“‘Dear Swamiji, lot of people you have talked to us about, they had a…”

‘Dear Swamiji, lot of people you have talked to us about, they had a strong background and worshipping through the idol. For instance, the farmers of Bharatn villages, these blessed villages have Family God which seems to be a family tradition. The other example is Kannappa. When he saw Shivalinga, he was able to recognise it as God and he knew exactly what to do. Do we need some training or some background information to learn how to do worshipping through the idols properly?’

SWAMIJI: Understand, I don’t think you need an information or ideas about idol worship. I feel we need respect for everything exists. In the so-called western civilization, this civilization is built on strength. Constantly you are taught the idea, that you have to be self centered, respect only you, but the civilizations which lived with nature, which existed for thousands of years; they all continuously respect whatever exists to have the connection, to feel connected to the idol worship, to feel connected to the Deity worship, you need to have respect for whatever exists. Means, you need to live in the heart, you need to live in the space of compassion. You cannot be constantly living in the space of head.

In Bharat, you will see the fun, even cars will have puja. When they buy a new car, or TV, or refrigerator, they will do puja to that. You may think how can car be God? How can the refrigerator be God? How can the TV be God? How can machines be God? Even the laptops, computers, anything they get, they will do puja to that first. You will be surprised and even I was wondering how can all these things receive puja and, see Deities somehow we can tolerate but how laptop, computer, car, TV, whatever we get, puja goes on for that!

Understand, let Me share one of My experience. Then you will be able to understand respect for whatever exists. After Enlightenment once, one ashramite was working on a laptop. Suddenly it stopped working and this guy brought to the other Enlightened disciple for repairing. He is Enlightened guy. He said, he just touched as usual. Whenever things come to Me, I touch and bless. It will become alright. Same way, he put the hand. And understand, looks very funny. He put the hand and said it will start working. It started working. You can say this is coincidence. Okay, forget about it. This may be coincident.

Not just that, even the trees which are practically dead, no leaf, he said that, ‘Swamiji, I repeated your name and put the head, put the hand on the tree and it came to life.’ I said, ‘what are you doing? Even if I put My hand, it does not come back. How do you say?’ Actually I got the interest to study exactly what happens. I saw, I told him to heal some inanimate objects like a machine, TV or the tape recorder, that kind of things. When I asked him to heal and studied the energy flow, suddenly I understood everything, it was like a revelation. Everything exists is living energy, only different degree of life. Even Himalayas are growing. Even hills are living energy. Understand, different frequency of life but whatever exists is life, is energy. When you start respecting, when you start living with that respect whatever exists is energy, suddenly you will see the whole nature reciprocates, the whole nature lives with you.

In Bharat, the tradition of wandering, so many people will walk by foot length and breadth of country, visiting all the temples and pilgrim centres. I used to wonder how they are able to do especially going through the forest and all that. I saw, after few weeks or months, they feel connected to the nature. So nature completely cooperates with them. Whether it is rain or shining or whatever, animals or tree, everything takes care of them. Even though logically it is difficult to understand, once you start living with little respect, you will see, so many ways nature respects you. Nature reciprocates that love.

To do the idol worship, I don’t think you need some information or knowledge. You need this feeling connection, respect for whatever exists. Even in this country, I have seen Bharatns when they get a new vehicle, they will bring it to the temple and do vahana puja, do the car puja which is very strange.