The Truth

Author(s): O P Jain
Publisher: Veer Nirvan Granth Prakashan Samiti

Page 70

OTHER ALLIED QUESTIONS
WORSHIP, DHARMA, SOCIALISM, FOOD AND VEGETARIANISM, MORALITY, AHIMSA
6.1 Worship : It consists of praising the attributes of Godhood. It is obvious that God has no passions and is Vitaraga. He is not going to be pleased by our praising Him or get angry by our speaking ill of Him. He is free from desires and will neither give anything to us nor snatch anything from 'us irrespective of our behaviour towards Him. None of our offerings reach Him and He is completely unaffected by these offerings. In short, worship of God in any form does not affect Him and He remains quite indifferent to all living beings-- those who worship and those who do not. It will be a folly and downgrading our worship, if it is done with the aim to please the God and get some boons from Him. It will amount to lowering the status of God to that of some earthly princes.
Worship is merely idealatory. It is a hero worship. It is wellknown that we praise men for those virtues which we wish to acquire. Respect for such virtues, meditation about their importance and narrating them, help us to create proper mental attitudes, give peace, and we get inspired to act to achieve those virtues. We get strength of conviction (faith) and will power that these virtues have been achieved by those whom we worship and can, therefore, be achieved by us if we follow their path. They no more remain merely impracticable abstract qualities. Worship, therefore, helps us to follow Dharma. right conduct. The rituals, sometimes done in the act of worship, are not important by themselves, but help those who cannot withdraw their attention from worldly affairs. It is like teaching a child with the help of games. Those who believe in rituals as the ultimate aim of worship have no idea of worship and are simply wasting their time. Rituals can be left out from worship if the mind can be concentrated on Godly virtues without external help.
The installation of idols of God in temples is also done to help persons to concentrate on Godly virtues, in the same way as we instal