Although my thoughts have always tended to lean towards Hinduism and/or eastern philosophy in general - it's only in the last couple of years that I'm really beginning to more deeply embrace Hinduism specifically, and more in depth.
From the time that Hurricane Katrina hit here in the states, it helped to spur a personally deepened sense of spirituality and to inspire me to want to ask more questions about what it means to live, to die, what happens "inbetween", etc. (I hope that Hurricane Katrina served as an equal impetus for many other people as well - wondering to myself if the tragedy of the event wasn't perhaps related to or ~meant~ to serve as a greater spiritual awakening).
For a short while, i was attending both Hindu and Buddhist services - to see which philosophy spoke louder to me. One aspect of Buddhism that is hard for me to identify with is the "impersonal aspect". If i'm correct, Buddhism seems to place less value on the concept of a divine intelligence that controls the universe. In contrast, Hinduism makes my heart sing, i feel like jumping while I'm in my seat, it's like when you ping a tuning fork with your finger, you get a sort of constant vibrating "whir" - that's what i feel when i think of Hinduism - in short - (as if it wasn't obvious) a child-like giddish excitement. I am naturally drawn to the conceptof Bhakti Yoga (with the understanding that even within Hinduism, there are many divergent paths to whatever is believed to be "enlightment", such as Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, etc..) - to me, the concept of devotion and surrender to God makes perfect sense.
I find that after various exposures to Hare Krishna and my local hindu temple here in Nashville, I am most closely drawn towards Kali. There has been quite a lot of synchronicity that has drawn me to her, circumstances and situations that occurred that left no room for doubt, in my mind, that devotion to Kali is the right path for me at this stage of my spiritual development. I feel so honored and blessed for Kali to grace me with her presence - beyond words!!
I find it very interesting that with all of the Gods and Goddesses available for worship in Hinduism, and with Kali being far from the most prolific of Goddess' (outside of Kolkata) - inspite of that - I find myself drawn - to her. This makes me naturally wonder, just what goes into being drawn to worship of a particular God or Goddess. What is it for you that drew you to the deity that you worship. I would love to hear these things. I would love to talk about the aspects of Kali that I adore and find most meaningful, the aspects of Hare Krishna that i adored, the aspects of both that i find personally unappealing, etc.
I won't bore everyone with the specifics of my personal sychronicities (just yet). I'll first wait to see if there's any interest for others on the board to discuss this topic (which by no means, need be limited specifically to Hindu deities). I am excited to be part of a group that doesn't simply dismiss events as "random coincidences" and is open to the concept of synchronicity - especially when it seems to make perfect sense on so many levels.
Om Krim Kali 😀
Andy
RE: which deity do you worship - and why?
'fraid my worship is a bit like a pick n mix sweetie counter, I tend to have little statues scattered around that I'm attracted too but don't really know what they symbolise.
I have a a few buddhas, I'm particularly drawn to the Tibetan buddhas.
Also have the elephant god.
RE: which deity do you worship - and why?
God! who i worship as am christain twice i have doubted it and had affirmations. once at school i ran away from being bullied and in my room clutched bible and said i want cant remember what i said but when i turned around saw jesus and it was amazing that helped me through school bad times that id seen him. Another time was school freinds seeing clouds spelling JLY for jesus loves you and i couldnt see it to my disapointment, the next day my parents came for me to take me home for weekend and on the road i saw a car in front of us with number pates JLY!!so i was happy!!
love and light,
Amethystfairy[sm=sandrine.gif]
RE: which deity do you worship - and why?
Hi Nishira,
I am from Kolkata.
Ma Kaliand Ma Durga (same really, though they may look different to you). No surprise there.
Why? Ma Kali = Ma Durga= Shree Shree Chandi (My favourite) + sAkAr Brahman.
BTW: How did you get to the name Nishira and do you know what it means?
Regards.
Prashna
RE: which deity do you worship - and why?
[color="#660000"]
ORIGINAL:Prashna
BTW: How did you get to the name Nishira and do you know what it means?
My thanks for everyone that has shared and hopefully continues to do so.
In answer to your question Prashna. One night, a few weeks ago, i was attempting to take my consciousness with me into sleep. Just before falling asleep, i would continue the mantra "Om Krim Kali" over and over and over. I don't have any recollections of being succesful of taking my consciousness into sleep, but i did wake up many times throughout the night. Whenever i'd wake up, i had the wherewithal to continue chanting the mantra and fell back alseep.
As strange as this may sound, during the night, the name "Nishira" came to me in a whisper. I did not know what it meant, or if it was perhaps some product of my imagination. I wondered if maybe the name tied to a previous incarnation. I wasn't even sure if the name is Indian (because it does sound sort of Japanese as well). I did some research on google and was not able to find any information about the name. I did find someone named "Nishira Fitzgerald" but i wasn't sure if that was a boy or a girl so i searched further and found a picture with some boy named Nishira. Feeling confident that the name was aptly suited as a boy's name (or if nothing else, appropriate for both sexes) - I felt comfortable to adopt the name in various circles, so that my online identifiers, now show me as "Nishira".
I had asked some friends if the name meant anything to them, if it rang any sense of familiarity - and came up with nothing.
If you're asking me if there is a meaning behind the name - my answer would be, i honestly do not know? If there is a meaning behind the name, one that you know about - oh please do tell me because i think if that were the case - i'd do 20 flips backwards over myself.
Namaste,
Andy
RE: which deity do you worship - and why?
I did a bit of further research on the name and it definitely correlates to being a Japanese name.
The closest i could find to any Indian name was "Nisha", which is sanskrit for "night".
About two months ago, i completed reading the book "Kali's Odiyya". The book made mention of a great spirit of the astral realm called "Nishachii". So it's entirely possible that maybe my consciousness thought of that name for some reason, without remembering the exact name, and made the closest approximation it could in whispering "Nishira".
The whole thing may be complete silliness on my part, i honestly don't know.
Jai Kali Ma!
Namaste Nishira and all
I was asked just a couple of days ago why I hadn't yet posted on this thread and was ready to do so when HP went down for its big upgrade. So now I'm here to answer your question: 'which deity do you worship and why?' and it's surely going to come as no surprise to anyone that my Ishtar Deva, my 'personal' God is, like you and Prashna, Sri Kali Ma, the Dark One, Herself!
As to why I love Her so dearly is a long and involved story and I'm not sure I am going to put it all down here (many people on HP have heard bits of it already and will surely be bored by now!) Anyway, basically I went on holiday to India in January 1996 and was drawn to a little temple where a festival was taking place. Unbeknown to me, it was a Kali temple and the instant I saw the deity in the shrine I felt as though I'd had all the breath knocked out of me. I think I physically had to step back - I was awed by the power that emanated from that little stone 'idol'. Over the course of three or four days, I had some amazing experiences, including receiving a visit from Kali Ma Herself, who appeared in the middle of the night, huge, towering over the palm trees outside my room and surrounded by flames. (Strangely enough another deity mainly worshipped in Tamil Nadu, the protective Goddess Mariamman is always depicted as surrounded by flames and I had another very physical reaction in one of Her temples in the town of Madurai a year later.)
Months after this I met my Guru, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) who is said by her devotees to be an avatar of Kali.
So I just feel humbled by the thought that I didn't choose Kali, She chose me. And now I live my life secure in the comforting knowledge that, as my Mother, She will always be there for me and always take care of me. Mind you, She's no pushover and often presents me with hard choices and tests - she doesn't let me get away with much!
With love
Sunanda xxx
PS In more recent years I have spent a lot of time in a Shaivite town, where the presiding deity is Lord Shiva and I have come to have a huge regard for Him - yin and yang, Shakti and Shiva - I now know you can't have one without the other. So Lord Shiva is in my personal pantheon too.
I think Sunanda's is a good example of why you might feel attracted to one particular deity. But why keep it at one? If one reads up on Sri Ramakrishna, he went through phases of worshipping almost all of them, and of being a Muslim, a Christian, and a Sufi! Upon worshipping the Divine Mother, he dressed and acted so like a woman that no-one could tell who he was, and he lived among women - in 19th century India!
Really, Hinduism is not one religion, but a collection of many different and also similar forms of practice. So there are bound to be many different people worshipping different deities.
Me? I'm not actually a Hindu. I believe in progressive revelation, and therefore accept that the Sanatana Dharma has moved on beyond that which almost any of today's Hindus are aware of. Sanatana Dharma is not Hinduism. Hinduism is a necessarily limited version of the whole Truth - for how can All Truth ever be revealed in this world?
If I have the right spelling, I'd point people to the writings on Hinduism of Alain Daneloui (sp?). In his deep study of Hinduism, he explains that a deity can be taken at different levels of understanding. At the deepest and truest sense, these gods do not exist so much as thinking beings: they are energies, or simply aspects of the whole Divinity. You take your pick out of which aspect you adhere to. But there is no real "Hanuman" for example. This is borne out by the creation of new gods in the media, but now worshipped, even in the 20th century, such as Santoshi Ma. She's a myth or human creation and less than a century old.
So which do I "worship"? The One - Brahman. Only Brahman. But also all saints and sages who ever embodied Brahman. And also my own Atman, Who is Myself, my Real Self, but also simultaneously is Brahman too.
V
[color="#660000"]
My thanks for everyone that has shared and hopefully continues to do so.
In answer to your question Prashna. One night, a few weeks ago, i was attempting to take my consciousness with me into sleep. Just before falling asleep, i would continue the mantra "Om Krim Kali" over and over and over. I
As strange as this may sound, during the night, the name "Nishira" came to me in a whisper. I did not know what it meant, or if it was perhaps some product of my imagination. I wondered if maybe the name tied to a previous incarnation. I wasn't even sure if the name is Indian
...- oh please do tell me because i think if that were the case - i'd do 20 flips backwards over myself.Namaste,
Andy
Hi Andy,
No need for 20 flips backwards over yourself. You cannot do that, as V might explain better than me.
You cannot find any info on "nishira" for one simple reason. It is slightly distorted on reaching your consciousness. But you are halfway there.
Nisha is indeed night. nishi is a different form of the word used in Sanskrit and in Bengali, my Mother tongue. But it has a different and rather mysterious meaning as well, which I cannot explain right now because of shortage of time.
"rat" is also night. short for "ratri".
Nishirat is a compound (grammatically speaking) word formed by joining Nishi and "rat". It means the a rather dark night.
I believe "nishira" is the distorted form, in your mind because you are not versed in Sanskrit in this life.
The significance to you? Surely it's obvious by now!
Ma Kali is absolute darkness IMO nothing less than a black hole. Its gravitational field - Infinite.
Regards.
Prashna
I was asked just a couple of days ago why I hadn't yet posted on this thread and was ready to do so when HP went down for its big upgrade. So now I'm here to answer your question: 'which deity do you worship and why?' and it's surely going to come as no surprise to anyone that my Ishtar Deva, my 'personal' God is, like you and Prashna, Sri Kali Ma, the Dark One, Herself!
So I just feel humbled by the thought that I didn't choose Kali, She chose me. And now I live my life secure in the comforting knowledge that, as my Mother, She will always be there for me and always take care of me. Mind you, She's no pushover and often presents me with hard choices and tests - she doesn't let me get away with much!
thank you for your input. I will admit to feeling more than slightly honored to be on the same board as two other Kail worshippers. See, what you wrote above, about how you didn't choose Kali - but rather, she chose you - that's ~~~exactly~~~ how I feel. I was hesitant to express my thoughts in such a manner because to the uninitiated - i was afraid that would come across as perhaps "pompous" - like me trying to say that i'm so important that Kali would choose me. Of course, i'm sure you can relate Sunanda that my thoughts on that are anything ~but~ pompous - rather, much like you, i'm very honored and humbled that Kali Ma's energy reached out and choose me. It brings me such a tremendous sense of warmth and comfort. Also, like you indicated, i don't expect Kali Ma to provide me with an easy path, but i try to have confidence that whatever path she puts in front of me, is the best path the she would desire for me.
At the deepest and truest sense, these gods do not exist so much as thinking beings: they are energies, or simply aspects of the whole Divinity. You take your pick out of which aspect you adhere to. But there is no real "Hanuman" for example. This is borne out by the creation of new gods in the media, but now worshipped, even in the 20th century, such as Santoshi Ma. She's a myth or human creation and less than a century old.
I actually agree with everything that you've written above. In as much as I have my love/reverance for Kali Ma - i believe that she comes to me as "Kali Ma" because in my limited human form - i need that "impression" to grasp onto something of substance. I do believe that, exactly as you said, there are different energies manifested in the universe - and these energies manifest themselves in unique ways to suit the individual's scope of perception and the energy they need for their current level of spiritual growth.
You seem familiar with Ramakrishna - so you're no doubt aware of the part of his life when he was being trained by another guru - who instructed Ramakrishna to .. go beyond Kali. At which point, in his mind, when the image of Kali came to him, he slashed through this image with a sword. Now, i've heard that later in the book "Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna" he did go back to Kali - but as i haven't read the book yet, i'm not qualified to comment further on that.
I actually agree with everything that you've written above. In as much as I have my love/reverance for Kali Ma - i believe that she comes to me as "Kali Ma" because in my limited human form - i need that "impression" to grasp onto something of substance. I do believe that, exactly as you said, there are different energies manifested in the universe - and these energies manifest themselves in unique ways to suit the individual's scope of perception and the energy they need for their current level of spiritual growth.
You seem familiar with Ramakrishna - so you're no doubt aware of the part of his life when he was being trained by another guru - who instructed Ramakrishna to .. go beyond Kali. At which point, in his mind, when the image of Kali came to him, he slashed through this image with a sword. Now, i've heard that later in the book "Gospels of Sri Ramakrishna" he did go back to Kali - but as i haven't read the book yet, i'm not qualified to comment further on that.
Dear nishira,
Yes. I wrote that post quickly and sure hope I didn't sound dismissive of deities too much. I think of them largely as aspects of the One, and we choose - or the One chooses - which aspect or more than one aspect we "get along with best". Just as a human can be a mother to one person, a friend to another, a peer-scholar to another, etc. So it is with Brahman. Mind you, just IMHO, when people reach total Moksha and are - as it were - gods anyway, I do believe they can embody the qualities of a deity in order to act as or to appear as that one. So that there really by now would or could be a god for many of the known names. But myth is involved as well.
On Ramakrishna, I knew a smattering of Hinduism, and have since learned more academically. But my real "initiation" into its practice (though I am not quite a full Hindu myself) was through a small but active branch of the Ramakrishna Order here in the UK. Hinduism was in a quiescent phase, when R came along and resurrected it, followed by his chief disciple, Vivekananda. Reading the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is something I'd recommend to anyone: it's Hinduism at its best but also at its broadest with all the academic detail and minute points of disagreement basically dragged out by R and dumped into the mud where they belong! Every page is very moving. There's an abridged version, or the full book.
Yes, he was so modest, and frankly did need help at this or that stage. You may be thinking of the female Guru who had searched for him over years? She had a vision of three great Teachers she had to find and assist, and roughly where to find them. She'd found the other two, but had spent quite a while looking for Sri Ramakrishna (he was not very famous at the time). She arrived by boat, and both knew each other on the instant. She was needed to take him through the initiations of genuine Tantra (which had nothing to do with bodily contact) - as his lot in life seems to have been to experience just about every Hindu path and non-Hindu path that there is.
V
I did a bit of further research on the name and it definitely correlates to being a Japanese name. The whole thing may be complete silliness on my part, i honestly don't know.
Hi nishira
Maybe not Hinduism, but have you ever considerd that nishira could be the name of your guardian angel. They do whisper to you in your dreams when you need to be calmed.
Hi Andy,
You cannot find any info on "nishira" for one simple reason. It is slightly distorted on reaching your consciousness. But you are halfway there.
Nisha is indeed night. nishi is a different form of the word used in Sanskrit and in Bengali, my Mother tongue. But it has a different and rather mysterious meaning as well, which I cannot explain right now because of shortage of time.
"rat" is also night. short for "ratri".
Nishirat is a compound (grammatically speaking) word formed by joining Nishi and "rat". It means the a rather dark night.
I believe "nishira" is the distorted form, in your mind because you are not versed in Sanskrit in this life.
The significance to you? Surely it's obvious by now!
Ma Kali is absolute darkness IMO nothing less than a black hole. Its gravitational field - Infinite.
Regards.
Prashna
Hi Prashna,
Thank you for providing greater insight into the potential source of "Nishira".
So, if i'm understanding your interpretation correctly - you're thinking that as Ma Kali is the Goddess of night/darkness, that somehow, the appearance of the "name" .. "Nishira" is related to Kali Ma ... i can only hope!!!
Maybe not Hinduism, but have you ever considerd that nishira could be the name of your guardian angel. They do whisper to you in your dreams when you need to be calmed.
No, i cannot say that I have ..but.. as you've mentioned it - the concept does sound, seriously, quite fascinating. Yet another aspect to ponder.
Dear nishira,
Yes. I wrote that post quickly and sure hope I didn't sound dismissive of deities too much. I think of them largely as aspects of the One, and we choose - or the One chooses - which aspect or more than one aspect we "get along with best". Just as a human can be a mother to one person, a friend to another, a peer-scholar to another, etc. So it is with Brahman. Mind you, just IMHO, when people reach total Moksha and are - as it were - gods anyway, I do believe they can embody the qualities of a deity in order to act as or to appear as that one. So that there really by now would or could be a god for many of the known names. But myth is involved as well.
On Ramakrishna, I knew a smattering of Hinduism, and have since learned more academically. But my real "initiation" into its practice (though I am not quite a full Hindu myself) was through a small but active branch of the Ramakrishna Order here in the UK. Hinduism was in a quiescent phase, when R came along and resurrected it, followed by his chief disciple, Vivekananda. Reading the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is something I'd recommend to anyone: it's Hinduism at its best but also at its broadest with all the academic detail and minute points of disagreement basically dragged out by R and dumped into the mud where they belong! Every page is very moving. There's an abridged version, or the full book.
Yes, he was so modest, and frankly did need help at this or that stage. You may be thinking of the female Guru who had searched for him over years? She had a vision of three great Teachers she had to find and assist, and roughly where to find them. She'd found the other two, but had spent quite a while looking for Sri Ramakrishna (he was not very famous at the time). She arrived by boat, and both knew each other on the instant. She was needed to take him through the initiations of genuine Tantra (which had nothing to do with bodily contact) - as his lot in life seems to have been to experience just about every Hindu path and non-Hindu path that there is.
V
No, actually - your earlier post didn't seem dismissive at all - it seemed right on the money. I never want to get into a situation where i think that the deity that I am called to is "the be all answer". I truly abhor that type of thinking when one person or group of people think they have the inside path to God and that only their path is the correct chose one - with all due respect, those arguments get so old, so trite, so fast....blah blah
I do have the Gospels of Ramakrishna and the more it's talked about (as i've seen it mentioned on a few occasions in these forums) the more compelled I feel to bring it up higher on my reading list 😀
So, if i'm understanding your interpretation correctly - you're thinking that as Ma Kali is the Goddess of night/darkness, that somehow, the appearance of the "name" .. "Nishira" is related to Kali Ma ... i can only hope!!!
Insufficient data for accurate analysis.
Only speculation is possible, based on best possible extrapolation of sparse data.
I don't 'worship' any deities. I believe they don't want us to 'worship' them. To learn from them; yes, to aspire to their qualities; yes, but to worship them? No.
Those entities I work with in Spirit come to guide me and teach me and to help me on my path. They don't come for my worship of them. I have the upmost respect for them and the qualities they embody, but they don't wish for me to worship them.
A fair and good point IMO Rosi1. In Hinduism, so far as I usually see, dieties are worshipped. As posted above, I tend to try to put my attention right on the One - Brahman, or roughly equivalent to the Western idea of The One God. And I'd say it feels right to Love, to Worship, and to Learn from the One.
When it comes to aspects of the One, I tend to be thinking of Gurus and spiritual teachers, and here is where I agree with you. They are our great Friends, or our elder Brothers and Sisters on the spiritual Path. (Not "deities as such, but those who were once actual people in incarnation, who have now attained full Liberation.) I'm quite certain - IMHO - that such as these don't want worship. They are more interested in giving - their help, love, wisdom - than in receiving anything from us. If they want something from us, that would be for us to listen, to heed them, to do our best to learn from them and to follow them.
V
Does anybody feel drawn to Shiva?
I don't 'worship' any deities. I believe they don't want us to 'worship' them. To learn from them; yes, to aspire to their qualities; yes, but to worship them? No.
Those entities I work with in Spirit come to guide me and teach me and to help me on my path. They don't come for my worship of them. I have the upmost respect for them and the qualities they embody, but they don't wish for me to worship them.
Thank you for bringing up such an interesting viewpoint on this. I too have thought many times about the appropriateness of worship versus respectful admiration/aspiring. For indeed, if we imagine our deity to "require" worship of some kind - that almost implies an egotistical aspect to the deity, and supposedly egotism is something we are supposed to learn to veer away from.
From my interpretation, the worship comes not as something being requested or desired from the deity themselves, but rather as a pathway in which we feel most comfortable to communicate with our deity. Whether someone feels compelled/drawn to a worship of their deity (a.k.a. Bhakti) or whether they feel more compelled towards a respectful admiration/aspiration - these (as i see it) are simply different ways of communicating with our deity, and as with most things, neither being more wrong or right. Much like a household full of siblings and their parents - each sibling may choose to interact with their parents in different fashions and in turn - get something different and unique from their individual relationship. It all varies.
I think one useful aspect of worship is that generally with worship - there is also some aspect of surrender that is involved. For me, that surrender is so very important because I feel I can surrender myself, my actions, my pains, everything - to my deity (it's something where there is always room for improvement, with me). I wouldn't desire a "respectful admiration" relationship with my deity, I have friends, family, even spiritual equivalents that I can engage in such with. I like being able to approach Kali Ma as my mother, and to bring my problems to her, and to feel in my heart that she can understand me more than any other being and knows just what is right for me.
So ideally, I don't see a right or wrong, I don't believe that deities have a preference in how we approach them - i believe the choice is ours - whatever approach may work best for the individual seeker.
But one can 'surrender' without the worship. Perhaps its the interpretation of 'worship' that needs clarification here.
What does a deity gain from our worship? I can communicate with a deity without the worship.
Does a child worship its mother? It may love its mother and see her as a nurturer, as a teacher, and many other things, but as someone to worship?
Of course like you said there is no right or wrong. I wonder if a relationship with the divine differs if one were to worship them?
I shall look up the word 'worship' in the dictionary tomorrow.
But one can 'surrender' without the worship. Perhaps its the interpretation of 'worship' that needs clarification here.
What does a deity gain from our worship? I can communicate with a deity without the worship.
Does a child worship its mother? It may love its mother and see her as a nurturer, as a teacher, and many other things, but as someone to worship?
Of course like you said there is no right or wrong. I wonder if a relationship with the divine differs if one were to worship them?
I shall look up the word 'worship' in the dictionary tomorrow.
Remember, my stance is that I don't believe a deity has any vested interest nor anything to gain in regards whether or not we choose to worship them or aspire to be more like them.
To me, the only time the merits of worship versus aspiration come into play - would be from that of the perception of the devotee.
But one can 'surrender' without the worship. Perhaps its the interpretation of 'worship' that needs clarification here.
What does a deity gain from our worship? I can communicate with a deity without the worship.
Does a child worship its mother? It may love its mother and see her as a nurturer, as a teacher, and many other things, but as someone to worship?
I've always thought of "worship" as being Love come to think of it - but Love for a high or Higher being.
(And remember my own perspective is that Hindu deities, per se, have no reality as actual thinking beings in most cases. An elephant god, or monkey-god are the remnants of myth IMHO. I can't worship a fiction. Other deities such as Shiva, Kali, are energies or aspects of the one and I can "believe" in them as I believe in electricity, but wouldn't worship them apart from thinking of them as a part of Brahman constantly. And in fact I don't really relate to the idea, just personally.)
So I can worship the One. Meaning to love and revere the One. However, an aspect of the One, my own Atman, is also the origin and true reality of myself, and sees me as part of Brahman. So my Atman also loves me. I wouldn't call this worship, perhaps, but it's near to the idea that Brahman worships me, in the form of Brahman worshipping Itself, one part to the other.
V
Does anybody feel drawn to Shiva?
Hi Melissa
I've posted higher up in this thread that I was living in a town in India where the presiding deity is Lord Shiva and I realised that he was basically the other side of the coin; in other words he completes the yin and yang begun by my love for the Goddess.
Rosi asks:
What does a deity gain from our worship? I can communicate with a deity without the worship.
and I have to say that Venetian's reply basically echoes what I would say. Namely, that it's not the deity who benefits from the worship but the devotee. I would also possibly use the word 'devotion' in place of 'worship' but really I think it's just semantics to pick such a subject apart in this way. Either you have a personal deity and you worship/show devotion to/love this deity or you don't. Nishira's original question was 'which deity do you worship' rather than 'is it a good thing to worship a deity'.
I've been working all weekend so, although I've been reading the forums, I haven't had the energy to post. In fact, once more Venetian has said it all for me - and I do agree with Nishira too: in other words, although Kali is my chosen deity, I know that there is an unseen and unseeable all pervading immanent Source, God if you like, Brahman as per Venetian's posts and it is to this omnipresent being that I bow down in adoration. What I've been told though is that venerating a particular deity can help us poor humans to come to the invisible unknowable God. It can be difficult to form a personal relationship with something so far outwith our ken whereas having a picture or a statue or at the very least a concept to worship can help us hone our devotion and lead us in the way that we are designed to go. (And of course we're not by any means all designed to go in the same direction!:021:)
I hope all this makes sense - I am posting after a hard morning's work and probably just before treating myself to a little afternoon snooze! (Just checked out the new smilies but can't find a yawning one!)
With love
Sunanda xxx
Does anybody feel drawn to Shiva?
Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram.
Truth, Shiva, Grace.
Prashna
P.S.
I apologise for the brevity and cryptic nature of my post above. At that time I had not read Shankara108's post. He might well be able to respond to your post a lot better than I. You might be aware that one of Shiva's names is Shankara.
Meanwhile perhaps Adi Shankaracharya might be of use!
Try the following:
You might also try the Svetasvetara Upanishad:
[DLMURL] http://sanatan.intnet.mu/upanishads/svetasvatara.htm [/DLMURL]
especially 6:13-14
He is the Eternal among the eternal,
___the Conscious among the conscious and
though non—dual, fulfils the desires of many.
He who has known Him, the luminous Lord,
___the Great Cause, to be realised
by Knowledge (Samkhya) and yoga,
___is freed from all fetters.
14
The sun shines there not,
___nor the moon and the stars,
nor the swift lightning
___much less earthly fire.
Everything shines after Him.
___By his light all is lighted.
You might find the selection of Upanishads by Juan Mascaro useful.
I've always thought of "worship" as being Love come to think of it - but Love for a high or Higher being.
(And remember my own perspective is that Hindu deities, per se, have no reality as actual thinking beings in most cases. An elephant god, or monkey-god are the remnants of myth IMHO. I can't worship a fiction. Other deities such as Shiva, Kali, are energies or aspects of the one and I can "believe" in them as I believe in electricity, but wouldn't worship them apart from thinking of them as a part of Brahman constantly. And in fact I don't really relate to the idea, just personally.)
V
Being that i have a very abstract mind, even if something sounds admittedly absurd or silly in concept (i.e. Ganesha or Hanuman) - myself, i try to remain open to anything because i don't like to take things for granted and to me (please bear with me because again, my mind is very abstract) dismissing something as fiction - only on the grounds that it seems as such - is taking much for granted and too many liberties that i would be comfortable with. (please don't misunderstand, my post isn't actually meant to contest your views - only to offer a different, albeit slighter off kilter viewpoint :022:)
Ok, an example would be something like dragons or orcs or any type of seemingly mythical creature. These are creatures seemingly of our imagination but...digging deeper - what is then the source of the imagination? If, as many believe, that memory and consciousness are located outside the physical body - then too, i imagine the same would hold true for our imagination? What if perhaps, what we take for granted as our "imagination" is actually pulling from a different source of reality?
I guess, outside of whatever "God" actually is - i think that anything and everything is possible - all we have to do is perhaps imagine and believe - and *poof* it's as real then as would be perhaps a loved one that passed on but is no longer with us.
Oh look .....:eek: a shiny thing....:D ...think i'll go play now.....:p
I understand. Heck, IMHO I've seen a UFO, a friend has a video of lake monsters he encountered, etc., etc.
In brief, call it my opinion then that these are to me myths. I like the Santoshi Ma example as the birth and growth of her as a deity only dates back a few decades and largely went exponential as she was featured in a TV series or movie in India - I forget which off-hand. Of course, then one could say there really is a Santoshi Ma, and the screenplay picked up on that. Yet th -- short break to kill a spider -- yet then that's as though to say humans don't actually invent myths, all are inspired, which seems unlikely ...
I understand. Heck, IMHO I've seen a UFO, a friend has a video of lake monsters he encountered, etc., etc.
In brief, call it my opinion then that these are to me myths. I like the Santoshi Ma example as the birth and growth of her as a deity only dates back a few decades and largely went exponential as she was featured in a TV series or movie in India - I forget which off-hand. Of course, then one could say there really is a Santoshi Ma, and the screenplay picked up on that. Yet th -- short break to kill a spider -- yet then that's as though to say humans don't actually invent myths, all are inspired, which seems unlikely ...
:033: (...for the spider...) 😀
i'm going to take the liberty at this time and detail the many odd idosyncracies that help increase my faith that I am drawn to Kali (and/or vice versa).
At one point, i was going to a local hindu temple now and again but i stopped going, in favor of attending a Hare Krishna meetup in my area (i'm not Hare Krishna myself, but i admired the devotion and spirit of the people that were part of the group) and our beliefs were similar enough (although very different in certain ways). After a few months I needed to shift gears so I went back to the hindu temple. During those few months at Hare Krishna, i had also developed a passion for Kali (of my own volition).
(..setting the scene here...) After many Hindu services, they have what is called Prasadam, it's a sharing of food that was prepared, and then later blessed by the resigning deity (great - now i'm hungry!! :mad:). There is a big auditorium where they place the tables for eating. (..back to the story...)So, only the second week back at temple, there was an empty seat next to a lady i had befriended a few months prior. She beckoned me to sit down and we made small talk, I asked her where she was from, and the mentioend Kolkata. I immediately asked if she followed Kali - and she indicated that she did. I then showed here a Kali pendant i had hidden under my shirt (i didn't wear it openly only because i wasn't sure how Kali would be perceived at the temple). I could see the surprised look on her face when crazy white boy 😉 reveals his Kali pendant. So, initially, it was odd that with so few seats left, i was able to find a seat next to one of the very few people i knew, who as it happened - happened to be from Kolkata and worship Kali.:032:
Continuing......as we continued to chat, she told me about an annual Kali Puja that was being held locally, at a doctor's house - the puja was to take place...umm...:038: the very next week!!! So aside from the synchronicity needed to find myself chatting with this women, it was even stranger to be chatting with her, ....just in time... to find out about the Kali Puja - wow! I immediately made sure to get time off from work so i could attend. Needless to say, both her and I were in amazement (me especially) that i stopped going to Hare Krishna, just in time to attend temple, to one week removed - sit next to this lady, to find out about Kali Puja only one week later :dft001:.
Here are some other odds and ends which in and of themselves seem very silly - but are interesting to note nonetheless.
One of my cats is named Kali. I named her Kali before i followed the goddess. The cat is all black. I wanted to give her a pretty name after some possibly hindu, god or goddess. I did some research and ..Ah-ha.., this goddess Kali - she's known for her incredibly black skin and four arms - :022: PURRFECT! Here is the really weird part. Kali (the cat ..heheh) quite often will stick her tongue just slightly out of her mouth, i used to tease her and call her "pink tongue". I don't think this is unusual for cats, i don't believe most cats do it - but i guess that some cats do. Anyhow, imagine my surprise when i started to follow Kali (the goddess) and found out that one trademark of Kali - is she has her tongue sticking out - hmmm - just like my cat....Kali 😀 Again, silly but admittedly - ironic.
Another silly but very ironic fact. Kali is most widely worshipped in the city of Kolkata which used to be spelled Calcutta. It wasn't until after my interest in Kali (and my desire to one day visit Hardiwar and Dakshineswar :043:) that i realized the spelling of the city name was changed to Kolkata. Big deal..right? Well, remove the beginning "K" and the last three letters (ata) and umm....you have my exact last name. So again, silly maybe - but still - definitely ironic.
Another silly but very ironic fact.
Kali is most widely worshipped in the city of Kolkata which used to be spelled Kolkata.
It wasn't until after my interest ... that i realized the spelling of the city name was changed to Kolkata. Big deal..right? .
What's the difference?
Apart from the colour which I have used to draw attention to the supposedly different names!
Regards.
Prashna
Venetian said:
short break to kill a spider
Oh V! What had the poor spider done to you? What could it do to you? For shame!:022:
Nishira - I am not at all surprised by your Kali synchronicities. Once She gets Her claws into you, She rolls out the red carpet! The story about your cat is charming. BTW did you mean to spell Kolkata differently? Prashna has picked up on a possible typo of yours.
Love
Sunanda xxx