Vishnu (Narayana) OR Brahman?

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

Namaste Vaishnava Forum members.:bow:

I will like to know whether you prefer the name "Vishnu (Narayana)" OR "Brahman" as the name of your Supreme?

It is your wish to participate in this. Again, you are encouraged to tell from your hearts, rather than your brains, and so on, rather than what you might have simply read or listened to from somewhere.

I know, one may say, what is in the name? Be it Rām or be it Rahīm, Ha Ha! No offence to anyone but, it is indeed a matter of great concern to a devotee what name he attributes to his Deity, to his Supreme- the very Absolute!

And it really is nothing less than an insult when a devotee is told that some other "name"- other than the name he calls his Deity as- is higher. The way of telling may be very clever, or subtle, and may even use the finest possible philosophical tools available, still, It doesn't make a difference.

I am thus proposing here that the question is real, and will therefore be eager to listening from all of you (if required, KāLI bhaktas, or any other, can answer the question with "Narayana" replaced with their Deity's name).


bhakta-to-bhakta,
praNām

 

[Viraja]

I would like to call him as Sriman Narayana only. Calling by name gives the pleasure and joy of expressing my closeness and longing for him than calling him 'Brahman'.

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

I would like to call him as Sriman Narayana only. Calling by name gives the pleasure and joy of expressing my closeness and longing for him than calling him 'Brahman'.

Your reply- and the way of it- is much appreciated, Viraja!

Also- and this also pertains in a way to the OP- if you must choose between Rām nām, and "NārāyaNa"?



EDIT: no need to actually answer this one!
It is like, the "ferryman" asking: "Give me one name, and I will get you there, no matter what!"

 

[ShivaFan]

Namaste

I haven't personally met the Supreme Brahman as of yet, though the Brahman did sort of "call me on the phone" sometimes but that wasn't a very personal thing but sort of like a "London is Calling" situation.

Now I have had communions with Devas and Devi that were mich more personal than the Brahman.

I am not going to say Who is Supreme. Anyway, for now I enjoy the later, personal communion and love and adventures. So i will leave it at that.

Jai Hanumanji ki Jai!

Om Namah Sivaya

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

I am not going to say Who is Supreme. Anyway, for now I enjoy the later, personal communion and love and adventures. So i will leave it at that.

But suppose the Ferryman, on the hither side of VaitarNi River, asks of you: "No problem if you never thought or acted towards the Supreme; son, just give me the Name- now- and I will get you to that destination!"

So would you still not change your stance?

 

[ShivaFan]

Very good, KT

However honestly in that situation, I would ask Mother (in this example Ganga Maa) to help me because "my Mother told me not to talk to strangers".

Om Namah Sivaya

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

..because "my Mother told me not to talk to strangers".

Not yet, SF.

Because, the Ferryman, upon hearing this, unperturbed, says very coldly: "Don't fear me. I am Nobody. You hand over to me your karma, that is my wages, and all I simply do is to carry you to where you want to go."

A (thousands of) life's-time chance, could this very well be!

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Kalicharan Tuvij:namaste

Namaste Vaishnava Forum members.:bow:

I will like to know whether you prefer the name "Vishnu (Narayana)" OR "Brahman" as the name of your Supreme?

It is your wish to participate in this. Again, you are encouraged to tell from your hearts, rather than your brains, and so on, rather than what you might have simply read or listened to from somewhere.

I know, one may say, what is in the name? Be it Rām or be it Rahīm, Ha Ha! No offence to anyone but, it is indeed a matter of great concern to a devotee what name he attributes to his Deity, to his Supreme- the very Absolute!

And it really is nothing less than an insult when a devotee is told that some other "name"- other than the name he calls his Deity as- is higher. The way of telling may be very clever, or subtle, and may even use the finest possible philosophical tools available, still, It doesn't make a difference.

I am thus proposing here that the question is real, and will therefore be eager to listening from all of you (if required, KāLI bhaktas, or any other, can answer the question with "Narayana" replaced with their Deity's name).


bhakta-to-bhakta,
praNām

jai jai , all names are beautifull , and all names have a different mood so I will like to hear all names of the supreme .....but I am particularly fond of 'shreeman narayan' but then it needs to be folloede by ' hari hari ' ....I can listen to this name for hours I can sing this name for hours but here it is sung so beautifully ....

[youtube]4t7GYCkQOKw[/youtube]
Shreeman Narayan Narayan Hari Hari - YouTube

 

[Madhuri]

I think of God as being Vishnu/Krishna. But it doesn't bother me when other Hindus call God as Brahman or Shiva etc.

It's mostly when a non-Hindu asks questions or makes comments and perhaps claims that God in Hinduism is called Brahman that I feel a need to explain to them that different Hindus have various names and concepts of God.

 

[ShivaFan]

Not yet, SF.

Because, the Ferryman, upon hearing this, unperturbed, says very coldly: "Don't fear me. I am Nobody. You hand over to me your karma, that is my wages, and all I simply do is to carry you to where you want to go."

A (thousands of) life's-time chance, could this very well be!

Hmmm… well I think I have good saving of Good Karma, I am not sure if I can learn anything if I give away Bad Karma, but it sounds good. Obviously, this Ferryman is Divine having such power, perhaps even a pure devotee, and I would not want to insult a pure devotee by claiming one Deva over the other for I do not know even if the One who is Ferryman could be another Deva as well as a Deva Who is a Pure Devotee of yet another Deva or Devi. So, again I would turn to Mother (Ganga) and ask Her to speak for me:

“The Sarayu River is very wide, you know the Ferryman Who took Rama and Sita over to the other side of that River, and this Ferryman refused even the pearls of Sita for payment for there is no charge, in return Rama told Him he will take this Ferryman over the River of Birth and Death and there is no Charge. I think this Ferryman could be that Ferryman who now wants to help any Ram Bhakta! Please tell the Ferryman about Rama, just in case…”


Om Namah Sivaya

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

.. jai jai , all names are beautifull , and all names have a different mood so I will like to hear all names of the supreme .....but I am particularly fond of 'shreeman narayan' but then it needs to be folloede by ' hari hari ' ....I can listen to this name for hours I can sing this

Ratikala ji seems to be applying for the Ferryman's job

..It's mostly when a non-Hindu asks questions or makes comments and perhaps claims that God in Hinduism is called Brahman that I feel a need to explain to them that different Hindus have various names and concepts of God.

Or, what about, "concept of Gods"?
Another point is, if there is one God (the "One"/ Supreme), then will any name do, as you seem to imply? Or shall we preach universality to all others while secretly espousing one particular name?

..Obviously, this Ferryman is Divine having such power, perhaps even a pure devotee, and I would not want to insult a pure devotee by claiming one Deva over the other for I do not know even if the One who is Ferryman could be another Deva as well as a Deva Who is a Pure Devotee of yet another Deva or Devi. So, again I would turn to Mother (Ganga) and ask Her to speak for me

I am inclined to see this piece as nearing the answer to the OP. Can you explain it more directly, precisely? That would be helpful. On a cursory look your line has used the word "pure" many times; is your "key" related to this word, perhaps?

 

[Andal]

Another point is, if there is one God (the "One"/ Supreme), then will any name do, as you seem to imply? Or shall we preach universality to all others while secretly espousing one particular name?

Vannakam,

My view is that there are many paths to moksha and one should follow the path of least resistance for themselves.

With that said name has power. There is energy in the sound vibrations of a name. Different names for God have different vibrations. For example Vishnu has 1008 different names all with different energies and meanings behind them. Someone may choose one name that resonates- Narayana, Vishnu, Krishna, Ram, Vasudeva, Keshava, etc and take that energy or form as the form they are connected to.

We can follow universalism in that salvation is open to everyone while deciding for ourselves what is the most expedient path. I am Vaishnavi and it works for me but that doesn't mean I don't think a Shaiva or a Shakti, or a Sufi can't also attain moksha.

Aum Hari Aum!

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

Namaste Andal

My view is that there are many paths to moksha..

So does it mean then that "NarayaNa", "Brahman", "Rām", etc- are PATHS? That is, the Ferryman Himself?

With that said name has power. There is energy in the sound vibrations of a name. Different names for God have different vibrations.

So are there many Ferrymen? This is ugly. May be I am getting something, somewhere wrong!
OR, ARE THERE MANY MOKSHA-S?

For example Vishnu has 1008 different names all with different energies and meanings behind them. Someone may choose one name that resonates- Narayana, Vishnu, Krishna, Ram, Vasudeva, Keshava, etc and take that energy or form as the form they are connected to.

So it isn't just name, after all. Rām is decidedly different from Krishna, not only by name but also by the content inside the name. If, one says, worshipping either Rām or Krishna leads to the same Narayana (and not to Rām and Krishna/ may be because they are same as Narayana), then will worshipping Shiva will also lead to the same, NarayaNa? Of course, this is the -"what is in the name"- notion.

A consequence of this will be, when the Ferryman asks a devotee, who had worshipped Sri Rām throughout his life, regarding his destination, the devotee almost tells out "Rām" but suddenly something gets into his head, and he says "NarayaNa" instead of "Rām"!

We can follow universalism in that salvation is open to everyone while deciding for ourselves what is the most expedient path. I am Vaishnavi and it works for me but that doesn't mean I don't think a Shaiva or a Shakti, or a Sufi can't also attain moksha.

Will you not like to see Earth itself become sorts of Vaikuntha, where NarayaNa is the only one worshipped. After all, why all this confusion (many religions many gods), and all this suffering arising of that confusion?

 

[Luke Morningstar]

I will like to know whether you prefer the name "Vishnu (Narayana)" OR "Brahman" as the name of your Supreme?

My Supreme is Maa Kamakhya. Though my focus is on Shiva, as one who worships her through devotion and practice of yoga.

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

My Supreme is Maa Kamakhya.

Though my focus is on Shiva, as one who worships her through devotion and practice of yoga.

:thud::help:

 

[Vinayaka]

Siva, alone.

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

Siva, alone.

pranām V-ji
So no "Brahman" for you?



note: I thought, before this thread, that Brahman was really popular!

 

[Poeticus]

Kalicharan, at least it's Lord Shri Sada-Shiva and not some "devi" that was created 25 years ago. What's next? Kapinjalamustadalikavamana Devi? Pramutatsavapratishocha-Swami-Paramata-Narayana-Vyasa-Vyakateshwara Dev? I'm getting quite good at this.

 

[Kalicharan Tuvij]

Kalicharan, at least it's Lord Shri Sada-Shiva and not some "devi" that was created 25 years ago. What's next? Kapinjalamustadalikavamana Devi? Pramutatsavapratishocha-Swami-Paramata-Narayana-Vyasa-Vyakateshwara Dev? I'm getting quite good at this.

What about Mitrāni and Varunāni?

p.s.: and whatever happened to your avatar? Have you also, like V-ji, stopped believing in avatars?

 

[Poeticus]

p.s.: and whatever happened to your avatar? Have you also, like V-ji, stopped believing in avatars?

Oh no! I think it looks more scary and creepy with a username in Devanagari and no avatar to make it look like I am Hindu. It's a ninja-status thing.