[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Weekly page from Hindu Dharma: Religion and Society

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Hare Krishna,Sriramji,

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your enlightening message

reflecting Krishna's instructions. It is most appropriate that , you

have referred to the Vedic scipture Bhagavatham and Gita's

interpretation by the Vedic authority Sri Shankaracharya. One should

learn spiritual knowledge from the teachings of self-realized Rishis

like Shakaracharya and not anti-vedic teachers.

Those who have learned vedic scriptures from Athiestic teachers have

mere bookish knowledge . They don't hesitate to question the basics

of Sri Guruvayoorappan's instructions. One can't change the mind set

of such people because they in reality are Atheists.

May Sri Guruvayoorappan bless His devotees to apply His instructions

in their lives.

 

 

Krishnadaya

 

 

 

 

guruvayur , SRIRAM SUBRAMANIAN <abheri>

wrote:

>

> Hare Krishna !

> I beg to disagree with some (many!) points that

> Krishnajunan has raised. This is a rather LOOONG

> email!

> Please take time to go through it.

>

> > Hinduism is not a religion per se. It is a

> > philosophy of life. It

> > teaches one how, following the karmic ways, to

> > discipline one's life.

> More than Hindu-ISM or for that matter any other

> ISM, we should be talking about Lord Guruvayoorappan

> and the Sanatana Dharma or Eternal Religious

> Principles that every one of us should follow. The

> Sanatana Dharma is essentially a function of the Soul.

> Sankaracharya has described it thus in his Gita

> Mahatmyam:

>

> ekam sastram devaki putra gitam

> eko devo devaki putra eva

> eko mantras tasya namani yani

> karma'py ekam tasya devasya seva

>

> There is only one scripture - the Bhagavad Gita - sung

> by the Son of Devaki - Lord Krishna. There is only one

> God - that Son of Devaki - Lord Krishna - (who is

> obviously none other than Guruvayurappan). There is

> only one mantra - that is His Holy Names. **There is

> only one work to be done - that is the devotional

> service for that Lord**.

>

> > Religion and religious rules were meant to create a

> > sober social order among the populance and to create

>

> > awareness about the Supreme Spirit.

> So *RELIGION* is MEANT for understanding GOD and

> finally in pleasing GOD and loving God. It is not just

> creating some awareness - it is concrete knowledge

> about God and how to understand Him, Love Him and see

> Him. It cannot be a sort of way of life which anyone

> can distort to their liking - (as is todays hindu-ISM

> or any other ISM for that matter). Rather, it is well

> defined.

>

> dharmam tu sakshaad bhagavat praneetham.

>

> The principles of religion are enunciated by the Lord

> Himself.

>

> So to understand or see the Supreme Lord in front of

> us is not something ordinary.

>

> > What was written or spoken then, in the

> > sastras were true to

> > that time and circumstances but as time changes,

> > reformation is

> > necessary in that area too.

> The sastras are eternally true. They are apaurusheya -

> meaning - they are not written by man. They are the

> words of God revealed to sages who are His devotees.

> In fact the Srimad Bhagavatam has several Predictions

> for the Kali Yuga, which if you inspect you will find

> that its all true. (it is even mentioned therein that

> in Kali yuga, people will respect a man according to

> how he wears his hair - ie. his hairstyle !!!)

>

> Even the Buddha Avatara is predicted therein.

>

> The eternal religious principle (Dharma) is Devotional

> service to Lord Krishna - Guruvayoorappan.

>

> QUOTE -

> The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is

> that by which men can attain to loving devotional

> service unto the transcendent Lord.

> END QUOTE - Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.6

>

> This was done through different processes in different

> yugas (this is also stated in the age old Sastras)

> Krta or Satya yuga - Meditation on Vishnu

> Treta Yuga - Sacrificial performances (yagas)

> Dvapara Yuga - Deity Worship

> Kali Yuga - Hari Nama Sankeerthanam

>

> > Innovations and improvements are

> > absolutely necessary for the advancement of the

> > human race , whether

> > introduced by the foreigners or the ethnic Hindus.

> If such facilities were not there, still we should be

> able to glorify Guruvayoorappan. For thats the only

> task enjoined on us.

>

> Now, what is this advancement? People fighting like

> cats and dogs and killing each other for flimsy

> reasons?

>

> Or is it the long queue of vehicles on the highway

> wriggling to its destination at snail's pace??

>

> Or is it the fact that one has to drive 50 miles to

> get to his workplace? (and then put 10-12 hours of

> work)

>

> Or is it the mindless destruction of our ecology - our

> forests, rivers and lakes and our natural resources ??

>

> Or is it that we get to eat harmful pesticide laden

> food to eat at our dining table???

>

> Or is it that our cities become living hells day by

> day??

>

> Desires have no end. Even the elephants and ants are

> provided for by God. Man alone is not satisfied by

> what he gets - he wants more and more and more. He

> hoards like nothing. The rich want to get richer and

> keep exploiting the poor. You do not see such things

> in the animal kingdom. Then why man alone is doing all

> this in the name of so-called advancement?

>

> What we have achieved by this advancement is to become

> a two-legged ANIMAL - dvi-pada-pashu.

>

> ähära-nidrä-bhaya-maithunam ca

> sämänyam etat pashubhir naränäm

> dharmo hi teshäm adhiko vishçesho

> dharmena hinäh pashubhih samänäh

>

> Eating, sleeping, sex, and defense—these four

> principles are common to both human beings and

> animals. The distinction between human life and animal

> life is that a man can search after God but an animal

> cannot. That is the difference. Therefore a man

> without that urge for searching after God is no better

> than an animal.

>

> Our so-called advancement is in the 4 principles

> mentioned above. thats all. But as devotees of Sri

> Guruvayurappan, we are interested in engaging

> anything, including these material advancements in a

> manner favourable to the devotional service of the

> Lord (anukulasya sankalpah). If such facilities did

> not exist, we still would continue disseminating the

> glories of our sweet Lord through whatever available

> channels.

>

> The motto of life should be SIMPLE LIVING & HIGH

> THINKING. The lives of all great acharyas is enough

> testimony to this.

>

> > If not for the knowledge and advancement in Science

> > and Technology,

> > mankind would still be groping in the dark and

> > moving at snail's

> > space as was the case in the Puranic age.

> The most important point that these technological or

> scientific advances do not bother about - is the

> Science of the Soul. This is the starting point of

> spiritual life. We are still groping in the dark

> unless we know who we are. Unless we understand that

> we are the soul, we cannot know God. and if we do not

> know God, then it is repeated birth and death for us.

>

> King Parikshit was liberated within 7 days by his

> listening to Srimad Bhagavatam. He had 7 days notice

> for his death. We dont know when we will die - still

> we are not bothered about it - completely immersed in

> material advancement !! This material advancement

> cannot save us from the clutches of death and rebirth.

> Even though so many advances have been made in the

> field of medicine, we only find that the number of

> diseases is only increasing and the number of people

> stricken with disease is only going up in spite of the

> greatest of advances. such advances cannot prevent old

> age from attacking us. nor can they stop death.

>

> The REAL problems facing us are Birth, Death, Old age

> and Disease - for which our so -called advancement has

> NO ANSWER.

>

> Mother Kunti, who was a woman in the previous yuga

> (Dvapara Yuga) knew this !!

> She says very beautifully:

> " bhavato darshanam yat syäd apunar bhava-darshanam

> For, seeing You means that we will no longer see

> repeated births and deaths. " Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.25

>

> > Advancement in Technology

> > is in no way interfering with religious beliefs.

> > Religion and Technology have two different

> > identities. Lets not

> > confuse them both.

> Everything should be engaged in the devotional service

> of the Lord - then there is no problem. But here we

> see that our eating, mating, sleeping and defending

> are only improved - there is no question of devotion

> !!

>

> People *blindly* believe whatever the so called

> scientists say. If they say the sun is so many billion

> miles from us, it is accepted by the people without

> even a thought. In fact the British education system

> has removed our faith in our own scriptures. So we

> have to look towards the Westerners for anything and

> everything. Pathetic indeed is the plight of our

> country !

>

> > In the devotional service of Bhagavan Shree Krishna

> > !

> True devotional service would be to disseminate Lord

> Krishna's teachings as they really are.

>

> Hare Krishna

> -sriram

>

>

>

>

>

> Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005

>

>