No idolatry in vedas western indologists dr vivek arya swami dayanand was first scholar in modern times to proclaim that idolatry or worship of god in forms of idols is not sanctioned in the holy vedas. What vedas and shrimad bhagwad geeta have taught about idol worship. You may worship god and offer your prayers with or without an idol. Image worship is also practiced in buddhism and jainism. People who do not believe in god find excuses to find fault with the worship of god through idols and appear to be more loyal than the religious, by propagating the argument that god is formless and so should not be worshipped through idols. The hindu pundits and scholars agree that the vedas and other hindu religious scriptures prohibit idol worship, but initially because the mind may not be matured, an idol is required for. All,who worship idol with full of love and devotion to god, are more likely to understand fact that god is not only in that idol, but also he is with me and he is with everyone. When the universe is brahma hence, called brahmand, why not a stone is brahma or shiva. It is something difficult to comprehend for atheists, who do not believe in the existence of god. All the four vedas say to worship almightythe formless god. Thus according to the vedas god neither has any image nor god resides in any particular idol or statue. This much i can say that idol workship is not present everywhere in the vedas.
Be a proud and staunch hindu never be afraid if someone calls you a communal, whoever say s so, is the pseudosecular or a. It is a summary study of the sri caitanyacaritamrta and contains the life and teachings of lord sri caitanya mahaprabhu who appeared in west bengal around five hundred years ago and who is lord krishna himself appearing in the mood of a. The primary sect of hinduism which rejects idol worship is the reformist sect arya samaj, founded by swami dayananda saraswati. This book by jayaram v presents a thorough and scholarly understanding of the basic and essential aspects of hinduism from both historical and theological perspectives. A simple guide to temples and idol worship asrk haven. Assalam alaikum, this is yaseen ahmed i am a software engineer by profession. Hindus do worship idols, but so do christians, jews and even muslims. Idol worship is not actually worshippit the idol, the idol is a projection of a symbolism onto a background. In worship that incorporeal creator of vedas in the form of image of veda, i imagine him in human form for worshipping. The teachings of lord caitanya is one of srila prabhupadas most important books. Vedas are books of knowledge not hindu religious texts. The help of an idol is sought by the hindu to make it more simplified.
In fact, the vedic period when the four vedas were written, had no concept of idol worship. Vedas speak of one god that is the supreme self in i. As far as i am concerened hinduism has not one book but many books and just by going through one line and spreading a rumor that idol worship is banned in hindusim doesnt suit. In abrahamic religions, namely christianity, islam and judaism, idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than god as if it were god. Otherwise, the pancharatra texts are the earliest ones to talk about idol worship in. Atman or soul, but hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million gods. This method is possible to only those who have a lot of meditation practice, and those people are mostly be saints or rushi. Dayananda presents several arguments against idol worship in his book the satyarth prakash the light of truth, but here are two of them 1 he argues that it insults the omnipresence of god to worship him in a localized form, and that any. Another major common ground for hinduism as well as abrahamic religions is that even pagan idol worship which abrahamic religions condemn was never mentioned in the vedas or upanishads. All those who do idol worship, all those who worship demigods are materialistic people. It examines its antiquity, definition, significance, scriptures, main beliefs, methods of worship, gods and goddesses and way of life. The practice dates back to the indus valley period 5000 bc. So if you read the scriptures, and if we know the difference of apostrophe s.
The book of manu was a book originated in india in and around 9 th century a. The concept of rita found in the rig veda samhita deals with the order of the universe, sacrifice and humanity. Vivekanandas explanation on idol worship and many gods theory of hinduism. Vedas speaks of one god that is the supreme self in i. Interestingly the ancient books of hindus crititicize idol worship. Idol worship sin or science by shri krishna shrimad. Preference is given to manasika pooja which means a person who wish to worship any god, need to assume gods image in his mind and concentrate on that god and worship in his mind manasika. The real science behind hinduism concept and practices. What is the difference between the ideology of islam, and the ideology of hinduism. No idolatry in vedas western indologists vedicvoice. Religion is an abstract concept, which often gets oversimplified in order to make everyone understand.
Following are some references from bhagavat gita, yajur veda, rig veda and a few upanishads that forbid worshiping idols and images of god. Here is an excerpt from the book the hindu temple, vol. Is it true, idol worshiping prohibited in hinduism. Tasya na partima asti god cannot be represented by an idol i come from a branch of hinduism which does not worship idols.
And also pass positive energy and vibrations among community. The oldest texts are the rig veda, yajur veda, sama veda, and the atharva veda. Vivekanandas explanation on idol worship and many gods. The vedas absolutely nowhere say that idolworship is prohibited. Idols or temples or churches or books are only the supports, the helps, of his spiritual childhood.
Hindus do idol worship which is condemned in abrahamic religious books like the holy quran, the holy bible and the holy torah. If you strictly go through all the four vedas no where the idol worship concept is mentioned. Why do you still worship idols representatives of god almighty while you say that you follow vedas and scripts of hinduism. Although many reformers in past like adi shankracharya, guru basava, guru nanak, sant kabir, dadu, raja ram mohan roy. Even if idolatry and avatar are not mentioned in vedas, still the idea of avatar came from vedas and vedas have their own literature from vishnu to vaman. So long as you think it is an idol you have not got it. Idols can be made of any material, with or without any shape. Hence apart from following vedas, vedas are practiced by performing idol worship. Veda rishigalu veda rishigalu the four primary vedas the vedic literature is composed of many books. Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. It is also incomprehensible for followers of religions which prohibit idol worship. Vedas are the sacred texts of hinduism which were transmitted orally from one generation to another in a very systematic manner. Symbolism behind shiva linga in hinduism and its relationship to.
From vedas prohibition of idol worship in yajurveda there is no image of him. They sure did yagnas sacrificial rituals to appease the forces of nature like sun, fire, wind, rain etc. Indeed, most hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple gods. Idol worshiping is not prohibited in vedas, but considered as least kind of worshiping. In fact, till about 2000 years ago followers of vedism never worshipped idols. Idol worship is neither mandatory nor prohibited in hinduism. My question is the hindu pandits and scholars, agree that the vedas, and other hindu religious scriptures prohibit idol worship, but initially because the mind may not be matured, therefore an idol is required for concentration while worshipping.
Full agni suktam rig veda book 1 hymn 1 devanagari. While every religion has a corresponding holy book, the uniqueness of vedas is that they were meant to be memorized and verbalized and were initially never written down. Nothing is existed in this universe, without the brahma, stones and idols have the same composition, what the brahmand has. To those who are not familiar with it, image worship is the practice of ritually worshipping god or hindu divinities in image form.
An introduction the following are some references from hindu scriptures. Why idol worship or image worship is justified in hinduism. Idols also provide a focal point to focus and build strength in penial gland that resides between ones eyes. Was he not a idol worshiper when he was respecting the photos of his parents. Many people have misunderstood the concept of idol worship and have continued to offer prayers till end. Agniveer is greatest champion of idolworship till the mindset that says. Hinduism is known for image worship or idol worship murthi puja.
If one takes up only one statement and tries to define everything else as per it, then he will only. Why are so many hindus unaware of the concept of nirguna brahman as mentioned. Idol worship is perhaps the greatest falsehood of hinduism. But the scriptures that talk about the process of idol worship, temples, etc. It is said in the muktikopanishad that these four vedas had 21, 109, and 50 branches respectively, with over 100,000 verses. Vedas do recognize that some individuals in society would worship god, who is formless and ineffable, for whom no idols or material image can do justice. In fact, it is impossible to conceive of god without some form of idol, for idol worship is the way of religion. The concept of god in hinduism is unparalled in this world that everything is god and god is everything. The following are only few references, you may find many more once you go through it.
The almighty enlightened vedas in four rishis rigveda in agni rishi god of fire. Are you aware of the fact that idol worship is prohibited in the vedas. Hinduism idols for concentration but vedas against idol. Yes there are many books and saints that criticize idolworship. Vedas are the sacred and holiest scriptures of hindu sanatan dharma religion and vedas prohibits idol worship.
Let us examine the concept of god in these major religions in light of their respective scriptures and. In the vedas it is mentioned that vedas and puranas first originated from the lord making the puranas the earliest reference containing idol worship. When simple piece of painted paper invokes so much love and respect, idol consecreted with due pratishhta should invoke reverse to that great lord that is symbolized in that idol. The vedas also are thoroughly opposed to idol worship, but what you have seen in hindu temples is not idol worship but rather deity worship. Atman or soul but hinduism indulges in worshiping 60 million gods. Majority of nonarabic muslims have no understanding of arabic, but they still. My fathers book, vedic metaphsics, repeatedly cautions against idol worship, but adds.
An idol in religion is a physical object placed in veneration to represent a higher power called god. The idol helps mankind to focus and pray to attain worldly and spiritual desires. The brother has asked the question, that the hindu pandits and scholars they agree that the vedas is against idol worship, against making an image of almighty god but they give the logic that initially, because the mind is not matured, you require idol to concentrate. Idol worship is perhaps the greatest falsehood of this great religion of hinduism. The main object of worship is to focus thoughts and channelize them in the direction of the deity and his attributes. All those who worship demi gods, all those do idol worship.
Idol worship murthi puja or image worship in hinduism refers to the worship of the names and forms murti of god, any divinity or reverential person such as a guru or a saint. The development of brahmanism and antiquity of idol worship. Concept of god in hinduism,christianity and in islam. In hinduism there are many words to describe the nature of god, and we will refer to them as the need arises, but in this regard, the most. Some people scoff at the idea of idol worship as an act of superstition. As i am the student of bible, vedas, and quran and i am a muslim the notes which i have written down is some thing which i have studied and something is source from internet. The are enter darkness those who worship natural things, they sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti. It is very easy to understand how deity worship may at first appear as idol worship to a person who is unfamiliar with the principle behind this important devotional process. God is formless, but gods aspectsideals that are known, are symbolised in pictorical form, so that a person can meditatecontemplate.
The passages about idol worship that have been quoted at the beginning are from an article titled superstition and indians by n. Dayananda saraswatis creations, the arya samaj, condemned practices of several different religions and communities, including such practices as idol worship, animal sacrifice, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the castes, child marriages, meat eating and discrimination against women. When one spiritually progresses, the shape of idol vanishes and what remains, is your spiritually lifted status without worldly attachments, from where you start really knowing about one god or param aatma. This is much like almost all other religions have done, and in my view does not constitute idol worship since it is just a psychological mechanism of helping to remember one of myriad concepts that are presented in the vedas and the upanisads. Is there any holy book in hinduism where idol worship is. It is the qualities that are worshiped by the hindu. This is why we find in our holy book, the koran, both scholastic.
Why do you worship idols when vedas and scriptures of. Stone and idol are the parts of brhamand and vedas say. I would ask our hindu brothers please refrain from such rumours better read all the vedas upanishads before believing in one sentence. Idolatry is the worship of an idol or cult image, being a physical image, such as a statue, or a person in place of god.
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