An Incident

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

I am new to this group and to the theory of Advaita as well. I have been an agnostic till date, but i was more inclined to believe the theory of a formless and all pervading Brahman than one which has a form, sitting in heaven and keeping record of good and bad deeds.

Mu mother, whose is 65 years of age suffers from debilitative osteo arthirities. She is a staunch devotee of Maa Durga. Last year, during Durga puja one evening, she was going to the nearest Durga mandap to do puja. She was carrying prasad, flowers etc. It was evening time and it was drizzling since whole day. While passing through a dark, narrow street a car with blazing headlights ON approached her. Due to intensity of glare she became momentarily blind and stepped her feet in a ditch filled with water. She fell flat in the ditch and was in immense pain; she felt she can never recover and stand on her own. Suddenly she felt being lifted out of the ditch without any effort. She was immediately on her own, and she walked swifly to the Puja mandap. There was nobody around during the whole incident. She felt no pain or hurt except her saree had got soiled.

I am surprised at such incident. It was impossible for an old lady, suffering from arthirities etc, to recover so quickly, gain composure and immerge scratchless. She believes, Maa Durga had helped her. I wonder how did a formless God came to rescue her devotee.

I invite comments from my scholarly friends.

regards

Sundeep

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Sandeepji - PraNAms.

Before anyone can offer an explanation, can I ask you as agnostic how you would explain the incident. Because any other explanation that will be offered would require an element of faith for you to accept or reject. As a rational intellect you must have figured out some explanation that is logically convincing to you. How do you account for the incident? The reason I am asking unless you are ready, no other explanation will be convincing to you.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

SUNDEEP GUPTA <sundeep_gupta1 >

 

 

I am surprised at such incident. It was impossible for an old lady, suffering from arthirities etc, to recover so quickly, gain composure and immerge scratchless. She believes, Maa Durga had helped her. I wonder how did a formless God came to rescue her devotee.

I invite comments from my scholarly friends.

regards

Sundeep

[Guest guest]

Dear friends,

 

With a series of personal incidents in this group in the last few days,

I am tempted to recall another incident / experience that I heard on the

Radio (Bangalore vividhabhArathi).

 

This is from an interview with S.K.Karim Khan, a freedom fighter, and a

lyricist who has written several superb (hindu) religious film songs

(One of his very popular song goes - naTavara gangAdhara;

umAshankara, ...). Mr Karim Khan passed away recently, of old age.

 

This interview that was broadcast a couple of years ago on Aug 15th, was

broadcast again this year on the same day.

 

During the course of the interview, Mr. Khan quoted some sanskrit

shlokas he had written in praise of Shiva (these were not the type just

ridden with adjectives). The interviewer queried him about his

capability to write such lyrics (sAhitya), in spite of being a school

dropout. Following is a rough translation of what Mr. Karim Khan said

(in his own words):

 

"In my town, there was a vidwAn Subramanya Shastry. I used to hang out

with him; go with him when he went on some work; talk with him about

literature, etc. His father, Surya Shastry, used to speak about vEda's

and vEdAnta at the Mysore King's darbar. Even Subramanya Shastry was

very learned.

 

One day he passed away and someone gave me the news. I ran to his house.

They had already taken his body. I ran to the where the funeral pyre was

made ready. Some guys there said -- finally the student has come (antu

shishya bandAytu).

 

I was overcome with grief. I sincerely pleaded 'You are going away.

Please have some pity on me (nIvantu hOgtA idIra; nanna mElu swalpa daye

tOrsi)'.

 

That day onwards, whatever I wrote came good"

 

I leave it to the discerning readers to figure out themselves, if here

is any take home message.

 

Best regards,

Ramachandra

[Guest guest]

Namaste Sundeep:

 

Thanks for sharing the incident pertain to your mother. The referred

incident is a good example to illustrate the importance of faith and

conviction while dealing with the problems of our life.

 

Let me join Sadaji and ask you to explain your two questions using

your own words: (1) What do you mean by `agnostic – not believing in

the God sitting in the heaven and making judgments'? and (2) What do

you understand by "formless and all pervading Brahman"? The moment

that you attempt to answer the above two questions using your own

words and your life experience, the shadow of your doubts will likely

disappear and the light will emerge.

 

One of the fundamental questions that we should enquire within is:

How does the invisible and unexplainable God conducts rewards and

punishments without ever showing His presence? The story provided

below can provide you some clues for the answers to your question. It

is your responsibility to find the answers and faith in God can

certainly provide you with the guidance:

 

A great devotee of Lord Shiva once wanted to cross a overflowing

river during a rain-storm by a boat. He went to the banks of the

river and requested the boat operators for their help to cross the

river. No driver was willing to take the boat under those conditions.

They told him that it is very windy and the river with flood waters

is to too dangerous to cross and suggested that he should wait for

few days. The devotee boasted to the boat operators that he is a

great devotee of Lord Shiva and He will protect him during his

difficulties. Still no agreed and finally the devotee offered triple

the fee for crossing the river and one driver reluctantly agreed.

The reluctant driver reiterated the dangers of boat riding and asked

the devotee to wear the life-guard during the journey. The devotee

scolded the driver and said that he has great faith in Lord Shiva who

will certainly come protect him when dangers come. The driver asked

the devotee whether he knows swimming and the devotee shouted at the

driver that he doesn't need to know any swimming and he is quite sure

that Lord Shiva will come and protect him. The devote was very

adamant and refused to wear the life-guard and sat quietly just

praying Lord Shiva asking for his protection.

 

Due to heavy wind and due to the high current of the flood waters,

the boat capsized and both the driver and the devotee fell on the

river. The driver of the boat was seeing the devotee drowning and

with great difficulty offered his hand and asked the devotee to catch

and hold him tight. The devotee was very stubborn and refused to

take his help. Eventually devotee went under the river drowned, died

and went to the Kailas: When he saw Shiva sitting and meditating,

the devotee poured out his anger to Shiva. He asked Lord Shiva

bluntly: Lord, I am one of your great devotee and I asked your help

in difficulty so many times but you didn't come and save me, why?

Lord Shiva with great compassion replied to the devotee: Bhakta, I

came many forms to protect you from the dangers. First, I showed to

you the mighty river to warn you about the danger of crossing. Then

in the form of the boat operators I tried to stop you by alerting you

once again why you shouldn't cross the river. In spite of my warnings

and refusal to drive you, you refused my help and bribed a driver to

take you and cross the river. Even then I persuaded you to wear the

life-guard and you flatly refused my help. Finally I gave my hand

through the driver to lift you up from the river. You once again

refused to hold my hand. All my attempts became vain because you

refused to accept me and my help. What do you really expect me to do?

 

I don't want to explain anymore on the moral of this story. Only on

contemplation, we can get the explanation of what God is? The answer

to the question What does Grace of God mean?, is also very subtle. It

seems that we refuse to understand the facts in spite of repeated

life events providing us with all the lessons. All that we need is to

take a moment or two to contemplate so that we can understand our

True Divine Nature and the Divine presence everywhere in all forms

with numerous names!

 

With my warmest regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

 

advaitin, SUNDEEP GUPTA <sundeep_gupta1

wrote:

>

> Dear friends,

>

> I am new to this group and to the theory of Advaita as well. I

have been an agnostic till date, but i was more inclined to believe

the theory of a formless and all pervading Brahman than one which has

a form, sitting in heaven and keeping record of good and bad deeds.

>

[Guest guest]

Pranams Dear Sundeep

 

It is ONLY because He/She is formless and all

pervading can one readily explain incidents like

this.

 

Think of your home with many lights, ceiling fans,

perhaps airconditioning, TV, VCR, a refrigerator,

microwave, washer/dryer.

 

How do all these things run? Imagine if a caveman came

visiting and was seeing all this for the first time -

what would he think? Each of these is a separate

wonderful power! The fan has the great power of

producing wind, the light of illuminating the room and

so on.

 

Now if you told him that all these by themselves have

no power, but derive their power from another source,

his mind will be burning with curiosity. Where is this

source? Is it up there - on the roof of the home?

below? another room somewhere?

No you tell him - it is something called electricity.

 

Where is it? It is everywhere.

Why do i only see it in some places? Because you

invoke it in that spot.

How can it run everything? Because it alone is the

real power - all these appliances have no power of

their own accord. In whatever form it is invoked it

blesses that appliance with its power.

 

Can i feel this electricty? Yes but you need to invoke

it first. How? Turn the switch on.

 

Our shraddha is the switch in the case of Ishwara. His

Grace is ever available - freely flowing in and

through all of srshti. [We need to be able to see Him

in and through all of this manifest srshti and that

includes in and through me, who is very much a part of

this same Ishwara srshti - in a sense this is what

Vedanta is all about.]

 

Why did Ma Durga help her? How could she, even though

she is formless? - it was all because of the lady's

faith. The real question is - how could she not??

What ensued was Ishwara's order and that order is

infallible, it is ever perfect!

 

Hope this clarifies.

My best wishes to you

 

Hari OM

Shyam

--- SUNDEEP GUPTA <sundeep_gupta1 > wrote:

 

> Dear friends,

>

> I am new to this group and to the theory of

> Advaita as well. I have been an agnostic till date,

> but i was more inclined to believe the theory of a

> formless and all pervading Brahman than one which

> has a form, sitting in heaven and keeping record of

> good and bad deeds.

>

> Mu mother, whose is 65 years of age suffers from

> debilitative osteo arthirities. She is a staunch

> devotee of Maa Durga. Last year, during Durga puja

> one evening, she was going to the nearest Durga

> mandap to do puja. She was carrying prasad, flowers

> etc. It was evening time and it was drizzling since

> whole day. While passing through a dark, narrow

> street a car with blazing headlights ON approached

> her. Due to intensity of glare she became

> momentarily blind and stepped her feet in a ditch

> filled with water. She fell flat in the ditch and

> was in immense pain; she felt she can never recover

> and stand on her own. Suddenly she felt being lifted

> out of the ditch without any effort. She was

> immediately on her own, and she walked swifly to the

> Puja mandap. There was nobody around during the

> whole incident. She felt no pain or hurt except her

> saree had got soiled.

>

> I am surprised at such incident. It was impossible

> for an old lady, suffering from arthirities etc, to

> recover so quickly, gain composure and immerge

> scratchless. She believes, Maa Durga had helped her.

> I wonder how did a formless God came to rescue her

> devotee.

>

> I invite comments from my scholarly friends.

>

> regards

> Sundeep

>

>

>

> All-new Mail - Fire up a more powerful email

> and get things done faster.

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>

>