Idol worship followed by Hindus is often a subject of mockery and controversy. The recent blockbuster Bollywood movie ‘PK’ did touch upon the subject in a couple of scenes. In one scene, the protagonist states that the milk poured over the Hindu god shrines should be distributed instead to the poor. In another scene, he explains how a stone smeared with vermillion can instantly turn into a God. I am sure these scenes would have evoked a lot of laughter. But we have to think about the reasons behind such customs and the actual origin of it.
Hinduism is a faith that originated in the Hindukush region in India thousands of years ago. Eversince, this faith has undergone a lot of revisions for its betterment; to be able to discipline mankind to form a peaceful society. While being one of the oldest faiths on this planet, it is also a faith that is based on scientific doctrines as well. So we cannot disregard certain practices just because it has taken on a different form now, or we do not understand it.
So what is with this idol worship in temples? Why does a temple smeared with vermillion become a shrine instantly? Is it out of superstition or because of fear of God’s wrath? It is neither, but has a basis that is strongly etched in scientific principles as well.
The Hindu temples built in ancient India were built over specific places on earth where the earth’s magnetic field was at the maximum. These were places where great Siddhas also attained Samadhi because they specifically chose this place of a power magnetic field. People went to the temple every morning when the sun’s rays were not intense but tender such that the light from the sun carried all the key energy elements (which was why suryanamaskar was to be done at the time of sunrise). Men wore a dhoti or kachhai and were bare-bodied at the top. Women wore a sari so that some portions of the body were decently exposed to allow the rays to fall over the skin. The floor of the temples was laid with granite stone blocks that had uneven surface. People walked barefoot inside the temple so that the uneven floor acted as acupressure points. The main deity sat right over the point of the magnetic field. People went around the deity so that the radiations fell on them from all sides.
The idol itself was made of a particular kind of stone or even navabhashanam (the nine poisons which when mixed together became a potent medicine). This material further accentuated the magnetic effect. People stood before the deity with their palms together (in a namaskar pose) because this completed the loop. The feet were planted on the grounded and the rest of the body was a loop completed by bringing the hands together, thus acting like a flux capacitor to gather the maximum energy. In front of Lord Ganesha, people did the ‘thopukaranam’. It was a form of a sit-ups exercise by which the physical health of people was also given importance. When saying prayers before Lord Ganesha, people balled their fists and slowly tapped the sides of their temple. This was because those were again acupressure points and by doing this tapping, the nerve centres were activated.
The kumkum (red vermillion) and vibhuti (ashes made from cow dung) were disinfectants. Since the men walked bare-bodied early in the morning, the vibhuti also acted as an agent that absorbed moisture so that people did not catch a cold. Women applied the kumkum on the forehead which not only was a disinfectant but also prevented the woman from being the victim of evil eyes. Milk and water were poured over the stone deity in ‘abhishekam’ were collected and distributed to devotees as prasadam or offering, which they consumed. This acted as medicine because the liquid flowed over the special stone or navabhashanam and thus got enriched by its properties. The devotees were given ‘thulsi’ as a prasadam because thulsi has medicinal properties and builds the immune system in the body. Finally people prostrated in front of the deity because it allowed the most of the body to come in contact with the ground which further gave the body the energy from the magnetic field. Visiting the temple had a great positive physical impact. Also since everyone in the temple only thought about good things, the general psychological atmosphere inside the temple was also very positive. This is the reason why devotees felt so refreshed after they came out of the temple.
About the mockery in the movie PK that even a stone smeared with vermillion becomes a God, why not? Hinduism has never preached idol worship in the superstitious sense. Hinduism has taught mankind to respect all the five elements of nature – air, water, fire, land and sky. Hinduism teaches that God exists in every atom of this universe. Then why cannot He be present in any stone that I want to call as God? God is the omnipresent, omnipotent force that is present everywhere at the same time, because He is everything. Just because you do not understand Him or you do not understand the principles of Hinduism, it doesn’t mean that the faith itself has failed. God does not test man, but it is man who keeps testing God for His existence. Everyone accepts that there is one God, but say that the one God is their God. That is where all problems with religion begin. So let God be. If you want to criticize a faith, first learn something you can about that faith. Do not be self-appointed theologians or scientists when it comes to religion.
I am a proud living being, born in a family that practices Hinduism, proud that I came to learn about other religions also, enough to coexist, accept and respect other Gods for what they are, proud that my faith does not ask me to enforce my beliefs onto others and allow people the free will to choose. Let us be what we are, and only seek the truth for our own salvation. The planet and God will take care of themselves if we just shut up and do our work sincerely without harming the planet or others.
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