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Thread: Murti Puja is not idol worship

  1. #11
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    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    Quote Originally Posted by Znanna
    ( I adore that there are more than 300 million gods in Hinduism Namaste,
    ZN



    ____________
    Just a girl
    namaste!
    This comment of yours caught my eye...may I ask where you got this number of 300 million gods in hinduism?

    The reason why I ask is that I have seen similar numbers 300 million/ 330 million etc. on the internet about hindu gods...but just curious where you got the number from.

    Just curious.
    satay

  2. #12
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    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    Quote Originally Posted by satay
    namaste!
    This comment of yours caught my eye...may I ask where you got this number of 300 million gods in hinduism?

    The reason why I ask is that I have seen similar numbers 300 million/ 330 million etc. on the internet about hindu gods...but just curious where you got the number from.

    Just curious.
    Two tantrika friends of mine whom I respect as well-versed said this to me, and I also had subsequently seen other references on the 'net.

    Is this untrue, or allegorical?


    ZN

  3. #13
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    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    Quote Originally Posted by Znanna
    Two tantrika friends of mine whom I respect as well-versed said this to me, and I also had subsequently seen other references on the 'net.

    Is this untrue, or allegorical?


    ZN
    okay, thanks. No, I was just asking...I have never seen a good explanation of this. I don't know of any reference in the scripturs of 300 or more million gods. This seems like a propaganda spread by anti-hindus but I have noticed that some hindus also say such things so that's why I asked for the reference.

    In my mind, the number 330 million or 330 million gods in hinduism is not true. I only know of maybe 10 or 20 menifestations of one GOD in hinduism!
    satay

  4. #14

    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    330 million was the population of India during the time of independence ??

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    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    Quote Originally Posted by satay
    okay, thanks. No, I was just asking...I have never seen a good explanation of this. I don't know of any reference in the scripturs of 300 or more million gods. This seems like a propaganda spread by anti-hindus but I have noticed that some hindus also say such things so that's why I asked for the reference.

    In my mind, the number 330 million or 330 million gods in hinduism is not true. I only know of maybe 10 or 20 menifestations of one GOD in hinduism!
    Well, both of my friends are Indian Hindus, sooo ... I doubt it is propaganda!

    My impression was that these are manifestations, yes, but a WHOLE lot of them. Aren't there several forms, for example, of Tara? Counted separately, these all add up to a lot


    Namaste,
    ZN

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    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    Quote Originally Posted by Znanna
    Well, both of my friends are Indian Hindus, sooo ... I doubt it is propaganda!
    hi,
    not to put a too fine line on the point but just because hindus repeat 'something' doesn't mean that it is not the result of propaganda fed to them or to their parents!

    I would like to see some reference in the scriptures for this number that's all... to my knowledge (which is very limited of course) there is no such reference.

    My impression was that these are manifestations, yes, but a WHOLE lot of them. Aren't there several forms, for example, of Tara? Counted separately, these all add up to a lot
    could be a 'lot' but a lot is not equal to 300 million!

    I think that the propaganda started because of limited understanding of hinduism. Since vedanta says 'there is no separate me' and that there is only one conciousness all around and we look like we are separated due to maya...to an outsider (or to even to an insider) it follows that 'we are then GOD'. The actual number could be related to the number of people following hinduism at the time propaganda started. If that's the case there are around 1 billion GODS in hinduism... or if we are all one with god or gods then there are as many gods as the human population of this planet!



    This number is a propaganda regardless of 'indian hindus' repeating it!

    ZN[/QUOTE]
    satay

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    Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    300 million / 330 million gods, I think, refers to devas and not gods as such.

    Dwellers of Heaven are identified as Devas, in my places prime devas are said in different numbers but while indicating their whole lot the number 33 crores is used

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    Smile Re: 33 crore Devas

    Quote Originally Posted by Singhi Kaya
    330 million was the population of India during the time of independence ??
    It is true! And with Independence in 1947, every formerly bonded Jiva was revealed as a self-luminous Deva.

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    Re: 33 crore Devas

    Quote Originally Posted by sarabhanga
    It is true! And with Independence in 1947, every formerly bonded Jiva was revealed as a self-luminous Deva.
    :1cool:
    satay

  10. Re: Murti Puja is not idol worship

    Namaste!

    This has been an excellent thread, and I would like to add a little.

    On the idol - murti issue, although objectively or denotatively they are equal, idol has come to have a connotation of a piece of material that itself is thought to be a God and worshipped. I am not sure this has ever been the case in any culture that uses idols, graven images, or whatnot, but some (Christians, for example) have invented this idea and apply it to anyone that interfaces with God through an idol (except themselves). For this reason, I prefer to avoid saying idol, and in any case if I say murti to a non-Hindu, it usually is followed by a question, and gives me a chance to do some explaining.

    I believe that everything is alive, if just more or less awake, even rocks and electrons and paramanus. Everything and every being exists at every level of reality, such as the koshas of humans. This means that a murti, because of the care taken in producing it, does indeed represent the God to the point that one can say the God somehow indwells or actually is the murti. But the same is true of ourselves: we are in a sense murtis, we are our God. Maybe poorly said, but thanks for listening.
    Last edited by Devibhakta; 23 June 2006 at 12:24 PM.

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