4. Is it necessary to go to temples, worship statues and do sacrifice (Yajna)?

Temple and statue are necessary for low level people as said in Shastra (Pratima Swalpa Buddhinaam). It is a teaching model for a school student. But for a college or university student it is not necessary. It is called as Pratika (Model). The Veda says to meditate upon the Sun assuming Sun as the Lord. The Sun is not the Lord. The Lord is not in the Sun. Sun is only a servant of the Lord. All these points are told in the Veda (Adityam Brahmeti, Nedam tat, Bheeshodeti Suryah). The Veda says that the Lord is not in the statues (Natasya Pratima). The Veda also says that no inert object and no human being is the Lord because the object or human being is an item in the creation (Neti, Neti). The Gita says that the Lord comes only in human form (Manusheem Tanumaasritam). The statue, which is in the human form is a model to teach you the concept that the Lord comes only in human form to preach the divine knowledge in every human generation, to avoid the partiality to a particular human generation as said in the Gita (Yada Yadaahi). Once you understood this concept the temple and statue are not necessary for you but they should be protected and respected as the models of divine knowledge for the future ignorant devotees. Some people tell that ‘Kulluka Bhatt’ said about worship of statues. Kulluka Bhatt is a ‘Purva Mimaamsaka’ who is an atheist (Devo Na Kaschit). How can he contradict the Veda, which says that the Lord does not exist in statues? The Gita condemns severely that a person-worshipping statue will be born as a stone. Here the meditation upon the statue is not condemned. Only worship like offering the food is condemned because the statue does not eat the food. Some fellow behind the statue eats the food. In the Gita the word ‘Bhutejyah’ means to worship the inert object by offering food. Ijya means to offer the food. Bhuta means inert substance, which is one of the five inert elements (Pancha Bhutas). Some people say that the word Bhuta means ghost and those who worship ghosts become ghosts. We do not object such meaning. But the word Bhuta also means the five inert elements. Our meaning is in the same line of your meaning. If a person worships ghosts becomes ghost. Similarly, if a person worships inert objects becomes inert object. We do not contradict your meaning. Our meaning is in the same line of your meaning and therefore you cannot contradict. Moreover the verse says that those who worship deities become deities etc., Therefore our meaning is in the line of the meaning of the verse. Yajna means to feed the guest after cooking the food and not burning the food in the fire. The guest is treated like fire. The hunger in his stomach is treated as ‘Vaishwanara fire’. Krishna stopped burning the food in fire and ate the food stating that He was hungry. Kapila condemned such burning of food in Bhagavatam. The Yajna is only to cook the food and feed the guest. In this true sense Yajna is essential and must be performed.