For many Hindus, this statement is agreeable because a Murti is a physical representation of a

manifestation of Brahman which they use during puja. In this religious ritual, which means
‘adoration’ in Sanskrit, Hindus believe that a Murti is filled with the presence of God, allowing direct
communication between the worshipper and the deity. Because of this, they treat the Murti like an
honoured guest by offering food and drink, and bathing it in substances like water, milk, and honey,
and clothing it. There is a Hindu prayer for a tree being cut down to be made into a Murti in the
Brihat Samhita: ‘Oh Tree! You have been selected for the worship of a deity, salutations to you!’ The
prayer greets the deity who manifests in the Murti, showing a close relationship, and therefore an
understanding of God. This is a strong argument as there are Murtis in nearly all Hindu temples and
shrines, rendering them important for worship and an understanding of God.

Another reason agreeing with this statement is that the Murti provides a focus for Hindus during
worship and prayer. This is supported by the Bhagavad Ghita: ‘For those whose minds are attached
to the unmanifest, the path of realisation is full of tribulations. Worship of the unmanifest is
exceedingly difficult for embodied beings.’ In this verse, Brahman is named the ‘unmanifest’ and
explains that humans cannot worship God without a form, such as one of the deities. Without a
Murti, the ‘path of realisation’, or Moksha, is described to be nigh impossible, therefore having little
understanding God. However, while the use of Murtis is helpful, the earliest Hindu scriptures, the
Vedas, have no mention of them. As these books of wisdom are meant to guide the soul to
liberation, whether Murtis are the best way to understand God is debatable. Therefore, this is a
weak argument due to the lack of evidence from the ancient scriptures which describe how to
realise and understand God.

Lastly, the most popular approach to God in Hinduism is Saguna Brahman, in which Brahman is said
to be a personality with attributes and form. These forms are the thousands of deities which are
depicted by Murtis for worship. By having such a variety of Murtis, like Ganesh being depicted with
the head of an elephant, Brahman’s revered qualities can be shown: Ganesh’s large head represents
perfect wisdom and his many arms present the omnipotent nature of God. Similarly, the
recognisable forms allow him to be relatable: Brahman has manifested himself into many types of
beings (like male and female) to allow all people to develop a personal relationship with him and a
better understanding. The Rig Veda supports this point: ‘Truth is one, but the wise men know it as
many; God is one, but we can approach Him in many ways.’ This shows that by worshipping
Brahman through Murtis, it is a way of approaching Moksha, the realisation and understanding of
God. This is a strong argument as it is supported by an important scripture which recounts the
revelations of divine truth received by ancient sages.

On the other hand, some Hindus do not think the best way to understand God is through Murtis.
Although less popular, another approach to God is Nirguna Brahman, in which He is believed to be
formless and without attributes. This is supported by the Vedas, in which He is mentioned as ‘that’
to show that He has no gender or attribute. He is beyond the understanding of an ordinary mind and
this difficulty in understanding Brahman is explained in the Kena Upanishad: ‘Even gods are not free
from their ignorance of Brahman.’ If even the deities that Hindus worship cannot understand Him,
then how can humans? Brahman is transcendental; He cannot be described by thoughts or words.
This is a strong argument which is supported by various scriptures. Worshipping Him through Murtis
only allows Hindus to comprehend some of his aspects. Brahman is purnam (complete); He is
everything and infinite, and therefore nothing about Him can be understood fully.

Another point against the statement is the different denominations of Hinduism- in particular,
Shaivism and Vaishnavism. Shaivism values bhakti (devotion) and yoga, instead of Murtis, to worship
Shiva. Shaivites believe that the path to Moksha is through virtuous living and meditative disciplines.
Similarly, Vaishnavites believe that Moksha is attained by karma yoga and jnana yoga, together
which lead to bhakti yoga. Through these devotional disciplines and by surrendering oneself fully to
Vishnu, liberation from Samsara can be achieved. These two denominations are supported by the
Agama texts which describe the important precepts of meditation and yoga for Moksha. However,
two other main denominations- Shaktism and Smartism- use Murtis to understand God. Therefore,
this is a weak argument because the four main denominations are evenly split between the
importance of Murtis and the disuse of Murtis .

Finally, following on from the last point, some Hindus believe that Brahman is not best understood
ritually, for example through puja, but spiritually. The Bhagavad Gita states: ‘He who, established in
unity or oneness, worships Me as the dweller of all things, that yogi exists in Me.’ This explains that
by renouncing the world to devote time to meditation and study of the scriptures -the third
Ashrama, Vanaprastha or ‘forest dweller’- one can reach Moksha. Through yoga (which means
‘union’ in Sanskrit) oneness with Brahman can be obtained; this self-realisation of Antaryami is
expressed in the mantra ‘Tat tvam asi’ which can be translated as ‘Thou art that’. Devout spiritual
practise is the way to rid oneself of ignorance and understand the Ultimate Reality. This is supported
by the Katha Upanishad: ‘he who, by yoga means of meditation on his self, comprehends Atman
within him as God, he leaves joy and sorrow far behind.’ This final point presents valid evidence
against the statement and so it is a strong argument.

In conclusion, I think that the best way to understand God is not through Murtis. During puja, deities
are invoked as divine guests to give food and drink to. However, Brahman is complete and infinite;
therefore, rituals (like puja) are futile. He is also beyond human minds and so prayers to Murtis
cannot reach him directly; the only way to truly understand God is through oneness with Him. As a
result, I think that yoga is the best way to understand God; by committing oneself fully in spiritual
practice, which shows wisdom, maturity and devotion, self-realisation of God is attained.