Was going through an article on Personal God vis-a-vis Impersonal God and that kept me wondering whether God is personal or impersonal - if so at what level and state of our mind?
For that matter, I have many times wondered whether animals too have God!! Is their God similar to ours? Do they have different religions and do they fight between each other to establish the supremacy of one God over the other - at least for their emotional satisfaction? For that matter do animals have emotions at all? Certain animals have been seen to show emotion at times!!
Sometime in 2007-08, when Orkut was very popular, I had once posted a small analogy about idol-worship to be more precise about the use of Linga (Shiva Linga) in worship. Many posts recommended that Idol worship is not sanctioned in Vedas or Hinduism or any other religion. To which I had commented in the following manner.
"Assume that you asked a mathematician to find out son's age if the son's age times the age of his nineteen year older mother, would give six hundred and sixty six. What would the mathematician do?. He would most probably convert the question into something as follows:
Let the unknown age of the son be x.Then, his mother's age would be (x + 19).
Stated that x ( x + 19) = 666
ie. x2 + 19x - 666 = 0
ie. (x + 37) (x - 18) = 0
ie. x = -37 or x = 18
Thus the age of the son is 18 yrs."
The mathematician in the story could be any one of us in pursuit of God the unknown. Inorder to find that God, (albeit it is not impossible to find the age of the son in the problem stated above without writing down anything, but by effectively utilizing faculties of the mind by good concentration and mediation, and with all its abstractness by perhaps a genius or one with good practice), an ordinary mathematician would just love to use the 'unknown variable', name it 'x' and try to solve the mystery.
Doesn't this analogy correspond to an Advaita/Vedantic philosopher pursuing an Impersonal God (Nir-Guna) in his capacity of possessing more intelligence with practice that he undertakes vis-a-vis a Dwaita-vaadi philosopher pursuing a God with Personal characteristics (Sa-Guna) conceived with a form that is Human or otherwise, or even a sound (viz. ॐ), a story, a verse or a poem, a symbol (viz. Linga / Swastika, Cross etc.) or an Idol (viz. of Rama, Krishna, Durga, Mecca etc.).
While an abstract concentrated and intellectual effort is required in the former case by an intellectual mathematician, the latter gives a solution in more easily understandable, approachable and reachable way wherein each step can be verified anytime later, if required, for any errors or faults with scope for rectification wherever. While in the former case, practice, intuition and experience is important, the latter requires dedication and devotion along with firm belief that the path is right, more so because it has already been tread and because it can be used and reused by anybody anytime (that methodology which is nowadays usually termed as 'scientific').
Thus the concept of Idol worship is to stay and should we say, that is a more easier and safer path than the abstract path which might not be easy enough for anyone with not-that sufficient mental faculties.
I love to say anytime at such discussions that it is said that Adi-Shankaracharya the greatest Advaita-vaadi, knowing this fact very well, established temples throughout the length and breadth of India, installed idols of gods and goddesses for the comfort and upliftment of lesser souls and his invocations to Personal God-head viz. Krishna, Shiva, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Lalita etc. are filled with height of Devotion. Alongside, it can be noted that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Guru of Swami Vivekananda) was an ardent Idol worshiper with impeccable Bhakti / Devotion who later-on, also practiced Advaita-Vedantic style and concluded that the same goal was achieved following both the paths.
Thus, the answer is the same, while different people use different methods to arrive at it. Just as the case of the genius and the mathematician would have solved the problem stated above.
Some Dvaita-vaadis however try to establish that God is but Personal and cannot be Impersonal at all. They like to tell us that God is benevolent, talks, shares & helps, etc. etc. and therefore should have a mind, a tongue, a hand, a heart etc. The question that could be put across to such arguments is to try to find an analogy in a Computer.
A computer responds to questions and commands that we give. Does it mean that it has a mind? It talks to another computer in a LAN (Local Area Network) using a protocol like TCP/IP after making a handshake. Does it mean that it has a hand for the hand-shake to happen? It shares its files and folders with another computer and helps it get what it needs. Does it mean that it has a 'heart'?
Thus it can also be understood that when the Upanishads or the Vedas speak of Brahman in terms of benevolence, talking, waving, etc., or having many hands, heads, intelligence etc., it does not mean that the God has a particular form.
The Upanishads proclaim that God does not have a likeliness to anything other that it; “न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति”. This means that none can be equal to or like God. Thus the 'x' in our equation is not equal to the answer itself, but is only a means to achieving the answer. Therefore, idols or images could be tools to reach the ultimate. In other words, it makes sense to understand that Idol worship is also a form of worship that can give results just as any other.
Brahman cannot be likened to any other and therefore, it is unique - Advaita - that which is unlike another.
The Vedas say that it is not possible to even describe Brahman because, the moment we start to try to, we disqualify it of itself.
Being Nirguna, the Lord does not interfere in our daily lives - rather should not be doing so. Imagine the Chairman of a large organization who interferes in each and everything that even the attender does?. Will he be then doing the Chairman's job or the attenders' job?. Therefore, the Chairman should ideally be concentrating on the policy matters and not even in the execution of the policy. This Policy is to be rather understood as 'Dharma' of the different jobs that are to be done by each and every one in the organization. The hierarchy is defined and thanks to the intellectual and physical capabilities of each individual, he applies and is awarded the specific job that he is supposed to undertake inorder to contribute to the welfare of each and every one in the organization. This is what is known as 'Varna' Dharma.
The Chairman has to be nirguna as he should not have any attributes attached to himself. There could be a Director of Human Resources, a Director of Finance, a Director of Marketing, a Director of Operations or a Director of Information Technology who all have Gunas (Attributes); but not the Chairman (Guna-Ateeta). This will ensure that there be no prejudice of any sort and that would improve confidence and belief in each of the many humans in the organization.
The Upanishads proclaim that God does not have a likeliness to anything other that it; “न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति”. This means that none can be equal to or like God. Thus the 'x' in our equation is not equal to the answer itself, but is only a means to achieving the answer. Therefore, idols or images could be tools to reach the ultimate. In other words, it makes sense to understand that Idol worship is also a form of worship that can give results just as any other.
Brahman cannot be likened to any other and therefore, it is unique - Advaita - that which is unlike another.
The Vedas say that it is not possible to even describe Brahman because, the moment we start to try to, we disqualify it of itself.
Being Nirguna, the Lord does not interfere in our daily lives - rather should not be doing so. Imagine the Chairman of a large organization who interferes in each and everything that even the attender does?. Will he be then doing the Chairman's job or the attenders' job?. Therefore, the Chairman should ideally be concentrating on the policy matters and not even in the execution of the policy. This Policy is to be rather understood as 'Dharma' of the different jobs that are to be done by each and every one in the organization. The hierarchy is defined and thanks to the intellectual and physical capabilities of each individual, he applies and is awarded the specific job that he is supposed to undertake inorder to contribute to the welfare of each and every one in the organization. This is what is known as 'Varna' Dharma.
The Chairman has to be nirguna as he should not have any attributes attached to himself. There could be a Director of Human Resources, a Director of Finance, a Director of Marketing, a Director of Operations or a Director of Information Technology who all have Gunas (Attributes); but not the Chairman (Guna-Ateeta). This will ensure that there be no prejudice of any sort and that would improve confidence and belief in each of the many humans in the organization.
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