The religion of Vedas knows no idols. - German philosopher/author Max Muller

[Guest guest]

" Ashok Gorasia " <ashok

" Undisclosed Recipients " <ashok

Thu, 9 Nov 2006 07:21:43 +1000

A Spiritual Gift for your Friends & Loved Ones

 

Dear Friends & Devotees

 

Let this be that Special Gift to your friends or loved ones for

their next birthday, wedding anniversary, special occasion or any

memorable day in their lifes. I am sure they will cherish this

gracious gift of a full service to Lord Krsna at a very potent

temple on that important day in their life .

 

For over 28 years Lord Krishna's Deity form, " Sri Sri Radha

Govardhanadhari " is being worship daily at the ISKCON Temple in

Murwillumbah with great love and devotion. For a donation of

A$108.00 only, the full service to Lord Krsna for the selected date

shall be conducted entirely on behalf of your friend or loved one.

 

The full daily service involves:

 

Time Daily Service

 

4.00 am Waking the Deities

4.20 am Balva Bhoga (Variety of milk sweets)

4.30 am Mangala Arati Full Arati

7.30 am Darshana Arati

7.40 am Pratar Bhoga - Kitcheri, puris, halava, fruits

8.00 am Dhupa Arati

11.40am Raja Bhoga - Rice, dahl, 2 subjis, chapattis,

pakoras, sweet rice, drink

12 noon Raja Bhoga Arati

3.30 pm Afternoon Waking

3.40 pm Vaikalika Bhoga - Selection of 5 fruits

4.00 pm Dhupa Arati

6.10 pm Sandhya Bhoga - Subji, puris, halava, hot milk &

laddu

6.30 pm Sandhya Arati

7.55 pm Ratri Kalina Bhoga

8.15 pm Gaura Arati and Deities to Rest

 

" I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything

emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My

devotional service and worship Me with all their

Hearts " .....Bhagavad Gita 10.8

 

You are also most welcome to visit the temple with your family &

friends on that particular day. Not only will you receive the

Mahaprasad (Raj Bhoga) but also the opportunity to perform the Aarti

along with the Priest.

 

To book a date please contact Ashok Gorasia 0414 715 744 or

ashokgorasia

 

For safe and secure online credit card payments click here

 

Cheques to " ISKCON " Po Box 157 Murwillumbah 2484 NSW Australia

 

Yours in spiritual and community services

 

ashok gorasia

 

 

-

 

Dear All,

 

i received the above email yesterday which again reminded me about

idol worship, the greatest falsehood of Hinduism. Can idol worship

get any worse than this? Imagine idols of stone that need to be

awakened at dawn, given breakfast, an early lunch, followed by their

usual siesta, gently woken up again, given a light snack of fruits

and then an early dinner before being tucked back to sleep till next

dawn! That this Special Gift to your friends or loved ones for their

next birthday, wedding anniversary, special occasion or any

memorable day in their lives costs A$108 is obscene and insulting!

 

i can assure you that there is not a single verse, let alone a

sentence in all the Puranas, Vedas and Upanishads that condone idol

worship. Considering the fact that hundreds of thousands of pages of

sacred text covers all aspect of Hindu religious history,

enlightenment, knowledge and rituals in the greatest of detail the

absolute absence of anything remotely related to idol worship speaks

volumes. There is not even a single sentence or mention of idol

worship. NOT EVEN ONE SENTENCE!

 

" According to a video shown by Catholic seminaries through out the

world, the first sculpture of Christ was in the form of a small boy

holding on to a sheep. Now, everywhere in the world, people have

pictures of Christ according their culture. A loving young white man

in USA, a tough man looking like a judge in Russia, a nice black man

in Africa and a man looking like a typical man from China with a

sheepish beard in China. I RESPECT ALL THOSE PICTURES. Believe it or

not, ALL OF THEM ARE IDOL WORSHIPS.

 

To begin with Hindu scriptures do not recommend the worship of the

idol as God. As the German philosopher, author Max Muller

wrote, " The religion of Vedas knows no idols. "

 

Hindu scriptures very clearly state THE IDOL IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR

GOD, BUT ONLY A MEANS OF MAKING THE MIND CONCENTRATE ON GOD. An idol

in a temple is exactly like a cross in the church. Both help men to

focus their devotion to God. "

 

Posting - 8/16/00 6:44:45 AM

beliefnet.com

 

 

Yet hundreds of millions of Hindus continue to pray, sing, speak,

bathe, dress, feed and pat idols to sleep. Surely you would think

that their vast scriptures would dedicate a few hundred pages to

perform such elaborate rituals for idols. Since there is not even a

single sentence where did the Hindus get such information? Maybe my

1999 enquiry will throw some light on the idoltary darkness and

avidya that so many hundreds of millions have been deluded by the

priestly class for centuries.............. even though the religion

of Vedas knows no idols.

 

jagbir

 

 

" Jagbir Singh <jagbir

A. Palaniswami <palani

 

Worship of Murtis

Thursday, February 11, 1999 9:32 AM

 

Dear Palaniswami,

 

Namaste!

 

We would be grateful if you could provide us with specific quotes

from Hindu scriptures related to the worship of murtis. This is a

controversial issue among non-Hindus, and so far we have been unable

to find Vedic scripture that support it. Perhaps you and your

associates will be able to provide us with precise texts to back

this practise. Thank you and have a blissful Shivaratri Puja.

 

OM! Shanti!

 

jagbir "

 

Jagbir Singh<jagbir

 

 

-------

 

" Acharya Ceyonswami <ceyon

jagbir <jagbir

 

worship of murthis

Saturday, February 20, 1999 6:54 PM

 

Reply to: worship of murthis

 

" Namaste Jagbir,

 

Prostrations to Vighna Vinayaga,

 

 

-------

 

There are a great many quotes in the various scriptures of the

different sects of Hinduism referring to the worship of murthis —

the Saiva Agamas, Vaishnava Agamas, and the Shakti agamas, as well

as the ancient Tirumantiram of Tirumular and much more. The

Karanagama, Silparatna and Kasyapa silpa deal in great length the

details of the various murthis. The Pratima Kosha, or Encyclopaedia

of Indian Iconography gives various research on the art form of

icons and how the murthis are to be designed.

 

However, we don't think it would be worthwhile spending the time to

type up quotes to convince Christians of anything — it won't matter

to them what our scriptures say, as they don't consider them

scripture! We need to stand strong for our Hindu faith and practices

without having to feel defensive to anyone for what we do. Sanatana

Dharma is the fountainhead of all religions and each practices a

certain part of the One Eternal Dharma. One God, One World.

 

Om Sivaya,

 

 

 

Ceyonswami "

 

Acharya Ceyonswami <ceyon

 

 

----------

 

" GURUDEVA

<gurudeva-dws

Cc: <repost-dancing-siva

 

Dancing with Siva Shloka 108

Wednesday, February 24, 1999 1:12 AM

 

What is the Nature of Image Worship?

 

SHLOKA 108

 

We worship God Siva and the Gods who by their infinite powers

spiritually hover over and indwell the image, or murti, which we

revere as their temporary body. We commune with them through the

ritual act of puja. Aum.

 

BHASHYA

 

The stone or metal Deity images are not mere symbols of the Gods;

they are the form through which their love, power and blessings

flood forth into this world. We may liken this mystery to our

ability to communicate with others through the telephone. We do not

talk to the telephone; rather we use a telephone as a means of

communication with another person who is perhaps thousands of miles

away. Without the telephone, we could not converse across such

distances; and without the sanctified murti in the temple or shrine

we cannot easily commune with the Deity. His vibration and presence

can be felt in the image, and He can use the image as a temporary

physical-plane body or channel. As we progress in our worship, we

begin to adore the image as the Deity's physical body, for we know

that He is actually present and conscious in it during puja, aware

of our thoughts and feelings and even sensing the pujari's gentle

touch on the metal or stone.

 

The Vedas exclaim, " Come down to us, Rudra, who art in the high

mountains. Come and let the light of thy face, free from fear and

evil, shine upon us. Come to us with thy love. " Aum Namah Sivaya. "

 

GURUDEVA <gurudeva-dws

 

 

---------

 

There is not even a single line in the Vedas or Puranas that support

idol-worship.

 

Thus if great learned men use the best Vedic quote, " Come down to

us, Rudra, who art in the high mountains. Come and let the light of

thy face, free from fear and evil, shine upon us. Come to us with

thy love, " and translate it into worship of stone idols we can only

reel in repulsion and disgust. If this is one of the " great many

quotes in the various scriptures of the different sects of Hinduism

referring to the worship of murthis " , then we can only shudder in

silence and utter aversion.

 

Hindus should remember that they are led to believe that only their

brahmins are empowered to act as middlemen between themselves and

the gods through elaborate rituals and lengthy sacred sequences of

mantras. For millennia ignorant masses have been conditioned that

these temple priests are able to communicate with the mighty deities

represented by stone statues infused with their shaktis (power) in

elaborate rituals only feasible by brahmins.

 

So what are brahmins without their visible idols? And what are

worshippers without common sense to distinguish between manmade

rituals and scriptural Truth? And how did the followers of the

eternal Sanatana Dharma succumb to such darkness?

 

The pristine and flawless Vedic scriptures did not contradict at

all. It was the priestly caste that perverted them for their own

power, and maintained it with a plethora of granite gods. And a

billion Hindus remain blind to one of the greatest falsehood

perpetuated in the name of God Almighty. May they learn through Self-

Realization to worship the Eternal Essence of Brahman (God Almighty)

within their own beings than the lifeless idols without, a stain on

the Sanatana Dharma which even the Great Adi Shakti denounces!

 

 

" At the Nirvikalpa state, the Collective Consciousness becomes

subtler and subtler. At that stage you can understand the very deep

significance of things when the Reality starts becoming

clearer. . . .

 

You give him a statue of a deity and ask him all about this statue —

whether it is all right or not. He might say that it is not alright.

You can feel the subtle vibrations, whether it is in Dharma or

otherwise.

 

Now can we say say that Ashtavinayaka's are living gods? How do you

know Jyotirlingas are living? How will you know unless you know the

integrations of all the great souls together? And how are you going

to judge them? That is why you must get Realization. "

 

Shri Sastramayi Shri Nirmala Devi

New Delhi, India — February 15, 1977

 

(Sastramayi [705th]: The content of all Sastras. Here Sastra means

the Vedas, Upanishads and the Puranas. . . Sastramayi also

means " Saraswati, " the Mother of the Vedas and Vedangas and

Upanisads and Kavyas which establish Her.)

 

 

" This union of Atma and Shakti as the protector of one's existence

is important to understand . . . At a practical level what this

means is that if one goes against the Spirit, identifying with

anything apart from it, the heart 'catches' . . .

 

When we come to Sahaja Yoga the Tantra is damaged and impure and the

heart 'catches.' There is nothing to be upset in that. One should

settle down silently and work to undo the 'catches,' gradually and

slowly. The whole Library of Divine Knowledge is at one's hand and

if the heart's desire to evolve the being and achieve the Absolute

is pure, the solution to every problem will occur automatically,

effortlessly and spontaneously — Sahaj.

 

The ultimate act against the Spirit is to worship that which has no

Spirit — gross matter or raksasas. Shri Muhammad inveighed against

both . . . The Atma and its expression is the sole Reality in the

Universe. Identification with anything else causes the heart

to 'catch.' "

 

Shri Niradhara Devi

 

(Niradhara (132nd): Unsupported, She is the support of the Universe.

She is worshipped by keen meditation unsupported by a physical or

mental image or formulation, i.e., She is pure Consciousness,

unformulated or undifferentiated.)