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Thread: Refuge in God?

  1. #1

    Refuge in God?

    Namaste!

    As usual, it's been a long time since I've visited here. That's because life got very busy for awhile! But during that time, many of my prayers were answered.

    Anyway, what does it mean to take refuge in God, or for God to be our refuge?

    For example, I read this Ganesha mantra: Aum Asritaya Namaha (Adoration to Him Who is Our Refuge).

    Or, "Ganesha sharanam" (Lord Ganesha, you are our refuge).

    And I have no understanding of what it means to call Lord Ganesha a "refuge".

    Could someone please explain?

    --

    Om namah Shivaya~~
    All these things shine.
    May you shine, too!

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    Re: Refuge in God?

    Namaste
    Quote Originally Posted by SatBast View Post
    Namaste!

    As usual, it's been a long time since I've visited here. That's because life got very busy for awhile! But during that time, many of my prayers were answered.

    Anyway, what does it mean to take refuge in God, or for God to be our refuge?

    For example, I read this Ganesha mantra: Aum Asritaya Namaha (Adoration to Him Who is Our Refuge).

    Or, "Ganesha sharanam" (Lord Ganesha, you are our refuge).

    And I have no understanding of what it means to call Lord Ganesha a "refuge".

    Could someone please explain?

    --

    Om namah Shivaya~~
    Try with a google search for "refuge":

    "a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble"
    "something providing shelter"

    Bhagavad gita teaches us that we should take a refuge in the Supreme Lord, Krishna:

    "I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed." (Bhagavad gita 9.18, http://vedabase.net/bg/9/18/en)

    "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me (take a refuge, shelter in Me). I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." (Bhagavad gita 18.66, http://vedabase.net/bg/18/66/en)


    regards

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    Re: Refuge in God?

    Quote Originally Posted by brahma jijnasa View Post
    Namaste


    Try with a google search for "refuge":

    "a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble"
    "something providing shelter"

    Bhagavad gita teaches us that we should take a refuge in the Supreme Lord, Krishna:

    "I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the refuge and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation, the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed." (Bhagavad gita 9.18, http://vedabase.net/bg/9/18/en)

    "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me (take a refuge, shelter in Me). I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." (Bhagavad gita 18.66, http://vedabase.net/bg/18/66/en)


    regards
    May I request you not to compare gods? We are Sanatani. Comparing gods is not in our policy. He has faith in Ganesha. Taking refuge in Ganesha and in Vishnu are same. Vishnu is a tattva which is all pervading. It's not limited to Vishnu only.

    @Satbast

    Taking refuge in Ishwara means surrendering all things to the feet of Ganesha. Thinking Ganesha as the ultimate truth. The surrendering should be so extreme that one should not think any difference between his consciousness and God. He should surrender everything including his consciousness itself, thinking the self and God are one. Soon even as one flame gets merged in the element of fire, devotees merges in Brahman. They're one eternally.

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    Re: Refuge in God?

    hari o
    ~~~~~~
    namasté

    refuge - nivāta¹ or āśraya¹


    with most questions there is a mundane (laukika¹) answer and then there is the profound (gāḍha¹).
    With the profound, taking refuge suggests not even one iota of difference between the shelter and the sheltered. That is, the refuge of the Supreme is that of one's own Self, a non-different condition where one is completely invincible (anādhṛṣṭa¹). This is the result of this refuge.


    iti śiva


    • nivāta - asylum , refuge ; sheltered from the wind , calm -
    • āśraya - a place of refuge
    • laukika - worldly , terrestrial , belonging to or occurring in ordinary life , common , usual
    • gāḍha - 'deeply entered' , pressed together , tightly drawn
    • anādhṛṣṭa - unchecked , unimpaired , invincible , perfect
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  5. #5

    Re: Refuge in God?

    Namaste!

    Thank you all for your replies. I know it might seem a silly question to some of you, but I find it difficult to wrap my mind around the concept.

    Quote Originally Posted by hinduism♥krishna View Post
    He has faith in Ganesha.
    Just so you know, I'm a girl.


    Quote Originally Posted by hinduism♥krishna View Post
    Taking refuge in Ishwara means surrendering all things to the feet of Ganesha. Thinking Ganesha as the ultimate truth. The surrendering should be so extreme that one should not think any difference between his consciousness and God. He should surrender everything including his consciousness itself, thinking the self and God are one. Soon even as one flame gets merged in the element of fire, devotees merges in Brahman. They're one eternally.
    If there comes a point where there's no different between devotee and God, how, exactly, would the devotee function in daily life? Is it that it's not the devotee doing things, it's God?

    For example, I'm a web developer. But it's not "me" doing the work. It's God, is that right?

    --

    Aum namaha Shivaya~~
    All these things shine.
    May you shine, too!

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    Re: Refuge in God?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté

    Quote Originally Posted by SatBast View Post
    If there comes a point where there's no different between devotee and God, how, exactly, would the devotee function in daily life? Is it that it's not the devotee doing things, it's God?

    For example, I'm a web developer. But it's not "me" doing the work. It's God, is that right?

    Who is this 'me' you refer to ? We need to start here.

    iti śivaṁ
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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    Re: Refuge in God?

    Namaste
    Our dear Yajvanji has already given an excellent answer with regards to the meaning of refuge.

    And refuge unto Him means freedom from ignorance..By personal experience He made all things impossible possible for me. For that id be eternally grateful to Him. Spiritually when i was at the verge of becoming an atheist thanks to a famous superficial cult which brainwashed me into ignorance and destroyed my intelligence it is this merciful Lord who saved me. Id be eternally grateful to Him and hope i serve Him to the best of my capability in this life and the next if i have one
    Last edited by ganeshamylord; 08 July 2014 at 12:21 AM.

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