“Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”.

[gHari 0]

It would be a sin for you.

[vinay 0]

why not any person who believes in the vedas, and that may well include you also!

[vinay 0]

“Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”.

 

This is a line from the yajur veda.It means,

"Those who worship natural things enter darkness. Those who worship created things enter even deeper into darkness."

if this is what the sanskrit verse means, then is it not a sin for us to worship idols in our houses and in temples!

 

 

[Avinash 0]

If you worship natural things like trees, mountains etc. or if you worship created things like statues thinking that God is exactly the same (in looks, power etc.) as these objects, then you are in darkness. But if you are using these for the sake of concentration, then I do not find anything wrong in it. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to concentrate without some object to concentrate upon.

[ramakrishna 0]

"Is it not the height of foolishness to worship manmade images of stone, clay or metal? Does it not betray utter ignorance and superstition? "

 

This objection, which is very common, has been raised without a proper understanding of the great and sublime principle behind image worship. No Hindu ever worships these images considering them as God Himself. Though they are insentient images it is the conscious and sentient God that is brought to the mind by them even as we remember the living and conscious person when we see his photograph. If even this is objected to, then, the Christians who worship the crucifix, the Muslims who adore the Kaaba stone or the patriots who honour the national flag all of them will have to be dubbed as idolators!

As regards the superstitions, the less said, the better. It is a well known fact of European history that hapless old women were branded as witches and burnt. Even today, the number 13 is believed by many in the West to bring bad luck. If by chance a shirt is worn inside out, they consider it as a bad omen that indicates failure in endeavours.

 

The killing of the chameleons by the Muslims can also be cited as another example. Actually many Hindu practices ridiculed as superstitions have deeper philosophical and psychological truths behind them than meets the eye. Even granting that superstitions do exist, they are all harmless. Lastly, the blind faith of the modem man in science and technology as if they are omnipotent, forgetting that they have miserably failed to give him peace of mind, is the greatest superstition of all!

 

[animesh 0]

"Is it not the height of foolishness to worship manmade images of stone, clay or metal? Does it not betray utter ignorance and superstition? "

This objection, which is very common, has been raised without a proper understanding of the great and sublime principle behind image worship. No Hindu ever worships these images considering them as God Himself. Though they are insentient images it is the conscious and sentient God that is brought to the mind by them even as we remember the living and conscious person when we see his photograph. If even this is objected to, then, the Christians who worship the crucifix, the Muslims who adore the Kaaba stone or the patriots who honour the national flag all of them will have to be dubbed as idolators!

As regards the superstitions, the less said, the better. It is a well known fact of European history that hapless old women were branded as witches and burnt. Even today, the number 13 is believed by many in the West to bring bad luck. If by chance a shirt is worn inside out, they consider it as a bad omen that indicates failure in endeavours.

 

The killing of the chameleons by the Muslims can also be cited as another example.

 

I agree.

 

Actually many Hindu practices ridiculed as superstitions have deeper philosophical and psychological truths behind them than meets the eye.

 

Please give some examples.

 

Even granting that superstitions do exist, they are all harmless.

 

I disagree. Not all superstitions are harmless. There are villages in India where there is custom of beating oneself on some occassions. Sometimes they torture themselves or others so much that some people start bleeding. It is believed that these acts will please gods/goddesses.

 

Lastly, the blind faith of the modem man in science and technology as if they are omnipotent, forgetting that they have miserably failed to give him peace of mind, is the greatest superstition of all!

 

Yes, it is true that science and technology have not helped in giving peace of mind. But I do not think that it is ever claimed that these would give peace of mind.

[gHari 0]

 

From a lecture on SrImad-BhAgavatam 1.7.45-46 VRndAvana, October 5, 1976:

Pradyumna: "He (DroNAcArya) is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife KRpI did not undergo a satI with him because she had a son. O most fortunate one who knows the principles of religion, it is not good for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are always respectable and worshipful."

PrabhupAda:

sa eSa bhagavAn droNaH

prajA-rUpeNa vartate

tasyAtmano 'rdhaM patny Aste

nAnvagAd vIrasUH kRpI

[sB 1.7.45]

tad dharmajJa mahA-bhAga

bhavadbhir gauravaM kulam

vRjinaM nArhati prAptuM

pUjyaM vandyam abhIkSNazaH

[sB 1.7.46]

So, in continuation of the PANDavas' position in relationship with DroNAcArya, the guru, so many things are being explained by DraupadI. So she is not ordinary woman. She knows everything of the religious principles, and therefore she is teaching the assembly of respectable, learned persons how the spiritual master should be respected. DroNa is also, I mean to say, qualified as bhagavAn. BhagavAn DroNa. Anyone who is extraordinarily powerful, he is addressed sometimes as bhagavAn. NArada Muni is also sometimes addressed as bhagavAn. Lord Siva is also sometimes addressed as bhagavAn. We have explained the different features of bhagavAn many times. Aizvaryasya samagrasya vIryasya yazasaH zriyaH (ViSNu PurANa 6.5.47). So the Supreme BhagavAn is KRSNa. NAnyat paratara... MattaH parataraM nAnyat [bg. 7.7]. There may be so many bhagavAns, but the absolute bhagavAn is KRSNa. Aizvaryasya samagrasya vIryasya. Not samagra, but the Supreme Personality, He is samagra. The others, they have got to certain extent the qualities of bhagavAn. In that sense they can be addressed as bhagavAn. But they are not samagra. Samagra is, samagra means the complete. That is only attributed to KRSNa. Nobody else.

Sa eSa bhagavAn droNaH prajA-rUpeNa vartate. PrajA means offspring, son, daughter also. PrajAyate. One who is born of the father. Without father, there is no possibility, son or daughter. Therefore prajAyate. One who gives birth. And the prajA... PrajA is the product of the body of the father. A son or daughter, they may be different persons, but they belong to the body of the father. YathA yoni yathA bIjam. Father is the bIjam. Just like bIjam, the seed. The seed is the tree later on. Similarly, the bIjam, the seed, is put by the father in the womb of the mother, and as the seed implanted in the earth and taken care of with watering, sprinkling, it grows to a big tree, similarly, the seed is sown in the womb of the mother, and the mother takes care of the seed, and it comes to a big body later on and comes out. This is the process of birth. So in one sense, between the seed and the tree there is no difference. Similarly, the seed of the father and the father, there is no difference. Here it is, prajA-rUpeNa vartate.

So according to Vedic culture, if one woman has got son, she is not considered to be widow. Widow means one who hasn't got husband or husband is dead. So if the husband's representative is there, so, strictly speaking, she is not widow. So prajA-rUpeNa vartate. Again the wife is considered ardhAGginI. I think in English also it is said, "better half." Wife is considered half the body. The left hand side half... Perhaps you have seen the picture that KRSNa and RAdhArANI, one body. The left-hand side is RAdhArANI, right-hand side is KRSNa. SrIla JIva GosvAmI has explained this, rAdhA kRSNa-praNaya-vikRtir hlAdinI-zaktir asmAd ekAtmAnAv api [Cc. Adi 1.5]. RAdhA and KRSNa, They are one, but for pastimes they have become two. EkAtmAnAv api bhuvi purA deha-bhedaM gatau tau. Again RAdhA-KRSNa united, caitanyAkhyaM prakaTam adhunA tad-dvayaM caikyam Aptam. So these things are there. So wife is considered better half. ArdhAGginI. So the ardhAGginI is there, and the son is there. In so many ways they are convincing that "Do not think that DroNAcArya is dead and gone." He's (She's) convincing this point. "DroNAcArya is still existing. So killing the son of DroNAcArya means killing DroNAcArya. So do not do this." He's (She's) putting so many arguments.

Then, tad dharmajJa mahA-bhAga bhavadbhir gauravaM kulam. One should act in such a way that it should be glorified in the family. The family consideration is very important in Vedic culture. A family does not mean that only a husband, wife, or a few children. No. Family means the generation. That is Vedic conception. So if something is wrong done by any member of the family, that becomes a scar to the whole family. So she is, from family-wise, she is warning that "Do not do anything which will be a discredit to the whole PANDava family." VRjinaM nArhati prAptuM pUjyaM vandyam abhIkSNazaH. So the guru and the guru's family, they do not require to be chastised or punished. It has been misused in so many ways. In Bengal... Just like they say nityAnanda-vaMza. Coming from NityAnanda. So NityAnanda had one son, VIrabhadra. But VIrabhadra did not marry. So there is no dynasty by semina. By nityAnanda-vaMza means by disciplic succession. So sometimes extra advantage was taken as nityAnanda-vaMza. But people have got respect for such thing, dynasty. So not only it is now, from time immemorial, guru, guru's dynasty... Even in Mohammedan religion there is such sentiment, Mohammed and his dynasty, Hussain, they are taken very respectfully. So considering all points, the guru's respect must be maintained. This is the sum and substance of the instruction. But there is other opposite instruction also.

If the guru is not in his proper way according to zAstra... Guru means he must be abiding by the rules and regulation of the zAstra. SAdhu-guru-zAstra. SAdhu means one who is obeying the rules and regulation of zAstra. SAstra must be the medium. Without zAstra nothing is acceptable. That is spoken by KRSNa. TasmAd zAstra-vidhAnoktaH. YaH zAstra-vidhim utsRjya vartate kAma-kArataH. So nobody can transgress the rules and regulation of zAstra, and what to speak of a guru. Guru is AcArya. Acinoti yaH zAstrANi. One who knows the rules and regulation of the zAstra and he teaches his disciple according to the zAstra, he is called AcArya. So AcAryaM mAM vijAnIyAn nAvamanyeta karhicit [sB 11.17.27]. AcArya should be respected, as KRSNa says, as good as KRSNa. VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura also said, sAkSAd-dharitvena samasta-zAstrair uktas tathA bhAvyata eva sadbhiH **. AcArya, guru, is as good as God. SAkSAd-dharitvena. AcArya should be respected as KRSNa. Therefore AcAryaM mAM vijAnIyAn nAvamanyeta karhicit [sB 11.17.27]. If somebody foolishly thinks that "They are worshiping a man. He's like me, and he has taken the seat, and he's taking worship, respect, from disciples." Sometimes they question like that. But they do not know that how AcArya should be respected. AcArya should be respected sAkSAd-dharitvena, just like God. It is not exaggeration. It is according to the zAstra. And AcArya also accepts all these respectful obeisances to carry to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the process. As we receive knowledge from the AcArya, similarly, our activities, the result of activities, is carried by the AcArya to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. AcArya does not accept anything on his own account. AcArya accepts everything on KRSNa's account. That is the principle. And because he is representative of KRSNa, he is dealing on behalf of KRSNa.

We have got in practical experience. Formerly, in British government, there was viceroy. Vice means in place of and roy means royal king. Viceroy. So this viceroy was respected as the king, as the emperor. That is the process. When he's no longer a viceroy, then he's not respected. But so long he is acting as viceroy... And the rule was that whatever presentation was given to the viceroy he did not accept it personally. It was kept in the state. So these are the process. So guru, AcArya, being representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he should be worshiped. NAvamanyeta... Na martya-buddhyAsUyeta. Never think of envying. As soon as we become envious of the AcArya, there is falldown, immediately. YasyAprasAdAn na gatiH kuto 'pi. Yasya prasAdAd bhagavat-prasAdaH **. This is the teaching of VizvanAtha CakravartI ThAkura. He's also AcArya. AcArya-paramparA.

So, nAvamanyeta karhicit martya-buddhyA. AcArya should not be considered as ordinary human being. VaiSNave jAti-buddhir guruSu nara-matiH, arcye viSNau zilA-dhIr guruSu nara-matiH. These are the injunction. NArakI. Everyone knows that here is vigraha, Gaura-NitAi vigraha, KRSNa-BalarAma vigraha, RAdhA-KRSNa vigraha. Everyone knows that it was, these vigrahas were ordered from Jaipur and it is now installed. But why people are coming in thousands to see the vigraha? They do not know that it is made of stone? Everyone knows. Maybe one or two may be coming, sentiment. In every temple... Just like JagannAtha PurI everyone knows that JagannAtha is made of wood. Then why lakhs of people are going there to see? Similarly, BAlajI. Everyone knows He's made of stone. But thousands of people are going to see. So this is the system. This is not artificial. This is the system. One... As the vigraha... Vigraha means the form of the Lord. There are eight kinds of the forms of the Lord. They are made of stone, they are made of wood, they are made of jewels, and sometimes they are made of painting, and metal. So many. There are eight. All these vigrahas are to be worshiped. That is mentioned in the zAstras. Painting also. If there is painting or even if you think of the form of the Lord within the mind, that is also vigraha. Just like dhyAnAvasthita-tad-gatena manasA pazyanti yaM yoginaH [sB 12.13.1]. The yogis, they think of ViSNu form within the core of the heart. That is also vigraha. Don't think that is imagination. That is also vigraha. So there are eight kinds of vigrahas, and each and every one of them are as good as the other. Similarly, vigraha of guru is also... SAkSAd-dharitvena samasta-zAstraiH. This is the injunction of the zAstra. And... "May be in the zAstra, but it is not carried." No, it is carried. SAkSAd-dharitvena samasta-zAstrair uktaH **, it is said, tathA bhAvyata eva sadbhiH. Those who are aware of the zAstras...

Just like we have installed the Deity according to zAstra. There is nothing imaginary. It is not idol worship. Idol worship is different. Just like in the Western countries they put an idol on the street, on the park, as the resting place of the crows and passing stool on the head. That is idol worship. The so-called statues are installed and without any protection... No. Our worship is not idol worship. This is Deity worship. We construct temple and spend lakhs of rupees to install the Deity. It is not idol worship. Idol worship is different. Therefore it is warned, arcye viSNau zilA-dhIH. If somebody thinks that the vigraha is idol worship... There are so many rascals, they think like that. They are... "Why you are worshiping in the temple?" Amongst the Indians also, the Arya-samajis, they protest against temple worship. But who cares for them? Here in VRndAvana, there is Arya-samaji temple. Nobody goes there. But this is a new temple recently started, and thousands of people are coming. Why? All of them are fools and rascals? This is exactly according to the zAstra.

And the argument that God is everywhere, why you should go to the temple? And what is this nonsense? If God is everywhere, why not in the temple? But this is their argument, nonsense argument. God is everywhere, but not in the temple. This is their argument. So we do not care. Nobody cares. So many agitators came and gone, but the Vedic process will go on. Let the dogs bark, the caravan will pass. There is no difficulty. So on the whole, this is Vedic civilization, that the vigraha of the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepted as He is present. We should take it that KRSNa... Actually, this is the fact. As you have read in the Caitanya-caritAmRta, there was the SAkSi-GopAla history, and the two brAhmaNas, they promised before the Deity, and later on there was misunderstanding, and the Deity from VRndAvana went to bear witness in Orissa more than thousands of miles away. And that SAkSi-GopAla, witness GopAla--SAkSI means witness--is still being worshiped in JagannAtha PurI, near. There is a station, SAkSi-GopAla.

So as the Deity of the Lord, vigraha, should not be considered as made of stone, wood, similarly, guru also should not be accepted as ordinary human being. He should be given all respect as we give to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is being explained by even one woman. That is Vedic culture. DraupadI is explaining the importance, and she has said, sa eSa bhagavAn droNaH. She's quite right when she's accepting DroNa as bhagavAn. Sa eSa bhagavAn droNaH prajA-rUpeNa vartate. And he is present by his prajA. So these things should be taken very seriously instruction. Therefore zrImad-bhAgavatam amalaM purANam. This is pramANa. PramANi-grantha. PramANi-grantha means zabda-pramANa. Sabda-pramANa, anumAna pramANa, and anumAna... Just like a sound is going on. One who knows, that's all right. But we can... Hypothesis. We can think that some machine is running on. We may not know what is that machine. So this is anumAna. I'm not seeing the machine, what kind of machine is running, but I can think of, imagine that it may be some machine is running on. That is also another pramANa. Hypothesis, inductive, deductive. They are also... Analogy. There are so many processes. So here, KRSNa and guru, they should be accepted on the same level. Therefore DraupadI has addressed DroNAcArya as bhagavAn. SAkSAd-dharitvena samasta-zAstrair uktas tathA bhAvyata eva sadbhiH **. It is accepted. We should also accept. Thank you very much. (end)

[ramakrishna 0]

Bhagvad Gita 7:23- antavat tu phalam tesam

tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam

devan deva-yajo yanti

mad-bhakta yanti mam api

Bhagavat Gita 7-23 : Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.

Bhagvad Gita 7:24- avyaktam vyaktim apannam

manyante mam abuddhayah

param bhavam ajananto

mamavyayam anuttamam

Bhagvad Gita 7-24:The foolish regard Me as the unmanifested coming in manifestation, knowing not My higher, immutable, unsurpassed nature. Not knowing my higher nature as the Supreme Self,

the ignorant think that I have just now come into manifestation, having been unmanifested

hitherto, though I am the ever luminous Lord.To what is their ignorance due

 

The gita also suggests that it is wrong to believe that God in the manifested form can be worshipped, because if done so, then it is done by people of lesser intelligence!

Further,

na tasya pratima asti” (There is no image of Him) [Yajurved 32 : 3]

 

 

[laksri 0]

Originally posted by vinay:

“Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”.

 

This is a line from the yajur veda.It means,

"Those who worship natural things enter darkness. Those who worship created things enter even deeper into darkness."

if this is what the sanskrit verse means, then is it not a sin for us to worship idols in our houses and in temples!

 

 

This is a very important aspect. There are some important things for us to accept. We cannot say, o a Vigraha is made of this material and hence it is natural. This is where vaikAnasa and pAncharAtra comes in. Refer to pAncharAtra mentioned even in bhramasutra.

 

If we accept for example pAncharAtra, then we have to know how and when the supreme god chooses to present himself for everybody as a deity. He comes

1) if proper procedure and innvocation is made to the vigraha made accroding to the rules of the sashtra.

2) present in inate form in shAligram, small smooth stones found in the gandaki river in nepal now.

3) in the hearts of pious who remember him

4) in places he chooses to be, especially in love with his most holy devotee. But this is only for people like prahalAdhan and our Acharyas, who have the such a beatiful relationship.

 

That is the reason why we have shAligrama in the house altar, instead of photos or other such things. Also otherwise, let us say even if you are worthy to be pious, you see him where you choose him to be, but his not there for everybody, he will be there only for you. And such a situation is like being the heart of devotees, rather than being a common deity.

 

When the supreme god comes either due to his own willingness or because he has said he would be willing if certain innvocations are made, then his aprakrita - not natural form takes over the subtley in the natural material. That is it is no more mere something.

 

But he himself can choose to go whenevr he feels unrelated or unwanted. He goes if he feels the time has ended for devotees punyAs in this form in this place at this time.

 

So you are right, supreme personality is always suddha-sattva and not common natural material,i.e. his presence is auspicious in matterial level as well and visible so to blessed souls in that physical divine divya mangala rupam.

 

 

[This message has been edited by laksri (edited 01-01-2002).]

 

[This message has been edited by laksri (edited 01-01-2002).]

[ramakrishna 0]

 

"They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worship the uncreated eternal matter, instead of the All-Pervading God and those who worship things born of matter like trees, animals, man, etc. are sunk deeper in misery."

 

 

Ishopanishad

 

 

[vinay 0]

Idolatary is not the True worship of God

 

"OM NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI YASYA NAM MAHIDYASHAA HIRANYA GARB ITIYESHA MA MA HIMSE DITIYESHA YASMAN JAAT ITIYESHA"

 

Birthlessness and deathlessness are the characteristic qualities of God. God is unembodied and formless. There is no image of Him. He is beyond limitation. To obey his commandments tantamounts to remembering His most sacred name "AUM" and making life practised in letter and spirit. Lord Supreme, being the liberal rainer of blessings, generous showerer of bounties and accomplisher of all our noble desires is only worshipable. He is unborn, never houses a body like the soul. His Supreme House is His entire Universe. He is Omnipresent and pervading everywhere. To know Him is to know all. He never comes on the earth as an incarnation of deity to destroy the evil doers.

He punishes the wicked persons with His invisible Mighty Hands. He sustains within himself all the bodies like the sun, moon & the stars etc. Where He alone is the Creator, sustainer and dissolutionist of the whole world, how can there be a second God. We should , therefore worship Him with a devoted and dedicated spirit.

Image worship used as a means to achieve supreme light is faulty. The lord Gucious says through the medium of the Vedas, " I am present in all beings, as their soul but ignoring my presence, mortals make a display of image-worship Human life is a golden opportunity to develop the Soul's divine nature. One who performs idol-worship commits a great sin.

Maharishi-Swami Dayanand Saraswati strongly condemned idolatry. He had no soft corner for the Hindus who were idolaters. He was given many temptations not to discourage idol-worship but he strongly resisted and asked the idol worshippers not to indulge in the worship of imaginery Gods by adoring images made of stones and clay enshrined in the temples.

About 3 years ago, Shri Murari Bapu, a well known reciter of the 'Ramanaya' visited Amritsar for 10 days and used to recite Ramanya among the large audience. Incidently, I also visited the venue and heard him. He was telling the Hindu brothers that they collected a large number of funds from the Hindus to enshrine man make images of God in the temples and immediately leave for Jodhpur (Rajasthan) to purchase them showed hatred and cruelry towards the living mobile images of God. Where does the justice lie in this transaction? No body from the audience came forward to say something, in rebuttal.

We must develop love intensely in the lord Supreme. A devotee who loved no one else and remain aloof from the idolized gods, constantly ponders over to Supreme Reality in a disinterested spirit, and stands united in thought of the lord Gracious, gets full security from Him, whereas an idolater is deprived of all blessings from its lord Indefinable.

So idol-worship is not a step towards development of the Soul's divine nature but is a big ditch from where one cannot come out and eventually meets death. Idol-worship is not propounded in the Vedas and is strongly condemned.

 

 

[Avinash 0]

Dear Vinay,

The post you have made is copied from some website (is it http://www.whereisgod.com/2.htm ?)

 

Copying and pasting from somewhere else is not bad in itself. If somebody gets some relevant article somewhere, then it is quite OK to paste it here. But before pasting, please make sure that the post has meaning in this forum. Sometimes you may need to do some editing in order for it to have the intended meaning.

 

In your post, you have written "Incidently, I also visited the venue and heard him."

 

Some posters here may think that the word "I" in the previous sentence refers to you. But, in reality, it refers to D.D. Sharma.

[Avinash 0]

"OM NA TASYA PRATIMA ASTI YASYA NAM MAHIDYASHAA HIRANYA GARB ITIYESHA MA MA HIMSE DITIYESHA YASMAN JAAT ITIYESHA"

 

Is this verse available in any of scriptures? If yes, could somebody tell me the source?

[vinay 0]

avinash, the error is regretted.

[laksri 0]

Originally posted by ramakrishna:

"They are steeped in ignorance and sunk into the greatest depth of misery who worship the uncreated eternal matter, instead of the All-Pervading God and those who worship things born of matter like trees, animals, man, etc. are sunk deeper in misery."

 

Ishopanishad

 

 

Please be careful, whose interpretation you care for. Most translators just do any thing ..

ISHA UPANISHAD - by Sanderson Beck

 

Into blind darkness enter those who follow ignorance;

into even greater darkness go those who follow knowledge.

===========================================

I would like to point out [a dvaita] line of interpretation of Ishavasya upanishad

 

andham. tamah. pravi´santi ye’sambh¯utimup¯asate ¬ tato bh¯uya iva te tamo ya u sambh¯uty¯am. rat¯ah. ­ 12 ­ andham. tamah. = relentless, blinding darkness; pravi´santi = enter into, obtain; ye = those who;

asambh¯utim. = ‘sr. s. t.ikart¯a na’ = “not Creator,” having failed to grasp Vis.n.u as the Creator; up¯asate =

worship, meditate upon; tatah. = and then, than that; bh¯uyah. = greater; iva = undoubtedly; te = they,

those who; tamah. = darkness; ya = who; u = but; sambh¯uty¯am. = as Creator only; rat¯ah. = engaged in,

devoted to.

Those who worship [Vis.n. u] with the understanding that He is not the Creator, enter dense,

unrelenting darkness; to a greater darkness than that go they, who merely think of Him as

the Creator alone [but not as the Sustainer or Destroyer].

It has been said earlier that the Lord is the Sustainer, hence that also should be understood.

==========================================

 

I will let know when I have my authentic source ready.

 

But one must from the first stanza see the context of description, it out of the five manifestations of god, discusses the antaryami form of brahman. see http://www.indiadivine.com/isha-upanishad-siddhaswarupananda1.htm

 

- more soon

 

 

[This message has been edited by laksri (edited 01-02-2002).]

 

[This message has been edited by laksri (edited 01-02-2002).]