Q&A

Question Are there any verses which pray for the birth of daughter in Vedas? Answer It is not that the Vedas only praise the birth of a male child alone. There are instances where female progeny is also praised. Further, it is important to know that the word "putra" does not necessarily mean only male child but could mean child in general. Similarly in many places word "man" does not only indicate men but all of the mankind including men and women....

Question Did Lord Rama break His promise to his mother Kausalya and if so why? Answer चतुर्दश हि वर्षाणि वत्स्यामि विजने वने | मधु मूल फलैः जीवन् हित्वा मुनिवद् आमिषम् || 2.20.29 The word Amisham is translated as meat by the translator. But Amisham also has several other meanings. See, it has many other meanings like fees, lust, desire, etc. Rama might have said he will live without lust. In case of Valmiki Ramayana 5....

Question How Maharshi Vyasa knew all the story of Mahabharata? Answer We believe the Great epic Mahabharatha was written by the great sage Veda Vyasa. He was the grandfather of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. He had great powers of meditation and hence lived a very long life (One of the Immortals). He lived even after all his grandchildren – the Pandavas and the Kauravas had died. अश्वत्थामा बलिव्र्यासो हनूमांश्च विभीषण:। कृप: परशुरामश्च सप्तएतै चिरजीविन:॥ सप्तैतान् संस्मरेन्नित्यं मार्कण्डेयमथाष्टमम्। जीवेद्वर्षशतं सोपि सर्वव्याधिविवर्जित॥ Ashwathaama Balirvyaaso Hanumanshcha Vibheeshanaha Krupaha Parshuramascha Saptaitey Chiranjivinaha Saptaitaan Samsmareynnityam Markandeymathaashtamam Jivedvarshshatam Sopi Sarvavyadhivivarjit...

Question What are some mantras which are dedicated to Lord Indra? Answer Here is an Agamic mantra (or Tantric mantra) dedicated to Lord Indra taken from the Mantradeva Prakashika. Im IndraYa Hrith | asya Brahmarishi Pangtischandaha Indro DevatA Im Bijam Ayethi Shaktihi | ..... Im Indraya namaha, for this mantra the Rishi is BrahmA, Chandah is Pangti, Devata is Indra, Bija is Im, and Aya is the Shakti. Nyasa Vidhi:...

Question Did ancient Yogis float in the air and what is the method to do it? Answer First we should know our body is not just physical body, but has five sheaths (Pancha Kosha). What we see externally is Annamaya Kosha (food sheath). After death we shed Annamaya kosha and jiva with other four koshas (Sookshma Sareera or Subtle body) go to other realms, hell or heaven depending of Karma and Sukshma Sareera takes new physical body (rebirth) as mentioned in Chandogya Upanishad....

Question What are the after-effects of insulting gods or goddesses? Answer A punishment which one has to face in the afterlife is given in Devi Bhagavata Purana 9.33. The wretch that abuses Mûla Prakriti, the Vedas, the S’âstras, Purânas, Brahmâ, Visnu, S’iva and the other Devas, Gaurî, Laksmî, Sarasvatî and the other Devîs, goes to the hell named Bhayânaka Narakakunda. There is no other hell more tormenting than this. The sinners live here for many Kalpas and ultimately become serpents....

Question Did Satyavati and Shantanu belong to same caste? Answer Did Satyavatī and Śantanu belong to the same caste (birth-based varṇa)? No. Śantanu was a kṣatriya and Satyavatī a śūdra. Satyavatī's biological parents Father - Uparicara Vasu (a king, most likely a kṣatriya king) Mother - Adrikā (a fisher-woman, so most likely an outcaste or śūdra) Here's the official birth story of Satyavatī from the Mahābhārata: And the king [Uparicara Vasu] became possessed with desire, and he saw not his wife before him....

Question Is the objective of vedas spiritual prosperity or material prosperity? Answer The ultimate purpose of the Vedas can be understood by reading the Bhagavad Gita. In 15.15 Lord Krishna says: sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham Translation: I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas....

Question If Shiva Linga is worshiped in all yugas then what curse did Rishi Bhrigu give to Lord Shiva? Answer Firstly, Can anyone really Curse Lord Shiva? Do the sages who come for fractions of time in the Universe have power to curse the Lord Shiva? No, it isn't possible. When in a story we see that someone curses Shiva and Shiva suffers from it, it is not that Shiva suffers because of effect of that curse, it's because Shiva wishes to do so....

Question Who was at Fault for Draupadi Vastraharan – Duryodhan Or Yudhishthir? Answer After reading above comments and answer just my opinion is, i don't think only Kauravas were responsible for draupadi’s fate ,i think all the people who was presented in raj sabha are equally responsible. Because, Wasn’t it the mistake of Yudhishtir to bet Draupadi, his wife in the very first place? Well, if Yudhishtir considers Draupadi as an object and bets her in a game of dice, then Duryodhan being the winner of the game as well as the object don’t you think so had every right to do anything to the winning thing ?...

Question Is relationship between father and son eternal? Answer In a way yes. Their relation is eternal because son is said to be the own self of the father, his atma. angad angat sambhavasi hrdayad abhijayase atma vai putra-namasi sañjiva saradah satam “You have taken birth from my various limbs and have arisen from my very heart. You are my own self in the form of my son. May you live through a hundred autumns....

Question Is mukthi possible from world’s other than bhuloka(ie. From swarga and naraka) Answer As I discussed in this answer, according to Vedanta, the only way to attain Moksha is to realize Brahman. ShvetaShvatar Upanishad: वेदाहमेतं पुरुषं महान्त- मादित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् । तमेव विदित्वातिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय ॥ ८॥ III-8: I have realized this Great Being who shines effulgent like the sun beyond all darkness. One passes beyond death only on realizing Him....

Question Examples of human sacrifice in Hindu scripture Answer The Mahābhārata narrates the story of King Somaka and his only son Jantu who was sacrificed so each of Somaka's 100 wives would be blessed with a son. Here's a short account of the story from The Purāṇic Encyclopedia: Jantu born again. Somaka had hundred wives. But only one of them gave birth to a child. That child was Jantu. He was a pet of all the hundred wives....

Question Exact relation between lord shiva and goddess Kali? Answer Before coming to your question, a little background understanding is important. Here it is.. Before the creation of world Shiva use to be in Ardhanareshwara (Half body is of woman and half is of man) form. Brahma starts creation of world but at one point Lord Brahma got lack in energy/power to complete the work of srijan (creation). Then he went to Shiva and ask for help....

Question How to do meditation if I’ve got negative thoughts? Answer When ever i try to concentrate in either my breath or a word i am not able to concentrate. Please give me some solution to it. Yes , the solution of your above problem is given in various Hinduism scriptures like Shreemad Bhagvat Gita , Patanjali YOG-SUTRAS , Aparokshanubhuti ( by adi Shankaracharya ) etc. This problem is discussed and possible solutions are also given in below shlokas by various texts....