Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-01-01
IDOL WORSHIP IN INDIA,

! StltlOuS ldolatry of India. No doubt
they believe that idol-worship is a com
mon fact in my country; and. to the su-
perticial observer, our people do pay
homage to various objects and images
called idols.
The truth is, however, we do not be-
heve for moment that these idols have
any divine power in themselves. We
know very well that the thing before us
is stone or clay image, prepared by
human hands, bought at the market
after the manner of any other purchase,
and perhaps chosen out Of many to suit
individual taste; but it always either
possesses or is made to represent some
attribute which helps the imagination
/ in coming nearer to the Supreme Invis-
ible. This is the generally received
opinion among orthodox Hindoos. Pun
dit Promada Das Mira, a learned Hin
doc Professor at Benares, the great holy
city of the HindoOs, thus replies to an
attack upon our religious worship:
"If by idolatry is meant system of
worship which confines our ideas of
the Divinity to a mere image of clay or
stone, which prevents our hearts from
being elevated with lofty notions of the
attributes of God-if this is what is
meant by idolatry, we abhOr idolatry,
and deplOre the ignorance and unchari-
itableness of those who charge us with
this groyeling system
The most intelligent and philosophi-
cal, while holding that the highest form
of worship is NanaSa-puja and N5rakara-
puja (heart- and formless wor-
ship, justify the common method on
the ground of consideration to weaker
minded persons. Worship before i'm
ages, and not to images, is what is prac-
ticed by the Hindoos. 1t is notable
fact that the worship of all Hindoo idols
begins with the sentence EkaHeg0dittdm
(Ihere Is One only, and no secondly
So far from worshiping material i'm
ages, the Hindoos are too spiritual to
believe even in the existence of matter.
The only real existence, according to a
dogma of our philosophy, is the one
Universal Spirit or Essence, formless,
colorless, and imponderable, of which
the whole creation is what is what
may be called the collective state.
The assertion by an individual that
an object crisis, is taken to be tan
tamount to the expression of his
ignorance about it. Hence the Hin
doc aphorism, Ignorance is the beget-
ter of all tbiDgS." When you describe
an object you only state the limitations
of your own knowledge. 1t must be ev-
ldent to every sane person that, granting
the existence of the religious spirit in
man, and the absence of any supernatu-
raj or scientific revelation, the system of
the Hlndoos was the most sensible form
that the instinct of worship could take.
There is nothing absurd or ridiculous
in the much lamented "bowing down to
wood and stone" which the heather is
supposed to do in his blindness"
There isnOt single idol in the Hindoo
pantheon but has a whole volume of
philosophy behind it, the exposition of
which is made with at least as much
logic and lucidity as many a venerable
book on christian Evidences" 1t may
be noted, that even now, after the Cos
pei of the Testament has been offered
to the Hindoo by jealous missionaries
for over two hundred years, he does not
seem to be convinced of the error of his
ways. His temperance, tilial devotion,
almost immaculate personal cleanliness,
and social and moral purity compare
favorably with the habits of any other
people.
One of our most popular images is
that of the goddess Durga, otherwise
called Shakti (Sanskrit for Force. This
goddess represents the female element
in the evolution Of the universe. She
Is not the creator herself, but, in the
words of our peculiar philosophical
dogma, the Oyum or egg which became
the universe, all influence of the Gre
ator (Puris, male), being supposed to
have ceased after the initial contact |
The whole formula of worship of this |
Power is, in fact, but eulogistic de- !
scription of nature in her multiform as
poets, with addresses of praise and |
prayer to the permeating Spirit, accom- |
panied by suitable ceremonies. The |
days set apart for the worship of idols |
are always occasions of public festivity |
and rejoicing.
Another form of idol worship among
the HindOOs is the celebration of the |
lives and works of deiied heroes and !
saints, who are believed to have per
formed miracles and noble achieve
ments in the service of their fellow men.
The scenes of the lives and works of
these heroes are hallowed shrines. Pill
grims congregate here year after year,
to do homage to the departed spirits,
and sanctify themselves by acts of char
ity. The famous JuggernaUt, which has
figured so conspicuously in missionary
literature on account of many cases of
fanatical self immOlation before his huge
war-chariot, represents one of these
heroes.
[ do not mean to say that there is not
a single man, woman, or child IN India
who believes in the divine personality of
any one of our idols. There are poor,
ignorant, superstitious Hindoos who be-
lieve in the personality of a stone or
clay image, but | think there are fully
as many protesting Christians who be
lieve that the bread and wine are the
real body and blood of Christ.
Nor must | pass over the fact, that,
notwithstanding the mild disposition of
the Hndoos, and their kindness to all
living creatures Extending even to
nOxiOus and poisonous animals), some
of the most cruel practices have been
permitted in connection with religious
festivals; as, for example, self-immola-
ton before the car of Juggernaut. This
has been performed as an act of self
sacrifice, to secure to the devotee
blissful eternity. Such acts have been
tolerated by people who do not eat
fish or meat, because of the cruelty of
killing fellow-creatures
[ have dwelt upon this subject some
what at length, but as the worshipers of
idols occupy a very low place in the es-
timation of Christians, thought it right
to say this much.
After all that has been said about
idolatry, do not believe that it exists
anywhere in the world in the sense in
which Christians so bemoan. | mean
to say, that very few idol-worshipers
anywhere in the world believe that their
idols are living personalities. There is,
however, a sort of fetichism which ex-
lists both among image-worshiping and
spirit-worshiping peoples. Its extent
in any community varies inversely with
the dissemination of the light of knowl-
edge Anuita Lal Reg, IN Die Le1ots'
Monthly.
a recent published statement of the yield
of precious metals shows that in 1852 the
output Of gold in the entire world was VAL
ued st SllS 900 600, and of silver at S94,.