Q&A

Question Are there mantras that should be chanted by me for curing a person (not me)? Answer Mahamrityunjaya mantra is the best choice but it should be chanted in continuous manner accompanied by homam and abhishekam if problem is severe. Along with this, Sri Rudram should also chanted as much as possible. One has to visualize the energy of the mantra entering into the patient and healing him. Mrityunjaya mantra is as follows, As per Mantra-Mahodadhi Chapter 16, Up to three nakshatras from the birth nakshatra, one has to perform homam with samidha (wood) of Guduchi to avoid diseases and untimely death....

Question Does Lord Narayana take incarnation to change era? Answer "Does Lord Narayana take incarnation to change era?" Not necessarily. There are few AvatAra-s which are listed for Vishnu, but there may be many others which are not that much famous. IMO, we cannot define when the lord should take an incarnation. Also not everyone of them were born at the end of an era, as there are only 4 era-s....

Question Does prayer remove bad deeds of past lives? Answer Prayer, PujA (worship) etc can remove sins committed in infinite number of our past lives. Here is a proof that prayer in the form Mantra Japa can do it: Lakshyadwayen pApAni saptajanmakritAnyapi | NAsayet TripurA devi sAdhakasya na samsayaha || JaptvA lakshyatrayam mantri yantrito mantra vigraha | PAtakam nAsayedAsu yadi janmasahasragam || ......... [Lord Shiva said] If the devotee does japa [of the mantra] two lakh times, Goddess TripurA will destroy all his sins that was accumulated in his past seven lives....

Question Who are the Sanat Kumaras? Answer So are there more than 10 mAnasa putras? Yes, it seems to be there are more than ten Manasaputra of Lord Brahma. Many Puranas mention it. First Lord Brahma generated some sons but they adopted the path of Nivritti. Sanandana and the other sons of Brahmā were previously created by him, but they were without desire or passion, inspired with holy wisdom, estranged from the universe, and undesirous of progeny....

Question How did Vishnu help Indra in killing Vritra? Answer There is a slightly different version of the story of Vritra as mentioned in the Mahabharata. There Indra is defeated by Vritra, gets advice from Vishnu, befriends Vritra based on that advice, and later kills Vritra by throwing foam infused with Vishnu's power on him. (All of the following are from K.M. Ganguly's translation of Vyasa's MahaBharata) MahaBharata Udyoga Parva, Section 9: Indra is defeated by Vritra: Long story but Twashta creates Vritra since Indra kills his son....

Question Apart from the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, is Goloka Vrindavana mentioned anywhere? Answer Yes, apart from Shrimada Bhagavatam 10.27.1, Goloka is mentioned in many scriptures. While Bhagavatam describes Goloka as a place where the celestial cow Surabhi resides, but some other scriptures describe Goloka as eternal abode of Lord Krishna. In this way, O son of Kunti, assuming diverse forms do I rove at will through the Earth, the region of Brahma himself, and that other high and eternal region of felicity called Goloka....

Question Where can I get the complete English translation of the Chaitanya Bhagavata? Answer You can read a complete English translation of Vrindavana Dasa Thakura's Chaitanya Bhagavata here. Note that the Kandas are out of order; you should read th Adi Kanda, then the Madhya Kanda, then the Antya Kanda. Note: “The question: Where can I get the complete English translation of the Chaitanya Bhagavata?” is licensed by Stack Exchange Inc (https://hinduism....

Question Do any Vedic verses depict Lord Vishnu to be supreme? Answer Yes, Rig Veda (1.22.20) makes it very clear that it is Vishnu who empowers all the heavenly Devas extolled and glorified in the Vedas. Vishnu occupies the paramount position. All the other deities look always to His feet. Rig Veda 10.113.2 states: Vishnu is glorified because of who and what He intrinsically is. Indra, on the other hand, is only glorious circumstantially....

Question What is the meaning of the term ‘‘Mayavadi’’? Is the term mentioned in any of the scriptures? Answer The earliest reference I can find is from the 8th century in Bhaskara's Bhasya on the Brahma Sutra. First see the remark made by Surendranath Dasgupta in the third volume of his History of Indian Philosophy: Bhāskara argues against Śaṅkara as follows: the arguments that the upholder of māyā (māyāvādin) could adduce against those who believed in the reality of the many, the world, might be adduced against him also, in so far as he believes in monism (adraita)....

Question Circumstances sanctioning falsehoods Answer In certain circumstances it is allowed. For example: Manu Smriti 8.103. In (some) cases a man who, though knowing (the facts to be) different, gives such (false evidence) from a pious motive, does not lose heaven; such (evidence) they call the speech of the gods. Manu Smriti 8.104. Whenever the death of a Sudra, of a Vaisya, of a Kshatriya, or of a Brahmana would be (caused) by a declaration of the truth, a falsehood may be spoken; for such (falsehood) is preferable to the truth....

Question Unknown creature mentioned in the Hindu mythology? Answer Makara means a crocodile or a shark. It might also mean a giant mythical being which carries Ganga devi. Also it is a constellation i nastrology which is the shape of a crocodile. Hence the name. The word "Makara" is not only used in the Itihasa Mahabharata, it is used in Ramayana several times to indicate crocodiles and sharks. तन् नक्र मकर आकीर्णम् तिमिम्गिल झष आकुलम् |...

Question Which scriptures describe Vritra as an Asura? Answer Well the following verse from Rigved 1.32.9 mentions Vritra as the son of Danu: 8 There as he lies like a bank-bursting river, the waters taking courage flow above him. The Dragon lies beneath the feet of torrents which Vṛtra with his greatness had encompassed. 9 Then humbled was the strength of Vṛtra's mother: Indra hath cast his deadly bolt against her....

Question Are there any Mantras to bring rain? Answer The Rishis of vedic times stressed on treating nature and one’s environment with total reverence worthy of worship. So they created hymns in honor of every element of nature. Thus we can find prayers /Mantras for rain in different Hindu scriptures like Vedas and Upanishads. Here are some of the verses from Fifth Mandala of Rig-Veda which prays for the rain.Here are Sanskrit verses...

Question What’s the English transliteration of this Sanskrit mantra? Answer Om Hreem dharaNendra paarshvanaathaaya namah nidhi darshanam kuru-kuru svaahaa This is the English transliteration of the above mantra. However, it looks like Jain mantra. P.S: There are many variants of Parshvanatha and its consort Sri PadmAvati. It can be found in various agamas (jaina). Note: “The question: What’s the English transliteration of this Sanskrit mantra?” is licensed by Stack Exchange Inc (https://hinduism....

Question Are ALL devotees of Lord Shiva cursed by Rishi Bhrigu to follow anti-Vedic principles? Answer According to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Bhrigu's curse is not applicable to all devotees of Shiva. It is only applicable to those who worship Lord Shiva as different from or superior to Lord Vishnu: After bathing in Bindu-Sarovara and taking darshana of Sri Bhuvaneshvara, the all- opulent Lord, Sri Krishna Chaitanya sat contentedly, wholly immersed in the bliss of prema....