Some religions have a beautiful way of doing it by worshiping in a temple through images. For some people, all these are idolatry and blasphemy. Added to that, people are ignorant, unconscious and
worship God out of belief, fear, tradition and for personal benefit. The mind cannot imagine a God about whom it knows nothing. Even if one conceives of an idea about Him and bows down with that concept in mind, it will be a worship of one’s own creation. ln fact, the ignorant person is always praying and worshiping his mental projection, his own idea about God.
Energy is everywhere, yet sophisticated apparatus have been devised to convert it into electricity. Without electric bulbs, light diffusion would have been impossible. Similarly, though God is
omnipresent and the very essence of existence, it is easy and possible to contact Him and to feel Him in those in whom He manifests. The body is the most natural temple created by Him, yet He is not manifest in everyone save in those who have prepared their heart and mind. Here, I am referring to enlightened beings, prophets, mystics and yogis. By bowing before them, we are not bowing before a person, because the person is no more in them. In fact, it is only when the person is no more that the Lord shines. Furthermore, only the Lord can guide one on the ladder of evolution. Therefore, to pay homage, disciples and devotees bow down before their master. By this physical act, the ego is made to bow down to the higher Self, of which it is only a reflection.
Every father and mother is a reflection of God who is the Supreme Father and Mother. The act of conception is a sacred one. It is a moment when one is closest to his Creator and resembles Him. The
mother carries us for nine months in her womb and brings us up. From a certain angle, the relationship between a child and his parent is similar to that between the devotee and the Lord. Bowing before such a personage becomes a sacred act and equals to bowing down to the
Lord. After all, it is He who brings us out through the womb of a mother. Our real parent is the Lord, the earthly parent being a mere reflection. As we do not know Him, homage to His reflection is a stage on the ladder of evolution, though it is not the only worship.
One of the commandments is: “Honor thy father and thy mother. " How to do that? No one can pay back in material terms the amount of good a responsible and conscientious parent does for his child. ln becoming a good human being, we do honor to them. Bowing before parents is symbolical of humility, respect, love and gratitude. They are not being worshiped literally. In ancient India, they were given a very high place, so much so that there is a slok or verse in their praise: “Matri
devobhava, pitri deuobhava” — “The mother and father should be looked upon as gods.” In fact, we are all gods, but in potential.
As mentioned earlier, bowing also represents an act of humility.Without humility, it is not possible to receive any wisdom from anywhere. By the act of bowing before a master, the ego is made to
burn. The disciple realizes that all his knowledge is a modicum of words and skills that can help him to achieve only a material living, while the key to eternal life and infinite powers is with the master. Though the master himself does not expect any such gesture from the disciple, the
latter has to prove that he is really ready to receive the secrets. However, the real bowing down is in spirit, the outer act being simply an expression of the inner bowing.
