Why AM discards idol worship
Namaskar,
Today, idol worship is prominently practised by a large number of the followers of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. So we should all know why Ananda Marga vehemently opposes idol worship.
History of idol worship
In old human civilizations, like the Mayan civilization, the importance of population growth was immense. To symbolize and venerate the same, the practice of phallus worship began. The evidence of liuṋga (phallus) worship, later Shiva liuṋga, can be found in many temples in India. Later, the practice was imported and redesigned in Buddhism, followed by Hindu adaptation. It should be noted that, although Lord Buddha taught sa’dhana’, his disciples began worshipping idols. This is a classic example of how distortions starts.
Types of idols
Throughout the world, a wide variety of idols exist. There are idols of political leaders like Marx, Lenin, and Gandhi who actually lived on this planet and died. The idols of real people may be regarded as works of art, but they do not have any greater significance. For example, the idol of Lenin will not be able to answer any question. Then there are idols of imaginary characters like Romeo and Juliet. Another class of idols is small toys and dolls that children play with, which are also imaginary. The idols of gods and goddesses, meant for worshipping, fall under the category of idols of imaginary characters.
Idols of Hindu gods & goddesses - a figment of imagination
The idols of Hindu gods and goddesses are of imaginary characters mentioned and explained in the Puranas. The Puranas are fictional tales composed by Krśńadvaepáyana Vyása, also known as Veda Vyása. The intention of Krśńadvaepáyana Vyása in creating the Puranas was to present education through interesting and lucid fictional stories. However, after composing the Puranas, Krśńadvaepáyana Vyása realized one of his mistakes was that he took the liberty of describing Parama Purus’a in a very limited manner; and, for this he asked Parama Purus’a for His forgiveness.
Ananda Marga philosophy guides, “This Vedavyása was also the author of the Puráńas which he wrote in order to educate the common people. There are many stories in the Puránas, but they are not factually correct; the only purpose behind the stories was mass education. After writing the Puránas, Vyásadeva realized that while writing them to educate the common people, he had taken the liberty of narrating many of Parama Puruśa’s extraordinary qualities and forms out of his own imagination and he also extolled the virtues of many places of pilgrimage. Then he realized that this was not proper on his part, because Parama Puruśa is indescribable and omnipresent: to exalt a particular place of pilgrimage or to praise the qualities of Parama Puruśa was not proper. Thus in a repentant mood, he asked Parama Puruśa for forgiveness:
Rúpaḿ rupavivarjjitasya bhavato yaddhyanena kalpitam.” [See longer version below signature] (1)
Idol worship is for spiritually undeveloped
Toddlers like to play with dolls, and often their whole life revolves around dolls and imaginary characters. However, when they grow up they cannot play with the same dolls that they liked so much when they were children. Idol worship is like a beggar's dream in which the beggar is the king. Yet, even if the beggar imagines that he is the king of an elaborate kingdom, he is still a beggar. Similarly, the real value of idols of imaginary characters is zero.
Idol worship: ploy by priests to cheat & make money
Idol worship is a ploy often used by priests to cheat people. If one has a business, one needs to invest some money and work hard. Then only can one make some profit. However, in the case of priests, all they need to do is to display an idol of a fictitious character and tell false stories. Their business requires no investment and yet huge profits can be made. People are easily befooled and leave various food items, clothes and money in front of the idol to appease the “god”; and, those items are actually used by the priest and his family. Priests use the psychology of fear and superstition to bolster their methods of cheating via idol worship. In addition, the common people are taught to worship idols from their childhood and thus they become habituated to the practice of idol worship.
What is bigger: God or temples?
Parama’tma’ is singular and all pervasive. A direct proof that there is only one God is that everything is working. A gigantic and complex system, the creation can only work if there is one God -- only one final authority. If there were multiple Gods, i.e. multiple final authorities, then immediately the creation would be destroyed.
Idols are kept in temples. Thus, idols are always smaller than temples, yet Parama Purus’a is infinite. Hence, idols can never represent Parama Purus’a. The Infinite cannot be confined in a finite temple.
If one ideates on idols made of crude matter like wood, plastic, metal, etc. then invariably one’s mind will crudify. As one thinks so one becomes. So the approach of idol worship is negative from beginning to end and is pramáda.
No middlemen between God & bhakta
The practice of idol worship gives the scope to middlemen like priests for mediating between the bhakta and his (the priest’s) god. This approach is philosophically wrong as there should not be any middleman between God and His bhaktas.
Many idol worshippers give the logic that idols are the representatives of the eternal infinite God and thereby justify their worship. They say that as we cannot see God, we can worship His representative idol. However, this logic is flawed. How can an idol that is made of crude matter like clay or metal be a representative of the eternal, omniscient, and infinite God? Consider the example of a professor. Suppose the professor is going on leave. Can a mosquito be a representative of the professor? For the sake of argument, even if we assume the mosquito to be the representative of the professor, can the mosquito deliver a lecture to the students? Of course not. Similarly, just by assuming that the idol is a representative of God, the idol does not become one. It is illogical to believe that an idol is the representative of God.
Conclusion
Idol worship is a flawed approach, pramáda, wherein imaginary characters are worshipped in the form of idols. Often, idol worship is used as a ploy by the priests to exploit innocent people using superstition and fear psychology such that the priests become middlemen. Yet, God and His bhakta are linked directly and there is no need of any middleman. Furthermore, idol worship is dangerous because ideating on idols made of crude matter crudifies the mind of the idol worshipper.
At His Lotus Feet,
Bhakti
Longer version of Baba’s teaching
Ananda Marga philosophy says,
“Rúpaḿ rupavivarjjitasya bhavato yaddhyanena kalpitam
Stutyánirvacaniiyatákhilaguro duriikrta yanmaya
Vyapitvyam ca nirakrtam bhagavato yattirtha yatradina
Kśantavyaḿ jagadisho tadvikalatadostarayam matkrtam.”
“The meaning of this shloka is, ‘Oh Parama Puruśa, you cannot be bound within the limitation of forms, yet I have described your various divine forms – this I should not have done. Secondly, I have eulogized you, I have described your virtues; but in fact your virtues are indescribable – I shall never be able to describe them all. That I have tried to do so – this was my audacity. And I know you are omnipresent, that your glory is everywhere, and yet I have glorified specific places of pilgrimage: this is also my great offence. I have knowingly committed these three serious errors due to my mental weakness; oh Parama Puruśa, I beseech your forgiveness.’”
“So we see that the Puráńas are fictional, but they are of immense educational value. Yet what Vyasadeva said while asking for forgiveness is also true: how can the Supreme Entity, who has created so many forms, be confined to a particular finite structure?” (2)
~ In-depth study ~
Ananda Marga philosophy teaches, “In the prehistoric age, before even the Vedic Age started, people used to follow the system of phallic worship. I have mentioned in my book on Ráŕh that in those days there were severe conflicts among the different clans. They were never secure, neither at night nor during the day; so they always wanted to increase their numbers. Thus they worshipped the phallus as the symbol of their earnest desire to multiply. This phallic worship was more or less in vogue in almost all the countries of the world, not just in one particular country. Phallic worship was common in India, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia, and also widely prevalent in Central America – that is, in the southern part of North America and northern part of South America. Some think that this phallic worship was brought to America from India during the Shriishaelendra Empire of Andhra under the Pahlava, Pandya, and Chol Dynasties of South India. The phallus worshippers of Central America belonged to the Mayan civilization; thus America is called Máyádviipa [Mayan Island] in Sanskrit. However, the fact is that those people followed this phallic worship from prehistoric times more as a social custom than as a spiritual or philosophic cult.” (3)
References
1. A Few Problems Solved Part 3, Verse, Mythology, History and Itihása
2. A Few Problems Solved Part 3, Verse, Mythology, History and Itihása
3. Namah Shivaya Shantaya, Shiva Throughout the Ages (Discourse 5)
Life stages & progression
Ananda Marga ideology guides us, "Regarding age, it might be appropriate to say that there are basically four stages in human life. In the first stage, the primary duty of the human being is to receive knowledge and do dharma sadhana. In the second stage, one must fulfill worldly duties and perform dharma sadhana. In the third stage, one must see to any remaining family responsibilities and perform dharma sadhana. Finally, in the fourth stage, when the human body has become incapable of performing worldly duties, one must do dharma sadhana alone. So there are no barriers of age as far as the requirements for a sadhaka are concerned." (1)
Note: Some of the religions preach that one should only spend their later years for contemplative activities and the rest of the life should be spent on worldly affairs. In Ananda Marga, we do not subscribe to such a belief. Sadhana is to be performed from the earliest possible moment and extended through the course of one's entire life. So many other worldly duties and responsibilities will come and go, but throughout life one should be vigilant in the practice of dharma sadhana. Waiting till old age will not do.
Reference
1. Ananda Vacnamrtam-3, The Requirements for Sádhaná
