Friday, April 8, 2011

Radhanath Swami on Idol Worship

We find that in many religions of the world there is great aversion to this idea of worshiping of deity in the temple; they call it idol worship. Idol worship is one of two things - when one simply concocts one's own superstitious imaginary reasons for some form and concocts a method of worship, with no scientific scriptural guidelines; or, when one worships simply for material ambitions to be fulfilled. This is idol worship. In the western countries, 40 years ago, the general population was ignorant of Vedic principles and there was no conception of the beautiful scientific method of prana pratistha, of calling the Lord to accept our love and service in His holy form of the vigraha, the deity. Therefore the imaginary, speculative, superstitious process of idol worship was projected on the scientific process of deity worship. But that principle of focusing the mind on a form of God is always there and even the practitioners of religions which condemn so-called idol worship, are doing it themselves; they have to have a focus. For the Sikhs, their whole focus is their work; it is their worshipable deity - a form they can experience God in. The Muslims, where ever they are in the world, bow down towards Mecca; that is their deity, that is where they are reaching out for the essence of God. It is a physical place, a form. And the Christians, in every church, they stand before the crucifix, the cross, and they kiss it, they kneel down before it, they pray to it, they beg mercy from it. The Jews have their Torah which they keep on the altar and on certain days they decorate it with crowns and jewellery, and they kiss it, bow down before it and worship it. In this way every religion sees the great need to gather together around a form which they perceive as the essence of God. We find that every religion is doing it, every religion is performing deity worship. But in the Vedic religion it is a very scientific process which has been given by God Himself and which has been followed and amplified by all of great previous saints.

21 comments:

  1. Thank you Radhanath Swami for scientifically portraying the importance of deity worship.

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  2. Very nice explanation of deity worship by Radhanath Swami. Lord Krishna also says in Bhagavad Geeta that the highest form of worship is personal service to the Lord.

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  3. A wonderful explanation of Deity worship in various religions.

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  4. This is an excellent treatise in favor of diety worship, and HH Radhanath swami has so nicely described how every religion is involved in it. It is sad that they do not have the realization.

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  5. Thank you Maharajah for explaining the science of Deity Worship.

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  6. Very essential that this knowledge is shared. Thanks Maharaj.

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  7. Wow! Though everyone is accepting the God's presence in some form in every religion, they haven't realized about it. wonderfuly explained the deity worship.Thank you Maharaj!

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  8. Thank you Radhanath maharaj for informing us that every religion worships some deity/form.

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  9. Thank you swamiji, for clearing the difference between idol worship and real worship , also how every other religion also does worship of the Lord in some physical form.

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  10. Deity worship is very purifying.

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  11. Very appropriate explanation of Deity Worship by Radhanath Swami. We cannot worship the Lord from the spiritual world with our limited and impure capacity. However, He, very mercifully descends to this material world in the form of a deity to give us a chance to worship Him.

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  12. This is a very nice explanation of the validity of Deity worship which is called "idol worship" by many people today.

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  13. What a practical presentation on this somewhat debated aspect, by HH Radhanath Swami. Thank you Maharaj.

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  14. Thankyou Maharaj.

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  15. This is an excellent explanation in favour of deity worship. H.H Radhanath swami has so nicely described how all religions are doing the same in different ways. It is sad that people make unnecessary comments with out proper realisation. Thank you Maharaj.

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  16. Radhanath Swami's deep perception/analysis - helps us see the essence of deity worship in such diverse religious activities.

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  17. The Lord has personal form and He accepts our service. Radhanath Swami has nicely explianed this point from the view poit of various religion. Thank you for this nice article

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  18. Very amazing realization herein by Radhanath Swamiji.It also very nicely explains that though people may say God is impersonal and has no form but ultimatly they bow down to or they offer their prayers to some sort of form of God only.Very nice.Thank you very much.

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  19. Very beautiful article on deity worship......totally convincing

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  20. very convincing. thanksRADHANATH SWAMI.

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  21. wonderfully explained,thanksRADHANATH SWAMI.

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