Q&A

Question Is it permissible to deny the authority of Manusmriti? Answer Argument 1a) Manusmriti 4.176 says Let him avoid (the acquisition of) wealth and (the gratification of his) desires, if they are opposed to the sacred law, and even lawful acts which may cause pain in the future or are offensive to men. Hence, even any lawful act which may cause pain in the future and are offensive to men , like casteism/varna implementation by birth, have to be avoided as per manusmriti itself....

Question Why is Lakshmana not considered an incarnation of Vishnu? Answer In Valmiki Ramayanam BalaKanda it is mentioned that all the 4 sons born for Dasaratha are incarnations of Vishnu in various proportions. अथ लक्ष्मणशत्रुघ्नौ सुमित्राऽजनयत्सुतौ।।1.18.13।। वीरौसर्वास्त्रकुशलौ विष्णोरर्धसमन्वितौ। One fourth of Vishnu manifest. Sumitrá too a noble pair, Called Lakshman and S'atrughna, bare, Of high emprise, devoted, true, Sharers in Vishnu's essence too. The above text is relevant for Lakshmana's birth and it is clear that he is considered incarnation of Vishnu....

Question Are the upanishads later to the puranas? Answer There are some minor Upanishads as well which mention Puranas. All these Upanishads are counted among the 108 Upanishads as given in Muktika's list. From the Paingala Upanishad's Adhyaya 4: Whoever recites this Upanishad becomes as immaculate as Agni. He becomes as pure as Brahma. He becomes as pure as Vayu. He becomes like one who has bathed in all the holy waters....

Question Is there any mention of the Mahamrityunjay Mantra in the Puranas? Answer Linga Purana, Vol 2, Chapter 54 is completely dedicated to Tryambaka mantra alone. It describes the procedure of worshipping Shivalinga with Tryambaka mantra. त्रियंबकेण मंत्रेण देवदेवं त्रियंबकम्। पूजयेद्वाणलिङ्ग वा स्वयंभूतेऽपि वा पुनः॥१॥ Uttering the Tryambaka mantra, a devotee should worship Tryambaka in Bāņa-linga and Svayambhu-linga. Note: “The question: Is there any mention of the Mahamrityunjay Mantra in the Puranas?...

Question Will non-vegetarians won’t get liberation? Answer There are two types of Karmas 'Sakaam Karma' and 'Nishkaam Karma'. Sakaam Karma is that karma which is done with some desire. Such a karma results in either Paapa or Punya. Nishkaam Karma is that karma which is performed without any desire. And the truth is Nishkam Karma is not possible unless you experience Self Realization or JeevanMukti. Once the state of Super Conciousness is achieved by an individual whatever he does results in Nishkam Karma....

Question What was said by swami Vivekananda about Hinduism in Chicago Speech? Answer There are actually many addresses which were given by Swami Vivekananda at Chicago. The one that you're referring to was given on September 11, 1893. You can download this PDF. It contains the addresses. Chicago, 11 September 1893 Sisters and Brothers of America, It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us....

Question What is the meaning of Ramayana? Answer The literal meaning of Ramayana is 'The journey of Lord Rama'. Word Ramayana is comprised of words Ram + Ayanam by Sanskrit Sandhi rules. Ayanam is a Sanskrit word which means A path; A journey; Travel. Iya / Aya > Ayana > Ayanam depicts a body motion, generally of coming towards, but not necessarily always. In Hindi, Aya is derived from Ayanam refers specifically To come...

Question How was lord Krishna born? Answer According to Vishnu Purana, Book 4, Chapter 15, Lord Krishna birth was normal. He has taken birth from the womb of Devaki. Next, the divine Vishńu himself, the root of the vast universal tree, inscrutable by the understandings of all gods, demons, sages, and men, past, present, or to come, adored by Brahmá and all the deities, he who is without beginning, middle, or end, being moved to relieve the earth of her load, descended into the womb of Devakí, and was born as her son Vásudeva....

Question Is the concept of sin (papa) developed in Rig Veda? Answer The concept of Sin is already present in Rig Veda and other answers are explaining that too. But as you are specifically looking for the sin of type as incest, so it is also present in Rig Veda, Mandala 10, Sukta 10. In this Sukta Yami is convincing Yama (her brother) to make him as her husband but Yama refused because for him it was a sin....

Question What is the meaning of Narayana? Answer I quote the following from the book Manusmriti: He thought deeply, for he wished to emit various sorts of creatures from his own body; first he emitted the waters, and then he emitted his semen in them. That semen became the golden egg as bright as the sun with his thousand rays; Brahma himself, the grandfather of all people, was born in that egg....

Question How shall a foreigner develop their practice of Sanātana Dharma? Answer A foreigner inclined to the path of knowledge after getting acquainted with Bhagwat Geeta may step into following three aspects to further acceletare his/her illumination. Theoretical - Read Advaita philosophies like Kashmiri Shaivism or Advait Vedanta. If one is more inclined to Shiva-Shakti then better to inclined to Kashmiri Shaivism. Practical - Once one starts Advaita philosophies (primarily Kashmiri Shaivism) one can use the knowledge derived from the theories to raise one's consciousness....

Question If Ramayana is much older than Mahabharata, then why don’t we find any character in Mahabharata discussing Lord Rama or worshipping him? Answer In the Vana Parva of Mahabharata there is Ramopakhyana section ie. Ramayana is told there by Markandeya to Yudhisthira. One example from that section is: "Markandeya said, 'O bull of the Bharata race, even Rama suffered unparalleled misery, for the evil-minded Ravana, king of the Rakshasas, having recourse to deceit and overpowering the vulture Jatayu, forcibly carried away his wife Sita from his asylum in the woods....

Question Should one give up Moha? Answer Yes, would be good to give up moha. Patanjali uses the word in YS II.34. Patanjali is an extensively commented author. It is usually understood as blind attachment, delusion. He names moha as one of the causes to "perverse, unwholesome, troublesome, or deviant thoughts", what is obviously an serious obstacle to your practice. Note: “The question: Should one give up Moha?” is licensed by Stack Exchange Inc (https://hinduism....

Question How can we identify a self realized person? Answer Some of the quintessential qualities of an enlightened person are: He always observes silence. In other words, he is in a trance state most of the time. He is child like and most of his actions resembles those of a 6 or 7 year old kid. He is in perpetual ananda or bliss state mostly emanating from within and as such he rarely get angry unless otherwise severely provoked....

Question Do farmers have the right to kill pests? Answer It can not be mentioned as disallowed because it is unavoidable. But at the same time, it is recognized as a sin, and to remedy that sin, prescriptions are also being provided. See the following verses from the Parashara Smriti's 2nd Chapter: अयोमुखेन काष्ठेन तदेकाहेन लाङ्गली । पाशकोमत्स्य घाती च व्याधः शाकुनिकस्तथा ॥९॥ A hunter who makes his living by killing beasts ; one who lives by ensnaring them ; a fisherman and a fowler ; as also an agriculturist who makes no gifts (of paddy) :-— all these five incur the same identical sin....