Ganja denied.

[Contemplative Cat]

Namaste
Surelly Ganja is not universally relavent to All Hindus. But how can today's Hindus outright deny the ritual use of cannabis unless they outright deny shaivite, shakta, and tantrik practice as totally not Hindu.
but even then the Vedas are said to list bhang as one of the five sacred plnts.
The only thing this brain can come up with is colonialism left its mark on India by imposing western ideals on Hindu religions.
Bhang lassi anyone?

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Namaste
Surelly Ganja is not universally relavent to All Hindus. But how can today's Hindus outright deny the ritual use of cannabis unless they outright deny shaivite, shakta, and tantrik practice as totally not Hindu.
but even then the Vedas are said to list bhang as one of the five sacred plnts.
The only thing this brain can come up with is colonialism left its mark on India by imposing western ideals on Hindu religions.
Bhang lassi anyone?

I came to that eventual conclusion a while ago.

It just shouldn't be overused or relied upon
Om Namah Shivay

 

[Vinayaka]

Namaste
Surelly Ganja is not universally relavent to All Hindus. But how can today's Hindus outright deny the ritual use of cannabis unless they outright deny shaivite, shakta, and tantrik practice as totally not Hindu.
but even then the Vedas are said to list bhang as one of the five sacred plnts.
The only thing this brain can come up with is colonialism left its mark on India by imposing western ideals on Hindu religions.
Bhang lassi anyone?

This topic has been discussed at length already, but I can't find the links. When a sadhu lights up at the Kumbh Mela, he immediately draws about 10 western photographers to relay the 'information' back to the west.

The entire topic is way overblown. On both my trips to India, I never smelled it once. Not once. It is far more common in the west than in the east.

 

[Sb1995]

Weed is definitely more common in the west than the east as Vinayaka said. I'm sure if I ever go to Kumbh Mela I'll light one for myself as well

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Agreed. I have been to India a few times and only smelled it once...and that wasn't a sadhu, it was the teenage son of a friend...it is more popular in the West.

Yes, this topic has been done many times. I have given my reply to it many times...replies that basically went; 'you don't need it'....I mean, I still don't need it, but I have nothing to prove to anybody either, least of all, myself.

Just be careful about falling into the trap...the trap of taking the most controversial parts out of a practice and deeming it to be all the practice.

For example, I'd love to see Tantra without drugs, sex and magic...because this is all most people know when they think about Tantra....a distorted, perverse corruption of a pure school of thought.

So, I have come out of the 'Ganga closet' now, after denying myself...and I feel much better about that...but of course I would. lol

Om Namah Shivay

 

[Vinayaka]

I found one previous thread... http://www.religiousforums.com/forum/hinduism-dir/148266-marijuana.html

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

Namaste
Surelly Ganja is not universally relavent to All Hindus. But how can today's Hindus outright deny the ritual use of cannabis unless they outright deny shaivite, shakta, and tantrik practice as totally not Hindu.
but even then the Vedas are said to list bhang as one of the five sacred plnts.
The only thing this brain can come up with is colonialism left its mark on India by imposing western ideals on Hindu religions.
Bhang lassi anyone?

Nonsense, many sAdhu-s smoke ga~njA; heck, even my janeu thread is made of shaNa (hemp string). The dislike of the use of cannabis doesn't come from colonialism, but due to Western misuse for solely recreational purposes.

 

[Vinayaka]

I know of no Hindu who outright denies the use of it. I've never met a Hindu who would say it never gets used. But what we do deny is the amount it is used. That is definitely a misconception. I don't like the insinuation that Hindus are a bunch of stoners, incorrectly portrayed by the drug culture.

( JS, My rudraksha is strung on hemp string as well, it's a very organic and durable fabric.)

 

[Contemplative Cat]

the son of a local Bramin was horrified that I smoked, he forcefully said it is never used and thought it kills people... lol and its not the first time.
Ganja is not looked on in a medicinal or spiritual light.

Sorry though didn't know about the other threads.

 

[Aupmanyav]

On both my trips to India, I never smelled it once. Not once. It is far more common in the west than in the east.

I'd love to see Tantra without drugs, sex and magic...because this is all most people know when they think about Tantra....a distorted, perverse corruption of a pure school of thought.

Shiva drank snake venom. Would you do it? And Shiva does not use weed, he uses Belladonna. Vedas and Avesta talk about 'Soma', that was probably Ephedra.

Tantra is not at all about drugs, sex and magic; it is about abandonment of sex (other than what is permitted by dharma) and other vices.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

the son of a local Bramin was horrified that I smoked, he forcefully said it is never used and thought it kills people... lol and its not the first time.
Ganja is not looked on in a medicinal or spiritual light.

Sorry though didn't know about the other threads.

Please be careful about disclosing your usage on here. I just copped an infraction for it and in no way am I 'back seat modding' or anything (I know that breaks the rules too), I just don't want you to suffer the same 'indignity' that I just did. lol

In fact, it probably would be better if this thread was closed/left to rot/whatever, as rightly stated, this has been done many times before and a few times since I have joined.

Basically, if you are going to smoke it, keep it to yourself and that's a good rule of thumb, not only on RF, but also in real life. Nobody wants to know...nobody should know...nobody cares....and all that.

Om Namah Shivay

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

Shiva drank snake venom. Would you do it?

The halAhalam was "snake venom"? Are there any references for that?

And Shiva does not use weed, he uses Belladonna.

Shiva uses marijuana (I don't know about belladonna though), as per the vAyupurANam:
nechChanti dakShiNe kUle vratabha~NgabhayAdatha|
bhojanaM bhoktukAmAste shrAddhe chaiva visheShataH||97.100||

Vedas and Avesta talk about 'Soma', that was probably Ephedra.

They also talk about marijuana, although only in one verse of the atharvaveda saMhitA:
pá~ncha rAjyÁni vIrúdhAM sómashreShThAni brUmaH|
darbhóbha~Ngó yávaH sáhasténo mu~nchantváMhasaH||11.6.15||
Also, we grind padmA~Nkura to extract liquid, not ephedra, when making soma, although I agree that no one knows what the plant actually was, as the method of producing it varies by shAkhA.

 

[Aupmanyav]

]The halAhalam was "snake venom"? Are there any references for that?

I stand corrected. It was the poison that came out of ocean due to the churning by Devas and Asuras. As for the rest, I would need some research.

However, Jas, kindly inform me the source of the saying 'Eko sad, dvitīyo nasti ..". I want to check that. Basically what follows .. 'neh na nāsti kinchana'. Is that correct? I do not want to pollute 'Samskritam' (as you would say) with my ignorance. Chhandogya does say 'Ekameva advitīyam'.

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

I stand corrected. It was the poison that came out of ocean due to the churning by Devas and Asuras. As for the rest, I would need some research.

However, Jas, kindly inform me the source of the saying 'Eko sad, dvitīyo nasti ..". I want to check that. Basically what follows .. 'neh na nāsti kinchana'. Is that correct? I do not want to pollute 'Samskritam' (as you would say) with my ignorance.

You're not polluting a language with your "ignorance," that sounds egotistic and rude (when did I ever say such a thing, though?). The only times I've ever heard of "neha nAnAsti ki~nchana" in the upaniShad-s (outside of Adi sha~Nkara's shArIrakamImAMsAbhAShyam on the tritiyo'dhyAyaH of bAdarAyaNa's brahmasutra) is part of a shloka from the kaThopaniShad:

मनसैवेदम् आप्तव्यं नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन।
मृत्योः स मृत्युं गच्छति य इह नानेव पश्यति॥२.१.११॥

Transliteration:
manasaivedam AptavyaM neha nAnAsti ki~nchana|
mR^ityoH sa mR^ityuM gachChati ya iha nAneva pashyati||2.1.11||

As well as in the bR^ihadAraNyakopaniShad:

म॑नसैवा॒प्त॑व्यं ने॒ह॑ ना॑नास्ति किं॑ चन॑।
मृत्योः॑ स॑ मृत्यु॑म् आप्नोति य॑ इह॑ ना॑नेव प॑श्यति॥४.४.१९॥

mánasaivÀptávyaM nèhá nÁnAsti kíM chaná|
mR^ityóH sá mR^ityúm Apnoti yá ihá nÁneva páshyati||4.4.19||

I don't know any mentions other than that (I'm not a computer that I memorize all the verses or something, lol). All I can say is that I know for a fact that neha nAnAsti ki~nchana is not part of the kenopaniShad or ChAndogyopaniShad (as I've read them multiple times). Sorry I couldn't be of any more help, .

 

[Aupmanyav]

Thanks, Jas. (Oh, even that is egoistic and rude! My bad). :sad:

 

[Jaskaran Singh]

Oh, even that is egoistic and rude! My bad

No, I meant that it would be egotistic and rude of me to say that you would "pollute the language with your ignorance." I apologize if that didn't come across correctly, .

 

[Aupmanyav]

I value Sanskrit, that is why I try to be very correct with it, although I know just a little.

 

[Contemplative Cat]

Please be careful about disclosing your usage on here. I just copped an infraction for it and in no way am I 'back seat modding' or anything (I know that breaks the rules too), I just don't want you to suffer the same 'indignity' that I just did. lol

In fact, it probably would be better if this thread was closed/left to rot/whatever, as rightly stated, this has been done many times before and a few times since I have joined.

Basically, if you are going to smoke it, keep it to yourself and that's a good rule of thumb, not only on RF, but also in real life. Nobody wants to know...nobody should know...nobody cares....and all that.

Om Namah Shivay

Its cultural differences, me can go with or without. But me whole family back to the oldest grandparents smokes, neighbors smoke, everyone seems to smoke except foreigners. Indians,Africans, Chinese, Japanese.
If we are going to be immature about plants. We can just say SWIM.(someone who isn't me)
that's all.

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Its cultural differences, me can go with or without. But me whole family back to the oldest grandparents smokes, neighbors smoke, everyone seems to smoke except foreigners. Indians,Africans, Chinese, Japanese.
If we are going to be immature about plants. We can just say SWIM.(someone who isn't me)
that's all.

I'd just leave it as a 'foregone conclusion'.

Yeah...everybody knows it now and that's enough.

So, with that, I depart this thread.

Om Namah Shivay

 

[NobodyYouKnow]

Shiva uses marijuana (I don't know about belladonna though), as per the vAyupurANam:
nechChanti dakShiNe kUle vratabha~NgabhayAdatha|
bhojanaM bhoktukAmAste shrAddhe chaiva visheShataH||97.100||

Yes....It seems it's required to enhance expression of thought which one can never find suitable words for, without insulting and disrespecting everybody else around them.

It stops one from constantly putting their foot in their mouth, every time they try and explain their stance, but cannot do so without hurting others.

It stops the whole 'you gotta be kidding me, right?'

When one has zero 'social skills' it gives the illusion of us having them...until it wears off, then we are back to being an aloof, obnoxious, jerk totally out of touch with reality.

It stops one getting to 'full of themselves' to even be able to associate with anybody else on any level whatsoever.

It stops all the 'wow, that wasn't what you said yesterday, why did you change your mind all of a sudden? show some consistency in your thoughts and actions please'.

Some just cannot function as a 'normal human being' without it. They become a 'monster' without it, or at least a person that nobody wants to have anything to do with because they just...suck.

For some, it is a 'lifeline' and they can't imagine any existence without it.

*goes off for a while until I can remove my 'foot in mouth' syndrome.