This talk is part of Osho’s discourses compiled as “The Ultimate Alchemy Vol 2”. The excerpt I am sharing is a part of his answer to a question. I have goosebumps reading Osho’s take on “Visarjan” because it also shows how far we have moved from our roots. Our Rishis and Gurus had deep understanding of life and its purpose. In our respective rat races we have just forgotten ourselves. Osho keeps trying to knock some sense into us 😁.
The excerpt below –
Why Visarjan ?
Visarjan is a particular process. Visarjan means dispersion. In India, whenever someone worships, the deity is created. For example, Ganesh: then Ganesh is created, an image is created. For the worship the image is taken as divine, so divinity is invoked in it. Then, for particular days, for a particular length of time, it is worshiped. When the worship is over, the deity has to be dissolved into the sea or into the river. That is known as dispersion, visarjan. This is rare.
This happens only in India, nowhere else in the world. Everywhere else they have permanent gods’ images. Only India has impermanent god images. This is rare.
India says nothing is permanent and nothing can be permanent, even your image of God. Because you have created it, it cannot be a permanent thing. Don’t befool yourself. When the time is over, go and throw it back. Your God cannot be permanent. Go on throwing your gods, creating them and throwing them. Use them and throw them. Only then can you reach that God which is not your creation.
Images are your creations, so they have an instrumental value. They are devices. Because you are still so far away from the reality – and it is difficult for you to conceive imageless godliness – create an image, but don’t stick to it. No clinging allowed. When the worship is over, throw it. It is again mud. Throw it back in the mud. Don’t retain it.
This is a very deep psychological process, because to throw a God needs courage, to throw a God needs detachment – to throw a God you were just worshiping! You were falling at the feet of the God, crying, weeping, dancing, singing, and now you yourself go and throw it into the sea. So it was just a device, nothing permanent in it. You used it as an instrument. Now the worship is over, throw it, and create it again whenever you need.
This constant creating and throwing will always help you to remember that your created gods are not real gods. They are symbolic.
Hindus were never in favor of creating stone images. They came with Buddhists and Jainas, and with Buddhists and Jainas came temples. Hindus really never were in favour of stone images, because they give a false permanence. They give a false appearance of permanence. Buddha dies, but Buddha’s stone image remains. When even Buddha himself dies, how can an image of Buddha be permanent? But a stone image gives a false appearance of permanence.
Hindus have believed in mud Gods. Make a mud God: rains will come and you will know what happens to your God. It is your God; this must not be forgotten. And all Gods created by men are mud Gods – bound to be, because man himself is an impermanent entity. He cannot create anything permanent, so don’t create a false appearance.
This is called dispersion, visarjan. This word is beautiful. First create the image, then uncreate it. It is not destroyed. Visarjanam means uncreated.
Create, then uncreate it. Then let everything go again to its basic elements.
Hindus say death is a dispersion. You are created in your birth; you are a mud image. Then in death the elements move again to their original source – you are dispersed. And that which was not born in you, which was even before your birth, will remain after your death. But your image will disperse.
The same is to be done with human Gods, manmade Gods. Create them, disperse them.
Ganesh Ji must be laughing …. the supreme protector, the Vighna Harta Vinayaka has police and paramilitary forces protecting him 🙏🏾🙏🏾. What have we done to ourselves ?
गणपती बाप्पा मोरया पुढच्या वर्षी लवकर या !