Vaishnavite, Shaivate Or Shakta?

[Dustypuppy]

Which of these main paths do you feel most affiliated with?x

[Toby Stimpson]

I think, in my development I went from a mostly Shakta based idealogy (coming out of wiccan goddess worship into Kali worship) to an evolved sort of view of Shivite. I think in my further development I have coem to recognize and appreciate the limitations of sectarian boundaries...and have fully embvraced a loose Adaitya Smartism as first pushed forward by the philospher Adi Shankaracharya...worshipped through a Shaivite framework. I am constntly evolving though...but I do know that I wouldnt follow a Bhakti Vaishnvaism based on what I personally feel. Although in the end really as with all things...I dont think sectarian boundaries matter really. I am a Hindu, I am a pagan, I am a Buddhist...to recreate those famous words by Gandhi..."I am a Hindu, I ama Christian, I am a Muslim..."

Namaste :)

Tobias

[Dustypuppy]

yeah, totally agree, with regards to the consorts of the various deities such as Parvati, Saraswati and Lakshmi, each one affiliated with a particular deity in the trinity, Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu respectively, and most are worshipped in this way, do you know of any who mix and match, say worship Vishnu and Parvati or Shiva and Lakshmi?As in theory the various Goddeses would still provide shakti for the male Gods to operate regardless of which form is taken, or is this unknown of?x

[Toby Stimpson]

yeah, totally agree, with regards to the consorts of the various deities such as Parvati, Saraswati and Lakshmi, each one affiliated with a particular deity in the trinity, Shiva, Brahma and Vishnu respectively, and most are worshipped in this way, do you know of any who mix and match, say worship Vishnu and Parvati or Shiva and Lakshmi?As in theory the various Goddeses would still provide shakti for the male Gods to operate regardless of which form is taken, or is this unknown of?x

Well, I dont know of any off hand who do that. I wouldnt necessarily do that becasue well I would find it disrespectful to the whole mythos. That doesnt mean soembody couldnt...like there are definitly those who worship all the gods, and thsoe are non sectarian Hindus. I think in my own development Ive gravitated more towards those deities related to Shaktism and Shivism...but that deosnt stop soembody from worshipping the err lets say the Trinity of wealth: Ganesh, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. I think when it coesm to mixing and matching Saraswati with Shiva, or Brahma with lakshmi...I mean Im not sure what tos ay really. On one hand I might say no becasue the idea of shakti is that those godesses soemhow represent a certain part of the universal symbol that those gods represent. But I tend to disagree with the shakti idea...atleast in that regard as soemwhat heterogeneric. I do think however that in worshipping certaing Gods...for example worshipping lakshmi for wealth, ganesh to begin with, and lets say murugan for protection...would work becasue you are worshipping these Gods as individuals. BNut it really is whatever you prefer and feel :).

Namaste

Tobias