Idolatry

What is idolatry? What for? Which is to be worshiped? Can we worship idol without knowing what it is? Not possible? Worship is for fulfilments of prayers. What prayers should be answered for us? For moksha siddhi (Salvation, deliverance from the mundane bondages). Salvation for jeeva or for body? Without jeeva the body becomes dead. For deadly no salvation is necessary. Hence salvation is for the jeeva. But do we get salvation from the present idolatry? No. But there is a general belief spread over. That is, those who are born will die. Then what is the need for Iswara Seva? To be ignorant after death, why should we think about it? Let it be true or false. Iswara Seva becomes needless if those who are born will die definitely. Not only that, the name of iswara, Asirithavathsalan becomes meaningless. (Asirithavathsalan means one who showers love and mercy on those who seeks him and save those who surrender, in dire straits as a true companion). Iswara seva is for whom? Is it for body or jeeva?,Moksha is necessary only for Jeeva. That jeeva is personification of Iswara. The idol worshipped is man-made. It is believed idol got shakthi only after pranaprathista. This is very very wrong. That idol has no energy or power whatsoever. If power has been wrought by pranaprathista without any assistance with the prana it should have been installed and also must get stand, without any movement. Without doing so, but fixing and installing the either with lime or with cement or Ashtagandham cannot be called pranaprathishta. Prana Prathishta means installing “Prana”. Where to install prana the idol (Vigraha). Vigraha Aradhana is the moment at which we install in the vigraha.

(Pranaprathishta theoretically means a religious rite of imparting life-force to an idol. But the meaning given by Swamiji is keeping the lifeforce fixed in “Bhramarandhram”) After identifying the vigraha and prana is installed, we get the blessings of Iswara. Then only it becomes obtaining Moksha after Iswara Seva. Vigraha = Vi + graha, Vi=Arivu (knowledge) graha =house, residence. Hence Vigraham means residence of knowledge. That is in the Bhrumadhya of head. Installing prana there is pranapratishta. That pranapratishta means without allowing the iswarasakthi which is jyothi in us to Ooze out through five organs with eight characteristics of Raga-Dwesha, but erecting it undisturbedly in Bhrumadhyam, the birth place. Hence vigraha means not idol. That is the residence of knowledge, the Bhrumadhaya. That is in Ghatrashetra, the head. (Body the temple; the hidden meaning is the head i.e the habitation of jeeva, the God).

(Kshetram: Sacred spot – temple; land) (Kshetropavasa: a religious rite of observing fast in Temples. The hidden meaning is remaining in close proximity with the god is “Ghatra-Kshetram”) That Ghatra Kshretram has nine entrances. They are Navadwara (Nine holes). In the same manner also, our ears and eyes are the Gopura entrances. If we pass them we can get into the upper mouth, the Chuttambalam or the Nalambalam. The reason to say Chuttambalm is: when the mouth is closed as “Com”, Vayu will fill up in the aforesaid place and it will be rotating there. That Chuttambalam has three entrances. They are the two nostrils and the mouth which is the Namaskaraman- dapam in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum. From that place, to go directly above to the Sanctum Sanctorum there are two openings of entrance. If Jeeva passes through those openings, the Sivalinga, being installed at the Moolasthanam, can be seen. Those openings are called Gudam. It is from this Gudam that sound originates. How is it like this: In the aforesaid temple in the field there hungs one bell at the Namaskaramandapam. It is by striking the bell that it is gone in and come out of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Likewise also, from the Uvula, the Namaskaramandapam when Vayu, the Jeevasakthi, passes through within the Sanctum Sanctorum there arises the sound, subsiding within and when Vayu, the Jeevasakthi comes out, there arises the sound of Vakku (speech). That is why it is said that Gudam is that which bestows. “Go” i.e., sound. “Go” means sound. To produce the sound there are two openings and the openings of the nose (nostrils) are joining together at the place below Bhrumadhyam. It is from that place there originates the sound, the part of Akasa. If the jeeva passes through the Guda it can see Sivalinga installed in the Bhrumadhyam the Mooladharam. That Sivalinga gets destroyed in the abyss just below it by burning in the form of sound. It is Kundalini Sakthi that holds and prevents the Sivalingam without getting destroyed. That Kundalini Sakthi is Parvathy. If Kshetropavasa must be attained. Jeeva must do upavasam in the aforesaid Ghatrakshetram. There only Kshetropavasa will be attained.

Suyaroopam = one’s own body is blemishless. This has no name. Self Idolatry means a process to attain the jeeva’s blemishless state. This process gives us blemishless, Self Idolatry fulfillment, then it becomes self, Tanmayam, Atmashakshatkara, becomes Iswarashakshatkara. This is known as Self Idolatry. This is known as Idol Worship.