For All the Others! [was Importance and usuage of shaligram

[Guest guest]

Good Morning Mary Ann

You wrote:

<I feel it is far more valuable to recognize that these elements are

<all within. I haven't recognized such stories as information on how

<not to not allow one's energy to be subject to manipulation. In

<fact, I think we are all conditioned to allow our energies to be

<manipulated in certain ways. It keeps the world going on the way it

<has been.

<You have done well in expressing the meaning of the story, and I

<would much rather just read the paragraph below than try to sort

<that meaning from that whole shaligram story.

 

<I have felt that telling these stories as they are, via

<projecting things onto male and female, continues that pattern

<of "manipulation in certain ways."

 

No not at all it is a great story, the only problem is that you are

not aware of its impact on the Indian community at that time. It is

not applicable to the social structure and customs of the average

American citizen in the present time.

For the traditional indian community the story involves a deliberate

breaking of the moral law. The illicit love affair of krishna with

vrinda is a breaking of the rules even if it is done under the spell

of Magic, both krishnas and Vrinda transgression is considerable.

Acts which are despised by the average indian society created

the shaligram and tulsi, and indeed these acts became part of a

sacred drama.

I believe that the moral of this story may have saved many woman

from being burned alive which was the customary punishment for

this "offence".

The contrast to our story is the story of sita in the ramayana , this

story has by its moral CAUSED the burning alive of many an indian

woman:

After returning home from Lanka her husband only suspected that she

she spent some time alone with the demon that captured her (even

spending some time alone in the presence of another man was

considered to "spoil the chastity"of a woman). Because of this

SUSPICION alone Sita entered the fire of her own accord (she wasnt

even "guilty" of haveing spent some time alone with the demon). This

was onsidered a most honorable deed.In fact many Indian woman have

been burned because of a mere suspicion of infidelity by their

jealous husbands.

The situation for the woman in the indian community was such that the

woman was expected to enter the fire to be burned alive if she had

been found guilty of being unchaste, this includes woman that were

being raped!

Vrinda in the shaligram story was different she didn´t even think of

entering any fire. Instead she cursed the offender!

This was a heroic deed.

Mistreatment of widows and the burning alive of Woman that have

transgressed some rules is a tragedy that sadly goes on still today.

Social and cultural conditioning, family obligations, prejudices

because of race caste gender or colour, rules and regulations, name

and fame, religious customs, are part a magic net that is cast over

all of us and keeps us in differing degrees of bondage and

hypnosis and is the causes of much agony and pain.

 

Sri Dattatreya said about the ultimate state:

vedah na lokah na sura na yajna varnasrama naiva kulam na dhuma

marga na ca dipti marga brahmika rupam paramarthatattvvam

There are no scriptures, no sacrifices, no gods, no regions (lokas)

no colour, no status, no caste, no family-clan (kula), no dark path,

no light path the essence of the highest is the undivded self.

(path=states after death)

and:

iswaraanugrahad eva pumsam advaita vasana mahadbhaya paritrana

dvipranam upajayate

It is only by the grace of iswara that a soul or two long for union

with him and escape serious danger.

 

 

Keep up the good work!

Yeah will do

Mahahrada the Nath