The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Namaste,
Long ago, in this forum, I came across the info that the dasavataras of Sri Vishnu - especially the animal forms including Matsya, Kurma, Varaha and Narasimha (man-Lion) were so gigantic that Lord Vishnu alone was unable to return to his original state. So I read here that Lord Shiva, assuming equally gigantic form combated Sri Vishnu and defeated him in battle and thus after that, Sri Vishnu having been calmed down, was able to assume his original posture.
I am trying to look for this information and subsequent Lord Shiva forms all over the place but unable to find it.
Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Viraja
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Namaste,
These are mere sectarian stories, they don't have any base.
Isn't silly to think, a particular form taken by Bhagvaan to re establish righteousness turned into EVIL and it required something else to calm down?
#1. Why did that something else didn't turn into another EVIL?
#2. If virtue can turn into evil, then it is not virtue in first place, isn't it?
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Namaste.,
Very good answer. Its mostly to make a sectarian view more popular and powerful with out any rationality or logic. A good guru and also the spritual practitioner should refrain from showing curiosity to judge where it lacks logic.
God - The last answer to every question we have!
Hare Krshna!
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Namaste,
I do not think 'Sarabeswara' avatara is sectarian... by sectarian I mean something that belongs to just 1 sect and cannot be applied universally... whereas the Sarabha avatara that calmed down Sri Narasimham seems to be genuine... there are also temples for Sarabeswara avatara.
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
When Sri Vishnu manifested his huge, gigantic avataras, they were also filled with the purpose and mood necessary for carrying out the mission of his avatara. Thus he was the wrathful Narasimham and so forth. It is documented everywhere that once that avatara ended, still after that, Sri Narasimha murti was very wrathful for a long time. Whereas when Lord Shiva manifested as Saraba, though he assumed equally gigantic form, he was not filled with the same wrath (as his mission was not to fight and subdue a great evil). Hence he was able to return back to his original state whereas Sri Vishnu needed an external stimulant including mother Mahalakshmi to help him cool down.
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Viraja
Namaste,
Long ago, in this forum, I came across the info that the dasavataras of Sri Vishnu - especially the animal forms including Matsya, Kurma, Varaha and Narasimha (man-Lion) were so gigantic that Lord Vishnu alone was unable to return to his original state. So I read here that Lord Shiva, assuming equally gigantic form combated Sri Vishnu and defeated him in battle and thus after that, Sri Vishnu having been calmed down, was able to assume his original posture.
I am trying to look for this information and subsequent Lord Shiva forms all over the place but unable to find it.
Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Viraja
Namaste Viraja,
My personal opinion from the viewpoint of a polytheist, let no one take offense of it.
Wikipedia gives us interesting information
Quote:
Shaiva scriptures narrate that god Shiva assumed the Avatar (incarnation) of Sharabha to pacify Narasimha - the fierce man-lion avatar of Vishnu worshipped by Vaishnava sect. This form is popularly known as Sarabeshwara ("Lord Sarabha") or Sharabeshwaramurti.[3] The Vaishnavas refute the portrayal of Narasimha as being destroyed by Shiva-Sharabha and regard Sharabha as a name of Vishnu. Another tale narrates that Vishnu assumed the form of the ferocious Gandaberunda bird-animal to combat Sharabha.
Shaivates and Vaisnavas each tell a different account as each regards their Deva as the supreme God and reject the suggestion of them being in need of help of another god.
I as a polytheist am not living in the idea that one God is supreme to all others, or that all others are simply extensions of one supreme being. For me these ideas only cloud the mind. As I see it, as people start to worship a personal Deva, they tend to idolize him and the worship then takes the form of undue praise and flattery. They lift their God so high that ultimately they degrade themselves to mere slaves. In my view this actually creates distance between Man and the Deva he worships. I think this is an inherent danger of monotheism. For me Brahman is the Divine Principle, not a being.
In this way, for me Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahmaa are the highest beings representing different core qualities. For me, to say one is superior is like saying blue is a superior color to red. I think monotheist traditions have a natural tendency to deform stories to underline the supremacy of their God.
I worship all Devas with the same respect. Still, I have no problem with calling Lord Vishnu the highest personality, but I understand that in a different way. In the Vedas Lord Vishnu is a solar deity (Devas are Suras) and he is likened with the Sun at the Summit, the Sun at its highest point. His palace, his heaven is described as the most beautiful. So I see Lord Vishnu as the brightest of Devas, the brightest of all Shining Ones.
I also think we can take this "brightest" in more than one way. Lord Vishnu is the most intelligent of the Devas. Intelligence is the prime quality Lord Vishnu represents. Lord Shiva may have more raw natural power and may be more sensitive, but Lord Vishnu is the pinnacle in intelligence. We can see that most clearly in how Lord Vishnu operates in the Mahabharata. He does not overcome his enemies by overpowering them. he overcomes them by outwitting them. Nor does he an emotional appeal on people, he uses perfect reasoning. Lord Shiva is easily swayed by emotional appeal, Lord Krishna not. But neither will Lord Krishna ever harm a being in anger. His perfect balanced mind always stays in control.
Lord Vishnu likes to play, he is like the ultimate chess player and the whole universe is his chessboard. He does not mind that other beings challenge him, he loves the challenge. You can fight him, he loves a good play. It is his Dharm to play, his Lila. He himself likes to challenge others too, that is his nature.
He is no autocratic ruler, when needed he will appeal to other Devas for their help. All Devas do that. Like a chess player Lord Vishnu knows how to position all the pieces and make the right moves. He is the most intelligent being in the Universe and his play can not be understood until all moves are played, and even then by very few beings. That is why Lord Krishna is the deceiver of all deceivers. He does not hate any being, he invites all beings to play with him. He even allows them to change the rules. But he will always give to them what they truly deserve.
One of the qualities of all the Devas is that if you sincerely (with pure heart, free of any selfishness) request their help, they can not but help you. When you are sincere, your mere wish is their command. And in the same way these purest beings help each other too. Their worshipers, who are often far from pure in their flattery, may fight with each other over their supremacy, they themselves do not. They bring each other respect. For Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva it is no humiliation to bow to each other.
In my mind, when we can purify the stories of the ugly supremacy thinking which comes from the ego (mine is bigger), they tell us a deeper meaning. Lord Vishnu controls Rajas. Rajas is over-activeness. It is activeness born out of strong desire. Desire makes us plan to achieve our goals. It is a goal directed thinking. Tamas is under-activeness, it is born out of the desire to acquire things but without effort. Lord Shiva controls Tamas.
I think, we can observe the difference in their worshipers. Vaishnavas tend to be more active, more exited than Shaivas. And Lord Vishnu tends to make his worshipers work harder than Lord Shiva. Simply look at this forum which of the two are more active. Vaishnavas can really get annoyed by those lazy ganga smoking Shaivas. Even if they have given up worldly desires, why are those people not busy calling Gods name continuously? The answer is that Lord Shiva does not demand that. Shiva is called Ashutosh, the one that is pleased easily.
Lord Vishnu though is pleased through action. That is why Lord Vishnu comes as Lord Krishna to teach action. He is a person of action. He comes to restore Dharm, right action. Everything about Lord Vishnu is about action. Demons are exceptionally rajasic and fighting Demons makes one overly rajasic too. Then Lord Shiva is the medicine that quiets things down. We see the same thing in the story where Kali becomes overexcited by drinking all the blood of the demon Raktabija and Lord Shiva has to quiet her down.
As I see it, it has nothing to do with being superior or inferior but simply how the qualities of these Devas interact. To the worshipers a Deva seems superior because they feel attracted to his qualities. This attraction is not chosen but ingrained in their own nature. We feel specially attracted to some Devas because they are more like us in nature. In them we recognize a purer form of ourselves and we revere them to purify ourselves.
One warning, never think you understand Lord Vishnu, even if his words (and other actions) seem clear as rain. To understand actions fully one needs the same intelligence with which they are created. We only understand words and other actions of Lord Vishnu to our own depth.
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Avyaydya
Namaste Viraja,
I think, we can observe the difference in their worshipers. Vaishnavas tend to be more active, more exited than Shaivas. And Lord Vishnu tends to make his worshipers work harder than Lord Shiva. Simply look at this forum which of the two are more active. Vaishnavas can really get annoyed by those lazy ganga smoking Shaivas. Even if they have given up worldly desires, why are those people not busy calling Gods name continuously? The answer is that Lord Shiva does not demand that. Shiva is called Ashutosh, the one that is pleased easily.
Namaste Avyaydya Ji,
I am so busy with some personal work that I did not login for the past few days.I got just a bit of time now and I signed in.
I am stunned to see your reply to Viraja Ji's question and I felt compelled to reply despite lack of time.
You may praise Lord Sriman Narayana profusely but there is no need to denigrate Shaivas to prove glory of Lord Vishnu.
How can you make such sweeping generalizations about Shaivas?Do you think all Shaivas have no work but smoking rubbish?
There are a number of sects in Shaivism.(Go through my post in the Shaiva forums although it does not have an exhaustive list).Some sects may have weird practices but these have declared themselves to be distinct from mainstream Vedic traditions.They do not represent the many traditional and ancient Shaiva traditions which are very disciplined,organized and conservative.
The Vaishnavism I see and know personally is very disciplined and good.In my opinion few heterodox groups don't represent all Vaishnavas.You cannot malign Shaivism just like you wish.It reflects your poor knowledge of Shaivism.I doubt if you had ever been to homes of Shaiva Grihastas(Householders) or monks or even seen a single sincere Shaiva.
Maybe you decided that Shaivism is 'blah,blah,blah' after reading some tabloid type sensationalist presentations of Shaivism by western media to slander Hinduism.
Do you know that there are many many Shaiva scriptures that stress the importance of chanting names?
I posted a link of the collection of 12 Tirumurais having 20,000 verses of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati.Do you know that the Vachana Sahitya(philosophical & devotional peotry) of the Veera Shaivas has about 20,000 Vachanas?Do know the stutis on Lord Shiva written by Kashmiri Shaivas such as Abhinavagupta,Utpaladeva,Kshemaraja etc.?Have you read all immense Shaiva Upanishads,Agamas,Puranas and Granthas belonging to different Saiva Sampradayas?
What do you imagine is in the Shaiva scriptural literature?Smoking,Lethargy,Idleness?Absolutely not!
How did you decide that Shaivas are inactive or do not contemplate on Lord Shiva,do you have some magical abilities or Yogic Siddhis or omniscience to know the Sadhana of Shaiva devotees in the world?
No orthodox Shaiva Sampradaya preaches lethargy nor vulgar activities.Shaivam is a strictly Vaidika system and anything that contradicts the established moral teachings of the great Rishis is categorically rejected by Shaivas.
And what made feel that Lord Shiva doesn't expect discipline from devotees?Did you find any statement in the Vedas which said that Lord Shiva declared that He does not expect devotion,discipline,Nama smarana,pure Sadhana from devotees but instructs His Bhaktas to be inactive and sit day dreaming?
You are misinterpreting the concept of Lord Shiva being easily pleased(Aushutosha) and presenting a flawed view.Why Lord Shiva is easily pleased or likes His devotees is known only to Him.Mere mortals cannot pass judgements on the actions of the Devatas as they do not have knowledge of everything that happened/happens in the universe.
The prime reason I am bothered is because I do not want other Shaivas who read your post to think that all stuff you associated with Shaivas is true and is encouraged by Shaiva scriptures and therefore imitate it and ruin their valuable life physically,mentally and spiritually.False words are very dangerous and cause people to deviate from true and pure Dharmic actions.
P.S.I may or maybe not be available in the coming days to respond to your Shaiva-bashing.
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ram11
Namaste Avyaydya Ji,
I am so busy with some personal work that I did not login for the past few days.I got just a bit of time now and I signed in.
I am stunned to see your reply to Viraja Ji's question and I felt compelled to reply despite lack of time.
You may praise Lord Sriman Narayana profusely but there is no need to denigrate Shaivas to prove glory of Lord Vishnu.
How can you make such sweeping generalizations about Shaivas?Do you think all Shaivas have no work but smoking rubbish?
There are a number of sects in Shaivism.(Go through my post in the Shaiva forums although it does not have an exhaustive list).Some sects may have weird practices but these have declared themselves to be distinct from mainstream Vedic traditions.They do not represent the many traditional and ancient Shaiva traditions which are very disciplined,organized and conservative.
For your kind information,there are certain left-handed Vaishnava Sampradayas that reportedly have practices such as cross-dressing and indulge obscene orgy activities in the name of scriptures.Just do some research of Vaishnavism and you will know what type of activities these so-called Vaishnava sects do.
The Vaishnavism I see and know personally is very disciplined and good.In my opinion few heterodox groups don't represent all Vaishnavas.You cannot malign Shaivism just like you wish.It reflects your poor knowledge of Shaivism.I doubt if you had ever been to homes of Shaiva Grihastas(Householders) or monks or even seen a single sincere Shaiva.
Maybe you decided that Shaivism is 'blah,blah,blah' after reading some tabloid type sensationalist presentations of Shaivism by western media to slander Hinduism.
Do you know that there are many many Shaiva scriptures that stress the importance of chanting names?
I posted a link of the collection of 12 Tirumurais having 20,000 verses of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati.Do you know that the Vachana Sahitya(philosophical & devotional peotry) of the Veera Shaivas has about 20,000 Vachanas?Do know the stutis on Lord Shiva written by Kashmiri Shaivas such as Abhinavagupta,Utpaladeva,Kshemaraja etc.?Have you read all immense Shaiva Upanishads,Agamas,Puranas and Granthas belonging to different Saiva Sampradayas?
What do you imagine is in the Shaiva scriptural literature?Smoking,Lethargy,Idleness?Absolutely not!
How did you decide that Shaivas are inactive or do not contemplate on Lord Shiva,do you have some magical abilities or Yogic Siddhis or omniscience to know the Sadhana of Shaiva devotees in the world?
No orthodox Shaiva Sampradaya preaches lethargy nor vulgar activities.Shaivam is a strictly Vaidika system and anything that contradicts the established moral teachings of the great Rishis is categorically rejected by Shaivas.
And what made feel that Lord Shiva doesn't expect discipline from devotees?Did you find any statement in the Vedas which said that Lord Shiva declared that He does not expect devotion,discipline,Nama smarana,pure Sadhana from devotees but instructs His Bhaktas to be inactive and sit day dreaming?
You are misinterpreting the concept of Lord Shiva being easily pleased(Aushutosha) and presenting a flawed view.Why Lord Shiva is easily pleased or likes His devotees is known only to Him.Mere mortals cannot pass judgements on the actions of the Devatas as they do not have knowledge of everything that happened/happens in the universe.
The prime reason I am bothered is because I do not want other Shaivas who read your post to think that all stuff you associated with Shaivas is true and is encouraged by Shaiva scriptures and therefore imitate it and ruin their valuable life physically,mentally and spiritually.False words are very dangerous and cause people to deviate from true and pure Dharmic actions.
P.S.I may or maybe not be available in the coming days to respond to your Shaiva-bashing.
Ram11,
Avyaydya was being satirical. His whole post was a pro-Shaiva response.
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Yeah, I too thought Avyaydya was polytheistic and did not truly mean any harm to any devotees...
Anyways, I totally did not expect such replies.
Why cannot someone genuinely have a curiosity to know the answer for the question I posted in the OP?
Is it wrong and if so, who says so?
I do daily worship of Vaishnava deities, true to my heart, I do not find anything wrong in a Vaishnava having curiosity to know what I asked in the OP.
"Neruppu enraal vai vendhuvidathu" -- If you merely utter the word "fire", your tongue will not burn out.
"Hariyum Sivanum Onnu ithai ariyaathor vaayil mannu" -- Hari and Shiva are the same, mud be the on the mouth of those who do not know this. (let their chanting go to waste).
Re: The dasavataras of Sri Vishnu calmed down by Lord Shiva question
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ram11
Namaste Avyaydya Ji,
I am so busy with some personal work that I did not login for the past few days.I got just a bit of time now and I signed in.
I am stunned to see your reply to Viraja Ji's question and I felt compelled to reply despite lack of time.
You may praise Lord Sriman Narayana profusely but there is no need to denigrate Shaivas to prove glory of Lord Vishnu.
How can you make such sweeping generalizations about Shaivas?Do you think all Shaivas have no work but smoking rubbish?
There are a number of sects in Shaivism.(Go through my post in the Shaiva forums although it does not have an exhaustive list).Some sects may have weird practices but these have declared themselves to be distinct from mainstream Vedic traditions.They do not represent the many traditional and ancient Shaiva traditions which are very disciplined,organized and conservative.
For your kind information,there are certain left-handed Vaishnava Sampradayas that reportedly have practices such as cross-dressing and indulge obscene orgy activities in the name of scriptures.Just do some research of Vaishnavism and you will know what type of activities these so-called Vaishnava sects do.
The Vaishnavism I see and know personally is very disciplined and good.In my opinion few heterodox groups don't represent all Vaishnavas.You cannot malign Shaivism just like you wish.It reflects your poor knowledge of Shaivism.I doubt if you had ever been to homes of Shaiva Grihastas(Householders) or monks or even seen a single sincere Shaiva.
Maybe you decided that Shaivism is 'blah,blah,blah' after reading some tabloid type sensationalist presentations of Shaivism by western media to slander Hinduism.
Do you know that there are many many Shaiva scriptures that stress the importance of chanting names?
I posted a link of the collection of 12 Tirumurais having 20,000 verses of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati.Do you know that the Vachana Sahitya(philosophical & devotional peotry) of the Veera Shaivas has about 20,000 Vachanas?Do know the stutis on Lord Shiva written by Kashmiri Shaivas such as Abhinavagupta,Utpaladeva,Kshemaraja etc.?Have you read all immense Shaiva Upanishads,Agamas,Puranas and Granthas belonging to different Saiva Sampradayas?
What do you imagine is in the Shaiva scriptural literature?Smoking,Lethargy,Idleness?Absolutely not!
How did you decide that Shaivas are inactive or do not contemplate on Lord Shiva,do you have some magical abilities or Yogic Siddhis or omniscience to know the Sadhana of Shaiva devotees in the world?
No orthodox Shaiva Sampradaya preaches lethargy nor vulgar activities.Shaivam is a strictly Vaidika system and anything that contradicts the established moral teachings of the great Rishis is categorically rejected by Shaivas.
And what made feel that Lord Shiva doesn't expect discipline from devotees?Did you find any statement in the Vedas which said that Lord Shiva declared that He does not expect devotion,discipline,Nama smarana,pure Sadhana from devotees but instructs His Bhaktas to be inactive and sit day dreaming?
You are misinterpreting the concept of Lord Shiva being easily pleased(Aushutosha) and presenting a flawed view.Why Lord Shiva is easily pleased or likes His devotees is known only to Him.Mere mortals cannot pass judgements on the actions of the Devatas as they do not have knowledge of everything that happened/happens in the universe.
The prime reason I am bothered is because I do not want other Shaivas who read your post to think that all stuff you associated with Shaivas is true and is encouraged by Shaiva scriptures and therefore imitate it and ruin their valuable life physically,mentally and spiritually.False words are very dangerous and cause people to deviate from true and pure Dharmic actions.
P.S.I may or maybe not be available in the coming days to respond to your Shaiva-bashing.
Namaste Ram,
[please keep in mind, I write from the perspective of a polytheist, it is not my purpose to offend anyone in his beliefs]
I am sorry to have upset you that much. You are right in being wrong. As Sudas rightfully remarked this is satirical, it light-footedly refers to similar remarks made on this forum by Vaishnavas. And I must confess it is ambiguous. You can read it as a sweeping condemnation of all Shaivas, the way you do. But you can also read it as Vaishnavas referring to those Shaivas that smoke ganga. (By the way I have nothing against these people, nor do I detest the sloth or panda bear. And doing things effortlessly I do not see as a negative quality either).
I surrounded my text with warnings. But what put you firmly on the wrong track was my praise to Lord Vishnu. This convinced you that here a Shaiva loathing Vaishnava was talking. But I already explained to you, I am a polytheist, my reverence of Lord Vishnu is a as earnest as my reverence for Lord Shiva.
You know what I think the ultimate irony is? Vaishnavas worship Lord Vishnu /Krishna as the supreme God. But Lord Vishnu worships Lord Shiva, making him a Shaiva. And Shaivas worship Lord Shiva as the supreme God, but Lord Shiva worships Lord Vishnu, making him a Vaishnava. So the Vaishnavas worship a Shaiva, and Shaivas a Vaishnava.
I wonder, who else can they revere? How would we feel about a Leader that started his day by looking in the mirror and praising himself? How beautiful I am! What great it is to be me! Surely I am the most beautiful, wise and best being in the Universe. Yes, I am myself�s greatest inspiration. It is no wonder every being is worshiping me.
Would we feel comfortable revering such a supreme leader?
It reminds me of the fairy tale of Snow White. Her stepmother the queen who was beautiful but utterly wicked would ask every morning: "Magic mirror in my hand, who is the fairest in the land?" The mirror always replies, "My queen, you are the fairest in the land.".
What kind of God does it create that thinks of himself like that? We can read it in the Bible in the most fascinating tale of Job. In which this God makes a bet with his servant the devil about how loyal his servant Job is. So they do one torture to Job after another. There are servants who try to defend God when Job says: What kind of life is this, please let me die. But in the end God rebukes them both. Why I do these things? Because I am God, I do as I please and I have no accountability to you little wurm. What else can you expect from such a God?
Such Gods become demons and the people worshiping such Gods become rajasic. In my country Lord Krishna would not become easily popular. A God that has so much fun? We are working our balls off and God is having fun? They rather have a God that shouts from the cross: Stop lamenting you ungrateful swines, you think you know what suffering is? It is nothing compared to the torture I am going through. And I did it all for you. Yes I make life hell so you want to go to heaven. That is slave religion. The most ardent believers are impatiently waiting for WW3 so they can get it all over with and finally reunite with their God in the Kingdom come.
No, I think we better not suppose our Devas to be like that. And if we hope them to be like that, then we are no longer revering that Deva but a projection of our ambitious ego. That is the mirror in the wicked stepmothers hand. We have to carefully examine our own thoughts or we will mislead ourselves and start to see things that are not there, bur we expect or like to see.
A poet once wrote: �Read it, it does not say, what it says�. The text has been analyzed and many come to the conclusion that it means, to read between the lines. But others have formulated the theory that it is a clever word gag and that it means to take things as they present themselves.