Yesterday when I was driving on the road, I heard the sound of drums and fireworks coming from the road ahead of me. As it is a few days after the Ganesh Chaturti festival, I thought they would be taking Ganesha in procession. As I crossed the procession, I found that it was a funeral procession. Except for the dead body and people near the body crying, it had everything of a Ganesha procession – music, dance, fireworks, flower decoration, etc.
After making the image of Ganesha, God is invoked in the image and worshiped. After the worship, He is taken in a procession and after withdrawing God back into the heart of the worshiper and the empty image is dissolved into the natural elements again.
This is the same as the life story of a man. Once the zygote is formed, the person occupies it. It grows into a body, it takes birth and keeps changing. The person undergoes so many experiences and does so many actions in the world using the body as an instrument and residence. When the body is living, the person bathes it, dresses it, feeds it, etc just as puja is done to God through an image. When it is time, the person leaves the body. The empty body is disposed off into the natural elements by other people. The last journey of the Ganesha idol and the empty body is not very different indeed.
A few days back a person wrote on a discussion forum that Ganesha puja, Durga puja, etc where the image is disposed off after worship are strong messages against people who accuse Hindus of worshiping images. We neither worship images, nor do we worship the human body.
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A few days back a person wrote on a discussion forum that Ganesha puja, Durga puja, etc where the image is disposed off after worship are strong messages against people who accuse Hindus of worshiping images. We neither worship images, nor do we worship the human body.
Anand : It is an interesting point. Many a times when I was drawn to arguments about idol worship in Hinduism, I used to make them understand that idols are physical representation of the formless absolute which would help us focus our attention to that. But many thought I am justifying the practice with an invented reasoning. Now I know how to convince them with an example.
A few days back a person wrote on a discussion forum that Ganesha puja, Durga puja, etc where the image is disposed off after worship are strong messages against people who accuse Hindus of worshiping images. We neither worship images, nor do we worship the human body.
Anand : It is an interesting point. Many a times when I was drawn to arguments about idol worship in Hinduism, I used to make them understand that idols are physical representation of the formless absolute which would help us focus our attention to that. But many thought I am justifying the practice with an invented reasoning. Now I know how to convince them with an example.
I have mixed opinions about the Ganesha idols that are prepared and destroyed every year. Some of these idols are so nicely made. So this practice is good because it is an art worth supporting. On the other hand when they dump toxic paints and stuff in ocean it is bad. It was not a problem when the Pillayar murthis were made of clay. But these days they make it out of plaster of paris (which is not very harmful) but paint it with things that are toxic. Instead they can collect it and have a permanent exhibit.
I have mixed opinions about the Ganesha idols that are prepared and destroyed every year. Some of these idols are so nicely made. So this practice is good because it is an art worth supporting. On the other hand when they dump toxic paints and stuff in ocean it is bad. It was not a problem when the Pillayar murthis were made of clay. But these days they make it out of plaster of paris (which is not very harmful) but paint it with things that are toxic. Instead they can collect it and have a permanent exhibit.