![]() ![]() ![]() Is there no obligation to express one's gratitude to them? Nature has the power of attraction. Every man is composed of the five elements. That being the case, what is wrong in adoring Nature? Should we not be grateful to that which provides so many things for our needs? That gratitude is a form of worship. Nature is the sustainer of man in ordinary life. In every religion there is a distinct form for worship. It is these misguided persons who preach against idol worship. It is impossible to conceive in this world any kind of Aradhana (worship) without a form. But these Vigrahas have a certain value It is through them that we can realise the Divine. ![]() The term Vigraha also means an idol that is an object of worship. Without action there can be no fruits, Hence the body is at the base of everything. But, believing that the physical body is permanent and is all in all, men are wasting their lives in the pursuit of the ephemeral and the transient. Men have to cultivate this feeling of reverence for all things. All objects in Creation have to be respected. Every atom represents the power of the Divine. The idols that are worshipped are the answers to those who go about asking, "Where is God?" The truth is, God is present in every atom. ![]() Likewise, if the question is asked whether a stone idol that is worshipped has any life or consciousness in it, they will find the answer from the example of the honour done to the national flag. Is this flag animate? Has it any vitality or power in it? When you enquire like this you discover that it is the faith in the flag that makes it adorable. Moreover, people respect even their party flags. In the same manner people in other countries revere their respective national flags. On August 15th and January 26th, the National Flag is hoisted all over the country and revered as the symbol of national freedom. They went through all this suffering so that they could have their own flag in a free country. Many suffered long terms of imprisonment. Before the Flag could attain this status, many sacrificed their all for the freedom of the country. Today ninety crores of Bharatheeyas hoist the National Flag and revere it. Some people ask whether it is not foolish to worship an inanimate inconscient figure as God. After God-realisation there is no need for idols. Until God-realisation comes, idols are essential. Likewise, idols were used to point out God. I point to a flower and say: "This is a flower." After you have seen the flower, there is no need for the finger to point it. I point my finger at the mike and tell you: "This is a mike." After you have seen the mike, you don't need the finger to point it out. You can find Him wherever you seek Him." What Prahladha declared millennia ago, the scientists of today are discovering, namely, that the energy that is present in the all-pervading atom is divine. He told his father: "Do not have any doubts that the Divine is present here and not there. But long before this, the child Prahladha realised the omnipresence of the Divine. But it was only in the seventeenth century that atomic physics came into existence. Some were able to conceive that the atom is present in every, object and everywhere. People could not conceive of God as omnipresent, who is in every object and in every individual. Every person begins to learn about all objects only in relation to their forms. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |