I am not an atheist. Really (though for some reason, my friends and family seem to think I am)
I grew up listening to my family preach the principles of Advaitha - it all made perfect sense -
* You get good or bad things based on your karma
* Your next life time is determined by your good deeds in this life time
* So really, just be good, and suck it up and pay for your past misdeeds
* And sometime in the distant future, you will start pulling out of your good deeds-bad deeds rut and truly start seeking God
* And you will find his divinity in every living thing on this planet
* And you will start loving everyone selflessly and not even hurt a fly
* And you will be released from the bondage of life and death and become one with the One
* And all through this journey, your Bhakthi will help you stay focused on the right path
I always took pride in what I thought was truly absolute devotion, which in my words was complete love and acceptance of God's will. If he wanted me to suffer, I would. I refused to bargain. I chose instead to accept.
However, my friends and family (while acknowledging that i get all basic concepts right), want me to sneak God some favors, and escape from doing time for my bad karma. I truly don't get it. Would my beloved Anjaneya hurt me if I accidentally sang a hymn in praise of Janani instead of his Chalisa on Saturday? Would Dhakshinamurthi refuse to bless me because I didn't have the time to make sundal, as I was busy making money that i am saving up so that my husband and I don't have to work till we are sixty, so that we can retire early and volunteer all our time for good causes?
Don't get me wrong. I am all for prayers. They soothe the heart and help lead you along the right path. But why pray only for 10 minutes a day and why think only those 10 minutes count? Why cant the life that I lead become my prayer? And why cant Love be my God?
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9 comments:
Wow. Clap clap. Hope this is not a retort to my asking you to pray for your special thingie :)
no no....everyone did infact. Right from my mom, to friend, to mil, to you! and that got me thinking
If you believe in miracles, you gotta believe in the power of prayers. From past experiences.
people spend years attending lectures,reading books etc etc to understand this philosophy and my darling sister at this young age without doing any of the above has already understood something so deep....
Lovely line of thought. I've never really thought about this in the way you have presented.
Thanks Rags and Lazy akka. I hope I dont sound cynical or bitter. I just want to find peace through acceptance
I am impressed that you have moved on to a different level.Although i do have to agree with anonymous aunty's lines..this has truly got me into thinking. I dont say prayers everyday but when i am helpless,at cross roads, i feel only my prayer can get me through and it has..but i am impressed with your line of thought!
Babe. We love you no matter what you faith is. Your beautiful spirit shines through everything, across a thousand miles and through our computer screens. As a daughter, a younger sister, a lovely elder cousin sister,
sister-in-law, wife, aunt, daughter-in-law, your support and love for all of us is in a way, an answer to our prayers.
this blog of yours made me and hubby think... 10 min a day is important coz that is discipline. Hindusim is a very lenient religion,there are no strict rules. But I think its still important to stand infront of God everyday and recite slogams. My parents never sat down and thought me slogams,just learnt them by listening to them. I want my daughter and son who is growing in a foreign country to learn our religion and values and dont I have to follow them first? Also why wait till retirement to do good work.....u can them do them right now and we know you are,by sponsoring education for orphans.
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