| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Dr. Jai Maharaj" |
| Date: |
30 Apr 2005 06:48:52 AM |
| Object: |
GOD AND THE HUMAN SITUATION |
God and the human situation
DIMENSIONS OF BHAKTI MOVEMENT IN INDIA: Dr. H. M.
Marulasiddhaiah - Editor; Akhila Bharata Sharana Sahitya
Parishad, J.S.S. College Complex, 38th Cross, Eighth
Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore-560082. Rs. 200.
By S. R.
The Hindu
Tuesday, January 25, 2000
Bhakti or devotion to a supreme power, called God by
Christians, Allah by Muslims and a variety of names like
Naaraayan, Parameshwar, Parabrahman and others by Hindus
is one of the most popular, because the easiest means of
defining and determining one's attitude and relationship
to the universe, human life and the power or powers, is
beyond one's known and limited range of critical
activity. There are many modes of manifesting this
devotion, some outrageously crude, some not so crude but
not quite free from distressingly incompatible elements
and some which make it seem that the Almighty is a power
or force requiring or seeming to require offering in
kind, including living creatures. Popular superstitions
abound and proclaim that the Supreme is desperately fond
of appeasement and gratification.
The disgusting crudity of this kind of anthropomorphism
has alienated many healthy minds into a mood of rank
atheism or more exceptionally, agnosticism. But there are
great teachers who tell us God needs nothing from us
except devotion. Why does He need even this? The answer
usually is that it is for the good of mankind itself that
God is offered gifts and devotion. We conceive of God as
one who would lavish wealth on us if we approach Him with
the right intensity and sincerity of devotion. Others
regard Him as a kindly dictator who would feel grateful
only if one abases to the point of throwing oneself at
His mercy. The general prayer of the Christians takes
account of some aspects of the human situation and offers
God the hallowing of His name, the execution of His will
here below even as it is in Heaven, and a request to Him
to give us this day our daily bread and forgive our debts
even as we forgive those indebted to us.
Hindus at their most sublime mood of devotion, regard God
as ''Avyada karunamurti'', a Supreme Being whose mercy
knows no particular motivation from its recipient. There
are, indeed, among those who call themselves orthodox
Hindus, who have a firm notion that the gods above may
not need anything from us but will be pleased by gifts
offered from those below and respond generously
conferring various forms of material satisfaction. There
are quite a few to whom devotion is an end in itself, a
unilateral offering of all that one is to the Supreme
Power without the faintest expectation of any earthly
rewards or satisfaction.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord bids Arjuna to abandon all
the dharms of Varn and Ashram and surrender himself to
Him, promising in return liberation from the miseries of
earthly existence. In the Bhagavata Purana, Prahlada
identifies nine modes or nine stages of devotion
culminating in ''Atmanivedan'' or surrender to the
Supreme Being. We have Robert Ingersol saying ''an honest
God is the noblest work of Man,'' which one fears is as
yet an unachieved or possibly even unachievable feat of
human activity in this sphere. The Bible calls the person
a fool who hath said to himself, ''There is no God.''
What has been said above is merely to make a somewhat
imperfect survey of the way in which devotion manifests
itself in various groups of people.
The collection of papers and addresses in the book under
review represents a reasonably wide ranging variety of
modes of devotion. The editor says that some are
descriptive, some analytical and some even iconoclastic.
Some survey devotion from a regional point of view and
speak of it as it manifests itself in Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnatak, Maharashtr, Punjab, Assam and other
areas. One notes vividness and scholarly accuracy in most
of the papers but one notes also a certain incoherence of
presentation.
Dr. Marulasiddaiah looks on Ramanuja and Shankar as
opposed to caste, since Ramanuja took to sannyas in
protest against his wife's discourtesy to a non-Brahmin
guest and Shankar affirms in the Manisha Panchakam that
he would regard even an untouchable as his preceptor if
he were a ''Brahmajnani''. Ramanuja made converts to
Vaishnavism of his brand from all classes of people but
caste did not subside or disappear among the Vaishnavites
although there were non-Brahmins like Nammazhwar, the
greatest of all Azhwars, who plumbed the depth of
godliness in his resolute pursuit of the exhilarating
experience of Shri Naaraayan. Shankar defines bhakti as
''Swaswaroop anusandhan'', exploration of one's innermost
being and contemplation of its significance.
''Nishkamya bhakti'' is as profoundly moving as it is
rare. ''Kamyabhakti'' is as common as the lily in the
countryside. But the question remains unanswered, why
devotion at all? It is a fundamental and crucial question
- provoking thought and stimulating curiosity. The
various papers serve to stimulate serious condemnation
not merely of the varieties and modes of devotion but of
its necessity, validity and utility in a non- secular
sense.
The great South Indian composer thrilled himself and
millions of those who sang and sing still those wonderful
kirthanas which hail Shri Ramachandra as the Supreme God.
The Dasas of Karnatak hailed Krshn in the Pandharpur form
of Panduranga as the Supreme Spirit. Tukaram and his
group of Maharashtrians lived on the exquisite spiritual
diet they prepared for themselves, singing the glories of
Lord Pandurang. North Indian saints like Surdas and Mira
never worried about even their body and its needs and
ailments - so absolute was their devotion to Lord Krshn.
Rama and Krshn were meat and drink to them. The disciples
of Ramana of Arunachala, Chandrasekarendra Saraswati of
the Kanchi Kamokoti Pita, Satya Sai Baba, numbering
millions all over the world, see a living and loving God
in all these great manifestations of the compassionate
Supreme Being.
The story is told of a young child which had answered a
question about the capital of France at a school test,
prayed to God to make London the capital of France. But
the story is also told of a person accused of murder
crying aloud, ''Oh God, if I am really guilty of this
murder, strike me down dead this minute.'' The Judge in
the court paused for a little while and said, ''Since God
has unfortunately failed to intervene in your case, I
have no option but to do my duty and sentence you to be
hanged until you are dead.'' But Nandanar's devotion was
so intense that overnight the harvest he had been ordered
to complete before leaving for Chidambaram for darshan of
Nataraja, was completed in a single night. The Azhwars
found Him in their company during a rainy night.
More at:
http://www.hindu.com
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed
by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
this post may be reposted several times.
.
|
|
| User: "Radical aeasterbunnyist" |
|
| Title: Re: GOD AND THE HUMAN SITUATION |
30 Apr 2005 07:31:33 AM |
|
|
The gates of alt.atheism slowly swung open, and there stood
usenet@mantra.com (Dr. Jai Maharaj),who intoned thus:
Popular superstitions
abound and proclaim that the Supreme is desperately fond
of appeasement and gratification.
The disgusting crudity of this kind of anthropomorphism
has alienated many healthy minds into a mood of rank
atheism or more exceptionally, agnosticism.
A definition by example of the word 'healthy'.
David Silverman F.L.A.H.N. aa #2208
Due to be prayed for by Gastrich 11.3.2011
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
