Q&A

Question What was the true reason behind the practice of Child Marriage? Answer See similar question and reference from Manu Smriti Of the 8 types of marriage, the first and foremost is Brahma type, where groom's family comes searching for bride, and she is given as kanyadaan to a brahmachari who has completed gurukula and done samavartana. It is to be done "Pradanam prak rtoh:" - Before Rtu (menses) Marriage for girl is same as Upanayana for boy - they both have to surrender to someone at age 7 - 16 - boy surrenders to guru, girl surrenders to husband....

Question Which scriptures say that the Kings and Kshatriyas are allowed to hunt animals? Answer Bhishma says this to Yudhishthira in Mahabharata Book 13 of Anushasana parva Chapter CXVI http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b081.htm "Bhishma said, 'It is even so, O mighty-armed one, as thou sayest. There is nothing on earth that is superior to flesh in point of taste. There is nothing that is more beneficial then flesh to persons that are lean, or weak, or afflicted with disease, or addicted to sexual congress or exhausted with travel....

Question Why do sanyasa scriptures degrade women? Answer None of the so-called "sanyasa Upanishads" are part of the traditional orthodox Vedic canon. Yajnavalkya Upanishad, Sanyasa Upanishad, Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, etc. are very late medieval productions. That is abundantly evident from their late medieval language style as well as their utter emphasis on renunciation and sanyasa and as the quotes show, the bizarrely contemptuous words used for women. The only Upanishads that are trustworthy are the classical Vedic Upanishads which all the major Vedantacharyas (Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, etc) have considered authoritative and referenced in their commentaries....

Question Are there any mantra or mantras in Veda Samhitas that confirm that Vedas are apaurusheya? Answer I am answering for the time being only from Rig Veda. The answer may be updated in future with references from the other Vedas. First of all, a Rishi is a person to whom is revealed at least one Rik mantra of the Rig Veda. The Rishi literally hears the mantra by super- physical methods in a state like trance, which he has achieved by means of tapas....

Question Which scripture is the source of the verse “janmana jayate shudrah.. " (everyone is born a shudra)? Answer No this shloka is not from Shreemad Bhagvat Purana. This shloka is given in Skanda Purana Vol.18 Book VI , Nagar Kanda , Chapter 239 , ( Efficacy of Adoration , Penance etc.) Verse 31-34 जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते। शापानुग्रहसामर्थ्यं तथा क्रोधः प्रसन्नता ।|31-34|| 31 : A Man is no better than a sudra at his birth ....

Question Why doesn’t Miracles occur in Kali Yuga? Answer As per oxford dictionary, Miracle is 'an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency'. If we go by above definition, there are many such events happened in Kali Yuga too. Books by recent Yogis or Swamis narrate many such episodes. You also mentioned in your question, "now there are no magic or powers seen day to day"....

Question How did the death of Karna happen? Answer Detailed story related to Karna death can be read in Mahabharata, Karna Parva, Section 90 and Mahabharata, Karna Parva, Section 91. Krishna testing Karna at time of death is not mentioned in Mahabharata. Karna's last moment is described in Mahabharata, Karna Parva, Section 91 as follows: Meanwhile the diadem-decked and high-souled Arjuna, recovering his senses, took up a shaft, fatal as the rod of Death, and called anjalika....

Question Is Lord Bhairava same as Lord Shiva, or are they a little different? Is Bhairava a part incarnation or complete Shiva? Answer Lord Shiva took his fifth incarnation as Bhairav and his Shakti was called 'Bhairavi'. So he is incarnation of shiva . An incarnation may not be same as the one who is taking avatar like narsimha is not like how lord Vishnu is shown. Shiva Purana says in...

Question What is the significance of jyotirlinga? Answer The significance is that all the 12 Jyotirlingas are Swayambhu or self- manifested or self- existent. They are not man made or krittima. So, they represent Lord Shiva fully. And their greatness is unmatched. In MatrikA Bheda Tantram, Lord Shiva says that in Kailasa there exists a Jyotirmaya lingam (or Jyotirlingam ) ( which is of course inaccessible to human beings ) , similarly on earth a corresponding lingam exists in Visweswara KAsi....

Question Did Rama really call Buddha as a thief? Answer First of all, this translation translates the word buddah in the literal meaning of intellection, rather than the name of the founder of Buddhism: It is an exact state of the case that a mere intellection deserves to be punished as it were a thief and know an atheist to be on par with a mere intellectual. Therefore he is the most suspectable and should be punished in the interest of the people....

Question Does Karma of our previous lives determine the lifetime of our present birth? Answer Upon doing bad karmas the jeeva first suffers the torments in hell and then , with the remnant karmas, gets born into animal or plant's yoni. Or, if it gets a human birth, then the body or mind will be diseased or deformed. A sin, committed in a previous birth, assails people in the shape of a disease after the termination of the sufferings in a hell....

Question Is there any relationship between Sat, Chit, Ananda, and the Three gunas Sattva, Rajas and Tamas? Answer This a partial answer: Brahman is the relationship between Philosophy of Life and Three Gunas. It means the concept of the transcendent and immanent ultimate reality, Supreme Cosmic Spirit. Brahman: The concept of God in Upanishads is the ‘Brahman’ or the Universal Soul (synonymous with The Absolute, Supreme Being or World Spirit – param-atman)....

Question Is killing infidels allowed in Hindu Scriptures? Answer No , killing of Infidels are not fully allowed in Vedas. There are some mantras in Atharva-Veda which asks god agni about destroying evil minds of foes , pardoning / Sheltering then , Welcoming those who came to ask pardon /shelter. Destroying only evil-nature or evil-mind of foes and not the people , even Atharva-Veda prays to god agni for welfare of son's and daughter's of evil-minded people and to motivate them towards good path....

Question Is Raavana a rakshasa or a brahmin and how he can be a king too? Answer This explains it in detail: https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-difference-between-Asuras-and-Rakshasas-per-Hindu-mythology-Was-Ravana-an-Asura-or-a-Rakshasa Basically, the 4 varnas (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra) exist in every jati (deva, manushya, gandharva, rakshasa, pishacha) So, we can have Deva Vaishya, manushya Kshatirya, Rakshasa Brahmana etc. e.g. Ravana was Rakshasa jati & Brahmana varna. Shukracharya is Deva Brahmana. Chitrangadha is Gandharva Kshatriya. Next, both birth & character determine one's varna....

Question What happened to Kripa after Mahabharata War? Answer Kripacharya was blessed with longetivity till the end of the Kalpa (Chiranjeevi) and also is scheduled to become one of the Saptarishis of the next Manvantara, as I discuss in this answer. Also, after the Mahabharata war, as discussed in this answer: Kripa was installed as the preceptor and Parikshit was made over to him as his disciple. But, after the decline of the Kuru dynasty, at the advent of Kaliyuga, he must have resorted to his Ashrama, as evident from this verse from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Purāṇa:...