During a geometry lesson revision was trying to explain to my child.
Line : No beginning & no end. Infinite
Line segment : has a start & end. Finite. Is part of a line.
Just like rain or lake has a start and end and is part of the water cycle
Soul and body was going thru my mind during this conversation. And my child related it to God & Human.
Human being / body is finite like the line segment and like a lake
Soul and God are Infinite and so is the line and the watercycle
And our being is a part of the divinity in a way .
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Sun & Sunshine
- Look up at the Sun and the shadows will fall behind you ( not be seen).
- The Sun is the ultimate source of energy and life, beginning of the food chain!
- Sun helps plants grow, animals breathe.
- Sun helps ice melt to water & then evaporate again to give rain. It is an essential part of the water cycle that one ignores
- It is said Sun first shared the Gita gyan
- Its the core of our solar system. There would be no day & night and no seasons if there was no Sun. In fact we would not be here if there was no Sun.
- Indians, Incas and Greek ...all these cultures prayed to Sun God in different forms
Thursday, 31 October 2013
God's plan are perfect!!
A King had a male servant who, in all circumstances always said to him; My king, do not be discouraged because everything God does is perfect, no mistakes.
One day, they went hunting and a wild animal attacked the king, the servant managed to kill the animal but couldn't prevent his majesty from losing a finger. Furious and without showing gratitude, the King said; if God was good, I would not have been attacked and lost one finger. The servant replied, 'despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good and everything He does is perfect, He is never wrong'. Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his servant. While being taken to prison, he told the king again, God is Good & Perfect.
Another day, the king left alone for another hunt and was captured by savages who use human beings for sacrifice. On the altar, the savages found out that the king didn't have one finger in place, he was released because he was considered not "complete" to be offered to the gods. On his return to the palace, he ordered the release of his servant and said; My friend, God was really good to me. I was almost killed but for lack of a single finger, I was let go. But I have a question; If God is so good, why did He allow me to put you in prison? His servant replied; My king, if I had not been put in prison, I would have gone with you, and would have been sacrificed, because I have no missing finger.
Everything God does is perfect, He is never wrong. Often we complain about life, and the negative things that happen to us, forgetting that everything happens for a purpose. God knows why you are reading this message today, please bless someone with it by sharing it. God is good and perfect!!!ЁЯШЗ
One day, they went hunting and a wild animal attacked the king, the servant managed to kill the animal but couldn't prevent his majesty from losing a finger. Furious and without showing gratitude, the King said; if God was good, I would not have been attacked and lost one finger. The servant replied, 'despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good and everything He does is perfect, He is never wrong'. Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his servant. While being taken to prison, he told the king again, God is Good & Perfect.
Another day, the king left alone for another hunt and was captured by savages who use human beings for sacrifice. On the altar, the savages found out that the king didn't have one finger in place, he was released because he was considered not "complete" to be offered to the gods. On his return to the palace, he ordered the release of his servant and said; My friend, God was really good to me. I was almost killed but for lack of a single finger, I was let go. But I have a question; If God is so good, why did He allow me to put you in prison? His servant replied; My king, if I had not been put in prison, I would have gone with you, and would have been sacrificed, because I have no missing finger.
Everything God does is perfect, He is never wrong. Often we complain about life, and the negative things that happen to us, forgetting that everything happens for a purpose. God knows why you are reading this message today, please bless someone with it by sharing it. God is good and perfect!!!ЁЯШЗ
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Law of Karma : a simple explanation ( copy, edited & pasted)
“Karma” means “activity”, and the law of karma is the law that regulates the reactions to our activities.
The law of karma is the natural law of action and reaction. In physics this is expressed by Newton’s law, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”.
Or, in Christian theology, “As ye sow so ye shall ye reap”.
From a practical point of view this means that good actions give good results and bad or destructive actions give bad or less fortunate results.
It should be noted here that all souls are essentially good. This means that just because someone gets a bad reaction it does not mean that they are a bad person. Another important point is that karma is temporary. This means that although we may be experiencing a particular set of circumstances right now those circumstances will change in the future. This could happen in this life or even future lives. Not only is karma temporary it is also possible to change one’s karma, or even get rid of it altogether by acting spiritually in the service of God.
Good reactions include things like wealth, beauty, intelligence and happiness. Bad reactions include things like poverty and disease. In order to fully understand how karma works the concept of reincarnation must also be looked into. See the page on Reincarnation for more information.
Karma (good or bad) creates a continuous cycle by which one is entangled in repeated actions and subsequent reactions. As long as one is in this cycle one will naturally experience both happiness and distress. The philosophy of the devotees of Krishna teaches how to break this cycle and achieve a state of eternal happiness known as liberation in a pure relationship with God.
From the spiritual point of view, that of eternity, it doesn’t really matter if one has “good” or “bad” karma. This is because past material karma does not impede one from making spiritual advancement.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Spiritual significance of Ramayan! ( Copy paste from an FB post)
Ramayan is an epic story about King Dasharatha, who had three wives, but no children. Along with his wife Kaushalya, he performed a yagya called Ashwamedha, after which they got four sons.
Dasharatha means one who can run ten chariots at a time; You are Dasharatha; Your body-mind complex is Dasharatha. The ten chariots are the five organs of senses and the five organs of actions. The five organs of senses are eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin. The five organs of action or Karmendriya enable us to interact with the material objects of the world; these organs are hands, feet, organs of ingestion (mouth), organs of excretion (rectum) and organs of reproduction (genitals).
Kaushalya means skill - A skill is required to be able to draw the mind away from the Maya and establish it in the Self!
Ashwa means today; that which was not yesterday, not tomorrow, but "Now....in this present moment", Ashwa also means horse. Our senses are like horses that keep running in different directions.
Medha means purification;
Ashwamedha is when one’s mind and intellect is totally in the present moment free from the anger and regret of the past and free from the anxieties and fears of the future. By being in the present moment, purification happens. When medha, your intellect is so deep in the present moment, nothing can shake it. What can shake your intellect is only the past. If you can snap yourself out of the past every moment, you are free, that is liberation. You are liberated because you have snapped out of the past. This is purification.
Rama - The words "rays, radiance" come from the Sanskrit root word Ra, which means to shine, to radiate, brilliant, light. Ma means within me; in my heart. So, Rama means the light in my heart.
So, when Dasharatha and Kaushalya came together, and performed the Ashwamedha yagya, Rama was born. When the mind-body complex uses some skill and gets into the present moment, purifying the mind and the heart, then Rama, which means, the light in our hearts is born. This is the spiritual significance of Sri Rama’s birth.
Four things come out of you when Ashwamedha is done:
Rama, which means the light in our heart shines (Born of Kaushalya)
Lakshmana, means awareness, mindfulness (Born of Sumitra)
Bharata, means all talents (Born of Kaikeyi)
Shatrughna, means one who has no enemies (Born of Sumitra)
The first wife’s name is Kaushalya, which means skill. In Hindi, you say ‘Kushalatha’, meaning skillful.
The second wife’s name is Sumitra, which means good friend. There could be many friends, but not all are good friends. Many times, friends drag you in the wrong direction; take you in the wrong way. Sumitra is one who takes you in the right direction.
The third wife’s name is Kaikeyi, one who sacrifices herself and brings benevolence. Kaikeyi is one who stands by your side, although she appears differently; but deep within, she does benevolence, with a cover. It is like a doctor who gives you a bitter medicine, or a vaccination. As soon as the children see him, they start yelling and crying, but the vaccination does good to them. Similarly, Kaikeyi who apparently, outwardly, is not pleasant, but inwardly, does that which is good for you.
So, these are the three wives of Dasharatha.
Ravana means the one who clouds or covers the "light within",hence Ravana is also called the EGO. The 10 bad qualities, which are represented by 10 heads of Ravana that cover the spirit within are:
1. Kama vasana (Lust)
2. Krodha (Anger)
3. Moha (Attachment)
4. Lobha (Greed)
5. Mada (Over Pride)
6. Matsara (Jealousy)
7. Swartha (Selfishness)
8. Anyaaya (Injustice)
9. Amanavta (Cruelty)
10. Ahankara (Ego).
Ramayana is happening in your own body. Your soul is Rama, your mind is Sita, your breath or life-force is Hanuman, your awareness is Laxmana and your ego is Ravana.
When the mind (Sita) was stolen by Ravana (the ego) then the 10 bad qualities start dominating and cause emotional pollution. This makes the soul (Rama) restless. Now the soul cannot reach the mind on its own, it has to take the help of the breath - the prana. With the help of the prana (Hanuman), the mind (Sita) got reunited with the soul (Rama), and the ego (Ravana) vanished.
(This is exactly what we do in rhythmic breathing .This is the spiritual significance of the story.)
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Knowing God, a perspective
Very often we come across people trying to understand God. Not visible, not physical . So intangible.
Some examples that helps explain to kids.
When you fall and it hurts, can you see the pain? Can your mom see the pain? But you feel the pain . And thru your experience and sharing your mom feels your pain.
Someone may argue when you break a bone it comes in an xray but when its just a bruise you cannot see in xrays. And now science has many ways to see changes in body and brain waves when we are happy, sad or in pain. But do we as people see those electro magnetic waves? But we FEEL them.
God and divinity is about EXPERIENCING it.
We experience the cool breeze, that is a form of divinity. ( we surely don't see it)
We see the rainbow which is divinity too, but do we see the joy it spreads in the hearts of all those who see it???
We feel joyful when we see a rainbow or feel the breeze or warm sunshine.
This is experiencing God !
Some examples that helps explain to kids.
When you fall and it hurts, can you see the pain? Can your mom see the pain? But you feel the pain . And thru your experience and sharing your mom feels your pain.
Someone may argue when you break a bone it comes in an xray but when its just a bruise you cannot see in xrays. And now science has many ways to see changes in body and brain waves when we are happy, sad or in pain. But do we as people see those electro magnetic waves? But we FEEL them.
God and divinity is about EXPERIENCING it.
We experience the cool breeze, that is a form of divinity. ( we surely don't see it)
We see the rainbow which is divinity too, but do we see the joy it spreads in the hearts of all those who see it???
We feel joyful when we see a rainbow or feel the breeze or warm sunshine.
This is experiencing God !
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Gandhi & Gita
"The Gita is the universal mother. She turns away nobody. Her door is wide open to anyone who knocks. A true votary of the Gita does not know what disappointment is. He ever dwells in perennial joy and 'peace that passeth all understanding'. But that peace and joy comes not to the skeptic or to him who is proud of his intellect or learning. It is reserved only for the humble in spirit who brings to her worship a fullness of faith and an undivided singleness of mind. There never was a man who worshipped her in this spirit and went back disappointed.
I find a solace in the Bhagavad Gita that I miss even in the sermon on the Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not a ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies - and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita."
~ Mahatma Gandhi (taken from The Holy Geeta - a CCMT publication)
Let us pay heed to his words and understand how the Gita guided him in his darkest moments. Let us all "Go through Gita... Grow through Gita..." and let Gita go through you to the next generation by example.
I find a solace in the Bhagavad Gita that I miss even in the sermon on the Mount. When disappointment stares me in the face and all alone I see not a ray of light, I go back to the Bhagavad Gita. I find a verse here and a verse there, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming tragedies - and if they have left no visible, no indelible scar on me, I owe it all to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita."
~ Mahatma Gandhi (taken from The Holy Geeta - a CCMT publication)
Let us pay heed to his words and understand how the Gita guided him in his darkest moments. Let us all "Go through Gita... Grow through Gita..." and let Gita go through you to the next generation by example.
Sunday, 29 September 2013
The black board
Have you ever thought about the black board ( or white board in a classroom).
Teachers come, write on it, children learn in different proportions and then its erased, sometimes completely and sometimes not quite, and periodically it is cleaned and made as good as new....
Does the blackboard learn or change....or is just part of the lecture and a witness to the whole process.
Its unchanging. Just like the sky does not change whether it is rain or shine??? The clouds come & go , day & night happens...but the sky just remains.
Teachers come, write on it, children learn in different proportions and then its erased, sometimes completely and sometimes not quite, and periodically it is cleaned and made as good as new....
Does the blackboard learn or change....or is just part of the lecture and a witness to the whole process.
Its unchanging. Just like the sky does not change whether it is rain or shine??? The clouds come & go , day & night happens...but the sky just remains.
Friday, 27 September 2013
Table legs & BMI
When you want to pull a table if you cannot lift, and pull one leg , we can get the table to move.
Now when we are trying to be good / spiritual etc and one part of us ( a bad habit or a sensory organ) is pulling is in the other direction ( telling lies/ eating wrong foods/ gossiping...) then will we move in the right direction or stay steady ??? or get pulled in wrong direction.
Point here is that our thought, words, intentions and actions are like table legs and need to be aligned and working in harmony to be steady & then move together in one direction that all agree.
So the body, mind, intellect (BMI) all need to be working together.
Now when we are trying to be good / spiritual etc and one part of us ( a bad habit or a sensory organ) is pulling is in the other direction ( telling lies/ eating wrong foods/ gossiping...) then will we move in the right direction or stay steady ??? or get pulled in wrong direction.
Point here is that our thought, words, intentions and actions are like table legs and need to be aligned and working in harmony to be steady & then move together in one direction that all agree.
So the body, mind, intellect (BMI) all need to be working together.
UNIVERSE
Just struck me that the word could be interpreted as
U N I , so all of us
VERSE ; learn about the verse
So all Gita study groups are a representation of the universe ...
U N I , so all of us
VERSE ; learn about the verse
So all Gita study groups are a representation of the universe ...
Monday, 23 September 2013
Three ways of understanding GOD
Number 3 is back. And GOD has 3 letters!!!!
Well recently heard that
1. Some people understand God as 1 God . My personal favourite deity or that there is only one God
2. Others believe God is in many forms, Ganesha, Jesus, Saraswati, Laxmi ....etc . And with in those some believe , eventually one God, but different forms. ( Like all eat carbs in different forms of wheat : roti, bread, paratha, pita bread, noodles, pizza, pasta)
3. God is in everything and is everywhere, omnipresent ....and when we see the beauty of God in everything......the breeze, the plants, the rain, the warm sunshine, the grass, the children screaming in the playground...just everything is the glory of God....
Well recently heard that
1. Some people understand God as 1 God . My personal favourite deity or that there is only one God
2. Others believe God is in many forms, Ganesha, Jesus, Saraswati, Laxmi ....etc . And with in those some believe , eventually one God, but different forms. ( Like all eat carbs in different forms of wheat : roti, bread, paratha, pita bread, noodles, pizza, pasta)
3. God is in everything and is everywhere, omnipresent ....and when we see the beauty of God in everything......the breeze, the plants, the rain, the warm sunshine, the grass, the children screaming in the playground...just everything is the glory of God....
Gita : Science of Life
Gita has been called a manual for life, rule book, guide and even "Science of Life"
The Wiki definition of Science
"Science (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge"[1]) is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.[2][3] In an older and closely related meaning, "science" also refers to a body of knowledge itself, of the type that can be rationally explained and reliably applied."
Another simplistic definition is when some principles are tested , experimented and then the knowledge is shared.
For example gravity or Archimide's principle. Its not that things did not fall before gravity was termed so or that things floated differently before Archimide's observed the phenomena
Well in relation to Gita one can say it has the fundamental truths & principles of of life that do not change over a period of time
The Wiki definition of Science
"Science (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge"[1]) is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.[2][3] In an older and closely related meaning, "science" also refers to a body of knowledge itself, of the type that can be rationally explained and reliably applied."
Another simplistic definition is when some principles are tested , experimented and then the knowledge is shared.
For example gravity or Archimide's principle. Its not that things did not fall before gravity was termed so or that things floated differently before Archimide's observed the phenomena
Well in relation to Gita one can say it has the fundamental truths & principles of of life that do not change over a period of time
Friday, 20 September 2013
Explanation of God & Religion
(A copy paste from from my friend Meenakshi's FaceBook post with her permission).
Explanation of God & Religion for my children-
Man could not decide what to name the goodness in humanity. The good occurs, many a times, without any reason and effort. This boon was named God. Good became God. It is timeless, indestructible and gives hope. No one created it, we just named the phenomenon. Exactly, for the same reason we call happy, 'happy'.
Corollary would be religion. If you assume that God is milk then religion is like the kheer made from it. Everyone makes their own way and all taste good. But if you are not careful, kheer can get spoiled but people do not accept their folly and pass on the blame to milk. Other people would say, "My brand of milk is better, try it". That is evangelization.
This is what I have learnt from my grandfather & my motherland. And, this is what I hope to inculcate in my children.
Thursday, 19 September 2013
Who is a Hindu? ( A copy paste from an FB post)
A Hindu was flying from JFK New York Airport to SFO San Francisco Airport CA to attend a meeting at Monterey, CA.
An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
He was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk.He told her that I am from India
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' He didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' He replied, 'He am neither Christian nor Muslim'.
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' “I am a Hindu”, He said.
She looked at him as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what He was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.
But a Hindu, what?
He explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' He replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,'
He replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
He thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. He understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of God.
He tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one God and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in God at all, still you can be a Hindu. An Atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can He tell to this American girl?
He said: 'I do not go to Temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes'.
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' He told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' He told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal Gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
рд▓ोрдХा рд╕рдорд╕्рддा рд╕ुрдЦिрдиो рднрд╡рди्рддु !!! реР рд╢ाрди्рддिः рд╢ाрди्рддिः рд╢ाрди्рддिः !!!
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Let there be Peace, Peace,and Peace every where.'
'Hmm ..very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but it is a Culture, a way of leaving life, a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single Authority or Organization either to accept you or to reject you or to oppose you on behalf of Hinduism.'
He told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one Guru to the next.
For a real seeker, He told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
He said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
He said "I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' means - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't condition my mind with any faith system.
A man/woman who changes his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life.
Hinduism is the original rather a natural yet a logical and satisfying spiritual, personal and a scientific way of leaving a life..
An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat. It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours.
He was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible unusual of young Americans. After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk.He told her that I am from India
Then suddenly the girl asked: 'What's your faith?' 'What?' He didn't understand the question.
'I mean, what's your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?'
'No!' He replied, 'He am neither Christian nor Muslim'.
Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that. 'Then who are you?' “I am a Hindu”, He said.
She looked at him as if she was seeing a caged animal. She could not understand what He was talking about.
A common man in Europe or US knows about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.
But a Hindu, what?
He explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.
'Who is your prophet?' she asked.
'We don't have a prophet,' He replied.
'What's your Holy Book?'
'We don't have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,'
He replied.
'Oh, come on at least tell me who is your God?'
'What do you mean by that?'
'Like we have Jesus and Muslims have Allah - don't you have a God?'
He thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.
According to her (or anybody who doesn't know about Hinduism), a religion needs to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God. The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. He understood her perception and concept about faith. You can't compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of God.
He tried to explain to her: 'You can believe in one God and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What's more - you may not believe in God at all, still you can be a Hindu. An Atheist can also be a Hindu.'
This sounded very crazy to her. She couldn't imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.
'I don't understand but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?'
What can He tell to this American girl?
He said: 'I do not go to Temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes'.
'Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?'
'God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.'
She thought for a while and then asked: 'Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?'
'Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning. I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.' He told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority..
'So, you don't believe in God?' she wanted everything in black and white.
'I didn't say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.'
'Why can't you believe in one personal God?'
'We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don't think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.' He told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal Gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.
'Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?'
'Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,'
рд▓ोрдХा рд╕рдорд╕्рддा рд╕ुрдЦिрдиो рднрд╡рди्рддु !!! реР рд╢ाрди्рддिः рд╢ाрди्рддिः рд╢ाрди्рддिः !!!
'Funny,' she laughed, 'What does it mean?'
'May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Let there be Peace, Peace,and Peace every where.'
'Hmm ..very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free' she exclaimed.
'The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita. It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.'
'How does anybody convert to Hinduism?'
'Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but it is a Culture, a way of leaving life, a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single Authority or Organization either to accept you or to reject you or to oppose you on behalf of Hinduism.'
He told her - if you look for meaning in life, don't look for it in religions; don't go from one cult to another or from one Guru to the next.
For a real seeker, He told her, the Bible itself gives guidelines when it says ' Kingdom of God is within you.' I reminded her of Christ's teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.
Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. 'Isavasyam idam sarvam' Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That's what Hinduism teaches you.
Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today's Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word 'Hindu' and considered it as a religion.
He said: 'Religions have become an MLM (multi-level- marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today's world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception'
He said "I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - 'Ahimsa Paramo Dharma' means - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn't condition my mind with any faith system.
A man/woman who changes his/her birth religion to another religion is a fake and does not value his/her morals, culture and values in life.
Hinduism is the original rather a natural yet a logical and satisfying spiritual, personal and a scientific way of leaving a life..
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
About Mahabharat
We all know some bits of it or at least with reference to Gita.
Well as I see it each character in that has is a very strong one and they do some amazingly righteous things as well as some outrightly foolish things ...or at least that seem in appropriate.
For example Bhishma makes the vow, a sacrifice for his fathers happiness . Very good intention so the blessing to live till he wants but partly the start of the Mahabharat. And the King wanting to remarry ...carried away by the looks of a woman and ignoring her selfish character!!!!
And then a princess covering her eyes since she was marrying a blind man! Now you can be his eyes but she chooses to shut hers!!!!
Drona asks for the right thumb of a pupil who worships him??? because he was honest and eager to learn!!!
And so many other people and incidences that teach you what to be aware of and how each act leads to another and then we have to live with consequences.
Well as I see it each character in that has is a very strong one and they do some amazingly righteous things as well as some outrightly foolish things ...or at least that seem in appropriate.
For example Bhishma makes the vow, a sacrifice for his fathers happiness . Very good intention so the blessing to live till he wants but partly the start of the Mahabharat. And the King wanting to remarry ...carried away by the looks of a woman and ignoring her selfish character!!!!
And then a princess covering her eyes since she was marrying a blind man! Now you can be his eyes but she chooses to shut hers!!!!
Drona asks for the right thumb of a pupil who worships him??? because he was honest and eager to learn!!!
And so many other people and incidences that teach you what to be aware of and how each act leads to another and then we have to live with consequences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)