God does exist

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hi
i like the story of KUNTI...she said to sri krishna....she said that she wants always problems/difficulties in life...so that

SHE CAN ALWAYS THINK GOD.....its called kunti stavam in mahabharata.....troubles are the real blessings of GOD.....we can

pray for GOD ,,just for correct directions..like GPS....to get the exit and reach the final destination.....

 

[sangom]

God is always with us both in success, as well as in failures.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

God, which is itself a product of the imagination of the human mind, will necessarily be always with humans as long as the human beings have their imagining ability. We do not know what is the position in the case of people with Alzheimer's disease and those with psychiatric conditions; may be they are incapable of "imagination" after the disease condition reaches certain stage/s, and, may be, Smt. Renuka will be able to say something more authoritatively on this point.

God is like the two-headed bird described in Svetasvatara Upanishad 4-6 (and also Mundaka, in similar terms):—

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजातॆ
तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति ॥

dvā suparṇā sayujā sakhāyā samānaṃ vṛkṣaṃ pariṣasvajāte
tayoranyaḥ pippalaṃ svādvattyanaśnannanyo abhicākaśīti ||

God, which manifests as "Life" within this human body is the one bird which just does not eat the pippala fruit but simply looks on and which we call "nitya sAkshee". It is the kArmic layer which is very similar to the God which eats the fruit, creates fresh karma/s as a result thereof and causes the life-death-rebirth cycle (i.e., this 'samsAra) to continue.

When viewed from such a perspective, Smt. Renuka's attempts not to bother her god concept with her worries and problems is correct because God just does not move a small speck even to help you in any emergency (despite the mountain loads of instances which people may cite from scriptures, Puranas and even their own life experiences with swamijis and gurus, babas and matas etc. It is only one's own past (good) karma, if any, which may come as the saviour at the appropriate time.

But religions which are invented by men, have misled the human race for ages and the brain-washing is so complete that the truth is as unfamiliar to a common person as "sight" is for a person born completely blind.

That was perhaps why Sant Kabeer said "तेरा साई तुझ में है, तू जाग सके तो जाग" (terā sāī tujh meṃ hai, tū jāg sake to jāg _your god is within yourself, if you can wake up to this, do.)

We find this principle in Thiruppukazh and in the Siddhar padals also.


வாசித்துக்காணொணாதது
பூசித்துக்கூடொணாதது
வாய்விட்டுப்பேசொணாதது நெஞ்சினாலே

மாசர்க்குத்தூரமானது
நேசர்க்குப்பேரொணாதது
மாயைக்குச்சூழொணாதது

___________________________________

காவியுடுத்தும் தாழ்சடைவைத்துங்
காடுகள் புக்குந் திரியாதே
காய்கனி துய்த்துங்காயமொறுத்துங்
காசினிமுற்றுந்திரியாதே

சீவனொடுக்கம் பூதவொடுக்கம்
தேறவுதிக்கும் பரஞான
தீபவிளக்கம்

 

[Raji Ram]

........... Everyone comes to unload their problems to a doctor but only very rarely we get a person asking a doctor "how are you?".

Dear Renu,

Very true! My brother visited me yesterday and I called my cousins by phone just to say 'Hi' to him. They started to line up and

ask for medicine for various problems each one had in the family! Now, let me share a joke with you.

One doctor asked his patient 'eppadi irukkeenga?' He replied, 'nallA irundhA ungakittE edhukku varEn?'

 

[zebra16]

Dear RR ji,

When I was a kid my mum used to tell me to pray to God to ask Him to help us get over any difficulty but I used to think "poor God..everyone burdens Him but what about Him? who cares for His feelings?"

That's why when I was a kid I used to pray to God as "Hello How are You".

My mum used to say "what kind of way is praying is that?"

You see we seldom think how God would "feel".

No you are wrong. Most people do think how God would "feel", but they have no answers.
Heebelow are some of my thoughts:

1. You might be knowing about Dhanur mAsa pooja, which is approx from 16th Dec to 14th Jan in India. The pooja is supposed to be completed before or at dawn break. This is one of the coldest times in India. While doing abhishekam with Suddha jalam, I too wonder how God would be feeling to be bathed in ice cold water and how Siva would be feeling in Amarnath caves in Himalayas.

2. How would the God be consuming the naivedyam which consists of plaiin rice with just Dal and some ghee poured thereon without any gravy like substance like rasam, sambhar and most importantly without any salt and without any vegetables.

3. What combination am I exactly offerring as naivedyam. Plain rice alongwith coconuts and plantains

4. How does the God consume the thAmboolam and supAri without any lime (chunA)

5. Does the God really feel pleased with abhishekham consisting of substances such as sugarcane juice, honey, panchAmritam, curd etc.

One cannot find any satisfactory answers in any of the scriptures or satisfactory answers from the elders or ShishtAs..

 

[Raji Ram]

One kid asked his pAtti why she keeps many sweets and savories for Krishna on GokulAshtami day, even though Krishna
does not eat them! That pAtti jokingly said that they are kept only because we are sure Krishna won't come to eat them! :decision:

 

[suraju06]

Dear Zebra,

One cannot find any satisfactory answers in any of the scriptures or satisfactory answers from the elders or ShishtAs..

Ayoung man by name Narendra was in a similar situation long time back until he met some one called Gadadhara or Ram Krishna Paramhams. He had an open mind without a load of prejudices and he got the answer. If you try similarly you too may get an answer.

Cheers.

 

[suraju06]

One kid asked his pAtti why she keeps many sweets and savories for Krishna on GokulAshtami day, even though Krishna
does not eat them! That pAtti jokingly said that they are kept only because we are sure Krishna won't come to eat them!

Forget about God eating or relishing kozhukkattai, kaLi, pAyasam or Cheedai. It is our tradition (Hindu tradition) that we offer whatever we like most to the God and we offer whatever he likes most to our Guru. In my village my school mate(he is still a simple villager working in the paddy fields and owning a patch of land. Did not study beyond 5th class)offers a cigar and a pot of toddy to Akkini Madan whom he worships. Is that not revealing?

Cheers.

 

[zebra16]

Dear Zebra,



Ayoung man by name Narendra was in a similar situation long time back until he met some one called Gadadhara or Ram Krishna Paramhams. He had an open mind without a load of prejudices and he got the answer. If you try similarly you too may get an answer.

Cheers.

Sri Suraju,

Thank you for your response. This was one of my queries in my original post:

QUOTE
2. How would the God be consuming the naivedyam which consists of plaiin rice with just Dal and some ghee poured thereon without any gravy like substance like rasam, sambhar and most importantly without any salt and without any vegetables.
UNQUOTE

In another post by you addressed to Smt. RR you have replied:

QUOTE:
It is our tradition (Hindu tradition) that we offer whatever we like most to the God and we offer whatever he likes most to our Guru.
UNQUOTE

I am not doing any kutharkam etc. I genuinely want to know why rasam etc. are not offerred as naivedyam.

I am sure you must be knowing the tradition of thiruvAdarai, even if you are not following that sampradAya. On that day aviyal is offerred as naivedyam along with kaLi. Why cannot aviyal be offerred as naivedyam on other days when it is prepared at home?

 

[suraju06]

Sri Suraju,

Thank you for your response. This was one of my queries in my original post:

QUOTE
2. How would the God be consuming the naivedyam which consists of plaiin rice with just Dal and some ghee poured thereon without any gravy like substance like rasam, sambhar and most importantly without any salt and without any vegetables.
UNQUOTE

In another post by you addressed to Smt. RR you have replied:

QUOTE:
It is our tradition (Hindu tradition) that we offer whatever we like most to the God and we offer whatever he likes most to our Guru.
UNQUOTE

I am not doing any kutharkam etc. I genuinely want to know why rasam etc. are not offerred as naivedyam.

I am sure you must be knowing the tradition of thiruvAdarai, even if you are not following that sampradAya. On that day aviyal is offerred as naivedyam along with kaLi. Why cannot aviyal be offerred as naivedyam on other days when it is prepared at home?

Dear Zebra,

Who told you that rasam or aviyal should not be offered as naivedhyam? What I said holds for anything you like to eat. Kannappa Nayanar offered to Shiva the flesh of rabbits. On Vaikkaththashtami day even these days every house in a street or village makes an item and brings it to the Shiva Temple offers it to Him and partake in the feast. So, dear friend there is no restriction on what you can offer to God.

Cheers.

 

[Govinda]

No you are wrong. Most people do think how God would "feel", but they have no answers. Heebelow are some of my thoughts:

1. You might be knowing about Dhanur mAsa pooja, which is approx from 16th Dec to 14th Jan in India. The pooja is supposed to be completed before or at dawn break. This is one of the coldest times in India. While doing abhishekam with Suddha jalam, I too wonder how God would be feeling to be bathed in ice cold water and how Siva would be feeling in Amarnath caves in Himalayas.

2. How would the God be consuming the naivedyam which consists of plaiin rice with just Dal and some ghee poured thereon without any gravy like substance like rasam, sambhar and most importantly without any salt and without any vegetables.

3. What combination am I exactly offerring as naivedyam. Plain rice alongwith coconuts and plantains

4. How does the God consume the thAmboolam and supAri without any lime (chunA)

5. Does the God really feel pleased with abhishekham consisting of substances such as sugarcane juice, honey, panchAmritam, curd etc. One cannot find any satisfactory answers in any of the scriptures or satisfactory answers from the elders or ShishtAs..

To Zebra,

1. Have you read about Narayahan Jwara (the coldest) and Siva Jwara (hotttest), both of them discharged on themselves while fighting BAnAsura? So, The gods must be made of different types of matter to overcome the heat, frost-bite or radiation etc. Acc. to Vainavam, Sriman Narayana's thirumeni is of SuddhaSattva (purely spiriutal Satva substance, unaffected by anything karmical). As, the diety out of His own will exists in the vigraha, the care-taker will be blessed according to his dedication, love, sincerity, compassion etc.

2. The infant, while starting to eat first, loves mashed rice with dhal. It tastes wonderful and Kuzhambu sAdham is more palatable . But, both God and humans will be blessed, if you feed them more dhAl, veggies and less rice like grains. All foods contain salt in itself. All foods, sAttivaka (As said in the scriptures), made with pure mind, body and source, ONLY can be offered as naivEdhyam. Else, there would be no benefit, sometimes would incur offense (negative effect)! Thus, rasam, kozhambu, rice, kariamathu, thogaiyal, pachhadi, pickle and yogurt made that day, appalam made at home, tualsi theertham, should all be offered to deities before consumption.

3. For fasting days (vrata), either we dont consume anything or eat very little. In such days, steamed food - like avial,dhal, pongal, adai etc. are suggested. Like dwadasi , after going nir-jala on ekadasi, our ancestors suggested nelli-pachhadi, aAthik-kirai etc for being easy on stomach.
During winter months (mArghazhi) and on vrata days of less activity, one cannot digest oil, butter, ghee, else would clog our arteries, hence such items are to be avoided. Prasadam should also be healthy and subjective to climatic conditions and availability.

4. Though vetrilai -beetle leaves may be healthy being leafy-green, I dont know, beetle-nut makes your mouth dry. But, chunNa may keep the mouth germ-free or has more calcium. I would prefer milk and apples instead!

5. Tiru-ArAdhanam (argyam, pAdhyam etc. doing service to the Lord) has to be done, to get us more closer to the God. We cook, offer naivedhyam and sing slokas etc. are all different means to attain Bhakti. Only, if we get ourselves closer to the deity, We can direct our mind towards dhyAna/ meditating on the nature of the Lord. These acts are accepted willingly by the God, and will also lead us to better UpAsanA.

 

[Raji Ram]

Forget about God eating or relishing kozhukkattai, kaLi, pAyasam or Cheedai. It is our tradition (Hindu tradition) that we offer whatever we like most to the God and we offer whatever he likes most to our Guru. .........

Dear Raju Sir,

I know it Sir. And I have heard the 'pAvakkAi and Guru' story too!

 

[Raji Ram]

......... Kannappa Nayanar offered to Shiva the flesh of rabbits. ......

KaNNapa nAyanAr offered even more according to Wiki:

"Thinnan was a staunch devotee of the Vayu linga of SriKalahasti which he found in the forest while hunting.

Being a hunter, he did not know how to properly worship Lord Shiva. It is said that he poured water from

his mouth on the Shiva lingam which he brought from the nearby river Swarnamukhi. He also offered the

Lord whatever animal he hunted, including swine flesh. But the Lord accepted his offerings since Thinnan

was pure at heart and his devotion was true."

P.S: Later ThiNNan was named 'KaNNapa nAyanAr'. ray:

 

[Raji Ram]

I like this part of one of the 'yahoo answers':

"You offer food, which is available to you as grace form God and by offering Him FIRST, you are giving Him

thanks. Here indication is also you are lowering your ego, an act which is very important for spiritual life.

By this you believe that what ever is yours, all received through blessing of God." :hail:

 

[suraju06]

Dear R.R.,

I know it Sir. And I have heard the 'pAvakkAi and Guru' story too!

I do not remember that story you are referring to. I wrote those lines from what ParAnkusanAyaki offered to the Annappakshi while requesting it to give her message to her Lord (in Periya Thirumadal). She said "பழனமீன் தின்னத்தருவேன்". At a subtle level the parAnkusanAyaki represents the jeevAtma and the bird represents the AchArya who guides the jIvAtmA. So a sAtvik parAnkusa nAyaki, even though appears to be committing a great sin by offering the fishes to the bird, is really offering whatever is most relished by her AchAryan the bird here. In this context my teacher has told me that we offer what we like/relish most to the God while we offer what he likes most to our Acharyan. I ruminated and took it to be a beautiful and wonderful concept. I said that here. That is all.

Cheers.

 

[sangom]

All these goody-goody talks are OK because the god does not eat even a speck of whatever is offered as naivedyam. But imagine what will be the state of affairs if god was to be really present in the idol/s and will "kAlify" the vessels in which all those sAtveeka and what not, foods are kept, like what Ganesha was supposed to have done in the breakfast offered to him by Kubera?

BTW, what more proof is required to show that the idol is just an idol and offering what we like to eat to that idol is no substitute to feeding a poor and hungry human being first, before we ourselves eat. How many brahmins/non-brahmins of today will like to follow this practice for a change?

 

[sangom]

The following Story was forwarded to me today. Don't know for sure whether the story is true or fantasy. But it has a message to offer. Though it is little lengthy, please spend a few minutes to read:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Tea Shop

A group of fifteen soldiers led by their Major Sahib were on their way to the post in Himalayas where they would be deployed for next three months. Another batch, which will be relieved, would be waiting anxiously for their arrival so that they could fall back to safer confines of their parent unit. Some would proceed on leave and meet their families. They were happy that they were to relieve a set of comrades who had done their job.

It was a treacherous climb and the journey was to last till the next evening. Cold winter with intermittent snowfall added to the torture.

If only someone could offer a cup of tea, the Major thought, knowing completely well that it was a futile wish.

They continued for another hour before they came across a dilapidated structure which looked like a small shop. It was locked.

It was 2 o'clock in the night and there was no house close to the shop where the owner could be located. In any case it was not advisable to knock any doors in the night for security reasons.

It was a stalemate. "No tea boys, bad luck" said the Major.

The Major told the men to take some rest since they had been walking for more than three hours now.

Sir, this is a tea shop indeed and we can make tea. We will have to break the lock though.

The officer was in doubt about the proposed action but a steaming cup of tea was not a bad idea. He thought for a while and permitted for the lock to be broken. The lock was broken.

They were in luck.

The place was a shop indeed and had everything required to preparing tea, and also a few packets of biscuits.

The tea was prepared and it brought great relief to all in the cold night. They were now ready for the long and treacherous walk ahead of them and started to get ready to move.

The officer was in thought. They had broken open the lock and prepared tea and consumed biscuits without the permission of the owner. The payment was due but there was no one in sight. But they are not a band of thieves. They are disciplined soldiers.

The Major didn't move out without doing what needed to be done. He took out a Rs. 1000/- note from his wallet and kept it on the counter, pressed under the sugar container, so that the owner sees it first thing when he arrives in the morning.

He was now relieved of the guilt and ordered the move.

Days, weeks and months passed. They continued to do gallantly what they were required to do and were lucky not to lose any one from the group in the intense insurgency situation.

And then one day, it was time to be replaced by another brave lot. Soon they were on their way back and stopped at the same shop, which was today open with the owner in place. He was an old man with very meager resources and was happy to see fifteen of them with the prospect of selling at least fifteen cups of tea that day.

All of them had their tea and spoke to the old man about his life and experiences in general, selling tea at such remote a location. The poor, old man had many stories to tell all of them, replete with his faith in God.

"Kya Baba, yadi Allah hota to kyaa aap ke jaisa 'Allah kaa bandaa' is haal main hota, said one of them"; moved by his poverty and faith in God.

"Nahin Sahib, aise mat kaho, God actually exists. I got the proof a few months ago.
"I was going through very tough times because my only son had been severely beaten by the terrorists who wanted some information from him which he did not have. I had closed the shop early that day and had taken my son to the hospital. There were medicines to be purchased and I had no money. No one would give me a loan from fear of the terrorists. There was no hope, Sahib.
"And that day Sahib, I had prayed to Allah for help. And Sahib, Allah walked into my shop that day.

"When I returned to my shop that day and saw the lock broken, I thought someone had broken in and had taken away whatever little I had. But then I saw that 'Allah' had left Rs. 1000/- under the sugar pot. Sahib, I can't tell you what that money was worth that day. Allah exists Sahib, He does.

"I know people are dying every day here but all of you will soon meet your near and dear ones, your children, and you must thank your God Sahib, he is watching all of us. He does exist. He walked in to my shop that day and broke open the lock to give me the money I desperately needed. I know He did it."
The faith in his eyes was unflinching. It was unnerving. Fifteen sets of eyes looked at their officer and read the order in his eyes clear and unambiguous, 'Keep quiet.'

The officer got up and paid the bill and hugged the old man.
"Yes Baba, I know, God does exist - and yes the tea was wonderful."
Fifteen pairs of eyes did not miss the moisture building in the eyes of the Major, a rare sight.

And the real truth is that any one of us can be a God to somebody.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

Shri Brahmanyan,

The story in your OP seems to have been made up rather carelessly. Kindly see the sentences in bold and brown fonts.

The shopkeeper had closed his tea shop early that day and he had returned to his shop that very day. The Major and his soldiers had broken open the lock after 2'O clock in the night and so the whole thing is just a false concoction, imo. I feel perhaps God does, after all, exist and shows the worthlessness and falsehood underlying such goody-goody stories about God himself.

 

[sarang]

You are welcome to practice what you preach; no one will stop you feeding the poor even though the satisfaction you get may be a lot less than what you get from rejecting the divine ordered practice (BG) of offering to Him before kallifying by self or distribution.

It is never late to do saranagati.

All these goody-goody talks are OK because the god does not eat even a speck of whatever is offered as naivedyam. But imagine what will be the state of affairs if god was to be really present in the idol/s and will "kAlify" the vessels in which all those sAtveeka and what not, foods are kept, like what Ganesha was supposed to have done in the breakfast offered to him by Kubera?

BTW, what more proof is required to show that the idol is just an idol and offering what we like to eat to that idol is no substitute to feeding a poor and hungry human being first, before we ourselves eat. How many brahmins/non-brahmins of today will like to follow this practice for a change?

 

[Raji Ram]

......... I do not remember that story you are referring to. ...........

This is the story:

Once a Guru was offered 'pAvakkAi' curry as one of the items for his lunch, by one of his followers.

He did not like to eat it but since a Guru is supposed to have no likes and dislikes, he ate it with a

smiling face! Seeing a smile on his face, the follower served a few more helpings. The Guru repeated

the same act. Soon, word spread among his followers and in each and every house, the Guru got the

'pAvakkAi' curry in plenty! Ultimately, the Guru started liking 'pAvakkAi'.

 

[Raji Ram]

All these goody-goody talks are OK because the god does not eat even a speck of whatever is offered as naivedyam. But imagine what will be the state of affairs if god was to be really present in the idol/s and will "kAlify" the vessels in which all those sAtveeka and what not, foods are kept, like what Ganesha was supposed to have done in the breakfast offered to him by Kubera?.......

Dear Sangom Sir,

Can't you see that God Almighty is very kind to us by giving back whatever is offered to Him?

BTW, do you 'kAlify' even the special preparations, without 'naivEdhyam' for your Swami?

Or, don't you have a pooja room in your sweet home?

 

[sangom]

Dear Sangom Sir,

Can't you see that God Almighty is very kind to us by giving back whatever is offered to Him?

BTW, do you 'kAlify' even the special preparations, without 'naivEdhyam' for your Swami?

Or, don't you have a pooja room in your sweet home?

Smt. Raji Ram,

My house does not have any "Pooja Room" at all. Since my wife is a believer in a god/many gods outside in idols and images, she has prepared a corner of the kitchen into her pooja area. Since my beliefs about god are very different from the majority view, I will not mind "kAlifying" the naivedyam or special preparations at any time if offered to me. Offering to a god almighty situated in some or all objects in a pooja room is, incidentally, against the brAhmin custom of "parishEchanam" also; we are supposed to offer our food to the five "prANas" prANa, apAna, vyAna, udAna and samAna and then to to the brahman also before we commence our eating and it is the same "nATakam" we or the priest does in the case of the god Almighty. So, what is the difference? — we "kAlify", the supposed or imagined god Almighty is incapable of doing that, that's what the difference is; the very same five prANas and brahman are supposed to be inside the god almighty and also ourselves.

 

[ashwin_ash]

If god does indeed exist, will he/she be brahmin/obc/sc/etc? How is the Hindu god different from muslim and christian gods? And if we say all gods are one, why do we need hinduism? Why will a muslim/ x-ian never acknowledge Hindu gods? We Hindus always say there's just one "God" to prove we are "secular" and blend ourselves with christians and muslims, while they care a chit about us..in fact our caste system is a big mockery..

 

[Raghy]

Greetings.

I have observed rasam & poriyal offered as nivedyams. In fact, all the freshly prepared 'thaligai' can be offered as nivedyams. The only condition I know is, it should not be 'shesham'.

If God indeed eats the nivedyam, I don't really think that would stop us from offering nivedyams. Matter of fact, at our home we did give away the fruits we placed as nivedyam. It would be given away to any visiting lady along with 'thaampoolam'. When it comes to nivedyams, I had strange experiences not just once, but many times. My own faith in God or the lack of it is beside the point.

Cheers!

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Sangom Sir,

If you eat anything before your better half offers it to God, she can very well think,

'கணவனே கண் கண்ட தெய்வம்!' and be happy + satisfied!

 

[Brahma Rishi]

Dear Brahma Rishi,

This sounds very much like from the Bible.

Oh! Appidiyaa!!!

 

[Raji Ram]

Dear Ashwin,

We have discussed umpteen times about God Almighty and his existence / non existence!

There was one thread God Exists, which continues to be one of the hottest threads, even

after being closed, with many heated discussions! You may please go through it!