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The desecration of Vrindavan:
"..a shocking real-life assault, an act of violence so enormous it’s like a thousand Notre Dame fires or great sequioa tree fallings concentrated into one tiny space all at once; and worse, this is no accident but a cold, cruel, deliberate act."
"..a shocking real-life assault, an act of violence so enormous it’s like a thousand Notre Dame fires or great sequioa tree fallings concentrated into one tiny space all at once; and worse, this is no accident but a cold, cruel, deliberate act."
The sister of the US Presidential aspirant Mrs. Tulsi Gabbard is names Vrindavan Gabbard.
Tulsi Vrindavan is a sacred structure in Hindu households, which houses the sacred Basil (Tulsi) plant, which is the Sthala Vriksha of the house viewed as a temple.
Tulsi Vrindavan is a sacred structure in Hindu households, which houses the sacred Basil (Tulsi) plant, which is the Sthala Vriksha of the house viewed as a temple.
This idea of a Vrindavan is probably unclear for western readers. Hindus recognize the most sacred element of the universe as the life-giving force of a tree (Aśvattha) which is recreated as the residing tree (Sthala Vriksha) in a temple.
Tulsi Vrindavan is that in every house.
Tulsi Vrindavan is that in every house.
Hinduism sees the sacred as pervading everywhere “Īśāvāsyam Idam Sarvam”. But the sacred becomes manifest when it is molded, otherwise it remains hidden. Hindu ritual life is conducted in the house, so that also has a sacred dimension, which is represented by the Tulsi Vrindavan.
Attacking the Tulsi Vrindavan in a house is akin to destroying the central element of Hindu sacred life. The Vrindavan of a Guru like Vyāsateertha is comparable to the Tulsi plant of the whole house of Vaishnavas in the world. An attack on this is sacrilege of the highest order.
Who would so diabolical as to attack Vaishnavas, who are the most accepting communities in the world? Unlike other Hindu sects (e.g, Shāktas who worship Mother Nature directly), Vaishnavas (e.g, ISKCON organization) see no difficulty in accepting even monotheists as one with God.
A Vaishnava sees every form of worship as leading to Vishnu, that is Nārāyana (the Āyana/goal of Nara/man). When a Christian is Dharmic (when he protects all life-forms and doesn’t perform Adharma), a Vaishnava would consider his image of Jesus Christ as a form of Nārāyana.
So this is really shocking that the Vrindavan of an extremely important Guru in the Vaishnava tradition, venerated by many global organizations including ISKCON, is so shockingly desecrated.
What is even more shocking is how little anybody cared in the world media.
What is even more shocking is how little anybody cared in the world media.
It is not just Mrs. Tulsi Gabbard, who would be adhering to the Vaishnava Sampradāya of Hinduism. Mahatma Gandhi was also a Vaishnava. The current Prime Minister of India, Mr.Modi follows a Vaishnava Guru and even tried popularizing “Vaishnav Jana To”.
An atheist would see the human violence in this world as due to conscious acts of people who aim to achieve certain material/political goals.
A Vaishnava would see this same violence as people unconsciously being used by forces beyond their comprehension.
A Vaishnava would see this same violence as people unconsciously being used by forces beyond their comprehension.
Lest people misunderstand, I want to qualify that Vaishnavas (Hindus generally) don’t believe in Satan, a complete embodiment of all evil.
No, according to Hinduism, evil results due to imbalance. The same understanding is in Āyurvēda, about the cause of a disease in the body.
No, according to Hinduism, evil results due to imbalance. The same understanding is in Āyurvēda, about the cause of a disease in the body.
