Author: Tapas Mukherjee

(Photo: Amal Biswas)

Ever wondered why Hindu Gods and Goddesses have multiple heads, limbs and eyes?

Word as a vehicle of expression of thought is a powerful instrument – but its adequacy is limited to the phenomenal world. That is why an individual’s personal spiritual realization is inexpressible in its totality.

Mythology is an offshoot of this inefficacy of word while dealing with celestial events. The saintly scholar in Hinduism is seized with the problem of adequately narrating a superhuman extraordinary event, and tends to exaggerate. He needs to respond to his inner clamor to bestow the highest glory to the Lord with love, respect and adoration.

This has inevitably resulted in the Hindu pantheon having Gods and Goddesses with multiple heads and hands, but then so do cosmic evil forces too. There is a deep philosophical significance in this.
– Guest blogger Tapas Mukherjee

The Personal God who is brought home shrinks the distance between heaven and earth. He becomes an exalted part of the family, sharing his Children’s joys and sorrows, exuding hope, providing inspiration and courage. Since concentration of mind is the main issue, the seeker focuses on the image to get beyond imagery.

A householder or a beginner vedantin’s journey may start from the matter to the abstract. Initially, he may take the aid of an image or an idol of a Personal God to engage himself in soul searching exercises. This involves cultivating the power of the mind and the intellect. The intellect is the scriptural “charioteer to control the senses that are restive horses.” Guest Blog on Spirituality

“If you punch a concrete wall with your fist, the wall hits you back with the same amount of force you had engaged in hitting it.

Your bad actions in this world will inevitably hit you back too; just as your good actions will ensure good consequences reflected either in ensuring unburdened living, or in ameliorating accumulated bad karma.” New guest blog on spirituality.