How does Hinduism justify idol worship when Christianity and Islam forbid it? || Acharya Prashant
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”
~ John 13:16
Question: The Abrahamic religions, all of them, are against idol worship. Not only Christianity, but also Islam, Judaism. But in Hinduism, there is a lot of idol worship. How to reconcile them? And whether or not, they can be reconciled?
Acharya Prashant(AP): What is the sutra (verse) for tonight? What does it read? Read it aloud please.
Questioner: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.” ~John 13:16.
AP: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”
This establishes one relationship between the center and the expression of the center. What is that relationship?
That the One that you are seeing, is the servant of the One who has sent him. That this world is not really separate from the Lord. It is related in the same way as a servant is related to the world.
Are you getting it?
That it has not just come, from somewhere.
Jesus is saying that this has been sent by Truth itself. What Jesus is saying here, is so very in tune with the opening lines of the the Kena Upanishad . The Kena Upanishad begins by asking: “By whom is the mind sent? What is behind the ears? What is behind the eyes?”
Jesus is answering it. He is saying: “The world is a servant sent by the Lord, the Master, the Truth.” Now, if you really are surrendered to the Lord, then an expression of the Surrender is, that you worship even the servant of the Lord.
India has worshiped the creation, as very intimate to the creator. So intimate, that they cannot even be differentiated.
All that Jesus is saying is: “Do not worship anybody, except the Lord. Do not worship anybody, except the Truth.”
Hinduism has said: “All of this comes from the Truth. So where do I go to worship the Truth? And having realised that all of this is sent by the Truth, I will worship all of it, without distinction. I will worship the tree, the animal, the stone, the leaf, the dung, the mountain, the air, the water, the hurricane, the man, the woman, the child, the old one.”
Without exception, India has worshiped everything, because everything is coming from ‘there’, the Truth – just as you keep to your heart a letter that has been sent by the beloved, don’t you? What do you do with a letter that has been kissed and sent to you by the beloved? What do you do to it? You keep it here, close to the heart. You don’t throw it away.
Hinduism sees this world, the entire world, with all it’s diversity, as a letter from the Beloved. Now the Beloved can’t be kissed, so the Hindu kisses the stone. The Beloved can’t be kissed, so the Hindu kisses the river.
That does not mean that Hinduism believes in many gods. Of course, the Truth is not even one, let alone many; the Truth is a great void. But it manifests itself variously. And all aspects of the manifestation are divine. They have been worshiped.
(The questioner had especially flown from Europe, to seek answers related to God, Truth, Peace.
His curiosity coincidentally connected him to Acharya Prashant. He was firstly, connected to AP, through the YouTube videos, and then he finally got a chance to attend his Satsang, during the Myth demolition Tour, organised in Rishikesh, in the year 2016).
Questioner: But the Bible says that do not worship a particular statue, do not worship idols.
AP: Now pay attention.
If you make, ‘a particular’ statue, then it is idol worship. But what if you say that all statues are statues of God? Would you still call it as ‘idol worship’?
When the Bible says, “Do not worship idols,” it is assuming that you will make one particular statue. But what if you say that all forms – a statue is a form – what if you say, that all forms are the forms of the formless?
If you worship one particular form, of course you are taking just one idol, and sticking to it. And that is false. But what if all forms, the form itself, the universe itself, reminds you of That?
What would be the quality of that mind, that looks at the river, and is reminded of the the great void? What would be the quality of that mind, which looks at a child, which looks at a nude woman, and is reminded of nothing, but the Truth?
All forms, and any form.
That is what the Hinduism talks about.
Listener 1: So, when Shri Ramchandra ji, was going to Lanka for getting his wife, Sita ji, back, I have read, that he did make a statue of Shiva and prayed for his blessings. What my friend here said about Bible being against idol worship, may be true, because I think the God of Bible is a jealous God. He does not want anyone else being worshiped.
AP: If your wife gets attracted to one man, then you can be jealous. But would you be jealous if your wife is attracted to the entire male population of the world?
(laughter)
Listener 1: There is nothing wrong now.
AP: It is not about anything being wrong now; now the happening is divine. When you worship one idol, that is called ‘idolatry’. Those who had condemned idol worship, had not realised a situation where everything would be idolized. Had they known this situation, they would have said, “Idol worship is divine.”
To take one body as divine, is ‘idol worship’. That is why thinking of Jesus as a body, as a son of God, is ‘idol worship’. Now you are taking one body as divine. But when all bodies are divine, that is not ‘idol worship’. Now it is something else. It is beyond the realm of mind, because you are not even putting any conditions. Now you cannot condemn it.
Your wife is in a loving relationship with the entire population of the world. How will you condemn it? Her love is universal – no limits, no boundaries; all is lovable. Now you cannot condemn. Now you will not call it ‘idolatry’, or ‘adultery’.
No more.
Getting attached to certain forms, is indeed condemnable. But seeing the divine in every form, is another matter.
When idol worship is condemned, it is rightly condemned, because ‘idol worship’ means, giving one form, the position of God. ‘Idol worship’ means – this woman is so important. She is the idol. ‘Idol worship’ means – a man, a woman, a thought, a concept, something has become very important to me. So important, that I am worshiping it.
Now, this is heresy. Instead of worshiping the one God, you are worshiping something limited. Instead of worshiping the limitless, you are worshiping the limited, which would cause suffering to you. So, rightly idol worship is condemned.
But when, everything is worth worshiping, then you can no more call it ‘idol worship’.
Listener 2: This makes beautiful sense.
Listener 3: What happens when we start worshiping ourselves, the ego? What happens when we place the ego, the limited, as God?
AP: What does it mean to worship everything, given that what is outside, is the inside. Right? We have repeatedly said that – the external is the internal. And now we are saying that everything carries the imprint of the divine. So Hindus have worshiped everything. Does that mean that Hindus have worshiped ego?
Please understand.
When you are talking of every thing, what does it mean to see the presence of the divine, in every thing? Remember that the external, is the internal. It means – even when you are looking at multiple things, yet you are centered in ‘nothing’.
You might be looking at diversity, yet there is no diversity in the mind. ‘Diversity’ means parts. You might be looking at many things, yet there are not many things ‘here’ (the mind). There is nothing here – no parts, no presence; pure emptiness.
When there is pure emptiness ‘here’ (the mind), then whatever is visible outside, is also empty. That is what is meant by – seeing the divine in everything.
When there is Shiva ‘here'(the heart), then there is Shiva in that pole as well. But when there is ego ‘here’, then there is ego even in a pole.
To see God everywhere, there must be first of all, God in the heart. When God is in the heart, then your eyes open only to see God everywhere. And when God is not in the heart, remember, you cannot see God anywhere. Then, you will not see God even in the Prophet of God, even in the Son of God, the Messenger of God.
So, if someone says, “No, no, I do not see godliness anywhere, but that fellow, that special one, is the messenger of God,” then he is lying. If you cannot see godliness anywhere, how did you see it in one particular form?
Those who will see godliness, will see godliness, unconditionally. And those who will not see it, will not see it anywhere. Even if the very son of God is standing in front of them, they will not see godliness.
*When you are not seeing godliness in the bird, in the puppy, in the stone, in the air, in water, how will you see godliness in the face of Christ?* *Because you are the seer.* When the center is godly, then everything around you is godly. And when the center is not godly, then you can only crucify Christ.
