What Is Heaven And What Is Hell?

A super read and thought Provoking indeed.
There are over 52 ways of using the word HELL that gives off different meaning depending on the context . Hell with it. It is hellish in heaven too.

 

We have got many concept-karma, Free Will, swarga-naraka etc etc.We get totally confused .our doubts are well founded.We have seen many good people suffering and bad people enjoying.Even in Mahabharath all kauravas went to swarga and all pandavas except Yudhishtira were sent to Naraka.

This is a painful question pondered by many. The answer is rooted in free will. Many of the behaviors of evil people lead directly to success; the biggest liar and manipulator on the sales team will usually be the top salesperson, for example. The evil person develops skill in
seeing how to get the optimal outcome in every situation, and is willing to take whatever the actions are to get that most desirable outcome…
which is why they so often get there.

These people are NOT being blessed, they are reaping the “rewards” of their evil in the same way that a child cheating on a test gets a higher score… this is NOT the work of God, as He NEVER rewards evil.

But why does He even permit it? Free will.
We all believe in free
will, we want to have it, we believe everyone should have it… but we’re
naturally unhappy when evil people use it to achieve “surface success.”

If God were to block all evil behavior,and decide every act of every person to be good and nothing but good, we would not have free will
anymore; more to the point, if being good is all we can do, rather than
it being matter of choice, then we are not demonstrating any actual
virtue… and God wants us to CHOOSE right behavior in the same way that
He wants us to CHOOSE faith rather than being “programmed” to have it.

And what is our reward for making those choices rather than the evil
ones that lead so consistently to “surface success”? We have “true
success,” the only kind that matters; our deep connection to God.

Which would you rather have; “surface success” gained by evil acts, or a belated success
gained in a sincere path?
Don’t envy the evil people who have achieved “surface success”; PITY
them, because they have given up the only thing that matters, that thing that you and I are blessed with in abundance… closeness to the real purpose of life.

Swarga and naraka are stated to be only mental concepts though they have been such a magnanimous or terrific description in puranas to have nice impact on people of the outcome of good or bad.As good ethics and character were insisted upon, special emphasis was made on harsh punishments in Garuda Puranam.
There are many stories to emphasize that swarga and naraka are mere concepts.
There was a great virtuous man, all good and no evil at all. He had a good wife, nice children. He acted according to Dharma Sastras.
His life also was nearing end.He prayed to Lord brahma. Lord Brahma appeared before him.He said," O Brahma, I want to know about my next birth. I have not done any evil in this life.'Brahma said," That is a secret".
The man said," I don't want you to change. But I want to know where my next life would be. In my heart of hearts I would like to go to Swargam.

Brahma said" Ok. You will be born as a pig in the glutter of your backyard. Your right ear will be white."
So saying Brahma disappeared.
The man called his sons and told everything. If you find a small pig with a white right ear, pl kill that pig immediately.
So saying, the old man died.
After 6 months the pig in the glutter gave birth to 6 piglets, one of them had white right ear.
The sons identified,yet they didn't want to kill the young baby pig. However his father's request was pressing their mind. After 3 months they chased the pig. The pig was running and running.At last they caught the pig . The pig also had poorva janama vasana.The pig told the sons, I am very happy with my new parents and siblings and find the glutter very cosy, fragrant and comfortable. I am as happy as I were in Swarga. Perhaps God fulfilled my desire of being in swarga in this way.
The sons went off, forgot about everything as ordained.

Narada met brahma and asked, why this vituous man is born in this glutter.
Pat came the reply from Brahma,'There is no swarga or naraka. It is only a concept. See this pig. It finds the glutter very warm and comfortable.Swargas and Narakas are relative terms.

Personally these concepts have only academic value to me.Let us use the Free Will given by God in the best way possible and await the results.

JAYASALA 42


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Dear SLN Sir,

I have to agree with Smt. Jayasala madam's response above. Frankly speaking, the entire Sanata Dharma was only right living recommendations meaning the humans will have to choose whether they would like to adapt the principles of right living given in Vedas. Therefore, the humans are given a speciall right of free will which other species are not given. That is why being born as a human is described as hightest acchomplishment as it is the only specie that has the ability to achieve total bliss or continue to fulfill the worldly pleasures. Right living is a choice and it involves deep interest to get into the principles that are provided, assimilate and understand them, and then implement them in life. Frankly, we will see people who are atheists but have so many disciplines right living approaches built into their lives. Worshiping God alone doesn't bring value to one's life unless one practices some of God like qualities in their lives. The opportunity to be born as a human being itself is a gift and how to use that gift is man's prerogative. One could use 1000 lives to achieve bliss whereas one could achive the same result in one life.

The human beings make a mistake of measuring the good and bad things happening in one life without realizing that the life itself is an ongoing journey. Birth to Death is used to measure pleasure and pain which in my view, is wrong. Therefore, if one achieves complete bliss, it is heaven no matter how many lives it takes to get there. It is equivalent of 1 zillion times happiness of what humans experience as happiness in daily life. Shiksavalli in Taitrya Upanishad is interpreted by the learned people as follows:

1000 times Manaavaaananda (human happiness) = 1 Gandharavaananda
1000 times Gandharvaananda = 1 Daivaananda
1000 times Daivaananda = 1 Brihaspathiananda
1000 times Brihaspathiananda = 1 Prajapathiananda
1000 time Prajapathiananda = 1 Brahmananda (Bliss)

 

I read the following paasage from TAITREEYE upanishad in Tamil

பிரம்மத்தை அடைந்தால் ப்ரும்மானந்தம்.நமக்கு உடனே தோன்றும்'அப்படி என்றால் அதன் அளவுகோல் தான் என்ன. ஒரு லிட்டர் பால், ஒரு கிலோ அரிசி என்பது மாதிரி ஆனந்தத்துக்கு ஏதேனும் அளவு உண்டா?இந்த சந்தேஹம் நமக்கு உண்டாகும் என்று ப்ரும்மானந்தத்தைப் பற்றி எழுதியவர்களுக்கேundu
போல." நான் அளந்து சொல்கிறேன் என்று சொல்கிறது " தைத்ரிய உபநிஷத் .
ஒரு இளைஞன் இருக்கிறான்.தேக ஆரோக்கியம் , திட காத்திரம்,வேதா ஞானம்,உலக அறிவு,நல்ல ஒழுக்கம், அமைதி,அடக்கம் unit கூட அவனுக்கு நிறைய செல்வங்களும் வந்து சேருகின்றன என்று வைத்துக் கொண்டால்,அவன் எவ்வளவு ஆனந்தம் அடைவான்?அதை one unit of ஆனந்தம் என்று கொள்வோம்

இவன் அடையும் ஆனந்தத்தைப் போன்று 100 மடங்கு கொண்டது பூலோக கந்தர்வர்கள் அடையும் ஆனந்தம்.உத்தம செயல்களைச் செய்து கந்தர்வ பதவி அடைந்தவர்கள் இவர்கள் .
இதைப் போன்று 100 மடங்கு கொண்டது தேவ லோக கந்தர்வர்கள் பெரும் ஆனந்தம்.

இதைவிட 100 பங்கு பித்ருக்கள் படும் ஆனந்தம் .

இதைவிட 100 பங்கு தேவர்களின் ஆனந்தம்.
அதைவிட 100 பங்கு இந்திரனின் ஆனந்தம்.
இதைவிட 100 மடங்கு ப்ருஹச்பதியின் ஆனந்தம் .
இதைவிட 100 மடங்கு கொண்டது ப்ரும்மானந்தம்
இப்படி ஒரு கணக்கு சொல்கிறது அந்த உபநிஷத் எவ்வளவு
zero என்று போட்டுப் பார்த்தால் தலை சுற்றும்..
ப்ரும்மானந்தத்தை அனுபவிக்க வேண்டுமானால் முதலில் அந்த இளைஞனாக
மாற வேண்டும். பிறகு படிப்படியாக எல்லா நிலைகளையும் கடக்க வேண்டும் .-என்று எண்ண வேண்டாம்.
இந்த கணக்கைச் சொல்லும் உபநிஷதம் இன்னொரு ரஹசியத்தைச் சொல்கிறது. ஆசைகளே இல்லாதவன் ப்ரும்மானந்தத்தை அடைவான் என்று.எவ்வளவுக்கெவ்வளவு ஆசையை விடுகிறோமோ அவ்வளவு விரைவில்
ப்ரும்மானந்தா அனுபவம் நமக்காகக் காத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறது .

JAYASALA 42