During his
wandering days, Swami Vivekananda visited Ajmer where he happened to meet the
local Raja, Mangal Singh. While the
court was in progress, the Raja smilingly asked Swamiji, 'Well, I have no faith
in idol worship. What is going to be my
fate?'
Swamiji
replied, 'Surely you are joking'.
‘No, Swamiji,
not at all. You see, I really cannot
worship wood, earth, stone or metal, like other people. Does this mean that I shall fare worse in the
life thereafter?’
While he was
preparing to answer, Swamiji spotted a picture of the Maharaja on the
wall.
He asked for it and holding it, he
asked, 'Whose picture is this?'
The
Dewan answered, ‘It is the likeness of our Maharaja'.
'Spit on it.’ Commanded Swamiji. ‘Any one of you may spit on it. What is it but a piece of paper? What objection
can you have against doing so?’
Everyone stood dumbstruck.
When Swamiji
insisted, the Dewan cried out, ‘What, Swamiji! What are you asking me to do?
This is the likeness of our Maharaja! How can I do such a thing?’
Turning to the
king, Swamiji continued, “See, Your Highness, thus it also is with the devotees
who worship stone and metal images of gods and goddesses. It is because an image brings to their minds their
Ishta, or some special form and attributes of the Divinity, and helps them to
concentrate, that the devotees worship God in an image. They do not worship the
stone or the metal as such. I have traveled in many places, but nowhere have I found a single Hindu worshiping
an image, saying, 'O Stone, I worship Thee.
O Metal, be merciful to me.' Everyone, Maharaja, is worshiping the same
one God who is the Supreme Spirit, the Soul of Pure Knowledge. And God appears to all according to their
understanding and their representation of Him."
(from
“Vedanta Kesari- May 2012”)
No comments:
Post a Comment