Bhaktas: Would you "kill" your God to reach enlightenment?

[Sirona]

Hello forum,

I'm familiar with the quote: "IF you see a Buddha, kill him". There seems to be a similar story about Ramakrishna as the last thing he was very attached to was Kali, so his guru is said to have told him to visualize a sword and mentally "kill" Kali for attaining the highest form of enlightenment. Bhaktas, could you imagine "doing" such a thing to your deity? What would you think are the effects?

 

[Vinayaka]

No. Not yet, at least. There are paths to climb before that.

An analogy I like to use for the shishya Guru relationship is the old one room school house of America, where a teacher had 10 grade levels in one classroom of 15 students. His/her goal was to move each student up one year, not to have them all graduate.

From the analogy, the wisdom may have been applicable for Ramakrishna, but it isn't for me.

 

[mangalavara]

There seems to be a similar story about Ramakrishna as the last thing he was very attached to was Kali, so his guru is said to have told him to visualize a sword and mentally "kill" Kali for attaining the highest form of enlightenment.

From what I learned by listening to either Pravrajika Divyanandaprana or Swami Sarvapriyananda, this was not about actually killing Kali in Ramakrishna’s mind. It was about dividing Kali into two: saguṇā and nirguṇā. Ramakrishna was attached to to her on the saguṇā level. The nirguṇā level, on the other hand, is not something that one could be attached to. Kind of like how a bhakta could say, ‘Śrī Rāmachandra is my friend and brother’ but not ‘The nameless and formless Being-Consciousness-Bliss void of qualities is my friend and brother.’

 

[Aupmanyav]

Hello forum,

I'm familiar with the quote: "IF you see a Buddha, kill him". There seems to be a similar story about Ramakrishna as the last thing he was very attached to was Kali, so his guru is said to have told him to visualize a sword and mentally "kill" Kali for attaining the highest form of enlightenment. Bhaktas, could you imagine "doing" such a thing to your deity? What would you think are the effects?

no, a hindu bhakta will never do it. tulsi das did not even bow to krishna untill krishna took a bow in his hand ..
why would a bhakta feel uncomrfotable if attached to the ishta, meera said .. mai to giridhar ke rang rachi.
.. tulsi mastak tab nave, jab dhanush ban lo hath.
ishta is unchangeable.

From what I learned by listening to either Pravrajika Divyanandaprana or Swami Sarvapriyananda, this was not about actually killing Kali in Ramakrishna’s mind. It was about dividing Kali into two: saguṇā and nirguṇā. Ramakrishna was attached to to her on the saguṇā level. The nirguṇā level, on the other hand, is not something that one could be attached to. Kind of like how a bhakta could say, ‘Śrī Rāmachandra is my friend and brother’ but not ‘The nameless and formless Being-Consciousness-Bliss void of qualities is my friend and brother.’

if, one worships the saguna, then it is saguna for ever. if, one worships nirguna, then it is nirguna for ever. no dvandva - confusion.
like for me, it is brahman for ever, no dvandva, this or that, clear position.
sure, taking a position is your right.