Gods and pagans

[Guest guest]

>> So Hindus have many Gods and we have no regrets, whether others

like it or not. If we are Pagans, so be it. <<

This surprised me a bit because my own Guru, Ammchi, and others who I

regard equally as manifestations of the Divine, have talked about

this topic at length very eloquently. I believe that most westerners

completely misunderstand Hinduism and its pantheon, but as Amma and

others have said, the Absolute is One, yet takes many (all) forms

because of the many personalities of human beings. One person may

relate better to Shiva; another to Ram; another to Devi or Kali or

Durga. I love them all. ~ Linda

[Guest guest]

Hi Linda,

>> PBV Rajan wrote (I think as sent by Harsha, yes?):

>>> So Hindus have many Gods and we have no regrets, whether others like it

>>>or not. If we are Pagans, so be it.

>> This surprised me a bit because my own Guru, Ammchi, and others who I

>>regard equally as manifestations of the Divine, have talked about this

>>topic at length very eloquently. I believe that most westerners

>>completely misunderstand Hinduism and its pantheon, but as Amma and

>>others have said, the Absolute is One, yet takes many (all) forms

>>because of the many personalities of human beings. One person may relate

>>better to Shiva; another to Ram; another to Devi or Kali or Durga. I

>>love them all.

 

I've read that this is true in all religions... there are always those,

whether it be initiates or priests or sages, who understand that the gods

are all manifestations of the One.

 

Love,

Dharma

[Guest guest]

nierika (AT) aol (DOT) com

[nierika (AT) aol (DOT) com]Sunday, March 25, 2001 10:31 PMTo:

Subject: Re: Gods and

pagansPBV Rajan wrote (I think as sent by Harsha, yes?): >> So Hindus

have many Gods and we have no regrets, whether others like it or not.

If we are Pagans, so be it. << This surprised me a bit because my own

Guru, Ammchi, and others who I regard equally as manifestations of the

Divine, have talked about this topic at length very eloquently. I

believe that most westerners completely misunderstand Hinduism and

its pantheon, but as Amma and others have said, the Absolute is One,

yet takes many (all) forms because of the many personalities of human

beings. One person may relate better to Shiva; another to Ram; another

to Devi or Kali or Durga. I love them all. ~ Linda

_

Well put Linda. In my enthusiasm, I posted Rajanji's letter without

proper explanation. Hinduism is a broad and diverse religion that

takes Vedas to be the ultimate authority. Within Hinduism, there are

many varieties of beliefs and faiths. Both my grandfathers belonged

to Arya Samaj, which was founded by Swami Dayananda Sarswati in the

1800s. According to Swami Dayananda, worshipping idols and different

gods was not proper for Hindus. However most Hindus disagree with

that. While I attended temples frequently with my mother and

grandmother, I never saw my paternal or maternal grandfather go into

a temple. If they did visit, it must have been quite infrequent,

perhaps for some special function. My paternal grandfather was a

scholar of Vedas. Evidently he felt that within the Vedas there was

no support for idol worship. However other scholars of Vedas may have

different opinions.

It is not uncommon in Hinduism for people to have different belief

systems even within the same family. Generally Hindus realize that

the same One Supreme Awareness manifests through all deities. However

an individual might have a favorite deity to whom he or she feels

close. That is known as Ishta Devata. Sometimes, meditation and

practice of mantras can give rise to Divine Visions even when one

does not traditionally worship a particular form of God. It can

indicate a past affinity to the Devi or Divine Mother. When the

Goddess rises spontaneously from Consciousness, in that mood one does

not think am I this or that or what is my belief system. One is left

dumbfounded, speechless, and simply bows. When Naren (Swami

Vivekananda) was hard pressed for money as he wished to take care of

his poor mother, he went to Sri Ramakrishna and asked him to

intervene on his behalf with the Divine Mother so that he could have

financial means to take care of his mother's needs. Ramakrishna told

Naren to ask for anything when the Divine Mother appeared to him. But

every time the Divine Mother appeared Naren was left speechless,

forgot everything, and was unable to ask for anything at all. It is

like that.

Love to all

Harsha