HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS : 30-9.1.

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30. Philosophy of Idol Worship -9.1.

9. When Idols Become Alive-1.


    For a devotee or a sage, there is no such thing as insentient matter.

 Everything is consciousness.

The devotee actually beholds the Lord in the idol. Narsi Mehta was put to the test by a king.

The king said, “O Narsi! if you are a true, sincere devotee of Lord Krishna, if, as you say, the idol is Lord Krishna Himself, let this idol move.”

According to the prayer of Narsi Mehta, the idol did move.

The sacred bull, Nandi, standing before Shiva’s idol, took the food offered by Tulsidas.

The idol of Krishna played with Mirabai. It was full of life and consciousness for her.


    When Appayya Dikshita went to the Tirupati temple in South India, the Vaishnavas refused to grant him admission.

The next morning they found that the idol of Lord Vishnu in the temple had changed to the idol of Lord Shiva.

The priest was greatly astonished and startled. He asked pardon and prayed to Appayya Dikshita to change the idol again to that of Lord Vishnu.

Swami Sivananda
 To be continued  ....


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