#ARIAN Q&A 14 Is Marriage incompatible with Spirituality? Why marriage is necessary, in general, for life? What is its relevance in one's spiritual journey?

Is Marriage incompatible with Spirituality? Why marriage is necessary, in general, for life? What is its relevance in one's spiritual journey?

Many ancient spiritual traditions require their practitioners either to be celibates or join the ranks after their active married life. Hinduism perhaps is the only religion which had accepted marriage as one of the four stages of spiritual journey that a typical human life undergoes. Nevertheless, many religious texts still glorify the virtues of celibacy while pointing out negatives in married life, with few exceptions... One such exception is from Nature-loving poet-saint Sri Valluvar.

He declares in two couplets, "Married house-holder life is so essential for sustaining those in other three stages, namely bachelor-stage (brahmacharya), retired-stage (vaanaprasta), anchorite-stage (sanyaasa), and also poor and needy."  

Tell us your opinions.

Original (in Tamil):

41. இல்வாழ்வான் என்பான் இயல்புடைய மூவர்க்கும்
நல்லாற்றின் நின்ற துணை.
The ideal householder is he 41
Who aids the natural orders there.

42. துறந்தார்க்கும் துவ்வா தவர்க்கும் இறந்தார்க்கும்
இல்வாழ்வான் என்பான் துணை.
His help the monk and retired share, 42
And celibate students are his care.

- Kural by Sri Valluvar

- PHD

#ARIAN Q&A 14

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#ARIAN Q&A 11 Does God Experience Sorrow? If so, What may cause Him undergo that?

Does God Experience Sorrow? If so, What may cause Him undergo that?

A famous Tamil saint, Sri Manikka Vasagar says, in his highly devotional and philosophical poem, Siva Puraanam, in a paradoxical manner:

"[Lord] has neither happiness nor sorrow yet He experiences both as well;
He is the Most Beloved of His lover;
He is within everything and also without.
He is Light and also Darkness and has the Glory of being Unborn..."

Most of the people would not find it difficult in accepting that God is beyond happiness and sorrow, given His perceived remoteness in our daily lives. Also, accepting the idea that God experiences happiness is also fairly straight-forward as we have heard from many saints and scriptures that He is the source of Unending Bliss.

But, what about God experiencing pain and sorrow? Why did this saint mention so? What may cause sorrow to God? What do you think?

Original (in Tamil):

இன்பமும் துன்பமும் இல்லானே, உள்ளானே;
அன்பருக்கு அன்பனே; யாவையுமாய் அல்லையுமாய்,
சோதியனே துன்னிருளே; தோன்றாப் பெருமையனே... (70-72)

- Siva Puraanam (95 lines) - Saint Sri Manikka Vaasagar  (~9th century)

- PHD

#ARIAN Q&A 11

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#ARIAN Q&A 10 Where is astral world? What do you enjoy there?

Where is astral world? What do you enjoy there?

These questions came from a friend in another group upon reading my earlier post on "After enjoying his seemingly timeless years in the astral world, as deserved by him, he will be reborn in a family of pristinely virtuous or wealthy ones." (Bhagavad Gita 6-41)

Many of the interpretations of the astral world that I came across are naive, childish, or ridiculous... Some visualize it as spheres in the skies that only meritorious can go upon death, after judged by a Justice sitting on a throne. Many Indian movies portray heavens floating in misty smokes with characters with diadems and thrones as angels and demons, grossly based on Puranaas which are heavily laden with symbolism that only an enlightened few can decipher. Few extreme perverted cases even consider that heaven is where virgins are waiting to entertain the "martyrs"...

Given below is one explanation about the astral world from Autobiography of a Yogi by Sri Paramahansa Yogananda that was described in a manner that is largely acceptable, even if the reader may not completely believe in it...

I would like the readers to share if they had come across any other descriptions of the astral world...

The astral world is not necessarily located somewhere else within 3-Dimensional space... Here is an excerpt about Astral Cosmos (You can read more following the link given below):

"You have read in the scriptures," Master went on, "that God encased the human soul successively in three bodies-the idea, or causal, body; the subtle astral body, seat of man's mental and emotional natures; and the gross physical body. On earth a man is equipped with his physical senses. An astral being works with his consciousness and feelings and a body made of lifetrons. 43-2 A causal-bodied being remains in the blissful realm of ideas. My work is with those astral beings who are preparing to enter the causal world."

"Adorable Master, please tell me more about the astral cosmos." Though I had slightly relaxed my embrace at Sri Yukteswar's request, my arms were still around him. Treasure beyond all treasures, my guru who had laughed at death to reach me!

"There are many astral planets, teeming with astral beings," Master began. "The inhabitants use astral planes, or masses of light, to travel from one planet to another, faster than electricity and radioactive energies.

"The astral universe, made of various subtle vibrations of light and color, is hundreds of times larger than the material cosmos. The entire physical creation hangs like a little solid basket under the huge luminous balloon of the astral sphere. Just as many physical suns and stars roam in space, so there are also countless astral solar and stellar systems. Their planets have astral suns and moons, more beautiful than the physical ones. The astral luminaries resemble the aurora borealis-the sunny astral aurora being more dazzling than the mild-rayed moon-aurora. The astral day and night are longer than those of earth.

"The astral world is infinitely beautiful, clean, pure, and orderly. There are no dead planets or barren lands. The terrestrial blemishes- weeds, bacteria, insects, snakes-are absent. Unlike the variable climates and seasons of the earth, the astral planets maintain the even temperature of an eternal spring, with occasional luminous white snow and rain of many-colored lights. Astral planets abound in opal lakes and bright seas and rainbow rivers.

"The ordinary astral universe-not the subtler astral heaven of Hiranyaloka-is peopled with millions of astral beings who have come, more or less recently, from the earth, and also with myriads of fairies, mermaids, fishes, animals, goblins, gnomes, demigods and spirits, all residing on different astral planets in accordance with karmic qualifications. Various spheric mansions or vibratory regions are provided for good and evil spirits. Good ones can travel freely, but the evil spirits are confined to limited zones. In the same way that human beings live on the surface of the earth, worms inside the soil, fish in water, and birds in air, so astral beings of different grades are assigned to suitable vibratory quarters.

"Among the fallen dark angels expelled from other worlds, friction and war take place with lifetronic bombs or mental mantric 43-3 vibratory rays. These beings dwell in the gloom-drenched regions of the lower astral cosmos, working out their evil karma.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7452/7452-h/7452-h.htm#chap43


- PHD

#ARIAN Q&A 10

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