As promised, Changez like, here is the significance of Hindus Worshipping idols.
Pukka Desi and others:
** Why is there so many Hindu Gods? **
Once upon a time, someone set out to count Hindu idols (that are worshipped) and it seems came upto 3.3 millioon. How he came to that figure is unknown!
To understand the world of hindu gods, we need to be sure that we are in the same plane in our definition of Gods. In Christianity, God is a person who has feelings, who can love or sometimes get angry. In Islam, (I should be very careful here) it is an entity that is merciful and loving and at the same time, will punish some sinners. In Islamic or Christian beliffs, god loves humans, has given us a code of conduct and expects humans to follow it. ** In essence, in Islam and Christianity, God has properties and can possibly demonstrate some behaviour.**
In Hindu belief, God is absolute consciousness, the primordial, non-dual reality. It is abstract, contained in itself, has no properties or behaviour, and is unperceivable to human sensory organs. God is not the Creator as well, and does not control anything nor expect humans to stick to any code or behaviour. *“It is subject, and not object, and consequently cannot be an object of cult or worship *”[1]
It is because of this, you will never see any temples for this supreme consciousness (also referred as Brahmn).
Consciousness can be explained to be as *“The ability to have subjective experience. The ability of a being, animal, or entity to have self-perception and self-awareness. The ability to feel (visualize, imagine and experience)” *[2]. There is no parallel to this Hindu concept of god in Western or other religions and hence a comparison is impossible and ineffective.
As this absolute consciousness remains inaccesible to human comprehension, Hindus associate certain features of this indescribable entity as god(s). A quick example - As knowledge (knowledge of Supreme reality) cannot be visualised, anything that gives knowledge is sacred in Hinduism - as it can potentially open the door of self-realization and supreme enlightenment. Books, paper, computers, calculators are all sacred, to name a few. At the same time, nothing is blasphemic. A true Hindu will not be offended when the book of Gita is burnt by somebody. I am digressing here!
Thus, this concept of Hindu god has nothing to do with Islamic concept of God nor any Christian belief - and comparisons are almost always misleading. Hinduism has never been mono-theistic, nor polytheistic. It has exhibited the charcterisitcs of these at the same time and at times it is even pantheistic.
Thus, this absolute ‘God’ without properties, contained in itself, cannot be comprehended. Hindus however belive that one must always turn towards God’s ‘reflections’ in our relative plane. Thus came idols. (And truly, these need not be restricted to idols). It can be pictures, tools and equipments, even symbolic entities, anything you see, hear, smell, speak, feel or imagine. Hinduism is truly undogmatic. There is nothing that is wrong!
And these Hindu gods are not in competition with one another. Any releftion you choose as ‘ista devatha’ (reflection of personal choice) is equal to any other. That is why, it seems to outsiders, that Hinduism is Polytheistic.
Thus it is ok to associate ourselves with any of these reflections of brahm and show your feelings (even anger has been used by some scholars) towards these, so that you can try and communicate/comprehend the Brahm. In true Hinduism, there is no heaven, like Islam or Christianity. The fruits of virtuous life is described as “Enlightenment”. Enlightenment on the concept is god!
Got any more questions, feel free to shoot!
**[1]**Herbert Ellinger, “The basics of hindusim”, page 10, SCM Press Ltd., PA, 1995.
**[2]**Stuart Hameroff , “Consciousness Connects Our Brains to the Fundamental Level of the universe”,http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=/articles/art0183.html
[This message has been edited by kumarakn (edited June 17, 2001).]