The Image of the Infinite- Mangal Singh meets Vivekananda
During his travels across the length and breadth of India as a wandering monk, Swami Vivekananda visited the princely state of Alwar, where he was received by Maharaja Mangal Singh, the ruler of the region. Known for his progressive views but skeptical of idol worship.
Curious and challenging, the king asked, “Swamiji, why do people worship idols? How can a piece of stone represent the Infinite?”
Swamiji smiled and remained silent for a moment. Then, noticing a portrait of the king's father hanging on the wall, he asked a courtier to take it down and spit on it.
Shocked, the courtier refused. The king too looked offended. “Swamiji, how can you say such a thing? That portrait represents my father!”
Swamiji calmly replied,
"Just like that portait represents your father, the images and statues of God represent God. The Devotees don't worship the forms. They worship God through the forms. For a devotee, an idol is not just stone — it is the living presence of the Divine."
The King appreciated the way Swami Vivekananda put it.
The lesson was clear: symbols may be material, but the devotion behind them is spiritual.