Thursday, February 26, 2009

About so many religions !

Q: Why are there so many religions? Does it mean that the newest is the best?
Sri Sri: There are many religions, but one truth. Why don’t you ask me why there are so many types of vegetables & flowers? Don’t think that the latest religion is the best. Oldest is as good as new. In fact, in Vedic Hindu Sanatan, it’s a way of life. They accept all. What happened thousands of years ago, people heard & what they heard became Vedas. So, 1,000 Rishis,whatever they heard & compiled all became Vedas. Vedas have all the latest Knowlegde in it. You know, the Rishi who came to Bali, was Markandeya Rishi.
All Balinese are descendants of Markandeya Rishi. There is a beautiful story about Markandeya. His parents prayed to God to get a son for them- a good , bright, brilliant son, they got a dream that God asks them what type of son you want?Very bright, intelligent, but his like will be only 16 years. Or you want a bad, ruthless, disobedient son whose life will be 100 years- you choose.Parents, even though 16 years lifetime said we want a good son. So the parents were worried. He was such a brilliant boy. On the 16th birthday, they were nervous. The boy prayed to Lord Shiva. When he was about to be taken away by the God of Death, Shiva came & said, “No, you will live longer.”
So,devotion, prayer could change laws of Karma. So this is when the Mahamrityunjaya mantra was chanted by Markandeya which is very famous even today. There are lots of stories with Markandeya.
There is a whole Purana. So, after several years in India, he came out to Indonesia & settled in Bali. That’s the story. More than 10,000 years ago. He was even before Sri Rama who was 7,000 years ago. Sri Krishna was 5,000 years ago. Markandeya also wrote the “Durga Saptasati” In India, Chandi, Durga chanting is all written by Markandeya.

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