Idol worship is called Archane (meaning honoring God). So Idol worship is not the correct word. There are 3 types of worshiping God:
Meditation (remembering God by just closing eyes in silent mode for a long time)
Chanting (remembering God with mantras (words that praise Him))
Archane (remembering God by honoring Him like VIP although God doesn't depend on it)
The first 2 methods is followed in all religions. The third one is rare and here is the science behind Archane or loosely called idol worship. Before the idol worship starts, the worshiper invite’s God’s energy to reside in the idol during prana prathista (installing the life) ritual. The idol is transformed to divinity then. The worshiper does this by extracting the power or the luster of the divinity residing in his heart by means of inhalations and exhalations (ucchvasa and nishvasa which is part of Yoga which literally means merging the soul with Supersoul, the Almightly), and investing it upon the deity. God’s energy resides in everyone’s heart known as paramatma. In order to extract the energy of God the worshiper have to meditate on the God for a long time (without fluctuating the mind from God even for a milli-second) and worshiper is one who had been following the religious rules properly so that his heart will be pure always. Unless the worshiper establishes his/her identity with the worshiped, this rituals have no meaning.
At the same time, the worshiper draws the presence of the God's energy into his own individual being (jiva). (All religions believe that God created the humans and gave life or vital energy to this body. God used His own energy to give life to human body. So the life-force or vital-air we are breathing is the energy of God using which we can communicate with energy-holder (God)) This process symbolizes invoking the divine residing in ones heart, extracting it (bahir agatya) and transferring it with ease (sukham thistathu) in to the idol in front (asmin bimbe).The transferred lustre stays in the deity until the worship is formally concluded. The Agama texts prescribe, “God is not to be worshipped by one who has himself not having divine qualities” (nadevo bhutva devam pujayet). It is only after the God is thus properly invoked (Avahita), established (stapitha) the idol worship has a meaning.
After the formal worship is completed, the deity is given farewell (visarjana). This ritual signifies withdrawal of the divine presence (temporarily lodged in the icon) and taking it back into worshiper heart (which is its permanent residence). The mantras recited in this context say “ Come , oh God (or God’s power) residing in the icon come back into my heart-lotus” (Ehi ehi, prathima sthitha purushottama , mama hrutkamale); “Reside in my heart , O Lord of the worlds , along with your glory” (hrudaya kuru samvasam sriya saha jagatpate).
The sacred shrine of Islam, the Kaaba (or Caaba), is a small stone building that contains the Black Stone, which Muslims believe that the sacred shrine of Islam sent from heaven by Allah (God). Hence, it is consider sacred. Similarly, Zam Zam water has miraculous power because it is generated by Allah. So the conclusion is that a material thing gets a divine status when it is touched by God or when God’s energy is entered into it. There are infact many idols in India which do not have particular form (of a man or woman) and it looks like a raw stone but they are still considered sacred. This is because of the divinity in it.
Quaran tells that God has created the Jannat (heaven) out of bricks of Gold and Silver. If you see the Hindu temples, they are built with Gold and Silver to mimic the Jannat on this earth (where the God is request to stay by prayer). Since Hindu customs have more intimacy with God, archane (idol worship) look like a child’s play for a person of different religion.
Meditation (remembering God by just closing eyes in silent mode for a long time)
Chanting (remembering God with mantras (words that praise Him))
Archane (remembering God by honoring Him like VIP although God doesn't depend on it)
The first 2 methods is followed in all religions. The third one is rare and here is the science behind Archane or loosely called idol worship. Before the idol worship starts, the worshiper invite’s God’s energy to reside in the idol during prana prathista (installing the life) ritual. The idol is transformed to divinity then. The worshiper does this by extracting the power or the luster of the divinity residing in his heart by means of inhalations and exhalations (ucchvasa and nishvasa which is part of Yoga which literally means merging the soul with Supersoul, the Almightly), and investing it upon the deity. God’s energy resides in everyone’s heart known as paramatma. In order to extract the energy of God the worshiper have to meditate on the God for a long time (without fluctuating the mind from God even for a milli-second) and worshiper is one who had been following the religious rules properly so that his heart will be pure always. Unless the worshiper establishes his/her identity with the worshiped, this rituals have no meaning.
At the same time, the worshiper draws the presence of the God's energy into his own individual being (jiva). (All religions believe that God created the humans and gave life or vital energy to this body. God used His own energy to give life to human body. So the life-force or vital-air we are breathing is the energy of God using which we can communicate with energy-holder (God)) This process symbolizes invoking the divine residing in ones heart, extracting it (bahir agatya) and transferring it with ease (sukham thistathu) in to the idol in front (asmin bimbe).The transferred lustre stays in the deity until the worship is formally concluded. The Agama texts prescribe, “God is not to be worshipped by one who has himself not having divine qualities” (nadevo bhutva devam pujayet). It is only after the God is thus properly invoked (Avahita), established (stapitha) the idol worship has a meaning.
After the formal worship is completed, the deity is given farewell (visarjana). This ritual signifies withdrawal of the divine presence (temporarily lodged in the icon) and taking it back into worshiper heart (which is its permanent residence). The mantras recited in this context say “ Come , oh God (or God’s power) residing in the icon come back into my heart-lotus” (Ehi ehi, prathima sthitha purushottama , mama hrutkamale); “Reside in my heart , O Lord of the worlds , along with your glory” (hrudaya kuru samvasam sriya saha jagatpate).
The sacred shrine of Islam, the Kaaba (or Caaba), is a small stone building that contains the Black Stone, which Muslims believe that the sacred shrine of Islam sent from heaven by Allah (God). Hence, it is consider sacred. Similarly, Zam Zam water has miraculous power because it is generated by Allah. So the conclusion is that a material thing gets a divine status when it is touched by God or when God’s energy is entered into it. There are infact many idols in India which do not have particular form (of a man or woman) and it looks like a raw stone but they are still considered sacred. This is because of the divinity in it.
Quaran tells that God has created the Jannat (heaven) out of bricks of Gold and Silver. If you see the Hindu temples, they are built with Gold and Silver to mimic the Jannat on this earth (where the God is request to stay by prayer). Since Hindu customs have more intimacy with God, archane (idol worship) look like a child’s play for a person of different religion.
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