Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question Is Balarama an Avatar of Vishnu or Adiseshan (or both)? Answer The reason that Balarama is called an incarnation (avatara) of Vishnu is that the serpent Adiseshan is himself a form of Vishnu. Here is how Balarama's birth is described in the Srimad Bhagavatam: When Kamsa had killed six of the children born from Devakî, the seventh one, a plenary expansion of Vishnu who was celebrated with the name Ananta, therefore [was born] as an embryo in the womb of Devakî ....

Question What is the difference between Thenkalai and Vadakalai sects of Sri Vaishnavism? Answer First of all, these aren't the two main sub-sects of Vaishnavism, they are the two main sub-sects of Sri Vaishnavism. There are other Vaishnava Sampradayas, like the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect that ISKCON adheres to. What distinguishes Sri Vaishnavas from other kinds of Vaishnavas are mainly two things: our beliefs, and our origins. Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe in Achintya Bheda Abheda, a simultaneous unity and difference between Jivatma (the human soul) and Paramatma (divine soul or supersoul) that is inconceivable....

Question Who was Lord Hayagriva? Answer Yes, Lord Hayagriva is the avatar of Vishnu with a horse head. Haya means horse and griva means neck. So the deity with a horse head from his neck is known as Hayagriva. The incident of how He got that horse head is present in different scriptures with slight variations. Once in the ancient time the gods decided to do a Yajna. But they couldn't find where was Vishnu....

Question What exactly happens at end of Kali Yuga. Will the world be destroyed? Answer No, the world won't actually get destroyed at the end of the Kali Yuga. Rather, what's going to occur is that when the evil and decadence of the Kali Yuga reaches its zenith, Vishnu will have an incarnation (avatara) as Kalki the horse rider, to kill all the evil people and restore Dharma on earth, commencing a new Satya Yuga....

Question How does Karma work for a person who has converted to Hinduism? Answer Karma is what you had done and what you are doing in your life time. So Karma will be there from the very next moment of your birth. There is nothing to do with Hindu, Muslim or Christian. The Karmaphalam, Fruit(Reward) for your Karma will be awarded to you in your life time, may be in your next life too....

Question Is Janeva (Yajñopavītam or sacred thread) limited to Brahmins only? Answer The wearing of the sacred thread is part of the Dharma (duty) of the first three castes because as the Manu Smriti describes, they are the ones who can read the Vedas: 87) But in order to protect this universe He, the most resplendent one, assigned separate (duties and) occupations to those who sprang from his mouth, arms, thighs, and feet....

Question Is there any story behind Lord Krishna’s death? Answer The story of Krishna's death is told in the Mausala Parva of the Mahabharata, but what led up to it starts earlier, in the Stri Parva. Right after the Mahabharata war, when Gandhari went to the battlefield of Kurukshetra where her sons' bodies were lying dead, she was overcome with anger at Krishna for not stopping such a deadly war, so she gave him the following curse:...

Question What is the story behind the Brahmasthra? Was it actually ever fired? Answer The Brahmastra is the weapon of Brahma. Like other astras (celestial weapons), it is invoked with a special mantra, and then you can use it to destroy anything that is created by Brahma. The Brahmastra does refer to a special arrow, but an ordinary arrow can also be given the same power using the mantra, and as discussed below, some people have even used the mantra on blades of grass when they didn't have arrows handy....

Question What does Hinduism say about Suicide? Answer As per the scriptures, one who commits suicide becomes a ghost: udbandhanamṛtā ye ca viṣaśastrahatāśca ye ātmopaghātino ye ca viṣūcyādihatāstathā [GP - 2.22.8] Meaning One who dies by hanging, also through poison and weapon, one who commits suicide and also dies by cholera etc. becomes a ghost. The scriptures also prohibit to perform any funeral rites (shradha) for people who have died by committing suicide and the relatives do not become unclean by such deaths unlike other natural and legitimate deaths....

Question Is the ultimate purpose of life only to serve God? Answer tl;dr; Worshiping God is not mandatory. But one who wants true happiness (which actually all do), can only obtain it by approaching and surrendering to God. But because God is both with and without attributes one can chose the path of worship and serving God or the path of meditating upon His formless aspect or only continue to do actions in a detached way without worshiping God....

Question Does Vedic Hinduism exist today? Answer Hinduism is almost always Vedic, even if the customs, method of worship, etc. change. It is true that performance of Vedic Yajna, rituals, etc. have decreased, but that's only obvious for this age of Kali. However, this doesn't mean that Vedic traditions have been forgot. Veda mantras constitute three kandas or sections (kanda trayatmika veda). They are: Karma Kanda 2. Upasana Kanda and 3....

Question Do The Hindu Scriptures Say If There Is Anything Special About Human Beings Compared To Other Unworldly Beings Such As Demi-Gods, Demons, Etc Answer There is something special about humanity. Mahabharata Santi Parva section CCC says: The swan [Brahman] said, "..I disclose unto you a great mystery. There is no status that is superior to humanity. Freed from sin like the Moon from the murky clouds, the man of wisdom, shining in resplendence, attains to success by patiently waiting for his time....

Question Is organ donation allowed? Have any Hindu acharyas commented on this practice? Answer Organ donation yes may be done for the welfare of others' in the view of service to human is service to god. But physical organs, beauty, 64 kalas are based on punya & pap earned by oneself through the life cycles. Afaik there are no references of such donations in Hindu mythology! After one's death, the ash of vital organs would be collected and is poured into holy rivers which will liberate soul from pap(salvation) & give them better life or mukthi(liberation)....

Question Why was Shakuni unhappy with his sister Gandhari’s marriage to Dhritarashtra? Answer As far as I can tell, stories of Shakuni being motivated by revenge are just folklore with no basis in Hindu scripture. The Adi Parva of the Mahabharata describes Dhritarashtra's marriage to Gandhari in completely amicable terms, with Shakuni's father Suvala overcoming his reluctance over Dhritashtra's shortcomings after considering the virtuous qualities possessed by Kuru Dynasty men, and Shakuni happily participating:...

Question Who is the Brahmana changed into a woman in the Rig Veda? Answer The Brahmana who became a woman is Indra himself! I found the answer to my question in this excerpt from the Brihaddevata, an ancient work by the sage Shaunaka, which describes the different gods that Rig-Vedic verses are addressed to and the stories of how those verses were heard from the gods. Here's what Shaunaka says about verse 19:...