R: Re: Bhakti

[Vaidya_Sundaram at I2.COM]

Ivano Alessandro Elia wrote:

>So my question could be reformulated as this:
>What should I do to become a devotee of Lord Siva?

namaskAram.
 Pardon my interruption on this topic with few insignificant comments of my
own ...

 a) What does it mean to you when you say "devotee of" ? Answer this, and
you have gone a long way.

 b) If your answer to (a) above is "have bhakti towards", then, my comment
would be - bhakti towards a deity for the sake of bhakti is like lighting a
lamp without knowing why - sure enough, the lamp gives you light, but you
first need eye sight to see that which gets illumined by the light - so
also with bhakti - first try to find out what it is that you are trying to
"see" with bhakti - then and only then do you reap the rewards of bhakti.

 c) Whom do you mean by Lord Siva? - find out more about this "person" -
who He is or what He is, or some thing that tells you more about Him. If
not, the "devotion" comes to be categorized  differently - (to use the
words of Anatarama Dikshidhar), as the love a concubine has for her
paramour - the concubine neither knows how great the person she is "loving"
is, nor does she care if "he" is some body else.

 d) If you want to "become" a "devotee of" "Siva" - then also find out
about what it means "to become"

 If you want to find out more about bhakti, read the Narada bhakti sutras.
You will find then that the "bhakti" that the gopis of virndavan had
towards Krishna is, in my opinion, the only true example of bhakti, to
which even He Himself had no answer -

 Ok, to be more honest, I am strugling with the same question you have
asked - "How do I become a devotee of Siva" ? - my motivation for this is
simple - He is also known to be "aashutoshi" - one who gets pleased very
easily. I hence intend to please Him and thus hit the jack pot! :)

 Having asked my self this question, I started to analyse the very same
question from the word "I" in it - I first wanted to find out who or what
"I" am. The rest, I am told by very very authoritatives sources, will
follow of its own accord.

any and all comments from you and other list members is sincerely
appreciated.

bhava shankara desikame sharaNam
Vaidya.






                    Ivano Alessandro
                    Elia                    To:     ADVAITA-L at advaita-vedanta.org
                    <eliavit at UNINA.I        cc:
                    T>                      Subject:     R: Re: Bhakti
                    Sent by: List
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                    04/03/00 12:55
                    PM
                    Please respond
                    to List for
                    advaita vedanta
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                    Shri Shankara






----- Original Message -----
From: T Swaminarayan <tvswaminarayan at YAHOO.COM>
To: <ADVAITA-L at advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2000 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: Bhakti


> --- Ivano Alessandro Elia <eliavit at UNINA.IT> wrote:
> > Namaste
> >
> > Until now my research for the jnana as been very
> > chaotic: I had several moments of  dejection because
> > I was never sure of  my
> > understandings about what I had to do. I just jumped
> > from an idea to another keeping me in a merely
> > intellectual point of view.
> > While I was reading the commentary of the
> > bhagavad-gItA by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta
> > Swami Prabhupada, as I mentioned in
> > my first posting, I tried to experienced the bhakti
> > by chanting the mantra HARE KRISHNA  HARE KRISHNA
> > KRISHNA KRISHNA  HARE HARE /
> > HARE RAMA  HARE RAMA  RAMA RAMA  HARE HARE. It was
> > surely an improvement to me but I'm not totally
> > happy about it.
> > Later I abandoned that commentary because it was
> > more religious than philosophical.
> >
> > Now I'm quite sure that my first step should be the
> > bhaktiyoga; So I'd be very grateful to you if you
> > would advice me about the
> > deity for my devotion (I'm slightly oriented towards
> > Siva) and the way to worship it.
> >
> >
> > Thanks and Regards
> > Ivano
> >
> Bhakti Marga is the same whether it is Bhati for Lord
> Krishna, Lord Rama or Lord Shiva. It is the intensity
> of your Bhakti for the LORD of your choice that counts
> in the upliftment of your spiritual understanding. In
> case you wish to follow the gyana marga in preferance
> to the bhakti marga  you may  start investigating
> about  YOURSELF for SELF KNOWLEDGE.A good starting
> point could be the Mandukya Upanishad which is the
> smallest of all Upanishads and contains only twelve
> Mantras or Slokas.I am sure you can get hold of a
> publication on this very important Upanishad which has
> the very essence of VEDANTA in it.There is always
> however a great mental satisfacation and peace of mind
> that can and will be derived by Bhakti or Devotion to
> the Lord of your choice.Never waver in your choice
> after you have made your decision on the same.
>
> Hari Om !
>
> Swaminarayan

Namaste

I think to understand that the important is the intensity of my bhakti and
not the particular Lord I'm voted to.
But my problem is that I don't know which are the practical ways to worship
my Deity, the prayers to be said, what sacrifices I
should do and what are the appropriate rituals.
So my question could be reformulated as this:
What should I do to become a devotee of Lord Siva?


Thanks and Regards

Ivano.

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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