The one thing that has been always held against Sanatan Dharma, is our practice of idol worship. It has been used to shame us repeatedly and also used to demean us by desecrating the very idol we worship. So, why are we wrong to worship an idol?

My question to those who pose this question to me is, why do we need a mirror? We can get to know how we look by asking the people around us? And I get a blank confused look with a Huh!!!

The very genuine reasons for which we feel the need to hold a mirror to ourselves are satisfaction, validation, confirmation, appreciation and so many other reasons…But most importantly we need to see to believe.

  • Idol presents normal people with the option to visualize their faith, their idea of strength, peace. Thus, the main reason why often the same Bhagwaan ji is prayed in its different forms or idols is that people who put their heart and soul in their Bhagwaan are very different, they see their Bhagwaan ji differently.
  • Idol gives them a single object to focus on and direct their faith and devotion towards, thus helps bring peace to a restless mind.
  • The act of attending, caring, and adorning an idol is the process in which you devote yourself to a single act for a specific period of time every day. In a world, where we often find reasons and excuses not to spend time for oneself, this gives a perfect opportunity to focus on yourself through your dreams, aspirations, and things that bring peace to you.
  • An idol also gives us the opportunity to visualize what our dreams and aspirations, because we as human notice things that we feel drawn to.
  • The act of worshiping a beautiful idol of your beloved Bhagwaan ji, adorned with beautiful dress and jewelry of your choice, served with offerings of flowers, diya, prasad, incense, helps us stay connected to our dreams, aspirations, and faith in self. It also creates a sense of positivity around us, as it creates a beautiful memory and that drives us to make those dreams come true.

So, while the rest of the world may go berserk like a musk deer as mentioned in the lines below –

“Kasturi Kundali mein base, Mrig dhunde ban maahi,

Aise ghati ghati raam hai, duniya dekhe nahi”

As an idol worshipper, I can stay rooted in my thoughts, beliefs that my idol is not a form that I have put my blind faith in, rather it is a representation of me and how I see the worlds both outside and inside me.

Har Har Mahadev!

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