d. Significance of deity/form worship in Hinduism

The religious practices of most Hindus include visiting temples and praying before an image of a deity. To a non-practitioner, this looks exactly like the “graven image” worship that the Christian Bible rejects. The truth is exactly the opposite. Hindus see divinity everywhere and are not required to pray at a temple or to an image. Hindus go to the temple and bow before the life-force that is inside the image.

What separates a living person from his otherwise dead body is the life force. No sane person burns or buries living people, but dead bodies are disposed of by cremation or burial. It’s the life force that matters. It is that life force that Hindus revere. That life force is everywhere in this living Universe. We invite that life force to inhabit the visible form of a statue so that we can see the unseen and pray from our hearts.

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Let’s look at this question in detail.

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It is important to understand that Hindus are not Idol worshipers. They visit temples to worship a deity that is infused with a life force in that Idol. This process of consecrating (by mantras and other Agama rituals) an idol with a life force or Prana is known as Prana Pratishta. Hence it is no longer a mere stone or a statue, but a living entity that possesses a life force, which is thereafter called Vigraha (a manifested form of the Divine). So, Idol is not God, but it is God inside the Idol.

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Examining closely and seeking help from the very source of Hindu scriptures, the Vedas. This is a verse from Chandogya Upanishad from Sama Veda:
Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma – Everything is Brahman

सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत अथ खलु क्रतुमयः पुरुषो
यथाक्रतुरस्मिल्लोके पुरुषो भवति तथेतः प्रेत्य भवति स क्रतुं कुर्वीतः| 3-114-1
From Him do all things originate, into Him do they dissolve and by Him are they sustained. In other words, everything is Brahman. On Him should one meditate in tranquillity. For as is one’s faith, such indeed one is; and as is one’s faith in this world, such one becomes on departing hence. Let one, therefore, cultivate faith.

This means God is present everywhere, in You, in Me, and in all human beings including your worst enemy. Not only is He present in humans, but He is also present in all animals, even in the smallest of the smallest beings. He is even present in a stone.

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Let’s look at other references in the Vedas. These are the mantras from the Sri Rudram 9th Anuvaka
Nama ireenyaya cha prapadhyaya cha (Sri Rudram 9.1.1)
Nama kimsilaaya cha kshyanaaya cha (Sri Rudram 9.1.2)

This mantra states that the Lord is present even in small, small stones. It’s very evident from the scriptures that God is present everywhere both in living/non-living and visible/invisible objects.

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Then the question arises, why do we dedicate a place such as an Altar at home or a temple to worship the deity? The process of connecting with the Divine is filled with subtle descriptions to contemplate the object of worship. The Hymns and verses are capsuled with subtle details. They are not just words/statements that are uttered or chanted mechanically. Its benefit is fully attained when the same worship is done with the awareness of its intended purpose. For instance, deity worship is typically a four step process. After entering the sanctum, the devotee stands near the deity and performs:

1. Dhyana (meditate upon the God in your heart),
2. Avāhana (Invoke the object of meditation into the Vigraha in front of you),
3. Samarpana (present your offerings to the Deity) and
4. Udvāsana (Bringing the object of meditation back to your heart)
   You can now appreciate the meaning of Vigraha, as a mediating vehicle through which the divine within, becomes real to the worshipper for Worship.

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Now, let us move on to some misconceptions in this form of worship. Vedic hymns and verses can easily be misunderstood without the guidance of a bonafide Guru. For instance, this verse is from the Yajurveda
न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति यस्य नाम महद्यशः । हिरण्यगर्भ इ्त्येष मा मा हिंसीदित्येषा यस्मान्न जात इत्येषः ॥
na tasya pratimA asti yasya nAma mahadyashah | hiraNyagarbha ityeSha mA mA himsI ditye ShA yasmA nna jAta ityeShah || 32.3

The word ‘pratima’ in this verse can easily be mistaken for the word ‘Idol’ , but there are two words here ‘prati’ & ‘ma’. ‘prati’ means ‘like’ and ‘ma’ is the ‘negation’, which means no comparison. In this verse, the usage of pratima is to describe that, ‘there is no comparison of Him, whose name is Great Glory’.

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Let’s hope this clears most of the common questions and the philosophical background for Vigrahārādana (Deity Worship).
Visual presentation of the above text: https://youtu.be/G08lWGw-cKs

Other reading material: Idol-Worshipper: Who Is And Who Is Not?,
Relevant videos: Dharma Speaks, Significance of forms and temples (String),

Contributor: Dharmi Sarkar