Q&A

Question Is Hinduism a bit partial to Kshatriyas? Answer "Hinduism" (a dharma and it's not same as a religion) is not about any impermanent worldly systems/customs/relations e.g., the varna-system. It is ultimately about mukti i.e salvation, and before that, to lead a life of OM, by performing karma as per dharma, that rather is the most personal thing for each human being. The only things that are universal are the laws like that of karma, rebirth etc....

Question Sankalpam: Replacing terms like ‘Jambo dweepe’, ‘Bharata varshe’, etc Answer Yes, jambu dweepe, bharata varshe, dandakaranye, godavaryah dakshine teere, etc. denote the location. Here are two pages with substitutes for USA. https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110406091823AA7IX1K http://www.ammas.com/q&a/Sankalpa-Mantras-at-USA-vis-a-vis-as-at-India/q/176673 For the USA: Krouncha Dweepe: In the island called Krouncha Ramanaka Varshe: In the region called Ramanaka Varsha Aindra Khande: In the continent called Aindra Prasantha Saagare: Near the Pacific Ocean Pushkara Kshetre: In the locale known as Pushkara Rocky - mickelny Parvatayor Madhye: Between Rockey and Mickelny mountains Misissipi- Missouri Ityadhi Aneka Shodasa Jeeva Nadeenam sameepa stite: The place that is surrounded by such perenniel rivers like Mississipi, Missouri and 16 other rivers Here is a page with substitute for UK region....

Question Anshavatar and Purnavatar - are there different types of avatars? Answer I don't know whether there are concepts of Kalas or something like that in Avatars. The only place in Padma Purana which I have found compares Avatars as: Padma Purana Uttarkhanda Chapter 229 40-42. Thus the state of the inner-controllership of self consists in his being the innermost soul. Matsya, Kurma,Varaha, Nrisimha, Vamana, Rama, Parasurama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki are the ten incarnations of Brahman, the highest soul....

Question Do the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) cleanly map onto the 3 gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas)? Answer There are different perspectives. This is an advaita perspective (the belief that all Gods are One.) What are the three gunas The three gunas are: Tamas - this is the quality of laziness, darkness (ignorance) and inertia. Sri Swami Sivananda on tamas process Tamas is inertia or inaction or darkness. Tamas binds man to heedlessness (Pramada), laziness (Alasya) and sleep (Nidra)....

Question If God exists why doesn’t he want to be seen? Answer The Lord is all around you, but you cannot see God because you have since the instance of your birth been bombarded by your senses to perceive the world. Your senses have been bombarding you to see the outer world and not God. Your mind has been hypnotized into seeing this world alone, what is needed is to be de-hypnotized....

Question Are Thor and Indra the same? Answer Indra and Thor are different if we compare. Indra is the supreme god (King) of heaven, Thor is not the king of Valhalla. Indra has Vajra as his weapon made from the bones of the sage Dadhichi, where as Thor owns a different weapon. Indra is carried by Airavata (five-headed Divine Elephant), Thor does not have this. Common thing is that both are associated with thunder, lightning, storms so is Zeus in the Greek mythology....

Question Avoiding Lust in Hinduism? Answer What is the need of austerities if you have Love for God? What are the use of austerities if you have no Love for God? As Sri Ramakrishna ponted out; The farther you walk West, the farther away are you from the East. Walk towards God and the farther away you will be from lust. The more you worry about lust, the more it will consume you....

Question What are 16 shastras? Answer According to Prsthanabheda (प्रस्थानभेदः�) of Madhusudan Sarasvari, Quoted from Sanskrit Documents अथ सर्वेषां शास्त्राणां भगवत्येव तात्पर्यं साक्षात्परम्परया वेति समासेन तेषां प्रस्थानभेदोऽत्रोद्दिश्यते । तथा हि-ऋग्वेदो यजुर्वेदः सामवेदोऽथर्ववेद इति वेदाश्चत्वारः । शिक्षा कल्पो व्याकरणं निरुक्तं छन्दो ज्योतिषमिति वेदाङ्गानि षट् । पुराणन्यायमीमांसा धर्मशास्त्राणि चेति चत्वार्युपाङ्गानि । अत्रोपपुराणानामपि पुराणेऽन्तर्भावः । वैशेषिकशास्त्रस्य न्याये, वेदान्तशास्त्रस्य मीमांसायां, महाभारतरामायणयोः सांख्यपातञ्जलपाशुपतवैष्णवादीनां धर्मशास्त्रे, मिलित्वा चतुर्दश विद्याः । तथाचोक्तं याज्ञवल्क्येन (१।३) पुराणन्यायमीमांसाधर्मशास्त्राङ्गमिश्रिताः । वेदाः स्थानानि विद्यानां धर्मस्य च चतुर्दश ॥ इति । एता एव चतुर्भिरुपवेदैः सहिता अष्टादश विद्या भवन्ति । आयुर्वेदो धनुर्वेदो गन्धर्ववेदोऽर्थशास्त्रं चेति चत्वार उपवेदाः । सर्वेषां चाऽऽस्तिकानामेतावन्त्येव शास्त्रप्रस्थानानि । अन्येषामप्येकदेशिनामेतेष्वेवान्तर्भावात् ।...

Question What does our scripture say about marriage? Why should we marry? Answer What does our scripture say about marriage? As per manusmriti, there are four purposes of Hindu marriage To have progeny Sexual pleasure Performance of religious rites And through the above three, experience Bliss or Happiness Why should we marry? What Param Pujya Morari Bapu mentioned is the simplified truth to drive home a point for a larger society of people coming from different walks of life....

Question How to tell if your guru is god-realized? Answer Swami Vivekananda says in Bhakti Yoga that there are certain qualifications to be a teacher, just as there are qualifications to be a disciple. He mentions three qualifications for a teacher. He says (Complete Works, V3, Bhakti Yoga, Qualifications of the Aspirant and the Teacher - http://cwsv.belurmath.org/volume_3/vol_3_frame.htm): ...The teachers whose wisdom and truth shine like the light of the sun are the very greatest the world has known, and they are worshipped as God by the major portion of mankind....

Question Bhagavad Gita and views on other religions? Answer @Krishna's comment above to your question is right; the Gita was spoken long before any of the other great world religions were around. Krishna says (Gita IV. 7-8): Whenever there is a decline of dharma, O Bharata, and a rise of adharma, I incarnate Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of dharma, I am born in every age....

Question Is there a taboo about a younger groom marrying an elder bride? Any references where a younger groom marries an elder woman? Answer Yes, there is a scriptural basis for the restriction. Here is what Krishna says to Uddhava in the eleventh chapter of the Uddhava Gita of the Srimad Bhagavatam: One who desires to establish family life should marry a wife of his own caste, who is beyond reproach and younger in age....

Question Can it happen that the length of a man’s life somehow becomes reduced during a man’s lifetime, and so one has to die before he was destined initially? Answer Since I am not entirely satisfied with the answers and comments to my question I decided to compose the answer. Yes it can happen that the length of a man's life somehow becomes reduced during a man's lifetime, and so one has to die before he was destined initially....

Question Why is Vedanta called so and what is its relationship with Upanishads? Answer Vedanta means end of the Vedas, it is the cumulation of the Vedas. The Upanishads which teach the Vedanta are spread throughout different parts of different Vedas. Lord Sri Rama says in the Muktika Upanishad (Adhyaya I): O Hanuman, listen to Me. I shall truly describe to you the nature of the Vedanta. The Vedas were generated manifold through the exhalation of my breath as Vishnu....

Question Does anyone know the name of this Hindu deity? Answer Lord Narasimha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu with a Lion's face and a human body is worshipped across India. Here is a reference for the same. The serpent is Lord Adi Sesha or the divine thousand hooded snake, on whom Lord Vishnu rests. All the best. Note: “The question: Does anyone know the name of this Hindu deity?” is licensed by Stack Exchange Inc (https://hinduism....