Do we worship false gods?

[satay]

Admin Note

namaste bhaktajan,
One of your post from this thread has been moved to the feedback forum and to this particular thread http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=379

Thanks,

[sanjaya]

Bhaktajan, sorry for my poorly worded post. What I meant to say is that most Hindus (including myself) regard God as a nameless, formless Spirit. I guess this would correspond to choice a). I also think that Hinduism does not teach polytheism. I'm sure there are Hindus who believe in literal, multiple gods, just as there are uneducated Christians who believe in three gods.

[bhaktajan]

most Hindus (including myself) regard God as a nameless, formless Spirit . . . Hinduism does not teach polytheism.

I'm sure there are Hindus who believe in literal, multiple gods, just as there are uneducated Christians who believe in three gods.

I am a hindu [Vaishnava branch], I know Hindu sastra very very well.

You post [understanding of what is revealed in the Vedas is simply bereft of knowledge of the Position of "the multiple Gods of Hinduism"].

I cite the the following to disprove what you have said above:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabharat_(TV_series)

Mahabharat is a successful Indiantelevision series based on the ancient Indian epicMahabharata.

The 94-episode series originally ran from 1988 to 1990. It was produced by B. R. Chopra and directed by his son, Ravi Chopra.

The music was composed by critically acclaimed music director Rajkamal. Each episode was approximately 45 minutes long. It followed the highly successful Ramayan broadcast in 1987–1988.

It was shown in the UK by the BBC, where it achieved audience figures of 5 million, unheard of for a subtitled series being aired in the afternoon.

According to production team member Kishore Malhotra, the total cost of producing the series was Rs. 90,000,000

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IMO, this movie Serial redition of the epic Mahabharat was a bonefide vaishnava treatment of the original Text.

[bhaktajan]

The Family Tree of all the personalities of the Veda
As found in the Bhagavata-purana

There is an actual family tree described in approximately 563 Slokas.

These Slokas delineate the family lineages starting with Brahma [including all the Prajapatis, Manus, the Soma & the Surya Dynasties] up until the 11th Century C.E..

Approximately 2,500 names [including wives are listed]

Avataras and their family lineage is included too—which brings us to the Puranas and before that to the various Vedic Books that re-tell ancient events among the Devas in their youth.

In the Bhagavata-purana the family tree Starts with & proceeds as follows:

1) Brahma's Birth [155 Trillion B.C.] — Brahma's children — Brahma's Daughter-in-law & Son-in-laws — Brahma's grandchildren — Brahma's great-grandchildren

2) Brahma's first 50 years of his life have already passed —

3) Brahma's awakes afresh at the start of the Present Day (kalpa) — the first Manu (svayambhuva) is born — Kasyapa & his cousins re-populate the Universe (prajapatis)

4) The first to 6th Manus born, live and pass.

5) The 7th Manu is born

3) At the end of the 1st Maha-yuga of the 7th Manu— Mother Revati leaves to seek Husband (and 27 Maha-yuga later arrives to marry Balarama).

4) We are here now in the 28th Maha-yuga epoch [out of 71] of the present 7th Manu.

5) The family tree continues until the 11th Century CE.


The watch word for being given this data from Vyasadeva, IMO, is a matter of "Orientation" —as in finding our way in and around a forest and knowing where our cousins and Uncles homes are to be found.
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Bhaktajan's point in posting the above:

The reason for various seemingly contradictory statements in the Vedas, and also, in seemingly contradictory statements in the Puranas about pastimes of persons mentioned in different puranas etc is:

The events happened in vastly different epochs and vastly different places —attended by a few most famous personalities and also attended by mutitudes of Sadhus, rishis and celestial near-do-wells —therefore the re-counting of Vedic events of antiquity contain points-of-view from sources that witnessed the same events from different vantage points.

Also, the Demigods are prone to mistakes, bad-manners, momentary lapses of judgment, lust pursuits etc —so eventhough their behavior is exemplary it contains all the variety of Celestial Soap-Operas [novellas] that spring from the Human-condition [Demigod-condition].

Remember, Daksha, Durvasa and what to speak of Big-Big Asuras who made mistakes when they could have enjoyed the good life into their dotage years.

Why would Indra not recognize the advent of Vishnu's origin incarnate, Krishna?

Because of supreme conceit. But the Devas are not self-hating soul killers —they live a polished life of opulence with their duties to perform for the good of all sentient beings and also for the maintenance of the physical structure of the cosmos.

Getting oriented,
Bhaktajan

[bhaktajan]

The Vaishnavas accept the hierarchy of the Family tree of the devas [Dityas or suras] that begins with Lord Brahma, which includes the biggest ‘Adityas’ [asuras].

I totally doubt that your views even conceive that the “devas and devis” signify are real living and breathing, thinking, willing & feeling celestial beings [personages] –rather, my observation is that you ultimately conceive that the “devas and devis” are symbolic principles rather then real-life principals.

The word 'Purusha' means, 'person' -- just as people are persons with unique personas animated by the presence of a Spirit-soul; and just as animals & beasts & fowl & fish & jungle abhoriginals are material bodies animated by the presence of a Spirit-soul; and just as Demi-gods like Lord Brahma have unique personas animated by the presence of a Spirit-soul;

So also a mono-theistic Almighty God has the unique right to his one any only unique birth right: to be recognised as the Supreme Personality of Godhead or, "as the Supreme Personality of Personlism".

Vyasadev compiled the Vedas for posterity –so we accept the sampradaya that descends from Vyasadev and therefore also we accept Vyasadev’s verdict and version as it is written.

The bhagavata-purana contains more than 570 shlokas that delineate all the devatas ["Gods" or, as known in contradistinction, "Demigods"], Manus, Maharajas, vamsas and all the other great personalities of the Bhagavatam and their relationship(s).

These relationships are further expounded in all the Various puranas & Vedas.

The material and spiritual lives, pastimes, wives and children and adventures take have occured [Since Brahma was born] are seperately explored and revealed to us in the various puranas etc --so we are obliged to gather the data and arrange it in order [as per the personalities in them] and decorate them on a family tree.

The Gods of the Vedas are the descendants of the first born person, Brahma. Brahma is the first progenitor and engineer and assembler of the cosmos –Lord Brahma is the overseeing superintendent of the cosmos in the form of a person, literally.

Brahma populated the universe via his grandchildrens’ grandchildrens ad infinitum to this day.

The personalities that populate the Vedic scriptures come from an antiquity pre-dating western lore and hieroglyphics.

[Ramakrishna]

I wouldn't really call it worshipping false gods. It's more like disrespecting God and misunderstanding Hinduism, or any other religion for that matter. Hinduism, more than any other religion in the world, stresses and emphasizes a lack of worldly desires and material attachments. We see these things as illusion (maya) that distract us from the ultimate reality. Therefore, when a Hindu prays to God for a good job, promotion, etc. he/she is misunderstanding one of the key concepts of Hinduism.

The same applies to other religions as well. Jesus Christ said "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven" (Matthew 20:21). Jesus also said " I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 20:23-24).

I believe the whole idea of asking God for a good job, promotion, etc. is disrespectful to God and contrary to the basic beliefs of Hinduism (and Christianity).