In February 1891, Vivekananda arrived at Alwar, Rajputana (western India) and met Maharaja Mangal Singh. He was very Westernized, and, although a Hindu, had no faith in worshipping images that to him were nothing but clay or stone figurines. Swamiji tried in vain to explain to him that Hindus worshipped God alone, using the images as symbols. The Maharaja was not convinced. Then Vivekananda asked the prime minister to take down a picture of the Maharaja that was hanging on the wall; at Vivekananda’s request it was handed to him. He then commanded the prime minister and others to spit on it. Everyone was horrified. He said to the audience: “Maharaja is not bodily present in the photograph. This is only a piece of paper. It does not contain his bones, flesh, and blood. It does not speak or behave or move in any way as the Maharaja does, yet all of you refuse to spit on it, because you see in this photo the shadow of the Maharaja. Indeed, in spitting on the photo, you feel that you insult your master, the Prince himself.” Turning to the Maharaja, he continued: “See, Your Highness, though this is not you in one sense, in another sense it is you. That was why your devoted servants were so perplexed when I asked them to spit on it.” The Maharaja realized his mistake and begged Swamiji’s blessings. (Source: God Lived with Them)