Guest guest Posted October 22, 2002 Report Share Posted October 22, 2002 Story... How do parrots learn to speak? One method used to train parrots to speak is for a trainer to hide behind a mirror and speak to the parrot. The parrot looks at its own image in the mirror and thinks that it is another parrot speaking to it. Hence to talk back to the other parrot it too will begin to imitate the language it hears. This is how parrots learn to speak our language. This is an important illustration of how a human guru trains his disciples. It is God alone who instructs from behind the image of the guru. We see a human form and imitate him, thinking he is just like one of us. This is how we learn about spiritual matters from a human guru : ) May we encounter such God-man as guru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 22, 2002 Report Share Posted October 22, 2002 Dear Jay, What a remarkable illustration. I never heard it before; lovely. I wonder if it is new with you. Best regards, Yogeshananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 22, 2002 Report Share Posted October 22, 2002 - " Swami Yogeshananda " <yogeshananda <Ramakrishna > Tuesday, October 22, 2002 12:56 Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Story.....How do parrots learn to speak? > Dear Jay, > What a remarkable illustration. I never heard it before; lovely. I wonder > if it is new with you. > Best regards, Yogeshananda > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~response~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Little illustrations like this one are a great help in putting across important spiritual messages. I discovered this one in one of the lectures by Swami RamTirtha. jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 22, 2002 Report Share Posted October 22, 2002 Namaste Jay, Reminds me of Dattatreya's 24 Nature gurus! Here are some more tips to remember: http://www.animalnetwork.com/birds/reference/talk.asp " ...A baby of a good-talking species of bird will learn the " most exciting " words it hears--words that are spoken with the most gusto and enthusiasm. Therefore, profanity and angry words might be learned with only one repetition if the bird is really " tuned in " to humans in the household. There's a old Spanish saying, " Live as though you could sell the family parrot, " for second and subsequent owners will hear from the bird the words it heard in its first home. " [Warning:Cockattoos live upto 60 yrs.!!] Regards, Sunder Ramakrishna, " Vivekananda Centre " <vivekananda@b...> wrote: > > - > " Swami Yogeshananda " <yogeshananda@v...> > <Ramakrishna> > Tuesday, October 22, 2002 12:56 > Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Story.....How do parrots learn to speak? > > > > Dear Jay, > > What a remarkable illustration. I never heard it before; lovely. I > wonder > > if it is new with you. > > Best regards, Yogeshananda > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~response~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Little illustrations like this one are a great help in putting across > important > spiritual messages. > > I discovered this one in one of the lectures by Swami RamTirtha. > > jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 22, 2002 Report Share Posted October 22, 2002 Namaste Jay, To continue with some 'free association' of thoughts on the subject of parrots! In Sw. Vidyaranya's Shankara-Digvijaya [biogrphy of Shankara], Ch. 8 - verses 6-8, describe an episode; When Shankara entered the city of Mahishmati to hold a debate with Mandana Mishra, he asked some maids - who were going to a lake to fetch water - directions to the house. They replied: " 'The Vedas are an authority due to their innate inborn nature'.....'No, they are an authorityonly because they were uttered by the most high Paramatma'....... 'The good and bad deeds impart the respective fruits of action'.....'No, God alone gives the fruits of action'...... 'The world is real'.....'The world is unreal'............ " where you find the above kind of debate between two female parrots in a cage hung at the gate , know that it is the house of Mandana Pandita " !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [Remember Mandana's wife was Sarasvati Herself!!] Regards, Sunder >> > > > Little illustrations like this one are a great help in putting > across > > important > > spiritual messages. > > > > I discovered this one in one of the lectures by Swami RamTirtha. > > > > jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2002 Report Share Posted October 24, 2002 Pranam Sunder I have read before that Mother Sarasvati herself was the wife of Mandana Misra. How can the Godess be the wife of anyone other than Lord Brahma ? Was Mandana Misra an avatar of Lord Brahma ? Any guidance on this. Dev Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2002 Report Share Posted October 24, 2002 Dear Sri Jai: May I humbly ask you whether the relationship between the Guru and the Shisya is to be regarded as that of a parrot and its owner as quoted by you? Does a real Guru really want his/her disciples to "parrot" his teachings without understanding anything? Would you suggest that Japam of Mahamantra as just parroting some holy words? My heart shrinks at some such idea! I know, it is not what you really mean. You simply wanted to draw our attention to the well-known fact that Guru is none other than the God Himself in a human form. But, it is not a new idea at all in our religious tradition either. For ages we know through our oft-repeated "Guru Stuti" that Gurudeva is none other than Brahmaa, Vishnu & Maheshwara, nay even the Param Brahman? Did not Sri Ramakrishna remind us of the same thing in the Gospel quite often ("Satchidananda is the real Guru")? Do we really have to understand the real grace of the Guru through such type of simile? Thanks and regards TP Bagchi - Vivekananda Centre Ramakrishna Tuesday, October 22, 2002 11:01 PM Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Story.....How do parrots learn to speak? -"Swami Yogeshananda" <yogeshananda<Ramakrishna >Tuesday, October 22, 2002 12:56Re: [sri Ramakrishna] Story.....How do parrots learn to speak?> Dear Jay,> What a remarkable illustration. I never heard it before; lovely. Iwonder> if it is new with you.> Best regards, Yogeshananda>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~response~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Little illustrations like this one are a great help in putting acrossimportantspiritual messages.I discovered this one in one of the lectures by Swami RamTirtha.jaySri Ramakrishnaye NamahVivekananda Centre Londonhttp://www.vivekananda.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2002 Report Share Posted October 24, 2002 Pranams Dev-ji, Verse 58 of the same chapter (8), describes Ubhayabharati, Mandana's wife, as the incarnation of Sarasvati. [The episode states that Mandana by the power of his tapas had invited Vyasa and Jaimini to be the judges for the debate, but they in turn suggested that his wife be the judge.] Regards, Sunder Ramakrishna, DEVINDER AHUJA <devahuja> wrote: > > Pranam Sunder > > I have read before that Mother Sarasvati herself was the wife of Mandana Misra. How can the Godess be the wife of anyone other than Lord Brahma ? Was Mandana Misra an avatar of Lord Brahma ? > > Any guidance on this. > > Dev > > > > > > Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 Very much Bagchi. The story of the parrot is a very significant one. Even Papa Ramdas has mentioned it and so have many other saints. We have to understand the story from the angle that only in the form of Guru does God descend to help us. Inspite of Krishna himself proclaiming to Arjuna that he created the universe and that he is the allmighty, we dont find any reference mentioning that Arjuna became a " Jnaani " . Even after Rama's avatar, people are questioning him, whether it was right to kill Vaali from behind or send Sita to the forest when she was pregnant. People still question Krishna's avatar starting from his Raasa leela to other acts. Even after such great incarnations, not everyone is liberated, people have started questioning God itself. So God decided that the only way to liberate humans is to be one among them and move with them as a simple common person. For a saint like Ramakrishna who was in such a high-state of consciousness, even listening to worldly problems would have been tough. Knowing very much that everything is a illusion and knowing each one's past and their karmas, what could saints probably tell people who approach them with their problems. But they speak very affectionately, they tell them that God will take care of them. They teach them Bhakti, and guide them on the path. In spite of knowing our daily faults, they remain as though they know nothing. They have extreme patience and kindness. But if the Guru (who is God himself) started telling us our past karmas and remained in Samadhi mostly, and got angry over our faults, then we wont be able to go near them. That's why the story of Parrot is important. The Parrot's analogy is that Gurus behave like commoners and move with us so easily, like a ordinary householder, though posessing the highest wisdom. Finally when we are purified enough, we realise that the SatGuru is none other than God himself. Till then, they behave as though they are like a common man. -- Pradeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 25, 2002 Report Share Posted October 25, 2002 This is true. Experience? ________________ The NEW Netscape 7.0 browser is now available. Upgrade now! http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp Get your own FREE, personal Netscape Mail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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