Amidst the Pandemic

In Diana Eck’s Seeing the Divine Image in India, sight in Hinduism is utilized heavily as a way to worship deities and idols.

In Hinduism there are many different opportunities for people to see their gods, but also present themselves to be seen.

There is a very interesting worshiping technique called Puja where worshiper will take  an image or statue of a deity and they will submerge it in milk and honey. Then  flowers, food, and drinks are offered to the deity ensuring that the worshipper sees the deity and is seen by the deity. This ritual while, it may seem specifically significant to Hinduism or Eastern religions can be observed in Abrahamic religions and secular culture. When I was younger my mother, a devout Catholic, would insist that I hang up a small wooden crucifix on my wall, to allow “Jesus to watch over me.” And while idea of Jesus “watching over me” does pertain to sight, I think my mom was more concerned with the idea that an all powerful being should watch over and protect me. Me being significantly less religious than my mother opted to “worship” idols with less religious significance. I would plaster my wall with posters pictures of singers, movies, and video games I adored. When it comes to people and things we idolize, sight is so powerful. It gives us a feeling of closeness to idols we desperately want to be seen or noticed by. Religious people may want to feel closer and protected by their religious idols while someone like me might fantasize about being close friends with my favorite actor or singer.