A tug of war is always there between different sects, tenets, faiths and beliefs under the ambit of Hinduism. The search for the right path to meet Paramatma or God and to get liberated from the cycle of births and deaths is always on. Karma or bhakti, yajna or tapa, grandeur or simplicity- these questions stir Hindus' mind right from the date of first civilization in Indus valley.
Vedas, Purans, Upnishads and Brahmins discuss different ways to attain 'Moksha'. In the Battle of Mahabharata, Partha (Arjuna) asks same question to Lord Krishna- 'which way is superior?' In the course of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes 3 ways to liberation. First, the way of action or Karma, second the way of knowledge or Jnana. and third the way of devotion or Bhakti.
In these three ways, bhakti or devotion appears to be the path most recommended in the Gita. It emphasizes loving devotion to one’s chosen God or Goddess. And for love, no material is required, not even akshat (intact rice), pushpa (flower) and naivedy (offerings made to the deity). In the epic of Mahabharata, Draupadi pleased Krishna with a small leaf of holy basil (tulsi) only. Same story of devotion and dedication is there in Ramayana, where Lord Rama gets satisfied with berries offered by Shabari.
Hindus made huge devalayas (abode for deities), in North and in South, in planes and at peaks of mountains. They offered gold, gems, wood and clothes all best in their possession, for God. Shri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and Tirumala Venkateswara temple in Tirupathi are best suited examples. But holy scriptures say there is no difference between God residing in the golden abode and the God worshpied by poors in their homes. If Lord Vishnu is there in the huge idol of Shree Anantha Padmanabha, same Lord is there in a small Shaligram Shila. Jagannath is Dinanath and Dinanath is Jagannath. No difference.
One of the basic belief of Hinduism say 'Kan Kan men Bhagwan.' Vedas accepted one God. 'Eka brahma dvitiya nasti'. There is no second. God cannot be two. God is one. And God is impartial. No matter what you offer for him, he judge you from the purity of your heart, your devotion, your truth and your love for others. You may appease God only by your love, devotion and dedication, not by your offerings, no matter how costly they are. Demon King Bali (or Mahabali) got 'Moksha' only when he offered his head (arrogance) for Lord Vishnu’s feet, not by offering his entire kingdom and gold. As Manna De describes in a popular filmi song, 'Mala ghumane se woh nahin milta/Bhasmi lagane se woh nahi hilta.'
Saint Tulsidas has said, 'Kalyug Kewal Naam Adhara, Simar-Simar Nar Utarahin Para.' In Kaliyug only chanting of God’s name is enough to sail the human beings through the deep sea of the world. For a Hindu, chanting too is not required if your heart is pure. Here is a story, from the mythology itself.
Narada, the Dev Rishi is arguably the greatest of Lord Vishnu’s many devotees. Thanks to numerous TV serials, all we know him as continuous chanter of ‘Narayan… Narayan.’ Once he went to Vaikuntha, Vishnu’s abode in the heavens and asked, 'Who is your favorite devotee?' Lord Vishnu names a poor farmer as his favorite devotee. The next day, Narada shadows the farmer as he works hard in his fields. Throughout the day, Narada doesn’t get any glimpse of the farmer’s extraordinary devoutness. Narada asks him, 'When and how many times do you pray to or think about Prabhu?' The farmer replies “Once in the morning, once in the evening, and as many times during the day as I can during my time in the fields.'
Narada returns only to complain, 'The farmer thinks about you a mere 5-6 times a day while I think and sing paeans to you every single waking minute. How could you possibly consider the farmer to be a more superior devotee than me'. Vishnu, then materializes a pot, filled it with oil and places it on Narada’s head. He then commands him to walk a round of Kshirsagar without spilling a single drop of oil.
On his returning, Vishnu asks, 'So Narada, how many times did you think about me during your walk? Narada replies, “Not even once! How could I when all my attention was on the pot and ensuring that not a drop would spill?' Vishnu then consoles Narada, 'The farmer works hard in his fields all day, yet he finds time to think about me a few times. You, on the other hand, couldn’t think of me even once!'
'Mann changaa to kathauti me Ganga' and 'Yatha shakti tatha bhakti'- these proverbs are not new. Hindus swear by these principles for centuries. This flexibility is the real power of Hinduism. It can bend (according to devotee's belief), thats why any force couldn't break it. Rituals are ok, but when try to bind it (in rituals), that will harm the faith only.
(Written on 26th March 2015)
Vedas, Purans, Upnishads and Brahmins discuss different ways to attain 'Moksha'. In the Battle of Mahabharata, Partha (Arjuna) asks same question to Lord Krishna- 'which way is superior?' In the course of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Krishna describes 3 ways to liberation. First, the way of action or Karma, second the way of knowledge or Jnana. and third the way of devotion or Bhakti.
In these three ways, bhakti or devotion appears to be the path most recommended in the Gita. It emphasizes loving devotion to one’s chosen God or Goddess. And for love, no material is required, not even akshat (intact rice), pushpa (flower) and naivedy (offerings made to the deity). In the epic of Mahabharata, Draupadi pleased Krishna with a small leaf of holy basil (tulsi) only. Same story of devotion and dedication is there in Ramayana, where Lord Rama gets satisfied with berries offered by Shabari.
Hindus made huge devalayas (abode for deities), in North and in South, in planes and at peaks of mountains. They offered gold, gems, wood and clothes all best in their possession, for God. Shri Anantha Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and Tirumala Venkateswara temple in Tirupathi are best suited examples. But holy scriptures say there is no difference between God residing in the golden abode and the God worshpied by poors in their homes. If Lord Vishnu is there in the huge idol of Shree Anantha Padmanabha, same Lord is there in a small Shaligram Shila. Jagannath is Dinanath and Dinanath is Jagannath. No difference.
One of the basic belief of Hinduism say 'Kan Kan men Bhagwan.' Vedas accepted one God. 'Eka brahma dvitiya nasti'. There is no second. God cannot be two. God is one. And God is impartial. No matter what you offer for him, he judge you from the purity of your heart, your devotion, your truth and your love for others. You may appease God only by your love, devotion and dedication, not by your offerings, no matter how costly they are. Demon King Bali (or Mahabali) got 'Moksha' only when he offered his head (arrogance) for Lord Vishnu’s feet, not by offering his entire kingdom and gold. As Manna De describes in a popular filmi song, 'Mala ghumane se woh nahin milta/Bhasmi lagane se woh nahi hilta.'
Saint Tulsidas has said, 'Kalyug Kewal Naam Adhara, Simar-Simar Nar Utarahin Para.' In Kaliyug only chanting of God’s name is enough to sail the human beings through the deep sea of the world. For a Hindu, chanting too is not required if your heart is pure. Here is a story, from the mythology itself.
Narada, the Dev Rishi is arguably the greatest of Lord Vishnu’s many devotees. Thanks to numerous TV serials, all we know him as continuous chanter of ‘Narayan… Narayan.’ Once he went to Vaikuntha, Vishnu’s abode in the heavens and asked, 'Who is your favorite devotee?' Lord Vishnu names a poor farmer as his favorite devotee. The next day, Narada shadows the farmer as he works hard in his fields. Throughout the day, Narada doesn’t get any glimpse of the farmer’s extraordinary devoutness. Narada asks him, 'When and how many times do you pray to or think about Prabhu?' The farmer replies “Once in the morning, once in the evening, and as many times during the day as I can during my time in the fields.'
Narada returns only to complain, 'The farmer thinks about you a mere 5-6 times a day while I think and sing paeans to you every single waking minute. How could you possibly consider the farmer to be a more superior devotee than me'. Vishnu, then materializes a pot, filled it with oil and places it on Narada’s head. He then commands him to walk a round of Kshirsagar without spilling a single drop of oil.
On his returning, Vishnu asks, 'So Narada, how many times did you think about me during your walk? Narada replies, “Not even once! How could I when all my attention was on the pot and ensuring that not a drop would spill?' Vishnu then consoles Narada, 'The farmer works hard in his fields all day, yet he finds time to think about me a few times. You, on the other hand, couldn’t think of me even once!'
'Mann changaa to kathauti me Ganga' and 'Yatha shakti tatha bhakti'- these proverbs are not new. Hindus swear by these principles for centuries. This flexibility is the real power of Hinduism. It can bend (according to devotee's belief), thats why any force couldn't break it. Rituals are ok, but when try to bind it (in rituals), that will harm the faith only.
(Written on 26th March 2015)
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