Bhakti List Archives

Re: Idol worship and Vedas???

From the Bhakti List Archives

Nanmaaran • Fri Nov 01 2002 - 07:05:42 PST 


Dear Aravind,
This is my view on this topic for your friend...
Vedas are like Michael Faraday's Research Papers where you will not find references of Electric Fan, Grinder etc.. Those papers are nothing but thesis..
Idol Worship is the evolution from the theories of Vedas in order to take  the GOD (who is actually formless) to even common people. It is something like ICONS in the windows screen which are not the Programs by itself but acts as tool to bring the program. Same way idol is not GOD but we can understand GOD thru that. That is why even our great acharyas like Ramanuja,Desikan and Manavaala Mamuni have not refuted Idol worship (infact followed)even though they are not referred in Vedas.
Regards,
Nanmaaran
 
[ Sri Ramanuja categorically denies that God is exclusively formless,
  or that the form of God is a temporary manifestation. While God's
  essence (divyAtma-svarUpa) is without form, God also eternally
  manifests a divine form (divya-mangala-vigraha). Citing the ancient
  author of the Vakya, Tankacharya, Sri Ramanuja concludes, "The
  Vakya-kara himself has rejected the view that the form of God is
  non-eternal." /tasya ca rUpasya anityatA-Adi vAkya-kAreNa
  eva pratiSiddham/ (Vedarthasangraha).  Sri Ramanuja follows with
  several quotations and arguments in favor of the eternality of
  the divine form, also quoting the revered Dramidacharya, an ancient
  teacher of unquestioned authority in the system of Vedanta.
  -- Moderator ]


--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/