Is it True, Idol worshiping prohibited in Hinduism ?
Idol worship is not prohibited in Hinduism. Idols can be made of any material, with or without any shape. When an idol is made by the Hindu, he assigns certain qualities to that idol. It is the qualities that are worshiped by the Hindu. The help of an idol is sought by the Hindu to make it more simplified. You may worship God and offer your prayers with or without an idol . There is no prohibition or compulsion. It is all left to the individual to choose in what way you want to offer your prayers. That is why Hinduism is called a universal religion. All other religions are included in it. A Hindu is free to practice any religious thoughts or rituals and still remain a Hindu.
Idol worship is just part of the religion. The “God by many names” refers to a central belief of Hinduism. All beings are part of the universal spirit, the entity called “Brahman”. In Hinduism, Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the divine ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe.
Hey, Your absolutely correct about idol worship. It is prohibited. In the Vedas, which is the oldest hindu scriptures, it mentions that God has no form, no one has seen God. God is not born and has no children/mother/father. But very unfortunately not many hindus read their original scriptures in sanskrit, and only follow what their families have been following. And above all, as someone else here rightly said is common sense. If I draw a picture of Ganesh for example, does it make sense for anyone to start worshipping my drawing believing its God. God cannot be made by humans. Once a hindu priest even said that Idol worship is prohibited, but people still use it for the concentration of the mind.
Idol worship is not prohibited in Hinduism. The Idol is only a tool for the worshiper to help focus on God. Hinduism does not state that the idol itself is God or has supernatural powers. As per Hinduism there is only one God and there is nothing else. Everything is a part of God which mean God encompasses everything.
It is talking about worshiping the demigods such as Vishnu and Kali, not the statues of them (idol worship) but the beings themselves. It is not the non-living statue that is being worshiped, this is only a representation of the living force of the godhead. Worshiping the lesser gods, however, will not bring fulfillment and satisfaction, this is what the words mean.
