07/06/2020
I D O L A T R Y
is as old as the power of imagination of human for God.
with ancient E V I D E N C E S
Many people will be very curious to know whether the practice of idol worship was in vogue since Vedic period or later became part of our rituals.
Here, I would like to present some facts citing some of the oldest scriptures, which will be able to prove that this was in practice by our ancestors thousands of years ago...
I am going to reveal some facts from
MAHABHARATA, RAMAYAN, PURAN & VEDA.
Lets Start from Mahabharata..
1) Mahabharata Sloka 67, Chapter 85, Vana Parva- Say
MUNJAVATA is a holy place of pilgrimage devoted to Siva on the banks of the river Gahga. If a man goes to this place and does circumambulation of the idol there singing songs in praise of Siva he would get the position of Ganapati and if he bathes in the Ganga river also, he would be absolved of all sins.
2) Mahabharata - Vana Parva: Markandeya-Samasya Parva: Section CCXIII- BOOK3 –
Here is a Famous Story of a Fowler and Brahman where you can see he was talking about idol Worship.
3) Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section CXLII-
That Thy spies should be placed in gardens, places of amusement, temples of God and other holy places, drinking halls, streets, and with the (eighteen) tirthas..
4) Mahabharata, Book 2: Sabha Parva: Rajasuyarambha Parva: Section XV-
King Jarasandh Confined many kings in the temple of Shiva and offered as sacrifice unto Shiva him like so many animals..
5) Mahabharata: In many places in Mahabharata we can see the referances of Temple of God, Temple of Shiva, Temple of deities,
6) Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCC###VII
say that The pilgrims saw no deities there such as they had in their own temples clearly stated that we were paying God or Deities in the shape of Idol.
7) Mahabharata, Book 1: Adi Parva: Sambhava Parva: Section C###IV- Say-
That the Nishada prince, touching Drona's feet with bent head, wended his way into the forest, and there he made a clay-image of Drona, and began to worship it respectfully, as if it was his real preceptor, and practised weapons before it with the most rigid regularity..
8) Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Kairata Parva: Section ###IX- Vaishmpayan to Janmajey abt Arjuna - …And struck by the illustrious god, he became breathless and, falling down on earth without power of moving, looked like one that was dead. Soon, however, he regained consciousness, and, rising from his prostrate position, with body covered with blood, became filled with grief. Mentally prostrating himself before the gracious god of gods, and making a clay image of that deity, he worshipped it, with offerings of floral garlands. Beholding, however, the garland that he had offered to the clay image of Bhava, decking the crown of the Kirata, that best of Pandu's sons became filled with joy and regained his ease. And he prostrated himself thereupon at the feet of Bhava, and the god also was pleased with him
9) Mahabharata, Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section L###VIII -
there in that tirtha is an image of Mahadeva beholding which a mortal goeth to the region of Siva..
10) The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Section XL-
The great ocean is never gratified with the rivers it receives (but can receive any number of them). Death is never gratified even with entire living creatures. A beautiful woman is never gratified with any number of men (she may have). O king, hope killeth patience; Yama killeth growth; anger killeth prosperity; miserliness killeth fame; absence of tending killeth cattle; one angry Brahmana destroyeth a whole kingdom. Let goats, brass, silver, honey, antidotes of poison, birds, Brahmanas versed in the Vedas, old relatives, and men of high birth sunk in poverty, be always present in thy house. O Bharata, Manu hath said that goats, bulls, sandal, lyres, mirrors, honey, clarified butter, iron, copper, conch-shells, salagram (the stony-image of Vishnu with gold within) and gorochana should always be kept in one's house for the worship of the gods.
11) ASTABANDHA was A kind of plaster used for fixing idols in temples. The following eight things are mixed and ground consecutively for fortyone days and made ready to be put in the cavity around the idol when it is fixed there finally, (1) conch-powder (2) powdered myro- balam (3) resin (4) Kolipparal (a kind of rock) (5) river sand (6) powder of emblic myrobalam (7) lac and (8) cotton.. but in early Vedic Era we were using Idol of Wood.
12) Mahabharata, Book 13: Anusasana Parva: Anusasanika Parva: Section XXV -
One who succeeds in obtaining a sight of idol of Nandiswara, becomes cleansed of all sins.
13) Mahabharata, Book 13: Anusasana Parva: Section CLXII -
Whenever they see any of the following, they circumambulate them for showing them reverence, viz., a blazing fire, a bull, the idol of a deity, a cow-pen, a place where four roads meet, and an old and virtuous Brahmana.
We have many other ref from MB but I think its enough to prove..
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Dear Friends
A man can be of gigantic intellect, yet spiritually he may be a baby. You can verify it this moment. All of you have been taught to believe in an Omnipresent God. Try to think of it. How few of you can have any idea of what omnipresence means! If you struggle hard, you will get something like the idea of the ocean, or of the sky, or of a vast stretch of green earth, or of a desert.
All these are material images, and so long as you cannot conceive of the abstract as abstract, of the ideal as the ideal, you will have to resort to these forms, these material images. It does not make much difference whether these images are inside or outside the mind.
We are all born idolaters, and idolatry is good, because it is in the nature of man. Who can get beyond it? Only the perfect man, the Godman. The rest are all idolaters. So long as we see this universe before us, with its forms and shapes, we are all idolaters. This is a gigantic symbol we are worshipping...
Now Lets take some References from RAMAYANA
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Idol Worship in RAMAYANA
In Valmiki Ramayan, Uttar-Kand, chapter 31.42-43,
1) there is an instance where Ravana (He was a demon but a great scholar of Vedas & absolute devotee of Lord Shiva) is worshipping Shiv-Linga. This instance tells us that IDOL WORSHIP is not only the mode of practice by Humans but also Demons (Non-Hindus should not assume all demons as evil, many demons were great scholars & devotees) used to practice it.
2) इष्टकाश्च यथान्यायं कारिताश्च प्रमाणतः । चितोऽग्निर्ब्राह्मणैस्तत्र कुशलैः शुल्वकर्मणि ॥ २६ ॥ स चित्यो राजसिंहस्य संचितः कुशलैर्द्विजैः । गरुडो रुक्मपक्षो वै त्रिगुणोऽष्टादशात्मकः ॥ २७ ॥
।।1.14.26।।
जितनी बड़ी और जितनी अपेक्षित थीं उतनो ईटें तैयार होने पर शिल्पनिपुण ब्राह्मणों ने उन ईटों से अग्निकुण्ड बनाया । राजसिंह महाराज दशरथ के यज्ञ में चतुर ब्राह्मणों ने सुवर्ण की ईटों से पंख बना अठारह प्रस्तार का एक गरुड़ बनाया ॥ २६ ॥ २७ ॥
Bricks had been made as per prescribed measurement and with them the sacrificial altar had been constructed by those well versed in altar-architecture. Expert Brahmins placed the fire on the altar with due ceremony for king Dasaratha to worship. The fire resembled Garuda in shape looking downward facing East with wings of Gold. Having eighteen sacrificial pits, the size of the altar was three times the normal. Animals, snakes and birds had been tied to the pillars as per ritual code for being offered to particular Gods.
-- Making Golden Idol of Garuda for Worship.
3) प्रशान्तहरिणाकीर्णमाश्रमं हयवलोकयन् । स तत्र ब्रह्मणः स्थानमग्नेः स्थानं तथैव च ॥ १७ ॥ विष्णोः स्थानं महेन्द्रस्य स्थानं चैव विवस्वतः । सोमस्थानं अगस्थानं स्थानं कौवेरमेव च ॥ १८ ॥ धातुर्विधातुः स्थाने च वायोः स्थानं तथैव च । नागराजस्य च स्थानमनन्तस्य महात्मनः ॥ १ ९ ॥
स्थानं तथैव गायत्र्या वमूनां स्थानमेव च । स्थानं च पाशहस्तस्य वरुणस्य महात्मनः ॥ २० ॥कार्तिकेयस्य च स्थानं धर्मस्थानं च पश्यति । ततः शिष्यैः परिवृतो मुनिरप्यभिनिष्पतत् ॥ २१ ॥
। उस आश्रम के भीतर जा श्रीरामचन्द्र ने देखा कि , आश्रम में शान्त स्वभाव हिरन चारों ओर बैठे हैं । इन तीनों ने देखा कि . अगस्त्य जी के आश्रम में ब्रह्मा , अग्नि , विष्णु , इन्द्र . सूर्य , चन्द्र , भग , कुवेर , धाता , विधाता , वायु , नागराज शेष जी , गायत्री , वसु , वरुण , कार्तिकेय , धर्मराज के स्थान व मन्दिर बने हुए हैं । इतने में शिष्यों को साथ लिये हुए अगस्त्य जो भी अनिशाला से निकले । १७ |
।।3.12.16।।
Rama saw at the hermitage, the places (altars) of Brahma, Visnu, Agni (firegod), Indra, Sun, Moon, Bhaga, Kubera, Dhata (supreme spirit), Vidhata (creator Brahman), Vayu (Windgod), Ananta (great serpentking), Gayatri, Vasu Pasahasta, Varuna, Kartikeya and Dharma . Thereafter surrounded by the disciples the sage came out. Rama saw him coming in front of the effulgent sages...
-- Here you can Clearly understand that in Sage Agastya Ashram Many Temple or places of different God was present for worship.
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He who says he is the body is a born idolater. We are spirit, spirit that has no form or shape, spirit that is infinite, and not matter. Therefore, anyone who cannot grasp the abstract, who cannot think of himself as he is, except in and through matter, as the body, is an idolater.
And yet how people fight among themselves, calling one another idolaters! In other words, each says, his idol is right, and the others' are wrong.
Therefore, we should get rid of these childish notions. We should get beyond the prattle of men who think that religion is merely a mass of frothy words, that it is only a system of doctrines; to whom religion is only a little intellectual assent or dissent; to whom religion is believing in certain words which their own priests tell them; to whom religion is something which their forefathers believed; to whom religion is a certain form of ideas and superstitions to which they cling because they are their national superstitions.
We should get beyond all these and look at humanity as one vast organism, slowly coming towards light — a wonderful plant, slowly unfolding itself to that wonderful truth which is called God — and the first gyrations, the first motions, towards this are always through matter and through ritual.
You may be a dualist, and I may be a monist. You may believe that you are the eternal servant of God, and I may declare that I am one with God Himself; yet both of us are good Hindus. How is that possible?
Read then — एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति "That which exists is One; sages call It by various names."
Many Non-Hindus have a huge misconception that ‘Idol Worship’ means ‘Worshiping the Idols’. A big NO
“अब्रह्मणि ब्रह्मदृष्ट्याऽनुसन्धानम्” which means “Joining the mind and devotion to that which is not God, taking it to be God.”
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Some Evidences from PURAN
1- In “Asura Kanda of Skanda Purana” has reference that prevented Agastya from entering the temple with ashes on his forehead. At once he transformed himself into a devotee of Visnu, and was permitted entry into the temple. As Visnu wanted to show the world that he and Siva were one and the same, and also the greatness of Agastya, the idol of Visnu was all on a sudden changed into a Siva Linga. Since then the temple has remained a Siva Temple. (Skanda Purana)
2- Devi Bhagavata, 10th Skandha- Svayambhuva had two great sons Priya- vrata and Utta.napa.da. The second Manu was the son of Priyavrata and his name was Svarocisa. He was a glorious and adventurous man. He went to the banks of the river Kalindl, made a hermitage there, installed an idol of Devi made of earth and offered worship most fervently.
3- In Agni Puran you can see many references related to the worship of various God (devapooja vidhi) ; installation of idols in temples (devatapratestha)
4- There is a story in Ganesh Purana that Aurva and his wife then prayed to God for help. Aurva then lived in the tree of Sama in the shape of Agni and Saunaka made an idol of Ganapati with the root of the Mandara tree and worshipped him. Ganapati was pleased by the devotional deeds of Aurva and Saunaka and changed the trees again into Samika and Mandara. (Ganesa Purana)..
5- In Padma purana there is a story that AKATHA Son of Mankana. He was a great devotee of Siva and once when his house was burnt completely the idol of Siva inside his house was partially destroyed. Worried much over this loss Akatha was about to give a portion of his body also to the flames when Siva appeared before him and blessed him. (Patala Khanda, Padma Purana) .
6- Skandha Purana, 3.3.20-21 saying about Rudrabhisheka..
7- A story in Panchama Skandha, Bhagavata, That a brahmin was bound by ropes and taken before the idol of Kali for narabali, The effulgence of the brahmin astounded Kali and getting angry for bringing such a pious brahmin for sacrifice she devoured the Candalas and allowed the brahmin to go free.
8- Chandika Idol describe in Agni Purana, Chapter 50
9- Agni Purana, Chapter 241- The powers can be acquired by the worship of the idols of certain Devatas. People who employ go about at night in various disguises. They disguise themselves as beautiful women or even as animals.
10- Agni Purana, Chapter 43- Devapratimas (idols) are of seven varieties like those made of earth, of wood, of metals, of gems, of sandal wood, of stone and of flowers. Of the above, idols made of earth, sandalwood and of flowers are meant only for temporary use, but they also grant all the desires of the devotees…
11- Agni Purana, Chapter 51 says When an idol of Hanuman is installed in a temple, he must be represented as holding Vajra in one hand and his feet must seem to tear the ground under them..
12- Chapter 34, Padma Purana- PANCAYATANA is an idol of Siva in Kasi. This idol is called Omkara also. Bhagavan Paramesvara who gives moksa to men dwells in this idol in the form of Pancayatana. The five souls of Siva are the five ayatanas. They are Santi (tranquility), Atltasanti ( passed beyond tranquility ),Paraparavidya (Greater and smaller knowledge), Pratistha (celebrity) and Nivrtti (Recession). Because these five ayatanas dwell in the idol of Siva at Kali it got the name Pancayatana.
13- Padma Purana, Adi Khanda, Chapter 34- about a Ghost Story that how he died in his previuse life by touching idol of Lord Visvanatha.
14- In “Skanda Purana” there is a story of king INDRADYUMNA a king who lived in the Krita yuga, and a devotee of Visnu. He visited the Jagan- natha temple in Odra Desa once to worship Lord Jagannatha..
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Most of the Hindus prefer the mode of IDOL WORSHIP because it’s easy, attractive & largely practiced since Vedic era. But, none of the Hindu Scriptures make it compulsory to go with IDOL WORSHIP
The idea is, Hinduism doesn’t bring a narrow & confined idea of God but Hinduism carries the concept of God in true sense which let people choose their way to reach God, their way to worship God & their way to live in God’s consciousness.
Some do Idol Worship to pray God, some meditate upon OM (divine word) to pray God, some uses the elements of nature to pray God and etc. So, Hinduism brings the larger dimensions of God which no other religion, philosophy or book has ever brought.
To conclude, Idol Worship is a CHOICE not COMPULSION. There is a huge sect of Hindus which don’t practice Idol Worship. Two famous sect among those who don’t practice IDOL WORSHIP is, ‘Arya Samaj’ & ‘Brahmo Samaj’.
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Some Evidence from VEDA
Rigved 4.32.23 talks about some idols (of Demi God’s) at holy place. This apprehensible verse from Rigved expresses the practice of Idol Worship at vedic era.
In Rigveda 1.24.13, sages are worshipping Varud who is supposed to be situated in three Idols.
Rigveda 9.72.4 says that Lord Indra is expressed by stones. This verse is verily important. It indicates that God’s were expressed (presented) through stones even in Vedic days. And we know that this is the part of Idol Worship
Śrī Adi Shankaracharya (one of greatest Vedantist ever born) agreed with idea of Idol Worship. While commenting on Taittiriya Upanishad chapter 8, he explained worship of God in different nature’s. He says, “when meditating upon OM, the ‘OM’ becomes the Brahman (God) just as idol of Lord Viṣṇu.”
Thanks You !!!
Shiva Bless You
