ONE AND ONLY ONE

   Hindu or Vedic religion has many Gods and people tend to worship one or other and sometimes have problem with different Gods and some would not consider other Gods as real Gods and that has created problems in society. Unfortunately many have not understood that the GOD is only one and the statues that we have is only for our convenience. In history some of the greatest of the devotees have made that mistake. One has to understand that the GOD has no form or qualities and it is only for our understanding that the GOD takes different forms as we can not worship formless GOD. Even when other religions claim to have no Idol worship, they tend to have some type of form like cross or Virgin Mary. This story is of one great devotee that was enlightened about this. 

  Narahari Sonar was a goldsmith and from his childhood was worshiper of Lord Shiva. He was true devotee but would not worship anything other than Lord Shiv. One dat a rich man came to him as he wanted to offer his appreciation for Lord Pandurang , which a form of Lord Krishna which in turn is Lord Vishnu's Avatar - reincarnation. The Rich man wanted to have a golden belt prepared for the Pnadurang . Lord Pnadurang is in town called Pandhari and the story is that the lord came to see Pundalik his devotee. So the Narahari being goldsmith was told to do the belt . But Narahari did not want to go to the temple of Vishnu as he was devotee of Lord Shiva. So he told the man to go and get the measurement of the waist on his own and he will create the golden belt. The rich man went to the temple and gave the measurement to Narahari . When the belt was done and the man took it to the temple it was too small. So the man did take new measurement and went to Narahari who did new belt as per the measurement given to him . This time the belt was too large . So the man requested  Narahari that he should do the measurement himself. Reluctantly he agreed but told him that he will do the job but will take the measurement blindfolded as he did not want to see the Lord Vishnu. So both went to the temple of Pandurang . As Narahari started checking the measurement and touched the statue of the Pandurang, he could see that statue being that of Lord Shiva . He was stunned and so he opened the eyes  and what he saw was not Lord Shiva but it was Pnadurang - form of Lord Vishnu. So he closed his eyes and started working again and again he saw Lord Shiva ,as soon as he touched the statue . Again when he opened the eyes and saw , it was not Lord Shiva but it was Lord Pnndurang. Noe his eyes OPENED -he was enlightened that Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are one and the same.. 

    So, we have a form that we trust , pray, worship as we find it easier and that form is called ISHTA DEVATA . But all the forms are that of the GOD which is formless. 

PRAYER

   I had written about a story by Tolstoy  on prayers. This one is similar to that. The massage is same but the story is better . One can look at this in many ways. 

   In a town there was a temple and there was a priest. One day he saw a young girl aged 4 years come to temple. She stood in front of  statue of the God . She closed her eyes and she was saying something . The lips were moving  and the priest could not hear what she was saying. But after couple of minutes she opened eyes and bowed down and left. This continued for several days. So the priest was amused . SO one day he asked the little girl as to what does she  say when she does prayer.? She told him that she did not know any formal prayer and so she would close the eyes and do the alphabets -A to Z 4 times and then tell God that he knew what she wanted to to say  and he will KNOW the prayer anyway.

   The priest was speechless. This is devotion One does not need to to knw the formal process of prayers or the chanting  of the so called Mantras . But this is true only if one has unconditional devotion and trust. As long as one is doing prayer for the Love and not Demanding things for himself or herself.

ASSUMPTION

   In life we have so many assumptions and we are correct most of the the time. We plan for tomorrow and next year and also many years down the road the retirement .In the brain  evolution from animals to human beings one of the qualities that has developed is the planning for the future. But in doing so we ASSUME many things . I had read somewhere that many people who have contributed to social security in USA , do not live long enough to collect it. So this is a short story abiut the assumption. 

  In Mahabharat, there is one incidence, Dharmaraj had designated time for donations . He would give money or grains or food etc to the people who came to him asking for something. The time was fixed as he could not do this randomly all the time as he was King  and had other work. So one day he was sitting with his brothers  and he was giving food . grain or money to needy people that came to him. The time expired  and he was still sitting  and a brahmin came in . He wanted some grain so he can take it home  and cook and eat. The time had expired and so Dharmaraj  told the brahmin that the time is over and he needs to come next day  and he will give him the grain. The Brahmin was disappointed and he started going back. Bhim was sitting next to Dharmraj and he smiled . So Dharmaraj asked him as to why he smiled. Bhim answered . He said ''By asking the Brahmin to come back tomorrow, you have assumed so many things . You have assumed that tomorrow You will be alive and he will be alive and you will still have desire -intension to GIVE . How do do you know all these things will be there.'' Dharmraj called back the Brahmin. and gave him the grains. 

  This the reason there is saying that what you could do TOMORROW do it TODAY  and what you can do TODAY do it NOW as in seconds there may be PRALAY - end of world and then you will be left with not doing it. 

ATTACHMENT

   In life we have many attachments and we are told that we should develop the detachment . So we love food ,alcohol, and many other things that give us pleasures and we try to avoid the things that give us sorrow. But the problem that what we think will give us pleasure also give us sorrow when we do not get them .I want a cake  and I don't get it and then I am unhappy. So the cake is suppose to give me happiness - no matter how transient that is - i have sorrow for longer time when I do not get it. But the bworst is the attachment to our own body and our family. This is known to all of us . So this is the story related to this attachment. 

     Once Narad , who is a sage who can travel any place at will went to Lord Vishnu and told him that you want everyone to get rid of attachments but the attachment to our own body ,no matter how bad or disease ridden it may be, is strong and attachment to our own family is stronger . It is very difficult to get rid of it or develop detachment. The Lord Vishnu knew this but was not convinced that it was that strong . So then the Narad told him to see it for himself or experience it . So Lord Vishnu agreed. He told Narad that he will enter the body of mother pig and see if he can get out of the attachment . But he told Narad that after 3 months if he does not leave the body on own , then Narad has to stab the pig and get Lord Vishnu out . Narad agreed. Then Lord Vishnu entered the body of a pig . Time went by and 3 months passed . Pig had piglets  and Lord Vishnu did not come out . So Narad called upon him saying that 3 months have passed and it is  time to come out -get rid of the attachment to the life of a pig. The Lord Vishnu replied 'I am happy here and I don't want to end it and come out '. Narad waited for few more days then then again requested Lord to come out and Lord Vishnu refused to do so. So then Narad stabbed the pig and Lord Vishnu came out . Looking at the whole thing -the life of a pig - Lord agreed that it is very very difficult for Human beings to get detached from the body and the family.

REINCARNATION AND SLEEP

    I am convinced that the reincarnation is a reality. Unfortunately we can/t prove it as the way it works, it tends to hide last life. So we have 3 bodies - the physical- astral -causal -the so called STHUL -SUKSHMA AND KARAN SHARIR. At the time of death of physical body , which we call death ,the Astral and Causal bodies LEAVE the Physical body . The Astral body and the Causal bodies with all the impressions -SAUNSKAR, are carried to the next life. But the impressions or the SAUNSKARS are stored in abstract form and they guide our next life -from selecting new parents to our mental and intellectual status and our likes and dislikes. But we are not reborn with ALL THE IMPRESSIONS and the attachments that are going to come to fruition in this life. But only certain desires - impressions  attachments and debt will come alive in present life . This is called PRARABDHA. That brings me to the sleep . When we are born, we do not have any recollection of our past life memories though we are born with it . The sleep has been studied and we realize many things. Why do we sleep , why do we sleep only at night  and why do we have several stages of sleep  and then what is the purpose of sleep etc. We have some proof that the so called REM sleep stage - Rapid Eye Movement stage of the sleep - is for consolidation of certain memory. The adult human being has REM sleep stage, 25 % or less of the total sleep. Most of the dreams happen in this stage. The normal sleep has cycles and the cycles are repeated every 90 to 120 minutes. The REM sleep in adults occurs in second half of the night more than first half. In new born Infants the REM sleep occurs much earlier at the start of the sleep  and it occupies more than 50 % of the sleep. So if REM sleep consolidates the MEMORY, what kind of MEMORY THE NEW BORNE INFANT IS CONSOLIDATING . The new born infant sleeps for 18 hours So there is not much to consolidate as memory . IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE NEW BORN IS CONSOLIDATING LAST LIFES MEMORIES- IMPRESSIONS THAT ARE GOING TO COME TO FRUITION IN THIS LIFE ? 

   I am just putting a possibility that the last life impressions are consolidated in REM sleep of new born infant for first 3 months only . 

   What do you think?

LUCK OR EFFORTS

    We often  say that 'it was in his luck 'or it was not in his luck. The Hindi concept is that of Karma  and their effects on our 'current ' life as we believe in reincarnation. So to just look at that in nut shell, we ACT and that creates Karma  and the effects are stored . We are born with some of the SEEDS OF Karma that is going to materialize or come to fruition. We can make efforts to neutralize the effects  and some times we are successful and sometimes we are not . So we have to make efforts to improve our condition. So this is that kind of a story. Some of theses stories are old Indian stories but the points that they make are good. 

    In a town there lived 2 friend ,one was a musician and one was learned Brahmin. The Brahmin or the educated man in religion had accepted that he was not going to be rich . He would teach the kids to be good and educate them on Hinduism and also the rituals and scriptures . He never got lot of money , but he was happy. The musicians was very good in music but did not get money. So he suggested the friend the brahmin, that we should go the king and present out talent  and se if he would reward them with some money . The Brahmin answered that the money is luck and king can not change it . Only God can change it .But he did agree to go to king . They went to king and told them that they have talent and wanted the king to see what they can do . The brahmin told king that he believed that making money is not in hands of king but is in hands of Lord  and luck . The king listened to their argument and gave brahmin, rice and lentils  and the musician a pumpkin. He told them to make a dinner  and come in the morning . He told them to stay in 2 different rooms. The musician was unhappy as he got pumpkin and he can only make vegetable out of it and the brahmin can make rice and soup (Dal)  and so they decided to exchange the gifts. The musician made rice and Dal and was very happy . The brahmin went to his room and cut open the pumpkin and there was gold put in by the king. He called his friend and gave him the half pumpkin. The next day they went to the king again.

     The king asked them as to what do they believe now -as he had given gold to the musician who had said that the King will help them . The brahmin gave king the half pumpkin. The King was surprised that the brahmin had the pumpkin and not the musician. So the brahmin explained the whole  story as to how the pumpkin that was given by king to musician was given to brahmin by the musician in exchange for rice and Dal. Brahmin then said that only Lord and luck can bring in money  and not even King can change that, The King had to agree. 

    I feel that we are born with certain Karma that are going to come to fruition  and some we can change and some we can not . How much effort we put in to change , how much time we spent to do that  and if we have understanding of the problem will determine the outcome. If there is a yellow wall and I want to paint it to blue, if I have only small amount of paint or little time or not enough desire or effort to paint it it will stay yellow only or with some efforts it may change to green and not blue that i wanted . 

      So we must continue to do the efforts  and leave the destiny to Lord and our past Karmas. 

SHABARI

    Most of the Indians or Hindu have heard the story of Shabari. How she offered Lord Ram the berries that she had tasted to make sur that they were sweet etc. is well known story. But I want to tell you the story or part of the story that many may not know. Shabari was a queen in her previous life .She had all the so called things that give us physical pleasures. But she was not interested in it and she was devoted to the worshiping of the God. So she could not enjoy the pleasures that most of us work through out our life and get unhappy when we can not get them an envoy those who have it. She ended her life with hope that she will be born in such a position that she can worship God. With her karmas she was born as a princes in a Bhilha community and as expected she had all the physical pleasures  and had more freedom to worship the God. So she used to go to Rhushi called Matang. In spite of this she still was a princes  and so as expected her marriage was fixed. She was not much interested or concerned. But on the day before the wedding, she heard the sound of sheep as they were slaughtered for the dinner next day. She asked her mother as what was happening  and the mother told her that for the celebration of the wedding they were killed to prepare the dinner. She could not take it and she told her that she did not want it and she wanted to go to Matang the Rhushi that she had gone before  and threated that if this was not done the great Rhushi  would put a great curse .So the father and the mother - the king and queen agreed and she decided to go there . She ran away on the same night. 

    In the hermitage or the ashram, she continued to worship God . Then when she heard that Lord Ram was going to come to the ashram, she decided to offer him berries . These were collected by herself  and washed. But then she got worried that if all of them were sweet or not as some of them may be sour. So she tasted each one  and made sure that only sweet berries were offered. Certainly ordinary person would not like to eat berries that were tasted by someone else. But Ram knew the devotion and the thought behind and the real desire to do offer only good ones. So he ate them .

(What I wanted to tell is that Law of Karma works  and with her good actions  and desires , she was reborn as princes  and could see , meet great saint )