Polytheism, Pantheism, Idol Worship in Hinduism(Part XIII)

In this piece of speech on "Paper on Hinduism", Swami Vivekananda clarifies the misconceptions of Hinduism. He explains the reason behind Idol worship. According to Hinduism, Idol worship is for the beginners, and for the experienced it is not mandatory. This is the starting step of the search, to recognize that the God is omnipresent. Explanation from Srimath Bhagavad Gita... Krsna, Supreme Personality of Godhead said, "Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be most perfect." Bhagavad Gita (12.2) "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." Bhagavad Gita (12.5) [Bhagavad-Gita dot us]. "Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme." (Bhagavad Gita 14.27). "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be." (Bhagavad Gita 9.11).