Don't you find the Hindu statues an idols of their gods scary????

Question

I dont now but i did when i was five years old

Answer 1

The elephant one is freaky looking.

Answer 2

Yes true , Some of them look scary. It is supposed to be scary and that is intentional.

Symbolism plays an important role in this religion. Each of the dieties in the hindu belief is having a lot of meanings.

Take the case of the scary godess "kaali" .

It represents the killer of the evil. Everything on her body has deeper meanings. When you try to understand Tantrik Vidya only you will know what all are the meanings of each. I will write down an example.

Kaali has a head(cut and dripping with blood) in her hand. The head represents our brain and that is where our Ego(the false thinking that I am the creator and owner of my actions and its results) lies. So that represents the symbolism of being without ego. Such are the symbolic approaches.

Basically in Hinduism there is a concept of Ishta devta (selecting a deity of your choice) and praying to it. This concept is because of the reason that Hinduism believe that each human being is different from another and each one has his own way of thinking and perception and thus so many forms of the same one god to choose from. This is for the beginner of spiritual practice to make his concentration firm.

Answer 3

I find the image of a man crucified with 9 inch nails, a crown of thorns around a bleeding head and gruesome signs of torture, much scarier than the cartoonish and fictional characters portrayed in the Hindu gods!

Answer 4

Only 'cause we're not really used to them in this country. I do remember, aged about seven, the first time I went round my friend Deepak's house, and it was kind of "what is that weird elephant thing on the wall?" But once I found out what it was about, no problem at all :)

Answer 5

No I fine them wonderful. Colourful and linked with brilliant religious storys. As one of the oldest religions they have opened up the mind of culture and now you can fine there idols on fashion and home items.
Love It !

Answer 6

Just as scary as that plus sign with that crucified guy on it. What a way to go! What a thing to worship! Cheesuz!

Answer 7

I find the floats in the Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans more scary.

Answer 8

I'm not religious, but I think their statues and idols are beautiful. Some of them are incredible works of art.

Answer 9

Nope not really. Not any more scary then any other God/Gods/Goddesses on the face of the earth and there are some freaky looking one if you look.

Answer 10

No more than some guys nailed almost naked and bleeding on a cross. Ok... maybe even a lot less scary than a guy nailed almost naked and bleeding on a cross.

Answer 11

In our present material circumstances we are accustomed to seeing material things like stone, wood etc..., whereas God is completely spiritual and is not visible to our material eyes. Therefore, God out of his causeless mercy towards us, presents Himself in a form (matter like stone, wood etc...) we can see Him. Because God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent it is possible for Him to be present in a form that we can see. But then again the form of the God is not that which any one can concoct in their fertile brain and think it to be God.

God has given the authorized revealed scriptures in which there are details as to how one do pratishta (install) a form of the God in the temple. It is great science and the form of the God so installed is called Arca Vighraha (DEITY to be worshiped) and it is not a doll. Example can be given to a post box authorized by the post office delivers the letter whereas any red box kept where one puts postal letters are not delivered to the recipient. The authorized post box is similar to the DEITY installed according the procedure given in the scriptures and any unauthorized red box is similar to any doll made out of stone or wood.

In India, there are so many hundreds and thousands of temples where the deities are installed properly. For instance, jagannatha Puri, the Deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, Shubhadra in Orissa attract around 600,000 pilgrims everyday and during the annual Ratha Yatra(Car Festival) the number of pilgrims coming there is like a ocean.

See the following enlightening knowledge from Srila Bhakti Vindoda Thakura, the great-grand spiritual master of A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (founder of ISKCON)
In Bhagavad-gita (9.25) it is said:"They who worship matter remain in the material world."
Therefore the conclusion of the scriptures is that worship of matter is not allowed. That you can see. However, a certain point should be explained. Human beings are situated on different levels of knowledge and purity. A person situated in pure spiritual knowledge is able to worship the pure spiritual form of the Lord. Persons situated on lower levels of spiritual awareness understand the Lord to a lesser degree, and they who are on the lowest level cannot understand the Lord's spiritual nature at all. When he meditates on God, a person on the lowest level inevitably imagines that God has a material form with material qualities. To think that the DEITY form of the Lord is a statue made of clay is the same as to meditate in the mind on a Supreme that one imagines to have a form made of matter. Actually for persons on that level of advancement, worship of the DEITY form of the Lord is very beneficial. In fact, if there were no DEITY worship, the people in general would be in an inauspicious condition. If an ordinary person eager to see God were not able to see the DEITY form of the Lord, then he would lose hope that he would ever see the Lord. The followers of religions that forbid DEITY worship are on a low level of spiritual advancement. They are materialistic and not interested in worshiping the Lord. Therefore DEITY worship is the foundation of religion. Pure and wise saints gaze on the form of the Supreme Lord. Their hearts purified by devotion, they know that the DEITY form of the Lord is pure spirit. As the heart becomes more and more purified by devotion, the worshipper gradually comes to understand that the DEITY form of the Lord is a spiritual form reflected within the realm of the material world. Thus the DEITY form is the spiritual form of the Lord, a form that the great saints have arranged to be reflected within the material world. An advanced devotees can directly perceive that the DEITY form is perfectly spiritual. An intermediate devotee thinks the DEITY form is a mental image. At first a neophyte devotee thinks the DEITY is a statue made of material elements, but as he gradually become pure in heart, he also gradually comes to understand that the DEITY is actually made of spirit. Therefore the DEITY form of the Lord should be worshiped by all classes of devotees. To worship an imaginary form is forbidden. However, to worship the real eternal form of the Lord is very auspicious.