zebedee 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 How do we accept mythological stories in the 21st centurary? The story of jahnu rsi swallowing the ganga is surely not meant to be taken litrally so how can I digest or interpret this account without setting aside reason and logic and becoming just a blind follower of hinduism? I know there are thousands of unbelievable accounts but I want to be able to make a compromise and not be forced to completely reject hinduism as crazy. How should I percieve these fantastic tales. thanks for any help zebedee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indulekhadasi 0 Report post Posted March 6, 2008 Well please understand that when Jahnu Muni did that it was in Treta yuga which was the age where people lived for 10,000 years and were so much stronger than we are now. This the Iron (Kali) age where obviously Jahnu Muni's feat would be impossible. Faith is the main factor here, so if there is no faith then it is almost impossible to accept. However if we consider that building a bridge across an ocean (by making stones float, as did by Lord Rama in Treta yuga) is impossible then how is it scientifically proven by satelite images? In some cases it can be scientifically proven...but since our senses our imperfect we will not be able to totally percieve what went on thousands of years ago in a wonderful age. Hope this helps, indulekhadasi Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zebedee 0 Report post Posted March 7, 2008 faith seems to be the answer thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shivaduta 0 Report post Posted March 8, 2008 mythology is the basic building block of civilisation... it is thru mythology that civilizations impart the sense of right and wrong to the next generations... some of the parameters change over time and yet mythology continues inducting new children into the old civilization... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zebedee 0 Report post Posted March 8, 2008 believing myth as ancient history is too much for me to swallow, unlike jahnu rsi !! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indulekhadasi 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2008 Why can't you accept this as true? 500 years ago people probably thought airplanes were impossible. Time goes in a wheel so that is why we are doubting our past. It is sad... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LoveroftheBhagavata 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2008 Even today, there are yogis in India who are able to take bath in all four dhamas every morning, i.e. in Badrinath, Rameshwaram, Dwarka and Puri, with these tirthas being situated in the four cardinal directions of the land. They do so without moving from one spot, usually the asana on which they may be sitting in dhyana. These persons obviously are endowed with siddhis that you and I haven't got a clue about. I prefer to take guidance from shastra and solidify my faith thereby, since without shraddha, no real spiritual progress is possible. If you wanna take yourself and your mind too seriously, feel free to do so. But traditional Hinduism asks one to accept truth (not necessarily fact) from higher authorities instead of forming our worldviews in concordance with our own limited experiences. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zebedee 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2008 Why can't you accept this as true? 500 years ago people probably thought airplanes were impossible. Time goes in a wheel so that is why we are doubting our past. It is sad... The concept of airoplanes if explained well would be concievable even 5000 yrs ago a person could relate to a machine which could fly. Theres a big difference between believing one day air travel will be possible and believing a man swallowing a river 1560 miles long and very wide and deep. Its just not true! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LoveroftheBhagavata 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2008 Theres a big difference between believing one day air travel will be possible and believing a man swallowing a river 1560 miles long and very wide and deep. Its just not true! That man was certainly not on the same level of material reality that you find yourself entangled in. I wonder what you would think of Vishvamitra Muni creating an entire constellation through the power of his yogic achievements. As I said earlier, it is your business if you want to project your extremely limited experiences on occurrences that pertain to a higher, celestial realm, but do not expect to be taken very seriously by those who follow the Puranas and live and breathe by them. I'm not saying that every single jot and tittle of shastra should be taken literally, far from it, but there are enough cross-checkings and corroborations in the different scriptures for one to deduce what is an allegory and what refers to an event that took place in a previous yuga, and probably on a more subtle domain of reality. If you don't want to place faith in such, that is your problem, and frankly, your own opinion matters hardly in the grand scheme of things. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zebedee 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2008 believe what you want to believe I will carry on with my quest Sathyameva Jayate Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LoveroftheBhagavata 0 Report post Posted March 10, 2008 believe what you want to believe I will carry on with my quest And I say the exact same thing to you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
