Idol Worship

Idol Worship

P K Routray

Every year during the month of October

with the winter at the door and the rain is over

off from field after hard labor the relieved farmer

having  the lush green corpses smiling on the field to cheer

invoke the Goddess Durga the supreme mother.

and with unflinching devotion propitiate her

as an idol of woman with eight hands killing a brute demon

the same idols with same theme over the years but enthuse never dampen.

The idol worship may look puzzling to the dear reader

hence here is an attempt to reveal the symbolic meaning, they bear.

the idol represents the Goddess Durga the mother

with eight hands representing eight power.

To portray anger and its annihilation visible to naked eye

to have lasting impact on the inner canvass with idols we try.

Anger as demon from our negative character

is destroyed by our positive virtue as Durga the mother.

Her eight hands represent man’s right divine power

all are required in unison to kill and vanquish the anger.

Eight powers are  tolerance, adoption, discrimination

to judg,to withdraw, to pack up, to face and cooperation.

Man can easily contemplate for long such symbolic figures

and act to raise his power and inner virtues to destroy the anger.

All idols and all figures have numerous tales to tell

which as abstract imagery without shape and size will certainly fail.