Author Topic: UPG on Hindu Pantheon? (Read 2273 times)

Fleur · « **on:** August 19, 2015, 01:03:32 am »

Until I started reading information in the pagan community, there was a lot I never considered even as a practicing Hindu. Like the idea that god A shouldn't be worshipped alongside god B, or that each god has a preferred incense, etc. (I knew about preferred food offerings but never about incense).

I've personally been working a lot with Durga, the guardian and protectress, and I'm serious about becoming Her devotee. From my own research and from meditating with Her and consulting a priest I know who dreams of Her, one bit of UPG I can share for sure is that She demands honesty. You can't have muddled intentions or lie to Her. And She is kindly to those who are honest.

I'm curious to know if anyone else might have any UPG about Durga or the rest of the Hindu pantheon, especially the goddesses!

Redfaery · « **Reply #1 on:** August 19, 2015, 04:26:04 am »

Quote from: Waterbender;179028

I'm curious to know if anyone else might have any UPG about Durga or the rest of the Hindu pantheon, especially the goddesses!

Most of my UPG has later been corroborated by lore. But I have learned a few tiny things, like that Saraswati and Lakshmi prefer different crystals. Saraswati likes white, blue, or yellow stones, while Lakshmi loves richer colored ones. I also associate a very specific scent with Saraswati. It keeps cropping up in my relationship with her.

Jainarayan · « **Reply #2 on:** August 19, 2015, 09:36:45 am »

Quote from: Waterbender;179028

one bit of UPG I can share for sure is that She demands honesty. You can't have muddled intentions or lie to Her. And She is kindly to those who are honest.

I'm curious to know if anyone else might have any UPG about Durga or the rest of the Hindu pantheon, especially the goddesses!

None of that is UPG, it is a fact that none of the gods or goddesses should ever be deceived. They won't take revenge, but it is simply bad form and not cool.

There are many rules and regulations that have developed over the years as to what to do and not do for the deities. Most of it I call out as b.s. Yes, they have preferences, but they will not look down their noses at a sincere offering of the best you can do. Hanuman's mala is recommended to be coral... have you seen the prices of coral malas? It was certainly out of my budget. It's said that Vishnu prefers tulsi mala, Shiva prefers rudraksha, but there are hermits and sannyasins who have only their fingers to count japa on.

"If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it". - Krishna, Bhagavad Gita 9.26 He further says in the Mahabharata that any item offered even mentally is as lovingly accepted, even more so, than the grandest puja. Love them and offer the best you can, no matter how humble.

There's a story of a hungry boy who stole a banana from a street vendor. He ate half the banana and put the other half as an offering at Vishnu's shrine. The street vendor caught the boy and beat him, and made him walk around the Lord's shrine in 1,000 circumambulations. That night the grocer had a dream in which he saw the boy doing the circumambulations, but who was following him but Vishnu himself. The grocer asked Vishnu why he was doing the penance. Vishnu answered it was because he accepted half the stolen banana, given to him with love.

Fleur · « **Reply #3 on:** August 19, 2015, 12:40:34 pm »

Redfaery, that is very interesting! I can kind of see how that preference would happen, with Saraswati's white sari and Lakshmi often in reds and pinks with gold everywhere. So far Durga has only told me in dreams what my personal gemstone should be, but nothing about what I should offer her.

Quote from: Thorbjorn;179038

None of that is UPG, it is a fact that none of the gods or goddesses should ever be deceived. They won't take revenge, but it is simply bad form and not cool.

There are many rules and regulations that have developed over the years as to what to do and not do for the deities. Most of it I call out as b.s. Yes, they have preferences, but they will not look down their noses at a sincere offering of the best you can do. Hanuman's mala is recommended to be coral... have you seen the prices of coral malas? It was certainly out of my budget. It's said that Vishnu prefers tulsi mala, Shiva prefers rudraksha, but there are hermits and sannyasins who have only their fingers to count japa on.

"If one offers me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it". - Krishna, Bhagavad Gita 9.26 He further says in the Mahabharata that any item offered even mentally is as lovingly accepted, even more so, than the grandest puja. Love them and offer the best you can, no matter how humble.

There's a story of a hungry boy who stole a banana from a street vendor. He ate half the banana and put the other half as an offering at Vishnu's shrine. The street vendor caught the boy and beat him, and made him walk around the Lord's shrine in 1,000 circumambulations. That night the grocer had a dream in which he saw the boy doing the circumambulations, but who was following him but Vishnu himself. The grocer asked Vishnu why he was doing the penance. Vishnu answered it was because he accepted half the stolen banana, given to him with love.

Thank you Thorbjorn, yes I do remember all of this! I just wasn't sure anymore if Indian lore was still the most relevant source for the Indian deities, since I've seen other deities like Brighid being worshipped almost entirely on the basis of UPG. So I'm not completely sure about whether or not the lore is still the best source.

carillion · « **Reply #4 on:** August 19, 2015, 02:31:35 pm »

Quote from: Thorbjorn;179038

None of that is UPG, it is a fact that none of the gods or goddesses should ever be deceived. They won't take revenge, but it is simply bad form and not cool.

Just to be clear, Unverifiable Personal Gnosis is , by definition, unverifiable. Claiming beliefs as 'facts' is misleading unless one stipulates that it is a subjective belief for *yourself* that there are 'facts' in this matter. Purporting to know how something as unverifiable as deity/deities think for feel and instructing others on it is walking in rather dodgy areas, IMO.

Redfaery · « **Reply #5 on:** August 19, 2015, 04:04:06 pm »

Quote from: carillion;179048

Just to be clear, Unverifiable Personal Gnosis is , by definition, unverifiable. Claiming beliefs as 'facts' is misleading unless one stipulates that it is a subjective belief for *yourself* that there are 'facts' in this matter. Purporting to know how something as unverifiable as deity/deities think for feel and instructing others on it is walking in rather dodgy areas, IMO.

Well...there is a difference between "I just have this hunch that deity X likes ice cream as an offering," and having three or four people agreeing that X deity does indeed like ice cream as an offering, and again between both of those and it being written in centuries' worth of sacred texts (or kept in oral tradition) that deity X asks for ice cream offerings.

The U, by the way, is usually taken to mean "Unverified" or Unsubstantiated. Not Unverifiable.

carillion · « **Reply #6 on:** August 19, 2015, 07:03:11 pm »

Quote from: Redfaery;179050

Well...there is a difference between "I just have this hunch that deity X likes ice cream as an offering," and having three or four people agreeing that X deity does indeed like ice cream as an offering, and again between both of those and it being written in centuries' worth of sacred texts (or kept in oral tradition) that deity X asks for ice cream offerings.

The U, by the way, is usually taken to mean "Unverified" or Unsubstantiated. Not Unverifiable.

Yes, a 'hunch' is *not* a fact and should be stated so. The poster I was responding to wrote "None of that is UPG, it is a fact". No, no it's not.

And times change. UPG meant unverifiable back in the day and it also seems to have a number of variations. The net result is the same. If it was verifiable, I'm pretty sure someone would point to how it may be done.

Jainarayan · « **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2015, 02:00:31 pm »

Quote from: Waterbender;179044

Thank you Thorbjorn, yes I do remember all of this! I just wasn't sure anymore if Indian lore was still the most relevant source for the Indian deities, ... So I'm not completely sure about whether or not the lore is still the best source.

I'd say it definitely is. Keep in mind that Hinduism today is puranic, not vedic, and the Puranas are very much alive in Hindu belief.

Jainarayan · « **Reply #8 on:** August 20, 2015, 02:04:47 pm »

Quote from: carillion;179048

Just to be clear, Unverifiable Personal Gnosis is , by definition, unverifiable. Claiming beliefs as 'facts' is misleading unless one stipulates that it is a subjective belief for *yourself* that there are 'facts' in this matter. Purporting to know how something as unverifiable as deity/deities think for feel and instructing others on it is walking in rather dodgy areas, IMO.

Have you read the Purānas? The Purānas are the basis of Hinduism today, and are as much Scripture as the Vedas, the Bhagavad-Gitā, the Rāmāyana and the Mahābhārata.

Jainarayan · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2015, 02:05:43 pm »

Quote from: carillion;179054

Yes, a 'hunch' is *not* a fact and should be stated so. The poster I was responding to wrote "None of that is UPG, it is a fact". No, no it's not.

Again, read the Purānas and the epics.

carillion · « **Reply #10 on:** August 20, 2015, 03:02:49 pm »

Quote from: Thorbjorn;179071

Have you read the Purānas? The Purānas are the basis of Hinduism today, and are as much Scripture as the Vedas, the Bhagavad-Gitā, the Rāmāyana and the Mahābhārata.

Ahh! I may have misunderstood what you were writing. I assume you are stating that " Other people writing about these mythological characters attributed the same traits to them as you have" as opposed to stating the existence and character traits of these characters are provable 'facts'.

Jainarayan · « **Reply #11 on:** August 20, 2015, 03:06:28 pm »

Quote from: carillion;179076

Ahh! I may have misunderstood what you were writing. I assume you are stating that " Other people writing about these mythological characters attributed the same traits to them as you have" as opposed to stating the existence and character traits of these characters are provable 'facts'.

Ooh! I just got a head rush reading that! :yikes: But I think we're on the same page.

:

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Author Topic: UPG on Hindu Pantheon? (Read 2273 times)

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