How does Hinduism view the Gods? From what I've read, Hinduism has varying views on the Divine within itself, depending on the "sect", right?
Are the Gods real, distinct entities? When you pray to, for example, Vishnu, or Shiva, or Ganesha, are you communicating with a real divine entity?
When you go to temples, is it believed that the presence of the Gods is really there?
Thanks!
bhaktar
Vannakkam: Like you said, depends on the sect. My answers are definitely yes, and yes again.Originally Posted by MormonGuy
Aum Namasivaya
New Member
Namaste
Gods in Hinduism are realities apparent (apara; the material world: a god itself) and those not apparent (para) which though cannot be explained fully in material terms (murthy) still allow a peep-window, and nevertheless are constantly evolving the workings of the world to unseen potentialities.
To say the least, the mundane is just a tip of the iceberg. Hinduism has, through its many sects, all colours in the palette: one just has to be there, and the mixing takes place inside.
So it is real but can only be experienced. Or not experienced.
Things to remember:
1. Life = yajña
2. Depth of Āstika knowledge is directly proportional
to the richness of Sanskrit it is written in
3. Āstika = Bhārata ("east") / Ārya ("west")
4. Varṇa = tripartite division of Vedic polity
5. r = c. x²
where,
r = realisation
constant c = intelligence
variable x = bhakti
Thanks! Do you mind elaborating if you have time?Vannakkam: Like you said, depends on the sect. My answers are definitely yes, and yes again.
Aum Namasivaya
New Member
Namaste MormonGuy.
This is a question to be answered through personal experience and the responses of one's own heart. You have to know for yourself whether these Divine Personalities are real and active.
I have had my own experiences, the first being the emergence of intense love and counting the days when I could go to the temple again to see Him. Also, to give just one example of exceptional things that have happened. Once there was an important decision to be made, and I said to the Lord: "Without your sign, I will not do anything." I went to sleep, and while I was waking up I heard a rhyming phrase in Sanskrit. The thing was, I did not know Sanskrit beyond particular terms and common prayers, so in order to get the translation I had to consult a dictionary and also a Sanskrit scholar in my city.
Why didn't the Lord speak in English? It was to assure me His words were not my imagination.
For further insight, I recommend this article on the Milk Miracle which appears on the Himalayan Academy website:
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/medi...tml/fm_11.html
Om mahavinayakaya namah.
Last edited by TrikonaBindu; 29 May 2013 at 02:09 PM.
Mahadeva Smaranam OM namah shivaya
Mrtyunjayaya rudraya neelakanthaya shambhave
Amrteshaya sarvaya mahadevaya te namah
Ah, the milk miracle. I had heard about that previously, thanks for the link. That is definitely fascinating, and it seems like it's occurred more than once. Kind of off topic, but just wondering if the gist of it is that the images physically took up the miracle during the time frame of the miracle, but not at other times? Very interesting!
New Member
Namaste MormonGuy.
This is also a response to the other thread on which you are posting http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=11506
The Milk Miracle took place in 1995. It lasted for a day or two. In certain places, not only Ganesha but other Deities accepted milk. In reading the article from Himalayan Academy, you may have noticed under the caption NEW YORK, the following comment: At the Hindu temple in Flushing, a young African-American woman who is not a Hindu but loves Hindu philosophy wondered aloud whether Shiva would accept her offering. She extended her spoon and before the eyes of many worshipers, the milk disappeared into Shiva’s mouth.
Furthermore, the Ganesha temple is very active on the interfaith front, to such an extent that the temple society has an interfaith logo. Please see this page: https://nyganeshtemple.org/temple-history
I think you may consider all this to be a welcome mat for you.
Moreover, Ganesha is considered to be the Deity of Beginnings. It is the long-standing belief among many Hindus that whenever we commence a journey or find ourselves at a crossroads, it is advisable to seek His blessings.
This is all to say: Best wishes on your first visit to Ganesha's temple, tomorrow Friday!
Mahadeva Smaranam OM namah shivaya
Mrtyunjayaya rudraya neelakanthaya shambhave
Amrteshaya sarvaya mahadevaya te namah
bhaktar
Vannakkam: The history of the temple you're going to is about a dream ... a devotee dreamt of seeing Ganesha entering an old church in New York. It was so vivid the devotee couldn't release it from his mind, so he and a friend drove around New York streets until they found the same old church building. It was for sale, I think, so they bought it.
Our faith is rich in deity mysticism. People have visions of the deity winking. They hear Him speaking clairaudiently, etc. At the opening of temples His eye is opened ritualistically and from that point onward He (the stone murthi itself) is capable of holding the inner vibration, the inner body of God. The entirety of the puja is a calling to God, "Come, please come, and bless us with your divine presence." Many temples get founded by dreams, or visions. This is all an essential part of being a Hindu.
I was once involved in moving a temple. It was a in a temporary prayer room and land and a house had been purchased, so we had to move it. A well trained Sivachariya priest was brought in to do it, called a Balasthapana ceremony. So in about 6 hours of ritual, he moved the deities into large kumbha pots, as water can also hold vibration. Then, once into the water, we drove the entire thing to it's new location. (I was the driver.) A friend of mine had the duty of carrying the main stone image in the car that followed. It was normally about 60 pounds, maybe a bit more. My friend related that the stone felt like, like styrofoam.)
I personally did not care for the milk miracle, yet it happened for the benefit of somebody. I didn't go. I just felt that He didn't need to prove to me He existed, as that had happened several years before under circumstances I won't go into. (Sacred is secret, secret is sacred)
So yes, we believe the image is imbibed with sacredness, and that this is the greatest way to pray to God, at these times and places ... during the height of the puja when the bell is rung the loudest and the lamp is being shown.
It may take longer for some people to feel this. Others feel it immediately. Still others will never feel it. It takes a certain open-ness, a certain evolution of the soul. But the darshan of a well established Hindu temple is a form of energy like no other on this planet ... powerful enough to change lives, to cure illness, to cure depression, etc. and mostly to urge the soul onward to His ultimate destiny, Self-Realisation, merger with God, the final conclusion, and moksha.
Aum Namasivaya
Banned
Namaste.
The 'Gods' only represent one aspect of the Divine Being.
We don't pray to the Gods, we pray through the Gods.
If I can give a Christian reference....Catholics pray 'to' the Holy Cross or an image of Jesus to remind them that Lord Jesus died for their sins. It is only a reminder that something much greater exists.
When you go to a temple, the love and devotion of the worshipers puts God there, so yes, he is there. A Temple is 'God's house' and we invite Him in there.
A Temple is also your heart. God lives there once you invite Him there.
Aum Namah Shivaya
New Member
Namaste Necromancer
Gods are actually called "Sura" in Hinduism; sura also means "musical note". The integral meaning is that Suras though independent from each other, still work in a harmony. On the other hand, when a God is meditated upon/ extolled in isolation, alone, he is called "Asura" (RgVeda).
That is why monotheism is Asuric (I don't mean pejoratively).
Ok. Leave the theory apart. Who do you think Shiva keeps worshipping and meditating upon, all the time, in the Yogic position? Shiva, the supreme?
It is Agni, Ganesha, Vayu, Indra, MitraVaruna, etc. Or I can say, he worships Harmony, unity. Aditi.
(N.B. : Suras should not be spoken of in the same manner as convenient angels and spirits)
Things to remember:
1. Life = yajña
2. Depth of Āstika knowledge is directly proportional
to the richness of Sanskrit it is written in
3. Āstika = Bhārata ("east") / Ārya ("west")
4. Varṇa = tripartite division of Vedic polity
5. r = c. x²
where,
r = realisation
constant c = intelligence
variable x = bhakti
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