Re : Gods

[Guest guest]

Ravi wrote: - "Regarding Sun, think about this. An alien being can come and

look at you and say, Dennis Waite is a bunch of complex electro-chemical

reactions going on. There is nothing like person (as defined by the aliens)

behind it. Probably an android or a robot. The idea that you have a soul is

questionable belief. Is there any intelligent entity behind Dennis Waite?

or it is some inert stuff behaving as dictated by the laws of physics?"

 

Ram followed this up with a long quotation from Ramana Maharshi, with which

I agree entirely... but! The 'god' to which Ramana Maharshi refers is the

one Brahman that is (behind) everything because there is only One in

paaramaarthika. This is not what is being discussed here. Ravi is claiming

that there is a 'Sun god' within vyaavahhaarika. I suggest that the analogy

of an alien assessing a human is not a reasonable one. Communication between

an alien and a human might be difficult but would be intelligent and

progressive, differences in level of intellectual achievement

notwithstanding. I am not aware of any communication between sun and human.

Surely if the sun were a god, he would be able to sink to our level to be

able to have some basic discussions with our scientists?

 

Ram's further remarks about parent birds etc. do not seem to add to the

argument. There is no dispute that one can see the One 'God' in everything.

Practically speaking, though, all of these examples can be explained as

Darwinian evolution. Those birds whose parents assiduously feed their young

are the ones that survive to pass on those genes to the next generation -

mechanical cause and effect.

 

Prabodh argues that the problem is a cultural one; that Eastern people's

natural emotional response is to see God in the sun, even though their

intellect appreciates its material nature. I can appreciate this but how

then do you justify lots of different gods for different objects? Again, I

can understand this if it is freely admitted that, though these gods are

given different names they are the same one god. But this is not my

understanding of how the Hindu treats the situation (within vyaavahhaarika).

 

Regards,

 

Dennis

[Guest guest]

20032001

Namaste

>Prabodh argues that the problem is a cultural one; that Eastern people's

>natural emotional response is to see God in the sun, even though their

>intellect appreciates its material nature. >

 

I may say it as cultivated natural emotional response as against natural

emotional response only.

Our Society(Parents,Locality,Early Educational Institutes) cultivate our

mind like that only because they were also part of the same system. This has

been there for centuries together.

>I can appreciate this but how

>then do you justify lots of different gods for different objects? Again, I

>can understand this if it is freely admitted that, though these gods are

>given different names they are the same one god. But this is not my

>understanding of how the Hindu treats the situation (within

vyaavahhaarika).

 

This exactly what I said in my first response ;the query is regarding

polymorphism in God rather than understanding of 'God'. This is there in the

Hindu Sanskriti because the Vedik sages who were great Yogis used to perform

correct YogSadhana. As I explained in my first response to this thread(which

probably did not trigger you), a Yogi irrespective of Time

,Space,Age,Religion should experience the same phenomena. Our great Yogis

did correct YogSadhana and their experiences were expressed in the form of

figures. This was to ensure that a student is doing in the correct sadhana

or not. From Prithvi to Aakash stage a Yogi will experience certain

things,these were expressed as Model. And to remind and to maintain

continuty these models were 'drawn' or 'Idolize'. Since Yogis had those

idols masses as well followed them. That way polymorphic Vedik 'God' culture

evolved. Since each experience is of a unique stage of the Sadhk the model

or 'God' attached with that stage retained its identity.

 

It was again emphasised clearly that these are mere depictions of ultimate

satya and all idolic representations are means and material to reach to the

ultimate satya. Since all the stages endup at Aakash that is the Viodness or

Nothingness or

Brahma it was belived that all these idolic representations will lead to

the ultimate stage. Over the period people lost there real meaning and the

concept of idolic representations taken a form of real 'God' only. That

resulted in cult for each representation like Shiva cult,Vishnu cult etc..

That is why each 'God' has behavioral science. This was explained in the

dialectic form for the benefit of the masses. A act of understanding is

welcome in this culture. It was never emphasised by any perticular school of

thought that only it is the correct way of understanding truth. But every

school of thought says that every path leads to same destination. Since you

are looking at a Hindu of this age who enjoys full liberty to follow a

perticular representation/cult/god/deva in daily mundane religious

life((within vyaavahhaarika). Since westerns are not part of this system

probably it is beyond their understanding. Every philosophical thought or

religious activity is more or less off-shoot of YogScience and because of

our ancient Yogis.

 

So to conclude the things:

do you justify lots of different gods for different objects?

 

1)Yogis depicted their Yogic experiences in the form of idolic model.

2) Society had great impact of these Yogis in every era. So people followed

the idolic culture.

3) Over the years idols remain but the real meaning behind it got lost.

4) Natural reaction towards idol is to workship if real meaning is not

known.

5) Every model represented one 'God' for the masses and hence started

tradition of having 'God' in each possible object. Moreover, each 'God'

devloped in a total cult and a specific methodology was attached to it to

workship.

6) Every 'God' said it is one of the many paths leading to Ultimate GOD.

7) Society thus form with many facets of 'God'. Society allowed every body

to enjoy full liberty to practice what ever path one likes to choose. Since

society knew of singularity in this plurality.

8) Hence, common Hindu is enjoying this plurality in daily mundane religious

life (within vyaavahhaarika).

9) That is why Hindu society sustained all onslaught of

Buddha,Christanity,Islam with all ease. It has given many 'things' to these

foreign societies more than what they would have demanded.

10) All this is being done centuries together without much problems.

 

 

Thanks a Lot for your Time and Space.

 

Prabodh