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Tingtong's Questions & Answers

in Puja & Rituals , Self Development & Family

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What is the word meaning of Bhakti?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 7:39 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

Bhakti is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning devotion. Within Vaishnavism bhakti is only used in conjunction with Vishnu, Krishna or of the associated incarnations, who are the source of attractiveness. Krishna is currently an important and popular focus of the devotional and ecstatic aspects of Hindu religion, particularly among the Vaishnava sects. However, it is likewise sometimes used as a term toward Shiva by some traditions of Shaivism and Shakti by some traditions of Shaktism.

Bhakti as a process of yoga (Bhakti yoga) is described in detail famously within the Bhagavad Gita, wherein it is given as the ultimate form of religious expression, for which all other dharmas should be abandoned and also in other texts such as the Narada Bhakti Sutra.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik i/Bhakti

Answered at 7:44 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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What is "Suddha-bhakti"'?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 5:45 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

"Suddha-bhakti"' is a Sanskrit term used in Hinduism meaning "pure devotional service" to God. A person who has attained this level of devotional service to God is known as a suddha-bhakta. A suddha-bhakta is described as having no other desires besides the desire to serve God. In the bhakti traditions, it is a term of great significance; in these traditions, becoming a suddha-bhakta is actually seen as the goal of all human life, and a crucial step in attaining Moksha or salvation. In this respect, a parallel may be made between the concept of attaining suddha-bhakti in bhakti and the concept of attaining nirvana in Buddhism, as both require a refusal of worldly desires and a pure state of mind.

In bhakti traditions, a guru or spiritual teacher is required to be a suddha-bhakta in order to take responsibility for the karma of his disciples, and possibly help his disciples become suddha-bhaktas in the future.
http://en.wikipedia.o rg/wiki/Suddha-bhakti

Answered at 5:48 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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What magic the sound of Krishna's basuri had?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 5:22 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

Sri Krishna's Basuri is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha. It is intimately associated with Krishna's Rasa lila; the tunes on his flute are poetically associated with driving the women of Braj mad.

Answered at 5:25 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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What other name Krishna's Basuri is known by?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 5:29 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

The venu (Sanskrit: वेणु; veṇu) Krishna's muscical instrument, is a bamboo transverse flute used in the Carnatic music of South India. Although it is often called Carnatic flute or simply flute in English, venu is the instrument's ancient Sanskrit name. It is also called by various other names in the languages of South India, including pullanguzhal (in both Tamil and Malayalam), and koLalu in Kannada. It is known as venu in Telugu (Andhra Pradesh).
http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/Venu

Answered at 5:32 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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Can you explain Rasa lila?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 5:34 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

The Rasa lila (Hindi: रास लीला) or Rasa dance is part of the traditional story of Krishna described in Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and literature such as the Gita Govinda, where he dances with Radha and her sakhis.

The term, rasa means 'emotion' or 'performance' and lila is a concept from Hinduism, which roughly translates to "play (lila) of the dance (rasa)," or more broadly as "Dance of Divine Love".

Answered at 5:36 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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What do the Bhagavata Purana say about Rasa lila ?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 5:40 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

The rasa lila takes place one night when the gopis of Vrindavan, upon hearing the sound of Krishna's flute, sneak away from their households and families to the forest to dance with Krishna throughout the night, which Krishna supernaturally stretches to the length of one Night of Brahma, a Hindu unit of time lasting approximately 4.32 billion years. In the Krishna Bhakti traditions, the rasa-lila is considered to be one of the highest and most esoteric of Krishna's pastimes. In these traditions, romantic love between human beings in the material world is seen as merely a diminished, illusionary reflection of the soul’s original, ecstatic spiritual love for Krishna, God, in the spiritual world.

In the Bhagavata Purana it is stated that whoever faithfully hears or describes the Rasa lila attains Krishna's pure loving devotion (Suddha-bhakti).
http://en.wi kipedia.org/wiki/Ras_Lila_(dan ce)

Answered at 5:41 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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Which is the Goddess of Disease ?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 10:15 PM on December 01, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

Mariamman was the smallpox goddess before this disease was eradicated. Now she cures all so-called heat-based diseases like pox and rashes. During the summer months in South India (March to June), people walk miles carrying pots of water mixed with turmeric and neem leaves to ward off illnesses like the measles and chicken pox. In this form, goddess Māri is very similar to Sitala Devi[1], her counterpart in North India and the orisha Babalu Aye of the Yoruba tradition.
http://en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Mariamman

Answered at 10:16 PM on December 01, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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Which is the most favoured offering of Mariamman?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 10:27 PM on December 01, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

People also pray to Mariamman for progeny, a good spouse, etc. The most favoured offering is "pongal", a mix of rice and green gram, cooked mostly in the temple complex, or shrine itself, in terracotta pots using firewood.

Some festivals in honor of goddess Māri involve processions carrying lights. In the night, the devotees carry oil lamps in procession, which is a beautiful sight.

Answered at 10:27 PM on December 01, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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What is Sri Krishna's muscical instrument called?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 5:16 AM on December 02, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

Krishna's flute is called Bansuri. Krishna is traditionally considered a master of the instrument.

Answered at 5:19 AM on December 02, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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How was the origin of Mariamman?

Asked by Lakshmi s in Puja & Rituals at 10:12 PM on December 01, 2008

Tingtong's Answer

Māri originated as an ancient village goddess related to fertility and rain. In Tamil, māri means rain. This goddess was a local deity, connected to a specific location, close to a specific tree, a rock or a special spot, mostly in rural areas. Another theory regarding origin of the name arises from the fact that mari in Tamil also means change. Thus, the name Maria Amman would mean goddess who has changed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w iki/Mariamman

Answered at 10:13 PM on December 01, 2008 | Read Comments [0]

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