(13)
Question : Isn’t it enough to worship God while sitting in our house, or is it necessary
to go to the temples in order to worship Him?
Answer : It is all right if you are not going to
temples. However, if you go to temples, you will benefit because the vibrations
there are entirely different from those of a house or other places where
worldly dealings are taking place. In a temple, everyone is thinking of God.
The power radiating from the statue creates peace and serenity in the mind. The
atmosphere is concentrated and impregnated with the one pointed thought of the
devotees who gather there. Because all are thinking of God in that atmosphere,
it is easy for others also to attain concentration. But we should have the
right attitude when we go to a temple.
(14)
Question :
It
is said that one will get mental peace if one goes to temples and prays
sincerely. How does that happen?
Answer : It is
true, we can get peace, but as you said, we must have sincerity. We want peace
to come after we call “God” once having looked at the image and then closed our
eyes. When we meditate on God with form, we are also meditating on our own
Self. This means all other thoughts will be restrained and our mind will become
concentrated on the image of God. This again means that there are no other
thoughts, which cause all our external and internal problems and conflicts,
except that one single thought of God. Fewer thoughts mean more peace of mind.
More thoughts means less peace of mind. Moreover, when we go to a temple, the
atmosphere is calm because everyone stands there with only one thought in mind.
All minds will become one-pointed while waiting for the sanctum sanctorum to be
opened and to behold God’s image. The atmosphere there becomes peaceful because
of that concentrated thought. That is why we get peace when we go to temples.
(15)
Question : Is it necessary to worship trees, snakes and things like that?
Answer : Everything
in God’s creation has a purpose and a benefit, whatever it is. There is a use
for everything, whether it is a dog, a cat or a hen. No matter whether it is an
animal or a plant, there is a purpose behind its creation. Even if human beings
do not have any use for something, other creatures do. The harmony of nature
depends on all things which have been created. Take, for example, the changes
in weather patterns that have now occurred. Because trees have been needlessly cut
down, we do not get the proper rainfall during the monsoon season. Furthermore,
the temperature has increased, hasn’t it?
It
is the trees which purify the atmosphere, absorbing all the impure air exhaled
by human beings. Is it wrong to mentally worship those things which do good to
us? For example, some things are considered sacred, so we honor them with due reverence,
that’s all. Lord Krishna has told Arjuna, “Among mountains I am the Himalayas,
among trees I am the great peepal tree and amongst animals, the lion.” When
everything is pervaded by God, which thing is not to be worshipped?
(16)
Question :
Doesn’t Vedanta speak
against image worship?
Answer : No, Vedanta
doesn’t
deny anything. Son, every person has an appropriate path for making the mind
concentrated on the Self. Didn’t Sankaracharya renovate temples, install images
and compose poetry about gods and goddesses? Even so, don’t get entangled in
image worship forever. At a certain stage of sadhana, you will
reach the Formless State where all images and forms merge and disappear. Even
if one or two people might understand that the world is an illusion, to others
the world will still seem to be real. Scriptures and paths are to uplift those
who are wandering in ignorance. They are not meant for those who already know
the Truth and have attained the Goal.
(17)
Question :
Is it
possible to attain
Liberation through temple worship?
Answer : It is
possible, but one must worship with the understanding of the inner significance
of the temples. God resides in the temples, but don’t think that He is limited
to the four walls of the temple. Have the firm belief that God is omnipresent.
A bus will take us to the bus stop nearest to our house; from there we can
easily walk the remaining distance. Similarly, the correct way of temple
worship will take us to the threshold of Satchidananda (Pure
Being-Knowledge-Bliss); from there only a short distance remains before
attaining Perfection. You can take birth in a temple, but don’t die there. That
is to say that, in the beginning, a seeker can do temple worship as a stepping
stone, but the final and real goal is beyond all these things.
*courtesy : Awaken children,MAM Publication.
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