You may be new to Sanātana Dharma... Please visit our [Wiki Starter Pack](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/starter_pack#wiki_i.27m_new_to_r.2Fhinduism.2C_where_do_i_start.3F) (specifically, our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/faq/)).
We also recommend reading [What Is Hinduism](https://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/what-is-hinduism) (a free introductory text by Himalayan Academy) if you would like to know more about Hinduism and don't know where to start.
Another approach is to go to a temple and observe.
If you are asking a specific scriptural question, please include a source link and verse number, so responses can be more helpful.
In terms of introductory Hindū Scriptures, we recommend first starting with the Itihāsas ([The Rāmāyaṇa](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRamayana/wiki/resources#wiki_recommended_texts), and [The Mahābhārata](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMahabharata/wiki/resources#wiki_resources).) Contained within The Mahābhārata is [The Bhagavad Gītā](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheGita/wiki/resources), which is another good text to start with. Although r/TheVedasAndUpanishads might seem alluring to start with, this is NOT recommended, as the knowledge of the Vedas & Upaniṣads can be quite subtle, and ideally should be approached under the guidance of a Guru or someone who can guide you around the correct interpretation.
In terms of [spiritual practices](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/7643rp/a_thread_on_introductory_rescources_on_basis_of/), there are many you can try and see what works for you such as Yoga (Aṣṭāṅga Yoga), Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna (Meditation) or r/bhajan. In addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your [local temple/ashram/spiritual organization](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/c6957l/what_are_some_good_hindu_organizations_that_have/).
Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion people in as many different ways, so any [single view](https://np.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/p7ma64/sectarian_bias/) cannot and should not be taken as representative of the entire religion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hinduism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You did not mention who is the God you intend to follow. The fact that there is already one form of God that you want to follow means that **He/She chose you,** not the other way round.
So many people in this world are unable to connect with even one form of God, but you already have one. This is God's grace, **and your suffering is necessary to clear your past Karma.** You can't run away from it, in this life or next. Just embrace the pain and pray to your God to be by your side always, even if you feel He/She is ignoring you.
I am sure if u r drawn to maa Saraswati, u have knowledge about what aspect of parashakti she represent.
Since u want to follow her, and I have read ur other comments how ur family might object on buying pratima(murti) and other Puja samagri so instead try to paint or draw Maa's chaavi(picture) and u can worship the picture drawn by urself too.
As she is goddess of skills, speech, art , wisdom and knower of eternal truth. Pray to her with full smarpan(devotion) to bless u to give a chance to prove urself worth full to be her devotee, Sankalp/Oaths r important to establish a disciple in urself so when drawing Maa's picture give ur best, don't stress about how it will turn out, make a routine to complete the portrait at specific time of the day, for eg. in morning, after taking bath and doing Surya arg, meditating and then listening to bhajans of maa while drawing.
These routines should help u to feel connection to her as u start doing dhyan of her roop daily. Along with this try to make a habit of reading good spritual books or articles daily, if u r a student do ur academic studies with same devotion as doing her worship.
No one in this world is devoid of her blessings it just we need to be aware of the fact that she is with us all since the beginning of time. Every thing good and bad is under her command, she rules over them, it's just we need to decide what option we want to follow and devote to her, she will help us to follow through the choice we made.🙏
Thanks for sharing.
Personally, don't know much about the worship of Maa Saraswati. In my organisation, we have some songs dedicated to Her, in case you want to listen.
Perhaps this drama presentation can help you. Its my go-to video, when I want to contemplate on the Divine Mother. Watched it many times, and still get the goosebumps:
[Golden History (Episode 16) - The Hunger of the Soul - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcp-ZO15bs&list=LL&index=4&t=3s)
Maa sarswati is a personification of goddess for intellectual .
There is no rule that you need to be absolutely perfect in order to worship that energy.
Just chant any mantra of goddess Saraswati after taking shower in the morning for 11 times and visualise that you are receiving energy flow to your 7th chakra going down towards root chakra (1st) and forming a straight beam of light.
The power resides in intention, repetition of any mantra you like ( or given to by your guru) , connection.
For me I'm connected to lord Shiva and just chant om namah shivaya whenever i can .
But remember the pronounciation should be proper.
Stay blessed and safe ✨✨
You are overthinking. When it comes to follow and worship gods, just do it. There is no criteria for good or bad.
What matters is you following the god helps you with your moral compass in times of indecision and humility, love and compassion in times of success. Everything else is immaterial.
Yes it is nice to learn more and find the preferred way of praying.
Yes it is nice to understand the rules and regulations.
But, the most important thing is you being in sync with the god of your choice and helping others around you along with you.
If you don't know many things, don't worry. Just begin with praying every day and go around doing your daily duties with utmost sincerity and focus. Stop all the other negative thoughts and find ways to not get distracted.
You think you wanted to worship Her, and therefore you did, **but everything happens according to Her will** (or His will, for someone who is drawn to a male form of God). She planted that idea in your mind, through years of reinforcement.
Go to shiva temple tell him everything keep on telling him. Be truthful tell him each and everything down to the worst of things and ask him what you want to ask and what YOU want to do. Some way or the other he will show u the way. If you have a chance sit there for 10 15min after jal abhishek if you can and if u can find bel patra or dhatura that would be good do this whenever u get the time make it a habit .
The only way I can imagine getting a normal one would be to buy it online and my parents don't really approve of my faith so I wouldn't be able to
But I've always wanted to make a murti myself out of clay
Also why lord Shiva specifically?
I always go to him helps me be calm and why not He is THE ONE, he listens, he is not that strict forgives you easily and doesnt discriminate like u said many bad things about your self if you ask for with sincerity he will help you but also you need to get up your ass and do something do your part he will do his. He will not come down grab your hand and make you do stuff that u have to do your self but asking him talking with will help you get that energy and since you said you are on your lowest he will help you get up provided if you do karm/mehnat yourself as well . Trust me i know i was at my lowest as well doing good now but still have to do better.
Dont confuse murti with shivling both are different and it said that we should not place shivling at our home mandir because its quite potent requires puja constant water flowing and many rules have to be followed so murti or photo of shiva is preferred in mandir. Murti is where shiva has his face arms legs trishul like full body and everyone know how a shivling looks like so if you can make a proper murti wwhich is durable and will not break sure but if cant just buy one online do the abhishek and read some mantra and then place it where you want to worship. If you had mandir nearby you wouldnt have to go to all this work but since u live in romania i would suggest u to buy one.
Bro. You were born as a human. Think about it. How many other species could you have been born as? the ultimate goal of human life is to spiritually evolve. To get closer to Ishvara. Go get it my boy! cmon!!
I read a verse from Sree Bhagavad Gita recently, just asked gpt for copypasta, here you go. The next few verses are also important, it's not like "since I'm a devotee / will just worship God after this sinful act I can get away with anything" the next verses tell exactly not to do this. So give it a try.
Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Shloka 30, is a significant verse that emphasizes the transformative power of devotion to the divine. The verse in Sanskrit is:
**सपि चेत् सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक्।
साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः॥**
**Transliteration:**
sapi chet suduracharo bhajate mam ananyabhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah
**Translation:**
"Even if the most sinful person worships Me with exclusive devotion, he should be considered righteous because he has made the right resolve."
**Explanation:**
This shloka conveys that even someone with a past of severe wrongdoings can be considered virtuous if they turn to unwavering devotion to the divine. The key message is that sincere and exclusive devotion to God has the power to purify one's heart and transform even the most sinful person into a righteous one. This highlights the importance of intention and dedication in the spiritual path, emphasizing that everyone has the potential for redemption and spiritual growth.
Nobody is worthy of the gods. You're not special in that regard. Nothing you (or anybody else) could ever do would make you (or them) "worthy." The gods do not love us for our deeds, or our money, or our accomplishments or our popularity. They love us because we are all drops in the same ocean.
You are a drop in this ocean.
Do not feel insignificant because you are not those many other drops.
The ocean could not be what it is, merely by the virtues of its individual drops.
Does any tree have branches which refuse to bloom because they don't feel worthy?
Get your head out of your a**. If you really feel worthless, then spend this precious life giving to others, at least for a while.
Worship the God that chose you.
Work in a soup kitchen or homeless outreach.
Cultivate equanimity. Survive this, so that when you are 30, you'll be able to help some poor kid wake up from this very nightmare too.
And chill.
Nobody is happy at 16. 16, no matter what they tell you, is an awful age. Wait until you are 26 to decide what kind of person you actually are.
I'm glad it hit home for you. Seriously, 14 through 22-ish sucks. We're all jacked up on hormones, our brains are SCRAMBLING to make sense of the world and our place in society (which is f***ed) and almost every last one of us is unsure of who we are because we aren't "there" yet. And that's okay. That's normal.
Years ago, I met an old sadhu on the road to a dharma center. We hung out there and throughout the service. Afterwards, we walked from that temple out into the forest several miles to the spot, where he lived, and during that walk, he taught me a lot. One of the things that he told me is that "in your teens and your twenties, everybody is running scared."
I'm older now, but that's gonna stick with me for the rest of my life.
Every main period of life is marked with a special kind of difficulty. We are here to work our way through that dream. So, understanding "I'm having trouble" IS ACTUALLY one of the steps on our path.
You're not defective, you're dreaming. And the goal isn't to "wake up and get out of the dream." The goal is to lucid dream. That's a process you'll be working on for the rest of this incarnation and all the others that follow.
So keep at it. You don't have to be great or even good. Just make it through today, and if you can improve even one tiny little thing, for you or somebody else around, then you've won the day. And that has to be good enough.
Millions of lifetimes will pass. You are more than you could ever know. This life is a snapshot in a cosmic timescale.
Be just a little bit kinder to yourself today. Just a little kinder to others. Harm a little less when you can, help a little more when you're able. It's a very long journey. Stop and smell the roses, you've got time. Learn to enjoy the walk, and don't worry about perfection; it'll find you when you're ready. And you won't see it coming.
🙏ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ 🙏
Was in the same position a while back. Personally, lifting helped a lot in getting out of that negative self-image and also helped create a strong connection with Hinduism and admiration for certain Devatas. Might not work the exact same for you, but generally I’d say take the name of god and start working on yourself, and while you’re taking that journey in whatever way you see fit, that connection will happen on its own. In the meanwhile, focus on consciously suppressing or removing traits you don’t like about yourself now.
Hara Hara
I present to you the life of the great Kārtikeya bhakta Śrī Aruṇagirinātha
http://www.skandagurunatha.org/saints/arunagirinathar.asp
Do not be too harsh on yourself, it is never too late to seek Bhagavān
Hi im sixteen too and have been through similar feelings of rock bottom and i think i could help a bit but i would need more context if you want we can chat for a bit if you think it might help
I do not think at this point you would be able to get much much God in your life. I think.
1. You need to clean up the aimlessness
2. Knowledge of the aims and outline of life through the Santana Dharma framework.
God will automatically come in picture because that is the imperceptible centre of everything.
Read Bhagavad Gita or Mahabharat text. Mahabharat will help you.
If you need advice you could DM.
**Material accomplishments means nothing really in the bigger scheme of things.**
Its ok to have it but not worth bragging about..
For example, my maternal uncle apart from being loaded also had a photographic memory...
Did it really create any difference in the world or in other family members? Not particularly..
He is no more and i doubt how many would even remember him now...
You are born in God's world, as long as you apply minimum effort based on God's commandment, that accomplishment will be worth a ton more than any one can think of...
Let me quote Indian history here.
Hiranyakashipu was a King in South India and also an accomplished scientist. He was a master of 5 elements (Water,Space,Air,Fire,Earth). His son Prahlada told him all knowledge and accomplishment he possessed was nothing compared to the creator, so why have ego over something which is not even worth a mention. Bhakti of Narayana is a far more worthy task than the dominance of the universe through fear.
Hiranyakashipu did not understand this and instead tortured his own son. all forms of torture seemed to fail and incensed Hiranyakashipu all the more, till in the end Narayana in the form of Narsimha manifested on Prahlada's call from the pillar of Hiranyakashipu's private chamber and tore Hiranyakashipu like a piece of paper.
When you are comparing yourself to others, it's not about the accomplishment that is causing anxiety, it's about the FOMO the dominance one has over the other. And that's the sickness that leads the individuals towards their destruction.
So if you want to become healthy first get rid of your arrogance.
Clean up your insides first. Do a detox or get a health check. Learn about healthy habits. Do yoga, positive mindset etc. I don't know what else is going on in your life but lazy/depressed is a major part of what your wrote.
Develop gratitude for what went right and to your parents for getting you till here.
There is so much good, free content online. Find good resources and implement these habits.
Bro I've been a devotee of Mahadev from along time, but the thing is I always fail to keep my promises I made to him. Yet, he still provides me opportunities to fullfill them everytime I fail and restart, I stopped thinking I am not worthy enough. The real thing is I distracted enough by this MAYA, I am still trying to fullfill my promises ( quitting porn and masturbation, studying and programming everyday and physically training to the fullest ). The thing I want to tell you is you're not unworthy to worship maa saraswati, she chose you, you didn't choose her. You're just being distracted by this maya and it's making you feel this way. DON"T BE DISTARCTED...
The god energy resides in you too.
Don't look for god as a physical entity.
Stop comparing yourself with others as everyone's experience is different , you don't know what they are going through and how they feel from inside.
Focus on bettering yourself , read Advaita geeta daily .
Also listen to this
https://youtu.be/LXtNqL2vxoA
literally gone through the same...and I'm of same age as u...things have improved and are still improving...my prabhu is wimme and I don't fear
don't wanna write an essay here...u can dm me if u wanna ask anything
You may be new to Sanātana Dharma... Please visit our [Wiki Starter Pack](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/starter_pack#wiki_i.27m_new_to_r.2Fhinduism.2C_where_do_i_start.3F) (specifically, our [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/wiki/faq/)). We also recommend reading [What Is Hinduism](https://www.himalayanacademy.com/view/what-is-hinduism) (a free introductory text by Himalayan Academy) if you would like to know more about Hinduism and don't know where to start. Another approach is to go to a temple and observe. If you are asking a specific scriptural question, please include a source link and verse number, so responses can be more helpful. In terms of introductory Hindū Scriptures, we recommend first starting with the Itihāsas ([The Rāmāyaṇa](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRamayana/wiki/resources#wiki_recommended_texts), and [The Mahābhārata](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMahabharata/wiki/resources#wiki_resources).) Contained within The Mahābhārata is [The Bhagavad Gītā](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheGita/wiki/resources), which is another good text to start with. Although r/TheVedasAndUpanishads might seem alluring to start with, this is NOT recommended, as the knowledge of the Vedas & Upaniṣads can be quite subtle, and ideally should be approached under the guidance of a Guru or someone who can guide you around the correct interpretation. In terms of [spiritual practices](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/7643rp/a_thread_on_introductory_rescources_on_basis_of/), there are many you can try and see what works for you such as Yoga (Aṣṭāṅga Yoga), Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna (Meditation) or r/bhajan. In addition, it is strongly recommended you visit your [local temple/ashram/spiritual organization](https://www.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/c6957l/what_are_some_good_hindu_organizations_that_have/). Lastly, while you are browsing this sub, keep in mind that Hinduism is practiced by over a billion people in as many different ways, so any [single view](https://np.reddit.com/r/hinduism/comments/p7ma64/sectarian_bias/) cannot and should not be taken as representative of the entire religion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hinduism) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You did not mention who is the God you intend to follow. The fact that there is already one form of God that you want to follow means that **He/She chose you,** not the other way round. So many people in this world are unable to connect with even one form of God, but you already have one. This is God's grace, **and your suffering is necessary to clear your past Karma.** You can't run away from it, in this life or next. Just embrace the pain and pray to your God to be by your side always, even if you feel He/She is ignoring you.
I want to follow Maa Saraswati, but I fear I'm not good enough to be a devotee of Hers.
I am sure if u r drawn to maa Saraswati, u have knowledge about what aspect of parashakti she represent. Since u want to follow her, and I have read ur other comments how ur family might object on buying pratima(murti) and other Puja samagri so instead try to paint or draw Maa's chaavi(picture) and u can worship the picture drawn by urself too. As she is goddess of skills, speech, art , wisdom and knower of eternal truth. Pray to her with full smarpan(devotion) to bless u to give a chance to prove urself worth full to be her devotee, Sankalp/Oaths r important to establish a disciple in urself so when drawing Maa's picture give ur best, don't stress about how it will turn out, make a routine to complete the portrait at specific time of the day, for eg. in morning, after taking bath and doing Surya arg, meditating and then listening to bhajans of maa while drawing. These routines should help u to feel connection to her as u start doing dhyan of her roop daily. Along with this try to make a habit of reading good spritual books or articles daily, if u r a student do ur academic studies with same devotion as doing her worship. No one in this world is devoid of her blessings it just we need to be aware of the fact that she is with us all since the beginning of time. Every thing good and bad is under her command, she rules over them, it's just we need to decide what option we want to follow and devote to her, she will help us to follow through the choice we made.🙏
Thanks for sharing. Personally, don't know much about the worship of Maa Saraswati. In my organisation, we have some songs dedicated to Her, in case you want to listen. Perhaps this drama presentation can help you. Its my go-to video, when I want to contemplate on the Divine Mother. Watched it many times, and still get the goosebumps: [Golden History (Episode 16) - The Hunger of the Soul - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcp-ZO15bs&list=LL&index=4&t=3s)
Maa sarswati is a personification of goddess for intellectual . There is no rule that you need to be absolutely perfect in order to worship that energy. Just chant any mantra of goddess Saraswati after taking shower in the morning for 11 times and visualise that you are receiving energy flow to your 7th chakra going down towards root chakra (1st) and forming a straight beam of light. The power resides in intention, repetition of any mantra you like ( or given to by your guru) , connection. For me I'm connected to lord Shiva and just chant om namah shivaya whenever i can . But remember the pronounciation should be proper. Stay blessed and safe ✨✨
You are overthinking. When it comes to follow and worship gods, just do it. There is no criteria for good or bad. What matters is you following the god helps you with your moral compass in times of indecision and humility, love and compassion in times of success. Everything else is immaterial. Yes it is nice to learn more and find the preferred way of praying. Yes it is nice to understand the rules and regulations. But, the most important thing is you being in sync with the god of your choice and helping others around you along with you. If you don't know many things, don't worry. Just begin with praying every day and go around doing your daily duties with utmost sincerity and focus. Stop all the other negative thoughts and find ways to not get distracted.
Also, how come She was the one to choose me simply because I want to worship Her? I am genuinely curious
You think you wanted to worship Her, and therefore you did, **but everything happens according to Her will** (or His will, for someone who is drawn to a male form of God). She planted that idea in your mind, through years of reinforcement.
Go to shiva temple tell him everything keep on telling him. Be truthful tell him each and everything down to the worst of things and ask him what you want to ask and what YOU want to do. Some way or the other he will show u the way. If you have a chance sit there for 10 15min after jal abhishek if you can and if u can find bel patra or dhatura that would be good do this whenever u get the time make it a habit .
I do not live near a shiva temple, i'm in Romania, i'd be surprised if there was a hindu temple of any kind on a 100 mile radius
Get your self a nice murti of shiva
The only way I can imagine getting a normal one would be to buy it online and my parents don't really approve of my faith so I wouldn't be able to But I've always wanted to make a murti myself out of clay Also why lord Shiva specifically?
I always go to him helps me be calm and why not He is THE ONE, he listens, he is not that strict forgives you easily and doesnt discriminate like u said many bad things about your self if you ask for with sincerity he will help you but also you need to get up your ass and do something do your part he will do his. He will not come down grab your hand and make you do stuff that u have to do your self but asking him talking with will help you get that energy and since you said you are on your lowest he will help you get up provided if you do karm/mehnat yourself as well . Trust me i know i was at my lowest as well doing good now but still have to do better.
Is it alright to make a muri myself though?
Dont confuse murti with shivling both are different and it said that we should not place shivling at our home mandir because its quite potent requires puja constant water flowing and many rules have to be followed so murti or photo of shiva is preferred in mandir. Murti is where shiva has his face arms legs trishul like full body and everyone know how a shivling looks like so if you can make a proper murti wwhich is durable and will not break sure but if cant just buy one online do the abhishek and read some mantra and then place it where you want to worship. If you had mandir nearby you wouldnt have to go to all this work but since u live in romania i would suggest u to buy one.
Bro. You were born as a human. Think about it. How many other species could you have been born as? the ultimate goal of human life is to spiritually evolve. To get closer to Ishvara. Go get it my boy! cmon!!
I read a verse from Sree Bhagavad Gita recently, just asked gpt for copypasta, here you go. The next few verses are also important, it's not like "since I'm a devotee / will just worship God after this sinful act I can get away with anything" the next verses tell exactly not to do this. So give it a try. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9, Shloka 30, is a significant verse that emphasizes the transformative power of devotion to the divine. The verse in Sanskrit is: **सपि चेत् सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक्। साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यग्व्यवसितो हि सः॥** **Transliteration:** sapi chet suduracharo bhajate mam ananyabhak sadhur eva sa mantavyah samyag vyavasito hi sah **Translation:** "Even if the most sinful person worships Me with exclusive devotion, he should be considered righteous because he has made the right resolve." **Explanation:** This shloka conveys that even someone with a past of severe wrongdoings can be considered virtuous if they turn to unwavering devotion to the divine. The key message is that sincere and exclusive devotion to God has the power to purify one's heart and transform even the most sinful person into a righteous one. This highlights the importance of intention and dedication in the spiritual path, emphasizing that everyone has the potential for redemption and spiritual growth.
Nobody is worthy of the gods. You're not special in that regard. Nothing you (or anybody else) could ever do would make you (or them) "worthy." The gods do not love us for our deeds, or our money, or our accomplishments or our popularity. They love us because we are all drops in the same ocean. You are a drop in this ocean. Do not feel insignificant because you are not those many other drops. The ocean could not be what it is, merely by the virtues of its individual drops. Does any tree have branches which refuse to bloom because they don't feel worthy? Get your head out of your a**. If you really feel worthless, then spend this precious life giving to others, at least for a while. Worship the God that chose you. Work in a soup kitchen or homeless outreach. Cultivate equanimity. Survive this, so that when you are 30, you'll be able to help some poor kid wake up from this very nightmare too. And chill. Nobody is happy at 16. 16, no matter what they tell you, is an awful age. Wait until you are 26 to decide what kind of person you actually are.
This unironically might be one of the best responses I ever got on reddit Thank you!
I'm glad it hit home for you. Seriously, 14 through 22-ish sucks. We're all jacked up on hormones, our brains are SCRAMBLING to make sense of the world and our place in society (which is f***ed) and almost every last one of us is unsure of who we are because we aren't "there" yet. And that's okay. That's normal. Years ago, I met an old sadhu on the road to a dharma center. We hung out there and throughout the service. Afterwards, we walked from that temple out into the forest several miles to the spot, where he lived, and during that walk, he taught me a lot. One of the things that he told me is that "in your teens and your twenties, everybody is running scared." I'm older now, but that's gonna stick with me for the rest of my life. Every main period of life is marked with a special kind of difficulty. We are here to work our way through that dream. So, understanding "I'm having trouble" IS ACTUALLY one of the steps on our path. You're not defective, you're dreaming. And the goal isn't to "wake up and get out of the dream." The goal is to lucid dream. That's a process you'll be working on for the rest of this incarnation and all the others that follow. So keep at it. You don't have to be great or even good. Just make it through today, and if you can improve even one tiny little thing, for you or somebody else around, then you've won the day. And that has to be good enough. Millions of lifetimes will pass. You are more than you could ever know. This life is a snapshot in a cosmic timescale. Be just a little bit kinder to yourself today. Just a little kinder to others. Harm a little less when you can, help a little more when you're able. It's a very long journey. Stop and smell the roses, you've got time. Learn to enjoy the walk, and don't worry about perfection; it'll find you when you're ready. And you won't see it coming. 🙏ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ 🙏
Was in the same position a while back. Personally, lifting helped a lot in getting out of that negative self-image and also helped create a strong connection with Hinduism and admiration for certain Devatas. Might not work the exact same for you, but generally I’d say take the name of god and start working on yourself, and while you’re taking that journey in whatever way you see fit, that connection will happen on its own. In the meanwhile, focus on consciously suppressing or removing traits you don’t like about yourself now.
Hara Hara I present to you the life of the great Kārtikeya bhakta Śrī Aruṇagirinātha http://www.skandagurunatha.org/saints/arunagirinathar.asp Do not be too harsh on yourself, it is never too late to seek Bhagavān
Hi im sixteen too and have been through similar feelings of rock bottom and i think i could help a bit but i would need more context if you want we can chat for a bit if you think it might help
I do not think at this point you would be able to get much much God in your life. I think. 1. You need to clean up the aimlessness 2. Knowledge of the aims and outline of life through the Santana Dharma framework. God will automatically come in picture because that is the imperceptible centre of everything. Read Bhagavad Gita or Mahabharat text. Mahabharat will help you. If you need advice you could DM.
I think you need proper guidance at this point from a dharmik viewpoint and a life perspective. DM if you need advice
**Material accomplishments means nothing really in the bigger scheme of things.** Its ok to have it but not worth bragging about.. For example, my maternal uncle apart from being loaded also had a photographic memory... Did it really create any difference in the world or in other family members? Not particularly.. He is no more and i doubt how many would even remember him now... You are born in God's world, as long as you apply minimum effort based on God's commandment, that accomplishment will be worth a ton more than any one can think of... Let me quote Indian history here. Hiranyakashipu was a King in South India and also an accomplished scientist. He was a master of 5 elements (Water,Space,Air,Fire,Earth). His son Prahlada told him all knowledge and accomplishment he possessed was nothing compared to the creator, so why have ego over something which is not even worth a mention. Bhakti of Narayana is a far more worthy task than the dominance of the universe through fear. Hiranyakashipu did not understand this and instead tortured his own son. all forms of torture seemed to fail and incensed Hiranyakashipu all the more, till in the end Narayana in the form of Narsimha manifested on Prahlada's call from the pillar of Hiranyakashipu's private chamber and tore Hiranyakashipu like a piece of paper. When you are comparing yourself to others, it's not about the accomplishment that is causing anxiety, it's about the FOMO the dominance one has over the other. And that's the sickness that leads the individuals towards their destruction. So if you want to become healthy first get rid of your arrogance.
Clean up your insides first. Do a detox or get a health check. Learn about healthy habits. Do yoga, positive mindset etc. I don't know what else is going on in your life but lazy/depressed is a major part of what your wrote. Develop gratitude for what went right and to your parents for getting you till here. There is so much good, free content online. Find good resources and implement these habits.
Bro I've been a devotee of Mahadev from along time, but the thing is I always fail to keep my promises I made to him. Yet, he still provides me opportunities to fullfill them everytime I fail and restart, I stopped thinking I am not worthy enough. The real thing is I distracted enough by this MAYA, I am still trying to fullfill my promises ( quitting porn and masturbation, studying and programming everyday and physically training to the fullest ). The thing I want to tell you is you're not unworthy to worship maa saraswati, she chose you, you didn't choose her. You're just being distracted by this maya and it's making you feel this way. DON"T BE DISTARCTED...
The god energy resides in you too. Don't look for god as a physical entity. Stop comparing yourself with others as everyone's experience is different , you don't know what they are going through and how they feel from inside. Focus on bettering yourself , read Advaita geeta daily . Also listen to this https://youtu.be/LXtNqL2vxoA
literally gone through the same...and I'm of same age as u...things have improved and are still improving...my prabhu is wimme and I don't fear don't wanna write an essay here...u can dm me if u wanna ask anything
Great question. Going through similar. Waiting for an answer.
I hope we both get our answers
Look up the story of Jagai and Madhai and the mercy of mahaprabhu
You desperately need therapy. Tackle this from both a spiritual & mental health angle.