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THE WAY OF LIFE
you must not limit your thoughts and feelings only to the image (idol). The idol is after all a symbol, a medium. By means of that medium, you have to visualize the form of the Paramatma and you have to meditate upon him. If the medium is excellent, then the visualization of the Paramatma will be easier. By seeing the Paramatma, by glorifying him and by worshipping him, do you aim at reaching the Paramatma? No. Your desire is to attain physical enjoyments. We went to a certain town. The idol in the temple in that town was small and somewhat unsymmetrical. I asked a gentleman, "Why have you erected such an image here? Do you feel happy in worshipping and in seeing this idol ?"
He said, "This idol is an ancient one and has extraordinary powers."
Powers! You like the god who can perform miracles. You respect a Gurumaharaj who can perform miracles and you love a Dharma which can reveal miracles. You want such miracles as a hut becoming a palace. Is that so? You want such miracles as an ordinary metal turning into gold. Water must become ghee; you like such miracles; is that so? Whether the image is beautiful or not you want it to perform miracles. How distorted have the minds of men become! Do you go to the temple to have a darshan of the Paramatma? No. You go there to show yourself to the Paramatma; to give a darshan to the Paramatma. Paramatma should see you and should perform miracles. You go there with this objective. Is that not so ?
YOU SPOIL THE BEAUTY OF THE IDOL ALSO
The sculptor carves a beautiful idol. When the idol of the Paramatma is enshrined in the temple, the priests and you go on making it ugly. You do not like the beautiful eyes carved by the sculptor though they look natural. You fix to the idol glass-eyes. At every place on the idol, you put marks of various kinds. You attach to the idol silver and gold pieces. You do so because you believe that if you decorate the idol with one tola of gold, you will get one kilo. Your plan is to get more by giving a little. Then how can you think of beauty? "The idol
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