There are many paths up the same mountain

"Once, Swami Vivekananda visited King of Alwar in present day Rajasthan. The king in an attempt to mock idol worship told Swami ji, "I've no faith in idol worship. How can one worship stone, wood and metal? I believe people are in illusion and just wasting time!”

Swami ji smiled. He asked the king's assistant to take down the picture of the king that was hanging on the wall. Although confused, the assistant did so. Then Swami ji ordered him, "Spit on the picture!” The assistant was shocked and looked at both of them. Swami repeated again and again, becoming sterner each time. The king was growing angry and the assistant started trembling. Finally, he cried out, "How can I spit on this? This picture is of our beloved and respected king!”

Swami ji then told him, "The king is sitting in front of you in person. This picture is merely a paper - it does not speak, hear, think or move. But still you did not spit because you see a shadow of your king in it; Spitting on it was like spitting on the king itself." The king looked at Swami ji and bowed down, clearly understanding what he was referring to.

This is the essence of idol worshiping. God is everywhere, but people want to pray to Him, offer food, tell stories, decorate him by using flowers and garlands and do what they do in their lives. Creating a human-like idol of God as a companion, a guide, a friend, a protector, a giver, a fellow being and so on. An idol is just a concrete representation where they find Him. When I look into the eyes of an idol, I do not see stone or metal, but another pair of eyes looking affectionately at me, smiling."

We may worship anything by seeing God in it, if we can forget the idol and see God there. We must not project any image upon God. But we may fill any image with that Life which is God. Only forget the image, and you are right enough---for "out of Him comes everything". He is everything. We may worship a picture as God, but not God as the picture. God in the picture is right, but the picture as God is wrong. God in the image is perfectly right. There is no danger there. This is the real worship of God.

-Swami Vivekananda.

So please, instead of criticizing others for their beliefs, realize god yourself, in whichever way you find suitable. There are many paths up the same mountain and the only one who is a fool is the one who instead of climbing up on his own path runs around the mountain telling people that their path is wrong. Silence is the language of the realized. Live, let live.

"Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached!

Comments

A Lesser Known Story From The Ramayana

After a long journey, Sri Ramchandra and the army of monkeys, reached the southern coast of our vast land and beheld the expanse of water separating them from Sri Lanka. The search for Sita was over; Rama now knew where she was; it only remained to redeem her from Ravana, by peaceful persuasion if possible or by war, if necessary. In line with our tradition of seeking Divine help, before commencing any work, Sri Ram desired to consecrate and offer worship to Shiva. Arrangements were soon completed, except finding a suitable priest to guide the function. Sri Ram thought for a while and then decided on the best person available nearby - Ravana the king of Sri Lanka. Without hesitation he bade Hanuman to fly to Ravana’s palace and request him to conduct the pooja. There was considerable shock and dismay among the assembly; to invite an enemy to conduct a pooja, specially meant to conquer and destroy him! Will Ravana accept such a preposterous invitation? But Hanuman as a loyal sold...

DESTINY is not created by the SHOES we wear but by the STEPS we take...

Interesting conversation between Karna & Krishna - From Mahabharat Karna: "My mother left me the moment I was born. Is it my fault I was born an illegitimate child? I did not get the education from Dhronacharya because I was considered a non-Kshatriya. Parshu-Raam taught me but then gave me the curse to forget everything since I was a Kshatriya. A cow was accidentally hit by my arrow & its owner cursed me for no fault of mine. I was disgraced in Draupadi's swayamvar. Even Kunti finally told me the truth only to save her other sons. Whatever I received was through Duryodhana's charity. So how am I wrong in taking his side?" Lord Krishna replies, "Karna, I was born in a jail. Death was waiting for me even before my birth. The night I was born I was separated from my birth parents. From childhood, you grew up hearing the noise of swords, chariots, horses, bow, and arrows. I got only cow herd's shed, dung, and multiple attem...

The advice to God

One day an old farmer came to God, and he said, “Look, you may be God, and you may have created the world, but one thing I must say to you: you are not a farmer, and you don’t know even the ABC of farming. And your whole nature and the functioning of your nature is so absurd, and this I say out of my whole life’s experience. You have to learn something.” God said, “What’s your advice?” The farmer said, “You give me one year’s time, and just let things be according to me, and see what happens. There will be no poverty left!” God was willing and one year was given to the farmer. Now it was according to his will that everything was happening. Naturally, he asked the best, he thought only of the best — no thunder, no strong winds, no dangers for the crop. Everything comfortable, cozy, and he was very happy. The wheat was growing so high! No dangers were there, no hindrances were there; everything was moving according to his desire. When he wanted sun, there was sun; when he wanted r...

Lahiri Mahasaya's meeting with Mahavatar Babaji

In the Year 1861, Lahiri Mahasaya was working as an accountant in Govt. Railway Engineering Dept. He was 33 years old and married. He was transferred to Ranikhet in the Himalayas, It was a difficult journey of 30 days on horses and buggy (there were no rails or roads). There was no immediate duty to look after in the office, Lahiri Mahasaya being a spritual man set out to look for the saints he had heard rumours about. He climbed up the "Drongiri Mountain", it was already getting dark around when he heard a voice calling him. Lahiri Mahasaya walked around and found places with Caves, There was a young sadhu standing at the mouth of the cave, smiling at the visitor. The youth looked 25 year old, Lahiri Mahasaya was astonished by the resemblence the young sadhu bore with himself. Here is the account of Lahiri Mahasaya's meeting with Mahavatar babaji as told by him to his disciples. "Lahiri You have come." said the young Sadhu affectionately, "Come and res...

The mantra Aham Suryosmi (I am the sun) given by Baghavan Ramana Maharishi

One day, right in the middle of the afternoon, Bhagavan Ramana took his kamandalu, got up and told me, ‘Jagadisha, come with me to walk about on the mountain.’ “But it’s so hot,” I protested. “How can we move about in such weather?” I argued like this because I wanted to escape from the trip. Bhagavan found my excuse unsatisfactory. “You can move about in just the same way that I move about,” he said. “But my feet will burn!” I exclaimed. I didn’t have any footwear with me and I didn’t relish the idea of walking about over the burning rocks. “Will my feet not burn as well?” replied Bhagavan, obviously feeling that this was not a serious obstacle. Bhagavan never wore any kind of footwear. He could walk on the toughest terrain in any weather without feeling the least discomfort. But yours is a different case,” I answered, alluding to the fact that Bhagavan never needed footwear. “Why? Am I not a man with two feet, just like you?” asked Bhagavan. “Why are you unnec...

Weakness

10-year-old boy decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn’t understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move. “Sensei,”(Teacher in Japanese) the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?” “This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experien...

The King's challenge!

A rich king is looking for a man to marry his daughter. He sets a challenge – each man who wants to qualify, must wear the royal metal armour and climb 500 stairs to the top of the mountain where the king’s castle is located. Many men from around the world come to take on the challenge. But as soon as they put on the armour, the men realize that it will be an impossible task. The first man takes 1 step, then looks up at the remaining 499 steps and gives up. The second goes up 2 steps and also drops down. The same goes for the third, and the forth, and the rest of the men. Except for the last one. The last man sees that its an impossible task, but decides to give his best any ways. He steps on the first step, then take a deep breath and goes to the second step. He takes another breath, the goes to the third step. By the forth step, he barely lifts his shaking feet, yet he makes it to the forth. He feels that he is about to drop, but he decides to push one more time. As he a...

Lord Rama's Ring

One day, Rama was informed that it was time for him to die. He had no problem with that. He understood that creatures who take birth have to experience death. “Let Yama come to me. It is time for me to return to my heavenly abode, Vaikuntha,” he said. But Yama dared not enter Ayodhya. Yama, the god of death, was afraid of Hanuman who guarded the gates of Rama’s palace and was clear no one would take Rama away from him. To allow Yama’s entry, it was necessary to distract Hanuman. So Rama dropped his ring into a crack in the palace floor and requested Hanuman to fetch it. Hanuman reduced himself to the size of a beetle and entered the crack only to discover that it was no crack but the entrance to a tunnel that led to Nagaloka, the land of serpents. Hanuman met Vasuki, king of serpents, there and informed him of his mission. Vasuki took Hanuman to the centre of Nagaloka where stood a mountain of rings! “There you will surely find Rama’s ring,” said Vasuki. Hanuman wondered how he wo...

Comparison AND Competition is the thief of JOY!

I was jogging this morning and I noticed a person about half a km ahead. I could guess he was running a little slower than me and I felt good, I said to myself I will try catch up with him. I had about a km before I needed to turn off. So I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 feet behind him, so I really picked up the pace and pushed myself. I was determined to catch up with him. Finally, I did it! I caught up and passed him. Inwardly I felt very good. "I beat him". Of course, he didn't even know we were racing. After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that I had missed my turn to my house,. I had missed the focus on my inner peace, I missed to see the beauty of greenery around, and in the needless hurry stumbled and slipped twice or thrice and might have hit the footpath and broken a limb. It then dawned on me, isn't that w...

Ego sometimes misjudges a person!

A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Harvard. "We want to see the President "the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day "the secretary snapped. "We'll wait" the lady replied. For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president. "Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave" she said to him. The President, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago...

Search This Blog