| Wood or metal,
usually fashioned in the form of a human being, in which certain spiritual forces
are focussed by the concentrated willpower of high-minded sculptors and other artists, for
the purpose of aiding a worshipper in acquiring that stability of mind necessary to
him for the contemplation of the ALL-PERVADING DIVINITY, as laid down in the sacred Vedas
and other reputed texts." God as conceived in
this Archa form is believed to exist in an invisible form in the idols made out of stone,
wood, metal or even masonry work. He is of the nature of the intellect. The force of
concentration and the recital of certain mantras accompanied by proper prescribed rituals
make the invisible God made to enter the idol. So long as these are not polluted and as
long as they are worshipped continuously, the in-dwelling energy of God resides in them.
As magnetic attraction can be introduced in an ordinary piece of iron and is lost by
disturbance, so also the images lose their power by pollution, negligence of performance
of Vedic rites and rituals. |
