Idle Idols

28 Jul, 2025

Usually when we think of idols, we may think of the old television show: American Idol, celebrities, or K-Pop superstars… all new presents kindly gifted to us by modernity. Throughout religious thought in the western world, idols have been given a bad reputation, but not the aforementioned ones. The conception of idols is largely attributed to this section from the Hebrew testament:

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Ex. 20.4). God is apparently condemning the creation of any sort of representation of himself in this passage.

In a spiritual context, an idol (a more appropriate word might be “deity”) is meant to be a representation of divinity that one is able to connect with- like one connects with the post office through an authorized mailbox, physical representations of the divine are meant to act as a way to connect with the divine. The mailbox is acting nondifferently from the post office we aspire to connect to, and the same goes for the physical representation of divinity. Although some philosophies in the world are opposed to such images or forms being valid representations of divinity, everyone, indiscriminately is overlooking the most dangerous idols: are the ordinary idols that are always attracting our senses and dragging us about.

Arjuna inquires from Krishna in the Gita about these idols of kama or desire, and why they always incline one towards acting out of their best interest, even when they are desirous to act in a better way. Krishna responds that desires are like a fire that can never be satisfied no matter how much fuel you put in it. He goes on to describe how desire covers one’s sensibilities like smoke covers a fire, dust covers a mirror, an embryo by a womb, and how desire is one’s eternal enemy. Just in case you didn’t know, we all have an arch-enemy, and they’re closer to us than anyone else. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

So, what are we to do about this? We can practically see in our lives, the lives of others in the world, and throughout history, desires have put humans in very compromised positions in unpleasant situations. Every war and battle; every night without enough sleep due to “binging” a television show and then every car accident caused by such tiredness; every relationship ended due to adultery; every friendship ruined via literal or metaphorical backstab; every cavity diagnosis accompanying a trip to the dentist; every case of lung cancer of liver failure caused by addictions to intoxicants; the enemy of desire is written all over everyone’s lives and it’s plain to see. A humble list like that only scratches the surface

Krishna provides Arjuna with a couple suggestions to rectify such a situation, while simple, they are by no means easy or quick fixes. Krishna prescribes that one should curb this enemy of desire through regulating the senses and steadying the mind with spiritual intelligence.

Sense control, as much as we like it or not, is a necessary thing in life. In order to avoid the consequences of lust (as briefly stated earlier), one must exercise some control over their senses. The more one is able to do this --- restricting the senses from their objects, the more happy one becomes. It is almost an exact correlation. The more uncontrolled we are, the more we suffer physically, mentally, and spiritually. Similarly when we are self controlled, when we are able to restrict ourselves from temporary pleasures that have no real value or substance, we feel satisfaction, detachment, peace, and a taste of the inherent joy within us.

As for steadying the mind with spiritual intelligence, this can only be achieved through practice with a spiritual teacher. Just like you need to learn how to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a musician, from an expert in such a field, spiritual knowledge must be obtained by a spiritual expert. Once this is accomplished, one can very easily begin to steady their minds. Then sense control becomes much easier. Like, if the only information or impetus one gets to control their senses is from a humble blog post like this, it is unlikely that they will have enough information to be convinced. But if one reads and studies spiritual literature with people who have understood such spiritual topics, the knowledge can be imparted very easily, and the realization of the importance of things like sense control is easily obtained.

To connect with a bonafide spiritual path and finding a qualified teacher of that path is the best way to overcome all difficulties in life caused by the idols of desire. It behooves one to try and restrict their senses before they are constricted by their insatiable desires. The best way to do this is through practice and guidance of a spiritual mentor. Do not be fooled by the promises of the idle idols of desire. Real happiness is achievable through deliberate spiritual practice and inquiry, with the ultimate goal being pure love for the source of satisfaction for all desires, the deity of Govinda.¹