HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS : 30-9.2.

-


30. Philosophy of Idol Worship -9.2.

9. When Idols Become Alive-2.

Kanaka Das was a great devotee of Lord Krishna in Udipi, in the district of South Kanara, in South India.

He was not allowed to enter the temple on account of his low birth.

Kanaka Das went round the temple and saw a small window at the back of the temple.

He seated himself in front of the window.

He was soon lost in singing songs in praise of Lord Krishna.

Many people gathered round him.

They were very powerfully attracted by the sweet melody of his music and the depth of his devotion.

Lord Krishna turned round to enable Kanaka Das to get His Darshan.

The priests were struck with wonder.

Even today, pilgrims are shown the window and the place where Kanaka Das sat and sang.


    The idol is the same as the Lord, for it is the vehicle of the expression of the Mantra-consciousness which is the Deity.

The devotee should regard the idol in the temple with the same attitude of respect and reverence that he would evince should the Lord Himself appear before him in person and speak to him in articulate sound.

Next : 10. Vedanta and Idol Worship

Swami Sivananda
 To be continued  ....


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Speech by Swami Vivekananda - Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, February 1, 1900) :

-
Image
The Mahabharata -  Speech by Swami Vivekananda - Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, February 1, 1900)   The other epic about which I am going to speak to you this evening, is called the Mahâbhârata. It contains the story of a race descended from King Bharata, who was the son of Dushyanta and Shakuntalâ. Mahâ means great, and Bhârata means the descendants of Bharata, from whom India has derived its name, Bhârata. Mahabharata means Great India, or the story of the great descendants of Bharata. The scene of this epic is the ancient kingdom of the Kurus, and the story is based on the great war which took place between the Kurus and the Panchâlas. So the region of the quarrel is not very big. This epic is the most popular one in India; and it exercises the same authority in India as Homer's poems did over the Greeks. As ages went on, more and more matter was added to it, until it has become a huge book of about a hundred thousand couplets. All sorts of
Read more

"Ratha kalpana"

-
Image
1. We have the famous immortal metaphor of the chariot explaining the Atma and the Body.       2. In the chariot sits the Sarathi ( driver), and the Yodha ( warrior).       3. In the body stays the Paramatma, the Self and the Jeevatma, the Ego and the entire technique of the Adhyatma Yoga is explained.     4. Here the Ratham ( chariot) represents our body,       5. Five horses are our five sense-organs ( Panchendriya),     6. Lagan ( kadjnan/saddles) of the horses is our Buddhi(intelligence),     7.  The Sarathi is our Mind,     8. Yodha is our Atma.
Read more

All About Bharatiya Sanatana Dharmam otherwise known as Hinduism : 2.1.5

-
Image
CHAPTER 2. HINDU SCRIPTURES : 1.5     1.The Scriptures : 5 5. The Ramayana The Ramayana, the Adi-Kavya or the first epic poem, relates the story of Sri Rama, the ideal man. It is the history of the family of the solar race descended from Ikshvaku, in which was born Sri Ramachandra, the Avatara of Lord Vishnu, and his three brothers. The ideal characters like Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata and Sri Hanuman that we find in Ramayana firmly establish Hindu Dharma in our minds. The story of the birth of Rama and his brothers, their education and marriages, the exile of Sri Rama, the carrying off and recovery of Sita, his wife, the destruction of Ravana, the Rakshasa King of Lanka, and the reign of Sri Rama, are described in detail in Ramayana. How a man should behave towards his superiors, equals and inferiors, how a king ought to rule his kingdom, how a man should lead his life in this world, how he can obtain his release, freedom and perfection, may be learnt from this excellen
Read more