There is a quote about Kali by Ramakrishna in the terrace of the temple I mentioned
You may have seen it, it's the one saying how the infinite is dark and black.
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Compassionate Parvati
- Thread starter DeviChaaya
- Start date
There is a quote about Kali by Ramakrishna in the terrace of the temple I mentioned
You may have seen it, it's the one saying how the infinite is dark and black.
Namaste
I am a devotee of Annapurna Devi.
She is Parvati, and in the City Never Forsaken by Shiva known as Kashi The City of Light (Varanasi), She is the Queen of Kashi and the Consort of Shiva.
In Kashi, the Great Goddess Annapurna (Parvati) is the Mother. In this Manifestation (verse Emanation) She is Parvati as the Goddess of Food (grains, porridge especially, but also Spiritual Food) and Her devotee beg to Her as children "Maa, anna do!" - Mother give me food!
Even Lord Shiva comes to Annapurna to beg alms from Her. You will often see Her Image with Shiva holding a begging bowl to Her to receive porridge from Her spoon or ladle. Or She is seen sitting as Rani, the Queen of Kashi, holding a Spoon or Ladle in Her right hand pointing outward right in parallel to Her chest, and in Her left embrace a Pot. This pot contains Her Spiritual Food for Her children.
Like this:
Here is a song to Her:
I am a devotee of Annapurna Devi.
She is Parvati, and in the City Never Forsaken by Shiva known as Kashi The City of Light (Varanasi), She is the Queen of Kashi and the Consort of Shiva.
In Kashi, the Great Goddess Annapurna (Parvati) is the Mother. In this Manifestation (verse Emanation) She is Parvati as the Goddess of Food (grains, porridge especially, but also Spiritual Food) and Her devotee beg to Her as children "Maa, anna do!" - Mother give me food!
Even Lord Shiva comes to Annapurna to beg alms from Her. You will often see Her Image with Shiva holding a begging bowl to Her to receive porridge from Her spoon or ladle. Or She is seen sitting as Rani, the Queen of Kashi, holding a Spoon or Ladle in Her right hand pointing outward right in parallel to Her chest, and in Her left embrace a Pot. This pot contains Her Spiritual Food for Her children.
Like this:
Here is a song to Her:
Vinidra
Jai Mata Di!
Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are our gentle caring Mother - not so eviscerating as Kali!
I think that in general, nowhere near so much with pictures as with murtis. Still best to keep in a tranquil environment, but it seems you'd be safe having them. I know swamis will happily give pictures of Kali to devotees, and bless them in the temple
Thank you. Now I know I'm cool with my pictures.
That's the problem I'm running into as well. It's easy to find Durga and Kali murtis, but it really is nearly impossible to find a small murti of Parvati by Herself. Ditto for Annapurna, Gauri, and others. It's not that I dislike Shiva or anything. I just don't have much of a place to put things on my makeshift altar at the moment and would just prefer one of Parvati alone, since my other murtis are just the Goddesses by themselves, too.
I'm going to keep looking, though. Good things come to those who keep banging their heads against the wall until somebody gets tired of the noise, right?
Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are our gentle caring Mother - not so eviscerating as Kali!
I think that in general, nowhere near so much with pictures as with murtis. Still best to keep in a tranquil environment, but it seems you'd be safe having them. I know swamis will happily give pictures of Kali to devotees, and bless them in the temple
I have never really understood the hesitation (even among my own family) towards Kali. The reverence and respect is always there. No denying that. But I have always found it a tad odd that many seem to immediately, for lack of a better word, downplay Kali in favor of Parvati, Latchmi or even Durga.
Perhaps the power she has in amplifying the energies around her is the reason. Or the relationship she has with the Tantrics.
But I have both her picture above my bed, and a little gold statue place precariously on my stack of beloved books on my bedside table. Careful to make sure she was above anything on said table, of course. I haven't really noticed anything bad. Except for feeling more guilt whenever I fight with my own mother perhaps. But if anything it has brought nothing but good vibes and had something of a taming effect on me. (Not completely, though. Still a useless lump lol)
I don't know, it's like having a security sense. Like an infinitely patient mother near me. And my household is far from tranquil.
Yeah, I certainly see no reason to downplay Kali Ma. I'm following what some swamis I have a lot of respect for tell me - it's more a healthy respect than a downplaying in this regard. Certainly they don't downplay Her at the temple!
I would hate to be the one caught downplaying Kali at her own temple, that's for sure lol!
I know it comes from a place of deep respect and I don't begrudge anyone anything for this particular approach.
Just interesting that some people are so drawn to such a "ferocious" aspect of God almost blind to aspects that might make others a little fearful and some are a little more "apprehensive" in their approach is all.
Yes, true. Many approaches.
I have found Mother so fierce when I'm in her stamping grounds that she's hard to deal with outside of it! After all, my love for her will kill me (as an individual person-construct). Which is not a problem, really!
Also depends how 'charged up' the murti is I guess. Someone at my local temple showed me pictures of his family home's Kali murti, bigger than human size and all covered in gold.
Yes I can understand that. I never got that I guess "overload of energy" from Ma Kali. Maybe she's protecting me from herself lol!
Oh I do so love to see other murthis. Some are absolutely exquisite. A local man at my own temple has practically converted his entire house into a temple. It's quite a sight to see.
Yeah, maybe so! I think it's a rare person who gets the full wallop.
Wow, beautiful. Must be quite a place to live.
Next year I plan to get an apartment by myself, which will have a kitchen, a bathroom and a shrine room which I sleep in the corner of, essentially.
Do you have anyone else in your shrine SR?
Maha Kali at the temple -
Yeah, maybe so! I think it's a rare person who gets the full wallop.
Wow, beautiful. Must be quite a place to live.
Next year I plan to get an apartment by myself, which will have a kitchen, a bathroom and a shrine room which I sleep in the corner of, essentially.
Do you have anyone else in your shrine SR?
Maha Kali at the temple -
Oh how lovely.
Yes, a shrine in the bedroom is a nice idea.
Well I don't have my own shrine so much as strategically placed murtis. You see, my room is already a clutter of a veritable library of books, DVDs, games and my collection of pop vinyls. I have little self discipline when it comes to stuff I likes to buy you see.
But I do have have Ma Kali in a place where the sun will hit her when dawn arrives, a large picture of Sathya Sai on one wall and a Lord Jesus on my dresser, keeping a close watch on my brick-a-brack lol. And various little Catholic stuff from my family around somewhere. A cross dangling from my curtain, A Saint medallion in my wallet and a bracelet of all the saints, the obligatory dangling Ganesh head hanging from my rear view mirror and a tiny picture of Ma Durga somewhere in my car.
My mother has converted our hallway into her own temple, though. And has various pictures around the house. Hunuman on the back door to keep guard, a silver plated OM on the front screen door, a large Ganesh on the inside front door, Jesus on the wall, practically every deity that will fit into the hallway cupboard and a few pictures of Shiva, Parvati, Durga, Shiridi Sai, Ganesh, Sawaswati and Krishna all over the place as well as a shelf she put near the front door adorned with all the tiny murtis that won't fit anywhere else in her cupboard/temple lol.
What about you? What carefully selected murtis/pictures do you have in your shrine?
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Oh how lovely.
Yes, a shrine in the bedroom is a nice idea.
Well I don't have my own shrine so much as strategically placed murtis. You see, my room is already a clutter of a veritable library of books, DVDs, games and my collection of pop vinyls. I have little self discipline when it comes to stuff I likes to buy you see.
But I do have have Ma Kali in a place where the sun will hit her when dawn arrives, a large picture of Sathya Sai on one wall and a Lord Jesus on my dresser, keeping a close watch on my brick-a-brack lol. And various little Catholic stuff from my family around somewhere. A cross dangling from my curtain, A Saint medallion in my wallet and a bracelet of all the saints, the obligatory dangling Ganesh head hanging from my rear view mirror and a tiny picture of Ma Durga somewhere in my car.
My mother has converted our hallway into her own temple, though. And has various pictures around the house. Hunuman on the back door to keep guard, a silver plated OM on the front screen door, a large Ganesh on the inside front door, Jesus on the wall, practically every deity that will fit into the hallway cupboard and a few pictures of Shiva, Parvati, Durga, Shiridi Sai, Ganesh, Sawaswati and Krishna all over the place as well as a shelf she put near the front door adorned with all the tiny murtis that won't fit anywhere else in her cupboard/temple lol.
What about you? What carefully selected murtis/pictures do you have in your shrine?
Well that sounds very nice – I hope it all helps you and the family be in a place of love.
Sathya Sai Baba – interesting – I do come across him a fair bit, but he doesn’t really click with me. Did you ever meet him? Sai Baba of Shirdi, on the other hand…
The acceptance of Jesus equally is nice, I really like that.
Personally, I have a shrine centred upon Lord Shiva-Nataraj. I’ve had the murti blessed in the Maha Kali temple there. Also, the shrine has murtis of Lord Murugan and Lord Ganesha, the latter blessed in a Murugan temple. I also have a picture behind of Lord Shiva-Yogiraj, one of those hologram ones that I get the feeling are everywhere in India.
I have thought of including Mother also, perhaps a picture of Kali or a murti of Lakshmi – not sure how elaborate I wanna get. Also a Shiva-Lingam, perhaps.
Actually I have a statue of the Buddha also, but I don’t worship it.
Thank you.
Sathya Sai Baba – interesting – I do come across him a fair bit, but he doesn’t really click with me. Did you ever meet him? Sai Baba of Shirdi, on the other hand…
To be honest my mother is a devout devotee of his. I just sort of smile and nod in order to placate her. I mean I can't exactly go against her because she is my ma after all.
Shirdi I am more fond of, I guess.
Well we're a Hindu Catholic blend family really. At least ma's gen is.
How wonderful. And blessed no less. Impressive. May they bring you peace and prosperity.
Lol we have a hologram or two floating around as well. They're everywhere lol!!
Nice.
If I'm honest, I was a bit taken aback at the sexual abuse allegations. Not even so much the allegations as his reaction to them - "Any of my devotees who consider these allegations or are perturbed by them aren't real devotees at all."
That's cool, you have said about it before but I can't recall exactly - are there in your family any people who are straight-up Catholic and not into the Hindu stuff? Or is everyone a syncretist?
Yes, that was.........distasteful to say the least.
Well.... See, my grandfather had to have most of his kids baptized in order for them to get an education. So they were more syncretist than Hindu or Catholic. The "second generation" was mostly comprised of one or the other, due to such........ err pressures not being implemented and a free choice given. So really a bit of both.
I've heard a lot about that happening, in Sri Lanka in particular. I do not recall where the South Asian segment of your family comes from, SR?
Not entirely sure to be honest. I know the linage goes into South India a couple of generations ago. Or at least a vast majority of our family beliefs and traditions are South Indian.
But mostly we are considered to be Fijian Indians. Though due to various members migrating the family is literally all over the world lol.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
We have a nice puja enclosure, thanks to my son, just the way my wife liked; and innumerable idols and pictures. Only the puja room is wrongly placed, right next to entrance. It would have been better if it was on the first floor It would have provided space for a congregation on Diwali, Janmashtami, Ganesha Chaturthi or other occasions. It is a marble throne type of thing (USD 600, that is quite an amount in India). One thing - no babas, not permitted in my house. Picture here (you might have seen it): http://www.religiousforums.com/data...ae269e72dd02ab12fda3f9c50fa965.jpg?1414700074
Ah OK - I guess I think of Hindus from Fiji, Malaysia and Mauritius to just be from there, with their origins a while before being rather cloudy. Perhaps a century from now this process will have happened with diaspora populations in the West, Africa etc also.
Regardless, devotion for Mother continues among Her children, to bring us back to the OP a little.
I posted some lines from Shankara in Starry's thread over in the Vedanta DIR - those were written for Mother in her aspect as Lalita Tripura-Sundari.