Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!news.daionet.gr.jp!news.yamada.gr.jp!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!news1.optus.net.au!optus!news.optus.net.au!53ab2750!not-for-mail From: "STORIES AND MYTHS OF HEAVEN AND HELL " Newsgroups: fj.life.religion Distribution: Global Subject: STORIES AND MYTHS OF HEAVEN AND HELL === KzZY7qY9s X-Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: 220.240.202.21 Message-ID: <4142bcbd@news.comindico.com.au> X-Original-Trace: 11 Sep 2004 18:52:13 +1000, 220.240.202.21 Lines: 287 Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 08:52:13 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 203.194.27.1 X-Complaints-To: abuse@comindico.com.au X-Trace: news.optus.net.au 1094892733 203.194.27.1 (Sat, 11 Sep 2004 18:52:13 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 18:52:13 EST Organization: Comindico Australia - reports relating to abuse should be sent to abuse@comindico.com.au Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.religion:474 STORIES AND MYTHS OF HEAVEN AND HELL ------------------------------------ "The idea that one can get spiritual liberation through torturing the body, is not correct. God is internal; what has He to do with anything external? Standing in water for days, standing on one foot for months, raising one hand or both hands heavenwards and standing like that for a long time, burying oneself in the earth for days -- all these things are simply meaningless. They no doubt call for great physical power and a great capacity of endurance -- but many people undertake heavy physical labour; don't even animals work very hard? Will all such people and animals get liberation? It is not correct. One cannot get to God through such physical hardship. Neither can one get to Him through religious sacrificial rituals. Were this possible, it would be very easy for the rich to find God! And the poor could never get near to Him! These things are all meaningless, and represent a very backward stage of humanity." (DISCOURSES ON TANTRA VOLUME 2, THE DIALOGUES OF SHIVA AND PA'RVATII, June 1967, Srinagar) What of pilgrimage and sacred bathing? "'Here is a place of pilgrimage; if one takes a dip in this particular sacred pond (a spring, sometimes a hot spring, restricted to use in religious ritual) or in this particular river, one will acquire this much virtue -- all this is false.' If one can acquire virtue by taking a bath in the pong, then all the creatures in the water of the pond will also get to heaven. And all the ponds which you see nowadays at different places of pilgrimage are full of stinking water! Those who take a bath with such ideas are people dominated by the static principle." (DISCOURSES ON TANTRA VOLUME 2, THE DIALOGUES OF SHIVA AND PA'RVATII, July 1967, Delhi) And tales? "Shiva was depicted in the Puranic Age with Gaunga' tied to His matted locks of hair. Then a story was concocted in some Purana that the water discarded after washing the feet of Vis'n'u, flowed down from heaven, and Shiva supported the flow on His head; then this flow became the River Gaunga' [Ganges]. That is, Gaunga' the wife of Shiva became the River Gaunga'. Actually this River Gaunga' has no relation whatsoever to Shiva. The story continues that from Shiva's head the river flowed in four directions One of the flows went towards heaven and became known as Alaka'nanda; one went to the earth and became known as Bha'giirathii; the third one went to Pitrloka [Realm of the Ancestors] and became known as Manda'kinii; and the last one, flowing to the underworld, became known as Bhoga-vatii. These are mere tales of the Puranas." (DISCOURSES ON TANTRA VOLUME 1, The Pervasive Influence of Shiva, Namah Shiva'ya Sha'nta'ya, Discourse 4, 9 May 1982, Calcutta) Well, of course one can't believe any of this if you are a practical spiritual aspirant. Although, some truth may be found in the educative fiction. One could say: "I am a follower of Sada'shiva, the brilliance of whose divine presence outshines even the dazzling brilliance of the jewels of Kuvera's* treasury; whose unmatched dexterity in creation excels even that of the Creator God himself; whose unequalled love surpasses even that of the Dissolver himself; in whose loving shelter not only humans, but also animals and plants, feel absolutely secure." * The mythological treasurer of heaven. --Trans. (DISCOURSES ON TANTRA VOLUME 1, The Pervasive Influence of Shiva, Namah Shiva'ya Sha'nta'ya, Discourse 4, 9 May 1982, Calcutta) In this example, there is some inner sense to the value of a spiritual preceptor. "In this sense, the sphere of this sort of heaven transcends the crude aspects of heaven seen in many stories." (DISCOURSES ON TANTRA VOLUME 1, THE ACOUSTIC ROOTS OF THE INDO- ARYAN ALPHABET, Kha, 1984-1985, Calcutta) But one can't say: "People say that ambrosia is found in heaven; not so, it is the fruit of the mango tree." (SHABDHA CAYANIKA' PART 1, DISCOURSE 3, AUNKA TO AKS'A, Amrta, 29 September 1985, Calcutta) And regarding the concept of hell, psychologically educative fiction can be useful to describe mental conditions. For example, many stories convey something like: "That whose bottom is too deep to be found, or the colloquial meaning of a level down in the successive order of crudeness or to be considered the crudest is more descriptive of the worst kind of hell." (SHABDHA CAYANIKA' PART 1, DISCOURSE 3, AUNKA TO AKS'A Atala, 29 September 1985, Calcutta) Or a moral fable may conclude: "One can earn huge amounts of money and in the process I sell their humanity in exchange for a few gold coins. So the person goes hell- bound step by step, transforming oneself from a conscious human being into no better than an inert stone. With no remnant left of any common sense." (SHABDA CAYANIKÁ PART 2, DISCOURSE 9, UI TO ULUKA, Upadesha, 10 November 1985, Calcutta) This shows the degrading effects of about inflated-ego, self- aggrandizement and fame. It is said: "An inflated ego is like drinking wine, self--aggrandizement leads one into the deepest hell, and social status / fame is like the excrement of a pig. Give up all three of these and only sing the glories of the Lord. An inflated ego is no better than drinking wine. Self-aggrandizement is truly like deep hell - the lowest realm. One who suffers from a superiority complex is converted into stone -- he or she will be crudified to this extent.* This is the result of the feeling of a superiority complex. And social status is like the excrement of a pig. "I will be at the pinnacle of society and people will respect me" -- this sense is like a desire for the excrement of a pig. So give up these three mental ailments -- inflated ego, self- aggrandizement and social status / fame -- and then engage yourself in contemplation on the Lord." * Mental crudification is the actual phenomenon of which deep hell is the mythological representation. (DISCOURSES ON TANTRA VOLUME 2, THE DIALOGUES OF SHIVA AND PA'RVATII, July 1967, Delhi) But remember always, that God is impartial. "Microcosms (eg human beings), confined as they are within the relative factors, have very little controlling authority. The Macrocosm, however, is the controller of heaven and hell. It is worthwhile to mention here that the tendency of the human mind to degenerate towards matter in the path of negative evolution is called hell, and the movement of the unit mind towards the Supreme Non-attributional Stance in the flow of positive evolution is called heaven. A unit mind which accepts gold or silver as the goal of life gradually becomes transformed into gold or silver. The psychic waves, as a result of constant ideation are first transformed into the waves of gold or silver and finally into crude gold or silver itself as a result of inanimate absorption. Later on it is reborn as a gold or silver, and spends its days confined within the safe of a money-minded merchant! This undesirable situation is called life in hell. This type of degradation is not possible for creatures other than human beings, because they cannot perform original actions independently. With the development of intellect, and with the expansion of freedom in the field of action, human beings can either elevate themselves or degrade themselves. Prior to the attainment of this freedom they moved along the path of development in the flow of positive evolution. On acquiring this freedom, however, they have to make a tremendous effort to progress, or else they will certainly regress. Those people who move towards heaven or hell are not the controller of either. But the Macrocosm is the controller of both because the movement from hell to heaven is nothing but the direct result of the application of His divine energy." (MACROCOSM AND MICROCOSM -- 1, Paos'ii Pu'rn'ima' 1959, Darbhaga, Bihar, Subha's'ita Sam'graha Part 7) "The Supreme Consciousness - God - is unbiased. He is equal to everyone because He sees everyone in the same way. He sees an ant in the same way He sees a small mosquito. He understands an ant in the same way that He understands a mosquito. He doesn't make any undue fuss over a giant serpent (python or "elephant of the jungle") because of its great size. He sees a python or "elephant of the jungle" in the same way that He sees an ant or a mosquito, and they also see Him in that same way. Nor does He make any special fuss over this universe, the three worlds of heaven, earth and hell, because of their vastness, and they look at Him in this same way. In other words, everyone is equal to God -- a mosquito, an ant, a python, a mammoth, even the three worlds. He remains with everyone equally through His intimate / individual association and also pervasive / collective association. He is impartial under all conditions." (SHABDA CAYANIKÁ PART 2, DISCOURSE 9, UI TO ULUKA, Ui, 10 November 1985, Calcutta) To conclude, one can see the irrationality of heaven and hell in the extract from the story below: A certain Mr. Chamru Sao, another rich merchant, was organising a memorial ceremony for his deceased father. One day he happened to meet a famous Kashmiri pundit whom, it was rumoured, could find a place in heaven for even the worst sinner. Chamru Sao was quick to seize his opportunity. "Punditji," he said, "my illustrious father violated the moral code of conduct once or twice to make a little more money - times were hard, you know. I was wondering if you have any places left in heaven where he can remain in eternal peace. It would be very unfortunate if he was denied entry to heaven. I'd be put in a very embarrassing position if he returned to earth and checked the business accounts." "That service costs fifty asrafis (1)," said the pundit. "That seems to be a little excessive," said Chamru Sao. "Won't forty asrafis be enough, punditji?" "With forty asrafis," replied the pundit, "I can construct a palace for your father in heaven using a few mantras, but I can't provide any servants. He'll have to cook, wash the dishes, clean the beds and do all the other household chores himself. Won't that be too difficult for a frail old man?" "Well punditji," continued Chamru Sao after a pause, "what will I get for thirty asrafis?" "For thirty asrafis I can get your father into heaven but I can't promise a palace," relied the pundit. "And if I only give you twenty asrafis?" asked Chamru Sao. "Well, I'll probably be able to get him through the gates, but he'll have to travel to the centre of heaven by his own means." "And for ten asrafis?" persisted Chamru Sao. "Your father will have to wait outside the gates just like King Trishanku. (2)" "Fifty rupees ?" asked Chamru Sao "Fifty rupees!" exclaimed the pundit. "It's hardly worth contemplating." Khya't'anda's had overheard the entire conversation and felt duty- bound to free Chamru Sao from the evil influence of the pundit. "Chamru Sao you don't need to pay for the services of a pundit while I'm here. I'll get your father into heaven without asking for a single rupee. I'll perform your father's memorial ceremony and prove that it can be done. Be sure to invite the most distinguished guests, though." The memorial ceremony was well under way. Chamru Sao was in a jolly mood because his father was going to heaven and would never ask to see the business accounts again. "The auspicious moment has arrived," declared Khya't'anda's. "It's time for your father to go to heaven. Let me see what the conditions are like in heaven at the present time... My goodness, the place is an arid desert, there's not a tree in sight. Your father will die in the heat. Moreover there's nothing to eat. I can't see a single chocolate tree or cake tree. If he doesn't die of heat-stroke, starvation will certainly finish him off. Chamru Sao, are your accounts ready for inspection?" "Isn't there any other option?" asked Chamru Sao nervously. "There's always another option," said Khya't'anda's optimistically. "It shouldn't be difficult to find. Let me see... Ah, there's a desert of chickpea sweets about twelve miles north of the place where your father is waiting. If your father crosses the desert - but it won't be easy - he'll reach a mountain range of milk sweets as high as the snow-capped Himalayas. If he man ages to cross the treacherous mountain pass he'll see a vast ocean of milk to the west and another monotonous desert of chick pea sweets to the east. There's another snow-capped mountain range of milk-sweets beyond the desert and a cream lake beyond that. Would you like your father to travel east or west? It's up to you. But remember, being so old and frail he won't be able to walk that far. The only other way to travel around heaven is by chartered rocket. A single ticket costs fifty asrafis. I think it's your only option." Chamru Sao could hardly refuse to pay for his father's comfort in front of so many distinguished ladies and gentlemen. He handed over fifty asrafis to Khya't'anda's. "Will your father be able to climb into and out of the rocket himself, or should we send a young man along to assist him ?" asked Khya't'anda's. "Yes, we should definitely send along an assistant," agreed Chamru Sao. "So, we'll need another fifty asrafis for his ticket," said Khya't'anda's. Chamru Sao gave him another fifty asrafis. "Well, we can't send a ghost to heaven, can we? We'll have to send someone from earth who will have to return after his mission is over. That'll be an extra fifty asrafis for his tick et." Chamru Sao was obliged to hand over another fifty asrafis. 1. The asrafi is a gold coin that was legal tender in India in the nineteenth century. 2. See The Plight of King Trishanku. THE DESIRES OF KHYA'T'ANDA'S, Sarkar's Short Stories Part 1 from works of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti OOCFrBTjmecud