Symbol Worship

Swami Chinmayananda

oi-Staff

By Staff

Monday, June 8, 2009, 14:06

In symbol worship, the meditator finds it relatively easy to place his entire attention upon the idol, and when his wandering mind is thus brought to rest upon the idol, the intellect springs forth to contemplate and realise the ideal that the idol represents. This is the theory behind all symbol worship, be it a Shivalinga or a Saligrama, be it a Cross or a Crescent, be it a Pagoda or a Pyramid.

That which is experienced through worship or the form or a symbol (Sagunopasana) is ultimately of the Immutable Transcendental Reality. All idols though different in forms and conceived in different attitudes, symbolise but the 'One Supreme Consciousness', which in its real nature transcends all of them. No idol is in itself the ideal: the ideal is indicated by its representing the idol. Since the truth is one, whatever be the symbol taken up for prayer and worship by a particular individual, it also must symbolise this great reality. All idols when meditated upon must necessarily give but one and same inner experience. An individual can be pointed out with different qualities, capacities, possessions or relationships, and yet, the individual indicated by all those terms will necessarily be one and the same.

About the author

Swami Chinmayananda

Swami Chinmayananda's lectures were an outpour of wisdom. He introduced the Geetha Gnana Yagna. He wrote a lot of books on spirituality, commentaries to Vedantic texts, children books etc. He then started spreading His teachings globally.