Turning my matchstick spark of faith into a fire.

[Miyazaki]

Dear all,

I have spent about the last 30 minutes chanting the Maha Mantra and feel very calm and relaxed.

This was after reading chapter 7 of the Gita. I then asked Krishna for guidance in selecting for me a passage in the Holy Vedas.

The reason for this is that Krishna clearly states in chapter 7 that one should engage solely in prayer to Krishna if one wants to excape samsara. The passage in the Vedas I was directed to was Yajur 22.5:

"It moves, it moves not.
It is far, and it is near,
It is within all this,
And it is outside all this."

The next passage I read was about the Golden Embryo, Atharva 4.2.7

I felt after reading both of these that I was satisfied.

The reason I post all this is that I felt strongly directed by Lord Krishna in my prayers this evening and yet I still find it extremely difficult to "let go" and let Krishna guide me, despite choosing freely to worship Him.

I have a nagging doubt in my mind, and I don't know why, as I would love nothing more than to devote myself better to His service.

What helps you with your faith?

Many thanks.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

[PARAM]

Sri Krishna's 'I' in Bhagwat Gita is not just Krishna born to Vasudev and Devaki or son of Nand and Yashoda, it is mentioned in chapter 10 of Bhagwat Gita that 'Krishna' is endless divine.

[wundermonk]

What helps you with your faith?

To me, I find myself absorbed by the philosophical aspects of Hinduism. Any philosophy needs to be able to account for material and efficient cause of the universe. Creatio ex-nihilo is the easy way out but also the WRONG way out. I find the Hindu idea of Brahman, Prakriti and Jivas being eternal believeable and hence I am Hindu.

I also adore the devotional aspects of the religion [Dvaita/Visishtadvaita]. I love the eternal and changeless Brahman of Advaita. I love the natural evolution of Prakriti in association with Purushas of the Samkhya.

So, it is a bit of everything for me. Everything kind of fits into a mental picture I have of the universe, how it works, how it came about, etc.

[OM GUY]

Dear all,

I have spent about the last 30 minutes chanting the Maha Mantra and feel very calm and relaxed.

This was after reading chapter 7 of the Gita. I then asked Krishna for guidance in selecting for me a passage in the Holy Vedas.

The reason for this is that Krishna clearly states in chapter 7 that one should engage solely in prayer to Krishna if one wants to excape samsara. The passage in the Vedas I was directed to was Yajur 22.5:

"It moves, it moves not.
It is far, and it is near,
It is within all this,
And it is outside all this."

The next passage I read was about the Golden Embryo, Atharva 4.2.7

I felt after reading both of these that I was satisfied.

The reason I post all this is that I felt strongly directed by Lord Krishna in my prayers this evening and yet I still find it extremely difficult to "let go" and let Krishna guide me, despite choosing freely to worship Him.

I have a nagging doubt in my mind, and I don't know why, as I would love nothing more than to devote myself better to His service.

What helps you with your faith?

Many thanks.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Hari OM! and thanks for your thoughful and revealing post.

If you were satisfied, then how could you have nagging doubt? What is the nature of this nagging doubt? What does it do when it nags you?

Ah, the term "faith".

Personally, I have no faith, and never did. What I have is better. Truth.

I'm not in search of faith, I am in search of truth, of being interested as well as dedicated to being led from darkness into the light that is truth.

Chapter 5 of your Gita gives many lessons to us on devotion and God's work in a devotioal manner. If you are truly devotional in all apects of your mental and physical work as enumerated in chapter 5, then I am sure that you are on the right track and there should be no nagging doubt.

I can easily say that I have "faith in you" to read it, but it will only be "truth" for you if you do read it.