Question: Why God should be worshiped in images, not in His originalform, spiritual form?Answer: I cannot see spiritual form. That is my difficulty. My sensesare so imperfect that I cannot see God immediately in His spiritualform. Therefore, out of His causeless mercy, He appears before you asyou can see you, Him. We cannot see just now with our material eyesexcept stone, earth, wood, something tangible. Therefore He becomes...These forms are called arcavatara, incarnation of arca, convenientlypresented by the Supreme Lord so that we can actually see. But theresult will be that in the image, if you concentrated your energy, andif you love and offer your, I mean to say, devotion, this will beresponded, even from that image.There are many instances, very many instances. I'll cite one story. Itis very interesting story. If you go to India, you'll find one nicetemple in Orissa. It is called the temple of "Witness-Gopala,"Saksi-Gopala, Witness-Gopala. This Gopala was situated in a temple atVrndavana. Now, two brahmanas, one young and one old, they went tovisit Vrndavana, the place of pilgrimage, and the old man... Becauseat that time there was no railway, the journey was very hardship. Theold man felt very obliged, and he began to say to the young man, "Mydear boy, you have done so much nice service to me. I am obliged toyou. So I must return that service. I must give you some reward." Sothe young man said, "Oh, my dear sir, you are old man. You are justlike my father. So it is my duty to serve you, to give you allcomforts. I don't require any reward." Formerly, the boys were sogentle. And still, there are many boys like that. So the old man alsothought that "No, I am obliged to you. I must reward you." So hepromised that "I shall get you married with my youngest daughter."Now, the old man was very rich man, and the young man was not rich. Hewas poor. Although he was brahmana, learned. So he said that "You arepromising. You don't promise this because your kinsmen, your familymen will not agree. I am poor man, and you are rich man. You arearistocratic. So it will be not. This marriage will not take place.Don't promise in that way before the Deity. It is not good becauseDeity is there." But he was firm faith that "Krsna is hearing,"because the talks were going on in the temple. "So it will not befulfilled." "No." The old man became still more persistent. "No, mydaughter I shall offer you. Who can forbid me?"So in this way, when they came back, one day the old man proposed tohis eldest son that "Your youngest sister should be married with thatboy. That I have promised." Oh, the eldest son of that old man becomevery angry: "Oh, how you have selected that boy to be husband of mysister? He's unfit. He's poor man. He's not so educated. Oh, thiscannot take place." He did not agree. Then the mother of the girl,he(she) came to the old man: "Oh, if you get my daughter married withthat boy, then I shall commit suicide." Now the old man is perplexed.Then, one day, the boy was anxious that "The old man promised beforethe Deity. Now he is not coming." So he... One day he came to hishouse: "Well, my dear sir, you promised before the Lord, Krsna, andyou are not fulfilling your promise? How is that?" The old man wassilent because he was praying to Krsna that "I am now perplexed. If Ipersist in offering this daughter to this boy, now there will be greattrouble in my family." So he was silent. So, in the meantime, theeldest son came out and he began to quarrel with: "Oh, you, youplundered my father in the place of pilgrimage. You gave him some LSDor something, (laughter) intoxication. You took all the money from myfather. Now you say that he has promised to offer you my youngestsister. You fool!" He began to say like that.Then all the neighboring gentlemen, they: "Oh, what is the trouble?Here there is so much howling." "This is the... Do you think, sir,that this boy is fit for my sister? We are aristocratic family andthis and that...," so on. So the young man said... Young man couldunderstand the old man is still agreeable, but these, his sons andfamily members, as he suggested, they are not agreeable. So heexplained the whole thing before all the gentlemen who came, that"This is the fact. Now, he promised. Now, for the sake of his son andwife, he cannot fulfill his promise. This was a promise before theLord." In the meantime, the old man's eldest son... He was atheist. Hevoluntarily says, "Well, if your God comes and gives witness, then Ishall offer my sister to you." But he was confident that God willcome. He said, "Yes. I shall ask God. I shall ask Krsna to come andgive witness." So... Now, before all gentlemen this was done. Then theyoung man said, "All right, let us now come to agreement that I shallcall Krsna from Vrndavana to give witness in this matter, and when Hecomes, you'll have to." All the other gentlemen, they also persisted.So there was some agreement. So this boy went again to Vrndavana tohis Gopala, and he prayed that "Sir, You have to go with me." He wasso staunch devotee, just like talking with friend. He did not thinkthat He's a statue; it is image. He knew God. That was his conviction.So God said, "How do you think that a statue can go with you? I am astatue. I cannot go." Then this boy replied, "Well, if a statue canspeak, He can go also." (laughter) Then Krsna said, "All right, Ishall go with you." Then there was some arrangement that "You will notsee Me, but I will go with you. I'll go with you, and you hear, you'llhear the sound of My nupura." A nupura is an instrument which is fixedup in the leg of Krsna. It sounds like "Ching, ching, ching, ching,"just like that. So He was going with him, and daily he was offeringsome foodstuff, taking alms from the village. In this way he wascoming, but when he came in the precincts of the village, of his ownvillage, he could not hear the sound of the nupura. So he saw back:"Oh, where is Krsna?" He saw that statue there, the statue standing.So he informed all the villagers that Lord has come to be witness,and... It is about some thousands yards before this thing happened.People were convincing: "Yes. There was no... Such a big statue, thisboy could not bring." So they believed, and there was a templeconstructed by the king of that country. And still that temple isthere, and it is named, the Lord is named, as Saksi-Gopala.Saksi-Gopala. Gopala means... Gopala is the name of Krsna's boyhood.So because He came to give witness in that controversy, so that templeis still there. So the whole idea is the statue, statue... Because Godis everywhere. So He's also in statue. God is everywhere. How can yousay that He's not in statue? He's also in statue. So it is mydevotion, it is my qualification, that I can induce that statue tospeak with me. Just like the same way -- if I am electrician, then Ican fit any electrical instrument or machine or light from theelectric energy which is all over -- similarly, God's energy, He ispresent everywhere...When we are advanced in spiritual consciousness, then we can see Godeverywhere. Maya tatam idam sarvam jagad avyakta-murtina. So He iseverywhere, and He is not everywhere also. Just like you have got thispost box. The post box means the Post Office. You put your letter. Itwill go to the destination because it is authorized. So if we areprepared to accept these things and do according to the devotionalrules and regulation, then it will be possible for us to see Godanywhere and everywhere. It requires our own qualification.- Srila Prabhupada Lecture (24/11/1966 - New York) :: Bhagavad Gita 9.4-7
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