WHETHER VEDAS ARE AGAINST TEMPLE IDOL WORSHIP?

The Vedic statements “na tasya pratimA asti” from Sukla Yajur Veda and "na tasya pratimA syAt" from SvetAsvatara Upanishad are misquoted by some to prove that Vedas are against temple idol worship. Let us see why such interpretation is erroneous and baseless.

na tasya pratimA asti yasya nAma mahadyaSah! ---Sukla Yajur Veda samhitA XXXII-3

na tasya purushasya pratimA pratimAnabhUtam kincit vidyate ! yato yasya nAma mahadyaSa ityesha vedAntavidah pathanti hiraNyagarbha ityesha catur ruco anuvAkodUra viprakarsheNa hiraNyagarbham pratimAbhUtamAha !
---Uvata

Tasya purushasya pratimA pratimAnam upamAnam kincit vastu nAsti ! ata eva nAma prasiddham mahat yaSah yasyAsti! sarvAtirikta yaSA ityarthah !
---MahIdhara

Standard English translations like Griffith and Robert Ernest Hume also convey the same meaning as aforesaid.

The above proves that the Sukla Yajur Veda Mantra means that there is no comparison for the Supreme and it does not refer to idol worship by any stretch of imagination.

na tasya pratimA syAt !
---SvetASvatara Upanishad iv-19

na hi tasya iSvarasya pratimA upamA kAcit asti nishpratiyogikatvena brahmamAtratvAt !
---- SrI upanishad brahma yogI bhAshyam

Hence the translation of the word "pratimA" as "Idol worship" is erroneous as it is totally out of context. Thus there is no Vedic Statement which condemns Temple idol worship