Gods and pagans

[Guest guest]

I don't know if this message about what Rajanji posted made it here. Passing

it along.

 

nierika [nierika]

Sunday, March 25, 2001 10:31 PM

Re: Gods and pagans

 

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. ~ 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