Worshipping a Symbol—My View Point

Summary

‘Worshipping a Symbol—My View Point’ is a philosophical essay arguing that idol worship is not a primitive superstition but a necessary aid to spiritual development. Lalit Kumar Nahata begins by observing that beginners on the spiritual path need a concrete medium—be it an idol, picture or symbol—to focus their devotion and discipline their mind. Even highly evolved souls, he argues, respect these aids for the benefit of others and do not denigrate them. Drawing analogies with everyday life, Nahata likens the idol to an architectural plan or a signed bank cheque: just as builders cannot raise a structure without constantly referring to a blueprint, a devotee needs a representation of the Supreme Spirit until the unity of soul and God is realised; and just as a blank piece of paper gains value once signed, a stone idol acquires sacredness once consecrated. Throughout the essay he rebuts critics who dismiss idols as mere stones. He notes that all religions use symbols: Muslims regard their mosque and the Kaba as holy, Christians venerate the cross, and even iconoclastic sects respect sacred books or memorials. For him, these practices are all forms of idol worship, because they involve reverence for an object as a medium through which the formless divine is approached. Opponents who refuse to bow before an image yet cherish intangible symbols, he suggests, are inconsistent. Nahata emphasises that names and forms are inseparable; without form there can be no name, and without a name a devotee cannot call on the divine. He urges critics to free themselves from anti‑idol dogma, which he attributes partly to historical agnostics like the Mughal emperors, and to rediscover the psychological benefits of focusing on a symbol. The essay concludes by appealing for convergence: all faiths should recognise that different mediums serve the same purpose of spiritual concentration and that arguments over idol worship only divide the praying public.