Category Archives: Ishvara

Vishvarupa and the Probability Waves

by Aranyakananda The title of this post is not my fictional band’s name. It is about a theory put forth in a very unique book I’ve just finished reading, called “The Yoga of Time Travel” by Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D. … Continue reading

Posted in agnosticism, agnostics, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Bhagavad-Gita, book review, books, Brahman, consciousness, Creation, current events, detachment, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, ego, Gita, God, Hinduism, Ishvara, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, life, meditation, Narayana, New Age, New Thought, non-dualism, opinion, Paramahansa Yogananda, philosophy, physics, quantum physics, quotes, reincarnation, sci-fi, science, science fiction, spirituality, Swami Kriyananda, Uncategorized, Western Hinduism, yoga, Yoga Sutras, Yogananda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“The” “Man” “Upstairs”

by Aranyakananda Most serious seekers of the Divine long ago left behind the idea that God is a an Old Man in the Sky. Yet we still, at least in the predominantly Christian world, often hear the expression “The Man … Continue reading

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, American Hindus, Aum, avatars, Brahman, chakras, Comparitive Religion, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Consciousness, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, faith, famous quotes, God, Hanuman, Heaven, Hinduism, Humanism, inspiration, Ishvara, Krishna, Lord Hanuman, Maya, meditation, myth, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, polytheism, prayer, religion, Sanatana Dharma, self-realization, spirituality, Uncategorized, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Home Mandir Complexification

by Aranyakananda Over the years, we’ve collected a small bucketful of pennies that we never are in the mood to take to the bank and cash in. You either have to roll them up and take them in, or take … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, current events, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, God, gratitude, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, inspiration, Ishvara, Lakshmi, philosophy, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Shakti, Shaktism, Smartism, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, yajna | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’ve Never Been So Happy To See A Dead Bird In My Life

by Aranyakananda Whilst on a little saunter that I took this morning, I rolled down the sidewalk, on the street where I live. I happened to glance into the street and saw what appeared to be a crow (?) but … Continue reading

Posted in afterlife, ahimsa, American Hindus, Aum, auto-biography, autobiography, Comparitive Religion, current events, dharma, Dharma religions, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, God, healing, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, inspiration, Ishvara, Kali, mantras, meditation, Narayana, philosophy, prayer, reincarnation, religion, religious conversion, Saivism, Sanatana Dharma, Shaivism, Shiva, Smartism, spirituality, transmigration, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, wheelchair, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Multi-Tasking Media Murtis

by Aranyakananda You know what really grinds my gears? Has anyone noticed the sharp increase in advertisements in magazines and online wherein multi-tasking is illustrated by a human form with multiple arms each holding a different object? Does it look … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Brahma, Comparitive Religion, creativity, current events, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, faith, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, Hanuman, Hinduism, India, Indian culture, inspiration, Ishvara, Islam, Kali, Krishna, Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Muslim, Narayana, opinion, Rama, religion, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Shaivism, Shakti, Shaktism, Shiva, social commentary, spirituality, Trimurti, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mandir 2.0

by Aranyakananda By the end of July, my wife and I intend to be moved to a new apartment. The one we decided on is one that we looked at a few years ago. Intriguingly it happens to sit directly … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, bhakti, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, guru, Hanuman, Hindu Scriptures, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, inspiration, Ishvara, Kalki Avatar, Krishna, Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman, love, marriage, meditation, Narayana, Paramahansa Yogananda, poojas, prayer, pujas, religion, Sanatana Dharma, spirituality, Swami V, Swami Vidyadhishananda, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, yoga, Yogananda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sri Vaisnavism, etc.

by Aranyakananda There are four main sects of Vaisnavism. A good bit of what I covered in my recent “Vaisnavaganza” series related to the Gaudiya Vaisnavism of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, which is an off-shoot of the Brahma Sampradaya of Madhva. … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, bhakti, Bhaktivedanta, Brahman, Buddhism, Comparitive Religion, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, dualism, duality, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, God, Hare Krishna, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, History, inspiration, Ishvara, ISKCON, Krishna, Lakshmi, Maya, monotheism, myth, Narayana, non-dualism, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, Prabhupada, Puranas, religion, religious conversion, Saivism, Sanatana Dharma, Shaivism, spirituality, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Vaisnavaganza: Chaitanya Mahaprabhu/Radha Krishna

by Aranyakananda Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a reincarnation of Krishna, not considered a direct avatar of Vishnu, but for all intents and purposes, the very same, I would say. Since at the end of my last post I touched on the … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, bhakti, Bhaktivedanta, biography, Brahman, Eastern Philosophy, Gita, God, Hare Krishna, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, hippies, History, Indian culture, inspiration, Ishvara, ISKCON, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness, love, Mahamantra, marriage, Maya, meaning of life, meditation, monotheism, opinion, philosophy, Prabhupada, Radha, reincarnation, religion, spirituality, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Vaisnavaganza: Beyond the Dashavatar – the 14 Other Avatars of Vishnu

by Aranyakananda The commonly accepted list of Avatars of Vishnu includes 9, with the tenth, Kalki yet to come. This list of ten is called Dashavatar. But the Bhagavata Purana and other scriptures list 14 more avatars of Vishnu, for … Continue reading

Posted in American Hindus, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Ayurveda, Bhagavad-Gita, bhakti, biography, Brahma, Brahman, Buddha, Buddhism, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, Eastern Philosophy, faith, Gita, God, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, History, holidays, India, Indian culture, inspiration, Ishvara, ISKCON, Jainism, jnana yoga, Kalki Avatar, karma yoga, Krishna, Kumbh Mela, Mahabharata, myth, Narayana, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, Puranas, religion, Samkhya philosophy, Sanatana Dharma, Sankhya, spirituality, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Trimurti, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vedanta, Vedas, Vegetarian, Vegetarianism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus, work, yoga | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

If God Had a Face

by Aranyakananda When I was in my teens, I recall once sitting in my family’s living room where the telly was tuned into MTV, and Joan Osborne’s song “One of Us” was playing. I recall telling my mom that I … Continue reading

Posted in Abrahamic faiths, agnosticism, agnostics, avatars, Avatars of Vishnu, Brahma, Brahman, Buddha, Buddhism, dharma, Dharmic Faiths, Divine Consciousness, Eastern Philosophy, editorial, ego, faith, famous quotes, Ganesh, Ganesha, God, guru, Hanuman, Hindu Sects, Hinduism, idolatry, inspiration, Ishvara, Kalki Avatar, Krishna, Lakshmi, Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama, Mahavatar Babaji, Maya, monotheism, myth, Narayana, opinion, philosophy, pluralism, Rama, religion, Sai Baba, Sanatana Dharma, Saraswati, Sathya Sai Baba, Shaivism, Shakti, Shiva, spirituality, Trimurti, Uncategorized, Vaishnavism, Vishnu, Western Hinduism, White Hindus | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments