Contents
Radha’s Prem -Swami Sivananda
Scene 3
Act 1
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Murkha Raj: True, Swamiji. Man’s constitution is such, that every thought of his contains some imagery. Without it, the word or the thought is empty and meaningless. Jnana Dev: Therefore, you see there is no harm in worshipping an image of God, so long as man has not out-grown his idea of body and this sort of worship is present in every religion in some form or other. Isn’t it now clear to you how similar this is to the “worship” of your currency note? Not only that. Take the flag. It is after all a piece of cloth. But when certain symbols are superimposed on this piece of cloth, it rises greatly in the esteem of the platoon; every soldier is prepared to give up his life for the sake of the flag! Similarly, the image is very dear to a devotee. It actually speaks to him in its own language of devotion. Just as the flag arouses martial valour in the devotee. The Lord is superimposed on the image. All worshippers, however intellectual they may be, generate a form in the mind—a mental image which is also a form of idol. Hinduism leads the aspirant gradually from material images to mental images and from the diverse mental images to the one Personal God and from the Personal God to the Impersonal Absolute or Transcendental Nirguna Brahman. When you worship an image you do not say “This image has come from Jaipur. It was brought by Prabhu Singh. Its weight is 50 lbs. It is made of white marble. It cost me Rs. 500/-” You superimpose all the attributes of the Lord on the image and pray “O Antaryamin (Inner Ruler). You are all-pervading. You are Omnipotent, Omniscient, all-merciful. You are the source of everything. You are Self-existent. You are Satchidananda. You are eternal, unchanging. You are the life of my life, soul of my soul. Give me light and knowledge. Let me dwell in Thee for ever.” When your devotion and meditation become intense and deep, you do not see the stone image. You behold the Lord only, who is Chaitanya! This is the Bhakti Marga which is but a training ground for Jnana. |
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