Akram Youth Essence Of Devotion | April 2015 | Akram Youth | Page 15

Dadashri: He is right. If you find a living guru who is good, then you will find satisfaction.
But until you find such a guru, you should do 'darshan' of the 'murti'. Worshipping the
'murti' is a stepping towards spiritual progress. Do not let go of it. Until you attain the
'amurta' (the Soul), do not let go of the 'murti.'
With this new clarity I decided to delve deeper into what else Dadashri might have said on
this burning issue. And so I continued searching through other books. Amazed at
Dadashri's wisdom and clarity of thought I went on reading until almost dawn. I am
posting below the gist of the matter in Dadashri's own words for all, which I feel shall
open new avenues for all to think about.
Temple is the greatest science of Hindustan. Temples are not for gaining pride and
fame for one's self but they are for achieving liberation through proper understanding.
People will worship and get some benefit if temples are present and will stop going in the
wrong direction. It is the best form of indirect worship (paroksha bhakti) but only if one
understands its subtle meaning. You can invite the Lord to reside only when you have a
temple. Otherwise where will the Lord take residence? A floating or temporary place is of
no use. Only when you have a fixed place can you invite the Lord. Why has an idol been
placed? What is the intent (bhavna) behind it? It is 'Lord, you are the abode of eternal bliss
and I have temporary happiness. I want eternal bliss.' The Lord is eternally blissful.
Behold! Just look at him. He looks more attractive than any one of us despite being made
of marble. You feel as if you do not want to leave Him or look away from Him.
What does the idol of the Lord say when you are offering prayers to it? It says, 'All
this is not mine. It belongs to Your Self only.’ So the idol returns all your prayers and
offerings to your own Pure Soul. This is called indirect worship (paroksha bhakti).
Friends, I was truly astounded by this logic of Dadashri. I leave it to you all to decide
for yourselves as to which path you would like to tread on.Bye for now. But before signing
off I would like to share a couple of lines that made a huge impact on me…
Idols are necessary and so are temples. Idol worship is a spiritual science of India. Only if
there is an idol will there be a temple and only if there is a temple will there be devotees.
The Lord has said that as long as there is 'artadhyan.' (Adverse meditation occurring
within one's relative self) and 'raudradhyan' (adverse meditation directed against other
living beings), you should do darshan of an idol (murta) because until then you will not be
able to 'see' the formless (amurta) one. You will not be able to see the 'Shuddhatma', the
formless Lord within.

Temple is the greatest science of Hindustan.
Temples are not for gaining pride and fame for one's self, but they are for achieving
liberation through proper understanding. – Dadashri.
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