Mental health issues are common place these days. It can take a few years to recover from a major event. Most people come out the other end being able to get on with their lives and hopefully have a better perspective and approach to living. Some never recover fully. It is what it is and life goes on.
Your circumstances are similar to a close work colleague who is also a Baha'i. She has four children, two who really struggle with mental health issues and her Baha'i husband who can no longer work on account of health issues.
I'm sorry to hear she struggles. I hope she has good support in the Baha'i community.
Does your husband have similar Hindu beliefs to you? How does your Hindu Faith help deal with stress and emotional difficulties? Hope you're OK with the questions.
Yes, we are both Hindu, but I wouldn't consider our beliefs identical. There are some marked differences, but they're kinda nuanced and difficult to tackle without getting really into detail(and boring the socks off of folks).
I think without my faith, I'd have straight up broken down by now. I can't say my religious beliefs always bring comfort, but they at least bring reason, and help me understand my place in the cosmos.
Thanks for that. The Mahabharata is a huge body of literature. I'm grateful for ISHKON for bringing the Bhagavad Gita into the mainstream of Western thought. I appreciate its only a tiny portion of the Mahabharata but it seems like a good starting point. Do you have any suggestions about smaller sections that would also be a good starting point or a next step.
Something that takes no longer than two to three hours to read is perfect for busy people with short attention spans!
I can't even pick, there's so many different places! The story of the Pandavas drinking from a forbidden lake, and dying(except for Yudhishtira) and the resulting conversation between Yudhishtira and Yama disguised as a Yaksha is a favorite part. The ending scene in which the Pandavas are climbing up the mountain to meet their deaths is another moving part(to me). Bhima meeting Hanuman in the woods is a fun one. I also enjoyed the conversation between Draupadi and Satyabhama. All could be relatively quick reads.
There's just so much to enjoy...
It is more than just their role in the world. It is also their Divine nature and attributes. Christianity is heavily criticized by both Muslims and Jews for turning Jesus into more than a man and indeed more than a Prophet or Messenger. For Christians, Jesus is literally God incarnate. It is as if the Creator God of the universe who is Omnipotent, Omniscient and existed for all eternity has descended to earth and taken the form of a human being.
I see! That makes sense.
Do Baha'is honor both of these figures as divine, then?
How is Christ being God incarnate different from Krishna being Vishnu incarnate? How is Vishnu different from the God of Abraham?
I'm not terribly educated in the sphere of Christian theology, but from an outsider's point of view, it seems like Yahweh sent Jesus to get some works done for his sake. Krishna was Vishnu coming himself. Krishna was a bodily form of Vishnu that came to the earthly plane to bring in the Kali Yuga.
My own understanding of the God of Abraham is probably going to be much different from many folks, and I hope I can explain without being confusing(or offensive)... I simply don't view him as an almighty figure. He seems to me to have been a local deity, and the god to the Jewish people. Many others choose to worship him as what we'd call in Hinduism, an Ishta Devata, or chosen Divine ideal(and there's nothing wrong with that). Any deity can be chosen and worshipped as Ishta Devata. Personally, I see him about on par with Indra, Zeus, Thor, etc(on par with, but not the same, as I consider them all different entities).
When it comes to Vishnu, I view him on more on a cosmic level; he's the personified face of the force that preserves the universe.
(The above is simply my opinion.
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If Krishna is Vishnu or God, then I suppose He could do whatever He wanted. Why not divide into 16,000 or more of the same people and share yourself around?
Interestingly Solomon who is recognized by Islam, Christianity and Judaism as being one of the Jewish Prophets and King of Israel had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
Solomon, third king of Israel, is said to have had a harem that included 700 wives and 300 concubines. Many of those women were not Israelites and refused to adopt Israelite traditions and religion, reinforcing a common Biblical motif about foreign women.
jwa.org
Interesting! That's a lot! I don't suppose he divided himself up, too?
I do think Solomon and Krishna differ in their marriages in attitude. I've only heard second hand stories about Solomon, so excuse any mistakes, but it seemed as if Solomon sought out these women for his own pleasures as well... With Krishna, it was more "I accept".
In the Gita, it states that whatever you offer Krishna, so long as its offered in love, it will be accepted. Princess Rukmini sought out Krishna as a husband. He accepted. Jambhavati was offered to him as a wife. He accepted. It wasn't that he physically lusted for these women, or desired them for himself... He happily accepted their love. Many of them came from a one time rescue... these thousands of freed women wanted to become his wives... he accepted. There's even a story of him straightening the back of a hunchback prostitute, and, when she joyfully offered her services, he accepted those, too. When questioned on why he did such a thing, he responded "that is the only way she knew how to offer love. I will happily accept it".
