Q&A

Question Awakening of Kundalini is possible without mentor/guru? Answer Yes, Kundalini can be aroused without the help of Guru also. Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda / Volume 1 / Raja Yoga / Chapter IV / The Psychic Prana: The rousing of the Kundalini is the one and only way to attaining Divine Wisdom, superconscious perception, realisation of the spirit. The rousing may come in various ways, through love for God, through the mercy of perfected sages, or through the power of the analytic will of the philosopher....

Question Is the story of Sita’s banishment present in any scriptures other than Valmiki Ramayana? Answer Do any puranas mention about Sita's second excile? Yes , as you have enquired ,Puranas do talk about mother Sita's second excile. Although not in detail as Valmiki Ramayana because it is Itihasa (true history) and Primarily a story of Lord Rama and mother Sita alone. Puranas are mythology (true tails) and talk about various other topics also ,rather than a tail of single god they contain a whole lot of topics related to all the gods and goddesses other narrations and discuss other philosophies of Hinduidm....

Question Mentions of bacteria, viruses, or microbes in Hindu scripture? Answer Microbes in Hindu scriptures. Yes , there is mentioning of microbes in Hinduism Scripture. Take a look at below verse from Shanti-Parva of Mahabharata -Section XV. The word krimi (कृमि) is generally used in for such microscopic creatures like bacteria ,virus or other tiny worms almost invisible to human eye. Here in below verse the word Sukshma Yoni(सूक्ष्म-योनि) is used to mention microscopic organisms....

Question How are gods and goddesses such as Shiva and Shakti seen in the Vaishnava sampradayas? Answer You have asked :1. Are the various devatas manifestations of aspects of the Supreme God or are they subservient to the Supreme God, as is the view in orthodox Gaudiya Vaishnavism? 2..How is Shakti/the consort of Shiva (including her various forms such as Kali, Durga, Parvati, Tara, etc.) seen in the various Vaishnava sampradayas?...

Question Does Bhagavad Gita say anything about whether a person should eat Vegetarian or Non Vegetarian food? Answer Here's the most specific dietary "guidelines" I could find in Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, BG 17.8: Those foods which promote longevity, strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction; Which are juicy, oleaginous, nourishing, and pleasing to the stomach, are dear to those flourishing in sāttva (bright righteousness). BG 17.9 Those foods which are bitter, sour, salty, very hot, pungent, dry, and overly-piquant;...

Question As per Hindu scriptures does lord Śiva explicitly claim himself to be a deity that has to be worshiped? Answer Yes, for example, in Kurma Purana he does so. in this Purana, we have the Iswara Gita where he identifies himself as the Parambrahma. Parama Shiva says: Veeta raaga bhaya krodhaa manmayaa maamupaashritaah, Bahavenena yogena putaa madbhaavamaagataah/ Ye yathaa maam praadyantey taamstayaiva bhajaamyahjam, Jnaana yogena maam tasmaad yajeta Parameshwaram/...

Question Scriptural basis for Draupadi’s decision of denying Karna Answer According to the scriptures, the Pratiloma marriage, where the Varna of the wife is higher than that of the husband, is not considered as good. See the following passage from Agni Purana: An anuloma marriage is a marriage where the husband is from a higher class than the wife. The offspring of such a marriage belong to the mother’s class. A pratiloma marriage is a marriage where the wife is from a higher class than the husband....

Question How do we clear our debts? Answer There are three types of debts as of Pitris, Devas and Rishis. One can be freed from debt of Pitris by providing a son, from debt of Devas by doing sacrifices and from debt of Rishis by pupil-ship. It is stated in Satapatha Brahma 1.7.2. Verily, whoever exists, he, in being born, is born as (owing) a debt to the gods, to the Rishis, to the fathers, and to men....

Question What food is suggested for Yogi? Answer Hatha Yoga Pradipika (1.61 to 1.70) gives the list of foods that are fit for the Yogi as well as those foods which a Yogi must avoid. Recommended foods are rice, wheat, milk etc. Varjayeddurjanaprāntam vahnistrīpathisevanam Prātahsnānopavāsādi kāyakleśavidhim tathā || Wheat, rice, barley, shâstik (a kind of rice), good corns, milk, ghee, sugar, butter, sugarcandy, honey, dried ginger, Parwal (a vegetable) the five vegetables, moong, pure water; these are very beneficial to those who practise Yoga....

Question Which Manusmṛti verses were written exclusively for vaiśyas and śūdras? Answer Pattanaik appears to be quoting from Patrick Olivelle's translation of Manusmṛti but does not quote him fully. Olivelle first presents an overall schematic of the Manu in the introduction to his translation, then goes on to argue that in the Rules of Action in Normal Times, only 10 verses are allocated exclusively to vaiśyas and śūdras. We can then view the overall structure of the MDh schematically:...

Question Does God know about all our actions and also whatever we talk? Answer Yes God knows even what you talk secretly. See the following Atharva Veda (AV) Mantra: Dvau samnishadya yat mantrayete rAja tat veda varunah tritiyah || When you talk in secret, there is always the third observer, divine observer Varuna. AV 4.16.2 So, God is monitoring all our actions, even though we might think that we are doing those actions secretly....

Question Where can I find side by side compilation of Vedanta Sutras and the corresponding verses from Srimad Bhagavatam? Answer As far as I know, there is no ancient work that has corresponding verses of Bhagavatam mapped to each Vedanta Sutra. Jiva Goswami did that to an extent in his sandarbhas but that is only in spirit not verse by verse. He explained first 5 Vedanta Sutras using first verse of bhagavatam, but others are scattered....

Question What are some of the most logical and rational Hindu text? Answer In any logical/mathematical sysem, we have certain Axioms, whose validity are taken for granted within that system. For example, a mathematical system that tries to introduce the concept of real/complex numbers, the three Axioms - field, order and completeness Axioms - are taken for granted. That is they are not required to be proved (within that particular system)....

Question What exactly is dehi according to advaita and vaishnava school? Answer Bhagavad Gita is regarded high from Advaita &/or Vaishnava school of thoughts. This answer is from that perspective. According to it, Dehi (embodied one) transgresses from one body to another, upon death: वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय, नवानि गृह्णाति नरोऽपराणि। तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णा, न्यन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही।। BG 2.22 - As after rejecting worn out clothes a man takes up other new ones, likewise after rejecting worn out bodies the 'embodied one' unites with other new ones....

Question Do people get birth even they are (almost) eligible for Moksha Answer As already suggested in 1 comment, if a person is "almost" eligible for Moksha, then they have to born again. The birth cycle ends only after the liberation is attained. This is analogous to the fallen Yogi terminology from Bhagavad Gita. A fallen Yogi is a person, who fell more or less short of attaining the final destination....