Change

There is a saying if you can't be the cause for the change,be a part for the change.Many of us do not have capacity to bring/influence change,better to join hands with who have the capacity to do so.All great changes had humble beginning, let your endeavor spread across and be successful.

Why hindu burn their dead

6:48am Oct 20 Why do Hindus burn their dead? Funeral rites of the Hindus The last sacrament in the life of a person is Funeral with which he closes the concluding chapter of worldly career. The way one grieves, commemorates, and disposes the dead varies greatly from culture to culture…Hindus burn (Except some groups in Hindu who bury the dead ones),Christians Muslims bury and Buddhists some people bury and some people burn. However, the only common belief at this point is that the survivors need to consecrate the death for the deceased’s future felicity in the next world. Hinduism is unique among the world’s major religions in mandating cremation as one of the 16 life rituals. Let’s explore, why…...? The significance of Antim-Sanskara This Samskara, being post-mortem, is not less important, because for a Hindu the value of the next world is higher than that of the present one. The Baudhayana Pitrmedha-Sutras say, ‘It is well-known that through the Samskaras after the birth one conquers this earth; through the Samskaras after the death the heaven". Therefore the ritualists are very anxious to have the funerals performed with meticulous care. A mention in Mahabharata ‘What is the greatest wonder?’ Lord Yamraj asks in the Mahabharata. Yudhisthir replies, ‘Day after day countless people die. Yet the living wish to live forever.’ Death has been an enigma from time immemorial. The human mind refuses to accept its utter finality. All civilizations and religions believe that somehow, the ‘individual’ keeps living, goes somewhere else, or will eventually ‘rise’ and reach heaven or hell. Hindus believe both in ‘life’ after death and in reincarnation. Hinduism and Cremation Hindus believe in the soul being indestructible; and that death symbolises end of the existence of a person's physical being, but the start of a new journey for the soul. This soul then reincarnates in some other life form, and passes through the same cycle of taking birth, growing and eventually meeting death- only to begin the cycle afresh. Cremation of a person's dead body is therefore, supposed to rid the departed soul of any attachments to the body it previously resided in. Surrendering to the Holy fire Fire is considered holy in Hinduism. It burns away everything until nothing remains. On the other hand, burying is a very slow process of dissolving the five elements inside the body back into the five elements of the cosmos. By cremating the body, the physical remnants of the ghost are entirely wiped out from the face of earth, so that the ghost may continue with its journey forward after the 11 days. Agni, consume not this body to cinders neither give it pain nor scatter about its skin or limbs. When the body is fairly burnt, convey the spirit to the ancestors. May the five elements be merged with their basic forms. – Vedic hymn to Agni. Since Agni, the god of fire is seen as a link between the gross and subtle, matter and spirit, the seen and unseen, the known and unknown and a messenger between men and gods, dead bodies were disposed by cremation. Thus, the dead body is an offering to Agni with an earnest prayer to purify and lead the individual to a better and brighter life. Another reason for preferring cremation is to produce a feeling of detachment in the freshly disembodied subtle body and to encourage it to pass on, rather than hover around loved ones. Moreover, Hindus, out of respect for the dead, did not want to leave the bodies around to be consumed by vultures and other animals. Releasing the spirit Hindus cremate their dead, believing that the burning of a dead body signifies the release of the spirit and that the flames represent Brahma, the creator. In addition, burial sites utilize large areas of arable land. Earlier, digging a grave was laborious and required special implements compared to cremation which was easier, quicker and cheaper because everyone who came would bring along some wood for the fire. Exceptions to cremation The exceptions to cremation are saints, holy men, pregnant women and children. Since saints are supposed to have attained a high degree of detachment from the body, they do not need to be cremated – they are buried in the lotus position. For children too, the attachment to the body is much less. Also, according to custom, an offspring is required to light the funeral pyre, and both categories would normally not have any. Children are not grown so their funeral must differ from that of the adult. Their tender body should be spared the fierce flames; their innocent life neither inflicts so much impurity nor does it require so much purification. The next special rite is that of a Garbhini or a pregnant woman who dies in her pregnancy. Baudhayana says that she should be carried to the cremation ground but after saving the child. In case, the child could not be saved, she should be floated or buried. Burial versus Cremation In ancient Egypt, the physical body was preserved through an elaborate process of mummification, as it was believed that, without a home, the soul wandered around to be lost forever. Similarly, Chinese emperors were buried with replicas of objects called grave goods. Again the belief was that on death, the person enters an ‘after life.’ All the daily comforts of their past life such as servants, attendants, objects, pets, wives, guardians, concubines, food and drink were buried along with the emperor. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, both cremation and burial were practiced. Christianity and Judaism discourage cremation and Islam prohibits it. Lately, more Christians are becoming open to the idea of cremation, but the Eastern Orthodox churches still forbid it. Many Liberal and Reform Jews support cremation as an option. The Roman Catholic Church’s discouragement of cremation stems from the idea that the body is holy and should be treated with honour and respect. Moreover cremation constituted a denial of the resurrection of the body. Burial as opposed to cremation, apparently, seems to be a ‘neater’ and ‘nicer’ way of disposal. However, since the whole dreadful process of gradual decomposition and decay of the body is not seen, cremation is, in actual fact, a ‘kinder’ method. Moreover, it is definitely preferable for environmental reasons. Since a traditional burial consumes nearly one tree, Hindus are enjoined to plant three trees, on special occasions, during their life span. The logic behind the ritual A Human Being does not always die from old-age, he may die due to diseases. If he is burnt, the micro-organisms in his body will die (no pathogen survives at the temperature of fire). Thus, burning of a body after a person is dead ensures that you are not committing murder, and also you are preventing it from being a source of spread of any disease. Being a part of the Five Tatvas Also, a traditional belief among Hindus says that a person's body is composed of 5 elements- earth, fire, water, air and sky. The cremation ceremonies of Hindus are directed towards returning the body to these elements. The body is progressively returned to earth, air, sky and fire by burning it under skies; and the ashes are respectfully collected and poured in a river. The concept of restrictive mourning It is said that excessive mourning over a deceased prevents the soul from being completely detached from its loved ones, and keeps it from undertaking its new journey- that of taking up a new life. Cremation (and subsequent ceremonies in mourning) help to remove most of those things that can act as a reminder for the person's existence, and thereby also assist the family in getting over the loss. To be cremated near Ganga It is the ultimate wish of a Hindu to die and be cremated along a riverbank; the holier the river the better for the departed soul. Many Hindu holy shrines are built along famous riverbanks. Banaras, situated along the holy river Ganges, is the holiest of them all, considered so holy that every Hindu wishes to die there. Indeed, this desire is so irrepressible that some pious Hindus make provisions to move to Banaras at an old age for the sole purpose of uniting with God. Reply to this email to add a comment

Test

Chowpie 1: http://youtu.be/Qg_9lAMN7lQ

Why Krishna married 16108 girls

Why should Krishna who is the Supreme Lord should marry 16, 108 girls? COUNSELLING: Nandhini S.Kumar asked like this: “Jai shree Krishna prabhu. Your everyday posts are wonderful. Many friends ask me why Krishna marries thousands of girls, but, men are not allowed so. I dono how to reply them. Please clarify it. Thank you” REPLY: The problem for innocent people is: They see every activity of Krishna with a material angle. They compare His activities with their own life style. First I like to clarify this fact: We are conditioned souls. So, we marry UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF OF OUR KARMA. That is, who should come as our wife/ husband is decided by our past karma. So, we are NOT independent. We can not decide on our own. Though we love a girl or boy, our karma decides whether we can marry her/ him. So, our options are limited. That is why, we find it difficult to maintain even one wife or husband. But, Krishna is Independent and He is not under the karma. He is the Supreme Lord who created all the creations including all the girls. So, all of us are the properties of Krishna. Krishna does not marry girls for pleasure. Because, He Himself is the reservoir of pleasure. He does not need pleasure from outside. And, Krishna is 100% renounced that is one of His vaibhavs. So, it is very childish to think that Krishna married 16, 108 girls for pleasure. Krishna can be approached by His devotees in different moods. As a child, as a friend, as a guru, as a lover, etc.. Krishna accepts all the prayers of His devotees. So, if you consider Krishna as your lover, He acepts that. (Next, you have to purify yourself to qualify for that). So, KRISHNA DOES EVERY LILA TO SATISFY HIS DEVOTEES! Similarly, Krishna married 16, 108 queens as they surrendered to Him and requested Him. It is the causeless mercy of Krishna. I feel that the writings of Srila Prabhupada will be very useful for you to understand this. So, I have given most of his writings about this matter from Srimad Bhagavatham: (1) WHY KRISHNA MARRIED 16,108 QUEENS? SB 1.10.29, Purport: Rukmin.i- had ten sons, like Pradyumna. There were other queens also taken away by Lord Kr.s.n.a in a similar way. Full description of this beautiful booty of Lord Kr.s.n.a will be given in the Tenth Canto. There were 16,100 beautiful girls who were daughters of many kings and were forcibly stolen by Bhauma-sura, who kept them captive for his carnal desire. These girls prayed piteously to Lord Kr.s.n.a for their deliverance, and the merciful Lord, called by their fervent prayer, released them all by fighting and killing Bhauma-sura. All these captive princesses were then accepted by the Lord as His wives, although in the estimation of society they were all fallen girls. The all-powerful Lord Kr.s.n.a accepted the humble prayers of these girls and married them with the adoration of queens. So altogether Lord Kr.s.n.a had 16,108 queens at Dva-raka-, and in each of them He begot ten children. All these children grew up, and each had as many children as the father. The aggregate of the family numbered 10,000,000. (2) DIFFERENNCE BETWEEN HUMANS AND KRISHNA: SB 1.10.25, Purport: When He descends, He exhibits superhuman acts just to prove His supreme right, and materialists like Ra-van.a, Hiran.yakas'ipu and Kam.sa are sufficiently punished. He acts in a manner which no one can imitate. For example, the Lord, when He appeared as Ra-ma, bridged the Indian Ocean. When He appeared as Kr.s.n.a, from His very childhood He showed superhuman activities by killing Pu-tana-, Agha-sura, S'akat.a-sura, Ka-liya, etc., and then His maternal uncle Kam.sa. When He was at Dva-raka- He married 16,108 queens, and all of them were blessed with a sufficient number of children. The sum total of His personal family members amounted to about 100,000, popularly known as the Yadu-vam.s'a. And again, during His lifetime, He managed to vanquish them all. He is famous as the Govardhana-dha-ri- Hari because He lifted at the age of only seven the hill known as Govardhana. The Lord killed many undesirable kings in His time, and as a ks.atriya He fought chivalrously. He is famous as the asamaurdhva, unparalleled. No one is equal to or greater than Him. (3) KRISHNA OFFERS HIMSELF AS HUSBAND TO DEVOTEES: SB 1.10.30, Purport: The Lord used to live with His 16,108 wives constantly. He expanded Himself into 16,108 plenary portions, and each and every one of them was the Lord Himself without deviation from the Original Personality. The S'ruti-mantra affirms that the Lord can expand Himself into many. As husband of so many wives, He pleased them all with presentations, even at a costly endeavor. He brought the pa-rija-ta plant from heaven and implanted it at the palace of Satyabha-ma-, one of the principal queens. If, therefore, anyone desires the Lord to become one's husband, the Lord fulfills such desires in full. Lord Kr.s.n.a had 16,108 wives, and for each and every one of them there was a fully equipped palace complete with necessary compounds and gardens. (4) HOW KRISHNA’s PALACES WERE? SB 1.11.30, Purport: Lord Kr.s.n.a had 16,108 wives, and for each and every one of them there was a fully equipped palace complete with necessary compounds and gardens. Full description of these palaces is given in the Tenth Canto. All the palaces were made of the best marble stone. They were illuminated by jewels and decorated by curtains and carpets of velvet and silk, nicely bedecked and embroidered with gold lace. The Personality of Godhead means one who is full with all power, all energy, all opulences, all beauties, all knowledge and all renunciation. Therefore, in the palaces of the Lord there was nothing wanting for fulfilling all desires of the Lord. The Lord is unlimited, and therefore His desires are also unlimited, and the supply is also unlimited. Everything being unlimited, it is concisely described here as sama-ka-mam, or full with all desirable equipment. (5) LORD EXPANDED AS 16,108 KRISHNAs: SB 1.11.31, Purport: As mentioned above, the Lord entered His home palaces occupied by 16,108 queens. This means that the Lord at once expanded Himself in as many plenary expansions as there were queens and palaces and entered in each and every one of them simultaneously and separately. Here is another manifestation of the feature of His internal potency. He can expand Himself in as many forms of spiritual identity as He desires, even though He is one without a second. It is confirmed by the S'ruti-mantra that the Absolute is one alone, and yet He becomes many as soon as He so desires. These manifold expansions of the Supreme Lord are manifested as plenary and separated portions. The separated portions are representations of His energy, and the plenary portions are manifestations of His Personality. Thus the Personality of Godhead manifested Himself in 16,108 plenary expansions and simultaneously entered into each and every one of the palaces of the queens. This is called vaibhava, or the transcendental potency of the Lord. (6) KRISHNA LIVED AS A PERFECT HOUSEHOLDER: SB 1.11.35, Purport: The Lord married and lived like a householder. This is certainly like a mundane affair, but when we learn that He married 16,108 wives and lived with them separately in each and every palace, certainly it is not mundane. Therefore, the Lord, living as a householder amongst His competent wives, is never mundane, and His behavior with them is never to be understood as mundane sex relation. The women who became the wives of the Lord are certainly not ordinary women, because to get the Lord as one's husband is the result of many, many millions of births' tapasya (austerity). When the Lord appears on different lokas, or planets, or on this planet of human beings, He displays His transcendental pastimes just to attract the conditioned souls to become His eternal servitors, friends, parents and lovers respectively in the transcendental world, where the Lord eternally reciprocates such exchanges of service. Service is pervertedly represented in the material world and broken untimely, resulting in sad experience. (7) KRISHNA’s FAMILY HAD 1,610,800 MEMBERS: SB 1.14.31, Purport: As already mentioned, Lord Kr.s.n.a married 16,108 wives, and each of them had ten sons. Therefore 16,108 x 10 161,080 sons. They all grew up, and each of them had as many sons as their father, and the whole aggregate was something near 1,610,800 family members of the Lord. The Lord is the father of all living beings, who are countless in number; therefore only a few of them are called to associate with the Lord in His transcendental pastimes as the Lord of Dva-raka- on this earth. It is not astonishing that the Lord maintained a visible family consisting of so many members. It is better to refrain from comparing the Lord's position to ours, and it becomes a simple truth as soon as we understand at least a partial calculation of the Lord's transcendental position. King Yudhis.t.hira, while inquiring about the Lord's sons and grandsons at Dva-raka-, mentioned only the chieftains amongst them, for it was impossible for him to remember all the names of the Lord's family members. (8) SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM 10-69-2: Narada muni saw Sri Balramaji, Nandbaba, Devkimata, & everybody who attended Krishna’s marriage. He exclaims: "It is wonderful indeed that one Krishna has simultaneously become different Krishnas in 16,108 palaces to accept 16,108 queens as His wives." Narada Muni could see this when he came to Dwaraka to attend Krishna's marriages. was required for the marrige took 16,108 forms & were attending the marrige at one time, in diffrent houses. CONCLUSION: Thus, we should never act as Krishna acted. Because, we act for satisfying our lust but Krishna acts for satisfying His devotees. This is the major difference. Hare Krishna. —