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devotee
12 December 2007, 09:16 AM
Namaskar to all !

I was just searching some site to have meaningful discussion on Gita, Vedanta etc. & I think I have found the right forum.

I have been a devotee of Lord Krishna since my childhood. However, there was a time when I stopped believing in God or anything like that. May be, that happens to all of us once in a while. It was difficult for me to accept which was unscientific or seemed unreasonable. And then I got Gita in my hands. I started Gita not just a holy religious book but more for trying to find the truth. I found that This was the book which was not like other scriptures. I was not able to understand everything at that time but it made "sense" to me. Slowly, the love grew & it keeps growing everyday !

In addition to Gita, I had the opportunity to study Upanishads, Patanjali Yogasutras, Brahmasutras, Ashtavakra Gita, Yogavasishtha etc. I can claim to have knowledge of the Q'uran, the Bible & Buddhist's scriptures, Tao etc.

However, please don't have a wrong idea that I am an expert of any of the above. The same words keep revealing new meanings ... claiming that "I Know" ... is the biggest lie !

I read some of the threads & I must say they reveal great wisdom hidden in the members here.

"Om Namo Bhagwate Vaasudevaye !"

meez
12 December 2007, 09:29 AM
Welcome!

sm78
12 December 2007, 10:07 AM
Namaste devotee,

At the end of gita sanjaya tells as he hears the discourse of krishna to arjuna in the middle of a soon to be most bloody battle ground he feels more and more astonished.

Gita is indeed an astonishing book. More one reads, more one thinks of the situation, more one becomes amazed. Not just at the book but also at the author!

It is given from the highest state of realization and its practicable efficacy and guidance is far beyond the mundane intellectual philosophical discussions in which the books seems to get dragged more.

I believe the greatest respect to teaching of gita can be given by living according to its highest principles and less by discussing philosophical implications of its verses.

ardhanari
13 December 2007, 02:51 PM
Welcome, devotee!

I have read the Bible, both in its Catholic and Protestant Canons, the Dao De Jing, the Qur'an, the Dhammapada and various excerpts of Lord Buddha Gautama's utterances (I especially love the Pure Land sutras, of chanting the name of Buddha...), Baha'i Scriptures, especially from Baha'u'llah Himself (The Seven Valleys and the Hidden Words are my favourites!), and oviously, the Tanakh from the Christian Bible...

But I find that the Gita is succinct and deep in terms of the human soul, of what is is, of where it shall go, and how it may live during this life. It is incredible to see that each commentary on the Gita is so surprisingly different! But the plain Gita, just its verses, is enough to inspire anyone to think deeply of one's own identity.

I consider myself quite a liberal (Gaudiya) Vaishnavite, but nevertheless I surrender to Krishna as Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. Until a complete a year of informal study, I can not say that I am truly a Hindu, truly a Vaishnavite yet.

You'll definitely enjoy this forum... There is so much knowledge here, and I am just a newbie in all of it. I hope to learn more about Shaivism and Shaktism as I continue to quietly peruse this site. :)

OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya!
~ Ardhanari.

devotee
13 December 2007, 11:16 PM
Thanks for the welcome sm78, meez & Ardhanari !

meez you wrote :

It is given from the highest state of realization and its practicable efficacy and guidance is far beyond the mundane intellectual philosophical discussions in which the books seems to get dragged more.

I believe the greatest respect to teaching of gita can be given by living according to its highest principles and less by discussing philosophical implications of its verses.

I don't think so, meez. It is true that the real meaning of Gita manifests itself only when there is true "realisation". However, disussion is one of the "ways" towards that "realisation". Now, what do you really mean by "living according to its highest principles" ? It is basically a NULL set because it varies with individual perception.

Ardhanari,

I appreciate your deep knowledge of scriptures, Ardhanari. I hve some idea of Bahai faith & Bha'u'llah. I only know that according to Bahai all religions lead to the same Ultimate & they are equally respectable. I have been to Bahai temples ... there is no diety ... you can pray there ... you are welcome irrespective of your faith ... I love this doctrine & the faith.

Hinduism is like sea where all rivers of different "ways" merge together.
As you know more about Hinduism, you will come to know that it cannot really be called an "ism" .... because it comprises of so many widely divergent views/faiths ... it undersocres the Truth that All Paths lead to the same Ultimate. It appears so similar to Bahai faith !

Blessings of Lord Krishna ...

devotee

"Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

ardhanari
15 December 2007, 02:44 AM
devotee,

Yes, the Baha'i Faith is a beautiful religion... however, it does carry its exclusivistic tendencies, since ultimately it calls for belief and faith in Baha'u'llah as the Manifestation of God for this Age, the Al-Mahdi, the Second Return of Christ, the Messiah with the Iron Rod, the Maitreya, Shah of Bahram... and of course, the Kalki Avatara. One must also accept the Administrative Order, via the Universal House of Justice as the legitimate organised structure preordained by Baha'u'llah as fulfilling the Will of God on Earth.

Other than that, having been a Baha'i for only a year, there are many similarities with the Baha'i Faith and Hinduism philosophically. :) If you wish to read Baha'u'llah's Teachings in a nutshell, you should read 'Hidden Words'. Although I am not sure if I truly believe in the Universal House of Justice, it is entirely possible and even probable that Baha'u'llah is another avatar of Krishna Himself! :)


Jai Sri Krishna,
~ Ardhanari.

devotee
15 December 2007, 09:03 AM
Thanks Ardhanari. :)

meez
17 December 2007, 09:35 AM
Thanks for the welcome sm78, meez & Ardhanari !

meez you wrote :


I don't think so, meez. It is true that the real meaning of Gita manifests itself only when there is true "realisation". However, disussion is one of the "ways" towards that "realisation". Now, what do you really mean by "living according to its highest principles" ? It is basically a NULL set because it varies with individual perception.

My apologies for the confusion my friend, that was actually sm78 that wrote the text you were responding to. Take care and be well!

devotee
17 December 2007, 06:43 PM
My apologies for the confusion my friend, that was actually sm78 that wrote the text you were responding to. Take care and be well!

Oops ! I am sorry for the error, meez. Thanks for the correction. :)