Guest guest Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Hello All! This may be a naive question, so I'm hoping that if I'm mistaken that some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board will correct me! So, my question is: would a person still be considered a "Hindu" if they worshipped only Lord Ganesha? Namaste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 23, 2003 Report Share Posted July 23, 2003 Namaste Anpuheru, When one worships only Lord Ganesha, then He is what some people would term as their "Ishta Devata", their supreme deity. Whether he/she considers themself to be "Hindu" is really a matter of inner calling. "Sanatana Dharma" know today as Hinduism means "the Eternal Faith" or Eternal Path. It is a way of life, not just a mere religion as some would see it. The Sanatana Dharma is a family of 'religions' that accept the authority of the Vedas. The four principal denominations are Saivism, Saktism, Vaishnavism and Smartism. Each is distinguished by their Supreme Deity. - Vaishnavites worship Lord Vishnu. - For Saivites, it is Shiva. - For Saktas, Goddess Sakti is supreme. - For liberal Hindus, the Smartas, the devotee has his/her own choice of supreme deity. Hope the above info helps. ******Any inputs from our brothers and sisters here? Please share your thoughts, thank you. Om Sri Ganeshaya Namaha, Sy , "anpuheru" <ANPUHERU@A...> wrote: > Hello All! > > This may be a naive question, so I'm hoping that if I'm mistaken that > some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board will correct me! > > So, my question is: would a person still be considered a "Hindu" if > they worshipped only Lord Ganesha? > > Namaste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 24, 2003 Report Share Posted July 24, 2003 YES anpuheru wrote: Hello All! This may be a naive question, so I'm hoping that if I'm mistaken that some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board will correct me! So, my question is: would a person still be considered a "Hindu" if they worshipped only Lord Ganesha? Namaste! - http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 27, 2003 Report Share Posted July 27, 2003 hi there...., well friend........ well first may i equest you to ask yourself what are u looking for ?being a religious fanatic or the FORM of deity you can relate to ? if latter ,then how does it make a difference if you not (so termed) hindu but a christian or a muslim or anything else & if first , then friend though i would not go into details but from my limited knowledge (truly no knowledge) theres no religion as HINDU (& what u might be considering hinduism from my view is HUMANITY as none of the authentic so termed hindu texts use term "hindu" but lays rules for "manushya/manav(human) so, imho, the religion is HUMAITY) !!!!!!!!!!!! anyways..., as to your confusion (if you wanna know if offering prayers to just one form of deity from the many known) well, imho, a person who is &can remain loyal to any one form ,is the most nearest to GOD/DESS & the most spiritual........ regards....., JAI AMBEY MAHAKALI SHREE KAAL BHAIRAVAYA NAMAH, rajat-the-dumb-ass P.S: WELL A VERY FRDLY ADVICE "THROW ALL RELIGIONS IN A DUSTBIN & BE SPIRITUAL BE HUMAN " , "anpuheru" <ANPUHERU@A...> wrote: > Hello All! > > This may be a naive question, so I'm hoping that if I'm mistaken that > some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board will correct me! > > So, my question is: would a person still be considered a "Hindu" if > they worshipped only Lord Ganesha? > > Namaste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Namaste Sureshji, Thanks for responding. Jai Sri Ganeshaya, Sy , Suresh Rathnam <suresh@i...> wrote: > YES > > anpuheru wrote: > > > Hello All! > > > > This may be a naive question, so I'm hoping that if I'm mistaken that > > some of the more knowledgeable folks on this board will correct me! > > > > So, my question is: would a person still be considered a "Hindu" if > > they worshipped only Lord Ganesha? > > > > Namaste! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Hello Jai and All! I'm sorry for the confusion, I guess I didn't phrase my question clearly. What I should have asked was: Is it APPROPRIATE to worship Lord Ganesha alone? Truth be told, I am not "drawn" to any other of the deities in the Hindu patheon, and I did not know if the worship of Lord Ganesha alone would still qualify someone as a practicing "Hindu", or if it would fall into a more Pagan/New Age sort of practice. I was also wondering if anyone had any information on Lord Ganesha in Japan, where he is known as "Shoden" (Sho-Ten?). Any information would helpful. Thank you all again! Namaste!!! Anpuheru , "Neha & Rajat" <younghornycpl> wrote: > hi there...., > > well friend........ well first may i equest you to ask yourself what > are u looking for ?being a religious fanatic or the FORM of deity you > can relate to ? if latter ,then how does it make a difference if you > not (so termed) hindu but a christian or a muslim or anything else & > if first , then friend though i would not go into details but from my > limited knowledge (truly no knowledge) theres no religion as HINDU > (& what u might be considering hinduism from my view is HUMANITY as > none of the authentic so termed hindu texts use term "hindu" but lays > rules for "manushya/manav(human) so, imho, the religion is > HUMAITY) !!!!!!!!!!!! > anyways..., as to your confusion (if you wanna know if offering > prayers to just one form of deity from the many known) well, imho, a > person who is &can remain loyal to any one form ,is the most nearest > to GOD/DESS & the most spiritual........ > regards....., > JAI AMBEY MAHAKALI SHREE KAAL BHAIRAVAYA NAMAH, > rajat-the-dumb-ass > > P.S: WELL A VERY FRDLY ADVICE "THROW ALL RELIGIONS IN A DUSTBIN & BE > SPIRITUAL BE HUMAN " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 Many Hindu devotees worship only one aspect of the pantheon. For example one might worhsip only Krishna as a baby, Bal Krishna. Similarly one can worship only Ganesh. I have seen it written that choosing only one form and being very devoted to that Bhakti is very good and pleases more than spreading it around. If offers a focus. I believe that a deep devotion and love of Ganapati is of value and you should explore where He takes you. If you can find it on line try reading the Ganesh upanishad. If you can't find a link, I can send you one later. Henry - anpuheru Monday, July 28, 2003 12:32 PM Re: Worshipping Lord Ganesha alone? Hello Jai and All!I'm sorry for the confusion, I guess I didn't phrase my question clearly. What I should have asked was: Is it APPROPRIATE to worship Lord Ganesha alone? Truth be told, I am not "drawn" to any other of the deities in the Hindu patheon, and I did not know if the worship of Lord Ganesha alone would still qualify someone as a practicing "Hindu", or if it would fall into a more Pagan/New Age sort of practice. I was also wondering if anyone had any information on Lord Ganesha in Japan, where he is known as "Shoden" (Sho-Ten?). Any information would helpful. Thank you all again!Namaste!!!Anpuheru--- In , "Neha & Rajat" <younghornycpl> wrote:> hi there....,> > well friend........ well first may i equest you to ask yourself what > are u looking for ?being a religious fanatic or the FORM of deity you > can relate to ? if latter ,then how does it make a difference if you > not (so termed) hindu but a christian or a muslim or anything else & > if first , then friend though i would not go into details but from my > limited knowledge (truly no knowledge) theres no religion as HINDU > (& what u might be considering hinduism from my view is HUMANITY as > none of the authentic so termed hindu texts use term "hindu" but lays > rules for "manushya/manav(human) so, imho, the religion is > HUMAITY) !!!!!!!!!!!!> anyways..., as to your confusion (if you wanna know if offering > prayers to just one form of deity from the many known) well, imho, a > person who is &can remain loyal to any one form ,is the most nearest > to GOD/DESS & the most spiritual........> regards.....,> JAI AMBEY MAHAKALI SHREE KAAL BHAIRAVAYA NAMAH,> rajat-the-dumb-ass> > P.S: WELL A VERY FRDLY ADVICE "THROW ALL RELIGIONS IN A DUSTBIN & BE > SPIRITUAL BE HUMAN " ;)To from this group, send an email to:-http://www.geocities.com/aumganesh/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Namaste Anpuheru, Of course it is appropriate to worship only Ganesha alone. There is a sect in India called the Ganapatyas (not sure about the spelling) who worship only Ganesha and no other deity. Ganesha is their "Ista Devata". It is the "calling" within the soul that will tell you if you are Hindu. If you consider yourself a practicing Hindu, then you are. New Age or Pagan usually has other definitions or connotations, depending on individual outlook/interpretation; although a Hindu can also fall under the umbrella of "Paganism" in a broad sense. In Bali for example, some would/could/may regard Hinduism a form of Animism. Shall try to ask around about Shoden or Shoten, it rings a bell.. If I'm not wrong, there were one or two rock carvings of Ganesha in Japan, or maybe they were of a form of Devi. Ommmmm, Sy , "anpuheru" <ANPUHERU@A...> wrote: > > Hello Jai and All! > > I'm sorry for the confusion, I guess I didn't phrase my question > clearly. What I should have asked was: Is it APPROPRIATE to worship > Lord Ganesha alone? Truth be told, I am not "drawn" to any other of > the deities in the Hindu patheon, and I did not know if the worship > of Lord Ganesha alone would still qualify someone as a > practicing "Hindu", or if it would fall into a more Pagan/New Age > sort of practice. > > I was also wondering if anyone had any information on Lord Ganesha in > Japan, where he is known as "Shoden" (Sho-Ten?). Any information > would helpful. Thank you all again! > > Namaste!!! > > Anpuheru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 5, 2003 Report Share Posted September 5, 2003 I think most Hindus,if not all, have a personal or special deity in which they are especially devoted.. it can be Lord Krishna, Shree Durga or Lord ganesha.. i think Syzenith put it best when he said that it is a way of life.. and hinduism or sanatana dharma has several very important tenets in which believers are expected to folow.. among them is the believe of karma, the practise of karma yoga, bhakti yoga, ynana yoga or raja yoga ... or the recognization of one supreme God but in many forms.. Sri Krishna Saranam Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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