Q&A

Question Chapter-13, Verse-34: Why Lord Krishna says “… Sun alone lightens the whole universe …”? Answer It's just a case of translation Let's see what other commentaries contain Sri Ramanuja's commentary of the same verse: As the ‘one sun’ illumines ‘all this world’ by his radiance, so the ‘knower of the body’ illumines the entire Ksetra, i.e., the body, by Its own knowledge, within and without and from head to toe, by conceiving ‘This my body is of this nature....

Question Charm to promote hair growth Atharva veda Answer Here are the hymns of Atharvana Veda Book 6 pertaining to hair growth in Sanskrit, along with links to their English translations: Book 6 Hymn 21: A charm to strengthen hair and promote its growth imā́ yā́s tisráḥ pr̥tʰivī́s tā́sāṃ ha bʰū́mir uttamā́ | tā́sām ádʰi tvacó aháṃ bʰeṣajáṃ sám u jagrabʰam || śréṣṭʰam asi bʰeṣajā́nāṃ vásiṣṭʰaṃ vī́rudʰānām | sómo bʰága iva yā́meṣu devéṣu váruṇo yátʰā ||...

Question Why do we celebrate Maha shivratri festival? Answer Mahashivratri is the day, Lord Shiva was married to Godess Parvathi. Maha Shivaratri is celebrated on the Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi of Hindu calendar month Maagha as per Amavasya-ant month calculation. It is said that the benefits of powerful ancient Sanskrit mantras such as Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra increase greatly on this night. The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael leaves to Shiva, all-day fasting and an all-night-vigil (jagaran)....

Question What were the three good things Ravana thought to do? Answer Raavan thought to do the following 4 things: Making sea water drinkable Making Moon Scarless Building staircase from earth to heaven Making Fire smoke free. I heard these from many saints in satsangs. Sorry, I don't have many references but I am attaching this YouTube video link (starts from 7.31 min) of this brahmagyani saint. Note: “The question: What were the three good things Ravana thought to do?...

Question Do we have any details about the oldest idol of any Hindu God found anywhere in the world? Answer Before the Kali Yuga, idols were few and far between, because the Archa form of gods hadn't really been established yet. Still, there are many idols that date back to the periods of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. But there are other idols even older than those. Here are three contenders for the oldest idol:...

Question Vivekachudamani Of Adi Sankaracharya Answer This website provides three translations of the Vivekachudamani. And here is one more translation, in PDF format. As far as commentaries go, you can watch this series of lectures on YouTube, or you can listen to this audio commentary by Swami Paramarthananda. Note: “The question: Vivekachudamani Of Adi Sankaracharya” is licensed by Stack Exchange Inc (https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/); user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA.

Question Why does the soul fall prey to maya, when it resides in the body? Answer You are not in the body, you are only apparently in the body. There is no need for the Lord to do anything, you are already free. You cannot become something which you are not. If you were not already free, you could never become free. The Asthvakra Samhita (1.11) says - "A man who considers himself free is free indeed, a man who considers himself bound remains bound....

Question Understanding Bhagavad Gita 2.46, 2.47 Answer There are two paths open to every human being as expounded by the Vedas. One path is for those who want to reap the fruits of their actions, this is the path of the fathers. By rightful living one can gain wealth in this life as well as heaven after death. Krishna expounds on this path to Arjuna in verses 31-38. On this path, after reaping the fruits of the karma generated in heaven, one is born again in the world....

Question Is it possible to separate Soul from the body through Yoga Answer The answer to your question is: yes, it is possible to to separate the soul or jivatma from the body. Even one can enter another body through this process: When the bonds of the mind caused by action have been loosened, one may enter the body of another by knowledge of how the nerve-currents function. [PYS - 3....

Question What is difference between Aatma, Jeevatma and Paramatma? Answer Aatma Atma simply means one's true Self. This is the root or fundamental entity of anything or any being that is eternal, unchangeable, unmodifiable and so on. Atma can mean different things depending upon the context it is used. For living beings like us, atma means the soul about which Shri Krishna explains in the Gita using the following verses:...

Question Idol worship in Hinduism Answer No, it is not true. There are plenty of references in the religious texts regarding worshiping God through idols and images.For example, in this chapter of the Bhagavata Mahapuran Shri Krishna speaks about idol worship in brief: The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties — stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels. [SB - 11.27.12]...

Question What is called Adhibhuta (Matter)? Answer Adhibhuta simply means the material nature of which all matter and objects are made of. It is made up of the two words adhi and bhuta. Adhi signifies the excess or upper to something and here it means as the subtle upper nature of the bhutas or the bhutas as an whole entity. Bhuta means that which is created or which manifests or appears....

Question Difference between Samprajnata and Asamprajnata Samadhi? Answer In meditation there are two different states depending upon the consciousness of the yogi. That samadhi where the consciousness of the yogi retains his sense of I'ness, that is, his nature, personality, etc. remains is called as samprajnata samadhi. In it there remains analysis, deliberation, sense of the outer world, along with feeling of happiness. So the Patnatjali yoga sutra defines as thus:...

Question What year is it according to the Hindu Lunar Calendar? Answer First of all, there isn't really such a thing as "the Hindu calendar". Most Hindu calendars are based on the system described in the Surya Siddhanta, an ancient astronomical treatise, but then subsequently a lot of regional variations on the Surya Siddhanta system developed. Still, most Hindu calendars are lunisolar, in the sense that they have lunar months and sidereal solar days....

Question Was Polyandry allowed prior to Mahabharata? Answer In general Polyandry was allowed, but it may not be in a "marriage" form (e.g. Draupadi's case). However the women were much more liberal prior to MahAbhArata. Even during Kuru race's time, certain regions were liberal towards women's sexuality. Refer this answer. "... I want to know whether this story is correct" Yes. From Adi Parva - SAmbhava Parva: O thou of eyes like lotus-petals, the present virtuous practice hath been established by that Swetaketu from anger....