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THE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
If you think over the matter and investigate it for yourself, you will see the force of this statement, and will then appreciate the following again from the Bhagavad Gita (VII. 20-23) :
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"They whose wisdom hath been rent away by desires go forth to other Shining Ones, resorting to various external observances according to their own nature.
"Any devotee who seeketh to worship with faith any such aspect, I verily bestow the unswerving faith of that Man.
"He, endowed with that faith, seeketh the worship of such a one, and from him he obtaineth his desires, I verily decreeing the benefits.
"Finite indeed the fruit that belongeth to those who are of small intelligence. To the Shining Ones go the worshippers of the Shining Ones, but My devotees come unto Me."
Here, in a nut-shell, is given the whole philosophy of the worship of the Supreme Godhead with the aid of images. As it is difficult to concentrate the mind on the invisible Godhead, people generally make use of the visible, tangible images of Devas (Gods) to assist them in their meditation, in the beginning. Thus, by means of an intelligent use of the ladder of devotion they rise up to the highest height of aspiration. When the top is reached, the ladder is no longer required, and may be thrown away.
Thus, if you find it difficult to worship the Godhead in spirit, you may use idolatry as a stepping-stone for the achievement of the object of your ambition, taking care that you do not lose sight of your high ideal and remain wallowing in the stagnation of contentment with stones only. There is sound philosophy underlying idolatry when rightly understood; but in that case 'idol' simply means 'ideal,' and 'idolatry,' 'ideal-atry.' Ignorant fetishism has no place in this system.
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