Dear Vice-President

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Dear Divya,

First of all, I would like to congratulate you on 1) faith to stand up for your own beliefs in front of your VP, and 2) courage to question the aspect that does not align with your values. These two qualities are quintessential for a seeker and I am glad you are endowed with both of them.

I also would like to empathize with your VP who does not have exposure to the Hindu school of thought and must have been quite confused and perhaps disgusted by the crude stories. So, this response is less for you and more directed to your VP.

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Dear Sir,

First of all, my heartiest welcome to you to our motherland. Namaste 🙏.With folded hands, I bow down to the divine in you and welcome you to our country and to our hearts. I hope you enjoyed the temple architecture, spicy Indian food, and interactions with Indian people.

I also thank you for raising the relevant questions about the temple story and folklore that did not make sense to you. I welcome those questions with open arms as the beauty of Sanatana Dharma is not based on acceptance or rejection of any story. I also hope that you have the patience as well as sharp and discriminative intellect to hear the response to the questions you raised. For one thing, I can promise you, that if you are endowed with these virtues, the Hindu school of thought will open the vistas and dimensions unknown to you and you will stand transformed.

The Legend of Kapaleeshwara Temple:

The meaning of kapaleeshwara: ” Kapala” means the skull and is used to represent the cosmic mind. “Ishvara” means ” the cosmic consciousness that has an ability to create, sustain, and destroy. So, the meaning of kapaleeshwara is the cosmic consciousness that resides in the cosmic mind and is manifested as creative intelligence in the human being.

(Although the human body dies, the activities we perform leave psychic imprints and are stored in the cosmic mind( kapala) eternally in seed form( mental seed form) and carried with us from lifetime to lifetime. Modern scientists recognize this part as the unconscious mind, as we come across an environment that triggers old imprints, they appear as subconscious minds to us. ). The human body has a psychic center that Hindus ever as “Crown Chakra” which is considered the seat of this cosmic intelligence in the human body.

The Symbolism of Peacock Story:

Ancient Hindus observed nature very closely, they were in communion with the elements of nature. They seek divinity in everything and everywhere for they knew the divine alone resides everywhere. Have you ever seen the peacock dancing, sir? I can assure you getting in lost in their beauty. They are also very intelligent and adaptable animals. Also, the feathers of peacocks have millions of beautiful eye-shaped patterns. So, The peacock in Indian mythology represents Divine Love, cosmic intelligence, and immortality.

The story of shiva and shakti tells that this cosmic intelligence can be used as downward energy in creating bonds of relationships to cage you in mortality when one gets distracted from his oneness with the Cosmic Source( Shiva). This is the curse in itself. The same energy can be used to forge a divine bond with a cosmic source( worshipping shiva) and will lead you to immortality.

The Lingam:

Many ignorant people consider “Lingam” as a symbol of the phallus. This is a grave mistake and is the reflection of our own perverted minds. Lingam means mark that reminds of the Omnipotent Lord, which is formless.

A Shiva Linga consists of three parts, the lowest of which is called the ‘Brahma-Pitha,’ the middle one, the ‘Vishnu-Pitha’ and the uppermost one, the ‘Shiva-Pitha.’ The lowest part shows ” the existence and evolution of the creation. You can relate it to nature that evolved out of the big bang and appear in front of us. The middle part shows the sustenance of all the knowledge, emotions, genes, etc. that sustains the various forms of creation. 

Above this is a “Yoni” part that is considered the womb of the universe. All the creation and sustenance are manifesting in this cosmic womb called the cosmic universe, the creation and maintenance are happening as the cosmic intelligence is flowing downwards towards the ten senses and mind.

The highest part(which is mistaken mostly as the upward phallus) represents the inward turning of the various energies flowing out from cosmic intelligence to the one primal source( Pure Consciousness). The downward flow cause evolution and now, the upward flow of the same creative energy will lead to involution. The merger with the Supreme Lord, The Pure Consciousness. Here, the shakti( vital force) meets the Shiva( Pure consciousness).

Questions from the VP:

“ Guys, I hope you don’t mind me saying this – but how do you tolerate such atrocious behavior from your Gods? I mean, who kills their son and who curses their wife for being distracted and makes them pray for years! Why did this Goddess not divorce her husband ?? She had the option of 150 million others to choose from assuming ( half of 330 million assuming  gods and goddesses are equal in number) !” How come you all still call this God merciful and compassionate? Would you be okay if it were to happen to your family ?”

Answer: Dear Sir, We do not mind you asking this question as our foundation is very liberal and we encourage asking questions. In fact, ours is one of the very few faiths that encourage sincere questions to dispel doubts. But to understand the Hindu school of thought, one has to start gradually so that layers around folklores are unveiled.

The way to understand the Hindu school of thought is:

1. Establishing connection and reverence for various elements in the universe. Unless you establish a connection with someone, you can not understand anything. One can judge, speculate, and analyze but understand they can not. Why? Because judging, speculation, and analysis require intellect, the function of which is to divide. But Understanding needs opening up of heart that comes only by establishing a connection. The way to perform this in Hindusim is by worshiping various elements. Wherever Lord resides, the very element is divine and that I worship and bow down to so that I can behold the glory of the divine everywhere.
2. Once you have established a connection with someone, you want to know more about it. It is a natural progression even in worldly life. So, the next step is to understand the Hindu school of thought. We have Six major philosophies that constitute the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma and you are free to choose anyone of them or all of them. Yes, you heard it right, sir! Sanatana Dharma gives you flexibility and freedom to choose the thought process based on your mindset and temperament.
3.  Instead of stories making up the philosophy, we have six various philosophies that constitute bedrocks and all the stories are seen in the light of our underlying philosophies. Only when you have completed the first and second steps, the stories of Puranas will come alive to you, and will see the inner meaning.

So, I welcome you Sir to take a deep dive into the world of Vedas, Yajnas, Upanishads, and beyond so that you will be able to behold the beauty and glory of the Sanatana Dharma. Sounds Interesting? Wonderful, a new realm is open to you now that will lead to your own true nature, The Christ Consciousness. If you do not have time, patience, and intelligence to go through these scriptures, I would urge you to subscribe for os. me where our beloved master, Om Swami will make you understand the same thing in a very easy-to-read manner.

On the other hand, if you do not have any curiosity and inclination to understand the eastern thought process, then I am sorry to inform you that time and again you will hear the same crude stories that will not make sense to your rational mind.

Loads of love and affection,

Swati