If there is one, and only one, statement to be made about worship in Dharmic traditions it could be said, “Dharmics worship creation.”
Worship in Sanatan Dharma is the act of recognizing the darkness inside each one of us and an attempt to get enlightened. In worshipping a god(s), a Dharmic is attempting to purify his/her thoughts to be able to act so as to be able to get rid of egoism, ignorance, and achieve enlightenment.
Many gods in one, and one God in many. When a Dharmic is worshipping a god, (s)he is not worshipping a person. Rather, (s)he is attempting to understand divinity; creation and its various manifestations. God in all, and all in god. This is why, at its core Dharmic traditions are build upon the idea of monism. When a Dharmic worships a man or a woman, (s)he is not worshipping a man of creation, rather (s)he is worshipping the creation in a human, animal, and phenomenon. Loosely said, a Dharmic in his/her worship is attempting to understand creation by choosing to focus on different forms and aspects of it. This explains why a cow is equally as worship-able as a human or a rock.
In worshipping a cow, a Dharmic is seeking nourishment in his/her own words and thoughts, just as a cow is able to infuse nourishment in the milk that she produces from grass. In worshipping a horse the worshipper seeks to infuse beauty, grace, and power in his/her life-energy and movements. This is why one doesn’t necessarily need to fold hands or bow down, but can be worshipping sitting idle focused on just his/her breadth. This is the reason why there is inherent respect among the Dharmics of each other’s approach to discovering the divinity of creation. This also is the reason why music is equally a form of worship in Dharmic traditions.
धार्मिक छवियाँ 