From times immemorial, a firm belief in the existence of a Supernatural Being, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, seems to have been ingrained in the very nature of man. By somehow establishing contact with this Being, often called God, one can get whatever one wants in life. This is the conviction resulting from this belief. Hinduism proclaims that this God is both nirākāra and nirguṇa (without any particular form or attributes) while also being sākāra and saguṇa (capable of assuming any form and attributes at will). Performance of rituals, worships, and pūjas is one of the easier means to achieve the purity of mind. However, they should be done meticulously with a proper knowledge of the spirit behind them. If the symbolical meaning and significance of the icon is understood properly, the icon itself will become an actualized form of the ideal. An illustration can make this point more clear. Water can exist in four states: ice, liquid crystal, liquid water, and vapor or steam. In whatever form you use it, still it is water. Once this is acknowledged, the necessity for and the role of rituals on the path of bhakti can easily be recognized and appreciated.
