The Debate in Gita on Idol Worship

Idol worship is the most common mode of worship in Hindu Religion. Lengthy and detailed worship ceremonies done in either Hindu temples or in Hindu households are all centered around idols, or photo frames that visualize God in certain visual attributes. Some religions have banned idol worship because they consider it wrong to bind the formless God to a finite form. However, Hinduism considers that binding God in a certain finite form makes it easier to connect with God, makes it easier to associate with him, and makes it conducive to show one's affection toward him.

It is quite interesting to note that the debate on idol worship has been settled once for all by none other than the highest possible authority of the Hindu religion, i.e. by Krishna himself, believed to be the incarnation of the Supreme Being. As far as Hinduism is concerned, Krishna had settled the debate on this issue in the Hindu scripture Gita, a scripture that is held extremely sacred by all Hindus. The scripture is narrated as a dialogue between Krishna and his devotee Arjun. Arjun is troubled by this issue of idol worship. When a dialogue commences between them about spiritual path, Arjun seizes the opportunity to get his misgivings clarified. He posits the following question to Krishna (In the following paragraphs, Krishna is considered to be God himself).

Arjun inquired: "Which is considered to be more perfect, those who are properly engaged in Your devotional service (personal visualized form of Krishna), or those who worship the impersonal Brahman, the unmanifested?"(Gita 12.0.1, asitis.com)

Krishna replies that there are those people who do worship him in formless aspect rather than in personalized form. He describes such devotees as follows:

Krishna replied : "But those who fully worship the unmanifested, that which lies beyond the perception of the senses, the all-pervading, inconceivable, fixed and immovable--the impersonal conception of the Absolute Truth--by controlling the various senses and being equally disposed to everyone, such persons, engaged in the welfare of all, at last achieve Me. (12.0.3, 12.0.4)"

However, Krishna immediately tells as follows, showing his preference toward worship of God in terms of idols or other visual attributes.

Krishna to Arjun: "For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied. Therefore, He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect. (12.0.2, 12.0.5)"

Krishna therefore endorses both formless worship as well as personalized worship in visual attributes. He however considers that, as far as the common people are concerned, worshipping God with personal attributes is a better approach than worship God in formless manner.

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