How can we encourage our kids to go to temple more?

[B V RAAGHAVAN]

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Dear Shri Guruvayurppan,

Yes, it is true that in many families the traditions are being followed strictly. My request is towards the left outs to come into the fold and practice the systems so that everybody will become perfect.

Dear Shri Sangom,
To avoid any contamination, we should strict only to some branded materials which are time tested and are easily accepted to our body/skin.

Dear Shri Sundarananda,

Yes, I am also saying the same thing. Don't practice the dharma out of fear. Don't teach the Dharma to your children by saying "Ammachi Kannai Kuththidum". Lot of Dharmik stories are available in our Hindu Dharma to teach to your children. Please teach the Dharma with full of kindness, love and affection. It is general request aimed to all to follow.

Thank you
Adiyen
Raaghavan

 

[Sundarananda]

Dear Mr. Raaghvan,
I liked the postings and escpecially your signature, Adiyen


Best Regards,
Sundarananda

 

[sbvinfotech]

I am the second son of my father. Can I do function of first death anniversy of my father alone or can I do with my elder brother

 

[B V RAAGHAVAN]

The first anniversay function should be done jointly only. Subsequent anniversaries canbe done separately.

 

[Iyer]

Folks:

Not sure if this question belongs to this thread or if this has been discussed ever before..

Something that has been bothering me for sometime. I am talking about Hindus living abroad (including myself).
I get the distinct impression that we go to temples less. When I compare Hindus with muslims or Christians, I see
many of the other faiths going to mosques and churches more often than Hindus. I seem to go to temples only on special
occasions or festival days but never made it a practice to schedule periodic trips to temples. This does not mean my faith
is any less or I am becoming less of a Hindu. When other faiths make it a priority, some how we do not do that. In my office
building we have a huge hall to accomodate muslims to pray.

What can we do to encourage ourselves to go to temples more:

1. In my case, I do pray and do abishekam to my ishta devata on specific days at home; should it preclude
me from going to the temple;
2. If I dont go, how can I set an example to my kids from going to the temple;
3. Is it because some how we have become less of an Indian?
4. Is it because we are not proud of our heritage?
5. I have attended lectures on Hinduism conducted by whites and have been fascinated by their love of our religion and its content how come some of us are not able to realize the vast richness and heritage of our culture?
6. If I become more knowledgeable with the scriptures, vedas and able to answer the questions that my kids have on Hinduism,
will it be a factor to encourage them to go to temple?

Perhaps the answer is a combination of all this. In my case, there is no lack of temples around where I live; but some of them
find to be more commercial than religious so I am not finding what I am looking for in those establishments.

I am wondering how the other tabras feel about this ....

P.S. Needless to say, this question is directed to those that are believers!!

Good day

"Dheho Dheva Alaiya Ha!!".

Advise your children to make their body a temple. Then they won't need to go to any temple built by men's hands. I doubt if God lives in such buildings.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[ozone]

"Dheho Dheva Alaiya Ha!!".
I doubt if God lives in such buildings.

Regards,
Iyer

(Keep you body like a temple, so you can allow God (liness) to reside in it)
God Likes to please everyone, even to those who do not believe in him.
He will appear to be non existent when he sees some people approaching him inside a building

 

[B V RAAGHAVAN]

Dear Iyer,

Yes, anybody can make one's body as alayam. But why there is a temple. Why the idol of God is there?

First of all, If one make it a point to visit a temple atleast once in a week, he comes in contact with more and more people. then,


he concentrates on the idol, try to connect himself with HIM and try to communicate with HIM. His confidence level grows. The prayer purifies his soul.

There are innumerable benefits in visiting a temple. Please make it a point to visit a temple and also encourage others to visit HIM in His House.

Adiyen
Raaghavan

 

[renuka]

"Dheho Dheva Alaiya Ha!!".

Advise your children to make their body a temple. Then they won't need to go to any temple built by men's hands. I doubt if God lives in such buildings.

Regards,
Iyer

Isnt God all pervading?

 

[Iyer]

(Keep you body like a temple, so you can allow God (liness) to reside in it)
God Likes to please everyone, even to those who do not believe in him.
He will appear to be non existent when he sees some people approaching him inside a building

The concept of Temple, Idol never existed in Sanatana Dharma. Idol worship and temples apparently evolved in later times. Neither the Vedas nor the Upanishads promote Idol worship.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[Iyer]

Dear Iyer,

Yes, anybody can make one's body as alayam. But why there is a temple. Why the idol of God is there?

First of all, If one make it a point to visit a temple atleast once in a week, he comes in contact with more and more people. then,


he concentrates on the idol, try to connect himself with HIM and try to communicate with HIM. His confidence level grows. The prayer purifies his soul.

There are innumerable benefits in visiting a temple. Please make it a point to visit a temple and also encourage others to visit HIM in His House.

Adiyen
Raaghavan

Please read my post #559. When you commune with God, you don't need anyone else. You dont need an idol or temple to build Godliness in you. Since childhood our minds have been conditioned and programmed to visit temples and worship idols so much so that we are not able to uncondition and unprogram ourselves from such a mindset. When God dwells in you, you will realize He is all you need in you. You will be a channel of His blessings to others.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[Iyer]

Isnt God all pervading?

I am of the conviction that God created the living and the non-living beings, the animate and the inanimate, the entire universe. Of the living beings, Human beings are special. God created the Non-living things and animals for the benefit of Human beings. For example He created the Sun to give heat and light to man. He created animals so that man would tame them and use them for his benefit. He created man so that He would dwell inside men, make their body His temple, commune with men (that includes women) and fulfill the purpose of creation. I don't believe that God would live inside non-living things and animals. He is all pervading indeed. But He is not all-penetrating. Let not all-pervading be confused with where He would choose to dwell.

We shall worship the Creator and not the creation.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[KRS]

Hello Sri Iyer Ji,

Yours is the classic vision of God from the theistic schools of the Abrahamic tradition.

Srimathi Renuka Ji's statement comes from the theistic viewpoint of Advaitha.

Regards,
KRS

I am of the conviction that God created the living and the non-living beings, the animate and the inanimate, the entire universe. Of the living beings, Human beings are special. God created the Non-living things and animals for the benefit of Human beings. For example He created the Sun to give heat and light to man. He created animals so that man would tame them and use them for his benefit. He created man so that He would dwell inside men, make their body His temple, commune with men (that includes women) and fulfill the purpose of creation. I don't believe that God would live inside non-living things and animals. He is all pervading indeed. But He is not all-penetrating. Let not all-pervading be confused with where He would choose to dwell.

We shall worship the Creator and not the creation.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[renuka]

I am of the conviction that God created the living and the non-living beings, the animate and the inanimate, the entire universe. Of the living beings, Human beings are special. God created the Non-living things and animals for the benefit of Human beings. For example He created the Sun to give heat and light to man. He created animals so that man would tame them and use them for his benefit. He created man so that He would dwell inside men, make their body His temple, commune with men (that includes women) and fulfill the purpose of creation. I don't believe that God would live inside non-living things and animals. He is all pervading indeed. But He is not all-penetrating. Let not all-pervading be confused with where He would choose to dwell.

We shall worship the Creator and not the creation.

Regards,
Iyer

Dear Iyer,

Arent we imposing Duality on God by demarcating where He should dwell and where He should not?

BTW what is the difference between all pervading and all penetrating?

Do you feel by saying that God is all pervading but not all penetrating is like God can be around or nearby a place but not inside of it?

Well the Narasimha Avatar proved to us that God can be even in non animate objects.

 

[Iyer]

Hello Sri Iyer Ji,

Yours is the classic vision of God from the theistic schools of the Abrahamic tradition.

Srimathi Renuka Ji's statement comes from the theistic viewpoint of Advaitha.

Regards,
KRS

My point of view is reflected in the Vedas. I dont understand what you mean by Theistic Schools of Abrahamic Tradition.

Advaitha is not universal Truth. It is just a philosophy. I don't accept Advaita. I differ in opinion with Sankara. To some extent Dvaita is acceptable. These are just philosophies. Modern day philosophies galore viz JK, Rajneesh, Ayn Rand etc etc.

We are not under any mandate to accept philosophies as Truth.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[Iyer]

Dear Iyer,

Arent we imposing Duality on God by demarcating where He should dwell and where He should not?

BTW what is the difference between all pervading and all penetrating?

Do you feel by saying that God is all pervading but not all penetrating is like God can be around or nearby a place but not inside of it?

Well the Narasimha Avatar proved to us that God can be even in non animate objects.

Dear Renukaji,

We don't have any authority to dictate where God should dwell and should not. We ought to know where He would dwell and where He would not.

You are too wise to be ignorant of the difference between pervading and penetrating.

Narasimha Avatar is just a fiction. Not fact. It is not part of Sanatana Dharma.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[renuka]

Dear Renukaji,

We don't have any authority to dictate where God should dwell and should not. We ought to know where He would dwell and where He would not.

You are too wise to be ignorant of the difference between pervading and penetrating.

Narasimha Avatar is just a fiction. Not fact. It is not part of Sanatana Dharma.

Regards,
Iyer

Dear Iyer,

Yes I agree with you that we dont have the authority to dictate where God should dwell and where He should not..but in that case we should not even have the authority to know where He is supposed to be present and where he is supposed to be absent isnt it?

If you dont mind..can I know why you consider Narasimha fiction?
What is your stand on Avatars like Rama and Krishna?

 

[KRS]

Whoa! Sri Iyer Ji!

Where did I say that you have to accept any Philosophy as Truth?

Your view on humans, animals and inanimate objects are exactly the beliefs of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam - take your pick).

You will not find any reference in the Vedas nor in the Hindu philosophical branches any reference to 'Of the living beings, Human beings are special. God created the Non-living things and animals for the benefit of Human beings. For example He created the [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]Sun[/FONT][/FONT] to give heat and light to man. He created animals so that man would tame them and use them for his benefit.' This type of thinking is not at all there in Hinduism, as much as I know.

To tell you the truth, I also saw in one of your postings the comment 'Communion with God', which is definitely a Christian concept.

So who are you? If you are not a Hindu by faith, that is okay. We welcome people of all beliefs and religions here. What we do not like here are people from other faiths who would not admit to who they are. So, if you still insist you are an Iyer of the Hindu variety, then:

Okay, can you cite the passages in our Vedas to support this view?

By the way, I was explaining the viewpoint from which Srimathi Renuka Ji was speaking. Tell me where I tried to convince you that you should believe in Advaitha?

Regards,
KRS

My point of view is reflected in the Vedas. I dont understand what you mean by Theistic Schools of Abrahamic Tradition.

Advaitha is not universal Truth. It is just a philosophy. I don't accept Advaita. I differ in opinion with Sankara. To some extent Dvaita is acceptable. These are just philosophies. Modern day philosophies galore viz JK, Rajneesh, Ayn Rand etc etc.

We are not under any mandate to accept philosophies as Truth.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[Iyer]

Dear Iyer,

Yes I agree with you that we dont have the authority to dictate where God should dwell and where He should not..but in that case we should not even have the authority to know where He is supposed to be present and where he is supposed to be absent isnt it??

We are bound to know where He would dwell and where He would not so that we seek and find Him where He is and avoid wasting time and energy groping for Him where He is not.

If you dont mind..can I know why you consider Narasimha fiction?
What is your stand on Avatars like Rama and Krishna?

May I know why you consider them fact? IMHO it was imposed in us since childhood to believe they are fact. Epics and Legends were provided to instill a belief in God and a fear of God in men. These so-called gods are not mentioned in Vedas or Upanishads.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[Iyer]

Whoa! Sri Iyer Ji!

Where did I say that you have to accept any Philosophy as Truth?

What was the purpose of referring to Advaitha?

Your view on humans, animals and inanimate objects are exactly the beliefs of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam - take your pick).

You will not find any reference in the Vedas nor in the Hindu philosophical branches any reference to 'Of the living beings, Human beings are special. God created the Non-living things and animals for the benefit of Human beings. For example He created the [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]Sun[/FONT][/FONT] to give heat and light to man. He created animals so that man would tame them and use them for his benefit.' This type of thinking is not at all there in Hinduism, as much as I know.

These are basic truths found on earth, practically experienced and witnessed. These concepts or thinking need not belong to any religion.

To tell you the truth, I also saw in one of your postings the comment 'Communion with God', which is definitely a Christian concept.

Just because the word 'communion' is English, does that mean it is a christian concept. Is it given to only so-called-christians to use words like communion or for that matter any English words? What is a christian concept?

When you perform gayathri japa, when performing prarthana, when reciting a sloka or sahasranama, whom are you communing with?

So who are you? If you are not a Hindu by faith, that is okay. We welcome people of all beliefs and religions here. What we do not like here are people from other faiths who would not admit to who they are. So, if you still insist you are an Iyer of the Hindu variety, then:

Have you discovered yourself Mr KRS? Have you realized your own self Mr KRS? Instead of asking me "Who are you?", may I humbly request you to ask your own self the question "Who am I?". That is how I started my spiritual journey. And I am still travelling. Should we meet in eternity, I will certainly answer your question then.

What do you mean by other faiths? Is any faith a belonging of an individual or a people group? Is any individual a belonging of any faith?

Are so-called-brahmins strictly forbidden from drawing and applying good principles from so-called-other faiths?

Okay, can you cite the passages in our Vedas to support this view?

I humbly request you to read the Vedas. Also please take help from a good guru.

By the way, I was explaining the viewpoint from which Srimathi Renuka Ji was speaking. Tell me where I tried to convince you that you should believe in Advaitha?

Please see my question earlier in this post.

Regards,
Iyer

 

[ShivKC]

Whoa! Sri Iyer Ji!

Where did I say that you have to accept any Philosophy as Truth?

Your view on humans, animals and inanimate objects are exactly the beliefs of Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam - take your pick).

You will not find any reference in the Vedas nor in the Hindu philosophical branches any reference to 'Of the living beings, Human beings are special. God created the Non-living things and animals for the benefit of Human beings. For example He created the [FONT=inherit !important][FONT=inherit !important]Sun[/FONT][/FONT] to give heat and light to man. He created animals so that man would tame them and use them for his benefit.' This type of thinking is not at all there in Hinduism, as much as I know.

To tell you the truth, I also saw in one of your postings the comment 'Communion with God', which is definitely a Christian concept.

So who are you? If you are not a Hindu by faith, that is okay. We welcome people of all beliefs and religions here. What we do not like here are people from other faiths who would not admit to who they are. So, if you still insist you are an Iyer of the Hindu variety, then:

Okay, can you cite the passages in our Vedas to support this view?

By the way, I was explaining the viewpoint from which Srimathi Renuka Ji was speaking. Tell me where I tried to convince you that you should believe in Advaitha?

Regards,
KRS

looks like sh.Iyer has changed the faith to Christianity. but then, he shares some good perspective, like how nara/yamaka had brought here once.

my request here is, give him an ear,like how it was given to those recently exited atheists, but not corner him, even if he dont admit his faith. after all, one can always change his faith, and dont need any documentational govt. id proof for changing faith.

lets give him an ear, and engage and debate with him,cos i feel, he has few logical points to share with. pls dont corner him, just because he shares another religious view.. after all, in the Set theory, the falls in to the subset, come what religion he follows, than the atheists who could only be categorized as 'null set'..sharing my school days 'set theory'

PS: I like his way of expressing things, tone of English script, writing style, flow of language et all.. some where close to nara, though the views are poles apart. sure, sh.iyer adds value to the foum and readership and his post as positively civil in nature

 

[KRS]

Folks,

As you all can plainly see, Sri Iyer Ji is probably not a Hindu.

We all can see how he answered my direct questions as well as others' with nebulous answers.

We welcome here all religions, all viewpoints as long as the discourse is civil. However there is something that is troubling me in his answers. His stance seems to be that he is a Hindu and learnt what he says from Hinduism, which from his answers one can very easily see as false.

In these situations, I usually put on my Moderators cap and would have given an ultimatum to get the 'bonafides', the term coined by Sri Kunjuppu Ji himself, but this time I am taking a different tack.

Are we all comfortable with not knowing Sri Iyer Ji's 'bonafides'? Please let us know. I will follow your lead on this.

But I want to tell Sri Iyer Ji one thing. If you are here on the basis of your banking on ignorance on our members' part to sell your wares, as you can see, it will not work. On the other hand if that is not your intention, you are welcome here, pending our members' approvals.

Regards,
KRS

 

[kunjuppu]

KRS,

as our friend hariharan1972 would say, i think iyer is an expert at obfuscating. atleast i think so.

i will pass the buck back to you, as to the 'iyer' case. maybe, if we ignore him, he will just disappear. we have members here wishing the same for folks like me, and so why not, do some tit for tat?

 

[renuka]

We are bound to know where He would dwell and where He would not so that we seek and find Him where He is and avoid wasting time and energy groping for Him where He is not.

Dear Iyer,

I thought we do not have authority to decide where God is supposed to be and where He is not supposed to be but now you say we are bound to know where He dwells and seek for Him?

Doesnt make sense right? Sounds like some bonded labour hide and seek game to me.

May I know why you consider them fact? IMHO it was imposed in us since childhood to believe they are fact. Epics and Legends were provided to instill a belief in God and a fear of God in men. These so-called gods are not mentioned in Vedas or Upanishads.

My dear...I asked you a question becos you said it 1st that Narasimha doesnt exist and its Fiction.
You havent given answers yet I feel

 

[renuka]

Folks,

As you all can plainly see, Sri Iyer Ji is probably not a Hindu.

We all can see how he answered my direct questions as well as others' with nebulous answers.

We welcome here all religions, all viewpoints as long as the discourse is civil. However there is something that is troubling me in his answers. His stance seems to be that he is a Hindu and learnt what he says from Hinduism, which from his answers one can very easily see as false.

In these situations, I usually put on my Moderators cap and would have given an ultimatum to get the 'bonafides', the term coined by Sri Kunjuppu Ji himself, but this time I am taking a different tack.

Are we all comfortable with not knowing Sri Iyer Ji's 'bonafides'? Please let us know. I will follow your lead on this.

But I want to tell Sri Iyer Ji one thing. If you are here on the basis of your banking on ignorance on our members' part to sell your wares, as you can see, it will not work. On the other hand if that is not your intention, you are welcome here, pending our members' approvals.

Regards,
KRS

I have seen in other forums where members who are non hindus(especially westerners) who have special interest in Sanathana Dharma declare openly about their religion and belief system and contribute and debate without any prejudice or hidden agenda.

I am sure all of us are open minded enough to debate with anyone Hindu,Non Hindu,Atheist or Theist but I have coined this term Secular Atheist and Non Secular Atheist(I know it sounds dumb).

For a Secular Atheist all forms of Divinity collectively known as God doesnt exist.
For a Non Secular Atheist only Hindu forms of God doesnt exist.

So if a person can share with us which category he/she falls in it will be easier to debate,most important I feel most of us are not interested to debate with a person with a hidden agenda.Its a waste of time.

 

[Iyer]

The topic of discussion in this forum is 'How to encourage our children go to temples?'During the course of exchanges, seems to have digressed.Can't we be just human beings not categorizing ourselves as hindu, muslim, christian, brahmin etc.. yet believe in God and believe God !!!We have fought enough battles and wars in the name of religion, caste etc.Should'nt we let our descendants live in peace and harmony as just human beings?Many questions may be raised in this thread like 'Do you practise what you preach? Are you being sincere and honest in what you claim yourselves to be?' etc but sure enough they would meet with unconvincing answers. Regards,Iyer