divinity to whom all the Gods propitiate. We must bear that in mind - the Supreme Brahman.
⁃ We are also too accustomed to our individual temperaments. And it is due to our temperaments that we see Lord also differently. This also explains, why we have different Idols / Gods for different regions of the country - that is most likely due to temperaments of that region. Like Lord Ganesha in the West, Maa kali in the East.
⁃ Vedanta is an inclusive philosophy - we can worship Lord Shivji, do Sree Gayatri Maha Mantra and bow down to Lord Krishna. Vedanta explains the purpose behind Idol worship. The broader purpose must always be kept in mind. One should not get conditioned by the Idol, a specific Lord, the specific ways or methods of practice etc. This is probably the key difference that distinguishes Idol worship as a boon versus a bane.
These morning sessions were like a breath of fresh air. Each session was aptly concluded with Gurudev’s Thought for the day - it was magical, how the thought inextricably linked to that day's discussions!
Personally, there was a realization of the amount of false notions we nurture in our daily lives and how deep rooted some of these are!
I pray to Sree Guru Parampara to enlighten and guide us on our spiritual quest!
Hari Aum!