God, Polytheism and Idolatry in Hinduism
In every Hindu home, the most important place is a small temple, where a few idols and images are kept. There everyone in the house offers prayers as part of daily routine, varying from a simple salutation to detailed rituals, immediately after the morning bath. This is a routine nearly every Indian follows, woman more than man, elderly more than young. On special occasions be it a birthday, an anniversary, examination, interview or before embarking on a journey it is a mandatory part of Hindu tradition to take blessings of the Gods at this small temple at home, To a person raised in Hindu tradition it is normal and he does it without second thoughts.
What about others? The educated people find it odd, irrational and unscientific, but they observe the routine to keep the elders happy. Some more radical do it reluctantly, a few openly defy there parents. In schools, classes, in print and electronic media, in cinema and TV serials this idol worship and polytheism is subject of ridicule, to the displeasure of believing Hindus. Followers of other Abrahamic religions consider it worship of false God and treat it as SIN. Driven by hatred for idolatry, the Muslim Kingdoms attacked India, fighting several battles to break the Idols, destroy and loot the temples. Indians on the other hand defended their idols with all their might sacrificing millions of life in the process. Muslim rulers thereafter continued this practice. From within the folds of Hinduism too there were reformers who treated the idol worship as a malpractice something which needs to be reformed. The Arya Samaj was in the forefront of such movement. Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj, a great scholar of Sanskrit and Vedic literature, wrote a book Satyarth Prakash, critically examining this idol worship. He concluded that the idol worship is not in conformity of the Vedic Concept of God.
Vedic concept of God is Omnipresence, Omnipotent, formless and without any physical attributes. He is beyond time and space. He is the creator, the preserver and the destroyer. He is the Ultimate Truth, Supreme Consciousness and Eternal Bliss. He is within us and all around us. Swami Vivekananda in the “Paper On Hinduism” read at Parliament of Religion at Chicago, USA on 19 September on 1893 explains the idol worship and polytheism of the Hindus. This according to him is the extension of the philosophy of all pervasive God. A Hindu see God in everything be it forces of nature, the fire, the water, the Sun, the Moon, be it rivers, trees, be it his ancestors as Kul Devata. Why idols? We can no more think about anything without a mental image than we live without breathing. By the law of association, the material image calls up the mental idea and vice-versa. This is why a Hindu uses an external symbol when he worships. He will tell you, it helps keep his mind fixed on the being whom he prays. He knows as well as you do that the image is not God, is not omnipresent. After all, how much does omnipresent means to almost the whole world ? It stands merely as word, a symbol. By the law of association we connect the idea of infinity with sky or ocean. We connect the idea of holiness with the image of the Church, a mosque or a temple. Symbols are used in all religions, what is a Cross ? why the face turned towards sky in prayers ? Why Muslim face towards Mecca while praying ?
The Hindus have associated the idea of holiness, purity, truth and omnipresent with different images and forms. But, with one difference that while other people do not progress because with them the idea of being religious is to accept certain doctrines as true, observe certain rituals and be good; the whole religion of Hindus is centered on realization. A Hindu is not a believer, but a seeker. He believes that, man is to become divine by realizing the divine. Idols, or temples or book are only supports. He must not stop any where. “External worship is the lowest stage; struggling to rise high, mental prayers are the next stage but the highest stage is when the God is realised.”. For realization three paths are available devotion, selfless work and knowledge. The idol worship is part of devotional path of realization. The devotee has such a faith in his deity that he actually believes it to be God. It is a method of meditation. Some people have the idol of God as a child and they serve as if one would serve his own child. They worshipers want nothing in return as the all powerful God is in the image of a child, who is expected to do noting. Doing devotional rituals of these type a person rises higher and higher, finally realizing the ultimate truth. The scripture says that one who has realised God becomes free from bondage and attains Moksha meaning freedom from attachment. A Hindu following certain religious practices firmly believing that his is the right way but not the only way. He respect followers of other region believing that all path leads to the same ultimate truth. This is the Hindu way of life.
Satyamev Jayate, declares the Mundaka Upnishad, the truth alone prevails. The Hindus go on their way seeking the truth, rich and poor, enlightened and ignorant, some knowingly others unknowingly, all throng in large number in temples. They go on doing rituals in their home as by tradition of thousands of years they know that this is the right path. The movement like Arya Samaj and others, remain in the society, their dissent duly respected by people but they are marginalized. Dissent and discussion has been our cherished tradition. Majority of our scripture including Geeta is in the form of question and answers. We should continue this tradition and have dialogue with the children. This is our responsibility as the inheritor of the greatest civilization to remove the doubts of the next generation.
