• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Search results

  1. Andal

    Pics of Your Religion!

  2. Andal

    Help with Atheist

    Vanakkam, Thank you so much everyone for the kind thoughts and suggestions. Ratikala thank you for the suggestion about putting the Deities to rest and your are so right about that type of discord not being appropriate especially given the fact that my mom believes in God. When he is here...
  3. Andal

    Help with Atheist

    Vanakkam, He is militant atheism... like total hard liner. I will read and pass on :) Thank you! Aum Hari Aum!
  4. Andal

    Help with Atheist

    Vanakkam! Thank you so much for the response :). I tried to them "it makes me happy and peaceful" approach and was told that it doesn't matter because I'm a part of the problem then.. whatever that is.... Thank you so much for the Kevaacham recommendation. It's one of my favs and will...
  5. Andal

    Help with Atheist

    Vanakkam My Dharma Family, I am in need of advice. I come from a family of very mixed religious background. In fact we do not have one unifying family tradition. For the most part this has been a blessing in that most of my family has been very accepting of me being Hindu ( at least on my...
  6. Andal

    Women and Vaishnavism?

    Thank you Ratikala Devi and Shiva Fan Ji I cannot agree with you more. When people ask how you choose your Ishta-devata I often respond I don't choose God he chooses me. I believe this is true regardless of sampradaya. God chooses the best form for the person when the timing is right and...
  7. Andal

    Women and Vaishnavism?

    My background before becoming Hindu was Buddhist and I think they really have something to offer here. The Buddhist masters find laughter and fun in the material world because they are above attachment to it. The archetype of the laughing Zen master comes to mind. Sat Chit Anand can not...
  8. Andal

    Women and Vaishnavism?

    As a western woman, I became Vaishnava because I went to Birla Mandir in Delhi and came face to face with God. I was not Hindu the first time I went to India. In fact I knew next to nothing about Hinduism or Vishnu. I heard Krishna's name but didn't know anything about him either. The...
  9. Andal

    Should a Saiva carry Trishul with Pride?

    Vanakkam, The second amendment is the right for militias to bare arms. I'm not quite sure it applies here. I think us carrying the trishul would be similar to Sikhs who carry the kirpan. In some places it is ok but in other places it is not. Personally I wouldn't want to just because I'm...
  10. Andal

    Hindus are all pagans

    I completely agree Hindu is an outside term filled with all sorts of incorrect connotations. Therefore how do we want to refer to ourselves. Dharmis, Vaishnavas, Shaktas, Shaivas? Something different? I do not have a problem referring to myself as a Hindu because it is something that at...
  11. Andal

    Hindus are all pagans

    The problem with being labeled as pagan is it's another group of outsiders labeling us. Not only that but the terms isn't even used correctly. Pagan was used by the Catholic Church during the early days to refer to country beliefs. Pagan means backward, not cosmopolitan, ignorant. It has...
  12. Andal

    Hare Krishna mantra...but what does it mean?

    The interpretation I was taught was Hare is the female component of God (Lakshmi/ Radha/ Sita) Krishna is the All Attractive One and Rama is the Reservoir of Pleasure. Jai gave a wonderful synopsis of the historical avatara of Krishna. I'll add that Rama was the 7th incarnation and he is known...
  13. Andal

    Vishnu (Narayana) OR Brahman?

    It depends on what you mean by necessary. Not everyone subscribes to a philosophical school. If one is in one of the Vaishnava sampradayas they will by default have a philosophical school behind them even if they don't articulate it. Because it is at the desire of the bhakta. There is...
  14. Andal

    Vishnu (Narayana) OR Brahman?

    Vannakkam, Right thing according to whom? Some people do look at the whole diamond- they tend to be advaitans. Others find one facet that draws their attention and completely captivates them. This person knows the full diamond through that facet. This person knows that facet so intimately...
  15. Andal

    Vishnu (Narayana) OR Brahman?

    Vannakkam, There is no ferryman outside of your own heart. The Lord appears to the devotee in the form that pleases and attracts the devotee. There is no number of moksha. Moksha isn't a place. It's a state of being. Rama is God reflecting to humans how relationships among humans...
  16. Andal

    Sri Vaishnava Videos in English

    Vannakkam, Here is a nice English documentary about Sri Ramanujacharya :) http://youtu.be/EB3VBaQxnxc Aum Hari Aum!
  17. Andal

    Prabhupada's unconventional views

    Vannakkam, Quite honestly this is all old news. I don't have to respect his points of view philosophically. I do respect that at such an elderly age he got on a ship and showed up in a new country at the request of his guru. He then spread the Bhagavad Gita to as many people as possible...
  18. Andal

    Japanese, Chinese and Vedic/Hindu deities in Mahayana?

    As Dyanaprajna mention, Brahma and Indra are big players. In the Shurangama Dharani there is also the mention of Narayana if I remember correctly. Chundi Bodhisattva is Vedic. Avalokiteshvara also has a connection. In the Nilakantha Dharani he is linked to both Shiva and Vishnu by being...
  19. Andal

    Prabhupada's unconventional views

    Vannakkam, Most of us here are well aware of the controversies found in Iskcon, the least of which were Prabhupada's comments. We Vaishnavas in the West have a debt of gratitude to him however that does not mean agreeing with his statements or some of the directions Iskcon has gone in. With...
  20. Andal

    Shirts with Hindu/Buddhist deities or symbols

    I'm not offended by it as long as it's not on foot wear or underwear. When I see someone wearing a deity shirt I get this spark of hope that maybe they know a little something about Sanatana Dharma.... I'm usually disappointed. The presence of deity images on shirts is a bit weird to me. I...
Top