Women should always be worshipped

Bhaskar - I am not sure you're correct. I checked the Bhagavata and it mentions the following as kind of Avataras:


1 - Purusha Avatara
2 - Lila Avatara
3 - Guna Avatara
4 - Manvantara Avatara
5 - Yuga Avatara
6 - Shaktyavesha Avatara

Also, an article at www.dlhsq.org/religions/avatara.htm#kinds

suggests that the Amsavatara is a term for a partial incarnation, not the ordinary, or even realized soul. Here is a brief quote:

Difference Between a Jivanmukta and an Avatara

A simple Jivanmukta is like a star that glitters at night. He throws a little light only. Somehow or the other, he has crossed to the other shore through some Tapas and Sadhana. He cannot elevate a large number of people. Just as the waters of a small spring can quench the thirst of a few pilgrims only, so also, this Kevala-jnani can bring peace to a few persons only. Whereas, an Avatara is a mighty person. He is like a big Manasarovar lake. He removes the veil of ignorance of thousands of men and women, and takes them to the land of eternal rest, bliss and sublime.

The Avataras are one with the Supreme. They are not parts like the individual souls. Avataras or Incarnations are rays of the Lord. When the work of Loka-sangraha is over, they disappear from the world.

Kinds of Avataras

Avataras are of various kinds. There are Purna-avataras, with full Kalas or rays. There are Amsa-avataras or partial incarnations. There are Lila-avataras.

Lord Krishna was a Purna-avatara. Sri Sankaracharya was an Amsa-avatara. Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Rama and others were Lila-avataras.

Krishna and Rama were the Avataras of Lord Vishnu. Dakshinamurthy was an incarnation of Lord Siva. Dattatreya was the Avatara of the Trimurtis—Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are three aspects of God. Brahma is the creative aspect; Vishnu is the preservative aspect; and Siva is the destructive aspect. There is no polytheism in the Hindu religion. Siva, Vishnu, Brahma and Sakti are different aspects of the one Lord.(end quote).



Maybe it is just that we are looking at different texts or commentaries. But I think overall that to use the term Avatara for the ordinary person, even the realized is a mistake, and could be misleading.

 

Different texts, different commentaries... I dont insist on what I said in any way.

I do agree with you on the point that the term isnt ordinarily used in the sense I meant, even though the word meaning can very definitely be interpreted in that sense. Either way I dont thik it matters too much and we oughtnt spend too much of our energies on such intellectual debate. That which we seek is far beyond words and the sights must always be set there.

May bhagawan fill your heart with his Grace.

Hari Om

 

I agree - what do details matter? Thanks for the good wishes!

Jai Ma!

 

It is dangerous to worship ordinary personalities
and in essence people are always doing that, so the guru or avatar(bhagavan) comes so that we see magnanimous qualities in him, and easily desist from worshipping inferior personalities, which is a downfall itself; however sat-chit -ananda refers also to the spirit of everyone. Those are the three qualities of the self, eternity(or beingness) conciousness and bliss.

As long as we cannot see past personalities we
are not focusing on the real self.

 

Thanks for that Hari - thats exactly the point I was trying to make!

Love.

 

"Many people excuse their own faults but judge other persons harshly. We should reverse this attitude by excusing others' shortcomings and by harshly examining our own.

Sometimes it is necessary to analyze other people; in that case the important thing to remember is to keep the mind unprejudiced. An unbiased mind is like a clear mirror, held steady, not oscillating with hasty judgments. Any person reflected within the mirror will present and undistorted image.

Learn to see God in all persons, of whatever race or creed. You will know what divine love is when you begin to feel your oneness with every human being, not before. In mutual service we forget the little self, and glimpse the one measureless Self, the Spirit that unifies all men."


Yogananda

 

I just don't understand, if I can excuse other's short comings then please tell me why I have to treat myself so harshly... why can't I treat myself the same way I treat others?

Because I found myself at peace when I didn't mind about other's short comings and also when I lost my temper sometimes I tried to understood my behavior in such a situation and forgave myself for it later.

This way I had a peaceful mind, I say this because when I saw faults of others I saw my ego build like a big mountain and when I treated myself harshly there was a great sense of misery in my life. I saw this life as if it is
useless , meaningless, which was very depressing and pessimistic...

So I just don't understand why swamis today say that we have to treat ourselves so harshly, please clear this up for me if you can... I will appreciate it.

 

Dear Jedi,
I think that the reason is this - it is easier to criricize others, to lay the blame for things going wrong on others ect. than to see oneself, and where one's own faults and weaknesses lie. It is better always to seek the fault in oneself or one's own attitudes first. But I agree, one should not judge oneslf too harshly - one must have compassion for all, including onself. Here is another quote from Yogananda (taken from Man's Eternal Quest)

"Don't think of yourself as a sinner. You are a child of the Heavenly Father. No matter if you are the greatest sinner, forget it! If you have made up your mind to be good then you are no longer a sinner. 'Even an evildoer who turns away from all else to worship Me exclusively may be counted amongst the good, because of his righteous resolve. He will fast become a virtuous man and obtain unending peace. Tell all, O Arjuna, that My devotee never perishes' (bhagavad gita IX:30-31) Start with a clean slate and say 'I have always been good; I was only dreaming that I was bad' It is true - evil is a nightmare that does not belong to the soul"

Om Shanti!

 

Yes have compassion and love for yourself, and the physical form and ego you have be given total...



Yet you can do this while being honest about your own faults, thus by seeing all your colorful fuzz balls (faults) that you have tea with, you can start to become free of them. Being aware of them, and transending them through breaking from your seperation into the unity that exists, to the oneness, to the love!


Because when you have all that compassion, love and forgivness for yourself, your "faults" are not longer demons that need be slayed, but fuzz balls you have tea with, understand, and let them go into the distance, let them fall as they fall.

You can't rip the skin of the snake, it sheds as it does, as with the harmony of the situation.