Is God an "Employee"??

[Raji Ram]

Share:

Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn WhatsApp Email Share Link

Dear Renu,

God is Almighty and has the power to control the whole universe! He is not like humans who get irritated by non-stop demands!

By offering money to God, we are indirectly helping the society.

OK. When there is belief in 'vEndudhal', (keeping money for temple hundi / vowing to visit a particular temple) no logic will work;

no philosophical thinking will work. As long as we do not pray to make some other person have a 'mottai', it is fine!!

Now, suppose the whole world believes in karma theory or think that NO prayer will change ANYTHING, then there will not be any

temples, mosques or churches! No God / Goddess picture and no poojA rooms in houses! What do you say?

OMG! Suppose this happens, there will be no bhajans. :dizzy:

 

[renuka]

Dear Renu,

God is Almighty and has the power to control the whole universe! He is not like humans who get irritated by non-stop demands!

By offering money to God, we are indirectly helping the society.

OK. When there is belief in 'vEndudhal', (keeping money for temple hundi / vowing to visit a particular temple) no logic will work;

no philosophical thinking will work. As long as we do not pray to make some other person have a 'mottai', it is fine!!

Now, suppose the whole world believes in karma theory or think that NO prayer will change ANYTHING, then there will not be any

temples, mosques or churches! No God / Goddess picture and no poojA rooms in houses! What do you say?

OMG! Suppose this happens, there will be no bhajans. :dizzy:

Dear RR ji,

Why cant we accept the Universe itself as the Altar/Pooja Room/Prayer Place/Temple/God &Goddess pictures etc?

After all the pics we see are an Artist Impression..mainly Raja Ravi Varma's.

So when we have the Universe the Original Piece of Art "painted" by God Himself do we need more??

 

[Raji Ram]

When we gain experience in this world, we understand that there is some force controlling the universe and that force is God, for atheists.

We also understand that 'avanindri OraNuvum asaiyAdhu!'. He only plans everything for us! Shall tell you one example.

I went to Kanyakumari with my sisters and one BIL. Few years back, I went for the boat ride but my sisters had not and were very keen on

touching 'Thiruvalluvar' statue. With hearts full of excitement, we reached the boat house to buy the tickets. The timing was so perfect that

the gates were closed just as we were about to enter! Reason: Rough sea! God did NOT want us to take the ride - what else to say!!

By such experiences we firmly belief, 'ellAm avan seyal; nadappadhellAm nanmaikkE!' May be this is the right philosophy! eace:

 

[krish44]

Dear Renu,

God is Almighty and has the power to control the whole universe! He is not like humans who get irritated by non-stop demands!

By offering money to God, we are indirectly helping the society.

OK. When there is belief in 'vEndudhal', (keeping money for temple hundi / vowing to visit a particular temple) no logic will work;

no philosophical thinking will work. As long as we do not pray to make some other person have a 'mottai', it is fine!!

Now, suppose the whole world believes in karma theory or think that NO prayer will change ANYTHING, then there will not be any

temples, mosques or churches! No God / Goddess picture and no poojA rooms in houses! What do you say?

OMG! Suppose this happens, there will be no bhajans. :dizzy:

not having a pooja room . may not be a bad idea i. bhajans - a big no no-not in homes. if it can end religeous conflicts in india.why not.but people are getting more and more ritualistic and building bigger and expensive pooja rooms. turning to religion in a big way in these hard times. ladies are praying for husbands in karva chouth and keeping fasts for the day. crowds in tirumala are only increasing. hundi collections are running into crores everyday. why renukaji is taking exceptions to small offerings to God if it satisfies a few and dismiss it off as offerings to ravi varma paintings.. By the way ,in addition to trivandrum museum ,baroda palace has a large number of ravi varma originals. also if one goes to kanyakumari ,it is possible to pick up large reprints for a throw away price. I bought some and framed them. also I give framed large paintings of ravi varma as wedding gifts or gifts for senior citizen functions

 

[Raji Ram]

.. Why cant we accept the Universe itself as the Altar/Pooja Room/Prayer Place/Temple/God &Goddess pictures etc?

After all the pics we see are an Artist Impression..mainly Raja Ravi Varma's.

So when we have the Universe the Original Piece of Art "painted" by God Himself do we need more??

Dear Renu,

Though this is 100% true, normal humans can not visualize this! Humans created so many Gods and Goddesses and wrote so many

stories about each of them, only because of their fertile imagination. High level thinking is NOT possible for normal people and that is

why so many Gurus exist to take us in the righteous path. If all humans are good, do we need Gurus anymore?
P.S: How can people fight over the greatness of their own Guru with others?? :fencing: ...

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Krish Sir,

No bhajans? No way! You know some bhajans drive the listeners crazy!

This is the best example: Rengamma by Sri Vittaldas.

 

[ashwin_ash]

Sometimes we think the world is what we know, and we alone can judge others.
I did not force anyone to choose the profession they are in. It is their choice and their circumstances. We all are in the situation of our own making (I strongly believe in the Karma theory). At the same time if we feel we should be able to do as much charity as we want.

The person carrying our luggage is doing a job for a fee, just as a policeman, postman, or a rickshaw wala. Each one should be accorded respect equally. At the same time I treat others the way I want to be treated. If a coolly tries to hustle you there is no reason to be grateful, on the other hand that same coolly helps you I will be more than happy to tip that person, it is called customer service. One need not feel pity for others.

Giving money to street corner beggar is paying into a con game. Most of these fellows are professional beggars, and make more money than average worker in construction.

WE do charity to make us feel better, some times the charity is money making business, crooks or even downright criminals.

In India it is very difficult to carry your own bags at least in Train Stations. In airport the cart is given to you to navigate with your luggage. The floor is even enough to move the luggage. In train stations those conveniences are not there. It is almost mandatory for older people to hire coolies. The luggage has to be carried over bridges, and has to loaded into compartment, and maneuvered it inside the cabin.

Ashji,
Please do not take it as personal attack. I am just expressing my observation.
A confession of panhandler: Residentially Challenged: How Much Does a Panhandler Really Make?

When you see someone without hands and legs, or some homeless guy driven away from every place till he's forced to return to the sidewalk, you can't help but think how much God has given you withot you asking Him for much. And when you see an exit sign showing 'Chicago' and instead exit into Gary IN (okay my foolishness partially, I never realized Gary is now a Chicago suburb as part of efforts to try and revive it), it puts the fear of God in you, even cops are scared of that place. And suddenly when some random guy really helps, one realizes God helps when we need, and doesn't ask for favors in return.

Out of context, I've been in Europe too and people there think "That could have been me" when they encounter panhandlers, and give them some tip. In the States, people tend to think "Thank God that's not me" and move on selfishly.

 

[renuka]

Dear Renu,

Though this is 100% true, normal humans can not visualize this! Humans created so many Gods and Goddesses and wrote so many

stories about each of them, only because of their fertile imagination. High level thinking is NOT possible for normal people and that is

why so many Gurus exist to take us in the righteous path. If all humans are good, do we need Gurus anymore?
P.S: How can people fight over the greatness of their own Guru with others?? :fencing: ...

Dear RR ji,

Actually I dont think accepting the Universe as God is Higher Thinking.

That is just simple thinking...the same mind we were born with...a simple mind that did not have desires and demands.

 

[tks]

This song came to my mind when I read this line.

​Solladi Abhiraami - Aadhi Parasakthi

The verses are wonderful indeed and fits the context extremely well
In real life the ending is never so dramatic as in movies.

Being a music teacher you can tell me if this piece will be another example.

I am unable to find any Youtube version of the song 'Indha_Paramugam' in Poorvikalyani by TVS - I have a old concert from 1980s where the Niraval around 'Nee Oru Silai -O' (meaning - are you just a statue ..) is outstanding.

I have given the link to the same song by Vijay Siva

Intha Paramugam ? Poorvikalyani ? Shri.N.VijaySiva. « Shadjam.com. 'Live with the Legends'. Indian, Hindustani and Carnatic Music by Legendary artists.

I think while his rendering is excellent the underlying emotion of the verses do not come through with same intensity.

Regards

 

[Raji Ram]

Thank you TKS Sir for the nice link. Sri Vijay Siva's pitch hinders in giving the necessary feel to the songs, imho!

As you have mentioned, his rendering is excellent.

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear TKS Sir,

Google search gave the same song rendered by Smt. Nithyasree.

Here it is: Indha Paramugam By Nityasree

Please click "play" to listen to the full song.

 

[krish44]

Dear Krish Sir,

No bhajans? No way! You know some bhajans drive the listeners crazy!

This is the best example: Rengamma by Sri Vittaldas.

Thanks RRji.Listened to bhajan , My wife said "nanna erukku'.I liked the religeous fervour of bare bodied kudumis in background

 

[Raji Ram]

nannA irundhA nalladhu! But I ONLY hear the bhajan. No viewing the video!

 

[indianassault]

Does space work for us? Are we significant? the space and Brahman will be working for now and when we are gone. The air I breath (hopefully pure) is not working for me and you. The moment we (THE I ness) is introduced in an equation it is skewed. Electricity does not differentiate between electrocuting some one and running the hart-lung machine in saving some one. Similarly Brahman does not differentiate between Sravanaji or Renukaji. Similarly Brahman does not care if you praise it or curse it, it continues to carry out its duties. Similarly we too have our duties and destiny to continue, so we should not expect divine intervention on our behalf. Brahman sustains all of us in our day to day endeavors. Without Brahman we do not exist (your own Advaita).

Has that Sasikumar movie become a cult so soon...Brahman Brahman brahman everywhere....

 

[indianassault]

Deriding the man who carries our luggage at the train station is very wrong. We should try lifting our own baggage to understand the poor guy's pain.

That apart, I feel like giving money to injured/ maimed people holding placards which go like 'I was injured in so and so war' etc. Sometimes I give, sometimes I don't. God doesn't want our money. We can give, sometimes. We need not, sometimes. I once had a flat in near pitch-darkness on the Interstate. I did call road assistance and when they didn't turn up, I called emergency. They too asked me to drive 'slowly' to the nearest lay-by and wait since my situation was not dire exactly. But then, that stretch of the highway was near a decrepit city known for extreme crime. I was fairly quaking in my shoes. Some random guy approached me when he saw my hazard lights blinking and offered to fix the flat for a fee. I randomly pulled out a bunch of bills from my pocket in gratitude and paid that guy, who quietly left after helping me. He didn't demand any particular amount, nor did he even bother to count.

That is God, in the truest sense. He doesn't want, he doesn't judge.

You got a good deal somehow so you shower praise. If he had robbed you, you would have gone ahead and called US also a **** head state.

 

[ashwin_ash]

You got a good deal somehow so you shower praise. If he had robbed you, you would have gone ahead and called US also a dick head state.

I'm glad you're not getting a good deal. And what do you mean by 'also'? I've never stooped to your level and used foul language. Stop using profanity.

 

[js59]

I personally believe that the practice of placing some money at God's plate before leaving on travel or pilgrimage is a faith associated with our prayer whereby we request God to ensure that things go on well. It definitely need not be construed as "bribe" or "wage" to God. After all we cannot bribe Him who is all powerful and everywhere. It is He who gets things done through us.

By apportioning small amounts whenever we travel, we ensure that we are able to meet the cost of our pilgrimage to Kula Deivam (native temple) once a year with the money collected. This is another way of looking at it.

 

[indianassault]

The word i used means Idiot. You are free to assume and further research . And "also" in the context of how you abuse India as a dirt poor state whenever you get a chance.

And regarding my level, let that be, I write profanity. You expose and spread profanity . LOL.

 

[ashwin_ash]

The word i used means Idiot. You are free to assume and further research . And "also" in the context of how you abuse India as a dirt poor state whenever you get a chance.

And regarding my level, let that be, I write profanity. You expose and spread profanity . LOL.

Ok, just to make you happy, India is the world's richest country where even assassins are jailed for life, and the streets are squeaky clean, nobody honks or uses the high beam, there are no cattle or garbage heaps on the streets, roads are as smooth as a baby's cheek. There are no communicable diseases caused due to poor sanitation. The entire country has clean air and water, and access to restrooms, literacy is 100%, life expectancy is 90 yrs at birth..nobody uses pepper canisters in parliament, there are zero power outages, homicide rates are the lowest in the world..

My impression of India was wrong, perhaps.

 

[sangom]

Mankind is yet very far from having a definite and rational knowledge of "god" and so this god continues to be an a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, as the saying goes. Religions are the only interpreters or guides for the common man to learn about 'god'. Most religions attempt to give an anthropomorphic facade to god, who is then considered in very many possible relationships to the devotee or the common man; Bharathiar's lines cited by Shri Vaagmi depict this aspect only.

Temples, I have read somewhere, functioned as safe depositories for the larger communities, in ancient India. Even harvested crops it seems used to be stored in temples as safe-keeping. As time passed, people started entrusting their valuables also to the temples and thus the famous temples like Somnath became very rich depositories. This was one reason for Mahmud Ghaznavi attacking Somnath looting Somnath temple by Mahmud of Ghazni and also later by other Muslim rulers including Aurangzeb.

People who look upon their 'god' as something like a protector/saviour, tend to keep a portion of their earnings as their 'tribute' or Kaanickai for their god; this is a copy of the practice we had of tributes being paid to suzerains, kings, emperors and so on by their vassals in order to ensure peace and protection of their interests. In a very similar way, before embarking on a journey, some people set apart some money for their 'god' and pray that their journey would be safe, happy and fruitful etc. This money is spent, on successful return from the journey, towards the god in their usual temple.
There is nothing wrong in this practice, per se, but this and many other practices arising from the same psychological basis, has made India a very corrupt country, imo.

 

[indianassault]

Ok, just to make you happy, India is the world's richest country where even assassins are jailed for life, and the streets are squeaky clean, nobody honks or uses the high beam, there are no cattle or garbage heaps on the streets, roads are as smooth as a baby's cheek. There are no communicable diseases caused due to poor sanitation. The entire country has clean air and water, and access to restrooms, literacy is 100%, life expectancy is 90 yrs at birth..nobody uses pepper canisters in parliament, there are zero power outages, homicide rates are the lowest in the world..

My impression of India was wrong, perhaps.

You missed the freedom part. You can walk alone in the night in Camden or Over the Rhine or Flint . That freedom isnt available anywhere in India.

 

[ashwin_ash]

You missed the freedom part. You can walk alone in the night in Camden or Over the Rhine or Flint . That freedom isnt available anywhere in India.

You are trying to provoke. Humble request- please do not view members residing outside India with jealousy. Be happy in India, you can.

 

[prasad1]

I am not against such practice as leaving money at the alter or saying parkalam instead of goodbye, it is an individuals choice, and harmless at that.
Just because a table has 4 legs and a cow has 4 legs a cow is not a table. Not All superstitions are same. A superstition that targets other individual and kills them as witch is not comparable to leaving money at the alter.

So please stop equating customs and harmless practice with Murdering people for their Dristi. It is insincere at best and downright wrong in my opinion.

 

[indianassault]

Humble request- please do not view members residing outside India with jealousy. Be happy in India, you can.

You assume too much about other s intention or location. Happiness is one's state of mind, I can be as happy in India as you do in a Chicago ghetto. (If you assume, this is what you get in return)

 

[indianassault]

any way, sorry if i was offensive or provocative. that is never my intention.