9--1891: The Dewan of the state of Alwar (now in Rajasthan), invited Vivekananda to the palace to meet the ruler. The ruler  Mangal Singh asked Vivekananda: “I have heard you are a well learned man. 

You can easily earn money. Then why do you beg?” Vivekananda replied: “Can you  tell me, why you ignore your state duties, have lunch and dinners with Englishmen and go on hunting?” . 

The ruler then took a different tack and asked; “Well, swamiji,  all these people worship idols, I don’t believe in idol worship. Can you tell me what will happen to me?”  Vivekananda replied: “To each his own belief” and then suddenly asked an oil portrait of the maharaja removed from the wall. Swamiji asked the Dewan to spit on the portrait, and the latter baulked at the request. 

The Dewan said “What are you saying, Swamiji? How can we spit on the portrait of our maharaja?” Swamiji replied: ‘it may be his portrait, but the maharajah is not physically inside this portrait. 

It can’t move or speak like the maharajah, and yet all of you are unwilling to spit on this portrait. Because you know that spitting on it would mean insulting your Lord, your maharajah.”  

The swamiji then turned towards the maharajah and said: “ Well, Your Highness. Though you are not present inside this portrait, your men feel they will insult you if they spit on it. 

The same applies to people who worship idols made of wood, soil or stone. The idol only reminds them of their god. They do not worship wood, soil or stone, they worship their god through these idols.”