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Thread: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

  1. #21
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    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    hari o
    ~~~~~~
    namasté
    Quote Originally Posted by saswathy View Post
    Dear friends ,
    When a soul undergoes the process of purification , and takes birth in various forms , and set ups , it has to be in the transit lounges many times awaiting the next birth . Those transit lounges are hell and heaven as the case may be . rgds
    I really scratch my head when I hear this... can you inform me how the soul (ātman) could possibly be impure ? How can something that has never been born or die take on any stain ? 'Stain' is within the relative field of life - ātman is outside this field ( ~outside~ is a poor word to use but will go with it for now).

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

    _

  2. #22
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    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    hari o
    ~~~~~~
    namasté


    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    can you inform me how the soul (ātman) could possibly be impure ?
    I am in hopes that this is addressed... this is not a small thing and is one of the cornerstones or really understanding Self ( ātman ) and is the fundamental reality of the avadhūta¹.

    iti śiva

    1. avadhūta = ava + dhūta - one who has shaken off worldly obligation
    ava = off, down, away + dhūta = shaken, removed
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

  3. #23

    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    After reading a few spiritual scriptures of hinduism, my european state of mind understood something that seems to be a truth in that religion : I think hinduism conceives life as a great Lesson. We are children at school : we can be punished if we act bad, rewarded if we are good ; but our true goal is to leave the class and really finding who we are thanks to our Teacher.

    In contrary, in western religions, life is seen as an exam : there is a severous man watching at you and deciding at the end of the hour what is your destiny. You can make mistakes that lead you to fail this exam... With terrible consequences. The difference is really important between those two conceptions of God.

    Tell me if I am wrong about my first idea presented in this post, but it is what hindu theology makes think me about. In that case, if life is nothing but a Lesson, that means going for ever in a place to be punished with no escape is meaningless.

  4. #24
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    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    Namaste VVV,

    Quote Originally Posted by VVV View Post
    After reading a few spiritual scriptures of hinduism, my european state of mind understood something that seems to be a truth in that religion : I think hinduism conceives life as a great Lesson. We are children at school : we can be punished if we act bad, rewarded if we are good ; but our true goal is to leave the class and really finding who we are thanks to our Teacher.
    Correct !

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

  5. #25
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    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    Namaste.,

    There are lot of answers here but none of them are in fact telling the "eternal place of sorrow" - Do not want to translate that as hell for the fear of misunderstanding.

    The Absolute entity is not affected by what is positive and negative from our experience and view point and what is pleasurable for a "sattvic" soul may not be pleasurable or enjoyable for a "tamasic" soul. The place of eternal residence of the "Sattvic" soul thus need not be same as the place of residence of a "Tamasmic" soul ( Not using the word heaven and hell here - In hinduism there are concepts of Swarga closely meaning the material heaven - and Yama Patna's where the soul is punished for her sins - material hell(s)).

    In the school of differences of svaRupa ( inherent quality or character of soul), release or the ultimate achievement of every jiva/soul is to attain that state of svaRupa by the grace of Lord. Here, a tamasmic svaRupa ultimately attains the eternal abode of sorrow as that is the ultimate destination of that soul. The Sattvic alone reaches the abode where Lord is enaged in the mellows with His sattvic devotees and that is their ultimate destination. The Rajasic souls never get released and they follow the cycle of birth and death - as NityaSamsarins.

    This is not entier "hindu" concept but the idea from one school of thought.

    Hare Krshna

  6. #26
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    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    Namaste 'grames',

    If what you have expressed is your personal POV, you need not reply to my post, but if what you say has a scriptural backing, please help me understand the following,
    Quote Originally Posted by grames View Post
    There are lot of answers here but none of them are in fact telling the "eternal place of sorrow" - Do not want to translate that as hell for the fear of misunderstanding.


    ....In the school of differences of svaRupa ( inherent quality or character of soul), release or the ultimate achievement of every jiva/soul is to attain that state of svaRupa by the grace of Lord. Here, a tamasmic svaRupa ultimately attains the eternal abode of sorrow as that is the ultimate destination of that soul....
    Where is this concept of 'eternal abode of sorrow' defined?
    Is there such a thing/place as the 'eternal abode of sorrow' where the the inhabitants are doomed to not be able to improve themselves and rise any higher?
    Aren't the non-sattvic beings going through mundane or painful lives in this earthly 'abode of sorrow' in order to improve themselves to be eligible to enter the 'eternal abode of tranquility' where they would be in the company of the divine?



    And,
    Quote Originally Posted by grames View Post
    The place of eternal residence of the "Sattvic" soul thus need not be same as the place of residence of a "Tamasmic" soul
    Quote Originally Posted by yajvan View Post
    hari o
    ~~~~~~
    namast�

    ... can you inform me how the soul (ātman) could possibly be impure ? How can something that has never been born or die take on any stain ? 'Stain' is within the relative field of life - ātman is outside this field ( ~outside~ is a poor word to use but will go with it for now).

    How do you reconcile the above two statements?
    A soul not taking on any stains Vs. labeling souls as sattvic/tamsic?

    I am just trying to calibrate my shashtric bearings and it would help to understand the philosophy/origin of different schools of thought. So, please indulge me.

    Pranam.
    Last edited by Believer; 25 June 2014 at 01:36 PM.

  7. #27
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    Re: Is hell eternal in hinduism ?

    Namaste.,

    The idea of all soul are same is not entire "hindu" concept and soul is inherently different and dependent on the Lord is the foundation of schools of Vaishnavaism and also in some shaiva schools.

    traiguNya vishhayA vedA nistraiguNyo bhavArjuna
    nirdvandvo nityasattvastho niryogaxema AtmavAn.h BG 2.45
    (The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna. Be transcendental to all of them....)
    Here, transcending all of them yet...

    ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā
    madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ
    jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā
    adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ BG 14.18


    ( just picking one ref. as there are so many available to provide the proof that, souls are inherently different)

    Since, the three guna tattva is already established, the destiny of those who are 'situated' in the guna above the three "material reflections", attains their destination as per their qualification.

    If "difference" is eternal, the destinations as well are also eternal is the tattva. The belief of all soul "enjoy" same is or are/is "same" is not complete idea of Hindu ( in fact, such thoughts are denied and addressed as vedic defects by the schools which upholds difference as eternal reality)

    For the last part...
    The judgement or opinion of how the soul is "Satvic" or "rajasic" etc. is the process of "staining" ourselves and if they are accepted as "inherently" different, there is no question of "questioning" their reality and thus the perfection. Good and Bad looks two different opposing things only from the relative platform and in the eternal absolute platform, for a tamasic what is the best is not different from what is the best for a "Sattvic" and only the mode of enjoyment and how the bhava is meeting its ultimate desire that too from the point of relative comparison alone looks "Heaven" and "Hell". ( This is very complicated to understand the idea of difference in the absolute platform - and thus a lot of curious seekers equate or accept that there cannot be any difference in absoluteness - if the absoluteness is understood as in mundane science)

    Hare Krshna!

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