Answer: Sri Ramakrishna says that God is with form, without form and beyond form. As you know our ordinary mind can conceive only finite things. Even infinity is conceived as one without finiteness. So one uses the form to go beyond the form.
Swami Vivekananda once during his wanderings had to make a king understand the same topic of idolatry. He asks the ministers to take down the photo of the king and spit on it. The whole assembly was horrified. Then Swamiji says “why this is just a piece of paper. Since this brings to your mind the king, you respect and worship.” Similarly Hindus worship images. It is not idolatry. Take for example a devout Muslim going to Mekka, going round the rock and kissing it or bow down in a Darga or a Masjid facing the west. Why does he do it? Because, it brings him the memory of Allah.
As per the Hindu philosophy, Purusha the masculine aspect is the potential energy and Prakriti is like kinetic energy. In any action i.e. the creation, preservation and destruction of the world, both aspects come, female aspect as the counterpart of the male.
Different religions are different paths leading towards the same goal God or Allah or whatever you may call. Again Sri Ramakrishna says it is the same water but people calls it differently as water,Aqua,Pani,Jal etc.
All religions are true and same in essence. But the followers quarrel about the certain traditions and practices, doctrines & dogmas, which are secondary details. I shall conclude this with Swamiji’s statement.
Each Soul is potentially divine.
The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature, external and internal.
Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control or worship or philosophy – by one or more, or all of these and be free. This is the work of religion.
Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.
Question: Thanks for clarifying my doubt. Actually, Holy Gita and Swami Vivekananda’s complete works only inspired me to read all other religious scriptures like Holy Quran, Holy Bible, Dammapada of Buddhism and many Sufi mystics, scriptures and made me to come out from a particular name and form. I was regularly visiting Sri Venkateswara temple till 7 years before either due to fear or due to some desires to get fulfilled etc. 6 years before, when I had last Darshan in front of that deity, I was having Swami Vivekananda’s book in my hand and meditated on that deity mentally that in future, I don’t want to see you in this form only and get caught up. Your form is Universal which is the un-manifest and manifested form of entire universe, human beings and creatures and came out of that temple. Afterwards, I started practicing Advaitic meditation regularly 3 times a day and self-control and mental discipline. My mother use to say, ‘Since you stopped going to Venkateswara temple something will happen etc., ‘I told my mother,’ nothing will happen. I catch hold of the Master. Even if anything happens, that is not due to what you say. Last month when I talked to my mother, I told,’ anything happened”. She said,” No’. I told her,’ many things will happen in one’s life. If the mind becomes weak, you will try to connect that happening with my not going to that temple.’
By God’s Grace, I am blessed with nearly 80 years old father, 75 years old mother, Spiritual partner who is working as a voluntary teacher in a blind school at Hyderabad, well mannered and disciplined son who had completed his engineering and daughter who had completed her 12th std.
Answer: Glad to you get and note the contents of your e-mail of 20th
May God speed to you and lead you from known to the unknown.
With my prayers to the Divine Supreme and best wishes.