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Thread: Qualities of God?

  1. #1
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    Qualities of God?

    Namaste,
    I have been thinking about this. The qualities of God from hinduism's perspective.

    One of them...Antaryami;
    (english translation 'all knower' or 'knower of all'?)

    When we perform puja or yagya, we generally ask for this and that. I wonder why since God is antaryami he should know what his devotees need.

    Especially at the time of yagya, the presiding priest asks for a sankalpa or reason for the yagya or something that the family doing the yagya wants to have in return of yagya, some personal benefit like better health for the loved ones etc. Doesn't God know this to begin with so why ask?

    Is it better to ask (just to be sure) or just leave it with the understanding that since God is antaryami he knows exactly what is needed?
    satay

  2. Cool Re: Qualities of God?



    In Geeta Sri Krishan says
    Karmsy-Dharmsy

    Nothing is free, so karma is needed for fruit from ॐ.
    [CENTER][B][FONT=Arial Black][SIZE=7][COLOR=Yellow] ॐ[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
    [/CENTER]

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    God knows what is needed but the act of conversation with him is beautiful because it shows him that he is our shelter and that we will always turn to him. I never doubt his all-knowing status, but I also believe he likes to hear from us during prayer and meditation. If we just relied on his all-knowing abilities we would never pray and that would be shameful because he enjoys our devotion.

    Basically I am saying that prayer and asking for help let God know we love and rely on him.
    May the Supreme Spirit illumine us!

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    Pranam Satay

    i make a rule not to ask for anything when i pray or go to the temple, simply because he/she knows our desires, which are many.

    but when we do a yagna or puja it is for a specific reason, the priest has to know this so that he can chant specific mantra and do puja accordingly.also in a sankalpa there are many thing involved, like your promise to make certain donation and japa or abstaining from some things etc.

    Jai Shree Krishna
    Rig Veda list only 33 devas, they are all propitiated, worthy off our worship, all other names of gods are derivative from this 33 originals,
    Bhagvat Gita; Shree Krishna says Chapter 3.11 devan bhavayatanena te deva bhavayantu vah parasparam bhavayantah sreyah param avapsyatha Chapter 17.4 yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah
    The world disappears in him. He is the peaceful, the good, the one without a second.

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    I had never asked for myself, even when things were very dark. But I have always asked for those who need help. There is one on the forum I still pray for, until I know they are well...I do it.

    Lately, I have been having more detachment...so I did pray recently for myself for mercy. I know Beloved knows I need this...but I felt it so much with my heart that it just blurted out.

    I know He will not bend me so far as to break me...but in that situation I did ask.

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    The secret of life is concentration of the mind. All the puja and yagya are done for the purification of mind. When the mind becomes still, all the wishes of heart come true.Wheather we ask it openly or not, we are aware that we want or cherish that. That's what i think.
    Sarva DharmAAn Parityajya

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    Quote Originally Posted by satay View Post
    Namaste,
    I have been thinking about this. The qualities of God from hinduism's perspective.
    (cut for space)

    Is it better to ask (just to be sure) or just leave it with the understanding that since God is antaryami he knows exactly what is needed?
    Namasté Satay
    I think it is good to ask, it sets the wheels into motion. I know it is better not to ask, but rather to thank, but sometimes God is the only one who may understand. I have even heard it said that we should direct our anger towards God rather than towards another mortal being (God is beyond harm).

    I think most fathers or mothers would prefer their child to speak up rather than to go without, even if they could see what wish was coming.

    I feel comfortable to say that God prefers us to look to them than not, that interaction itself is a form of affection and supplication.

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    hari o
    ~~~~~~

    namast



    there is not one blade of grass that bends that the Supreme is not aware of, say the wise. He as Father or She as Mother must know of each and every thought.

    If this is true, then perhaps the intent of the saṃkalpa is to ask in earnest for guidance and a clear path to accomplish the request at hand.

    On another level the saṃkalpaṁ can be more of adoration - ' I am here dear Lord to not ask, as you know every thought and deed of my being; I am here to offer my prayers and thanks for Your kind guidance and direction. May it be soon we talk face to face.'

    praṇām

    words
    saṃkalpa - conception or idea or notion formed in the mind or heart; will , volition , desire , purpose , definite intention or determination
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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    Re: Qualities of God?

    Why and how is God Antaryami ?

    Because I knows what this body-mind complex thinks as I is sitting right in the body-mind complex.

    I cannot lie or hide my thoughts from myself. I can do to all others but not myself.

    Love and best wishes

  10. #10
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    Re: Qualities of God?

    namaste Satay and others.

    SvAmi SivAnanda in his article 'God Exists' says (emphasis added):

    "Through Brahman in its true nature is indefinable (Anirdeshya) and unknowable (Agrahya), still we have to give some provisional definitions. Advaitins mention some attributes (Viseshanas) or characteristics (Lakshanas) to mark off from Brahman objects possessing other attributes, and thus help us to concentrate on the subject in question. These characteristics are either essential (Svarupalakshanas) as Sat-Chit-Ananda or accidental (Tatasthalakshanas) as omnipotence, omniscience, creatorship, etc. Western philosophers admit that there is a great thought or intelligence behind the universe. The second and third aphorisms of Vedanta Sutras denote the omniscience of the Lord."

    • Once we define the nature of God as such as such, it would mean that we are not him/only away from him (though he is within us), since we don't possess the attributes of our definition. Therefore we need to have an ardent desire/intention/resolve--saMkalpaH, to become one with God, and until we become so, do prArthanA--prayer, that he elevates us to become more and more aware of our real state.

    • Unless we have the required minimum in our worldly life, we cannot hope to pursue our Atma-sAdhana effectively, so the first step in praying is fulfilment of the required minimum.

    • The very term prArthanA is from pra + arthanA meaning 'great request'. Since the very act of praying involves a request, it starts with a saMkalpaH--resolve/intention, what for is the request?

    • When BhagavAn's name is chanted, there is no saMkalpaH involved. But when a mantra is chanted, it involves a saMkalpaH as to why/what for is the mantra chanted.

    • The requests made in a prArthanA are of three kinds: iShTa-kAmyArtha, loka-kShemArtha and AtmArtha (for fulfilment of personal wishes, for the welfare of the world, and for increased awareness of the Self).

    • As regards saMkalpaH, ChAndogya upaniShad says:

    saMkalpo vAva manaso bhUyAnyadA vai saMkalpayate atha
    manasyatyatha vAchamIrayati tAmu nAmnIrayati nAmni
    mantrA ekaM bhavanti mantreShu karmANi || 7.4.1 ||

    "saMkalpaH--will/resolve, is greater than mind. When one does a saMkalpam, he decides about it with clarity of thought; then he starts talking about his decision; the speech acquires the shape of name; in the name the mantras and in mantras the karmas--actions, become one."

    Some interesting saMkalpas

    Gaudhama Buddha took the following saMkalpaH when he sat to attain jnAna under a bodhi tree. His saMkalpam stands even today as the best example for a mumukSha--one desirous of mokSha:

    ihAsane shuShyatu me sharIraM
    tvag-asti mAmsAni layaM prayAntu |
    aprApya bodhaM bahu-kalpa-durlabhaM
    naivAsanAt kAyam-idaM chalishyati ||

    “Let this body dry out on this very seat; let skin, bone and flesh die. Without getting Enlightenment, even if it takes as long as a kalpa, this body shall not move from this seat.”

    • In sandhya vandanam, the saMkalpam taken after Achamanam, GaNapati dhyAnam and prANAyAma, goes likes this (an example of AtmArtha prArthanA):

    mamopAtta samasta-durita kShaya-dvArA shrI parameshvara prItyarthaM
    prAtaH sandhyA-mupAsiShye ||

    Through--dvArA, destruction--kShaya, of all the sins--samasta-durita, acquired--upAtta, by me--mama, may I become eligible to get Parameshvara's grace--parameshvara prItyarthaM. With that resolution, let me start in this morning--prAtaH, worshipping--upAsiShye, SandhyA DevI.

    • A typical pUja saMkalpam (which is iShTa-kAmyArtha), (here it is the saMkalpam in a panchAyatana pUja) runs (numbers added):

    01. mamopAtta-samasta-durita-kshayadvArA shrI-parameSvara-prItyarthaM |

    02. asmAkaM saha-kuTumbAnAM kshema-sthairya-vIrya-vijaya-Ayur-Arogya-aiSvaryANAM abhivRiddhyarthaM |

    03. dharmArtha-kAma-moksha chaturvidha-phala-purushArtha-siddhyarthaM |

    04. ishTa-kAmyArtha-siddhyarthaM |

    05. sarvAbhIshTa-siddhyarthaM |

    06. sarvArishTa-shAntyartham aroga-dhRDha-gAtrathA-siddhyarthaM |

    07. ShrI-sItA-lakshmaNa-bharata-shatrughna-hanUmat-sameta shrI rAma-chandrAdi-samasta-hari-hara-devatA-prasAda-siddhyarthaM |

    08. sAmba-parameSvara-prasAda-siddhyarthaM |
    =====

    01. May I get Parameshvara's grace through the destructions of sins acquired by me.

    02. May all our family's welfare, status, glory, victory, longevity, health, and wealth increase more and more.

    03. May the fruits of the four puruShArthas--dharma-artha-kAma=mokSha, be obtained by us.

    04. May our preferred wishes be fulfilled.

    05. May all our wishes be fulfilled.

    06. May we get all our afflictions healed and obtain diseaseless and firm body.

    07. May we get the graciousness of shrI RAmachandra who is seated with SitAdevI, LakShamaNa, Bharata, Shatrughna and HanUman.

    08. May we get the graciousness of shrI Parameshvara, who is with AmbAL.
    =====

    As to why God should extract such action-filled prArthanA from us when he as an antaryAmin knows what we require:

    A proverb in Tamizh says: 'Only the child that cries gets the milk', so we need to 'cry' until we truly become children of God (in mind, word and deed). Once we become that, as MANikkavAchakar says in his TiruvAchakam the God will himself feed us the milk as a mother who remembers the times her child needs to be fed and does feed the child even without his/her crying for it.
    रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
    ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥

    To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.

    --viShNu purANam

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