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Murti

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A physical form or image of a deity used in worship, embodying the divine presence in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions.

Detailed Definition
Murti in poetry is the divine made visible—the stone that breathes, the clay that listens, the face that returns the gaze. Poets use it to bridge the abstract and the intimate: the infinite in the hand-carved form. It becomes the poem’s sacred object—not idol, but invitation: to see the eternal in the made, the infinite in the finite.
Example
Example in poetry:
A devotional poem: "Murti’s stone eyes—/ see me, know me, / hold me"; A modern verse: "Critics call it idol—/ but Murti is mirror / where God gazes back"; A haiku: "Diya’s flame flickers—/ Murti: divine made / tangible"; Another: "Murti isn’t representation—/ it’s embodiment: / God chooses to dwell here"; A mystical lyric: "In Murti’s stillness, / I see my own soul—/ form reflecting formlessness"; A minimalist verse: "Sacred image. Divine presence. / Murti: form / as focus."
Additional Notes
Murti as divine image is not idol but embodiment; in devotional poetry, the statue breathes, weeps, speaks—this makes worship relational, not symbolic, crucial for interpreting poetry where the divine is near, not distant.
Also Known As
Idol Deity Image Icon Vigraha
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