1) Isn’t idol worship not supported in Vedas or Upanishads or not correct?
Sri Sukta, also called Sri Suktam, is a Sanskrit devotional hymn (set of slokas) revering Sri or Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fertility. The hymns are found in the Rig Vedic khilanis, which are appendixes to the Rigveda. Sri-Lakshmi is associated with Vishnu as his wife or consort in this hymns. Those who have read only impersonal aspect of God from Vedas should read this. The Sri Sukta uses the motifs of lotus (padma or kamala) and elephantgaja) - symbols that are consistently linked with the goddess Sri-Lakshmi in Puranas written later. The Sri sukta describes Sri as glorious, ornamented, royal, lustrous as gold, and radiant as fire, moon and the sun. The Sri Sukta of the Veda mentions the personal aspects of God in the following verses:
hiraṇyavarṇāṁ hariṇīṁ suvarṇarajatasrajām,
candrāṁ hiraṇmayīṁ lakṣmīṁ jātavedo ma āvaha.
tāṁ ma āvaha jātavedo lakṣmīmanapagāminīm,
yasyāṁ hiraṇyaṁ vindeyaṁ gāmaśvaṁ puruṣānaham.
Invoke for me, O Agni, the Goddess Lakshmi, who shines like gold, yellow in hue, wearing gold and silver garlands, blooming like the moon, the embodiment of wealth. O Agni! Invoke for me that unfailing Lakshmi, being blessed by whom I shall win wealth, cattle, horses and men.
upaitu māṁ devasakhaḥ kīrtiśca maṇinā saha
prādurbhūto'smi rāṣṭre'smin kīrtimṛddhiṁ dadātu me.
kṣutpipāsāmalāṁ jyeṣṭhāmalakṣmīṁ nāśayāmyaham,
abhūtimasamṛddhiṁ ca sarvāṁ nirṇuda me gṛahāt.
O Lakshmi! I am born in this country with the heritage of wealth. May the friend of the Lord Siva (Kubera) and Kirti (fame) come to me. May these (having taken their abode with me) bestow on me fame and prosperity. I shall destroy the elder sister of Lakshmi, the embodiment of inauspiciousness and such evil as hunger, thirst, and the like. O Lakshmi! Drive out from my abode all misfortune and poverty.
Among the Vedas, the Purusha Sukta is held in the highest esteem as it forms an integral part of each of the four Vedas. The Purusha Suktam is seen earliest in the Rg Veda, as the 90th Suktam of its 10th mandalam, with 16 mantrams. Later, it is seen in the Vajasaneyi Samhita of the Shukla Yajur Vedam, the Taittriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajur Vedam, the Sama Veda, and the Atharvana Veda, with some modifications. It is also referred to in smrtis, itihasas, puranas and Agamas. It is so named because it extols the pre-eminence of Paramaatma -Sriman Narayana.
Conclusion is: in some part of Hindu religious text (including Vedas), it is told that God has no personal form and in another part it is told that God has personal form. Both Vedas and Puranas are compiled by Shriman VedaVyasa. When Vedas and Upanishad says that God doesn’t have material body and later Puranas (even Vedas and Upanishads to some extent) tells that God have body, you have to understand that God has a spiritual body that is NOT AT ALL like our body. Because the opposite of material body is spiritual or transcendental. So saying that God do not have a material body and saying that God does have a spiritual body is like proving the same point in 2 different perspectives. Suppose if a door is half-open one may have another perspective: door is infact half-closed. So the same truth is told in different ways because God is so much great. You normally see a great film/person/book is seen with different perspectives. Similarly, God who is greatest of all is seen in Vedic text in different perspectives. When God takes a personal form He doesn’t take a mortal body like us and He is not limited AT ALL. If you see the Puranas it will prove this point. Especially when Lord Vishnu takes a avataara(coming down to earth in a particular form), He selects his mother (a devotee who is very dear to him) on his own wish. He is not subject to the conditions of material existence. On the contrary, the living beings cannot select the body (they can take birth in the womb of an animal, bird, etc) he gets when he is born. Lord Vishnu has appeared as the fish incarnation, the horse incarnation, the tortoise incarnation, the swan incarnation, as King Ramacandra, as Parasurama, and as many other incarnations to have leela (divine play) with his devotees. Some people ( Islam religion people) seeing animal forms of the God think that they are not real God. Different avataars of God doesn’t indicate that God is limited. For eg:Lord Vishnu took the form of Boar (Varaha avatara) He carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe. This shows the greatness of God. Puranas give more information about God in one way. People normally get confused when they read it. God is so great that He can take any form He likes and still be powerful. The personal form of God is not limited is proved in the life-story of Lord Krishna. One day Yasoda saw Lord eating dirt. When she asked Krishna to open His mouth, she felt herself to be whirling in space, lost in time, for inside the baby mouth was seen the whole universe of moving and unmoving creation, the earth and its mountains and oceans, the moon and the stars, and all the planets and regions. The meaning is that God has control over the entire universe and he is holding everything with his power. When Lord Krishna fought with Kuaravas by becoming the driver of Arjuna’s (who is a devotee of God) vehicle it indicates that God is ready to help his devotees at any critical situations even as a driver. Lord Krishna gave directions to Arjuna and helped Arjuna to win over Kuaravas. It is because of Lord Krishna Arjuna won. Isn’t it great that if God becomes the PM of your nation (when God as Raamachandra ruled the India) and looks after the people like the father (in fact He is our real father)? It is told in Puranas God takes a personal form (without any loss of His divine powers) to have divine sport (to give blessing) with his devotees. So Puranas are advanced study on God.
Pāñcarātra are the Vaishnava Sanskrit texts dedicated to worship of Narayana and form part of the Agamas. According to this scripture, God manifests Himself in five-fold forms: Para, Vyūha, Vibhava, Antaryamin, and Archa. This is again the greatness of God. God can multiple himself although He is One. This is the advanced study on God’s power.In a work called Panchadasi, in its sixth chapter, the author gives an analogy of how you can conceive the five-fold forms: Think of a painted picture. In order to paint a picture, you require a cloth as its background. You cannot paint on ordinary porous cloth so you have to stiffen this cloth with starch in order that it may become a suitable background. A hard surface, practically, is necessary. First is the cloth only, as it is – pure, unadulterated. Then there is a stiffened form of that cloth. In the third stage the artist draws an outline in pencil of what he pictures the completed painting to be. In the last stage he fills it with ink and colour. This colourful vision, which is the complete picture, is the Virat. The outline is Hiranyagarbha. The stiffened cloth is Ishvara. The pure cloth is Brahman itself. This is one way of looking at the degrees in the vision of God with reference to the concept of vyuha, or degrees. Para is the transcendent Almighty, above all things. Vyuha is this gradational concept.
In this 5 fold-forms, the last one, Archa Manifestation is important now. The Pancharatra Samhitas recognize the archa manifestation of God. According to this, if you worship (love) God in a very very very ….intimate way thinking that you are garlanding him or adoring him with jewels, God will interact to that in a unique way. Here devotional feeling is more important than what you offer to the idol. This is also proved in stories of Puranas. So here you are completely focusing your mind on God by doing service of God. Isn’t it very deep and terrific? Suppose if you feel that God is NOT limited to idol, then you can think that the idol is a medium to focus on God.
Below is the Srila Prabhupada's explanation on Islam's impersonal idea of God:
In the Islamic religion, the form is rejected because as soon as we think of form, we think of this material form, just like a beautiful face of woman. That is degradation. Therefore, they are strict not to conceive material form. That is also of course Vedic conception. Apa.ii-padah javano grahita: "He has no legs and no hands." This means denying the form. But next the Vedas further say, javano grahita: "He can accept whatever you offer to Him." That means God has no material form, but He has form that not limited like material; otherwise, how can He accept? The great prophets have seen the transcendental form of God and they have drawn images or made sculptures or after seeing Him.
God has got body and it is spiritual. Spiritual in the sense it is of nature: sat-chit-ananda vigraha, which means it is full of eternal knowledge and bliss. This spiritual form is not limited and He pervades the entire material and spiritual universe and yet He remains as a person. That is the internal potency of the God. You have think that body is used to refer to the inherit characteristics.
God does not have personality would be limiting him. Then you would be saying that
we have something that God doesn’t have. That is very limiting. Then you would
say that God has no feelings, because feelings require personality, He has no
ability to have relationships, because relationships require personality, so you
would go on and on like this and ultimately conclude that God can not do anything,
and we are so much greater than God because we can do all these thingsÂ…. But you
would be very wrong of course. That is the conclusion. But we cannot see with our
present eyes. But you cannot deny the fact that God doesn't have the capacity to
let us see His spiritual form. That will deny the all-powerful aspect of God which
is accepted by all religions.
Below are some of the verses that prove that Islam does accept that God has a spiritual form:
The Holy Qur'an (75.22-23) states, "Some faces that day, will beam (in brightness and beauty), Looking towards their Lord."
The meaning of these ayats is that when righteous people come to Allah, they will be able to see their Lord and their faces will beam bright and be full of beauty at the bliss of seeing their Lord. Thus Allah is not an abstract power or energy, but the supreme living being who has His supreme form. For righteous people will be able to see Him on the Day of Judgment.
The author of Jowhara (p.107-112) says: "It is possible to see Allah in this world as well as in the next. In this world it has been granted to Muhammad only. In the future world however all believers will see Him; some say only His eyes, others say His whole face, others say every part of His body." (Klein F. A., The Religion of Islam. Delhi, 1987, p. 55)
Once Hazrat Ali was asked: "Did you see the Lord?"
Hazrat Ali replied: "I would not worship Allah if I have not seen Him!" (Qur'ana dair 101 sual, Baki, 1992, p. 13)
Once the Holy Prophet Muhammad said: "You should worship God as if you see Him. Because if you don't see Him, He surely sees you." (Ibid, 2.37)
"If one wants to see Allah, then Allah also wants to see him." (Mahammad Peygambar. Kalamlar, Baki, 1990, p. 34)
In conclusion, Abuhurairah said: "The Prophet said, 'When the angels go to the court of God, God asks them, (while knowing better than they) 'What do my servants say and do?' Then the angels said, 'They remember You with purity, greatness, praise, and respect.' And God said, 'Have they seen Me?' The angels replied, 'No, they have not seen You.' Then God said, 'What would their condition be if they had seen Me?' The angels replied, 'If they had seen You, they would be more strenuous in worshipping You, and in holding You mighty and glorious; and they would be more excessive in repeating Your immaculate attributes." (Mishcat-ul-Masabin, Calcutta, 1809, p. 535)
Here is the original science behind the idol worship as given in scriptures:
Before the idol worship starts, the worshiper invite’s God’s energy to reside in the idol during prana prathista (installing the life) ritual. The idol is transformed to divinity then. The worshiper does this by extracting the power or the luster of the divinity residing in his heart by means of inhalations and exhalations (ucchvasa and nishvasa which is part of Yoga which literally means merging the soul with Supersoul, the Almightly), and investing it upon the deity. God’s energy resides in everyone’s heart known as paramatma. In order to extract the energy of God the worshiper have to meditate on the God for a long time (without fluctuating the mind from God even for a milli-second) and worshiper is one who had been following the religious rules properly so that his heart will be pure always. Unless the worshipper establishes his identity with the worshipped, this rituals have no meaning.
At the same time, the worshiper draws the presence of the God’s energy into his own individual being (jiva). (All religions believe that God created the humans and gave life or vital energy to this body. The basic building blocks of this body is not exported by God. God used His own energy to give life to human body.) This process symbolizes invoking the divine residing in ones heart, extracting it (bahir agatya) and transferring it with ease (sukham thistathu) in to the idol in front (asmin bimbe).The transferred lustre stays in the deity until the worship is formally concluded. The Agama texts prescribe, “God is not to be worshipped by one who has himself not having divine qualities” (nadevo bhutva devam pujayet). It is only after the God is thus properly invoked (Avahita), established (stapitha) the idol worship has a meaning.
After the formal worship is completed, the deity is given farewell (visarjana). This ritual signifies withdrawal of the divine presence (temporarily lodged in the icon) and taking it back into worshipper’s heart (which is its permanent residence). The mantras recited in this context say “ Come , oh God (or God’s power) residing in the icon come back into my heart-lotus” (Ehi ehi, prathima sthitha purushottama , mama hrutkamale); “Reside in my heart , O Lord of the worlds , along with your glory” (hrudaya kuru samvasam sriya saha jagatpate). This indicates that God is one controlling everything in this universe. Even our heart is controlled by God.
It is told that the body that the God takes will be having the following characteristics: sat-chit-ananda (absolute existence, absolute knowledge and absolute bliss). It is mentioned that God “takes form” as a man is mentioned in Genesis 18:1-2. “With him (Moses) I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD”. So the conclusion is that even though God doesn’t have body, He takes a personal form to have intimate relationship with his devotees. If God doesn’t take a personal form (not that He would become limited), how can there will be very very very very… close relationship between the human and God so that the humans can exchange the devotional love just like with his father or mother of this world. If you say that God cannot take a personal form and come down to earth that means that you are limiting God to sit in heaven and He cannot have the capacity to come down. There is one verse in Srimad Bhagavatha which says that those who are low class people sees God only in the idol which reacts to the devotee’s feeling in the disguise form and the high class people sees God everywhere( because everything in this world is nothing but the expansion of God’s energy). The impersonal form of God is the energy that is all-pervading and there is separate personal form of God just like the ray, although it radiates from the sun and is part and parcel of the sun, is not the sun.
So the conclusion is that even though God doesn’t have body, he takes a personal form to have intimate relationship with his devotees. If God doesn’t have a personal form like human, how can there be compatibility between the human and God for the humans to exchange the devotional love? This also means that God is limited and He cannot take a personal form to interact with his devotees.When Quaran tells that God has created the Jannat out of bricks of Gold and Silver and if it is not possible to even touch or interact with God, it will be a boring place I think. If you see the Hindu temples, they are built with Gold and Silver to mimic the Jannat on this earth. Since Hindu customs have more intimacy with God, idol worship look like a child’s play for a person of different religion.
There is one verse in Srimad Bhagavatha which says that those who are low class people sees God only in the idol which reacts to the devotee’s feeling in the disguise form and the high class people sees God everywhere( because everything in this world is nothing but the expansion of God’s energy). The impersonal form of God is the energy that is all-pervading and there is separate personal form of God just like the ray, although it radiates from the sun and is part and parcel of the sun, is not the sun.
The idol form of worshiping the God is called intimate form of worshiping the God. Hindu religion loves to have intimate relationship with Lord. Idol is actually an interface to communicate with God’s energy. When any pujari do any puja, they do aavaahanam (invites the the Lord to reside in that idol and interact through it). Once we invite the great Lord, the worshiper treats Him like a VIP. After the hospitality, we ask the God to solve the problems of our life or praise Him at the same time. This is a systematic way of worshiping God. Here, the worshiper is directly not begging God to solve his problems. If a VIP like politician comes to a poor house, doesn't the poor man first provide hospitality which includes receiving him with a warm welcome reception, then provide him a seat, etc and then tell him what his problems are? The worshiper offer everything that makes His stay comfortable – paaniiyam (give water to drink), aasanam (seating), aarghyam, vastram and naivedyam, madhye madhye. After the puuja is over visargam – saying bye bye. If we do all this when we invite to some chief politician coming to the town, with how much care and devotion one has to do when we invite the Lord of the entire universe. You might say that God doesn't feel thirsty so there is meaning to offering water. Note that all these are done with love. Do you give gift to a beloved person just because he doesn't have it? It is gifted out of love. Similarly, offering to God is done as a sign of sacrifice with devotion.
If God doesn’t take a personal form, then how can God have intimate relationship with his devotees? Although there are many ways of communication now (radio signals, electric signal, etc ) even now we consider the face to face (or person to person) relationship to be the best way to communicate or reciprocate the feelings.
There are many incidents that has happened in the history where the god’s idol has reacted to devotee’s devotion. If you read the story of Kanakadasa you will see once he wanted to enter the temple of Krishna but he was not allowed into the temple by orthodox Brahmins. Kanakadasa then started singing praise of Lord Krishna and was lost to the outside world in a corner outside the temple. Suddenly there was a breach in the wall, where Kanaka stood, and Lord Krishna’s idol turned in the reverse direction and offered full darshan (encounter) to Kanakadasa. Brahmins then started praising Kanakadasa. This cannot be a mythology. Becuase Kanakadasa belongs to oppressed sections of the society. How can this be spread at the time when casteism was unchecked? Even now the idol is turned in the opposite direction. You can go to the Udupi temple in karnataka and see it. There is one more incident that happened in Shri Mukhyaprana Temple situated at what used to be known as the Kodibettu Agrahara in Addur village, Managalore Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District. The idol was installed by Shri Madhvacharya. Shri Mukhyaprana(Hanuman) idol was located in a place where majority of the muslims live. The idol was surrounded by houses which belong to muslims. Once upon a time a muslim, who doesn’t believe in idol worship came to remove the Shri Mukhyaprana idol from its place. Since Lord Mukhyaprana became angry with this, the person immediately became mad. This is well known by the villagers and muslims still have fear over the idol. There are many such incidents that has happended in the history to muslims especially the kings who had ruled the India and the idols have reacted to in a unque way.
The sacred shrine of Islam, the Kaaba (or Caaba), is a small stone building that contains the Black Stone, which Muslims believe that the sacred shrine of Islam sent from heaven by Allah (God). Hence, it is consider sacred. Similarly, Zam Zam water has miraculous power because it is generated by Allah. So the conclusion is that a material thing gets a divine status when it is touched by God or when God’s energy is entered into it. There are infact many idols in India which do not have particular form (of a man or woman) and it looks like a raw stone but they are still considered sacred. This is because of the divinity in it.
I have tried to clarify the correct meaning of each verse given below which is used to say that Puranas are against the Vedas:
“Of Him there are neither parents nor
> lord.”
A) That is what most Puranas also tell but in a different way. Lord Shiva/Narayana/Vishnu/Krishna doesn’t have parents and he is Supreme of all. From Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma came first and He is the chief of the demigods. All the remaining devatas (demigods) came from Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma is the secondary creator of this world and He creates under the supervision of Lord Vishnu/Shiva. So Lord Shiva/Narayana/Vishnu/Krishna is independent. Brahma is the designation of the demigod who is incharge of creation as well as one of the names of the God (literally means that which is big). Brahma is the position that changes. Next Brahma is Hanuman as told in Puranas because of his superb devotional service of God. Guru Madhwacharya (one of the authentic prophets) tells that different names of the demigods like Indra, Vayu, etc are actually names of Lord Vishnu (can also think of Shiva because in Bhagavatha Krishna tells that I am Shiva among Rudras) and He has distributed his titles to his devotees. They are the designations of the God and it is given to demigods. Different names of God is due to different qualities of God. Even Indra is the devotee of God if you read the Puranas properly. Sometimes Puranas refer Indra as actually God and sometimes it refer to Indra as one who is incharge of that position under the supervision of God. In the tenth chapter of the Bhagavadgita it is said that wherever there is the glory of excellence you must feel the presence of God. It may be a mighty mathematical brain, the mighty brain of a physicist, the mighty mind of an artist, the mighty mind of a musician – anything that is superb, beyond concept and expectation. Even if it comes in the form of a tornado which you cannot imagine in your mind, there is some unearthly power operating behind it. So God is great not just because He is simply great but He makes others great like him/her. That is He gives His position but still remains greatest of all. Please read faq on mahabharatha/ramayana for more info.
> “na tasya pratima asti
>
> “There is no image of Him.”
>
> [Yajurveda 32:3]5
A) This verse doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a form. Pratima doesn’t mean image. It mean equal. Vigraha is the correct word for image and it means that which attracts in a special way.
> “Ekam evadvitiyam”
>
> “He is One only without a second.”
A) This is also true. Manu Smriti the one of the oldest hindu book tells that this universe existed in the shape of Darkness, unperceived, destitute of distinctive marks, unattainable by reasoning, unknowable, wholly immersed, as it were, in deep sleep. Then God desiring to produce beings of many kinds from his own body (His energy), first with a thought created the waters, and placed his seed in them. The water is called narah. As water is His first residence (ayana), God thence is named Narayana. Nara also mean all living beings and non-living beings. Maha-Vishnu or Vishnu is the first incarnation of the God in the process of creating the material worlds. From Him springs forth the vast expanse of water known as the spiritual Causal Ocean wherein the material creation takes place. He is the Lord who eternally watches over this universe, who exists before, during and after its manifestation. That is why Maha-Vishnu or Narayana is often depicted as lying on a vast ocean on which first seed is created.
However, Upanishads which do speak of Brahman being the only cause of the universe also further tells that He (Brahman ) wished, ‘let me be many, let me be born’ at the time of creation. There is also a verse in Vishnu samhite: “Although God is only one, He/She will appear as many due to his maya shakti(energy)”. This means jivas/devatas and material world are nothing but energies of Lord Vishnu. However, Lord Vishnu/Shiva has given them the power to act on its own. This doesn’t mean jivas/devatas and material world can overpower Lord Vishnu.
God is so complex concept that some times the Vedas explain Him in a contradictory way. You may be confused how to believe that God is one as well as many. There are 2 ways (theories made by great acharyas (prophets) after reading all the valid Vedic texts) in which you can understand it: adwaitha and dwaitha. Adwaitha tells that since God was the only one who existed before creation, whatever that you see now (after creation) is nothing but the expansion of that same power. Scientifically it is true also. We have learned in our school, that energy (even our spirit) can neither be created nor be destroyed. Keeping this in mind if we say that we are born on so and so day we cannot take our body as something that is created. Whatever Elements (Earth, water, fire, air and ether that is there in our body) from which the body is made is the manifestation of the Elements that was there in the universe. Hence, it is right to say that we have just got a particular body on our birth day. If we take a larger view of this idea, there is nothing new that is created during creation of this universe. The elements (energies) that was existing before (not created at any point of time) has only emerged from God during creation (just like when you boot a computer all the file systems will be mounted and the computer will start). In general if you see, nothing gets created from nothing. So something that is existing before has to be used to create a new thing. A pot has to created only if mud has to be existing. Since God was self-existing before creation, the world you see, the human beings, animals, angels, etc are all nothing but part and parcel of God (or God’s energy).
But dwaitha goes one step further and tells that even though living beings are God’s energy which has expanded from Him, He does have a unique identity and He is independent. “Hari Sarvothama Vaayu Jeevothama” is motto of this theorm. According to this philosophy, the Supreme Being is Vishnu or Narayana. Dvaita is employed to indicate the difference between God’s infinite perfection and the living being’s finiteness. There are also theorms like vishishta advaita, dvaita advaita, acintya bheda bheda tattva, etc which also says that Lord Vishnu (or Lord Krishna) is supreme one.
> “Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati
> kas canainam.”
>
>
>
> “His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the
> eye.”
A) When Svetasvatara Upanishad says “His form is not an object of vision; no one beholds Him with the eyes” that means we cannot see God in this material body with the bare eyes or with impure heart. This is confirmed in the Mahabharatha. Before Lord Krishna showed his universal form He first bestowed special eyesight (power) upon Arjuna to see that. So God himself has the power to present his power in a visible form. Even though many soldiers, kings, etc were there besides Lord Krishna they couldn’t see his universal form because they were not bestowed the power to see. The Cosmic Form of God is just like showing the movement of electric current. It cannot be seen surely but it can be presented on a device like indicator. Cosmic form emcompassed all possible matter in the Universe.
>
> “shudhama poapvidham”
>
> “He is bodyless and pure.”
>
> [Yajurveda 40:8]6
A) Here body means material body. But God takes a divine transcendental body to give blessings to us and interact with us. Pañcaratra tells that God manifests Himself in five-fold forms: Para, Vyūha, Vibhava, Antaryamin, and Archa. These five aspects are how the absolute Parabrahman, or Supreme, is how the living beings can interact with the divine. It is such a process of emanation in which the Supreme Being remains unaffected and unchanged in all the five-fold manifestations. Pāñcarātra describes all these in much detail. Pancaratra is as good as Veda, because it was spoken by the Lord Vishnu Himself to Brahma when Brahma inquired how the Lord should be worshiped. On hearing Brahma there are 2 meaning: one is the name of the actual one and only God and another is the qualified soul (who has done devotional service of God for several years) who is entitled for brahma padavi. There are many padavis (Indra Padavi, Vayu Padavi, etc) and they will keep changing after several celestrial years. In this book, Brahman who is referred here is the secondary creator.
The transcendental body of God is untouched by all impurities of the universe. It is unchanging, knowledge-self, infinite, blissful, and absolute pure nature. The Para form is described as the first immanent manifestation of the Supreme Being in Vaikunta loka. Please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pa%C3%B1caratra for more information.
Lord Vishnu represents sattva-guna, or the mode of goodness by which everything is sustained. It is this sattva nature which gives the living beings the tendency to grow toward a higher truth, the light, a more cohesive and intense reality. In this sense, Lord Vishnu is also called Hari, or one who removes the darkness of illusion.
In Quran there is mention of beautiful gardens and buildings in Jannah. When God has given so many beatiful forms to his abode, why cannot God take a transcendental form (without loss of his divine power) to have intimate relationship with his devotees? There are many similarities in the description of Jannah and Vaikunta. Sri Vaikunta is eternal and everlasting just like Jannah and is the ultimate goal for every individual. Depending upon the calibre of the liberated soul, one gets to live with God or God’s kingdom. Here are the different types:
1) Salokya – is attaining the world, which is one of the Lord’s; but is not exactly Sri Vaikunta; but the nearby worlds;
2) Sarupya – is the attainment of a form, resembling the Lord’s. This is obtained, as a result of constant meditation on one of the forms, like Rama or Krishna. For example, by constant meditation of Rama, the jivatma may attain a form resembling Rama. This is called Sarupya. However, this doesn’t mean God will be less powerful. This shows that God is so kind that he is ready to give his own
3) Samipya – is attainment of a place, near Sri Vaikunta but not Sri Vaikunta itself.
4) Sayujya – is actual attainment of Sri Vaikunta.
Sayujya alone is the real moksha (liberation from worldy life). The other three, namely salokya, sarupya and samipya are very close to Sayujya.
>
> “Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”
>
> “They enter darkness, those who worship
> the natural elements” (Air, Water, Fire, etc.).
> “They sink
>
>
>
> deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti.”
>
> [Yajurveda 40:9]7
>
Sambhu--actually "S" should be pronounced like "Z"--or "Sca"--there is no English alphabet to denote this letter.---Zambhu=benevolent--helpful--Lo… Siva--AZambhuthi=one who is NOt benevolent--who is Not helpful---a person who worships an Azmbhuthi" is naturally an "Andhaatma"=an intellectually blind person will enter into a dark world.. Sambhuti does NOT mean "table, chair, etc.
If you take the meaning as created things also, this verse looks confusing and the translation seem to be not compatible with the Vedas on a whole. Vedas recommend worship of the energy that is controlling the nature and you cannot differentiate it with God Himself. When you find any confusing verse you have to read all the remaining verses and then understand it. Here sambhuti can be “Sharira” ie body . So the line means “They enter darkness , who worship body(as God)”. That is, people who think that this very body is for enjoyment enter eternal darkness. This line cane be used to refute people who advocate charvaaka siddhanta. In addition, there is no single acharya (prophets) who has said that idol worship is invalid. Please read their commentaries to further understand it.
Vedanta comprises the purport of the Upanishads which contain knowledge of both the personal and impersonal aspects of the Absolute, which commentary on the Vedanta-sutras you read can make a big difference. Some commentaries sway toward the impersonal understanding of the Absolute, while other commentaries sway toward the personal realizations. Obviously, to reach a mature understanding in this regard, we need to comprehend both of these viewpoints. In fact, it is stated that unless one understands all the features of the Absolute Truth, namely, the impersonal Brahman, the localized Paramatma or Supersoul, and ultimately the Supreme Personality of God, Bhagavan or Krishna, one’s knowledge is imperfect. After studying the previous portions of the Vedic literature, such as the four Vedas and the Upanishads, only when we arrive at this Brahma-sutra of Srila Vyasadeva do we find an emphasis on doing bhakti-yoga, or devotional activities, for realizing God.
When the Upanishads describe the Absolute as being unembodied, without veins, yet runs swifter than the mind, or as being able to walk yet does not walk, or as being within everything and yet outside of everything, how can we know what to think? Does the Absolute have any qualities that we can comprehend?
These kinds of descriptions in the Upanishads are called indirect or contrary descriptions. These are used to indicate the spiritual nature of the Lord’s qualities, meaning that He is not material nor confined to the rules of the material creation. An example of this is found in the Svetashvatara Upanishad, Chapter Three, which explains: The Supreme Lord does not have material hands and feet yet He is able to receive anything and go everywhere. He does not possess material eyes and yet He sees past, present and future. He does not have material ears and yet He hears. He is the knower of everything, omniscient, but Him no one can know. The self-realised and enlightened souls know Him as the Primeval Lord and Supreme Being.
The Svetashvatara Upanishad offers more of these kinds of descriptions, such as “He is having His faces, heads and necks everywhere, yet He dwells in the cavity of the heart of all beings. He is omnipresent. Being the Supreme Godhead, He is present everywhere encompassing all that exists and He is benevolent. (3.11) With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads and mouths everywhere, with ears everywhere, He stands encompassing all.” (3.16)
So the point is that the Absolute has spiritual legs to run or walk with and spiritual senses that are not limited like material senses. One verse that clearly explains this is the following: “The Supreme Reality is far beyond this universe. He possesses no ephemeral form but He is sat-cit-ananda, the embodiment of complete eternal and spiritual bliss. He is free from any ill. He is beyond the illusive world. He is full of all-auspicious divine glories. Those who realise Him as such and render unalloyed devotion to Him become immortal, but others (who remain ignorant of Him) have to undergo suffering through transmigration in the realm of maya (illusions).” (Svetashatara Upanishad 3.10)
Therefore, though the Upanishads generally refer to the Absolute in an impersonal way, they also begin to establish that the Supreme Reality has form, or, in other words, is a person and that there is a Divine Abode, although, the details of it are not always clearly provided therein. So as we go through the Vedic texts, we get clearer and clearer views of the nature of the Supreme Being.
The Isa Upanishad in particular indicates that the Supreme Absolute is both impersonal and personal. Other Upanishads describe the Absolute as, “He who created the worlds,” or, “Who is luminous like the sun,” “beyond darkness,” “the eternal among eternals,” etc. In fact, the basic method used in most Upanishads, as explained in the Hayasirsa Pancharatra, is to first present the Absolute Reality in an impersonal way and then present the personal aspects.
There have been many commentaries written on the Vedanta-sutras by great acharyas as Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Vallabha, Madhva, and so on and all of them didn’t say that the idol worship or many-god worship is not supported in Vedas. These Acharyas are not ordinary beings. They are prophets sent by God. It is verified in Garga Samhita: Visnuswami, Madhvacarya, Ramanuja and Nimbaditya will appear respectively as a portion of Vamana, Brahma (most beleive madhvacharya is the incarnation of Vayu), Ananta Sesha and Sanaka Kumara. They are divine beings who have intimate relationship with God and took birth as human to clarify the confusions present in the Vedas. God is both personal as well as impersonal. God is in fact a very complex concept and that is why there are many viewpoints/religions. In Hindu religion there is complete understanding of God. That is why there is so much confusion or difficult in understanding God.
The RG Veda MANTRAS(hymns) are the oldest and most philosophical of the Vedas. Please read the following verses from Rigveda which speak about the personal aspect of God:
Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana called Trivikrama in the Puranas.) The Sanskrit for “to stride” is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect tense is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = “he who has made 3 strides”. The Sanskrit word chakra also means “wheel”.
Rig Veda (7.99.1-7 and 7.100.1-7)
10.082.06: The waters verily first retained the embryo in which all the gods were aggregated, single deposited on the navel of the unborn (creator), in which all beings abide. The reference to the navel of the unborn is an indication of reference to Vishnu. This is explained further in Puranas.
I
In the Rigveda, Shakala shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 : "Agnir vai devānām avamo Viṣṇuḥ paramas, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā" declares that Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the oldest God. In the Brahmanas, the supremacy of Lord Vishnu is clearly announced. Here He is repeatedly addressed as "Yajnapati" or the one whom all the sacrifices are meant to please. Even if the sacrifices are offered to the demigods, Lord Vishnu is the one who accepts the sacrifice and allots the respective fruits to the performer.
In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ |, i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth ; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place ; for he represents (in the Rigveda) the sun in its daily and yearly course. The words 'avama' and 'parama' is to be understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To prove this meaning to be the true one, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devatanam samgathanam uttamo Vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last. In the Kausitaki-Brahmana (7, 1) Agni is called avarardhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardhya(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves).The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu.
The upanishads,right from Gopal tapani upanishad to the Brhad ranya upanishad state His Godhood.The Katha-upanishad, describes Vishnu in supremacy -
He who has no understanding, who is unmindful and always impure, never reaches that place, but enters into the round of births. But he who has understanding, who is mindful and always pure, reaches indeed that place, from whence he is not born again. But he who has understanding for his charioteer (intellect), and who holds the reins of the mind, he reaches the end of his journey, and that is the highest place of Vishnu.
There are hymns addressed to the different Gods of Heaven, Earth & Sky, the chief deities such as:
¨ INDRA – the God of war & thunderstorms
¨ AGNI – the God of Fire
¨ SOMA – Lord of the Ritual Sacrifice
¨ YAMA – Lord of the Dead & Underworld
¨ APAS – Lord of the Waters
¨ VAYU – Lord of the Wind
¨ SAVITR/SURYA – Lord of the Sun
¨ VARUNA – Saviour deity power to forgive
3) How can Krishna be considered God when he was born in the womb of Yashoda?
When God takes a form, He selects his mother (a devotee who is very dear to him) on his own wish. He is not subject to the conditions of material existence. On the contrary, the living beings cannot select the body (they can take birth in the womb of an animal, bird, etc) he gets when he is born. God has appeared as the fish incarnation, the horse incarnation, the tortoise incarnation, the swan incarnation, as King Ramacandra, as Parasurama, and as many other incarnations to have leela (divine play) with his devotees. It is told in scriptures God takes a personal form (without any loss of His divine powers) to have divine sport (to give blessing) with his devotees although God doesn’t have material body like us. This is proved in the life-story of Lord Krishna. One day Yasoda saw Lord eating dirt. When she asked Krishna to open His mouth, she felt herself to be whirling in space, lost in time, for inside the baby mouth was seen the whole universe of moving and unmoving creation, the earth and its mountains and oceans, the moon and the stars, and all the planets and regions. The impersonal meaning of this feat is that God has control over the entire universe and he is holding everything with his power. VedaVyasa who has written Vedas conclude that: “He whom the Vedantins (followers of the Vedas) speak of as Brahman, whom the yogis consider the Atman ( individual soul), and whom devotees call Bhagavan, that Supreme One was born as Yashoda’s son”.
Similarly, once there was a heavy rain in Vrindavana. Lord Krishna lifted a huge Govardhana Hill with His left hand, just as a child picks up a mushroom, and held it up like an umbrella. All the inhabitants of Vrindavana remained safe under the hill.
Also once when the Pandavas were in exile in the forest, Durvasa sage and his disciples arrived to their cottage. Yudhishtra was helpless to feed the Durvasa sage and his disciples. There was no food left to serve him, since Draupadi had already finished eating. The Pandavas became anxious as to what they would feed such a venerable sage. While Durvasa sage and his disciples were away at the banks of the river bathing, Draupadi prayed to Lord Krishna for help. As always, they were once again saved by Him, who partook of a single grain of rice from the Akshaya Patra and announced that He was satisfied by the meal. This satiated the hunger of Durvasa and all his disciples too very surprisingly, as the satisfaction of Lord Krishna meant the satiation of the hunger of the whole Universe. All these feats are not at all possible for a human being even though he knows any skills. For more clarification on other past times of Lord Krishna please read the section ‘FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION ON RAMAYA/MAHABHARATHA’.
4) Why Hindus worship so many Gods?
When Lord Krishna showed his universal form (vishwa roopa) Arjuna saluted the Lord repeatedly. All the gods (Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh, Lord Brahma and many more) found their source in Lord Krishna. Different energies of God manifest in different forms and playing many roles in this universe. The different energies of God are mysterious and incomprehensible. Arjuna found one-ness in different energies of God. Apart from different energies of God, there are demigods or angels who have been elevated from human life.
When Lord Krishna reveals His vibhut.i or his divine personal opulence (the richness of God’s power) in Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, He tells that among the 11 Rudras the vibhuti or divine, transcendental opulence of the Supreme Lord Krishna is Shiva. Although Shiva is worshipped as a seperate God here Lord Krishna justifies that there is no difference between them. Among the demigods His vibhuti is Indra, the celestial chief of all the demigods. Of priests Lord Krishna’s vibhuti divine, transcendental opulence is Brihaspati the priest of all the demigods, of generals His vibhuti is Skanda the commander of the demigods and who is also known as Kartikeya the son of Shiva. Lord Krishna also tells that whatever oppulence (even the superhuman intelligence or super memory power that you see in some persons) that are there in this world are all due to Me. Hence, it is concluded from Lord Krishna is supreme God.
Lord Krshina is considered to be complete incarnation of God. God has taken many incarnations or roles. Incarnations are generally classified as two kinds:
1) Direct
2) indirect
When the Lord Himself expands displaying a particular power of His opulences He is known as Sakshat (direct incarnation). When He empowers a living entity with some particular sakti – power, for some specific activity, to represent Him , that living entity is called indirect or avesha incarnation.
Exclusive love for God is expressed through various ways. According to bhagavatha, there are five kinds of emotions in devotion to God.
1) Shanta Bhava:
A devotee in shanta bhava cultivates a peaceful state of mind, seeing and experiencing God as supreme peace (shanti) which most of the devotees do. Such a devotee will generally tend to be rather quiet and unobtrusive in expressing his or her devotion
2) Dasya bhava:
It is a feeling that I am a servant to lord. A famous dasya bhakta is Hanuman, who loved Sri Rama with the attitude of a humble servant. Lord Hanuman is considered to be incarnation of wind demi-god. Ramayana is not mythology. It happened in a different age where the environment and technology was different.
3) Sakhya Bhava:
A sakhya bhakta addresses God as one’s best and most intimate friend. In this attitude, the devotee is almost on equal terms with the God.
Cowherd friends of Krsna were in the mood of sakhya-bhava. Gopikas and Gopaalas, in their previous birth, were sages in Kritha Yuga (One of the four ages). They were able to get only the darshana (able to see God) of the Lord Vishnu in krita yuga. In Thretha Yuga they were born as monkeys (vanara sena of Hanuman) and were able to enjoy the darshana of the Lord in Rama avatara as well as Sambhashanam (talk). In the Dhwaapara Yuga they were born as Gopikas and Gopaalas to enjoy darshan(seeing), Sambhashan(talking) and Sparshan(touch) with Lord.
Krishna plays the flute which has 9 holes and it’s hollow. Melody emanates when one breathes through the hollow reed. Human body is verily a nine holed instrument and if it is rendered hollow devoid of all bad qualities then the Lord will make one His Divine instrument of Music. The greatest command of Lord Krishna was “Be my instrument”.
4) Vatsalya Bhava:
It is a feeling that Lord is a child and I am lord’s parental guardian. Vatsalya bhava can be found in Mother Yashoda’s fondness towards Krishna. Despite experiencing numerous instances of Krishna’s divine power, Yasoda couldn’t help but feel that Krishna was hers, her sweet child rather than a divine embodiment to be seen with awe and reverence.
Yashoda and Vasudeva, were the most pious devotees of Lord Vishnu. They had worshipped Vishnu with such devotion that Mahavishnu Himself appeared before them for granting boon. In their over enthusiasm they asked thrice “We need a son equivalent to you”. Mahavishnu told them that He Himself will be born as their son in three different births and Krishna is one such birth.
5) Madhura Bhava:
It is the mood that Lord is my beloved. Madhurya Bhava is absolutely different from conjugality of earthly experience. Most of the time, earthly conjugality is purely selfish and is undertaken only because it gives pleasure to one’s own self. Madhurya bhakti is considered to be supreme way of loving the God.
5) What is wrong with eating non-vegetarians when plants also have life?
There is currently no reason to believe that plants experience pain because they are devoid of central nervous systems, nerve endings, and brains. It is theorized that animals are able to feel pain so that they can use it for self-protection purposes. For example, if you touch something hot and feel pain, you will learn from the pain that you should not touch that item in the future. Since plants cannot move from place to place and do not need to learn to avoid certain things, this sensation would be superfluous. From a physiological standpoint, plants are completely different from animals. Unlike animals’ body parts, many perennial plants, fruits, and vegetables can be harvested over and over again without dying.
It is true that plants also have “life” and killing plants is also sin. So the ideal way to observe total non-violence is to follow “Shiloncha Vraththi”. That is to take only those fruits which have naturally fallen from the trees or plants. In this way we are doing harm to no one. By eating a fruit you are not killing the tree but when you eat a chicken’s leg, the hen should be killed. But everyone can not follow that vow. We have to take food in order to survive and sustain this body. It is a necessity of survival. Of course, everyone has to depend on nature which is providing food to us. But we need to take that path which is less sinful and does less harm to other jivas (living entities). The conclusion is that we have to depend least on nature and do our sadana (achievement) in this planet. Do you consider a man who is depending on government facilities heavily as a good person?
If you are concerned about the impact of vegetable agriculture on the environment, you should know that a vegetarian diet is better for the environment than a meat-based one, since the vast majority of grains and legumes raised today are used as feed for cattle. Rather than eating animals, such as cows, who must consume 16 pounds of vegetation in order to convert them into 1 pound of flesh, you can save many more plants’ lives (and destroy less land) by eating vegetables directly.
For more information on how to to Win an Argument with a Meat Eater check:
http://www.ethicalvegetarian.com/arguments.html
http://agniveer.com/no-beef-in-vedas/
http://www.islamveg.com/halalmeat.asp
6) If everyone switches to vegetables and grains, will there be enough to eat?
Yes. We feed so much grain to animals in order to fatten them up for consumption that if we all became vegetarians, we could produce enough food to feed the entire world. In the U.S., animals are fed more than 80 percent of the corn we grow and more than 95 percent of the oats. The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people—more than the entire human population on Earth.
There are diffent type of food one takes:
1) Foods which are sweet and nourishing, pleasing to look at, are liked by people, in whom the sattvika quality (mode of goodness) is predominant.
2) Foods which are bitter or sour, excessively hot and producing a burning sensation in the stomach, are liked by those, who have the rajasa quality (mode of passion) predominantly.
3) Food, which has deteriorated due to lapse of time, rotten, foul-smelling; and left over of food earlier consumed by impure persons; is liked by those in whom the tamasa quality is predominant. Also, the food which has not been offered to God,is liked by the tamasic people (mode of ignorance).
One reason most people eat non-vegetarian food becuase they cannot control their tongue’s passion. Tongue (in fact it is the mind) is also one organ which if you do not control it will control you and put you away from God. There are many people who cannot live one day without eating non-veg. Non-vegetarian food also produces bad odour. However, many vegetarian food produces good and scented odor. Do you feel good when you walk across a fruit market or chicken farms or fish market? The non-veg food is eventaully made edible by vegetarian food (by cooking with it). So vegetarian food is pure and it has its own relevance.
7) Bhagavath-gita tells that those who worship demigods are not inteligent. Then why do hindus still worship demigods?
Below is the great guru, Kesava Kasmiri’s Commentary on this verse:
“The question may arise that since the demigods fall back into samsara the cycle of birth and death then why did Lord Krishna advocate the worship of the demigods as He did in earlier in chapter 3, verses 10 and 11. In this regard it should be clarified that Lord Krishna did not state that worship of the demigods has no value at all but that worship of the demigods has no permanent value as the demigods (but not all so called demigods I think) themselves are not eternal. But it should be understood that one receives the merit and reward in accordance to what their object of worship is qualified to bestow. The adorers and worshippers of the Supreme Lord have a preponderance of sattva guna the mode of goodness. The propitiators of ceremonies for the ancestors have a preponderance of raja guna or the mode of passion and the ritualistic panderers of the demons, ghosts and spirits have a preponderance of tama guna or the mode of ignorance.
I can give you one example to understand why there are 3 categories of worship. Just like the government treats 3 kinds of people when passing the law, the 3 type of worship is present. There is a law that bike riders are required to wear the helmet. In order to make the people who are in the mode of ignorant to follow this rule, the government will create a fear that it will put penalty or fine. To those who are in the mode of passion government encourage them to wear helmet by introducing some material benefits like gifts. For those who are in the mode of goodness, government will only educate about the law. So I think these 3 categories of worship are like stepping stone for the jiva (in more than one births) to fully purify himself and realize that Lord Krishna is supreme. It is better for the people to worship demigod/demigoddess than being completely materialistic because the demigods/demigoddesses are using the energies of the Lord. The demigod would eventually guide one to worship the Lord Vishnu.
Below is great guru Madhvacarya’s commentary:
“Superior by far to the worshippers of the demigods for desired results as found in the karma kanda or rituals for fruitive reward section of the Vedas are the Vaisnavas the exclusive devotees of the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations or expansions. The Vaisnavas are infused with bhakti or loving devotional service for the Supreme Lord and are without any desires for anything that is not directly associated with Him. The worship of Brahma or Shiva or the demigods is also worship of the Supreme Lord as it is He who they are worshipping but it is indirect. Also to perform Ashwemdha or other such Vedic rituals for desire of rewards is also worship of the Supreme Lord as it is He who sanctions such rewards but it is not direct as well. The Agni Purana states: That the spiritually intelligent verily regard the demigods who are the directors and managers of different aspects of creation as Vaisnavas and that is their service to the Supreme Lord. It should be noted that upasana or meditation on the attributes of the Supreme Lord as paramatma the Supreme Soul within the etheric heart of all sentient beings as well as meditation on His qualities and lilas or divine pastimes is in and of itself the Supreme State”
7) Even Upanishads speak of rituals related to anya devathas (other gods). Then why we should not do it?
The Upanishads never speak of rituals related to anya devathas because their aim is only to teach us about the swaroopa-roopa-guna-vibhuthi-iswaryam of Brahman Shreeman Narayana: who is Para-devatha. The Veda’s pUrva-Bhaaga speaks of various rituals related to various devathas. But he who studies the Vedanta (literally means end of Veda and they are Upanishad) realizes that even those rituals are in fact means to worship only Shreeman Narayana: because the antaryAmi of all devatas is only Sriman Narayana: and the demi-gods are only agents in giving the results. Only Sriman Narayana: gives the result in all the rituals. But he who does the rituals as mere worship of anya-devatas without the knowledge of Sriman Narayana: and satvika-tyaga, never gets elevated to aspire for liberation. The anya-devata worshiper only experiences the evil-samsara. It is a sin of highest order to even think that Sriman Narayana: is equal to any anya-devata. Sriman Narayana: is unparalleled and unsurpassed supreme self. The Veda has clearly established that the one and only God is Purushoththama: Sriman Narayana.
Why we should avoid eating garlic and onions when these vegetables are supposed to have medicinal properties as given in Ayurveda? Garlic, Onion etc., are not to be eaten because such things have the capacity to stimulate rajasa-taamasa attributes. A person who aspires for Saatvika nature must reject these things. But for medicine, if prescribed by doctor, then these things can be taken as per the doctor’s prescription only for the cure of the disease. Puranas say that The conclusion is health of the mind/soul is important than just body.
The origin of garlic as recalled in an Indian legend: The King of the Asuras, Rahu, stole the amrutha (elixir of life) from Lord Vishnu and drank it. Vishnu’s immediately cut Rahu’s head off. The blood that was spilled from the Rahu became garlics in this world. Since Rahu had drank the amrutha the garlic had also medical properties. However, Rahu doesn’t loves Lord Vishnu so it is avoided by brahmanas.
(9) Why most hindus worship Ganesha?
Ganesa is considered the lord of beginnings. Ganesa is often seen as the creator and remover of obstacles, as the guardian at entrances and as a spiritually potent figure who can avert all evil influences. In popular Hindu lore he is thus the god to be worshiped first, before all religious ceremonies, public and private. Things tend to start off with Ganesa and this is reflected even in common idiomatic phrases. Brahma-samhita (5.50) explains that Ganesa is Kirshna’s devotee. The success achieved by worshiping Ganesa depends on Lord Krsna and therefore such worship should ultimately be directed to Krsna. “For the power to destroy all obstacles to progress in the three mundane worlds, Ganesa holds on his elephant head the lotus feet of Govinda. I worship Govinda, Krsna, the primeval Lord.” It is also said that Ganesa worships the lotus feet of Lord Narasimhadeva and in that way has become auspicious for the devotees in clearing out all impediments. Lord Narasimhadeva, the avataara is also considered the destroy all obstacles and evil influences of planets (reactions of past karamas).
The Vedas describe the guru as “sarva-devamayo guru”. That all devas are within the spiritual master. By worshiping and respecting guru one respects the SPoG and also all devas. Also by worshiping spiritual master one removes obstacles in the path of devotional service (which is why one worships Ganesa). Therefore most Vaisnavas worship guru initially to remove all obstacles rather than worship Ganesa. I also heard Srila Prabhupada say to chant the Om ajnana mantra to remove offenses and that Ganesa worship was included in the guru worship. I hope that this is clear now.
I have been told by authorities on the Sri-sampradaya that according to their siddhanta in the Vaikuntha planets Visvaksena, the general or faithful assistant of Lord Visnu, removes obstacles and he is represented in the material world as Ganesa. So karma kandis worship Ganesa and Sri Vaisnavas worship Visvaksena and Gaudiya Vaisnavas worship guru.
(10) Why there are many stories on the birth of Ganesa?
The various Ganesa stories found primarily in the Siva Purana and the Brahma-vaivarta Purana – are somewhat divergent, and tradition accounts for this by placing the variations in different cycles of cosmic time. “Because of the distinction between kalpas [ages],” the Siva Purana explains, “the story of Ganesa’s birth is told in different ways.” The cyclical structure of Vedic time allows for repeated descents of the Lord and His devotees, so details of the pastimes may vary.
11) In India there are some customs followed by tribal or perhaps dravidian people in which they eat meat, drink alcohol, etc.
Srimad-bhagavatha is written by Sage Vedavyasa who has compiled Vedas. Veda is the knowledge passed by sages from one person to another person and it is originated from God since the time of creation. It was known to human since time immemorable. Srimad-bhagavatha is considered important purana among 18 puranas written by Sage Vedavyasa and it is considered the essence of Vedas or all scriptures (even Vedas). Even Bhagavad-Gita is no less. Sage Vedavyasa had contacts with sages like Narada Muni who had direct contacts with God. See the following verse from Srimad-bhagavatha:
loke vyavAya Amisha madya sevA nitya astu janto: na hi tatra codanA
vyavasthiti: teshu vivAha yajna surA grahai: Asu nivRutti: ishTA 11.5.11
(A living being has natural propensity to enjoy by having sex, eating meat or drinking alcohol. However the Vedas themselves never encourage this sinful behavior. However in order to satisfy these desires, Vedas allow a person to fulfill these desires in a very sanctified manner. For instance he is allowed to have sex after marriage; a man is allowed to consume meat or alcohol after performing certain yagna. However it should be understood that these ceremonies are meant only for one purpose – renunciation from such desires and not using those to gratify the needs.)
paroksha vAda: veda: ayam bAlAnAm anuSAsanam
karma mokshAya karmANi vidhatte hy agadam yathA 11.3.44
(Veda talks indirectly. It advocates so many karmAs only to make even unintelligent people act (by showing the fruits) so that they will be liberated from karmAs. It is only like prescribing a medicine to stop taking medicines by gaining good health.)
yad ghrANa bhaksha: vihita: surAyA: tathA paSo: Alabhanam na himsA
evam vyavAya: prajayA na ratyA imam viSuddham na vidu: svadharmam 11.5.13
(According to the scriptures when surA is offered in yagna it should be consumed by smelling, and not by drinking. Similarly, the sacrificing of an animal is permitted (in yagna), but wide scale animal slaughter is not. Union after marriage is also permitted, but only for begetting children, and not for sensual pleasure. Unfortunately such people (materialistic people) do not properly understand their dharma (purpose or duty).)
(12) When Puranas are contradictory to what Vedas tell why do we have to consider it?
So Puranas are not contradicting to what Vedas tell. It gives additional information. Srimad-bhagavatha Purana which is considered to be greeatest of all Puranas which talks about the personal aspects of God also talks about His impersonal aspects as given below:
(Oh! King, the mind, words, eyes, intellect, pranas senses etc will not show you That or take you to That. It is like a spark can not see the fire from which it originated. Supreme Reality is the essence of Veda. Veda tries to explain It by saying, ‘It is not That’.)
(Though the jIvATma is same as ISwara, here comes the difference. When the jIvAtma enters the body, he considers himself to be the master of his body and uses the material senses to enjoy the sense objects created from the three guNAs. He then mistakes his physical body to be the self and thus gets trapped in Lord’s Maya.)
Every jIvAtma is His amSam and through creation, He is giving a chance for all to reach Him. )
(13) Why Hindus worship cows, serpents, tree, etc as if it is God?
As told in Bhagavath Gita, God’s vibhuti (divine energy) is present in some animals, plants, etc. One thing we have understand from Vedas is that God is great not just becuase He is only great but He makes others also great (He shares the divine energy with others but still He is greatest or unique). Cow is worshipped because the first time she (Kamadhenu, a cow) was created by God, He created her out of His Para shakti (supreme energy) to fulfill the thirst of heavenly people (his devotees). Kamadhenu is actaully a cow that resides in heaven and she gives whatever one requests. This type of heavenly accomodation are explained even in Quaran. Although the offsprings of earthy cows that you see in this world may not be as powerful as Kamadhenu, they still have divinity that is worth worshipping. Similarly, serpents and Peepal tree are also divine beings.
God is so much kind that He makes others worshipable like Him. So He doesn’t have pride that He is a Greatest. That is one of the greatest quality of God. For example, Tulasi plant is worshipped by Hindus becuase it was given divine status by God Himself becuase when she was a born as a woman on earth she was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. God is so friendly with his devotees that He has called Himself that He is the devotee of his devotees (bhakta vathsala). Scriptures say that when we worship Lord Krishna we must use the Tulasi plants. Also Tulasi devi should also be given due respect. Even though there is a difference between God and human, God treats his devotee like a freind. That is why God is called great.
Guru Madhwacharya (one of the authentic prophets) tells that different names of the demigods like Indra, Vayu, etc are actaully names of Lord Vishnu or Hari and He has distributed it to them. They are the designations of the God and it is given to demigods. Different names of God is due to different qualities of God. However, you have to first understand that there is one God who is the original source of all these divinity.
Understanding this concept, one of the hari-dasaru (Krishna devotee) of Karnataka has told that devotees of God is superior than God becuase God has to look after the welfare of his devotee when they are in trouble. Here, dasaru is not intending to say that God is not independent. He is actually proving the greatness of God by completing the verse as following: However, God’s name is superior than God’s devotees becuase devotees have to depend on God’s name to remember/call God.
(14 Brahmins were eating non-vegetarians in vedic times and they became vegetarians later by the influence of Jainism.
You have not understood the concept of Hindusim or Vedic religion (Brahmins ) and Jainism properly.. From the begining, in Hindusim there is allowance for enjoyment but under certain conditions. See the following verse from Srimad-bhagavatha:
loke vyavAya Amisha madya sevA nitya astu janto: na hi tatra codanA
vyavasthiti: teshu vivAha yajna surA grahai: Asu nivRutti: ishTA 11.5.11
(A living being has natural propensity to enjoy by having sex, eating meat or drinking alcohol. However the Vedas themselves never encourage this sinful behavior. However in order to satisfy these desires, Vedas allow a person to fulfill these desires in a very sanctified manner. For instance he is allowed to have sex after marriage; a man is allowed to consume meat or alcohol after performing certain yagna. However it should be understood that these ceremonies are meant only for one purpose – renunciation from such desires and not using those to gratify the needs.)
Brahmins (may be some of them) or Hindus were eating non-vegetarians in vedic times under certain strict conditions. However, in Jainism there is renunciation of all the enjoyment from the time it is started and even now it is continued.
(15) In Hindusim, people used to aspire for male becuase only male has the rights to give pinda-pradhana (sacred rites to the deceased parents) and protect their ancestors from going to hell. Does that mean women are not given equal rights as men by God?
God has given some rights for men and some other rights for women. He has only given the rights in a different way. Even though male can protect their ancestors from suffering in hell by doing pinda-pradhana properly, women is also given some special power to protect their ancestors from suffering in hell. As far I have read, kanya-dana (giving girl by the father to a family or bride) is a sacred work. If the girl is given to a good family she can protect their ancestors from suffering in hell. Also if she lives in a honest way with her husband and faithful to her husband she will also get a place in heaven. Since God created men and women differently He gave them 2 different levels of freedoms.
(16) Why is there restriction in the way a women has to dress?
Some Attraction has 2 functions: it can make a person feel good or/and distract him. The main idea is that women must not wear dresses that is distractting to men. I know that women has freedom to wear anything she likes but we must first understand that for every freedom there is a social responsibility. If a RSS leader makes a inflammatory speech and then says that he is not the cuase of the riots that has happened, you would say that inflammatory speech was the disttraction to the mob. Of course, not everyone got distracted. Some who do not have control over his feelling got distracted and created the riots. Now sam thing holds good in the case if women dresses by exposing her body. Those who have less control over their sexual urge will get distractted and involve criminal activities like rape or do not get involved in the work at that point of time mentally. So all women must try to balance between their social duty and freedom.
Some say that the solution for all these is legalizing the prostition. It seem like a solution but it isn’t. You are allowing the mental disorder of a person to continue instead of trying to give medicine. The itching will not stop (in fact it will deteriorate the situation) if a doctor allows the patience to continues to tickle the part of his body that is itching. Similarly, this problem also will not solve by legalizing the prostition. Yoga or knowledge about the soul (that all the urges comes from the senses and I am not this body or senses) is the real solutions that heps to control one’s temptation. Another may be to allowing ti marry many women but make sure that they are not humilated.
(17) Isn’t Sati System, traditional Hindu practice a cruel institution established by men against the womankind?
This can be compared how a good freind of a departed person suffers or dies along with him since he doesn’t feels like living the life anymore without him. He wants to go along with his friend (to the heavenly space) since there is no death to the soul at the time of the death. If the widowed woman voluntarily immolates herself on her husband’s funeral pyre then she will be going to heaven. Becuase she is considered as chaste as he cannot leave without her husband. However, I personally do not recommend in this age (kaliyuga) becuase it is not very simple task to do. It is like a ad showing how a bike is good with a expert stuntman but it also tells you not to try it. Similarly, Sati System was performed by women who were expert in spiritual practices. The term ‘Sati’ is derived from the original name of the goddess Sati, also known as Dakshayani, who self-immolated because she was unable to bear her father Daksha’s humiliation of her (living) husband Shiva. Some chaste women used to burn their body by Yoga (controlling their body temperature), leave their body and go with their husbands where they are destined to stay. It became a social evil later becuase women who were not expert in yoga or perhaps who are not pati-vratha (obedient to their husbands) were forced to jump to the fire against their will. This was not compulsory I think. Women can also spent their rest of their life by not showing any interest with any other men or material things by leading ascetic life. There are also other options given in the Manu-smriti for widows.
A chaste women is like a sage who has done penance for many years and got the tapo-shakti (power to heal or destroy). To slander chaste women is one of the seven ‘deadly’ sins both in Hindusim and Islam.
You may ask why men were not made to jump into the funeral pyre of their deceased woman. This is becuase the swadharma (the mode of life and duty that is natural to them) of men is not that as ordered in Vedic scriptures. Men had to show the chastity in different way. They had options to marry more than one woman but it was not compulsory. This doesn’t mean that they can misuse woman and destroy their life. There was limit to everthing.
(18) Why eclipse is considered inauspicious?
Although eclipse is just a play of light and shadow in the front end, there is something else going on in the background. According to hindu scriptures, asuras (rahu and kethu who are against absolute God, Vishnu) attack devathas (Surya and Chandra devathas who worship absolute God, Vishnu) during the time of eclipse. Since the devathas who help human (Sun demigod provide light, moon demigod provides warmth, etc) through God’s direction are in trouble, we must also be serious about this matter and should not enjoy at that time. It is like a financial crisis happening in USA and it is affecting the India also. Since humans depend on devathas we must try to get the mercy of demigods as well as God during this time. Even muslims offer the prayer during eclipse as it has significance. Although devathas suffer during eclipse the God doesn’t as he is not affected by anything or anyone. Even though Muslims do not believe that solar and lunar eclipses are bad omen, they are considered as great heavenly signs.
19) Shiva Linga is the front end of God?
Lingam is the Visvarupa or the God’s form of the Universe . In the Linga-Purana it is told that Shiva appeared
In the form of an Infinite Jyothi (effulgence of the Lord) or fiery Linga and showed his form. Every religion believes that God is light and you must worship Shiva considering Linga as effulgence of the Lord. There is Akasa Linga here which indicates that Lord Siva is formless and attributeless just like space.
Kanjivaram, Jambukesvara, Tiruvannamalai, Kalahasti and Chidambaram are the five
Bhuta Linga Kshetras. Prithvi Lingam is at Kanjivaram. Apas Lingam is at Jambukesvaram.
Tejo-Lingam is at Tiruvannamalai. Vayu-Lingam is at Kalahasti. Akasa-Lingam is at
Chidambaram.
What is the inner meaning of all the Saiva allusions about Vishnu worshipping Siva and all
the Vaishnava allusions about Siva worshipping Vishnu?