myth=mithya Book Review

Dr Devdutt Pattanaik  is a medical doctor by education , leadership consultant by profession and mythologist by passion. myth=mithya  is a compilation of stories and beliefs of hindu mythology. It has all the small and big epic incidents which are grandmother would have shared with us and also those which she refused to tell us.
Its a book which quotes incidents which led to common hindu beliefs. Its a must read for those who want to understand hindu mythology and understand the background of various rituals.

The Indian society is considered gender biased and patriarchal , I have known this and been a silent witness since long without knowing why is that so ? what led to this belief ? was it mere convenience ? This book answers this question , to accept and agree with the answer is a different thing but it definitely tells us the rationale of our ancestors behind the male favorism in Hinduism .

Since Childhood I have been a importance to the worshiping of Shiv Linga.Our  society is a very conservative one ; here  talking about sex  in a public forum is a taboo . Yet I am awed by the fact that Lord Shiva is worshiped in the from a Shiv Lingam - which signifies the union of him and his wife Goddess Parvati . The lingam is essentially nothing but a phallus. The book quotes incidents from the past which led to the worship of Lord Shiva in this form .

Mahabharata and Ramayana have a number of incidents where Pandavs /Krishna and Lord Ram won by following the "Jungle rule" . They followed such codes in war that are typically considered not a warriors code. However we do worship Lord Krishna and Lord Ram. In fact Lord Ram is quoted as "maryada purshottam" or the "Ideal man". I used to think from time to time that if these are the very examples by which we are to learn and live by, than the definition of right and wrong itself can be questioned. Dr. Devdutt has to some extent given the rational behind this  too.Many of us would not have given a thought behind a trivial thing like why the hair of goddess Parvati and Lakshmi are typically tied by strands of flowers whereas that of Durga and Kali are left open . The book explains this as well.

Though Dr Devdutt has reasonably tried to explain a number of Hindu beliefs yet he has never forced his views. He has quoted incidents in support of the belief and has left it to us to infer and decide upon it. This is the beauty of this book . The language is very simple and the focus is entirely on the mythological incidents and Hindu beliefs.A must read for those who want to understand a know a little more of Hindu mythology.

Who is a righteousness person - Kumbhakarna or Vibhishan

Guys this question has bedazzled me for a long time, I really want to know what all of you think about it . .

who do u think is a righteousness person - Kumbhakarna or Vibhishan ?

Vibhishan

Who tried to explain ravan the significance of RAM and SITA and hence was abandoned by Ravan . He found peace at the feet of Lord Rama , as he knew Lord Ram was right and his brother Ravana was wrong. He stood by truth over relations . His Dharma was truth .His loyalty was towards right/truth.

Kumbhakarna

Who knew Ravan was wrong, who told Ravan in face that ravans deeds were wrong yet he fought for Ravan and Lanka. He knew he was going to die yet he went to the battle field. He considered his prime duty to be being dutiful to his elder brother and his kingdom even if they are wrong .This was his Dharma to stand by them when they needed him even though he did not agree with Ravans deeds. His loyalty was towards duties imparted by virtue of birth .

Given this - now if you had to chose between Family/ Friends who are not right VS the Truth l what would you have done ? Imagine you are in the above situation whom would you have supported would you fought for Ravan your elder brother as your duty as a younger brother is to obey and respect him OR would you have supported Ram who is right conventionally yet is on a war with your Brothers and kingdom ?

God - Father or Friend

God - Bhagwan - Allah - Jesus , we know him by so many names. I am a strong believer of god and completely believe that he exists , but there are certain questions that keep puzzling me, god truly is mysterious. I have till now found two kinds of believer's of God, one who seeks a friend in the almighty and the other who finds the solace of a parent in him. I somehow don't agree with both completely.
I feel though God is as caring as a mother, as supportive as father, as loving as a friend, yet there are certain questions in my mind that forbid me to accept this completely. God does take care of us like we are his children , but doesn't it make us far from him, We don't tell everything to our parents do we, now those of you who disagree please think again , I am sure your parents do not know EVERYTHING about you, but God knows everything right. Our Parents do punish us for our wrong doings ,but they never do anything that leaves us disturbed for the entire lifetime.
I often question , innocent men being killed, women being raped and children being abused and the only justification I get is that people have to pay for their deeds ,if not in this birth then in the next but one has to pay. This seems logical and fair enough but it doesn't make god a Parent does it? If God was a parent then perhaps he would teach the villains of the society a lesson , but he would not have allowed his daughter get raped , his kids being abused.
This is also the reason why I do not think God is a friend , because friends are not judgmental , they accept us the way we are. the best of friends are those who not only accept each others positives but also their negatives. How can a friend allow his friend to be in pain , I personally will never be able to see my best friends in pain , if they are wrong I would perhaps help them realize their mistakes but would not punish them for sure.
From time immemorial , priests, Pundits, maulvis have shown us a fixed path to nirvana. There are fixed procedures in all the religions which is to be followed in order to please the almighty even at the cost of human pain and misery. Priceless lives are lost in the name of sacrifice. If God is either a parent or a Friend how can he be happy at such a sight. The plight of widows in India is pitiful, they are still expected to live a life without colors, and happiness. If God is a parent or Friend , why would he not bring happiness to their life?
Yes the reason which I would get is that they all are paying a price for their "Karma" - their deeds. Right but IF my children or best friend does something wrong I would rather forgive him then give him/her such a harsh punishment. No please do not think I don't believe in god, as I have already mentioned I have every reason to believe in his existence, but I am just digging out the various mysteries of God.
So if God is not a friend nor a parent then who actually is he?
I think god is just a divine power and we need not personify him and seek a friend or a parent in him.We should just believe in his existence and in Karma. I completely agree that it is our karma which decide our fate and God keeps a track of all our deeds the good ones and the bad ones. We live a life of choices which we have made .
The almighty simply gives us the courage to live the life we have been given, he is there to show us the right path, to help us get up when we fall down. He is there not as a friend nor as a Father but simply as a divine power, watching us all the time.

These is but my way of perceiving god. I believe that in whatever way way you look at god , he is there , always. Whichever path we take to reach out to the divine power is correct but only if it is not at the cost of someones happiness.
Our deeds are correct if it makes us happy at the end , but of course only if they do not hurt anyone.
So Stay happy and bring a smile to everyones face around you and life will be just fine.