Guest guest Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has asked us to respond to this question: Is worship an obligation or a privilege? Jai Maa Jai Swami vishweshwar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 Dearest Shree Maa and everyone, thank you for the question! As I contemplated it this morning, the Devimayi came to mind: " Oh Mother! Is there any vibration that is not your song? Your body is the form of all sound. In cognizing your imminent form of divinity, my mind has moved beyond thoughts and reflections. Oh Destroyer of all Obstructions, Grantor of Welfare! Recognizing you as such, as She who gives birth to all that moves and moves not, even these brief moments of my appearance in life should be spent without other thoughts in singing your praises, chanting your names, and offering of my devotion. " For me personally, worship is joyfully both privelage and obligation. But not obligation in the sense of meeting some sort of expectation external to my soul. Only obligation in the sense of the inarguable correctness of the lovely nature of things - Worship is the truest expression of what I can possibly know and witness of this experience called life. Between Lover and Beloved, obligation and privelage are the same. I am eternally grateful for Shree Maa and Swamiji and all of you for teaching me this. Jennifer , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 5, 2008 Report Share Posted July 5, 2008 Namaste Shree Maa, Thank You for this question. My simple answer is as follows: To be given the opportunity to worship the Gods and Goddesses and offer our humble pranams and express our love is truly a privilege. I believe the obligation relates to whatever sankalpa we take. Once we make a sankalpa regarding a practice of worship, it is our obligation to fulfill it. Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! With love, ambika > > , " inspectionconnection108 " > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote: > > > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa > has > > asked us to respond to this question: > > > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > > > vishweshwar > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Dear Maa, I believe that worship we do for our own benefit is a privilege, be it a wordly boon, jnana or bhakti. Worship that we do to benefit others is an obligation, but one which is truly choiceless for the liberated. A mother is obliged by the bonds of love to care for her child. In the same way does our own liberation bind us to providing for the liberation of all beings. Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. - James Matthew Barrie With love, Kalidas On Thu, Jul 3, 2008 at 8:30 PM, inspectionconnection108 <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Namaste! It is both obligation as well as privilege because getting a human birth is privilege. As we have got this privilege, we must oblige to him who grants this prililege. This obligation will lead to another privilege of crossing the cycle of birth and death. Regards, Dinesh--- On Fri, 4/7/08, inspectionconnection108 <inspectionconnection108 wrote: inspectionconnection108 <inspectionconnection108[www.ShreeMaa.org] Question From Shree Maa Date: Friday, 4 July, 2008, 6:00 AM Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa hasasked us to respond to this question:Is worship an obligation or a privilege?Jai Maa Jai Swamivishweshwar Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Blessed Mother, I most humbly lay down my thoughts on your question... Pure worship is be neither an obligation or a privilege. For it's greatest and highest good, worship is simply and honestly a heartfelt offering of devotion. Labeling it as an obligation or a privilege knocks it down a rung of the ego ladder... At the top of the list in the Webster dictionary, worship is defined as " religious adoration " . I prefer to take the " religious " label off and simply used " adoration " . Further into the definition words such as " ritual " and " to partake in a religious service " are used. Then, of course, is that whole mess of using the sanctity of worship for our own personal gain. but I won't go into that. Does calling worship an obligation or privilege attach an unwanted burden on Mother? How does Mother feel if we are obliged to love her, or that loving her is a privilege to those who offer her devotion? Does Mother care how we love her, as long as we love her? I know there are scientific and energetically pleasing benefits to dissolving into the bliss of specific religious ritual, but after all, isn't it All Love in any language? I am blessed to be among you, sal. , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Dear Mother, to me, worship is worship, sometimes perceived as privilege, sometimes as obligation. Please help me look beyond both privilege and obligation. Please help me not to wait for the feeling of privilege, not to feel rejected by the feeling of obligation, help me become consistent in worship, with love and deepest respect, Henny , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 Dear Vish, My pranaam to Maa and thanks for giving us the opportunity to voice our thoughts. Actually, in a sense it is neither for me. It is the only way I know to express my love. I do it in my own inept way and it flows and ebbs with my feelings since I am so imperfect. Love Papia , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 7, 2008 Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 , " henny_v_i " <henny_v_i wrote: > > Dear Mother, > > > to me, worship is worship, sometimes perceived as privilege, > sometimes as obligation. Please help me look beyond both privilege > and obligation. Please help me not to wait for the feeling of > privilege, not to feel rejected by the feeling of obligation, help me > become consistent in worship, > > with love and deepest respect, > Henny > > > > , " inspectionconnection108 " > <inspectionconnection108@> wrote: > > > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa > has > > asked us to respond to this question: > > > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > > to worship is never a obligation it is a privilege i love to worship shiva look into the eyes of your deity and love him honour him i asked him how long should i worship him i had the same amnount of ghee for every cotten candel what happened is that one candel didnt go out i dont no how long i looked at my deity shiva my husband said i went to sleep i said it was wonderful this was the way that shiva said i schould learn to concentrate. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 It is indeed a privilege to worship, thank you God for giving me the privilege!! , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 I wanted to add that it is the Grace of MY Guru that I Know for sure it's a privilege to worship!! Thank you Swamiji . Thank you Maa. , " inspectionconnection108 " <inspectionconnection108 wrote: > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > asked us to respond to this question: > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > vishweshwar > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Dear All,Om tat sat. Worship is neither a privilege nor an obligation. Your very existence here on earth is to praise the Creator. You do it as the custodian of the "Creators Time", you do it through your "breathing" called "Hamsa Japa" about 21,600 times, day and night; "Hamsa Homsety amum mantram jivo japati sarvada". We worship the Lord, the Creator all the time during sleeping and waking hours, this is our "Swabhaba". It is a clever question but our very existence is that we are here for worshiping the Creator only, and we indeed do that all the time - as for outwardly show, if you do it, it is ok I guess. Nothing wrong in it. The Creator makes sure that we worship the Creator. There is no escape from this my friends ............Asis Bagchi Share files, take polls, and make new friends - all under one roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 Namaste Vish, Thanks for bringing this question to us. It is indeed a privilege to worship. When we think of the turmoil in the world today and those persons whose waking and sleeping consciousness knows only war and the battle for survival then we must be privileged to be in a good place where we can worship because we want to and not because we have to. Beloved Maa and Swamiji, please increase our devotion to Divine Mother. Jai Maa Jai Swamiji > > , " inspectionconnection108 " > inspectionconnection108@ wrote: > > > > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maa has > > asked us to respond to this question: > > > > Is worship an obligation or a privilege? > > > > > > > > > > Jai Maa Jai Swami > > > > vishweshwar > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 10, 2008 Report Share Posted July 10, 2008 Dear Vishweshwar, Honestly, I do not know the answer to Shree Maa's question on worship being a privilege or obligation. I feel when Kali asks a question, it seems simple, obviously answerable. It is however, most often, very tricky. I slip if she Herself does not produce an answer or shower Her grace or keep me alert. Krishna was Kali Herself in a way. Based on that feeling, and bowing down humbly with love to the ever victorious Divine Mother, here is a guess: The quality of devotion makes worship a privilege or an obligation. For example, in the presence of good devotion worship is a privilege. When devotion is masked by selfish desires, it becomes an obligation. In pure devotion it becomes both and in pure consciousness it becomes neither. In the absence of devotion, how does it matter ? Jai Maa, Prasana. --- On Tue, 7/8/08, kaliananda_saraswati <kaliananda_saraswati wrote: kaliananda_saraswati <kaliananda_saraswati[www.ShreeMaa.org] Re: Question From Shree Maa Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 6:44 PM Namaste Vish,Thanks for bringing this question to us.It is indeed a privilege to worship. When we think of the turmoil inthe world today and those persons whose waking and sleepingconsciousness knows only war and the battle for survival then we must beprivileged to be in a good place where we can worship because we want toand not because we have to.Beloved Maa and Swamiji, please increase our devotion to Divine Mother.Jai Maa Jai Swamiji>> , "inspectionconnecti on108"> inspectionconnectio n108@ wrote:> >> > Namaste all family: at this start of Summer Navaratri, Shree Maahas> > asked us to respond to this question:> >> > Is worship an obligation or a privilege?> >> >> >> >> > Jai Maa Jai Swami> >> > vishweshwar> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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