Nitya-Dharma & Idolatry

There a many reservations from other religions about the worship of deity’s (form’s of God’s and Goddesses in the temple) in Hinduism. Its called idolatry and is not recommended in Christianity, Islam and perhaps other beliefs.

The ‘Jaiva Dharma’ book – compiled by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has a chapter (Nitya-Dharma & Idolatry) where a Islamic Mullah ask questions and brings arguments like this:

Isn’t meditating on a form of the Lord within one’s mind superior to imagining a form with the help of the material elements?

In our Koran it is written that the Supreme Entity has a divine all-conscious form, so we are compelled to accept this fact. However, any image of that spiritual form is material; that is what we call but. The worship of but is not the worship of the Supreme Being.

Matter is distinct from God. I think that it is better not to worship material objects, because it is said that Satan introduced the worship of matter to keep the living entities bound in the material world.

Than the Vaishnava Pandit Goracandra Das Babaji of Mayapur gave some points and views on this topic: (its shortened here to bring some interesting points only)

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Die Lehren der Vedas

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, am 6. Oktober 1969 in der Conway Hall, London, England.

Der erste Mangel ist der unvermeidliche Hang, Fehler zu begehen (bhrama). In unserem Land, zum Beispiel, galt Mahatma Gandhi als eine sehr bedeutende Persönlichkeit, doch machte er viele Fehler. Kurz vor seinem Tode noch warnte ihn einer seiner Gefolgsleute: “Mahatma Gandhi, geh nicht zum Treffen in Neu Delhi. Ich habe von Freunden gehört, dass dort Gefahr droht.” Doch er hörte nicht. Er bestand darauf, nach Delhi zu gehen und wurde ermordet. Selbst bedeutende Persönlichkeiten wie Mahatma Gandhi oder Präsident Kennedy, es gibt ihrer so viele, begehen also Fehler. Irren ist menschlich. Dies ist der erste Mangel der bedingten Seele.

Ein weiterer Mangel liegt darin, dass wir uns täuschen (pramada). „Täuschung, Illusion, bedeutet, etwas für Wirklichkeit zu halten, was nicht Wirklichkeit ist: maya. Maya bedeutet “das, was nicht ist”. Jeder hält beispielsweise den Körper für das Selbst. Wenn ich Sie frage, wer Sie sind, werden Sie sagen: “Ich bin Mr. John; ich bin reich; ich bin dieses; ich bin jenes.” All diese Bezeichnungen beziehen sich auf Ihren Körper. Aber Sie sind nicht Ihr Körper. Diese Vorstellung ist eine Täuschung.

Der dritte Mangel ist die Neigung zum Betrug (vipralipsa). Jeder neigt dazu, andere zu betrügen. Obwohl jemand der größte Narr sein mag, wird er so tun, als sei er sehr intelligent. Obwohl bereits deutlich gemacht wurde, dass er Täuschungen unterliegt und Fehler begeht, wird er Vermutungen anstellen: “Ich denke, dies ist so und das ist so.” Er weiß aber nicht einmal, wo er selbst steht. Er schreibt philosophische Bücher, obwohl er mit Mängeln behaftet ist. Hieran zeigt sich seine Krankheit. Das ist Betrug.

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Makhara-Sankranti

Surya, the Sun, gives life potency to the living entities. Because of its connection with Surya, Makhara-sankranti is very auspicious. On that day, almost everyone with any connection to Vedic or Indian culture takes bath, either in the Godavari, Jamuna, Ganges, or in any other river, or in the ocean. This takes place especially in India, but it also goes on to some extent around the world. On this day it is auspicious to give donations to others.

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Adityadeva der Sonnengott

Im fünften Canto, finden wir unter anderem, eine umfassende Erläuterung des Aufbaus des Universums und der Bahn der Sonne und Planeten. Nachfolgend die Zusammenfassung des 21. Kapitels, des 5. Cantons, aus dem Srimad Bhagavatam, von Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

21. Kapitel des 5. Cantos – Srimad Bhagavatam

In diesem Kapitel lesen wir über die Bahn, die die Sonne beschreibt. Die Sonne ist kein feststehender Stern; wie die anderen Planeten, so bewegt sich auch die Sonne. Die Bewegungen der Sonne legen die Dauer von Tag und Nacht fest. Wenn die Sonne nördlich des Äquators wandert, bewegt sie sich am Tage langsam und in der Nacht sehr schnell dahin, wodurch die Dauer des Tages verlängert und die der Nacht verkürzt wird. Wenn die Sonne südlich des Äquators wandert, gilt das genaue Gegenteil – der Tag wird kürzer, und die Nacht wird länger.

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Skanda the commander

purodhasāḿ ca mukhyaḿ māḿ
viddhi pārtha bṛhaspatim
senānīnām ahaḿ skandaḥ
sarasām asmi sāgaraḥ

Translation of Bhagavad Gita 10.24

Of priests, O Arjuna, know Me to be the chief, Brihaspati. Of generals I am Kartikeya, and of bodies of water I am the ocean.

Commentary by Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Indra is the chief demigod of the heavenly planets and is known as the king of the heavens. The planet on which he reigns is called Indraloka. Brihaspati is Indra’s priest, and since Indra is the chief of all kings, Brihaspati is the chief of all priests. And as Indra is the chief of all kings, similarly Skanda, or Kartikeya, the son of Parvati and Lord Shiva, is the chief of all military commanders. And of all bodies of water, the ocean is the greatest. These representations of Krishna only give hints of His greatness.

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With love of life

Why you should not eat meat is also described in the oldest holy, religiose and philosophical scriptures that can be found on planet earth, like the vedic Manu-samhita and Mahabharata.

The self-created Manu has said that the man who does not eat meat, or who does not kill living creatures, or who does not cause them to be killed, is a friend of all creatures.

Manu-Samhita: Manu Smriti @ Wikipedia

“Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to the attainment of heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun the use of meat. Having well considered the disgusting origin of flesh and the cruelty of fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let him entirely abstain from eating flesh.”(Manu-samhita 5.48-49)

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Sri Damodarastakam

This is a conversation by Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja about the Sri Damodarastakam that is especially celebrate in the month of Kartika (Oct/Nov) by the Devotees of Krishna, every morning and evening, in the temples and in every house.

Satyavrata Muni had prayed in verse 7:

“You were bound by of Mother Yasoda, and at that time You delivered Manigriva and Nalakuvera from maya and awarded them prema-bhakti. I don’t want the benediction of impersonal liberation. It is prema-bhakti that I want, but not ordinary prema-bhakti. I want the liberation of prema-bhakti that You awarded to Manigriva and Nalakuvera.”

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Real Wealth

Srila Sanatana Gosvami was practicing bhajana near the Yamuna River at Kaliya-hrada, the former abode of the very poisonous snake named Kaliya. Kaliya-hrada was close to the Yamuna, and therefore its surrounding area was full of sand. Srila Sanatana Gosvami wore only a loincloth. He used to go begging door-to-door for a small amount of prasada (Krsna’s food remnants), and would take as his meal only one dry chapatti (flat bread), with no salt.

The brahmana arrived at his cottage and told him, “I went to Sankara Mahadeva, Lord Siva, and he told me to meet you. He said you will give me some wealth for my daughter’s marriage.” Sanatana Gosvami replied, “I have no possessions. You can see that I have nothing but a loincloth.” Then he thought, “Oh, Siva cannot tell a lie. He is my bosom friend.” Thinking of Lord Siva and contemplating further, he remembered a touchstone he had once disgarded and then forgotten. Now he told the brahmana, “Go to the Yamuna and remove some of the sand, and there you will find a touchstone. It is somewhere in the sand, though I don’t remember where.”

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Where do we come from

In the vedic scriptures you can find answers that are good to know. Where do we come from? Clear statement we can find also in the purports of the mantras 16. and 17. of the Śrī Īśopaniṣad given bei A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. That is a standard book and all Vaishnavas and truth-seeker should have read it and accept the philosophical points.

(from mantra 16.)

The all-pervading feature of the Lord – which exists in all circumstances of waking and sleeping as well as in potential states and from which the jīva-śakti (living force) is generated as both conditioned and liberated souls – is known as Brahman.

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Notes about Puranas

* (Sanskrit – ancient Indic language, classical literary language of India)

Lord Siva said: Oh beautiful lady (Parvati), know that the Visnu, Narada, Bhagavata, Garuda, Padma and Varaha Puranas are sattvika; the Brahmanda, Brahma-vaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavisya, Vamana and Brahma Puranas are rajasika; and the Matsya, Kurma, Linga, Siva, Skanda and Agni Puranas are tamasika.

Srila Prabhupada: Purāṇas are made just to complete Vedic knowledge, or supplementary addition to the Vedic literature. Because Vedic literature is very difficult to understand, therefore they have been expanded by the Purāṇas for different classes of men. So there are three divisions of the Purāṇas: sattvika Purāṇa, rājasika Purāṇa and tamasika Purāṇa.

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