Guest guest Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 Aum Namah Shivaya, dear devotees! i just found one of my all time favorite teaching stories, and i wish to share it with all of you. Here it is: "Thiruppandar was a great devotee of lord Shiva. Once he happened to visit a famous pilgrim center dedicated to his favorite Lord. After the darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple itself. Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a potful of water to perform abhishek to the Lingam. To his utter consternation, he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with legs stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight and, in indignation, he sprinkled some water on the face of the old man. But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and tried to lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened his eyes and said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you pulling my legs?" The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful on your part to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your legs towards God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a cramp in my legs and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in a direction you like, where God is not? I shall certainly get up after a while." The priest did not want to waste time in arguing with the man. So, he held the two feet of the man, lifted them up and placed them in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a lingam from underneath the feet! The priest tried to place the old man's feet in another position, but there again sprang up another lingam! In a minute, the place was full of lingams! The priest fell at the feet of the old man and said "Oh revered one! You must be a realised soul. Pardon me for my insulting words and actions." The old man got up and said "My dear son, have you not read in the scriptures that God is omnipresent? Can you limit God to a place and to an image or a picture or in a frame? Of course we have temples with idols and pictures of worship; but they only help devotees to direct their faith and devotion to God as embodiments of the various Divine shaktis in this vast boundless universe. The Supreme Creator, the Almighty God is only one, and remember, He is Omnipresent." Your sister dissolving in Maa's Love, muktimaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 OM NAMAH SIVAYA this is a great story, Maa! the feet thing reminds of this past weekend when Swamiji came to do puja. my wife(i hate that term, it implies posession to me) make that my lover and i each had a bowl of rice to offer to the lingam. Swamiji asked me to get something behind me and when i turned around i accidentally knocked over the rice. i started to clean up the rice and was going to put it off to the side when Swamiji said, "NO use it. it is OK. remember everything is God. you are Divine from head to toe. this includes your feet." He went on to say, "people sometimes consider things that touch the feet impure, but this is not right. in our tradition people touch the Swami's feet when they meet him they don't shake hands. this is because the feet are Divine. they are what we stand on, they carry us around, they take us everwhere we go. therefore they are Divine. if anything, the hands are what are impure. the hands make demands. how many people have been killed by the feet? but the hands have killed people in numbers too big to count." i guess it is all God. JAI MA , "muktimaa" <muktimaa@a...> wrote: > Aum Namah Shivaya, dear devotees! > i just found one of my all time favorite teaching stories, and i wish > to share it with all of you. Here it is: > > "Thiruppandar was a great devotee of lord Shiva. Once he happened to > visit a famous pilgrim center dedicated to his favorite Lord. After > the darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to > walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple itself. > > Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a potful of > water to perform abhishek to the Lingam. To his utter consternation, > he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with legs > stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight > and, in indignation, he sprinkled some water on the face of the old > man. But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and > tried to lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened his > eyes and said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you pulling > my legs?" The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful on > your part to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your > legs towards God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a > cramp in my legs and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in a > direction you like, where God is not? I shall certainly get up after > a while." The priest did not want to waste time in arguing with the > man. So, he held the two feet of the man, lifted them up and placed > them in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a lingam > from underneath the feet! The priest tried to place the old man's > feet in another position, but there again sprang up another lingam! > In a minute, the place was full of lingams! The priest fell at the > feet of the old man and said "Oh revered one! You must be a realised > soul. Pardon me for my insulting words and actions." The old man got > up and said "My dear son, have you not read in the scriptures that > God is omnipresent? Can you limit God to a place and to an image or a > picture or in a frame? Of course we have temples with idols and > pictures of worship; but they only help devotees to direct their > faith and devotion to God as embodiments of the various Divine > shaktis in this vast boundless universe. The Supreme Creator, the > Almighty God is only one, and remember, He is Omnipresent." > > Your sister dissolving in Maa's Love, > muktimaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 , "ecjensen_us" <ecjensen_us> wrote: > OM NAMAH SIVAYA "i guess it is all God." Beloved brother, It IS ALL GOD...Sat Chit Ananda...Truth Consciousness Bliss! No where God is not. It is much easier to see God in the "good and pure"; not so easy to see God in the "Bad and Polluted"...that is a part of our biggest challenge...To see God shining through all that is... Jai Maa! Jai Swamiji! Jai Thakur! Your sister always, muktimaa > > this is a great story, Maa! the feet thing reminds of this past > weekend when Swamiji came to do puja. my wife(i hate that term, it > implies posession to me) make that my lover and i each had a bowl of > rice to offer to the lingam. Swamiji asked me to get something > behind me and when i turned around i accidentally knocked over the > rice. i started to clean up the rice and was going to put it off to > the side when Swamiji said, "NO use it. it is OK. remember > everything is God. you are Divine from head to toe. this includes > your feet." He went on to say, "people sometimes consider things > that touch the feet impure, but this is not right. in our tradition > people touch the Swami's feet when they meet him they don't shake > hands. this is because the feet are Divine. they are what we stand > on, they carry us around, they take us everwhere we go. therefore > they are Divine. if anything, the hands are what are impure. the > hands make demands. how many people have been killed by the feet? > but the hands have killed people in numbers too big to count." > > i guess it is all God. > > JAI MA > > > , "muktimaa" <muktimaa@a...> wrote: > > Aum Namah Shivaya, dear devotees! > > i just found one of my all time favorite teaching stories, and i > wish > > to share it with all of you. Here it is: > > > > "Thiruppandar was a great devotee of lord Shiva. Once he happened > to > > visit a famous pilgrim center dedicated to his favorite Lord. > After > > the darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to > > walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple > itself. > > > > Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a potful > of > > water to perform abhishek to the Lingam. To his utter > consternation, > > he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with > legs > > stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight > > and, in indignation, he sprinkled some water on the face of the > old > > man. But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and > > tried to lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened > his > > eyes and said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you > pulling > > my legs?" The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful > on > > your part to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your > > legs towards God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a > > cramp in my legs and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in > a > > direction you like, where God is not? I shall certainly get up > after > > a while." The priest did not want to waste time in arguing with > the > > man. So, he held the two feet of the man, lifted them up and > placed > > them in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a > lingam > > from underneath the feet! The priest tried to place the old man's > > feet in another position, but there again sprang up another > lingam! > > In a minute, the place was full of lingams! The priest fell at the > > feet of the old man and said "Oh revered one! You must be a > realised > > soul. Pardon me for my insulting words and actions." The old man > got > > up and said "My dear son, have you not read in the scriptures that > > God is omnipresent? Can you limit God to a place and to an image > or a > > picture or in a frame? Of course we have temples with idols and > > pictures of worship; but they only help devotees to direct their > > faith and devotion to God as embodiments of the various Divine > > shaktis in this vast boundless universe. The Supreme Creator, the > > Almighty God is only one, and remember, He is Omnipresent." > > > > Your sister dissolving in Maa's Love, > > muktimaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 i like your swamiji, eric. , "ecjensen_us" <ecjensen_us> wrote: > OM NAMAH SIVAYA > > this is a great story, Maa! the feet thing reminds of this past > weekend when Swamiji came to do puja. my wife(i hate that term, it > implies posession to me) make that my lover and i each had a bowl of > rice to offer to the lingam. Swamiji asked me to get something > behind me and when i turned around i accidentally knocked over the > rice. i started to clean up the rice and was going to put it off to > the side when Swamiji said, "NO use it. it is OK. remember > everything is God. you are Divine from head to toe. this includes > your feet." He went on to say, "people sometimes consider things > that touch the feet impure, but this is not right. in our tradition > people touch the Swami's feet when they meet him they don't shake > hands. this is because the feet are Divine. they are what we stand > on, they carry us around, they take us everwhere we go. therefore > they are Divine. if anything, the hands are what are impure. the > hands make demands. how many people have been killed by the feet? > but the hands have killed people in numbers too big to count." > > i guess it is all God. > > JAI MA > > > , "muktimaa" <muktimaa@a...> wrote: > > Aum Namah Shivaya, dear devotees! > > i just found one of my all time favorite teaching stories, and i > wish > > to share it with all of you. Here it is: > > > > "Thiruppandar was a great devotee of lord Shiva. Once he happened > to > > visit a famous pilgrim center dedicated to his favorite Lord. > After > > the darshan of Siva, he felt that he was too exhausted and weak to > > walk further, and therefore rested for the night in the temple > itself. > > > > Early in the morning, the priest entered the temple with a potful > of > > water to perform abhishek to the Lingam. To his utter > consternation, > > he found an aged man sleeping right in front of the shrine with > legs > > stretched towards the sanctum sanctorum. He got wild at the sight > > and, in indignation, he sprinkled some water on the face of the > old > > man. But, there was no sign of any movement. So, he bent down and > > tried to lift the old man's legs. Immediately the old man opened > his > > eyes and said in an appealing tone, "My dear Son! Why are you > pulling > > my legs?" The priest shouted "Oh! For your age, is it not shameful > on > > your part to indulge in such a sacrilegious act of stretching your > > legs towards God?" The old man said calmly, "My dear son, I feel a > > cramp in my legs and cannot get up. Will you place my two feet in > a > > direction you like, where God is not? I shall certainly get up > after > > a while." The priest did not want to waste time in arguing with > the > > man. So, he held the two feet of the man, lifted them up and > placed > > them in the opposite direction. Suddenly, there sprang out a > lingam > > from underneath the feet! The priest tried to place the old man's > > feet in another position, but there again sprang up another > lingam! > > In a minute, the place was full of lingams! The priest fell at the > > feet of the old man and said "Oh revered one! You must be a > realised > > soul. Pardon me for my insulting words and actions." The old man > got > > up and said "My dear son, have you not read in the scriptures that > > God is omnipresent? Can you limit God to a place and to an image > or a > > picture or in a frame? Of course we have temples with idols and > > pictures of worship; but they only help devotees to direct their > > faith and devotion to God as embodiments of the various Divine > > shaktis in this vast boundless universe. The Supreme Creator, the > > Almighty God is only one, and remember, He is Omnipresent." > > > > Your sister dissolving in Maa's Love, > > muktimaa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 29, 2005 Report Share Posted July 29, 2005 what a great teaching! i see it this way, too. god is in through and as all that is. OM NAMAH SIVAYA this is a great story, Maa! the feet thing reminds of this past weekend when Swamiji came to do puja. my wife(i hate that term, it implies posession to me) make that my lover and i each had a bowl of rice to offer to the lingam. Swamiji asked me to get something behind me and when i turned around i accidentally knocked over the rice. i started to clean up the rice and was going to put it off to the side when Swamiji said, "NO use it. it is OK. remember everything is God. you are Divine from head to toe. this includes your feet." He went on to say, "people sometimes consider things that touch the feet impure, but this is not right. in our tradition people touch the Swami's feet when they meet him they don't shake hands. this is because the feet are Divine. they are what we stand on, they carry us around, they take us everwhere we go. therefore they are Divine. if anything, the hands are what are impure. the hands make demands. how many people have been killed by the feet? but the hands have killed people in numbers too big to count." i guess it is all God. JAI MA -- Be Love, Egyirba (Berijoy) http://www.egyirba.net I'm not sure I want popular opinion on my side.. I've noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts. ~ Bethania McKenstry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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