Harimedia Forum

Thanks Hari, for that info. Decades of uncertainty have been helped by that great explanation. There's LOTS of information in that, but after reading through it once, I was wondering.....

I loved the part that said it would be "disharmonious" to think of Radha and Krishna as mother/father. I myself have always felt a real connection with Lord Shiva. So my question....what do you think about feeling a particular kinship with a certain Deity, eg. Shiva? What about the concept of ishta (don't know if I spelled it correctly?)? In other words, if Shiva is the deity of this universal energy, is that a lower concept as a personal ishta?

Hope you can understand my question.

Thank you for your appreciation.

Let me answer your question with a morsel to chew as food for thought!

One may have a familial relationship with your father, yet also respect him as a great man. One may be married to your lover, life-share, or friend, yet still be in awe of their capacity, their knowledge and their many wonderful qualities which you worship. One may be a friend to your teacher yet have deep respect and appreciation for their knowledge and skills. One may be the best buddy of a great public figure, yet be profoundly influenced by their gifts to others or their personal sacrifice.

One may similarly love Lord Siva as a member of your family, yet be in awe of his power, his strength, his even minded dealings, his unlimited capacity to act when he so desires and so on. I do not see it as a contradiction in any way. It demonstrates the diverse manifestation of personal consciousness amongst the powerful and influential beings in existence.

No person is only one thing, or one category. We are all a bit of this and that. We feel differently about people at different times and relate with them differently according to the mood, the time, the need of the moment, or our love.

"We feel differently about people at different times and relate with them differently according to the mood, the time, the need of the moment, or our love."

The above statement is very liberating for me, thanks for your reply.