Namaste Fem,
Sai Baba enjoys a very high place among most of the Hindus. You won't find much difference there as compared to other temples. The flowers, sweets, coconuts offerings and singing bhajans (spiritual songs) etc. are all the same.
Some members have raised the issue that Swami Swaroopananda has raised. It is highly unfortunate that Swami ji is indulging into such petty politics over worship. Hindus believe in divinity of "everything" and every being. We have no doubts as the Abrahimic religions-followers have ... "what to worship and what not". We have a history, a glorious history of worshipping a piece of stone (as Brahma devata in many villages), a tree, river, mountain, planets, star, animals, rodent and even insect like Snake. We worship our mother, father, guests, husband, wife, daughter, teachers etc. etc. There is no Pope/Mullah in Hindu to issue fatwa over what to worship and what not and we don't need one.
"He who sees differences here goes from death to death" --- Kathopanishad
"He (God) became what he was worshipped as" ... Mudgala Upanishad
It is not name or form which is important in worship because "Isavasyam idam sarvam" (everything is pervaded through and through by God alone) ... it is your bhaav (feeling) towards the object of worship. One should read the story of a Guru and innocent disciple on this issue where disciple worshipped his Guru as God and disciple was helped by God in the form of his Guru whereas Guru himself was unable to receive the grace of God due to his own ego.
OM
"Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"
Pranam devotee ji
Perhaps swami ji is playing politics or perhaps he is not well read in shastra or perhaps he is distinguishing from Vedic and unVedic least we have mandir built for Bollywood stars like Amitabh or Tandulkar or Dhoni
Where do we stop applying this logic of yours!!
Jai Shree Krishna
Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.
Namaste,
I would not wholly agree with my friends here. I hold a different position w.r.t Sai Baba.
I had a divine experience with Sai Baba at shirdi. So I am not willing to compromise his divinty and ability to perform miracles, but at the same time, I am not willing to compromise our vedic dharma too.
Sai Baba was a mystic or say a Guru, but not an acharya who would adhere to a siddhanta.
I would revere Sai Baba as a mystic, as a Nath Siddha or even as a Self Realized Guru, but not as a DevatA like we revere Rama and Krishna.
It is true that God manifests in all living and non-living. Even stone is a yonI. But as we say in hindi 'abhivyakti kI mAtrA mei antar hai' meaning that the power of manifestation is different in different being. Even in our body, it is said that God resides in our heart.
Vedic mantras cannot be and should not be altered, as there is a science connected with it. These mantras are powerful vibrations which open and cleanse nADI-s. Our shastas give a definite way of worship and ensures our spiritual progress.
I am disappointed when I see something like OP mentioned Nandi in front of Sai Baba, and as some say, Hanuman joining hands and adorning feet of Sai Baba or Ganesha sitting on shoulder of Sai Baba.
Even nArada is mentioned as an avatAra of viShNu. Do we see his temples being worshipped as Godhead himself? worst do we see him sitting with mA laxmI adorning and serving nArada munI's feet? How will you feel?
There are a lot many saints considered as an avatar including Veda Vyas, the great Vishvamitra and 7 rishis. They are all called as brahma-rishis and not bhagavAna. Adi Sankara is too considered as an avatar of Shiva, but he is not worshiped as God himself. These all saints come in 'saint category' Admittedly there may be one or two temples dedicated to Adi Sankara, but his teachings are given more importance then his 'godliness'.
Similarly there are many saints like Jnandev, etc who are not worshipped as Gods, but are highly revered as Guru and considered Ishvara-tulya, but not Ishvara.
A lot of things are happening in the name of Sai Baba. One TV serial said that there is one temple of Sai Baba in N. Delhi saying that 'Sai Baba mandir, A franchise of Sai Trust'. then some people with vested interest will take advantage, though this happens everywhere.
Honestly, most people are attracted towards the 'problem solving ability' of Sai Baba than Sai Baba himself. If Sai Baba didnt performed miracles, then how many bhaktas would have worshiped Sai Baba? How many worship Sai Baba just for having his darshan and want nothing else? How many pray to Sai Baba for Brahma-jnana?
If we are interested in his teachings, then we can incorporate his teachings while still adhering to our own vedic dharma. Shraddha and Saburi can be surely incorporated in our lives without any compromise of our own dharma. We can surely serve poor. Nothing wrong or objectionable in doing so.
What I feel is that the 'symbol of hindu-muslim unity' would mean to melt away the bitterness for each other. It does not mean that we will read koran or we will follow their customs.
Surely the way in which Dwarka Shankaracharya said was bitter, but there is something to ponder on his thoughts.
If people will build temples of their Guru, what will happen in a few 100 years. I have heard that there is already a temple dedicated to Amitabh Bacchan.
Saying from Neutral POV, there is a temple of Ramdev Peer in Rajasthan. Did anyone find it's authenticity in Puranas? Why it is not questioned?
Hari OM
Last edited by Amrut; 09 July 2014 at 05:38 AM. Reason: corrected typos
Only God Is Truth, Everything Else Is Illusion - Ramakrishna
Total Surrender of Ego to SELF is Real Bhakti - Ramana Maharshi
Silence is the study of the scruptures. Meditation is the continuous thinking of Brahman which is to be meditated upon. The complete negation of both by knowledge is the vision of truth – sadAcAra-14 of Adi SankarAcArya
namah SivAya vishnurUpAya viShNave SivarUpiNe, MBh, vanaparva, 3.39.76
Sanskrit Dict | MW Dict | Gita Super Site | Hindu Dharma
Namaste Ganeshprasad ji,
So nice to see you posting again after a long gap ! How are you ?
As far as worshiping Sai Baba is concerned, I think we are taking it to extremes by seeing at the same level as worshiping Bollywood Heroes/heroines. BTW, let me tell you one thing : Long back I read one woman's article in one Weekly Newsletter. She used to worship the image of Meena Kumari as goddess Durga and she claimed that she (Meena Kumari's form of Goddess Durga) used to solve all her daily problems of life ! (PS : I don't advocate worshiping Meena Kumari image as we have better sattvic images to worship but this story is also true.).
Anyway, worshiping an established name and form is certainly advisable but should we dictate terms to people who want to worship some other forms of their choice ? I myself consider that Sai Baba was a great saint and I keep his image in my pooja room in my house. Now, if someone tells me that I am not a Hindu because I keep Sai Baba image in my shrine then there will be problem ... nobody has any business to interfere with my belief system ... at least not in Hindu Dharma.
I will leave this topic here and now. People have every right to have their own views.
OM
"Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"
Pranam devotee ji
Thanks, I am good hope everything is fine your end.
So you are prepared to draw a line somewhere, personally there is no contest only Vedic gods/goddess. Otherwise we become a laughing stock.As far as worshiping Sai Baba is concerned, I think we are taking it to extremes by seeing at the same level as worshiping Bollywood Heroes/heroines.
OM
Jai Shree Krishna
Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.
Dear Phoenix,
Always remember that "when there is a sincere devotee..the Lord will be your charioteer"
If you want to go to the temple..just go..If you dont want to go..dont go..dont let anyone influence you in anyway..the decision has to be yours.
What to expect anywhere differs according to individual perception..but to know if a drink is sweet we would need to taste it first...so the choice is yours.
Technically a human being is supposed to be the highest being in the evolution scale.
When we Hindus worship life forms that are not human like snakes for example(but done in the understanding that God resides in all creatures)..there is Nag Panchami was we all know..and now some seem to be patenting Nandi as being a Hindu when Nandi belongs to the Bovine species which I never knew came with a religion..so what is the big deal if Shiridi Baba is worshiped?
After all I am 100% sure He lived up to ideals that no one in this Forum or anywhere else can ever even imagine.
Admin Note
Irrelevant posts deleted.
satay
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Bookmarks