Hindu Mythology

Lesson 2: Introduction II

A Formless God and Idol Worship

Hindu philosophy is very clear that God is without characteristics (’nirguna’) and without form (‘nirakara’). However by the time this realisation came about the pagan nature of Hindu religion was firmly entrenched in society. Hence the concept of a Formless God could not replace the multitude of deities; it just re-interpreted their relevance as manifestations of the Formless God, as incarnations of the manifestations and as demi-Gods. Meanwhile the representation of the deities in image forms (sculpture or painting) flourished unabated.

There are three main reasons for the proliferation if idol worship. The first is that it is much easier to focus on an image than on something that cannot be imagined. But the Hindu belief goes beyond that. It is believed that the power of the deity resides in the image and is transferred to the devotee when he prays in front of the image. The scriptures provide for specific procedures for installation of images for worship.

In Hindu society the bond between God and devotee is a very personal one, like that between two friends or a girl and her doll. Hence each devotee chooses that deity as special, who corresponds most closely to his needs and temperament. For example a singer may choose Saraswati the Goddess of the arts and a wrestler may pray to Hanuman the paragon of strength. Many of the more popular deities have multiple images. Mothers have a preference for the infant Krishna; youngsters may like Krishna with Radha whereas the aged might opt for Krishna on a chariot delivering the sermon to Arjuna. Most images are portable idols, the size and material depending on the economic ability of the devotee. What is important is that the devotee clothes and adorns the idol according to his desire. In fact a daily routine of waking the idol, bathing, clothing and feeding it and at night putting it to sleep is followed. On the birthday of the deity or other important days associated with it there are additional festivities. It is believed that small images kept on one’s person in the form of lockets or pictures in a purse will protect one from harm.

There is a widespread popular culture that revolves around these deities, their origins and their deeds as recounted in the mythological texts. Worship of these deities in their image form fuels popular culture and popular culture in turn fuels the worship of the deities. An example is the Ganesha Chaturthi festival popular in western India. This festival was initiated in the early twentieth century to unite the population at large against British rule. Statues of Ganesha were installed in public places for ten days during which there were prayers, sermons, hymns and other festivities. After ten days the statues were immersed in a water body. Today apart from public places (which include every street corner) statues are installed in most homes. The public statues are often over twenty feet tall and depict a range of mythological events. The festivity provides an opportunity for the children to get acquainted with not only the scriptures and mythologies but also the ritual of worship.

Optional Exercises

6a. The following sites provide images of Hindu deities. Browse through them to get some idea of the variety.

http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_pictures/G...
http://www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/Soci...
http://www.muktinath.org/hinduism/defaul...
http://www.iloveulove.com/spirituality/h...

6b. The following site has an image of the face of Shiva. http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_pictures/G... Take note of the following points – the crescent moon, the maiden in the hair, the eye on the forehead and the blue throat. Each of them is related to some mythological tale. The myth of the blue throat can be read in ‘Hindu Myths’ on page 277 and that of the maiden in the hair can be read in ‘The Indian Epics Retold’ on page 28. Try and locate the other tales in the texts or the Internet.

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