Why does God reside in an idol?

Why does God become present in the idol and the stone idol becomes God? A devotional story related to the incarnation of God.

Before starting any new work or going to any place, it is said that one must visit the temple. The belief behind this is that the positive energy present in the atmosphere of the temple will cleanse and enliven your mind and force you to think in the right direction.

God resides in the idol for the worship of the devotees:- God is present in everyone’s heart all the time in an inner form, Siddha, Yogi etc. can see the inner form of God in Samadhi, but not all people can see God in this form. Unable to enjoy.

How should the devotee see his beloved? Therefore, to give darshan to the devotees, God took the form of Archavatar, which is the most accessible form of God for everyone.

Archa means worship and worship; The name of the incarnation for this is Archavatar, another name for the idols is Archavatar.
The idols of God established in homes, temples, pilgrimage places, on Govardhan mountains etc. are called Archavatar.

Shri Eknathji has said:- ‘I am your idol, there is no religion there’
That is, “What I am is my image, there is no other religion in the image.”

Four types of archavatars:-

(1) Some idols of God appear themselves, these are called ‘Swayamvyakta’, ‘Swayambhu’ or ‘Swatah Sambhoot’. Spontaneous idols are not found just like that; These appear only for the worshippers, hence their worship soon becomes perfect, the places where they appear become places of pilgrimage.

(2) Some idols are consecrated by gods, they are called ‘Daiva’ idols.

(3) Some idols are installed by Siddhas, they are called ‘Saiddha’ idols.

(4) Mostly the idols are installed by devotees, human beings, they are called ‘Manush’.

How does an idol become God or how does God become present in an idol?:-

Brahma may be nirgun but for worship he becomes sagun and takes a special shape.

Just as Lord Vishnu is omnipresent, yet his attainment (Sannidhi) is in Shalagramji.
If by keeping a fixed gaze on Shaligramji, chanting Om with the speed of life and meditating on God, then the worshiper can get a glimpse of God in it.

It is said in Hayashirsha Samhita:- ‘God becomes present in the idol by the penance of the worshipper, by excessive worship and by the uniformity of the idol with the will.’

Lord Ramanuja has said that ‘devotional worship makes God visible.’

There are many places in Vraj where worshipers have manifested God himself through the power of their worship.

Supreme worshiper Shri Kalyandevji revealed Shri Baldauji, Swami Haridas ji manifested Shri Banke Bihari ji and Shri Gopalbhatta ji manifested Shri Radharaman ji with the power of his worship, and who knows how many such examples.

When the devotee wants to manifest God by the power of his devotion, the idol of God becomes God at that very moment. In him all the six qualities of God like knowledge, power, strength, opulence, semen and brilliance etc. are present. The devotee does not see him as an idol but considers him as his God.

For Meerabai, Dwarkadhish was not a mere inanimate idol, Chinmay was God himself, with Meera’s mere wish he absorbed her into himself.

What fun it is to destroy this personality.
Meera sees Girdhar in the cup of poison.

Karmabai was affectionate towards Gopal and Gopal looked at her with motherly affection like Yashoda Mata.

The taste of mother’s khichdi in Karmabai’s hut was such that Sarveshwar Jagannath liked it so much that he forgot his selfishness and cried out to her for khichdi.

Sancho, if love is in God, then the statue is made of wood.
Jimo Mhara Shyam Dhani, Jimo Beti Jaat Ki ॥

One day Karmabai went to the blissful abode of God, that day God cried a lot, tears started flowing continuously from the eyes of Shri Jagannathji’s idol.

At night, in the king’s dream, the Lord said: -‘Today mother has departed from this world, now who will feed me Khichdi?’

By worshiping idols with true feelings, God becomes manifest, the proof of this is found in this story:-
A Mahatmaji had to stay for several days in the house of one of his Brahmin disciples. Mahatmaji had some idols of Shalagramji.

The little daughter of a Brahmin used to daily sit near Mahatmaji and watch him worship.

One day the girl asked Mahatmaji: ‘Whom do you worship?’
Mahatmaji considered the girl small and said: – ‘We worship Silpile God.’

The girl asked:- ‘What happens by worshiping Lord Silpile?’

Mahatmaji said: ‘By worshiping Lord Silpile one gets the desired results.’

The girl said:- ‘Give me a Silpile God, I will also worship like you.’
Seeing the girl’s devotion towards God, Mahatmaji gave her a Shaligram and told her the way to worship.

The girl started worshiping her ‘Silpile God’ daily with true devotion.

She was so engrossed in her love for her beloved that she would not eat or drink anything without offering it to him and even a moment’s separation from her beloved was unbearable for her.
When she grew up, she took her ‘Silpile Bhagwan’ along with her while going to her in-laws’ house at the time of marriage.

Unfortunately, she got a husband who did not believe in God. One day, seeing his wife worshiping, her husband picked up the idol and said: ‘I will throw it in the river.’
Despite much pleading from the girl, the husband threw the idol in the river.

From that time onwards, the girl became crazy about the separation from her ‘Silpile Bhagwan’ and kept reciting this all the time: – ‘My Silpile Bhagwan, where have you gone leaving me as a maid, please show me quickly; Your separation is unbearable.

One day, going crazy with separation from God, she reached the bank of the same river and started calling her Lord in a loud voice: – ‘Come quickly and give me darshan, otherwise the maid is going to die.’
Along with this pitiful call, a wonderful voice echoed: – ‘I am coming’. At the same time, the same statue of Shaligramji appeared in front of the girl.

As soon as she started hugging Shaligramji, God appeared from inside that idol in the form of a quadrilateral, due to the divine radiance of God, the eyes of all the other people were closed.
Then a divine Garundhwaja plane came and God took his true devotee in the plane and went to Vaikunthaloka and her husband, turned away from God, kept watching with wide eyes.

Glory of idol worship:- It is said in Agnipuran:- ‘Yamraj has instructed the Yamdoots not to bring those who worship idols to hell.
Shri Eknathji says:- In Kaliyuga, there is no other means of devotion than idol worship..!!