IF GOD IS FORMLESS, WHY IDOL WORSHIP?

When you adore the Form you are adoring the Divine behind that  Form.  With this knowledge, the very act of worship, which is more an inner phenomenon assumes a more colourful and vibrant expression, indicating that both the Form and Formless are all Divine! 

--Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Art of Living Founder.

Who does not revel in 'Overdrive"?  In fact, for me too 120 plus (under Indian conditions) is a thrill on the National Highways. Of course,  being a teetotaller I am always 'mindful' at the steering - no flapping of lips, no tilting of head -that is I, a 'race horse' at heart.  In the culmination of this proficiency don't you find the roots in faltering moves of the First gear?   Those days of   'Learning Licence'  are sweet memories when pondered over now with amusement.  Once the construction of a beautiful building is accomplished do we need the 'props' any more?  So is the case with the Divinity,  about Sakara (Form) worship.

'Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya' - A veritable Truth! There is  the  'One and only one, that is the Super Consciousness', all the rest of Creation illusory. The Indian Vedanta philosophy vouchsafes the Brahma  as Gunaateeta (beyond the consciousness of any Attributes), Udaaseena (Unaffected) Akarmaka  (non-doer), Kevala (Paramatma), Madhyastha (neutral), Saakshibhoota avastha (witness state). In short it is 'Nirguna' (attribute-less) and 'Nirakara' (formless).  When such an Infinity is aimed at to meditate upon and realise, initially at least some form, some symbol is  necessary.  Thus in the post-vedic period,  the Linga (meaning a symbol) worship came into existence . It had the representation of the Holy Trinity - at the base Brahma peettha (Srishti karta- the Creator), in the middle Vishnu peettha (Sthiti karta, the  Sustainer), and at the top Siva Peettha ( Laya karta, the Destroyer).  And in  addition the Prakriti(Shakti) - Purusha(Siva)  oneness is perceived by the discerning mind of the devotee through sampurna saranagati (total surrender). This applies for the worship of other Forms too....

For the cause of uplifting the Advaita Siddhanta Sri Sankaaracharya travelled across far and wide. By his charismatic debates he subdued umpteen number of  sects, coming across his way.  Giving equal importance to 'Sakara Parabrahma' (The Almighty in Form) wherever possible he used to encourage more and more devotees to worship in temples.  When he visited a village his followers informed him that the only temple in their village, Sivalayam was in ruins. To renovate  it they needed lot of funds. There was a rich man in the village but he was not willing to donate because he believed only in Nirakara Parabrahma (the Formless Almighty). Sankaracharya went to see the rich man. At that time he was sitting under the shade of a large banyan tree in  front of his house. Waving a hand-fan with his left hand, he was reading Bhagavadgita in his right hand. Sankaracharya  approached him and asked coolly,  " O Learned One! I have two doubts. Can you please clarify?  First one is, man has the facility of enjoying the 'air' in any place under the sun.  Then why are you using the hand-fan to get it?  Secondly, so many shadows are cast in and around this place by different objects. Then why do you prefer shade of this tree only?"  The rich man tried for an answer in vain and then replied, "Sir, I didn't have any answer to your doubts.  Please clarify to me on these  by your self."  Sankaracharya explained, "Though the God is Formless, to enable those who can't understand this, to grasp through senses, He has taken 'Form'.  He becomes idol to facilitate His devotees, to see in a Form, just as the shade under a tree is thousand times cooler than other shades. Just as in a perfume factory only pleasant odours pervade, in the pious temple premises, fully charged with devotional ambiance, our minds get easily set on the God".  Realising that the man standing before him was none other than the great philosopher and theologian, Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya, who cane to reconstruct  the local Siva temple, the rich man fell on his feet and said,  " Sir, I pay my obeisance (salutation) to you for having driven out the ignorance in me.  I participate with my mite and zeal, in your efforts  to renovate the dilapidated temple."

Blossoming of our spiritual bud in to a fragrant flower is but a gradual pursuit from Sakara (Form) to the Nirakara (Formless) .  "In this play house of infinite Forms, I have had my play, and here have I caught sight of Him that is Formless".--Gitanjali verse 96 by Ravindranath Tagore.

Om Shanti!