shaktism

[sant]

introduction

 

Shaktas conceive the Goddess as the supreme, ultimate Godhead. She is considered to be simultaneously the source of all creation, as well as its embodiment and the energy that animates and governs it. It has been observed that "nowhere in the religious history of the world do we come across such a completely female-oriented system.

 

 

With the many names used to refer to her – Devī, Caṇḍikā, Ambikā, Kālī, and a profusion of others – it is easy to forget that the Devi is indeed one. [in the central Shakta scripture devi mahatyam], the Devi reveals that she is one without a second, saying, "I am alone here in the world. Who else is there besides me?" Following this proclamation of divine unity, which has been called the mahāvākya, or great dictum of Devīmāhātmya, she explains that all [other goddesses] are but pro of hejectionsr power, as are all the other forms she inhabits

 

 

 

Elements of Shaktism – most notably, the ubiquity of goddess worship in some form – has infused popular Hinduism. Its pervasive influence on the religion is also reflected in the Hindu adage, "When in public, be a Vaishnava. When among friends, be a Shaiva. But in private, always be a Shakta

[sant]

veda

 

taking the mysterious form of Aditi the "Vedic Mother of the Gods" who is mentioned about 80 times

 

 

Devi Sukta, of two of Hinduism's most widely known and beloved goddesses: vach, identified with the present-day Saraswati; and Srī, now better known as LAKSHMI In the hymn, still recited by thousands of Hindus each day, the Goddess unambiguously declares:

 

"I am the Sovereign Queen; the treasury of all treasures; the chief of all objects of worship; whose all-pervading Self manifests all gods and goddesses; whose birthplace is in the midst of the causal waters; who in breathing forth gives birth to all created worlds, and yet extends beyond them, so vast am I in greatness."

 

puranas-the most important Puranas from the Shakta standpoint are the Markandeya Purana, the Brahmanda Purana, and the Devi-Bhagavata Purana, from which the key Shakta scriptures are drawn.

[sant]

Shakts are nirguna advait in nature of philosophy.

THEy say that various forms of devi is manifestation of brahman.

THEy pray to devi to attain brahman realisation.

 

Ramakrishna - Kali is none other than Brahman. That which is called Brahman is really Kali. She is the Primal Energy. When that Energy remains inactive, I call It Brahman, and when It creates, preserves, or destroys, I call It Shakti or Kali. What you call Brahman I call Kali. Brahman and Kali are not different. They are like fire and its power to burn: if one thinks of fire one must think of its power to burn. If one recognizes Kali one must also recognize Brahman; again, if one recognizes Brahman one must recognize Kali. Brahman and Its Power are identical.

It is Brahman whom I address as Shakti or Kali.

[sant]

editt

[bhaktajan]

Please educate me on the following:

 

How does Shiva's person related to "the Goddess as the supreme, ultimate Godhead."??

[sambya]

 

THEy say that various forms of devi is manifestation of brahman.

THEy pray to devi to attain brahman realisation.

 

Ramakrishna - Kali is none other than Brahman. That which is called Brahman is really Kali.

check out the contradiction !! you quoted ramakrishna saying that kali itself is brahman and that they are absolutely identical . but at the next jump you say kali is a manifestation of brahman . now , being brahman and being a manifestation of brahman is not the same , isnt it ?

 

 

and if she herself is brahman then how can someone pray to her to attain brahman . its not possible . you are quoting ramamkrishna but assuming kali and brahman to be seperate in an useless attempt to forcefully prove that all shaktas are nirguna brahmvadi .

 

secondly ramamkrishna was not a shakta strictly speaking .thats a common misconception prevalent amongst masses . he practised many different faiths but only started out through shaktism . in fact if you ever take pains to read through 'the gospel of ramamkrishna' you shall find that his teachings have more vaishnav leanings than shakta . he continuously speaks of gauranga and krishna .

[sant]

 

check out the contradiction !! you quoted ramakrishna saying that kali itself is brahman and that they are absolutely identical . but at the next jump you say kali is a manifestation of brahman . now , being brahman and being a manifestation of brahman is not the same , isnt it ?

 

 

and if she herself is brahman then how can someone pray to her to attain brahman . its not possible . you are quoting ramamkrishna but assuming kali and brahman to be seperate in an useless attempt to forcefully prove that all shaktas are nirguna brahmvadi .

 

secondly ramamkrishna was not a shakta strictly speaking .thats a common misconception prevalent amongst masses . he practised many different faiths but only started out through shaktism . in fact if you ever take pains to read through 'the gospel of ramamkrishna' you shall find that his teachings have more vaishnav leanings than shakta . he continuously speaks of gauranga and krishna .

 

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yes of course not all shakts are having same thinking.

Remember ramakrishna was forced by his guru to leave the attachment toward kali.And to attain the formless brahman.If that was true then why did he say this.HE must have meant this only.REmeber when Ramakrishna longed to see kali he had a vision of shoreless light of waves which shows that kali is a manifestation.If the otherwise he is contradicting himself.

 

My dear all shakts are nirguna only they dont themselves know about it.

Im talking about serious ones.Not those who just pray to durga for household benefits.Dvaita is just step on the ladder for them to realise they were always on the top.I dont know where ramakrishna has qouted from by saying kali is brahman or maha kali is brahman.WHere people qoute it i dont know.Only tantric people say it.THE puranic call the adi devi,bhuvaneshwari first lady of the universe as supreme.Even lakshmi is considered a thousand part of her.

[sant]

 

secondly ramamkrishna was not a shakta strictly speaking .thats a common misconception prevalent amongst masses . he practised many different faiths but only started out through shaktism . in fact if you ever take pains to read through 'the gospel of ramamkrishna' you shall find that his teachings have more vaishnav leanings than shakta . he continuously speaks of gauranga and krishna .

 

 

Ill tell you what he taught-Ramakrishna visited Nadia, the home of Chaitanya and Nityananda, the 15th-century founders of Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava bhakti. According to Ramakrishna, he had an intense vision of two young boys merging into his body.

 

some more

 

 

Ramakrishna later engaged in the practice of madhura bhāva— the attitude of Gopis and Radha towards Krishna. During the practise of this bhava, Ramakrishna dressed himself in women's attire for several days and regarded himself as one of the Gopis of Vrindavan. According to the Ramakrishna, madhura bhava is practised to root out the idea of sex, which is seen as an impediment in spiritual life. According to Ramakrishna, towards the end of this sadhana, he attained savikalpa samadhi—vision and union with Krishna.

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According to Ramakrishna, one day when he saw the picture of Madonna and Child Jesus, he felt that the figures became alive and had a vision in which Jesus merged with his body. In his own room amongst other divine pictures was one of Christ, and he burnt incense before it morning and evening

 

 

1866, Govinda Roy, a Hindu guru who practiced Sufism, initiated Ramakrishna into Islam. Ramakrishna said that he "devoutly repeated the name of Allah, wore a cloth like the Arab Moslems, said their prayer five times daily, and felt disinclined even to see images of the Hindu gods and goddesses, much less worship them—for the Hindu way of thinking had disappeared altogether from my mind."According to Ramakrishna, after three days of practice he had a vision of a "radiant personage with grave countenance and white beard resembling the Prophet and merging with his body".

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[sant]

 

How does Shiva's person related to "the Goddess as the supreme, ultimate Godhead."??

 

 

I dont understand what you ask

THe name here is shivaa and not shiva

It represents the devi.

[sant]

Ramakrishna practised several religions, including Islam and Christianity, and recognized that in spite of the differences, all religions are valid and true and they lead to the same ultimate goal—God.Ramakrishna's proclaimed that

jatra jiv tatra Shiv (wherever there is a living being, there is Shiva) which stemmed from his Advaitic perception of Reality. His teaching, "Jive daya noy, Shiv gyane jiv seba" (not kindness to living beings, but serving the living being as Shiva Himself) is considered as the inspiration for the philanthropic work carried out by his chief disciple Vivekananda.

[sant]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then he got busy in creating many things - rivers, riverlets etc. Mahaa Lakshmee got surprised to see the creation and said - "There are many people, how can I count them?" Hearing this Brahm got divided in two parts - Raktaang from front part and Gauraang from the hind part. Both had four arms. Raktaang was called Ganesh and Gauraang was called Niranjan.

Once Shiv worshipped Ganesh. Ganesh asked them to ask for a Var. Shiv asked him to be born to him as their son. So Ganesh Jee was born to Paarvatee Jee. All Devtaa came to have a Darshan of him. Soorya's son Shani Dev also came. As he cast a glance at him, the child's head was beheaded. That beheaded head stays in Chandra Lok and throws light on Prithvi for 27 days. Shani Dev joined a one-tooth elephant head onto his headless body. Brahmaa, at Paarvatee's request, put Karkat's head on beheaded elephant's head and made Karkat headless. Thus Gajaanan Ganesh was born. Ganesh produced a Skandh from his mouth, the same Skandh was born in a Braahman's house in Kaashee and got famous by the name of Dhudhiraaj. He wrote "Jaatakaabharan" of "Phalit Jyotish" and became the disciple of Shankaraachaarya.

 

[sambya]

koti dandavats to you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sant]

 

koti dandavats to you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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what do you mean ,i dont know bengali

[sambya]

 

what do you mean ,i dont know bengali

 

its not bengali !! it should have been " i dont know sanskrit "

 

koti means crore

 

dandavat mean prostating at someones feet . to fall down like a danda or stick .

 

 

i depart from this thread after offering a crore of respectfull dandavats once again.

[chandu_69]

 

<b>Ramakrishna practised several religions</b>, including Islam and Christianity, and recognized that in spite of the differences, all religions are valid and true and they lead to the same ultimate goal—

 

That makes him a deluded fool not a spiritual minded person.

 

How can you call an ideology/ religion that says kill unbelievers and take their wives and children as spoils of war be deemed as valid??.<b>Can god allow hapless women and children to be taken as slaves???</b>

[Kali_Upasaka]

Sakthas are those who worship the Supreme Deity exclusively as a FEMALE PRINCIPLE. The Supreme Deity is the Universal Mother or MAA as she is affectionately called by her Bakthas .

But this is pure Sakthism as propounded in the Devi Mahatmya. Here the supreme deity does not have a consort. Shiva is one of the Gods. She is Chandi. MAA CHANDI does not have a consort.

Popular Sakthism is allied to Saivism. Here MAA is the Moola Prakriti and Shiva is the Purusha according to Sankhya philosophy.

 

[Kali_Upasaka]

 

That makes him a deluded fool not a spiritual minded person.

 

How can you call an ideology/ religion that says kill unbelievers and take their wives and children as spoils of war be deemed as valid??.Can god allow hapless women and children to be taken as slaves???

 

"There are as many ways as there are Men" said Sri Ramakrishna. He was the only Saint who explored the various paths and found all of them to be true.

 

Please read Yagnavalkya and other Smiritis to understand how slavery was very much part of Hinduism and taking women and children as slaves was the norm. The punishment for crimes through ordeals and chopping off of hand etc. is also stated in the Smiritis.

 

The modes of normal behavior varies with times. What held good in the medieval ages may seem outrageous now.

[sant]

 

Sakthas are those who worship the Supreme Deity exclusively as a FEMALE PRINCIPLE. The Supreme Deity is the Universal Mother or MAA as she is affectionately called by her Bakthas .

But this is pure Sakthism as propounded in the Devi Mahatmya. Here the supreme deity does not have a consort. Shiva is one of the Gods. She is Chandi. MAA CHANDI does not have a consort.

Popular Sakthism is allied to Saivism. Here MAA is the Moola Prakriti and Shiva is the Purusha according to Sankhya philosophy.

 

 

YES BUT THE ULTIMATE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS IS PURE AND FORMLESS.AND THAT IS YOU ITSELF.SATCHIDANAND VIGRAHA.ISNT THAT ALSO IN SHAKTA PHILOSOPHY.