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Think or sink!

Visalakshi Ramani

Visalakshi Ramani

0
"Swim or Sink!" might be more popular than this title Think or Sink!
But that does not make this title less true on any scale!

When we do not think too well... we sink by ourselves.
When we think too well... the others will make us sink.

So which is the better option among these two?

Sink by ourselves without thinking hard and well
or let the others take care of the job of sinking us?

It is indeed a tough question and needs to be pondered
well before it could be answered.

Well! In any case we need an outlet for free thinking so that
the other threads can remain pure and unadulterated.

Welcome to think constructively on anything under
the sun and above it and to refrain from any
destructive and damaging thinking process. :)
 
How do you like to watch the protest by a crowd of Thiruppathi gol gundus ( men with clean shaved heads) protesting on the delay caused in entering the Swarga Vaasal, with vehement shouts of "Down! Down!"

Oh boy! Am I happy that they stopped short of shouting "Balaji down! down!" or "Edu Kondalavaada! down! down! Venkatramana! down! down!"

What a weird kind of bkahti on a mass scale??? :shocked:
 
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The Maargazhi Mahaa Utsavam concert of Smt. Nithyasree telecast on 23rd Dec must have moved to tears many people like me, madam R.R. and Dr. Renu.

We could hear her deva gaanam and also witness her asura saadakam behind her deva gaaanam at the same time.

A crestfallen and very sad husband Mr. Mahadevan, flashed off and on was a perfect contrast to the colorfully clad Smt. Nithyasree and their two chubby and lovely children siting on the stage.

I understood why it was made known that the program was pre-recorded after going to the ushat kaala puja in our colony temple.

Many people were wondering how come Mr. Mahadevan was seated among the audience! :shocked:
 
Visalakshi Ramani said:
"Swim or Sink!" might be more popular than this title Think or Sink!
But that does not make this title less true on any scale!

When we do not think too well... we sink by ourselves.
When we think too well... the others will make us sink.

So which is the better option among these two?

Sink by ourselves without thinking hard and well
or let the others take care of the job of sinking us?

It is indeed a tough question and needs to be pondered
well before it could be answered.

Well! In any case we need an outlet for free thinking so that
the other threads can remain pure and unadulterated.

Welcome to think constructively on anything under
the sun and above it and to refrain from any
destructive and damaging thinking process. :)
Click to expand...



To 'think'..something to post to'think'..may make others to 'think'..that I always possess wrong 'think'ing..and to 'think'

about such eventuality ..I 'think'..it is better not to 'think'..about posting something to 'think'....

TVK
 
Think to think elaborately with open mind, considering all the perspectives otherwise of which any amount of your personal thinking may eventually make you sink yourself.

If you could achieve detailed thinking considering various dimensions, no one can succeed in sinking you. The only thing is they can drive you away BUT can not take you away from yourself.
 
Visalakshi Ramani said:
How do you like to watch the protest by a crowd of Thiruppathi gol gundus ( men with clean shaved heads) protesting on the delay caused in entering the Swarga Vaasal, with vehement shouts of "Down! Down!"

Oh boy! Am I happy that they stopped short of shouting "Balaji down! down!" or "Edu Kondalavaada! down! down! Venkatramana! down! down!"

What a weird kind of bkahti on a mass scale??? :shocked:
Click to expand...

I understand. I empathize with the crowd.

Every year there are stampedes in many temples to have Dharshan. People die in the stampedes. I remember long back when the mother of a Member of Parliament (who was also a big industrialist) died in a stampede in Kumbha Mela.

I have seen this happening in every temple. I have also been often a part of the crowd.

You wait for the Dharshan and all that you are bothered is about that. You lose the power of reasoning.

Bhakthas are fanatics. Bhakthi does lead to fanaticism. I can understand why some member defends the God whom he worships. Though he may quote books, the basic feeling is Bhakthi.

Fanatic devotion is Bhakthi.


 
kk4646 said:
To 'think'..something to post to'think'..may make others to 'think'..that I always possess wrong 'think'ing..and to 'think'

about such eventuality ..I 'think'..it is better not to 'think'..about posting something to 'think'....

TVK
Click to expand...

Oh come on! :)
You can't post anything more confusing than this one!!!
Welcome to clarify and kilarify as well :)
 
C RAVI said:
Think to think elaborately with open mind, considering all the perspectives otherwise of which any amount of your personal thinking may eventually make you sink yourself.

If you could achieve detailed thinking considering various dimensions, no one can succeed in sinking you. The only thing is they can drive you away BUT can not take you away from yourself.
Click to expand...

They can drive us away ONLY if we are willing to leave! :bolt:

Otherwise we will keep returning like :playball:

Serves them right too for hitting below the belt! :moony:
 
sankara_sharmah said:
I understand. I empathize with the crowd.

Every year there are stampedes in many temples to have Dharshan. People die in the stampedes. I remember long back when the mother of a Member of Parliament (who was also a big industrialist) died in a stampede in Kumbha Mela.

I have seen this happening in every temple. I have also been often a part of the crowd.

You wait for the Dharshan and all that you are bothered is about that. You lose the power of reasoning.

Bhakthas are fanatics. Bhakthi does lead to fanaticism. I can understand why some member defends the God whom he worships. Though he may quote books, the basic feeling is Bhakthi.

Fanatic devotion is Bhakthi.
Click to expand...

God is partial since He answers some people's prayers instantly!

Ask to walk through the swarga vaasal and presto

they have already become part of swarga!!! :angel:
 
If bhakti does not refine a person and only makes him a fanatic
it must be the aasuri bhakti aka taamasic bakti.

Ever thought about this???

Raajasic bakti and taamasi bakti are sick even in their names.
But Satvic bhakti is not sick!
 
Outward show is sometimes projected as Bhakti but true Bhakti is a Bhaava( a feeling, an experience,a becoming) which only the Bhakta experiences internally.
 
renuka said:
Dear VR ji,

Every type of Bhakti is an ailment in someway or the other.

After all we are even supposed to go beyond Sattva with the help of the Bheshajam Bhava Roginaam.
Click to expand...

Welcome Renu dear! :hug:
Nice to see you here!! :)
Yes! All mano bhavanas are ailments too.
But we need some of them to go on in life!
 
NAVA VIDHA BHAKTI.

There are nine different form of loving God – namely the nine forms of Bhakti.
They vary depending on which of our ‘Indriams’ we employ in doing Bhakti.

The first form of the ‘nava vidha bhakti’ is ‘Sravanam’ or listening to the glories of our dear Lord. King Pareekshit attained mukthi by his sravnam of BhAgavata MahA purAnam sung by Suka muni in just seven days.

The second form of bhakti is ‘Keerthanam’ or singing the Lord’s glory.
Suka muni sang the glory of Lord in BhAgavadam and everyone who listened to it benefited immensely.

The third form of bhakthi is ‘Smaranam’ the continual remembrance of God’s names and form. Bhakta PrahlAd is the best example for this form of Bhakti. In spite of the dire threats and cruel punishments imposed on him by his father, he never failed to utter the name of Sri Hari even for a second!

The fourth form of bhakti is ‘pAda sEvA’ . Lakshmi Devi is the most blessed in this form of bhakti as She is continuously doing pAda SEvA to Lord Vishnu.

The fifth form of bhakti is ‘Archanai’ to God with pure and fresh flowers. Pruthu maharAj was famous for doing Archanai to his dear Lord.

The sixth form is ‘Vandanam’ or do saAshtAnga namaskAram. AkrUrar got Lord’s blessings by doing Vanadanam.

The seventh form of bhakti is ‘DAsyam’ – to be a humble servant of the Lord. None can beat HanumAn in his spirit of DAsyam and the services rendered to Lord.

The eighth form of bhakti is ‘Sakhyam’ or friendship with Lord – based on equality with Him. PandavAs and especially ArjunA is the most famous for Sakhya bAvam to Lord.

The ninth form of bhakti is ‘Atma nivEdhanam’ or total surrender to the Lord’s lotus feet. MahA Bali became the best example for this kind of Bakti, by offering to God everything he possessed including his bloated ego!
 
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MENTAL ATTITUDES OF BHAKTAS.

Love expresses itself in various forms. The intense love for God is bhakti. It is expressed differently depending on the mental make up of the bhaktAs.

BhaktAs of S’Anta bhAvam are peaceful, unperturbed, ripe and sweet like BhEshma pitAmahar.

BhaktAs in ‘DAsya BhAvam’ imagine themselves as the servants of God and are quite happy with their lot. They find happiness and satisfaction in serving God. HanumAn is the best example for DHAsya BhAvam.

BhaktAs in ‘Sakhya BHAvam’ imagine themselves to be close friends of God. PAndavAs are the best examples for this bhakti bhAvA.

BhaktAs in ‘VAtsalya BhAvam” imagine themselves to be the parent of God Himself and love Him as a parent does his / her child. The best example for this kind of Bhakti bhAvam is YasOdA.

The best bhakti BHAvam is ‘MAdhurya BhAvam’. In this bhAvam the Lord is imagined as the lover and the bahthA as the girl pining for her lover. The paramAtmA is personified as the lover and the JeevAtma as the lovelorn lady.

The bhaktAs who have excelled in this bhAvA are MeerA, AndAl and Jeya Dev.
 
Visalakshi Ramani said:
If bhakti does not refine a person and only makes him a fanatic
it must be the aasuri bhakti aka taamasic bakti.

Ever thought about this???

Raajasic bakti and taamasi bakti are sick even in their names.
But Satvic bhakti is not sick!
Click to expand...

Bakthi is Bakthi . I do not think GOD differentiates between these purely academic classifications. Kannappa Nayanar and Purandara Dasa were both Bakthas. GOD was pleased with both of them. That is what we believe in.

Thamasic, Rajasaic, Sattvic. These are mere Academic categorizations. There is not much difference between the Academics of today and the academics who wrote our scriptures.

An example of this is the classification of Puranas.

Vishnu, Narada, Padma, Garuda, Varaha and Bhagavata are Satvika Puranas. Brahma, Brahmavaivartha, Brahmaanda, Markandeya, Bhavishya and Vaamana are Rajasika Puranas and Siva, Linga, Skanda, Agni, Matsya and Kurma are Tamasika Puranas.
Among these Puranas Satvika Puranas lead one to liberation, Rajasa do not cause good and Tamasa puranas lead one to hell.
Having said this, not all portions of the Rajasa and Tamasa Puranas are invalid. Wherever they are in accordance with other satvika puranas they are perfectly valid.
Click to expand...

I need not say which sect did this classification or why?

The same about classification of Gods/Goddesses.

I have not only thought about it, but done a lot of reading and written about it.
 
12475004362111dp.jpg


THE THREE THIEVES.

A traveler was walking all by himself in a dense forest. He was carrying all his treasures bundled up along with him.

Three thieves stopped him and seized his precious bundle. They wanted to kill him before making their escape.

The first thief drew out his shining dagger while the second thief bound his legs and hands. The third thief intervened, argued with them and saved the traveler’s life.

The first two thieves ran away in haste. The third thief accompanied the man till he reached his home. But in spite of repeated requests he refused to come inside the house.

He left immediately after the traveler entered his house. The man was at peace at last since he had reached his final destination.

The world is the dense forest. The traveler is the Jeevaatmaa. The precious bundle he carries is the Atma Gnaanam.

The three thieves are the three gunas – Raajasa, Thaamsa and Satva.
The thief who drew out his dagger is the Raajasan.
The thief who bound the traveler is the Thaamasan.
The thief who saved his life was the Satvan.

The home is the Paramapadam / Vaikuntam / Kailaasam / the final abode which every Jeeva wants to reach.

We can enter the final abode only after getting rid of all the three gunaas. Satvan is a good fellow and helps the jeevaa, but he too is a thief and can not accompany the Jeevaa is into the final abode.
 
Bhakthi Yoga is part of Bhagavad Gita. Narada Bhakthi Sutra is a very old text.

But the ritualistic Hinduism never emphasized Bhakthi.

The Bhakthi movement did not start till 800 A.D. It started with the Saiva Nayanmars. Followed by Azhwars. .Bhakti movement spread like wild fire because it did not discriminate on Caste or knowledge of Sanskrit.

Bhakthi comes from the heart. It is a feeling, an emotion. It does not come by reading text books or by performing any ritual.

Th orthodox Hindus had no other alternative, but to accept Bhakthi which does not believe in rituals.

But then I was shocked when I heard a respected scholar say that You have to reach the stage of Atma Chaitanyam through Jnana yoga before becoming a Bhaktha. I do not think this is what the Azhwars taught.

Bhakthas read texts like Periya Puranam and Maha Bhakthe Vijayam.
 
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Maa Visalakshi,

Bhakthi is not exclusive only to Vaishnavism, however loudly they may claim. The Nayanmars started the Bhakthi movement and were some of the greatest Bhakthas. The Saktha Bhakthi movement of Bengal is well known. Ram Prasad Sen was a great Kali Bhaktha.

I am sorry. I thought I should bring this to your attention.
 
Bhakti is more closely related to faith in God than knowledge of scriptures or atma gnaanam.

The pegans have more bhakti than the pundits since they can see God in trees, plants, rivers, land, animals and almost everything.
 
sankara_sharmah said:
Bakthi is Bakthi . I do not think GOD differentiates between these purely academic classifications. Kannappa Nayanar and Purandara Dasa were both Bakthas. GOD was pleased with both of them. That is what we believe in.

Thamasic, Rajasaic, Sattvic. These are mere Academic categorizations. There is not much difference between the Academics of today and the academics who wrote our scriptures.

An example of this is the classification of Puranas.

Vishnu, Narada, Padma, Garuda, Varaha and Bhagavata are Satvika Puranas. Brahma, Brahmavaivartha, Brahmaanda, Markandeya, Bhavishya and Vaamana are Rajasika Puranas and Siva, Linga, Skanda, Agni, Matsya and Kurma are Tamasika Puranas.



I need not say which sect did this classification or why?

The same about classification of Gods/Goddesses.

I have not only thought about it, but done a lot of reading and written about it.
Click to expand...


Human beings have these three temperaments namely Rajasic, Tamasic and Satvic.

In fact my guru used to say that these three moods prevail in the same person during different times of the day.

So the same qualities are projected on everything man wants to describe or explain.

Brahma became Rajasic, Siva Taamasi and Vishnu Satvic.
Saraswathi became Rajasic, Durga Tamasic and Lakshmi Satvic.
 
sankara_sharmah said:
Maa Visalakshi,

Bhakthi is not exclusive only to Vaishnavism, however loudly they may claim. The Nayanmars started the Bhakthi movement and were some of the greatest Bhakthas. The Saktha Bhakthi movement of Bengal is well known. Ram Prasad Sen was a great Kali Bhaktha.

I am sorry. I thought I should bring this to your attention.
Click to expand...


Did I give any hint anywhere that bhakti is propagated ONLY by the Vaishnavites?

Not to my knowledge!

Dravida region is the birth place of bhakthi movement and it includes the six religions...the worship of Siva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesh, Skandan and Sun God.

It is a group of the six schools of Indian religions called Sauram (Sun worship), Ganapatyam (Ganapathy worship), Kaumaram (Murugan worship), Vaishnavam (Vishnu worship), Saktham (Sakthy worship) and Saivam (Siva worship).

By the way there was one other person who used to call me Maa!

He had a very powerful avatar too. I made fun of one of his posts and he vanished into thin air.

To this day I am repenting for having played tomfoolery with a serious and sensitive person like him and the light hearted jokers alike! :tsk:
 

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