I thought for a long time about how to present the contents of the lectures. Finally I came up with this format. I apologize if you were expecting a detailed blog. I'll try and add a few more points tomorrow.
Krishna/Vishnu is the only God. Shiva etc. are all demi-gods. Pleasing the demi-gods might help one with earthly pleasures, but to attain 'Vaikuntam' (Heaven) one has to surrender to Krishna/Vishnu.
Gita is the only scripture where God says that he is God. Gita and Bhagavatam are the two top scriptures and each one of us has to atleast attempt to read it.
Why everything is India-centric - 5000 years back it was only India ( Bharath) and everyone followed the Vedic religion. The capital was Hasthinapura.
Creation Vs. Evolution - Hindu scriptures talk about creation of multi million species all on one day. ( Swamiji actually ridicules the Darwin Theory).
All the 'Geetha Saaram' posters/hoarding are not true For example - What you did is all good etc.
The first Veda to be created was 'Yajur Veda' actually it was the only Veda. When Kaliyuga came Vyasa got the help of Lord Ganesha and created the rest.
Lord Krishna says, don't be my servant, make me your servant.
Only Payatham Paruppu ( don't know the Hindi equivalent) is Satvik. Toor, Rajma, are all Rajasik. Masoor Dhal is Tamasik.
What we eat should be done with minimum kill. Cook and pray to Lord Krishna that it was cooked with minimum kill. Remember to first offer the food to Lord Krishna before you eat.
Killing plants is also killing, but it is minimum.
Can't question everything about scriptures / beliefs. Should accept certain things as hypothesis.
We should realize that life is a dream. And just like a dream in the night, we react to various happenings, without knowing that it is a dream.
To be born a human being is really lucky ( I thought otherwise).
Inquisitive people should talk to an authority. Being inquisitive is the first step. It shows that one is interested.
10 comments:
Narayanan, thanks for the quotes. Interested in hearing what you felt about all that he spoke.
Was it more of a dogmatic speech than down-to-earth logical reasoning? To say everyone followed Vedic religion 5000 yrs back speaks against physical evidence that shows different cultures thrived in Mesopotamia/Egypt and in Africa, as against the the culture in Indian subcontinent, at that time.
Anyway, waiting for your detailed posts.
gandalf there is interesting
similarities between the ancient Egyptian and Indian form of worship
especially with related to Sun God.
Check out the articles written by Dr.Subash Kak
Not only Egyptian even ancient Europe they had followed something that was close to nature, all these people where called as Pagans.
There is fundamental difference as I said earlier, between 3 different schools iv Advaita,Dwaita and Vishitadvita.
Looks Thiratha Maharaji is from Dwaita school.
As per hindu cosmology everything in this universe including itself goes through the cycle of creation and dissolution.
But difference apart the fundamental goal all eastern thoughts (buddhism,jainism,hindu) is to attain liberation/nirvana.
Means and methods may vary but the desitnation is same.
I personally believe in Advaita, being a 'Smartha' I dont differentiate between Siva and Vishnu.
The interesting part is the Dashaavatharam comes close to evolution theory of Darwin.
I will stop here and respond further if you have questions
I am going to be digress a bit here. I have been to a few ISKCON lectures in the past and heard about their belief in the all powerful Vishnu/Krishna and the apparent insignificance of the rest. Inspite of being an Iyengar (Vaishnavite) I beg to differ. I think that God is one. Interpretation are different. After a point, I could not agree on the ISKCON philosophy and given the "other stuff" I had heard about them, I thought it best to dissociate myself at the earliest.
That said, some of the things mentioned here are generic to all people and do make sense.
Gandalf,
I'll write tomorrow again. His lectures didn't go deep into me. It was only like having a cup of coffee. I mean the caffeine rush.
When he said 5000 years back it was all India....I thought...there was no reasoning.!. And then he began questioning Darwin's theory..which made me to think even more.!
Reflex,
I am a L-Board in all this if you understand what I mean. I don't know the difference between dwaitha and adwaitha. Pardon Me if you are expecting a lot.
But, I will certainly write about the questions I asked.
Ganesh, I wish you were there for the lectures since Swamiji insisted that people asked him questions ( answers apart).
Your statement - The interesting part is the Dashaavatharam comes close to evolution theory of Darwin........sounds interesting to me, the reason is Swamiji made a joke about the Darwin theory when I asked him about it.
TLB, I agree, I couldn't accept that as well.
Especially that Vishnu is the only God and all the rest are demi-gods and only Vishnu can assure Vaikuntan and all the rest only for earthly purposes.
venkat,
Yeah, I didn't buy the 5000 years back theory...when the Swamiji spoke about it.
I have been to a few ISKCON meetings myself, I went there primarily for knowing more about the Bhagavad Gita, but it seemed like a cult to me (very personal opinion). This probably could have been because of the people that I was interacting with. Their philosophies are not easy to accept - mainly the god and the demi-god part. And this is more of an institution which is constantly trying to pull in more people into their group, rather than let people come to them. These things totally drove me away from this organization.
twin gemini couldnt agree anymore :)
yes they seem to be cult
ofcourse each one follows a path thats comfortable to each
I prefer silence,meditation more of Raja Yoga and Sri Ramana Maharishi
others have their own path.
Friends there is one important thing,
that is somehow our folks think spirituality=old age but I differ from this '5il valayadadhu 50il valayuma',
Appaodhaikku ippodhey sei' no use in chanting 'Narayana' when death comes knocking to your door
To control ones mind one has to start young and fresh not when you are completely drowned with all kinds of worries
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