Q&A

Question Is there an Orthodox Hinduism? Answer Today all most all of Hinduism is Orthodox. Due to the classification of Buddhism and Jainism as separate religion they are no longer treated as part of Hinduism. Hence, as what is left in Hinduism is being primarily based on the Vedas (the revealed scriptures) all of Hinduism is orthodox. The definition of unorthodox in Hinduism is Veda neendako nâstikaha. That is, the school of thought that doesn't accept authority of the Vedas is unorthodox....

Question ## Is ’nama japa without bhava’ automatically converts into ’namajapa with bhava'? Some sadhanas in sanathan dharma automatically promote sadhaka to the next levels. If a sadhaka shows perseverance and consistency in sadhana, there are more chances for automatic upliftment. I want to know whether the same holds for Nama Japa. It is known that nama Japa does not need initiation and has almost no rules like mantra Japa or many other sadhanas....

Question What are the major sects of Hinduism? Answer Hinduism has many sects. It depends upon what perspective you are considering it from. It all starts from the Vedas. However, Vedas being not consistent in their philosophies, different schools of thought emerged in India either by accepting or rejecting the authority of the Vedas. Those schools of thought which accept its authority are part of Hinduism and known as sad darshana (six philosophies) and the others became separate religion like Buddhism, Jainism, etc....

Question Does rebirth or reincarnation occur in Hinduism? Answer Does it occur? Yes, it does. As per Bhagavad Gita: jātasya hi dhruvo mṛtyur dhruvaṁ janma mṛtasya ca [BG- 2.27] - Death is certain after birth and birth is certain after death. Will everyone be reborn? No, not every one will reborn. One who attains liberation (merges in the absolute or attains God) will not reborn. So the Gita says: mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate [BG - 8....

Question Why are menstruating women (at least in the Brahmin community) asked to be separate from the family for three days? Answer Menstruation is considered to be "muci," or impure. For many brahminical families, temple worship and puja were their primary occupations. One cannot worship the Deity or perform rituals if one is unclean. The concern was that women would contaminate the offerings prepared. Manu-smriti / Discourse V - Sources of Evil / Section IX - Other forms of Impurity...

Question Were Aryans the forefathers of Hindus? Answer Preface: this answer is hugely lacking in details, which I hope to add later. For more detailed and evidence-based views on the matter, consider consulting the following discussions: What are the latest publications demolishing the Aryan invasion/migration theory? at History.SE (note: there aren't many, aside from some confusion about the genetic evidence as it currently stands) Why is Dravidian history ignored? at History....

Question Are drugs allowed in Hinduism? Answer Is taking alcohol really allowed in Hinduism, or people forgot what were the teachings There is no "commandment" regarding use of drugs or alcohol. It is considered bad for socio-cultural reasons than religious reasons in most cases. Many Hindu schools/teachings "recommend" (not mandate) consumption of Sattivic food to maintain Sattva guna. Alcohol and drugs are known to induce Rajas & Tamas Guna and hence are to be avoided if one seeks Sattvik qualities....

Question Are there angels in Hinduism? Answer There are also Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and other subtle beings mentioned in the Vedic literatures, which can likened to the Christian idea of angels. It really depends on what your perspective of "angels". If you're thinking of subtle beings flying in the sky with heavenly voices, those are Gandharvas. If you're implying beings with higher power who influence the universe and who have God-like powers, those are the demigods....

Question How should Hindus treat people of other religions? Answer Hindu Dharma is non-exclusive. I.e it does not claim it possesses the exclusive right to grant salvation/liberation. It recognizes that every path can lead to the truth. "ekam sat viprāḥ bahudhā vadanti" -Rig Veda (Book 1, Hymn 164, Verse 46) This means "The Truth is one; the sages talk of it in many ways." Hence Hindus should treat others with "...

Question Death vs. expiration in Hindu philosophy Answer I don't think that this has anything to do with Hindu conceptions of death. Rather, this is most likely a peculiarity of Indian English. In many varieties of English, expire is a somewhat archaic, euphemistic synonym for "die". However, in Indian English, this is merely a euphemistic synonym for "die", not an archaic one. Some dude has put together an Indian English → British(?...

Question Why do Hindus believe in cremation instead of burial? Answer Earlier answerers have given a sociological explanation for the cremation ritual, but I'll try to provide a purely theological explanation. In Hinduism, every jiva is made of five Mahabhootas, namely, Dhara (Earth), Nabh(Ether), Vayu(Air), Varuna(Water), Agni(Fire). After death, the body is supposed to disintegrate back into these many Mahabhoota. Hindus believe that souls after living in the body for so long time, get attached to the body and if left to rot on its own or buried, will linger in the vicinity....

Question Why is Krishna portrayed to be blue? Answer Krishna's color is quoted from scripture to be like the hue of newly formed rain clouds. See Brahma Samhita 5.30: veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam- barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi For the full word for word translation, see Bhaktivedanta VedaBase. An overall translation is below: I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids....

Question What is the origin of the word “Hindu”? Answer Hindus didn't call themselves Hindu. It was the name given by Islamic invaders. To them, everyone living beyond the river Sindhu were Hindus including Buddhists, Jains & animistic tribals. Sindhu becomes Hindu in Persian and Indus in English. And the land of these people beyond Sindhu was called Hindustan. To the native, i.e ancestors of today's Hindus, their religion was just called Dharma....

Question Do any texts explicitly forbid Hindus from eating beef? Answer Not just beef, eating any kind of meat is by default prohibited in Hinduism. Consider the following statements from the primary Hindu book of law: Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to (the attainment of) heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun (the use of) meat. [Manu Smriti - 5....

Question How can the ideology of Cārvāka exist within Hinduism? Answer There will always be two groups of people. One who will believe in afterlife, God, etc. (the theists) and the other who will not believe in afterlife, God, etc. (the atheists). The ideology of Cārvāka fills the atheistic position in Hinduism. However, the thing to note is that this school of thought being faulty has already lost its prominence being refuted by other theist schools of thought hundreds of years back....