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Ashvati
27 April 2010, 12:48 PM
I recently bought a book of indian love poetry, and one Kannada poem titled "How Would It Be?" written by 13th century yogini named Akka Mahadevi strongly implies a romantic love for Shiva who she refers to as Cenna Malikarjuna. I'm wondering, is this even allowed? What's the general attitude toward something like this? My first instinct tells me it would be extremely frowned upon.

goodlife
27 April 2010, 01:09 PM
i dont think establishing a relationship of love with God would be frowned upon.

besides there is nothing like allowed or not allwed in sanatan dharma. its how you connect with him. take him as your friend, brother, father, mother, husband or even as your child. he willcome to you in that form.

that's my understanding.

NayaSurya
27 April 2010, 01:39 PM
I never hear of this Akka before. She has my hair...but mine is white.

She is very unique individual, she gives up every duty to serve. Such an inspiration in devotion. She did feel very strong love for Siva.

As a woman I do feel this way. But, I see a different way to serve. Knowing Siva dwells beside me manifested as my husband Ron.. I serve him in every single possible way. I serve him as he deserves, giving him everything. I would never abandon my duty to him.

Siva is my husband...my child...my friend. In every face, Siva.

But this is still a problem for me. I am aware that there is a duality in this service.

As I pray I am given the mirror image of Mahayogi and I say to myself, no...and I ask the image me changed to Parvati? But Siva persist....he show me again and again...Siva. The whole.

It's a difficult dilema, the desire to love in such a way is very strong. Akka does not struggle and simply serves.

Just another way to worship I suppose. From one who serves the other who is her beloved, to one who realizes her beloved is also her...is also every single thing manifested in the Aham.

Such beautiful words from Akka, in my heart I feel it can not be wrong to love so strongly.


"Sunlight made visible the whole length of sky,
movement of wind, leaf, flower, all six colours
on tree, bush and creeper...all this, is the day's worship.

The light of moon, star and fire, lightnings and all things...
that go by the name of light, are the night's worship.

Night and day, in your worship, I forget myself.

O lord white as jasmine."
Akka Mahadevi

devotee
27 April 2010, 06:38 PM
i dont think establishing a relationship of love with God would be frowned upon.

besides there is nothing like allowed or not allwed in sanatan dharma. its how you connect with him. take him as your friend, brother, father, mother, husband or even as your child. he willcome to you in that form.


Very well said ! :)

Gopis had a relationship of lover-beloved with Lord Krishna. Lord Chaitanya also approved this path. Meerabai considered Lord Krishna her lover and her first husband. Gauri did tapasya (penance) to get Lord Shiva as her husband. Ma Vaishno did tapasya to get Lord Vishnu as her husband.

So, there is nothing wrong in it. God sits in your heart and he is not a terrible king ready to punish at the slightest mistake as depicted in Abrahimic scriptures. Your God is your very own. He is patiently waiting for your love. How we love Him is not the question .... the question is how much we love Him ?

OM

Ashvati
27 April 2010, 09:49 PM
Thank you for the answers, I also kind of wondered this because I've had a webcomic idea for a long while with a main character loosely based on an exaggerated version of my own early stages of adopting hinduism, and one of the jokes involves said main character asking a priest "is it blasphemous for me to think this goddess is kinda hot?". I'm no where near being able to bring such ideas into fruition, but I do know I'll end up needing to have people to consult to make sure particular jokes aren't offensive or crossing a line.

devotee
27 April 2010, 10:26 PM
Thank you for the answers, I also kind of wondered this because I've had a webcomic idea for a long while with a main character loosely based on an exaggerated version of my own early stages of adopting hinduism, and one of the jokes involves said main character asking a priest "is it blasphemous for me to think this goddess is kinda hot?". I'm no where near being able to bring such ideas into fruition, but I do know I'll end up needing to have people to consult to make sure particular jokes aren't offensive or crossing a line.

The relationship with God cannot be based on sexual or any physical relationship. So, the question to the priest is certainly sacrilegious and condemnable. The goddesses are considered mothers & any thought towards them on sexual thoughts can be only destructive.

You may ask ... why this double standard ? In Hinduism, the relationship of a wife with her husband is of surrender and devotion but the same is not true the other way round. Ramkrishna did worship his own wife ... but he did it by calling her "mother" .... this is to be understood. The underlying idea is that a relationship with God should lead us to surrender & devotion to God ... if it is not so ... it is not God you are worshipping but some imaginary image in your mind (you may be worshipping your lust and desires) and that can never be good to you.

OM

sambya
27 April 2010, 11:16 PM
this is very much allowed in hindu way , provided that you know the correct methods to it .

there are five relationship that an individual can have with the supreme as per vaishnav philosophy . for example - vatsalya( as a child or parent) dasya( as a servant ) etc . but the highest among these are the madhura bhava ( as a lover ) where the sadhaka loves his ishta as his/her lover . madhura bhava is the highest coz it has the elements of other four included within it .

within madhura bhava the perfectional stage is the parakiya rasa . it might be difficult to translate the word parakiya . it can be said to mean extra marital or unauthorised affair . for the feeling of love is the deepest in such love affairs . thats the reason radha loves krishna in parakiya -- the highest love a human can attain ( though she was certainly not human ) .

if one has developed genuine madhura bhava for lord there no harm to have sexual thoghts with him even !!!! coz then he(lord) becomes your lover and you have every right to him as your lover . at such a point everything becomes his and his alone . the bodily identifications merge and you show symptoms of ecstasy within . infact there vaishnav teachings often glorify how all jivas are essentially female(being created out of the prakriti or energy of lord) and lord alone is the supreme enjoyer male . the day a man realizes this constitutional poisition he can attain to liberation . there is even a samradaya which dresses up as females to attain to gopi bhava or madhura bhava .

but at the same time it must be said that madhura bhava is not prescribed for ordinary individuals . most end up turning god into an object of sexual fantasy and hypocrisy sets in . that stops any further progress and untimately brings about his/her downfall . one must have 100% belief in god as the supreme power and as his/her lover .

it is easier for women and highest saints to take to this form of sadhana . for most men it become difficult to imagine a lovers relation with , say , either with krishna , shiva or durga ! although there was a self realized tantrik sadhak in bengal , nigamananda saraswati ,who did worship shakti as his own wife and got success .

Ashvati
28 April 2010, 10:59 AM
@Devotee: Don't worry, if this comic ever gets made, I plan on having the priest simply tell him to get out. Part of the point of this character is that he asks a lot of stupid questions.

@Sambya: Thank you for clearing up the difference.