Beckoning

[Vinayaka]

What do you think are are the factors that cause beckoning? By beckoning I mean when a deity calls you ... in general, like to change your life, get closer, or in specific ways, like to come see me at a particular temple. or to do a particular fast or penance?

There is an old saying/belief that if you take 1 step towards the deity (or the Guru) He/She is obliged to take 9 towards you. Is that it maybe?

 

[Valjean]

I suspect some neurological condition would be the likely cause.

 

[Vinayaka]

I suspect some neurological condition would be the likely cause.

Yes that's the logical reply. But it doesn't work for me. I've met pilgrims from 3 hours away at out temple who, when asked if there was any reason for coming (often it's a birthday) just say, "Nope, we just all really felt like coming today."

I don't see how a neurological condition explains that, but could be.

 

[ameyAtmA]

What do you think are are the factors that cause beckoning? By beckoning I mean when a deity calls you ... in general, like to change your life, get closer, or in specific ways, like to come see me at a particular temple. or to do a particular fast or penance?

"Factors that cause..." ? That sounds a bit impersonal does it not? When this is such a sweet leelA. Brahman' being a Person, BhagvAn. (Brahman, ParamAtmA, BhagvAn iti shabdate)

[Now here I click POST or Save Changes and sarcastic threads ridiculing Bhakta-BhagvAn interaction will spring up on RF within 10 minutes.
Devotion alone can make God walk towards a devotee. See BG 11. ]

It is between the God and Devotee. The Deity (typically one's IshTa) has taken charge of your spiritual journey. When the IshTaDev asks you to do something or go (come) somewhere, usually has multiple purposes which are best not speculated.

1. It is just an exceptionally lovely loving gesture, sending the devotee into a dazed bliss for days. Just leelA and more leelA. It is the leelA - God and Devotee. Bhakta-BhagvAn.

2. Your IshTa wants to get something done through you for the good of a group of devotees.
3. Send you on a mission or project

4. Unfold your dormant bhAv and elevate you spiritually, because the IshTa cares , wants to deliver the devotee from cycles of birth and death.

5. Devotee becomes more and more "samarpit" (samarpaN) i.e. surrendered. The prApatti increases, and worldly attachments decrease rapidly.

6. You go into automatic involuntary maun (silence) - very good for adhyAtmic (spiritual) progress, going inwards, deepening samAdhi and everything else falling on the wayside....
...

This is what makes the devotee say "He drives, not me"
Nothing is mine, everything is Yours.
You are my sarvasva (Everything).

tvameva mAtA cha pitA tvameva |
tvameva bandhuscha sakhA tvameva |
tvameva vidyA draviNam tvameva |
tvameva sarvam mama deva deva ||
Translation: You alone (eva - shows exclusive one-pointed bhakti) are my Father, Mother, sibling, Dearmost friend, You are the knowledge as well as the target goal of knowledge, You are my wealth, You are Everything to me.,

There is an old saying/belief that if you take 1 step towards the deity (or the Guru) He/She is obliged to take 9 towards you. Is that it maybe?

Not 9. Thousand. Sahasra.

 

[Jainarayan]

What do you think are are the factors that cause beckoning? By beckoning I mean when a deity calls you ... in general, like to change your life, get closer, or in specific ways, like to come see me at a particular temple. or to do a particular fast or penance?

There is an old saying/belief that if you take 1 step towards the deity (or the Guru) He/She is obliged to take 9 towards you. Is that it maybe?

Funny you bring this up now because I’ve been feeling this very strongly lately. Like being pulled into a singularity. I feel like He’s saying “you got away from Me before, but nuh uh, not this time”.

 

[Vinayaka]

Funny you bring this up now because I’ve been feeling this very strongly lately. Like being pulled into a singularity. I feel like He’s saying “you got away from Me before, but nuh uh, not this time”.

It was on my mind because of a person I met at temple, who described it to me in her words. Something is in the air. According to our astrological Calendar, some extremely auspicious days are coming up in about a week. More people around, more stuff happening. Tomorrow we're helping a 16 year old student do her volunteer time for her high school. I'll make her shovel dirt into the wheelbarrow. Interesting devotee she is.

 

[Vinayaka]

"Factors that cause..." ? That sounds a bit impersonal does it not? When this is such a sweet leelA. Brahman' being a Person, BhagvAn. (Brahman, ParamAtmA, BhagvAn iti shabdate)

[Now here I click POST or Save Changes and sarcastic threads ridiculing Bhakta-BhagvAn interaction will spring up on RF within 10 minutes.
Devotion alone can make God walk towards a devotee. See BG 11. ]

It is between the God and Devotee. The Deity (typically one's IshTa) has taken charge of your spiritual journey. When the IshTaDev asks you to do something or go (come) somewhere, usually has multiple purposes which are best not speculated.

1. It is just an exceptionally lovely loving gesture, sending the devotee into a dazed bliss for days. Just leelA and more leelA. It is the leelA - God and Devotee. Bhakta-BhagvAn.

2. Your IshTa wants to get something done through you for the good of a group of devotees.
3. Send you on a mission or project

4. Unfold your dormant bhAv and elevate you spiritually, because the IshTa cares , wants to deliver the devotee from cycles of birth and death.

5. Devotee becomes more and more "samarpit" (samarpaN) i.e. surrendered. The prApatti increases, and worldly attachments decrease rapidly.

6. You go into automatic involuntary maun (silence) - very good for adhyAtmic (spiritual) progress, going inwards, deepening samAdhi and everything else falling on the wayside....
...

This is what makes the devotee say "He drives, not me"
Nothing is mine, everything is Yours.
You are my sarvasva (Everything).

tvameva mAtA cha pitA tvameva |
tvameva bandhuscha sakhA tvameva |
tvameva vidyA draviNam tvameva |
tvameva sarvam mama deva deva ||
Translation: You alone (eva - shows exclusive one-pointed bhakti) are my Father, Mother, sibling, Dearmost friend, You are the knowledge as well as the target goal of knowledge, You are my wealth, You are Everything to me.,



Not 9. Thousand. Sahasra.

Thank you. Indeed, that is how I feel some days.

 

[Jainarayan]

It is between the God and Devotee. The Deity (typically one's IshTa) has taken charge of your spiritual journey. When the IshTaDev asks you to do something or go (come) somewhere, usually has multiple purposes which are best not speculated.

1. It is just an exceptionally lovely loving gesture, sending the devotee into a dazed bliss for days. Just leelA and more leelA. It is the leelA - God and Devotee. Bhakta-BhagvAn.

2. Your IshTa wants to get something done through you for the good of a group of devotees.
3. Send you on a mission or project

This is exactly what it feels like.

 

[Jainarayan]

It was on my mind because of a person I met at temple, who described it to me in her words. Something is in the air. According to our astrological Calendar, some extremely auspicious days are coming up in about a week. More people around, more stuff happening. Tomorrow we're helping a 16 year old student do her volunteer time for her high school. I'll make her shovel dirt into the wheelbarrow. Interesting devotee she is.

It sounds like some of us are feeling bhakti stronger than usual. Whatever it is I hope it never ends. It’s like a high... “God intoxication”.

 

[Vinayaka]

It sounds like some of us are feeling bhakti stronger than usual. Whatever it is I hope it never ends. It’s like a high... “God intoxication”.

True. We're heading off on pilgrimage in February again for Maha Shivartri. I feel like preparing for 51 straight days or something. Skanda Shasthi, and Thai Pusam too. Time will tell.

 

[ameyAtmA]

What is "in the air" is BhagavatI KrupA. NavarAtri going on -- Started on 29th , DurgA PujA (DurgAshTami) on Oct 6th.
That is what Devi does, brings God to devotee.

 

[Jainarayan]

True. We're heading off on pilgrimage in February again for Maha Shivartri. I feel like preparing for 51 straight days or something. Skanda Shasthi, and Thai Pusam too. Time will tell.

Take me! Take me!

 

[Vinayaka]

Take me! Take me!

Out of curiousity, have you ever considered one? Just drop everything external for a few days, and go somewhere that you'd like to go to. There are a few nice driving ones from you. Sometimes if it's not that far, (Calgary) we do the drive in silence. Harder for me than for Boss.

 

[Jainarayan]

Out of curiousity, have you ever considered one? Just drop everything external for a few days, and go somewhere that you'd like to go to. There are a few nice driving ones from you. Sometimes if it's not that far, (Calgary) we do the drive in silence. Harder for me than for Boss.

I think about it every day. I really should just do it.

 

[Vinayaka]

I think about it every day. I really should just do it.

Pittsburgh has a really nice temple. If you came to Kauai while I was there, I'd host you. I'd host you here too, but that's quite the ways. Limited hours though, and it's costly (Hawaii) .

 

[Jainarayan]

Pittsburgh has a really nice temple. If you came to Kauai while I was there, I'd host you. I'd host you here too, but that's quite the ways. Limited hours though, and it's costly (Hawaii) .

The cost factor is a given. We have a cargo ship load of temples just in NJ. The Bridgewater Venkateshwara Temple is supposed to be awesome; the Robbinsville (BAPS) Mandir. These are in my own backyard. But lazy is as lazy does. And I do lazy very well.

 

[Vinayaka]

The cost factor is a given. We have a cargo ship load of temples just in NJ. The Bridgewater Venkateshwara Temple is supposed to be awesome; the Robbinsville (BAPS) Mandir. These are in my own backyard. But lazy is as lazy does. And I do lazy very well.

Not something I've been afflicted with. I will not like the aging physical body much. Don't right now.

 

[SalixIncendium]

What do you think are are the factors that cause beckoning? By beckoning I mean when a deity calls you ... in general, like to change your life, get closer, or in specific ways, like to come see me at a particular temple. or to do a particular fast or penance?

There is an old saying/belief that if you take 1 step towards the deity (or the Guru) He/She is obliged to take 9 towards you. Is that it maybe?

I think rather than the deity calling you, something in you is calling out to the deity's attributes and calling said deity to you.

 

[Vinayaka]

I think rather than the deity calling you, something in you is calling out to the deity's attributes and calling said deity to you.

For me it's mutual. going both ways. But then I'm a monistic theist, not a strict monist. I just learned the other day that va when it's sung in a bhajan like Muruga Va Va , literally means 'Come."

My first beckoning from God was Nataraja, and since I had never seen that image before, I can't see that it was something in me, although a circle of flames would have been there in some vague way like when we played with gasoline we stole from Dad's gas tank as kids.

 

[SalixIncendium]

For me it's mutual. going both ways. But then I'm a monistic theist, not a strict monist. I just learned the other day that va when it's sung in a bhajan like Muruga Va Va , literally means 'Come."

My first beckoning from God was Nataraja, and since I had never seen that image before, I can't see that it was something in me, although a circle of flames would have been there in some vague way like when we played with gasoline we stole from Dad's gas tank as kids.

I'm not sure that my affinity toward Nataraja is the result of a beckoning, but probably more of a realization that the imagery and symbolism fit my worldview like a glove.

But then again, I'm more of a strict monist and I, in Nataraja, see myself as Shiva as Saguna Brahman as Nirguna Brahman in the imagery. In my view, all are one and the same.