Lord Shiva as Paramatma?

[Ganeshprasad]

Pranam Prabhu

 

 

=Kulapavana]Prabhu, I beg you to reconsider. This is just a misunderstanding and I think you have a very valid point. Such language is unbecoming a Vaishnava.

 

 

 

I thank you for your kind words, i am sorry if i had mislead you as i do not intend to run away from the forum, only that the bye was meant for his attitude.

 

Jai Shree Krishna

[theist]

If anyone thinks an eternal answer as to the nature of the Lords forms can be had through mayavadi commentary then I can only suggest they learn the difference between personalism and impersonalism.

 

For myself I will continue to avoid any entertainment of the impersonalist conclusions when contemplating the Lord's forms and expansions.

 

The idea of the IT manifesting various forms such as Siva Ganesh Brahma Vishnu and Durga and the worship of anyone of them is as good as the other because it is really the formless impersonal IT that is the only reality behind them all is repugnant to me.

 

And then to go on and discuss which one of those forms gave rise to the another one only compounds the absurdity.

 

Although not a Vaisnava I have learned this from the Vaisnavas.

[Ganeshprasad]

Pranam

I don’t know what the hack myavadi is, I know of no group that call it self mayavadi.

The sloka that I quoted was secondary to support the primarily Bhagvat gita verse, without any commentary, as it is. It holds ground on its own.

if it is contaminated challenge it.

There is too much being made of the use of the word ‘it’ dare I say a baby in the womb can be referred to as it, this in no way render it formless.

Rigveda is an infallible source of knowledge but I accept translation could be faulty, there was no intention what so ever to push any personal or impersonal concepts.

Jai Shree Krishna

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Thank you for your graceful reply.

 

Impersonalism is off-topic here, but I'll chime in to say that many aspiring Vaishnavas take a very hostile approach to the "impersonalists". Perhaps the "nirvisesa, sunyavadi" reference in the ISKCON pranam mantra of Srila Prabhupada has something to do with this.

 

What many neglect to see is that the impersonal philosophy is perfectly *valid* in its own frame of reference.

 

Need I remind my friends here that Srila Prabhupada actually *stayed* with the "impersonalist" Dr. Mishra (a.k.a. Brahmananda Saraswati) for some time during the early years? In fact, it was as students of Dr. Mishra that my parents first came in contact with Srila Prabhupada through his books (this was after the time when Srila Prabhupada was living with Dr. Mishra).

 

What the Vaishnavas teach us is that, *beyond* (in addition to, or however you chose to see it) undifferentiated Brahman, there is a realm of inconceivable beauty, variety, and joy to which we can aspire.

 

Back on topic, from the quotes from Vaishnava-accepted shastra presented here, it seems perfectly clear that the answer to my question is that Lord Shiva *is* present in the hearts of all as Paramatma. Further extrapolation (regarding Kali, etc.) seems reasonable.

 

 

Pranam

I don’t know what the hack myavadi is, I know of no group that call it self mayavadi.

The sloka that I quoted was secondary to support the primarily Bhagvat gita verse, without any commentary, as it is. It holds ground on its own.

if it is contaminated challenge it.

There is too much being made of the use of the word ‘it’ dare I say a baby in the womb can be referred to as it, this in no way render it formless.

Rigveda is an infallible source of knowledge but I accept translation could be faulty, there was no intention what so ever to push any personal or impersonal concepts.

Jai Shree Krishna

[Kulapavana]

 

And the Vedas confirms above

"They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman.

To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan." RV (Book 1, Hymn 164.46)

 

Sometimes this rather famous last passage (ekam sat vipraha bahauda vadanti) is translated: "To that truth which is one, the wise give many different names".

[theist]

 

Impersonalism is off-topic here, but I'll chime in to say that many aspiring Vaishnavas take a very hostile approach to the "impersonalists". Perhaps the "nirvisesa, sunyavadi" reference in the ISKCON pranam mantra of Srila Prabhupada has something to do with this.

Has everything to do with it.

 

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

 

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

nirvisesha-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

 

I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

 

Our respectful obeisances are unto you, O spiritual master, servant of Sarasvati Gosvami. You are kindly preaching the message of Lord Caitanyadeva and delivering the Western countries which are filled with impersonalism and voidism.

 

Fulling the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta by delivering the western countries which are filled with impersonalism and voidism is the very heart od Srila Prabhupada's mission.

 

So if someone wants to please Srila Prabhupada he should serve the desire of Srila Prabhupada's heart, letting all other chips fall where they may.

 

BTW herein lies the true parampara.

 

ps Murali, I take exception to your " hostile" remark. Read the tone of my first responses and you won't detect hostility. I meant what I said about being dogged to get into a debat and the refusal of the person to take refusal to argue seriously. I don't spend time being mad at impersonalist or out right atheists. I believe I have long passed from that knee jerk reactionary period. It is not necessary to to be hostile to take a no compromisisng stance.

 

Srila Prabhupada would also speak at Dr. Misra's gatherings for his students. Ask your paents if he ever compromised on the difference and supremacy of personalism over impersonalism?

 

Mayavada is a stealthy virus. It has long since corrupted Christianity due to the weak philosophy of the Bible and is now creeping into the devotee community dressed as so-called hinduism.

 

Anyway the thread is being misdirected which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. I apologize.

 

Back to Paramatma. I am satisifed by Krsna's statments to Arjuna that Krsna is the source of the paramatma expansion.

 

 

To show them special mercy, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

Has everything to do with it.

 

And the fact that he chose to live as friends with an impersonalist for a time has nothing to do with anything?

 

Srila Prabhupada "battled" the impersonalists out of *compassion* and *mercy*, not out of self-righteous indignation, no?

[theist]

Self-righteous now as well as hostle.

 

Forget it.

[Guruvani]

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.28, purport,

 

The living being can never possess attributes like Śiva, Viṣṇu or Lord Kṛṣṇa. A living being can become godly by developing the seventy-eight-percent transcendental attributes in fullness, but he can never become a God like Śiva, Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. He can become a Brahmā in due course. The godly living beings who are all residents of the planets in the spiritual sky are eternal associates of God in different spiritual planets called Hari-dhāma and Maheśa-dhāma. The abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa above all spiritual planets is called Kṛṣṇaloka or Goloka Vṛndāvana, and the perfected living being, by developing seventy-eight percent of the above attributes in fullness, can enter the planet of Kṛṣṇaloka after leaving the present material body.

 

In this purport, Lord Siva is referred to as a God along with Vishnu and Krishna.

 

Gaudiyas don't pay much attention to Lord Siva, but in fact Lord Siva is one of the forms of Godhead in the spiritual world.

 

Lord Siva is another form of Krishna in the Vaikuntha world - Mahesh-dhama.

[suchandra]

 

Gaudiyas don't pay much attention to Lord Siva, but in fact Lord Siva is one of the forms of Godhead in the spiritual world.

 

Here Lord Shiva is associated with people who smoke cannabis. I heard that in all the Amsterdam Coffeeshops where they sell cannabis, they also sell posters of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva being used as the god who legalizes drug taking. The god who is worshipped by smoking hashish So as soon people see a pic of Lord Shiva they immediately think that you're a great supporter of pot smoking. This was surely another reason why Prabhupada strictly didnt want anything related with Lord Shiva in his temples. Not to arouse suspicion that Vaishnavas are addicted to drugs or support smoking. This is of course all being changed now but this is to be expected as kali-yuga proceeds. Vaishnavas even becoming angry when Lord Shiva's murti is not on the altar and dressing Radha-Krishna deities like Shiva/Parvati.

 

Siva babas on TV

[indulekhadasi]

 

Here Lord Shiva is associated with people who smoke cannabis. I heard that in all the Amsterdam Coffeeshops where they sell cannabis, they also sell posters of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva being used as the god who legalizes drug taking. The god who is worshipped by smoking hashish So as soon people see a pic of Lord Shiva they immediately think that you're a great supporter of pot smoking. This was surely another reason why Prabhupada strictly didnt want anything related with Lord Shiva in his temples. Not to arouse suspicion that Vaishnavas are addicted to drugs or supporting smoking. This is of course all being changed now but this is to be expected as kali-yuga proceeds. Vaishnavas even becoming angry when Lord Shiva's murti is not on the altar.

 

Siva babas on TV

 

Vaishnavanam yatha sambuh. And also Srila Prabhupada said these people shouldn't imitate Lord Shiva. But does this make the faults of low-class people, his fault? Srila Prabhupada said that if those people cannot imitate his act of drinking poison then how can they smoke? But I don't think whatever those people do, it is Lord Shiva's fault. I could use the same example. Many people associate with many women at one time using Lord Krishna and the gopis' example. So now should we take Lord Krishna off our alter?

 

Since Lord Shiva is present in Lord Krishna we don't need to worship him separately. But keep in mind that Vaishnava aparadha can be very dangerous. And as I started my post- Vaishnavanam yatha sambuh.

 

Thank you. Hare Krishna.

[Beggar]

Siva temple at Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math, Nabawip:

 

 

 

 

[suchandra]

 

Vaishnavanam yatha sambuh. And also Srila Prabhupada said these people shouldn't imitate Lord Shiva. But does this make the faults of low-class people, his fault? Srila Prabhupada said that if those people cannot imitate his act of drinking poison then how can they smoke? But I don't think whatever those people do, it is Lord Shiva's fault. I could use the same example. Many people associate with many women at one time using Lord Krishna and the gopis' example. So now should we take Lord Krishna off our alter?

 

Since Lord Shiva is present in Lord Krishna we don't need to worship him separately. But keep in mind that Vaishnava aparadha can be very dangerous. And as I started my post- Vaishnavanam yatha sambuh.

 

Thank you. Hare Krishna.

 

This is fully correct and strongly backed up by sastra, however, let's say you have children at your home, can you expect that they should have the same intelligence as you have being a grown-up person? When finding out that people in general, our neighbors, have the understanding of using Lord Siva to legalize pot smoking, we should take that into consideration and not signal that we support their understanding and also put Lord Shiva on our home altar (Vaishnavanam yatha sambuh).

[HerServant]

 

Wow what a cop-out, this has nothing to do with my right or your rejection,

No Acharya would reject rig Veda the verse I provided has no commentary if you fill the translation is wrong I am happy to consider it, I only provided that verse to support the Verse from Bhagvat Gita. In any case I was happy to withdraw it.

 

If you consider Bagvat puran and Bhagvat Gita as contaminated sourse, then there is nothing further to say and if you think the translation I have provided is wrong then bring the ones you have, just don’t hide behind your personal approach but then that is your choice.

 

Jai Shree Krishna

 

Of course these sources have undergone "contamination" by way of translation and interpretation.

 

This is the VERY reason that Srila Prabhupada entitles his Bhagavad Gita translation " Bhagavad Gita - AS IT IS"

 

There are many sects in Hinduism that have in fact "polluted" scriptures when viewed from another sects perspective. A good example would be to find a personalist translation of Svetasvatara Upanishad. It is CLEARLY a work of devotion to the Personal God, but among mayavadis its meaning is impersonal.

 

If we sincerely approach Hinduism with the same analytical rigor as is done in academic study of Christianity or Judaism (e.g. archeological, historical, linguistics) ... there simply is no conclusion other than to conclude that there is no one single pure rendering of vedic scriptures (date, origin, translation, etc.) and that various hindu schools have differing renderings of the same scripture. Which one then is pure? For personalists, we will say certainly, "only literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."

 

Srila Prabhupada, seeing mayavadis as a crisis, "rescues" the Gita from the hands of impersonalists and renders a translation "As It Is".

 

Personally I think the translation should be Personal but without Srila Prabhupada's such free substitution of the Holy Name Krsna with other sanskrit Holy Names. This is because, I believe that those holy names too are personal Nama Rupa revelations of the Lord given to the orginal composer of the Gita.

 

Maybe Srila Prabhupada felt that society was so void of personal worship of Krsna that he felt he had to make many substitutions of other Sanskrit names for God with the name Krsna.

 

None the less, the SB itself says that the scripture is "composed imperfectly" i.e. polluted.

 

In the extreme case of aetheists, they made the Person of God an "it" and a "void" .. the worst pollution.

[indulekhadasi]

 

This is fully correct and strongly backed up by sastra, however, let's say you have children at your home, can you expect that they should have the same intelligence as you have being a grown-up person? When finding out that people in general, our neighbors, have the understanding of using Lord Siva to legalize pot smoking, we should take that into consideration and not signal that we support their understanding and also put Lord Shiva on our home altar (Vaishnavanam yatha sambuh).

 

There is no harm in worshipping Lord Shiva but I don't have Lord Shiva on my home altar, either. I know that by worshipping Krishna, Lord Shiva is automatically worshipped and Lord Shiva will be happier by my worshipping Krishna, then by worshipping him, himself. But I understand your veiw. However if I had a Lord Shiva on my altar I wouldn't try to take him off just because of these people. I would try to preach to them, you know, tell them why we are worshipping Lord Shiva because he is the greatest Vaishnava. At the same time we can convince them not to smoke, etc.

 

Sanatan Goswami explains that we do not worship Lord Shiva separately from Lord Vishnu. So we can only place Lord Shiva on the altar if Lord Krishna is already there. And Sanatan Goswami said we should all follow Shiva Ratri. So I think we should have the courage to preach about Shiva tattva to the outside world also, that Lord Shiva does NOT represent smoking. Otherwise they will always remain in the darkness about the high position of Lord Shiva.

[Guruvani]

In California and Hawaii there are lots of fringey Hare Krishnas who smoke marijuana.

None of them are big into Lord Siva.

You don't have to be into Lord Siva to be a ganja smoker.

 

In the western world the smoking of Ganja has little to nothing to do with pseudo worship of Lord Siva.

 

In the western world there are probably more Hare Krishnas smoking ganja than so-called followers of Siva.

 

There are even some Hare Krishna types on this forum who smoke weed but have no sentiments at all towards Siva worship.

 

Smoking ganja is very widespread in the western world and no blame can be put on Lord Siva.

 

I don't know where the idea that Lord Siva smokes pot comes from, but I don't think there is any shastric reference that Lord Siva smokes weed.

 

Siva is God.

He doesn't smoke weed to get high.

Siva is Yogisvara.

He doesn't need to be intoxicated on cannabis.

He is intoxicated on love of Krishna.

Divine nectar is much more relishable for such divine beings as Lord Siva.

[suchandra]

 

In California and Hawaii there are lots of fringey Hare Krishnas who smoke marijuana.

None of them are big into Lord Siva.

You don't have to be into Lord Siva to be a ganja smoker.

 

In the western world the smoking of Ganja has little to nothing to do with pseudo worship of Lord Siva.

 

In the western world there are probably more Hare Krishnas smoking ganja than so-called followers of Siva.

 

There are even some Hare Krishna types on this forum who smoke weed but have no sentiments at all towards Siva worship.

 

Smoking ganja is very widespread in the western world and no blame can be put on Lord Siva.

 

I don't know where the idea that Lord Siva smokes pot comes from, but I don't think there is any shastric reference that Lord Siva smokes weed.

 

Siva is God.

He doesn't smoke weed to get high.

Siva is Yogisvara.

He doesn't need to be intoxicated on cannabis.

He is intoxicated on love of Krishna.

Divine nectar is much more relishable for such divine beings as Lord Siva.

 

Looks like Prabhupada forgot to introduce Lord Siva worship or may be it should be researched - researched - at dandavats.com they seem to also have this utmost concern, "we read Prabhupada's books for 30 years, but now let's research and help others".

 

SURVEY QUESTIONS

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4679#more-4679

 

 

 

1. According to you, which three subjects in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings should be comprehensively researched to help you in your individual pursuit of Krishna consciousness?

1a):

1b):

1c):

2. According to you, which three subjects in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings should be comprehensively researched to help you carry out more effectively your service responsibilities for Srila Prabhupada’s mission?

2a):

2b):

2c):

3. According to you, which three subjects in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings should be comprehensively researched to help the overall improvement of the Krishna Consciousness movement in executing Srila Prabhupada’s mission?

3a):

3b):

3c):

 

<!-- end .post-middle --><!-- the bottom of the post, the background graphic gets applied here -->

[suchandra]

Article below says, that after the disappearance of the second Visnuswami a great feud took place between his community and that of Saivasivaswami. Seems Lord Siva was always not so easily to be understood.

 

Siva Sampradaya

by N. Parker, 1995

 

 

"Lord Siva is described here as caracara-guru, the spiritual master of all animate and inanimate objects. He is sometimes known as Bhutanatha, which means "the worshipable deity of the dull-headed." Bhuta is also sometimes taken to indicate the ghosts. Lord Siva takes charge of reforming persons who are ghosts and demons, not to speak of others, who are godly; therefore he is the spiritual master of everyone, both the dull and demoniac and the highly learned Vaisnavas. It is also stated, vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: Sambhu, Lord Siva, is the greatest of all Vaisnavas. On one hand he is the worshipable object of the dull demons, and on the other he is the best of all Vaisnavas, or devotees, and he has a sampradaya called the Rudra-sampradaya."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4:2:2

<center>

</center>

"Lord Siva is known as the greatest devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is known as the best of all types of Vaisnavas (vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh). Consequently, Lord Siva has a Vaisnava sampradaya, the disciplic succession known as the Rudra-sampradaya. Just as there is a Brahma-sampradaya coming directly from Lord Brahma, the Rudra-sampradaya comes directly from Lord Siva. Lord Siva is one of the twelve great personalities, as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.3.20):

 

<center> svayambhur naradah sambhuh

kumarah kapilo manuh

prahlado janako bhismo

balir vaiyasakir vayam

</center> These are twelve great authorities in preaching God consciousness. The name Sambhu means Lord Siva. His disciplic succession is also known as the Visnusvami-sampradaya, and the current Visnusvami-sampradaya is also known as the Vallabha-sampradaya. The current Brahma-sampradaya is known as the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya. Even though Lord Siva appeared to preach Mayavada philosophy, at the end of his pastime in the form of Sankaracarya, he preached the Vaisnava philosophy: bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja govindam mudha-mate. He stressed worshiping Lord Krsna, or Govinda, three times in this verse and especially warned his followers that they could not possibly achieve deliverance, or mukti, simply by word jugglery and grammatical puzzles. If one is actually serious to attain mukti, he must worship Lord Krsna. That is Sripada Sankaracarya's last instruction."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4:24:18

<center>

</center>

"It is especially significant that Lord Siva is a pure devotee of Lord Vasudeva. Vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: "Amongst all Vaisnavas, Lord Siva is the topmost." Consequently Lord Siva has a sampradaya, a Vaisnava disciplic succession, called the Rudra-sampradaya. At the present moment those who belong to the Visnusvami-sampradaya of Vaisnavas come from Rudra, Lord Siva. To become a devotee of Lord Krsna, Vasudeva, is very, very difficult. The word especially used in this connection is duraradhyam. The worship of the demigods is not very difficult, but becoming a devotee of Lord Vasudeva, Krsna, is not so easy. However, if one adheres to the principles and follows in the footsteps of the higher authorities, as advised by Lord Siva, one can easily become a devotee of Lord Vasudeva."

Srimad-Bhagavatam 4:24:76

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada

 

 

<center>Visnuswami and Rudra Sampradaya

</center> "Both Jiva Goswami in his Bhagavata Sandarbha and Krsnadasa Kaviraja in his Caitanya-caritamrta look to Sripad Visnuswami for inspiration to establish the essential difference between God and the individual souls and quote from his Sarvajnasukta, his commentary on Vedanta.

Visnuswami is the founder-acarya of the Rudra sampradaya, which is the oldest of the four recognized sampradayas. It is even said that Visnuswami was born in the Dravida country after the completion of the sacrifice of Janamejaya, around the beginnining of Kali-yuga.

Although most scholars are only able to find scanty and conflicting information on Sripada Visnuswami, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gives us a authoritive biographical account of Visnuswami which we accept to be authoritive.

There were three Acaryas bearing the name of Visnuswami in the Rudra sampradaya. The first is called Adi Visnuswami, who is said to have been born about the third century B.C. in the Pandyan country. Visnuswami's father Devesvara was the royal priest and minister. Devatanu, as he was known before he took the sannyasa name of Visnuswami, was trained by his father in a vigorous theistic eduacation, to fight Buddhism. The Pandyan king exerted all his influence to crush Buddhism in particular and other non-vaisnava sects in general. King Pandyovijaya and his minister, Devesvara, went to Puri and recovered the Deities of Jagannatha, Balarama and Subhadra, which had been turned into the Buddhist Dharma by Buddha and Samgha by the Buddhists. King Padyovijaya and Devesvara removed the deities from the main temple to sundaracala about two miles away by cart. This is said to be the origin of the Rathayatra of Jagannatha. Now the ceremony of conveying the Deities from the temple to the car is named Pahandi or Panduvijaya. The word Panda is applied to the priests of Jagannatha and is said to be derived from the "Pandya". The Deities were again brought back to the temple after Buddhism had been supressed to some extent.

Visnuswami was the first to adopt tridandi sannyasa which he brought into practice among his seven hundred sannyasa disciples. It was he who introduce the Astottara satanami sannyasa (108 designations of sannyasis) including the dasanami which was adopted by Sankara in his sect. It was not Sankara who originated it, as some scholars think. Vyasesvara was the last in the line of Sannyasis, after whom the line became almost extinct, until it was revived by Raja Gopal who also assumed the name of Visnuswami in the beginning of the 9th century. His main follower was Bilvamangala.

Raja Gopala Visnuswami revived the old Visnuswami line and began the active propaganda with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. He installed the Varadaraja temple in Kanci, Ranchorlal in Dwaraka, and many other Deities in different places of pilgrimage. He converted many of Sankara's prominant disciples after Sankara's death.

After the disappearance of the second Visnuswami a great feud took place between his community and that of Saivasivaswami, who regards Rudra as an independant God while the former holds Rudra as Guru and the intimate associate of Visnu. The Saiva opposed it vigorously and peoplefailing to appreciate the subtle point of theism in the Suddhadvaita system of Visnuswami became inclined to Saivite monism, which soon became embraced by the population in general. The Saivaite community, taking advantage of the situation, tried to misappropriate Visnuswami's Sarvajnasukta and modified it to a great extent to suit their system.

The third revival came under Andhra Visnuswami in the 13th century, whose successors included Laksmana Bhatta, the father of Vallabhacarya. This Visnuswami is said to have been the son of a minister of a Dravidian prince under the Emperor of Delhi.

Visnuswami's philosophy is visuddhadvaita. Brahman as Visnu, Narasimha, non-dual and having no second. Brahman has all contradictory qualities. The soul is part of Brahman like spiritual sparks, real, eternal, atomic and dependent. Creation has no motive , it is like a cosmic game and it directly emanates from Brahman. The cause of bondage is one's attachement to karma. The process of release is devotion based on Bhagavata. The goal of life is to attain uninterupted contact with Krsna, Vaikuntha salokya where there is no return."

 

Modified version of a posting to soc.religion.vaisnava by N. Parker, 1995.

[Tantrayoga]

 

as far as I know it is very much a Gaudiya tradition. you can even see Deities of Radha and Krsna painted with three horizontal lines symbolizing Lord Shiva (creation, maintenance, destruction) on that day.

 

Jai!!

 

I haven't quite seen traditional Vaishnavas doing that.

Can you please show another picture or give references where do they dress up Radha Krsna as Lord Shiva Parvati? This is interesting. Thanks.

 

Hari bol

[Tantrayoga]

 

It was discussed quite a lot if this is offensive or genuine Vaishnava tradition, to dress the Radha-Krishna Deities like Lord Shiva and Parvati at an Indian Festival being celebrated in the temple room like on this pic of Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan:

 

Interesting and unexpected deity avaran!!!

[theist]

Admittedly I know less then nothing about Deity worship but there is something about dressing Radha Krsna as Parvati Siva that strikes me on a visceral level as wrong. The mood is so different.

 

Now if there were a pastime where Radha Krsna dressed themselves that way and one was celebrating that occasion I could see it but...

[Murali_Mohan_das]

I have to agree with you here.

 

If the Spirit moves some to worship that way, I can't quarrel with their devotion, but I wouldn't do this myself.

 

While Srila Gurudeva established a Shiva temple at Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, I'm pretty sure the devotional moods and lilas are kept distinct there--no dressing up Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga Gandharva Sundar as Shiva, Parvati and ????. I could be wrong, but I've never seen this in pictures, or read or heard of it happening at SCS Math.

 

Of course, I probably know less than you do about Deity worship (and I've never been to India in this body).

 

 

Admittedly I know less then nothing about Deity worship but there is something about dressing Radha Krsna as Parvati Siva that strikes me on a visceral level as wrong. The mood is so different.

 

Now if there were a pastime where Radha Krsna dressed themselves that way and one was celebrating that occasion I could see it but...