First and foremost, let me clarify that unlike most people think, Hinduism is not a religion in strict sense. It is more of a culture than a religion.
So what is the difference between a culture and a religion?
Religion centers around the God. Where as a culture centers around the way of living. Which is why you find in India for instance Chrisitian or Muslims following the Hindu culture! Even in Bangladesh you can find hindu cultures in muslim life! Chrisitians of Velankani in Tamilnadu follow the hindu culture. Velankanni is a Christian pilgrimage center, here Mother Mary is worshipped by Puja like how hindus do, Chariots are pulled like in hindu temples, there is the concept of prasadam (divine food) in the church like how Hindus give prasadam in the hindu temples.. etc
All other major religions of the world have a propounder, a person who founded the religion. Hinduism has none! Which is why it is called Sanaathana Dharma meaning eternal religion! No debate is blasphemous in Hinduism! Customs can be questioned any time! It does not dictate terms to people saying what woman or men should wear as dress etc. It is always open to debates. There has never been a “holy war” in Hinduism in the name of God! The very existence of God can be debated in Hinduism. Many ancient Indian Hindu texts contain such debates!
Coming back to the concept of God in Hinduism, unlike other religions like Christianity or Islam, it does not talk about a God who stays outside the universe and creates/destroys this universe. Instead here Universe itself is the God! Universe is a self aware Paramaatma (the universal soul) and everything else in the universe is a part of this God! We are all Aatma (souls) whose goal is to realize and unite with this Paramaatma (Universal Soul). Even quantum mechanical physicists like Bohr,Heisenberg, Shcrodinger etc got interested in Vedic texts and Hinduism when they saw that quantum level consciousness of particles was already explained in Hinduism!! For more details read the books like The Dancing Wu Li Masters, The Tao of Physics etc
The Vedas compare creation to a spider’s web, that the spider creates and then lies within. God is both the container of the universe and what is contained in it.
Which is why the sacred vedic texts of Hinduism say “Aham Brahmasmi” which means I am God. This is because I, you and all are a part of this Universal God! Which is also the reason why you find 33 crore Gods in hinduism!! Since Universe itself is the God, everything else and everybody else in the Universe is also a form of God! Which is why Hindus worship water, rain, thunder, earth, moon, sun, stars, sky, humans, trees, plants, animals, air, father, mother, elders, light, wealth, knowledge, anything and everything that you find in this universe as God!
Which is also the reason why a Hindu if by accident happens to touch an animal or a person or a book etc by feet accidentally, then immediately he/she will do a symbolic gesture by hand asking to be forgiven for having shown disrespect to the God in that animal/person/book or whatever by accident.
The hindu prayer that has to be recited every day early morning as soon as one gets up ends saying “paadasparsham kshamasva me” which means “Oh Mother Earth, Please forgive me for I will be touching you with my feet for the rest of the day!”. Such a nice concept. Can a culture get any more beautiful than this?
Now comes an even more beautiful part of the Hindu Concept of God. The sacred Vedic texts say “Ekam Satya Vipro Bahuda Vadanthi” which means “God is one. Learned scholars call him/her with different names”. This simple yet so wonderful concept makes it unique among all religions! You cannot be a Christian and say I will worship Vishnu or Allah! Christianity doesn’t allow that. You cannot be a Muslim and say I will worship Shiva or Jesus!! Islam doesn’t allow that.
But you can be a Hindu and still say that I will worship Jesus or Allah! Hinduism has no objection. In fact it says you can worship God in any name! Which is why you can find Hindus in India going to Churches, Jain temples, Buddhist temples, Sikh Gurudwaras etc. If all religions were as open minded as Hinduism there would have been no religious fanaticism or religious hatred on this planet and Earth would have been a better place to live in! There would have been no terrorism either!
Which is also the reason why unlike other religions you will find no missionaries or evangelists in Hinduism who promote Hinduism and want to convert entire world into Hinduism! Hinduism does not believe in religious conversions either by force or by bribing or by appeasement. You can be a Hindu and still be a Christian or Mulsim at the same time! You can even be a Christian or Muslim and say that you dont believe in Hinduism, and still Hinduism looks at you as a great soul! It does not say that you will be punished or sent to hell or will become a sinner for not believing in Hindu God! You can even be an atheist! You can say that you don’t want to call the Universal soul as a God! In fact Atheism is like a subclass of Hinduism! Charvaka who lived in 600 BCE was an atheist and pioneered a materialistic movement within Hinduism and even Madhavacharya (he was a 14th century philosopher who wrote a wonderful book Sarva darshana sangraha with a lot of material on atheism, dont confuse him with Madhvacharya of udupi) etc were Atheists and still followed the Hindu Culture!
Infact, the sacred Hindu texts, the Vedas talk more about humans and life than about God! They say, “Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” which means “The entire world is a single huge family”! Look at the beauty, they don’t differentiate between people of this religion or that religion, entire Earth is a single family! The vedas also say “Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu” which means “May all the people live happily”. Again here all humans are considered equal, there is no differentiation between Hindus and others!!
God if exists, is after all one and the same. You call a Rose by any name, and still it continues to be a Rose. Why should we fight for the name? It doesn’t make any real sense, does it?
By the way, you can also read about the role and status of women in the ancient Indian vedic culture here .
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that is true that there is castism also but also there is some unity in diversity also
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Hi Guru
Your blogs are very informative and you are doing really good job. The problem in India is that the definition of secularism is to curse Hinduism. The history we read in schools, the media and politicians have only one agenda -making fun of Sanatan Dharma. Indians are so much corrupt and indulge now. Regardless of caste, the hunger of power, money is causing the degradation of a great religion or culture or life style. 1000 years of slavery has aggravated this greed and probably these people will continue to be slave of material in the same way. Though I also grew up reading the same text, Gita cited, and listening caste rhetoric, after learning about others’ faults, I am sure that this religion is the best (Hope I am not offending anyone). The Hindu philosophy is the most diverse and it is on reader’s brain what he or she wants to read and follow.
Guru, Can u suggest some authenticate source to read Vedas (Books or Internet)? I am not a Sanskrit Scholar, so I will prefer to read English or Hindi translation.
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I did try to post before. I am not sure what has happened.
About women in vedas. It would be nice if Guru would clearify negative verse about women in veda mentioned above.
ram
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Dear Guru
I am not sure if this is still functional but i am writing anyway. Sticking to your assertion that Vedas dont have derogatory statements about women, i would like you to answer the article about women in Hinduism in http://www.islam-watch.org/AbulKasem/women_in_hinduism.htm and http://islam-watch.org/AbulKasem/Women-in-Hinduism.2.htm
This website by exmuslims has a strong readership. While in this discussion you dint clearify the actual meaning of the derogatory verse but relied on ‘howcome women respecting religion will have derogatory remarks’. It would be nice if you defend your statement here even if you dont want to go to the above site to defend Hinduism.
Ram
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Hi Gurudev ! I just chanced upon your site. A very nice and lucid way of explaining Hindu concepts. BTW, I am a neurosurgeon and really appreciate your knowledge, particularly indepth knowledge of the essence of our culture. I would like to know about the 72000 nadis, tho’ I find none. Any explanations for these ? Dr. Aniel
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@ GURUDEV..
Nice work.. don’t care about the GEETHA’s comments..
She is fit for nothing.. she knows only to cut, copy and paste.
Hear from some elder and might say..”" Earth is Flat”"
All women are brilliant… But there are excuses like GEETHA.
All Men are Idiots.. People like Gurudev are exception.
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seems like this self styled ‘gurudev’ has views which are not debatable. anyways your radical beliefs should not be the reason for other religions to be looked down upon.
if you really are open minded as you want others to believe, be secular in your outlook and open in your thoughts without any pretensions.
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God concept in Hinduism vs Islam
COPY PASTE THIS
1.Hinduism is not a pantheistic religion.It transcends pantheism.
When ancient hindu Rishi;s declared “”everything is manifestation of Brahman”" they were using Quantum Physics to explain Universe. Google Hinduism and quantum physics for more details.
Closest english translation of Brahman is undivided Universal consciousness which pervades the Universe.Matter is an illusion, virtual reality,Maya.
Hindus say
Pure Consciousness is the only reality.Physical world is virtual reality. BRAHMA SATYA, JAGAT MITHYA.
The basic oneness of the universe is not only the central
characteristic of the mystical experience, but is also one
of the most important revelations of modern physics.
“”The most important discovery in the history of science”"
-Prof.Henry Stapp, Quantum physicist.
Om Isha vasyam idam sarvam, yat kincha jagatyam jagat’
“”All this- whatever exists in this
changing universe, is pervaded by Brahman”"
-Isa Upanishad
Hindus say everything is Brahman. Fools are deluded that we are Pantheistic
In recent years physicists have had to address the interplay of consciousness and the physical world. In Quantum Physics much has been made over Bell’s Theorem. They force us to consider that the entire notion of a purely objective world is in conflict, not only with the theory of quantum mechanics, but with the facts drawn from actual experiments.
“”Om purnamadah purnamidam purnaat purnamudachyate,
purnasya purnamadaya purnamevaavashishyate”"
“”That (pure consciousness) is full(perfect); this(the manifest universe of matter; of names and forms being maya) is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness. When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness.”"
-Peace invocation- Isa Upanishad
All matter around us is MAYA,VIRTUAL REALITY.Universe is holographic illusion, created by limited human brain.Everything is energy.And Energy= Brahman
E=MC2
Now, MATTERHUMANBODY =ATOMS = SUBATOMICPARTICLES = ENERGY = BRAHMAN
HUMANBEINGSANIMALS = SOULCONSCIOUSNESS = BRAHMAN.
HENCE EVERYTHING IS BRAHMAN.
sachchidananda Brahman “”Brahman is pure existence, pure consciousness, and pure bliss”".
MatterHuman body = Sub-atomic particles = energy = Brahman
Human beingsAnimals =soulconsciousness = Brahman
Hence everything is Brahman. I am brahman. You are Brahman. Fools are however deluded we are pantheistic.
ayam atma brahma] “”The Self (or the Soul) is Brahman “”
aham brahmasmi[4 ""I am Brahman""
tat tvam asi[5] “”Thou are that”"
sarvam khalv idam brahma “”All this that we see in the world is Brahman”",
sachchidananda brahma “”Brahman is existence, consciousness, and bliss”".
Brahman cannot be known by material means, that we cannot be made conscious of it, because Brahman is our very consciousness.
“”Through Brahman, the eyes see, the brain functions, but the eyes cannot see It, the brain cannot comprehend it”"
Muslims believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. It seems “”Muslim God”" is some kind of tyrant monopolist owner of this universe,landlord , who owns everything.and exercises perfect monopoly
The god of Islam is in principle similar to a Monarch who creates and rules the world with a set of laws. The concept of God in Islam is of a God who is apart from the universe and who is a skillful maker of the world. This God stands apart from the world and like a medieval monarch rules the incidents of the world and judges you on the judgement day based on the code of conduct as created in the holy book. You are sent to either heaven or hell based on your submission to the will of Allah
Why do they have this “”monopolist monarch owner”"concept.Answer can be found in
BHAGAVAD GITA
“”Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.”"
[Bhagavad Gita 7:20]
muslims say “” there is no God, but Allah, and mohammad is his messenger”". Its clear Allah is not BhagvanIshwar.
All kuranic teachings were delivered to Mohammad by demi-godjinnAshura,Jibril. who deny even existence of Bhagvan.
When Moslems say “” there is no God but Allah, its very clear Alah is not Bhagvan Ishwar.
2. Hinduism is not polytheistic
Hindus believe
We can take any aspect of God and worship according to our mental outlook and spiritual disposition. Not all humans are alike. One theologicalspiritual philosophy can never suit all vishnu, shiva, durga, are all manifestations of ultimate supreme being.
“”They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.”" RV (Book 1, Hymn 164.46)
Thus various forms (names and perceptions) symbolizing Brahman reflect different visions according to many sages and seers.
.Everyone knows that there is only 1 God.Devotees can call God or Brahman, or Alla,Krishna, Jesus, any name they please.God doesnt really have name, so its doesnt matter what we choose to call God.Ultimately its same God Hence its us who give God name.
It is ridiculous to say that “” God has a name “”allah”" and “” there is no God but Allah.God doesnt have any name.
Similarly we can percieve God in form, any form we want, because ultimately God doesnt have any form. Form is a powerful tool to tune into divine consciousness.We human beings can perceive aspects of divinity only with NAME and Form.
various forms
Most Hindus venerate one or more deities, but regard these as manifestations of Ultimate Reality. So who, or what, is the Ultimate Reality that is behind the universe and all the gods? In the Rig Veda, it is referred to as “”the One.”" In the Purushasukta, it is given the name “”Purusha,”"(Cosmic consciousness) and in the Upanishads it is called “”Brahman,”" (Univeral consciousness)
Vishnu, Jesus, Durga, kali are various manifestations of a single Supreme Being as perceived by devotee.
God is omnipresent, alright, but then would you meditate or pray from your bathroom for that matter? God, like the energy of electricity and magnetism is omnipresent, but just as the bulbs draw that power into light, God’s imagesforms draw His power into light that illuminates the Truth in the devotee’s mind.
3.Hinduism support both Form and Formless worship.
The Supreme Cosmic Spirit or Absolute Reality called Brahman is said to be eternal, genderless, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and ultimately indescribable in human language.
However, humans may perceive two aspects of supreme reality
Nirguna Brahman: God “”without qualities (guna),”" i.e., formless, Absolute Reality, Parabrahman, or Parasiva- totally transcending guna (quality), manifest existence and even Parashakti, all of which exhibit perceivable qualities.
Saguna Brahman: God “”with divine qualities;”" God as superconscious, omnipresent, allknowing, all-loving and all-powerful.
Nirguna Brahman:
The verses here describe
Nirguna Brahman. Nirguna Brahman is referred to as “”IT”",and never as “”He”" or “”She”"
#tat tvam asi[5] “”Thou are that”"
“”Ekam evadvitiyam”"
“” It is One only without a second.”"
[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]
#
“”Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah.”"
“”Of It there are neither parents nor lord.”"
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]
#
“”Na tasya pratima asti”"
“”There is no likeness of It.”"
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]
“”Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam.”"
“”It”"s form is not to be seen; no one sees It with the eye.”"
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]
Na tasya Pratima asti”"
“”There is no image of Him.”"
[Yajurveda 32:3]
Nirguna Brahman is nirakara (without form), nirvishesha (without particularity) and nirupadhika (without limitations). as such, is not an object of prayer, but of meditation and knowledge. This aspect of the Ultimate Reality is beyond conception, beyond reasoning and beyond thought. According to Hindu scriptures Nirguna Brahman should not be worshipped at all but to is be “” REALISED”" OR “” TUNED IN TO “” WITH RAJA YOGA, JNANA YOGA, KARMA YOGA.
The intent of the Vedantic assertion for Nirguna Brahman , leaving behind all the idols and symbols means – the sacrifice and trancendence of all those constructs of thought like symbols, idols and ideologies to realize the unconditioned consciousness, the eternal which can never be limited by thought which is just memory and the past. In the early part of the previous century people witnessed an enlightened person Baghwan Ramana Maharishi who had no need for any rituals, images, symbols or holy texts and he abided all the time in his true nature which is pure consciousness.This is how Nirguna Brahman must be REALISED
But Moslems use symbols, and Kuran, Group Namaz ritual etc, which is wrong way to tune in to Nirguna Brahman.There is a huge difference between the Nirguna Brahman aspect of the Vedanta and the monotheistic belief in a Sky God like Allah. Nirguna Brahman is the acknowledgement of oneness of the universal principle of consciousness or Brahman. Hence Hindus say everything is Brahman.
According to Hindu scriptures,Nirguna Brahman should not be worshipped at all. Nirguna BrahmaN is not object of worship, but divine truth or plane of superconsciousness, to be “”Realised”" or “”tuned in to”" with Raja yoga, Jnana yoga, Karma yoga.Hindu Vedantists who want to tune in to Nirguna Brahman, do not engage in ritual worship at all, but meditate and use Raja yoga, jnana yoga.Worshipping Nirguna Brahman means only learning theories about “”how to swim”"”" and never actually trying to swim”".
Islam however teaches “” incomplete Nirguna Brahman”" Allah is without form and genderless, but they pray to Allah.In reality what they should do is Dhyana (meditation).
2.Saguna Brahman: God “”with divine qualities;”" God as superconscious, omnipresent, allknowing, all-loving and all-powerful.
The personal aspect of the Ultimate Reality is known as Saguna Brahman, that is Brahman with attributes. Saguna Brahman is the creator, sustainer and controller of the universe. Saguna Brahman cannot be limited by one form and is therefore worshipped by Hindus in both male and female forms. Bhakti yogis worship Saguna Brahman using Idols as tools.
Lets explore what Hindu scriptures teach about worshipping Saguna Brahman.
Krishna, Supreme Personality of Godhead said, “”I make no distinction between one religion and another. People may worship me in any form they wish. The *form of worship* does not matter to me. My only concern is the *quality of love* which is expressed in worship. I accept every kind of worship, because I am Supreme.”" (Bhagavad Gita 9.20-24)
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Dear Gurudev,
Your post is wonderful. There was some reference to Tulsidas in some reposnses regarding a message that ‘Dhol ganwar sudra..’ This copulet has been raised repeatedly in many forums by Dalits and women to malign Tulsidas.
Now, I am not fan of Tulsidas as a guide for worldly conduct, though I have been drawn deeply and has experienced the living and mystical nature of his poetry. But whenever I have seen the accusations based solely on this copulets by Indian intelligentia as well the responses of those assuming to be an authority on Hinduism; I have been deeply pained to realize the intellectual bankruptcy of both. Most of the defences is based on the interpretation of word ‘Tadana’ and the defensive arguments are extremely ridiculously contorted, that it seems probably Indians have lost their common sense. Why?
Because in Ramcharitmanas “”Dhol ganwar Shudra Pashu nari..”" was uttered by frightened Sea, when it was on fire, its life was on stake and had come to surrender to Rama. These parts were uttered by a character, which was condemned by Tulsidas as well as Rama. It is important to see the preceding section where, Tulsidas calls Sea as ‘jada’ (means stupid) and succeeding section where ‘Kagbhushundi’ calls him ‘neech’ means low. And in between Rama has compared sea to being shatha and kutil and Rama has condemned his arrogance.
It is something which even a middle school student learns that in a story, if a character is making a remark it can not be attributed to be the motive of author. I am not yet convinced that my explanation would be making sense to many (so much frustrated I have been by the intellect of these university educated intelligentia and defenders of Hinduism), so let me give an example which everyone can understand. If in a movie like say ‘ Mr. India’, the character portrayed by Amrish Puri ‘Mogambo’ utters some anti Indian statements, one can not charge the writer or director of the movie with having antinational feelings. It becomes important to see how the character has been treated. Does the writer or director empathises with the character?
I am not saying that there may not be instances in Ramacharitmanas where Tulsidas’s prejudices against women and Shudra can be detected ( I am not saying there are either). But it surely behooves those determined on criticising Tulsidas or Hinduism to pick up the valid issues and not make mockery of themselves. It is also important for defenders of Hinduism to check out the original excerpts with proper context.
Having said that, let us remember that Tulsidas is not an authority of morality or social customs and rules. Ramacharitmanas was not written by that aim too, and Tulsidas has not claimed so also. Tulsidas had written it with no more purpose then merely as a source of joy for himself- “”swantah sukhaay tulsi raghunath gaathha..”" and to share his mystical insights with others. He never thought of becoming an authority, he always considered himself as a humble servant of Rama.
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Please let me know more about the swastika’s meaning of : SAM/ DAM/ DANDA / BEDH. As I understood the translation of the 4 words representing the swastika is: be polite/ pay/ hit/ kill.(cut the neck) I know from a budhist that this subject is covered by the hindus. Sorry if it is true but I want to know the truth.
Regards,
Cristian V.
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In regards to the letter regarding our scriptures deriding women, all i say is that ordinary people even the best of intellectuals are incapable of understanding the scriptures. A child of the 4th grade knows and recognises the language english. The theory of Relativity is in English. Technically the 4th grader boy can read and understand each word individually as he knows english, but this does not mean that he will understand the theory of relativity itself.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa would often ask his male disciples to beware of women and Gold. This does not mean He was against women. Women here meant the mode through which Maya lured men. For His female disciples his statement wouldbe to beware of Men and Gold, which means Lust and Greed.
The mordern women considers stepping out in the society as a step towards liberation and a way to stand shoulder to shoulder with men. This is such a sad state of affairs. It is not that women cannot do well in society, no, God has given them the same brain and will power and hence they too can excel as some women have proven. It is just sad that women look upon the job of handling a house as inferior and demeaning. Our scriptures have stated that the wellbeing of a country depends on its society, the well being of a society depends on the individual families, and the well being of a family depends on the women of the house. It further states that if the men of the house are rascals but the women virtuous the family and hence the nation will remain intact, but if the women are on the wrong it is likely to spell doom for the society and even a country. I believe that in my India where there are 1000′s of women still looking after their family affairs, being ideal wives and mothers ; in them we have a 1000 Bill Gates and mittals, and they more then the men of this land will protect the culture and spiritual integrity that is the true strength of our land. May sense prevail among our educated women and may they realise that by competing with men they are just giving men and the work they do unnecesarry importance and disrespecting the unique previlage that nature has given her to be ideal mothers of this land.
God Bless us all.
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Dear all,
i just happened to pass through this site and read a few notes, it was heartening. Dear Gurudev, well done, i am happy and proud at the fact that some one still holds these views and chooses to defend the honour and integretity, so misunderstood in the mordern intellectual world, of oue scriptures.
On the topic of caste system mentioned above, let it be known that essentially the society regarded those engaged in search of truth as the highest kind of people- the brahmins, those who choose to defend and govern their land as the 2nd higest, the traders – Vaishyas as the third, and shudras as last. This does not mean that the society ws predivided as to who is more previlaged and who not. Your acts decided that. Hence Valmiki the thief when turned into a rishi got respect that he deserved coz he choose the highest path. In those days children took to the jobs of their fathers and hence children of a Brahmin wud be a brhmin and so forth. Also in days of old a Brahmin was not necesarily the most previlaged, he was amongst the poorest in the society and dependent on others for help. The law of karma says that when u accept something from others u must bear the sin or previlage of what u receive from who you receive, hence Brahmins use to avoid taking food from the people of the lower kind who made money by doing those works not considered right. A shudra wud often be a very rich person. It was a shudra who purchased Raja Harishchandra in the puranic story.
Unfortunately as time passed the influence of kali made the caste system what it is today. Today people are considered brahmins not by their acts but by their birth. Also the fact that politically minded brahmins by birth used their power to turn the laws of society pro them and anti others.
The system prevelant today is not what the caste system originally was..
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I think this article shows that we are all on the same path, just different scenery.
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Relation bwn mind and body is clearly mentioned in Upanishats. Just trying to put few lines of the same to best of my memory.
Son asks some question. Father wanted son to understand the delicy of matter out of experiment and experience. He orders son not to consume anything for certain days. Son returns to father explaining he is unable to survive. Father sends son back with order only to drink water and stay without food. After a week or so, son says Father i am able to survive but unable to think. At this juncture son is granted to consume food. Son gets energy to think and perform tasks.
So the food is also food for mind but it is only the creamy/ churned lighter part of anna-the food is the fuel for mind.
Rest all the parts of digested food is for body cell to function.
Mind is also called Sukshma Shareera – Invisible/delicate body. it is of Vayu tatwa ie, Airy natured- so it wavers . But Physical Body of Bhoo tatwa – Earthy in nature . So it finds its destiny in Earth.
But there is another element in this physical body-even underneath Mind is Self – Atama it is of Aakasha tatwa. Which tries to escape from physical body and get merged into Cosmos/infinite Universe. But this Mind which is more powerful than Self – a charioter of Self’s chariot pulls the Self back to physical body. This mind is just like Cloud which doesn’t allow the Light from Sun-Universal Knowledge to reach Self which is on the ground ie, covered in body. Enlightment or Paramanandam or Bliss is when mind is cleared from different illusions/mayas- clouds are cleared to get the light.
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I am not sure about Hinduism but I guess that some knowledge of higher dimension existed in our world. This knowledge was based on the connection between mind and body. As time passed the gap between our mind and body became wider and wider and so we lost the basic true knowledge which needed a firm connection between body and mind.
Now the question is, why this connection between our mind and body was not (let to be) re-established?
Was “”not going back to Veda”" the demand of time?
Were all other religions (Christian, Islam) created to fill this vacuum?
Now, at this time, the function of Veda is only a matter of “”if”" meaning probability.
Can we rely on probability in this age of men?
Can we feel proud for this probability ?
Is quantum mechanics the step to re-establish that old connection between mind and body or just a product from some “”stressed minds looking for some air in water”"?
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Vicky
The exact reference of comparing the God and universe to a spider and spider’s web, where in the spider creates the web from its own body and then finally swallows the web into itself, is given in Mundaka Upanishad.
Please refer verse 7 of the first Khanda of the first Mundaka in this Upanishad which says that God is both the container of the universe and what is contained within it, just like spider and its web.
Its starts as YathoorNanaabhi… just like how spider..
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Thankz for ur response gurudev, can u please give me some reference online or a book where i can find this statement… i would like to read more.. probably any veruse exactly from which veda or the statment in sanskrit…
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It is the not the statistics that decide if we are respecting women or not. It is our attitude that decides..
Even one reference that justifies having widowed women to be shaven her head by force ( physical or social) reflects our callous attitude and unfairness.
But I do believe only Hindu religion is the only religion that can transform Type 0 civilization to Type 1 civilization.
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Balraj
Thanks for the informative link
Vicky
The spider’s web comparison was done by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa while describing the universe as per the vedas, which say that God is nothing but the all pervading universe itself which extends beyond the temporary physical universe we experience.
Yes Ravi
Vedas clearly say, Janma Jaata Shudra Sarve, Karmenu Brahman Bhavati, meaning no person is superior by birth, but becomes superior only by his/her deeds.
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Dear Gurudev,
Excellent spirited response to @Geeta. It is a pity that even sensible people forget to apply simple arithmatic. If in 500 places Vedas say that Women are great and they must be worshipped. In the eyes of ‘fault-finders’ 5 or 6 odd doubtful references start taking precedence over 500 good references.
I think Geeta does appreciate that texts which again and again extol the womanhood can not possibly say derogatory thing about women.
Second point : Carlos castaneidas books talk about women practitioners of supernatural science: It is not easily that women take to the path of knowledge — but such is their intensity that they progress very rapidly once they decide to go into any thing.
Now this is both a praise and a caution. Graphical language can describe women’s penchant for progress as some thing ‘wild’ and unwillingness to get into this in first place as ‘mulish’. Choice of particular words doesnot necessarily mean that the message itself is malafide.
But let us know that simple arithmatic (100 times more number of times thare are positive references than there are negative references) should settle the issue that vedas do not at any time degrade women.
Compared to vedas semitic religions proclaimed openly that ‘woman does not have soul’
It is true that vedas said ‘Janmana Jayte Shudra, Sanskarat Dwij Uchyate’ and that 4 varnas are ‘Guna’ & ‘Karma’ Vibhagasha not by Birth but by quality and aptitude for type of work.
This means that one of the sons of a Kshatriya may just not like warfare. He could be interested in literature or craftsmanship. By his karma he then is either a brahman or a shudra.
But a kshatriya may not be able to bear the fact that his sone would decide to be a craftsman. He may change the rule to say that ‘Kshatriyas son should be Kshatriya’.
It is one thing to subvert a rule this way, it is much more cruel to say that a ‘Craftsman’s son can not learn Vedas’ even if he has the aptitude and talent.
By stopping cross currents both ways the ‘rigid’ caste system was imposed on hindu society. But a disaster is a disaster.
If it is not by ‘Guna’ and “”karma’ but forced by ‘birth’ the ‘brahmanism’ of a valiant son (who could have been a kshatriya for example under correct fluid system), gives birth to a tyrant ( pseudo-brahman ) who only brings shame to scholar-ship of entire brahman varna.
Many fine points mulled over leisurely will clearify the situation as it developed over thousands of years. Spitting, on other hand, at sky often is counter productive
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Gurudev i go through ur post al the time and it provide lot of knowledge but i got a query if u could help:
“”The Vedas compare creation to a spider’s web, that the spider creates and then lies within. God is both the container of the universe and what is contained in it.”"
Can you pls provide the verses pls ??
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Gurudev, here is the reference to I ran into and the word Koti which means category.
http://www.thereligiousproducts.com/hindu-mythology.html
Hindu Gods
It is said that Hinduism has about 33 crore or 330 million gods and goddesses. However, ancient scriptures have stated that Hinduism has “”33 Koti Devas”" which has been variously interpreted as 330 million or 33 crore(1 koti = 1 crore) Gods or 33 categories of Gods since “”koti”" also means “”category”".
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Balraj,
Please refer to the informative comments given by ursri and Anirudh Sharma. Yes, now even I think that it must be 33 types rather.
http://hitxp.wordpress.com/2007/06/25/the-hindu-concept-of-god/#comment-3044
http://hitxp.wordpress.com/2007/06/25/the-hindu-concept-of-god/#comment-7702
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Gurudev, I resepect you work and zest for clarifying any misunderstandings about Hinduism, based on your hard work of studying our religion and helping others understand it.
It is not my intention to challenge your understanding on any point, but to help me contemplate more on the subject of the number of gods/deities of which our scriptures speak.
I also read recently that the word crore mau have another meaning. I can mean category and not necessarily 10 million. But Baba’s reference to 330 million does not support a different meaning.
I noticed that Sathya Sai Baba also refer to 330 million gods/deities also; so I believe the number 330 gods is not just symbolism for something else.
Here is Sai Baba’s reference to the 330 million Gods. (It is discussed in paragraph 62 of his Gayatri explanation. http://www.saibaba.ws/teachings/sarvadeviswarupini/ssvg.htm#CHAPTER%20V).
Sathya Sai Baba also says that all the deities of God are in our heart/consciousness.
Please help me understand further, as I believe our scriptures cannot be wrong about 330 million gods, and therefore, may require more research about its truth.
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wrt the 12 adityas as related to the sun signs in vedic astrology, the list is as follows:
All Rasis : Surya
Aries : Aryama
Taurus : Mitra
Gemini : Varuna
Cancer : Indra
Leo : Vivaswan
Virgo : Pusha
Libra : Parjanya
Scorpio : Anshuman
Sagittarius : Bhaga
Capricorn : Twastha
Aquarius : Vishnu
Pisces : Dhata
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Anirudh
Thats really so nice of you. Yes please email the contents to itzguru@gmail.com and I will upload it on your behalf.
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Dear Gurudev,
I have made some pictorial depictions of the Vedic concepts of the cosmos. Is there a mechanism that could help me publish them on your website. Please let me know.
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Dear Ramana,
I am just a student and still learning. No, I am not the person you are referring to. But I do want to thank you, for comparing me to a Sanskrit lecturer.
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Hello Aniridhu Sharma
Here is personal question? Are you the same Anirudh sharma , Sankrit lecturer in Hyderabad in Intermediate college?
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Thanks GuruDev, u explained very well.
Keep giving us so valuable knowledge of ancient and modern India.
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Just adding to what Ursri has correctly mentioned about the 33 devata’s or supraphysical energies mentioned in Vedas.
The Ishvara Mandala or Ishvara System is the one which is famous as the Solar System of Universe. W.R.T us it expands between Earth and the Sun. From the centre of ‘Prithvi’ to Surya the distance has been explained in terms of Stomas or Aharganas. After the first 3 Stomas of the Bhu-Pinda the Agni Mandala develops from 6 Stoma to 9 Stoma. Vayu Mandala develops from 9 Stoma to 15 Stoma and Aditya develops from 15 stoma to 21 stoma. Surya is located at the 21st Stoma. The Agni that develops from prithvi to Surya, becomes lighter as it rises. This gets divided into three parts. The Ghanagni in the ‘Bhu’ part is known as ‘Agri’. The Taralagni in the Bhuvah part is termed as ‘Vayu’ and the Viralagni in the Swavah part is termed as ‘Aditya’.
Further ahead, the Agni of Agni Mandala gets divided into 8 parts as Vasu, Vayu Mandala’s Vayu into 11 parts as ‘Rudra’ and Aditya Mandal’s Aditya into 12 parts as ‘Aditya’. Thus, these 8 Vasu’s, 11 Rudra’s, 12 Aditya’s, 1 Dasra Sandhya and 1 Naasatya Sandhya devatas or supra-physical energies are together called as the 33 Devatas. The notion that there are 33 crore devatas is a fallacy. They are of 33 types.
It is to be known here that ‘Aapomaya’ or in the form of Aap, the Rakshasa Prana’s of Parmesthi are thrice in number then devatas and thus are 99. The existence of 3 rakshasas with 1 devata is a natural phenomenon. The disturbance in the number of these rakshasas and devatas is the only reason for illness. The balance in number can be easily maintained through Pranayam.
The continuous friction between above mentioned Agni-Vayu-Aditya creates a fourth agni which is termed as ‘Vaishwanar’. This Vaishwanar has the heat function. It enters the Surya and burns the flammable Soma coming from Parmeshthi. As a result, the ruler of luminosity ‘Indra’ gets manifested. This Indra (In the form of Rays) illuminates the entire space and hence Life-Cycle begins.
The Agni that moves from Prithvi to Surya is called as ‘Gayatri-Agni’ (Pronounced as Gayatraagni) and the agni moving from Surya to Earth is termed as ‘Savitra-Agni’ (Pronounced as Saavitraagni). This Gayatri originating from Prithvi and Savitri originating from Surya collide again to re-originate Agni Veda.
The centre of Prithvi is ‘Rik’, middle portion is the Prana-form ‘Yaju’ and the land surface is its ‘Sam’. This is the situation, as far as Pinda form is concerned. The same expands above as Agni-Vayu-Aditya Mandala’s. Again, Agni Mandala ‘Rik’, Vayu Mandala ‘Yaju’ and Aditya Mandala is ‘Sam’.
The Rik Tattva gets divided into 21 parts, Yaju into 101 parts and Sam into 1000 parts. The total number becomes 1122. If we add the 9 Atharva Veda then this total number of Veda Tattva’s becomes 1131. Based on this number only, the Rishis have written Veda Grantha’s.
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sorry..correction to my post..
“”Stephen Mitchell apologizes to women in his preface, about the situations where women were NOT treated in a bad light.”"
Please read this as
“”Stephen Mitchell apologizes to women in his preface, about the situations where women were treated in a bad light.”"
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One of the common quality of all the fundamentalists ( fundas) , irrespective of their religious affiliation , they want to follow word for word from the old text books and justify their meaning at any cost.
Geeta, you are not alone here to witness the ugly form of fundamentalism. You are being railroaded because you are strong enough to bring some ugly aspects of our religion.
The fact that arisen from Hindu tradition is that the windowed women are treated as a bad luck. As a Hindu, I witnessed my own mother and grand mother were barred from our own family wedding ceremonies because they were simply widows. This is absolutely shameful act with out any question.
Gurudev is right, on the other hand Hindus worshipped several women Goddesses and elected windowed women as a leader , which is admirable act , a rare accomplishment for even advanced countries.
The greatest strength and greatest weakness of Hindu religion is, it exists in these contrasts .The point I am trying to make, because we elected women as a leaders and worship women as Gods should not justify the shameful act of treating the widowed women that way,.
Geeta, You are no less or no more educated in Sanskrit or in common sense than these bullies. Do not afraid to stand up! It is all big hype and soap.
Bhagvad Gita is an extraordinary conversation between Lord Krishna and Warrior Arjuna revealing the profound wisdom and knowledge about life and universe.
Though I regard Bhagvad Gita with extreme reverence, there are embarrassing situations regarding women.. A celebrated and accomplished translator of Bhagvad Gita, Stephen Mitchell apologizes to women in his preface, about the situations where women were not treated in a bad light.
At the end, there is nothing wrong to admit our bad behavior and praise our great deeds.
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Sushil, my suggestion is please ignore such things, Hinduism is not a conversion based religion, for it accepts all humans as equal. It is a religion of humanity, not of a particular section of it.
If other religions want people to convert to theirs for people to go to heaven or for God to bless them, then this in itself proves its hollowness, for why did then God in the first place create other people in a different religion?
As for Hinduism, there is nothing like if you are not a Hindu you will go to hell or God wont like you. As long as you continue to be a good human and do good deeds, irrespective of your way of worship you will be blessed says Hinduism. There is no quantity race in Hinduism for followers, for hinduism simply doesnt believe in it.
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Hi gurudev,
I used to read your articeles most of time and I find its so knowladwegable and nice. Dude, You are genious.
Can you give answer of this link??
http://www.biharanj uman.org/ Z akir_Naik/ Z akir-Naik- woman-accepts- Islam-Mumbai- Nov-2007. htm
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A very nice article.
Indeed hinduism is primarily about an optimal way of living to reach the highest goal of human life – eternal freedom – freedom from bondages of physical existence and enjoyment of innate state of bliss of a being.
However, hinduism has a well defined way of living which encourages freedom but only as long as it is in the right direction and with right spirits. Modern day free-spirited people say that hinduism is the only religion where you can worship any god etc etc like those mentioned in the article. And vedic verses of “”ekam sat viprah bahudha vadanthi”" is cited widely. This in my opinion is just like the waves on the surface of an ocean. Deep inside the ocean is still and unperturbed. If a person studies bhagavadgita – which can called as the complete essence of hinduism – with a clear mind and from a good source, he/she can understand the essence of hinduism. That essence is “”I am the one in the hearts of all beings. whoever u pray to – with faith – your prayers reaches me. pray to me, be my devotee, do all your actions for me, bow to me and you will reach me”" in the words of krishna. We do have certain well-defined rituals which are put in place more from the perspective of instilling a discipline within us and to show respect & love to the world in general. No wonder hindus are the most peace loving people!
.
“”Aham brahmasmi”" – often misquoted, misunderstood phrase from the vedanta. Hinduism gives an individual the unprecedented degree of freedom towards understanding reality – by question, by analysing and then arriving at a conclusion. Various people have arrived at various conclusions – aham brahmasmi being just one of them. No other religion gives this degree of freedom. However, hinduism does provide it but with the single reason that “”one should find his god for himself”" and as krishna has said in gita “”for many incarnations a jeeva prays to different gods, bowing to different deities not knowing that this entire universe is pervaded by vasudeva. Once the jeeva knows this it is free”". The degree of freedom given to the individual is from this perspective and not really from any socio-cultural reasons as it is often portrayed.
“”sarve janah sukhino bhavanthu”" – its not just about people and religions. Hinduism reaches out beyond these limits and every practicing brahmin prays everyday for the wellbeing of “”all twolimbed and four limbed creatures”"
And about conversions – true it doesnt happen now. however, there is evidence that it has happened in the past where a guru (for example Ramanujacharya) gives deeksha to his followers. conversion , however , of people of foreign origin has never been encouraged. And hinduism doesnt preach violence but it doesnt preach passive non-violence either – it preaches active dharma – dharma here means that which protects. Active dharma might need violence at times. Very few can understand the meaning of active dharma as any violence is seen through the colored glasses these days.
To conclude, hinduism is indeed not a religion but a way of life to live a happy,contented life on this earth with the highest objective of attaining that inner bliss with which we are all born into this world.
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What religions existed before Hindu? where did Hindu actually start if there was some research of human migrating from Siberia down south into India millions of years ago? Has it been in Siberia where it could have started in it’s very infant stage?
I am curious of one thing. If Vedas were written with entire knowledge of universe, what it would have taken for those rishis or scholars in term of time and life and research to really understand the Universe? So when actually the study of Universe started? May be there is no answer to this and it is said “”Do not go find roots of …”" certain things like roots of river, roots of rishis etc…. when answering it becomes impossible or maybe something uncomprehendable would be stop at that and say, Veda was created by Brahma?
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1)Durga bhavani has power in his hand what is that power name? 2)Durga bhavani creates all things with one power what is that power name? 3)Tadasthu or any other power is there to create any thing what is that power name? send this questions answers on my e-mail:-yaramallasunilyaramallasunil@yahoo.com password is 123456.
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Yes,
A very commonly asked question indeed. Wrote a blog for that
Please see http://hitxp.wordpress.com/2007/10/13/moral-vegetarianism/
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I wanted to know why do we consider plants as vegetarian.
Isnt that we kill plants? Hope you answer,
Regards,
Prince.
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Bhaskar
Where have I evaded Geeta’s doubts? Please be specific.
I have even stated the often cited Rigvedic hymn which has been wrongly translated/interpreted.
Have even stated verses which talk about the respected nature of women in the vedas..
If you are talking about all the so called hymns mentioned by Geeta..
those are the translations that have been mentioned, not the original ones.. not a single original verse has been mentioned!
On the contrary, I have even given one example of the original hymn being twisted. People simply read the interpretations of the translators and ask questions which looks very silly, because its like asking to explain somebody’s own/wrong interpretations..
well, there are hundreds of wrongly translated and misinterpreted verses.. if I start responding to each of them, I will have to spend the rest of my life trying to clarify things. Instead I advise people who are really interested, to learn sanskrit themselves from a true expert and read the verses and understand them.
btw web is the place where you can easily find the most unauthentic things
sacred-texts.com looks like one place where the original ones are available to a large extent. The issue of finding the original texts on the web has to do with proofreading unicode translations.. The person proofreading the sanskrit unicode should be well versed with the original text as well as make sure that the unicode text accurately represents the original text! There are not really many true sanskrit/vedic experts who work on computers, even though the numbers are slowly increasing!
sanskrit is not english.. a small mistake will change the entire meaning.. which is why so much stress was given in the ancient times about the oral tradition..
A request, Please try to write your response as a single comment. That would make easy for others to reply
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