its a serious question…is it possible. Is their anywhere in the scripts where it says you can see lord shiva.
If a person is sincere to meet creators then why not.
In which scriptures? Vedas? Upandishads? Puranaas? Astika sutras? The epics - Mahabharata and Ramayana?
There are many stories where (mostly in the Puranaas and somewhat in the epics) people have met Shiva, where demigods and demons have met Shiva.
It depends if you define these stories as scriptures or not.
i dont know much abt hinduism, i was hoping someone could tell me answer this question.
also, is it possible to see lord kkrishna
This might be a stupid question but what do you mean by ‘see’ Krishna or Shiva?
astrosfan
What’s the difference bw all these scriptures? And how come Gita is not in the list? Are all of them still ’valid’ meaning that do you (Hindus) still read and believe in all of these books?
[quote]
Originally posted by sabah:
*This might be a stupid question but what do you mean by ‘see’ Krishna or Shiva?
*
[/quote]
I have forgotten what i read. but there are two streams of opinion in theist hindu philosophers, one is 'sa-gun' and another 'nir-gun', one in which god can be labelled and another in which god can not be labelled. so 'nir-gun' god is neither good nor evil, beyond these attruibutes while people believing god is 'sagun' believe that he is good, they can give it several attributes including physical features and so it s possible to 'see' him. on the other hand for the people believing that god is 'nirgun', seeing god means underanding the entire truth, reality whatever. maybe astrofan can correct me if i am wrong.
On sale at a local Indian store. I think it was buy one for full price and get the other for half price.
This is not meant as a slur on the Hindu religion at all so taking offence will not be necessary as I am sure most everyone who has been to an Indian grocery store has seen the "GODS FOR SALE" sign.
Is it possible to see Krishna?
Well, Krishna died (i.e. not immortal by any means) at the end of the Mahabharata. To see him requires a tremendous amount of faith on the seers part. I think there have been stories though.
What is the Gita
The Gita is a small part of the epic Mahabharata, spoken by Krishna to Arjuna just before the great battle at Kurukshetra. The Gita, unlike the Koran or Bible, tells no stories. It is only 740+ verses long, spread over 18 chapters, where all but the first discuss philosophy. The first chapter sets the scene for the Gita - Arjuna is supposed to be fighting a battle against his evil cousins who have unfairly wrested control of the kingdom from Arjuna and his brothers. Arjuna is the best fighter on his side, but upon seeing his cousins, teachers, friends, and other relatives on the enemy side, he questions if he really should kill these people. So, in the middle of the battlefield, he throws down his weapons and stops fighting. Krishna, over the next 17 chapters discusses dharma (the righteous way), karma, and the various paths to attaining God.
So what are all the other Hindu scriptures
This list is by no means comprehensive:
[list]
[li]Vedas - The oldest extent literature of the Hindus, contained in four volumes (the Rig, the Sama, the Yajur, and the Atharva). Of these, the Rig is the one that contains verses speculating on the Ultimate Truth. These again do not contain historical stories like the Bible or Koran, but rather contain some mythological stories of Indra and Agni, that help describe nature in an allegorical way. Vishnu and Shiva play minor roles as solar Gods. Krishna has yet to be born.[/li][li]Upanishads - There are about 108 canonical Upanishads, of which 10-12 are considered the major ones. These are attempts by our swamis to describe the Ultimate Truth as they see it. In my opinion, the essence of Hindu philosophy is contained in these 10 Upanishads - and nowhere in these do you see stories of Gods like Vishnu and Shiva, but rather you see attempts to describe Atman (Self) and Brahman (Ultimate Reality as God), and how to equate them. Krishna has yet to be born.[/li][li]Puranas - These are where you find myths and stories of the Gods that may parallel Greco-Roman mythology. I myself don't put much stock in them.[/li][li]Ramayana - The life story of Rama - a person who we consider to have lived his entire life in righteous dharma, without making the wrong decisions. Rama is the type of person a Hindu would like to emulate. Shiva makes some appearances to people here.[/li][li]Mahabharata - The world's oldest and largest epic, covering several generations, and leading up to the final battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. The huge volume describes dharma by showing how various actions by humans in a familiar setting causes good and bad consequences. Much like the Odyssey, it abounds in small little stories that help describe dharma. Here there are many situations where people pray to Shiva and Krishna, and have their prayers answered in person by those Gods. In the middle of the Mahabharata is the Gita.[/li]
[quote]
Originally posted by sabah:
**
astrosfan
What’s the difference bw all these scriptures? And how come Gita is not in the list? Are all of them still ’valid’ meaning that do you (Hindus) still read and believe in all of these books?**
[/quote]
The difference is how each scripture attempts to tackle spirituality. The Upanishads and the Gita go straight into deep metaphysical spirituality, without parable or story. The epic stories tie dharma into stories and situations that common people would have a better time relating too. The Vedas are long, complex, and hard to comprehend without a good grounding in Vedanta, which comes through learning with a teacher.
At the end of the day, it becomes difficult for an educated person to accept the story aspect of the epics straight up, especially for one who has a western education. However, the spiritual and dharmic aspects remain true - the problem is that the epics are long, and when they are abridged for brevity, all the "boring" stuff about dharma is stripped out, leaving only the compelling story behind. When outsiders then read the abridged version, all they see is the story, and very little of the Hinduism that is inherent to these stories.
[This message has been edited by astrosfan (edited September 28, 2000).]
Thanks ZZ
http://www3.pak.org/gupshup/smilies/smile.gif
I hope astrosfan will explain the philosophy behind ’Sagun’.
Saguna Brahman
http://www.hindunet.org/god/saguna_brahman/index.htm
The personal aspect of the Ultimate Reality is known as Saguna Brahman, that is Brahman with attributes. Saguna Brahman is the creator, sustainer and controller of the universe. Saguna Brahman cannot be limited by one form and is therefore worshipped by Hindus in both male and female forms. As the male aspect, Saguna Brahman is called by various Sanskrit names, such as Ishvara, Parameshvara, Paramãtma, Maheshvara, and Purusha. These Sanskrit names represent more or less the same concept as the word God in other religions.
As the female aspect, Hindus refer to Saguna Brahman by various names, such as Divine Mother, Durgã and Kãlî. Hindus further worship the male and female aspects of Saguna Brahman in many forms, called deities.
Nirguna Brahman
http://www.hindunet.org/god/nirguna_brahman/index.htm
Hindu view of the Ultimate Reality is expressed in the following revelation of the Rig Veda, the oldest Hindu scripture:
“Ekam sat vipraha, bahudha vadanti.” “Truth is one, the wise call It by various names.”
This doctrine recognizes that the Ultimate Reality possesses infinite potential, power and intelligence, and therefore cannot be limited by a single name or form. Thus, Hindus view the Ultimate Reality as having two aspects: impersonal and personal (see Figure 1). The impersonal aspect of the Ultimate Reality is called Nirguna Brahman in Hindu scriptures. Nirguna Brahman has no attributes and, as such, is not an object of prayer, but of meditation and knowledge. This aspect of the Ultimate Reality is beyond conception, beyond reasoning and beyond thought.
[This message has been edited by astrosfan (edited September 28, 2000).]
You want to siva?
Come to Agra, you can buy as many Siva as you want, you can buy as many ganesh as you want, you can buy krishna or many other Gods also. These Gods are made by the craftsmen and don't cost very much.