[alskdjreyfd]

Most Hindus venerate one or more deities, but regard these as manifestations of Ultimate Reality. The Ultimate Reality that is behind the universe and all the gods is called by different names, but most commonly Brahman (not to be confused with the creator god Brahma or the priestly class of Brahmans).
In the Rig Veda, Ultimate Reality is referred to as "the One." In the Purushasukta, it is "Purusha," and in the Upanishads it is called "Brahman," "the One," and several other names. Most modern Hindus refer to the Ultimate Reality as Brahman.
The Upanishads describe Brahman as "the eternal, conscious, irreducible, infinite, omnipresent, spiritual source of the universe of finiteness and change." Brahman is the source of all things and is in all things; it is the Self (atman) of all living beings.
Brahman is impersonal Being in itself, but it can be known through the many gods and goddesses that are manifestations of Brahman.
In science when you can not explain a medium they invented ETHER.
"A medium of great elasticity and extreme tenuity, supposed to pervade all space, the interior of solid bodies not excepted, and to be the medium of transmission of light and heat; hence often called luminiferous ether."
The closest thing in science to Brahman is ether.
Some of us confuse the word "GOD" to be "Brahman" and bash others, but happily accept Ether as it is scientific.

The ultimate end of every Hindu's life is moksha, which can be understood in a variety of ways: liberation from rebirth, enlightenment, Self-realization, or union with Brahman. This is considered to the be the highest purpose of life, although very few can achieve it in a single lifetime and there are a variety of paths to attain it.

[somamasoso]

Most Hindus venerate one or more deities, but regard these as manifestations of Ultimate Reality. The Ultimate Reality that is behind the universe and all the gods is called by different names, but most commonly Brahman (not to be confused with the creator god Brahma or the priestly class of Brahmans).
In the Rig Veda, Ultimate Reality is referred to as "the One." In the Purushasukta, it is "Purusha," and in the Upanishads it is called "Brahman," "the One," and several other names. Most modern Hindus refer to the Ultimate Reality as Brahman.
The Upanishads describe Brahman as "the eternal, conscious, irreducible, infinite, omnipresent, spiritual source of the universe of finiteness and change." Brahman is the source of all things and is in all things; it is the Self (atman) of all living beings.
Brahman is impersonal Being in itself, but it can be known through the many gods and goddesses that are manifestations of Brahman.
In science when you can not explain a medium they invented ETHER.
"A medium of great elasticity and extreme tenuity, supposed to pervade all space, the interior of solid bodies not excepted, and to be the medium of transmission of light and heat; hence often called luminiferous ether."
The closest thing in science to Brahman is ether.
Some of us confuse the word "GOD" to be "Brahman" and bash others, but happily accept Ether as it is scientific.

The ultimate end of every Hindu's life is moksha, which can be understood in a variety of ways: liberation from rebirth, enlightenment, Self-realization, or union with Brahman. This is considered to the be the highest purpose of life, although very few can achieve it in a single lifetime and there are a variety of paths to attain it.

• 
  In science when you can not explain a medium they invented ETHER.
  
  
• "A medium of great elasticity and extreme tenuity, supposed to pervade all space, the interior of solid bodies not excepted, and to be the medium of transmission of light and heat; hence often called luminiferous ether."
  
• The closest thing in science to Brahman is ether.

Shri Prasad,

Your science is very much out of date. Ether is now only an organic chemical compound CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3. The 19th. century concept of Ether or Luminiferous Ether has been interred by Physics. Hence for science, Brahman is dead and gone, so to say

• Some of us confuse the word "GOD" to be "Brahman" and bash others, but happily accept Ether as it is scientific.
  

Not relevant in view of the above.

• The ultimate end of every Hindu's life is moksha, which can be understood in a variety of ways...

Rig-veda does not talk of moksha nor even rebirth. It is a later introduction into what is now called Hinduism or Sanaatana Dharma. But, may be the "ultimate end" was always cessation of new birth, but at the time of Pralaya.

[gamblingstats]

i found this very educating

Insights with Sadhguru - YouTube


Living Life To The Fullest - YouTube

moksha is what we are living,but attribute it or align it with sense organs,which has its limitation.the indweller is the same for one and all but its human nature to elect or select a leader to lead and become followers,not knowing,who is leading what?

[illiderob]

Nachi Naga,
That was a beautiful post.
I visited the Temple 2 years ago. It was amazing. I can still feel the excitement, of seeing for the first time, and the calmness after the visit. I do love Jaggi, and follow his teaching.

But he still believes in God, Idol, and etc.

[wrewsTear]

Nachi Naga,
That was a beautiful post.
I visited the Temple 2 years ago. It was amazing. I can still feel the excitement, of seeing for the first time, and the calmness after the visit. I do love Jaggi, and follow his teaching.

But he still believes in God, Idol, and etc.

prasad,religious icons are building blocks for natural spiritual growth.some of us do not need it but in majority of cases its required to focus and meditate.some have it in the form of books like vedas which we say are apoureshyam not of human origin,which i really do beleieve totally.for me god is beyond human comprehension in his full form unless the lord like lord krishna reveals the vishwa swaroopam to lord arjunar.for which many life times of good moral conduct must have passed to receive it,imho.

[creewespock]

Dear Prasad,

Good topic :What or Who is God and why we need that


This is one question that makes or breaks a person.Most people want God cause they need something or even a shoulder to cry on.
I have seen many people giving up all believe in God when they dont get what they want.

For them God is like an Godfather Annachi types who should protect them whenever they need help.

Many feel God should be at the beck and call of them..they claim to be Dasa of God but in reality expect God to be their Dasa.

Some even hold God ransom saying "I prayed so much to you..i did so much pooja for you..but yet you let this happen"

We dont give up the love for our parents and siblings even though we might not see eye to eye sometimes.
Siblings who have fought for years kiss and make up when the situation warrants but some who give up God just dont kiss and make up with God.

Why?
Its becos we view God as totally separate from us.
We view God as a Total Outsider only then the need of God will be questioned.
Do we ever ask "why do we need father and mother?"..we dont isnt it?

When we search for God outwards we will always get disappointed and will even start to question the very existence or the need for God.

When we look within we realize that each experience in life was written for us to learn and assimilate to climb up the spiritual evolutionary scale and its not that God weaves a situation to "torture" us in the quest to know Him.

Every action of us is the reaction of our own deeds which needs to be worked out effectively and that the very purpose of our birth.
If we can accept the fact that sometimes our car can break down and we need to call the mechanic..why cant we accept the fact that life's experiences can break down and we need to repair the problem too.

Questions like What is God or Who is God is for the seeker to discover gradually in the scale of spiritual evolution but many today want an answer like how we search in Google Search Engine.
How many of us are really sincere in the quest to know God?
Hardly anyone.
Majority measure success and well being in the material scale and want constant supply of wealth to be happy and feel that God is with us.

No doubt that financial security is important but we should never make that a measure to determine if God is answering our prayers.

Many feel that they are not strong enough to give up God in their life and feel that only the strong can live without God but in reality it takes the courageous one to realize GOD.

After all didnt Lord Krishna say :

manushyânâm sahasreshu
kas'cid yatati siddhaye
yatatâm api siddhânâm
kas'cin mâm vetti tattvatah

manushyânâm -- of men; sahasreshu -- out of many thousands; kas'cit -- someone; yatati -- endeavors; siddhaye -- for perfection; yatatâm -- of those so endeavoring; api -- indeed; siddhânâm -- of those who have achieved perfection; kas'cit -- someone; mâm -- Me; vetti -- does know; tattvatah -- in fact.

Among thousands of men few strive to achieve perfection and of such successful men very few indeed actually know Me.

[cookiemonster]

God is a construct of religion, imo. This word, Religion is derived from L. religionem (nom. religio) "respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods,"[4] "obligation, the bond between man and the gods"[5]) is derived from the Latin religiō, the ultimate origins of which are obscure. Thus when,why and how the relationship between Man and God (s) came to be denoted by the word Religionem is also not very clear.

Religion, therefore, presupposes the concept of a god or several gods, looking upon the god/gods as something sacred (from sacren - to consecrate, to render holy), etc. God may be looked upon as a shoulder to cry on, a factotum at the beck and call of the believer, and so on. But one interesting point is that fear at the thought of the gods was termed by the Greek as deisidaimonia, (as a slave might fear a cruel and capricious master). The Romans called such fear of the gods superstitio. Thus the word superstition has inseparable linguistic links with religion. Superstition can be supposed to be regarded as "a perverse excess of religion", especially if such superstition has no rational or logical basis. In this very general sense, all religions may be regarded as glorified forms of superstition, because all religions revolve around a god or many gods, the existence or otherwise of which cannot be confirmed by logical or rational means; religions are thus systems of belief.

• Who or what is God?

God is a construct invented by early Man to explain many otherwise unexplainable things in nature experienced by him. It started with items which were unfavourable, threatening his safety and existence, and frightening also sometimes. Fierce and mighty wild animals, Thunderstorms, typhoons, tsunamis, wild fire, rains and floods, and the most enigmatic and somber - Death, may be taken as the typical examples. Overawed by each of these, the primitive Man invented a system of postulating a God or deity as the causative factor underlying each of these; in the case of the wild animals which posed an insurmountable threat to his hunter-gatherer life, he invented the Totem - an ancestral kinship with that animal and making a Totem Pole with a head resembling the particular animal, holding the Totem as sacred and thereby believing that because of this kinship-cum-reverence the particular kind of animal will not harm him or his clan/tribe.

This initial construct of God seems to have undergone changes according to the evolutionary progress made by humans in terms of their scientific and rational knowledge, way of living (hunter-gatherer to farmer to industry to modern man), education and overall civilization. It is because the God concept was specific to small groups of people in the very early stages and such concepts differed both at that time and also in their later developmental routes, that we have different religions today, some being enemy to others as well. To me this diversity of religious beliefs (gods) and the mutual ill-will and intolerance between the religions, appear as tell-tale signs of the religions being nothing more than human invention and development thereof just like dress, cuisine, etc. If religion, any one of these, were really God-given (revelation) then that religion should have become uniformly attractive and acceptable to the whole humanity, imho.

God is viewed in many ways by the different religions; there are godless religions also like Buddhism and Taoism. God is a transcendent absolute who is credited with all the tasks, functions and effects for which Man has no rational answer.
• Why we need God?
As already stated, the need for God arises when Man cannot offer any convincing logical answer to the how and why of something. This is the present position.
In addition to the above, there is a general conviction among people today that all humans are born equal, though, in reality we do not find this to be true. Yet, in line with the overriding sentiment of these times, viz., egalitarianism, the demand for “equality” is carried to such levels that any suffering, pain, handicap or disability felt by one person vis-à-vis another individual is considered to be against an egalitarian world and the concept of God and his (authoritarian) dispensation to each individual, helps satisfy the emotional needs of most people. In the Hindu religion, this inequality is attributed to Karma.

The above are my views on the subject matter of this thread. All corrections welcome.

[prowsnobswend]

MangaLA sAsana gOsham

எங்கும் பரந்து பல்லாண்டொலி செல்லா நிற்கும் சீர்

The serene sound of "Om namO VenkaTeSAyA" amidst terrible crowd will be reverberating once we near the DwAra PalakA. Of course, the sound of "GovinDA! GOvindA!' will be ringing in our ears right from Tirpati station, through the bus uphill , in the VaikunTam complex and we can listen to this till we return to Tirupati in bus.

Such a type of craze, manifesting into typical sound is perhaps only and in one an only Tiurmalai.

Is there any other place which can boast of such an atmosphere? There would be an unanimous 'NO" i can hear.

Generally, when devotees go to temple we can usually see them praying for their well being, their family s well being and so on. In rare cases some saints pray for well being of all "Loka kshemArtham"

Can we find any devotee praying for the welfare of the Lord. I can hear the sound 'PeriyAzvAr'. As we know Azvar s are separate class submerged in the auspicious qualities of the Lord and Periyazvar still further.

A community at Azhagar Koil , during festivals don new dress, eat food after getting the blessings of Para svami. What do they pray-

punath thiNai-k kiLLi pudhu avi kAtti-vun pon aDi VAzhga - inak kuRavar pudhiyadhuNNum ...
Long Live your Golden Divine Feet... PeriyAzvAr tirumzohi - 5-3-3

புனத் திணைகிள்ளி புதுஅவி காட்டி உன் பொன்னடி வாழக என்று இனக் குறவர் புதியதுண்ணும் எழில் மாலிரும்சோலை-பெரியாழ்வார் திருமொழி -௫-௩-௩

Having this in mind, PeriyAzvar spells out that

in this divya desam, at all places in all minds we can hear the ringing sound of
'TiruppallANDu' for EmperumAn.

எல்லாவிடத்திலும் எங்கும் பரந்து பல்லாண்டொலி செல்லா நிற்கும் சீர் திருமாலிரும்சோலையே!--பெரியாழ்வார் திருமொழி ௪-௨-௨

ella idathilum engum parandhu pallAnDoli sella niRkum SEr TirumAlirumsOlaiyEa! -PeriyAzvAr Tirumzohi 4-2-2.

Can all the minds talk about EmperumAns welfare here? Most of the people come and seek their welfare?

The Vyakyanam is wonderful in this regard. ananya-prayojanarOdu, prayojana parar vAsiyARa ellAvidangaLilum enRa padi.

i.e Those who come for their welfare also join those who talk of EmperumAn s welfare.

How is it possible? Those who come for their welfare talking of His welfare?

Text for MamunikaL vyAkyanam:

indha nila midhi thAnea thangaL prayOjanathai maRandhu mangaLA sAsanathail mULumpadi paNNumAithu

இநத நில மிதிதானே தங்கள் ப்ரயோஜனத்தை மறந்து மங்கள சாசனத்தில் மூளும்படி பன்னுமாய்த்து.

On treading on this divya desam, the mind which comes to seek their own welfare gets transformed and they also indulge in mangaLA sAsanam.


A commentator just not just stop with giving meanings. Here is another example of mAmunikaLs commentary style and greatness in analysing the contents.

எங்கும் பரந்து பல்லாண்டொலி செல்லா நிற்கும் சீர் திருமாலிரும்சோலையே

That is why perhaps this has become சீர் திருமாலிரும்சோலையே

dasan
vanamamalai padmanabhan

[career-builder]

I believe in Brahman (God) of Advita Philosophy. I am a seeker, I have not attained samadhi in this life, but I am working on it. It gives me great comfort as I believe in Karma theory, and rebirth, that there is hope for me(soul, not this body), as I am not this body.
In the words of Jaggi Vasudev:
"Samadhi means a state in which one has transcended the limitations of the body and mind, and this must happen in life and not in death. So, for those who are in a state of samadhi, there is no such thing as death. Death belongs to the realm of the body."Your body is just something you accumulated. It is a piece of earth you imbibed through food. This is just a piece of earth," he said, tapping his chest, "prancing around like this. Your body is on loan from the planet. All the countless numbers of people who have lived on this planet before you and me have all become topsoil, and so will you. This planet will collect back atom by atom what it has loaned to you. No interest, though," he said, winking."If one is constantly, experientially aware that both the body and the mind are accumulations one has gathered, then that is samadhi. You are in the body, but you are not it. You are of the mind, but you are not it. That means you are absolutely free of suffering because whatever suffering you have known enters you either through the body or through the mind. Once your awareness is keen enough to create a space between these two accumulations and who you really are-this is the end of all suffering."


"The root of ignorance is in being identified with the accumulations you call the body and mind. Your clarity of vision is cluttered with all your identifications and your personality. It is because of this limited identification that the distinct lines between what is me and what is you have been drawn. All disharmony, conflict, and suffering are rooted in this. Samadhi is a state where you have obliterated these distinctions, and you are looking beyond the wall."