Guest guest Posted May 9, 2004 Report Share Posted May 9, 2004 Dear Devi Baktha & all, Hope I am not demanding too much of your time in this forum. I just want to clarify what is the ideal TIME TO START sadhana or prayer. I am given to understand via some books (chinmayananda) that morning 4 to 6 a.m is an auspicious time to begin prayer. I have also come across the same in AMMA'S site. Since, my request is on behalf of a member, hope you would shed some light on this querry. The second part is my personal question - hope i am not causing any unplesent feelings towards our members. Why often DEVI'S idols are very EROTIC. Our culture per say is conservative and expect female to cover from top to bottom as sign of modesty - and yet we worship devi in above form. Many of our prayer's also very disturbing if read with meaning BY A COMMON MAN. May be, advanced sadhak may be able to read between lines and can understand the real meaning. Temple is a place where common man comes and how can he mediate before such idol. Sorry, this has been in my mind for a long time - and today i just dare to ask you all. raji. _______________ Play online games with your friends with MSN Messenger http://messenger.msn.nl/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2004 Report Share Posted May 9, 2004 My dear Raji: A. you are not wasting time of anyone. You cannot. 1. Anytime is good time to do sadhana. There are rules prescribed regarding timings. take them as mere suggestions. There is a story. A man used to pray in the toilet while on the toilet seat because he was otherwise so busy. One day he recited ram mantra while ontoilet seat. Hanuman understood this and gave the fellow a slap. When he reached Rama he saw him with the marks of beating on him. Hanuman was upset and immediatly wanted to punish the culprit and asked Rama who it was. Rama said it was Hanuman himself. Hanuman was surprise and denied ever having done or even thought of doing such a thing. Then rama explained the incident and said God's name can be taken at any time if its with devotion. This is a story my grandmother told me. I do not know how many would accept it. But I do. 2. Regarding your "personal" question; I do not feel the slight bit of erotism when i see Devi in explici forms and postures. Who is Devi? its YOU. The Sanatana Dharma is based on the 4 aphorisms (a) tat twam asi - thou are that; (b) pajnaanam Brahma = I am the conciousness that is brahma; © ayam aathmaa brahma = I am the soul incarnate thats brahma; (d) aham brahmaasmi = I am brahma. If you feel ashamed, then you are ashamed of your own body. all the concepts of modesty etc. are later events. a sadhaka must be a stitaprajna who accepts everything with equanimity. How can you visualise something unless the minutest details are given? Thats what all the stotras and namavalis are about. an attempt to provide a meditatve base. Thats all. accept them as such. I am not very learned. But i am just giving my take. There maybe wiser people here who will give more accurate explanations. I leave it to them to enlighten you further. Love Kochu rajeshwari iyer <rajii31 wrote: Dear Devi Baktha & all, Hope I am not demanding too much of your time in this forum. I just want to clarify what is the ideal TIME TO START sadhana or prayer. I am given to understand via some books (chinmayananda) that morning 4 to 6 a.m is an auspicious time to begin prayer. I have also come across the same in AMMA'S site. Since, my request is on behalf of a member, hope you would shed some light on this querry. The second part is my personal question - hope i am not causing any unplesent feelings towards our members. Why often DEVI'S idols are very EROTIC. Our culture per say is conservative and expect female to cover from top to bottom as sign of modesty - and yet we worship devi in above form. Many of our prayer's also very disturbing if read with meaning BY A COMMON MAN. May be, advanced sadhak may be able to read between lines and can understand the real meaning. Temple is a place where common man comes and how can he mediate before such idol. Sorry, this has been in my mind for a long time - and today i just dare to ask you all. raji. _______________ Play online games with your friends with MSN Messenger http://messenger.msn.nl/ / Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 9, 2004 Report Share Posted May 9, 2004 My dear Raji: A. you are not wasting time of anyone. You cannot. 1. Anytime is good time to do sadhana. There are rules prescribed regarding timings. take them as mere suggestions. There is a story. A man used to pray in the toilet while on the toilet seat because he was otherwise so busy. One day he recited ram mantra while ontoilet seat. Hanuman understood this and gave the fellow a slap. When he reached Rama he saw him with the marks of beating on him. Hanuman was upset and immediatly wanted to punish the culprit and asked Rama who it was. Rama said it was Hanuman himself. Hanuman was surprise and denied ever having done or even thought of doing such a thing. Then rama explained the incident and said God's name can be taken at any time if its with devotion. This is a story my grandmother told me. I do not know how many would accept it. But I do. 2. Regarding your "personal" question; I do not feel the slight bit of erotism when i see Devi in explici forms and postures. Who is Devi? its YOU. The Sanatana Dharma is based on the 4 aphorisms (a) tat twam asi - thou are that; (b) pajnaanam Brahma = I am the conciousness that is brahma; © ayam aathmaa brahma = I am the soul incarnate thats brahma; (d) aham brahmaasmi = I am brahma. If you feel ashamed, then you are ashamed of your own body. all the concepts of modesty etc. are later events. a sadhaka must be a stitaprajna who accepts everything with equanimity. How can you visualise something unless the minutest details are given? Thats what all the stotras and namavalis are about. an attempt to provide a meditatve base. Thats all. accept them as such. I am not very learned. But i am just giving my take. There maybe wiser people here who will give more accurate explanations. I leave it to them to enlighten you further. Love Kochu rajeshwari iyer <rajii31 wrote: Dear Devi Baktha & all, Hope I am not demanding too much of your time in this forum. I just want to clarify what is the ideal TIME TO START sadhana or prayer. I am given to understand via some books (chinmayananda) that morning 4 to 6 a.m is an auspicious time to begin prayer. I have also come across the same in AMMA'S site. Since, my request is on behalf of a member, hope you would shed some light on this querry. The second part is my personal question - hope i am not causing any unplesent feelings towards our members. Why often DEVI'S idols are very EROTIC. Our culture per say is conservative and expect female to cover from top to bottom as sign of modesty - and yet we worship devi in above form. Many of our prayer's also very disturbing if read with meaning BY A COMMON MAN. May be, advanced sadhak may be able to read between lines and can understand the real meaning. Temple is a place where common man comes and how can he mediate before such idol. Sorry, this has been in my mind for a long time - and today i just dare to ask you all. raji. _______________ Play online games with your friends with MSN Messenger http://messenger.msn.nl/ / Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at HotJobs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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