Deity form of the Lord

[Guest guest]

When we see the deity form of the Lord, it is an offense to think that its just a statue, although unknowingly and knowingly I've committed this offense. Now, the Lord is in control of everything, He has made the trees, the material elements, the grass, He is the sunshine, the moonshine and everything in existence. So, whenever I look at and pray to the deity form of the Lord, can I think of all these wonderful things and the power of God, and pray to God like that? What do you think of when you see the deity form of the Lord?

 

Thank you

[Guest guest]

Presence of Deity is there in any temple or some even keep the Deity at home. But by focussing our mind on the Deity thinking that the Deity is Lord Himself, Lord's Power actually resides in the Deity. This is why we go to Pilgrimages where Lord is present in Deity form as Statue that has been worshipped by millions and millions. Its the focus of mind of these millions of people's belief and worship in the form of Abishekam with different content ranging from water, sandalwood, Ash, medicinal herbal essences, honey, milk, fruits, actually makes the Statue God Himself in the Garba Graha especially, which is externally a statue in our physical eyes. Thats why the statues in Garba Graha is not allowed for everyone to touch since its sacred and installed in a particula vedic traditional way in the Hindu temples followed by Kumbabishekam.

 

There is a saying..If you see the statue as just statue, you will feel nothing, but if you feel the statue as God, then you actually see, feel and realise God. So its in our eyes of mind. But dont break your head, if you happen to view the Deity as statue...your mind will anyway think that there is God. While for people in India, looking at a main Deity in temple as God is easier, since we are brought up in that thoughts itself from our young age, we feel the Power of God Himself in every temple. The same is not easy for a westerner who is not brought up in that tradition.

So dont worry...You are fine...

There are good number of atheistic followers in India who have thrown stones on the temple Deities and later have become total theists. But these people have invariably faced lots of bad things in life also after which they realised God. Since you are not atheistic, dont worry.

R

[Guest guest]

Actually, I was a theist before. Then I became an atheist after learning materialistic higher education. Then again now, I am trying to become a theist. It is very hard right now to become a theist after thinking that I wanted to forget God, I never thought whether it would affect my life in the future.

[Raghavan]

I can understand how you are speculating with God based on your scientific understandings. I am a scientist by profession and although I am doing medical science, I always connected everything with Lord. I did have some doubts on how is it possible to have rebirth which we dont know. But again fortunately I never lost my total faith on Lord anytime. Then I read Baghwat Gita several times and realised that God cannnot be understood by our mental speculation.

This is what I explain as follows to whoever, when someone questions my faith.

 

We as humans have six senses with which we do many things that the animals and birds cannot do with their 5 or lesser senses. They only remain as low servants to us, howmuch ever they are ferocious or intelligent among their crowd. There are many dogs, dolphins, guellillas, monkeys, elephants, cats etc that are well trained to amazing extent. But at the same time, it is never possible for any of these animals say eg a dog can never understand how we humans build our house or build a car or track hurricanes, howmuch ever the dog lives with the master for 24 hours also, neither a dolphin can ever understand how we humans live on land if it tries to speculate its mind. Because their senses are limited in their capacity. IN the same way our six senses are still limited in the capacity to fully realise God with our available senses and start speculating how this is possible, how that is possible etc etc., with our knowledge on science we know. The science what we are doing is just the minutest portion of that Supreme Parabrahman Himself who is manifested in everything. Yet this science is not sufficient to see Him with our visual eyes or understand HIM with our speculative mind. This is like a dog trying to understand its master's intelligence.

Fortunately being born as humans with six senses, we can realise God with our total faith and devotional service accepting what Baghwan speaks in Gita. We have to accept what Baghwan says, because He is the controller and He is the master for all of us and so there is no point in speculating our mind as How the soul transcends from one body to another or how a stone is having the power to control or how miracles happen when a sincere devotee cry for help like how Draupathi was saved by Sree Krishna's Mercy when She totally surrendered to Him calling Him when she was insulted. It is quite possible and I have experienced Lord's miracles personally when I totally started beleiving His words, putting an end to my speculation based on science.

Lord is far away from our science, and thats why we are His eternal servants to serve Him to reach Him, like our dogs and cats or birds in our house or circuses obey us and follow the master who is having more sense than the animal.

 

This is not blind faith, but accepting the truth as truth, because that Supreme Lord is Truth and whatever He speaks is truth that has to be taken as He has spoken and not speculating with our little brain's science.

 

Raghavan

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks, I will have to do some self exploration, thanks again for your help.