Sanatana Dharma

[Guest guest]

Hi Adiji,

>Her philosophical tradition had been illustrated

>by the sages who were atheists, who were

>passionately worshipping one God and others

>following the path of Yoga controlling mind and body.

>Others also worshipped the ancestors...

 

 

I thought that being an atheist or hedonist or materialist or

'charvaka' was going too far in the Hindu view of things...

 

However, some called Buddha an atheist, and some call Advaita an

atheistic path, since Ishwara disappears at the ultimate level.

 

You did once say that God prefers an honest atheist over a

hypocritical theist, and I think you are right.

 

Hari Om!

Benjamin

[Guest guest]

Thank you for noticing this 'ignorant' one!!

 

You remind me of Swami vivekananda specially in his early

years ...balaji too!

 

here is a poem swmiji wrote

 

Poems of Swami Vivekananda

The Song of the Sannyasin

Wake up the note! the song that had its birth

Far off, where worldly taint could never reach

In mountain caves and glades of forest deep,

Whose calm no sigh for lust or wealth or fame

Could ever dare to break; where rolled the stream

Of knowledge, truth, and bliss that follows both.

Sing high that note, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Strike off thy fetters! Bonds that bind thee down,

Of shining gold or darker, baser ore;

Love, hate; good, bad; and all the dual throng,

Know, slave is slave, caressed or whipped, not free

For fetters, though of gold, are not less strong to bind;

Then off with them, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Let darkness go! the will-o'-the-wisp that leads

With blinking light to pile more gloom on gloom.

This thirst for life, for ever quench; it drags

>From birth to death, and death to birth, the soul

He conquers all who conquers self. Know this

And never yield, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

`Who sows must reap,' they say, `and cause must bring

The sure effect; good, good; bad, bad; and none

Escape the law. But whoso wears a form

Must wear the chain.' Too true; but far beyond

Both name and form is Atman, ever free.

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

They know not truth who dream such vacant dreams

As father, mother, children, wife and friend.

The sexless Self! whose father He? whose child?

Whose friend, whose foe is He who is but One?

The Self is all in all, none else exists;

And thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

There is but One – The Free, The Knower – Self!

Without a name, without a form or stain.

In him is Maya, dreaming all this dream.

The Witness, He appears as nature, soul.

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Where seekest thou? That freedom, friend, this world

Nor that can give. In books and temples vain

Thy search. Thine only is that hand that holds

The rope that drags thee on. Then cease lament,

Let go thy hold, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Say, `Peace to all: From me no danger be

To aught that lives. In those that dwell on high,

In those that lowly creep, I am the Self in all.

All life both here and there, do I renounce,

All heavens and earths and hells, all hopes and fears.'

Thus cut thy bonds, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Heed then no more how body lives or goes,

Its task is done. Let Karma float it down;

Let one put garlands on, another kick

This frame; say naught. No praise or blame can be

Where praiser praised, and blamer blamed are one.

Thus be thou calm, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Truth never comes where lust and fame and greed

Of gain reside. No man who thinks of woman

As his wife can ever perfect be;

Nor he who owns the least of things, nor he

Whom anger chains, can ever pass thro' Maya's gates.

So give these up, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Have thou no home. What home can hold thee, friend?

The sky thy roof, the grass thy bed; and food

What chance may bring, well cooked or ill, judge not.

No food or drink can taint that noble Self

Which knows itself. Like rolling river free

Thou ever be, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Few only know the truth. The rest will hate

And laugh at thee, great one; but pay no heed.

Go thou, the free, from place to place, and help

Them out of darkness, Maya's veil. Without

The fear of pain or search for pleasure, go

Beyond them both, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

Thus, day by day, till Karma's powers spent,

Release the soul for ever. No more is birth,

Nor I, nor thou, nor God, nor man. The `I'

Has All become, the All is `I' and Bliss.

Know thou art That, Sannyasin bold! Say –

`Om tat sat, Om!'

 

 

Composed at Thousand Island Park, New York, July 1895.

 

love and blessings

[Guest guest]

Namaste Adiji,

>Thank you for noticing this 'ignorant' one!!

 

Maybe you are ignorant like Lalleshwari of Kashmir.

 

Better keep your clothes on, though!

 

http://www.ikashmir.org/Saints/LalDed/index.html

 

Hari Om!

Benjamin

[Guest guest]

thank you benji for introducing the kashmiri shavite saint

Lalleshweri to this audience !!!

 

Here is another Vira shaiva saint

 

Mahadeviakka who also used to roam as a 'digambara' sanyasin !!!

 

 

 

People

 

Male and Female

 

Blush when a cloth covering their shame

 

Comes loose.

 

 

 

When the Lord lives drowned without a face

 

In the world

 

How can you be modest?

 

 

 

When all the world is the eye of the Lord

 

Onlooking everywhere

 

What can you

 

Cover and conceal?

 

Mahadeviakka,12th century mystic and poetess. Karnataka. India.

 

**********************************************************************

benji, if you are interested in reading about Akka Mahadevi ( the

woman saint of Karnataka)

 

here is a link

 

http://www.ourkarnataka.com/religion/akka_mathapati.htm - 38k - Cached

 

 

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!

 

smiles !!!

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-- In advaitin, Benjamin <orion777ben> wrote:

>

> Namaste Adiji,

>

> >Thank you for noticing this 'ignorant' one!!

>

> Maybe you are ignorant like Lalleshwari of Kashmir.

>

> Better keep your clothes on, though!

>

> http://www.ikashmir.org/Saints/LalDed/index.html

>

> Hari Om!

> Benjamin

[Guest guest]

Namaste Adiji,

>benji, if you are interested in reading about Akka Mahadevi

>(the woman saint of Karnataka) here is a link

 

http://www.ourkarnataka.com/religion/akka_mathapati.htm

>LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!

 

 

Hmmmm! Lalleshweri, Akka Mahadevi, ... I guess ancient India was a

very decent and safe place if all these mystical women could walk

around stark naked. I suppose this was before the Muslim invasions...

 

It seems that this is simply part of the Shaiva tradition. Shiva is

the 'half-mad' divine yogi who is often portrayed as wild-eyed and

lacking in clothes. Now that is what I call a 'free-spirit'!

Saddhus today continue this tradition, e.g. at the Kumba Mela, and

unfortunately the BBC loves to dwell on that. (Krishna by contrast

seems the epitome of civilization.)

 

Well, I see that Akka Mahadevi, despite being very beautiful,

continues the age-old Hindu tradition of rising above lust. At least

this is for the sake of something far better than worldly pleasures,

rather than out of a morbid obsession with sin. I think I would also

forget everything else if I had a taste of ultimate bliss! That's

why they call it 'ultimate bliss'. It's really very logical.

 

And she was a bit of a feminist, even back then. Well, independent

women are an ancient tradition in Hinduism, going back to Vedic days.

Remember Gargi, Maitreyi, and others ... not to mention 'equal

opportunity' for Goddesses in the Hindu pantheon (unlike many other

ancient religions). I think that India became more conservative and

repressive with respect to women as a reaction to the Muslim and

British invasions. I think there was a lot of traumatic rape during

those invasions, perhaps less with the British.

 

I just wish I knew something about Karnataka. Is it a pretty place?

I know it has Bangalore, the 'Silicon Valley' of India.

 

Hari Om!

Benjamin