Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question According to ShankarAchArya in Advaita, is the universe “unreal” or “unworthy”? Answer There is a common popular misconception in People that according to Advaita World doesn't exist at all. It is not true. When we are deciding reality of things as per Advaita. Then, Advaita itself gives three level of reality to us: 1)Paramarthika Satyam/ Absolute Reality level 2)Vyavaharika Satyam/ Ishwara Shristi level 3)Pratibhasika Satyam/ Jeeva Shristi level I have given their definition with examples in my answer here....

Question How do the scriptures describe an ideal Sanyasi? Answer Vishnu Purana, Book 3, Chapter 9 describes about the four orders of life: Brahmacharya, Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa. In Vanaprastha, one prepare himself for Sanyasa, so I am mentioning all the properties of these two Ashramas. Description of Vanaprastha Ashrama When the householder, after performing the acts incumbent on his condition, arrives at the decline of life, let him consign his wife to the care of his sons, and go himself to the forests....

Question Why is killing a brahmin considered sin while killing other caste people is not? Answer Your confusion arises because you think that Hindu scripture supports the Hindu caste system as seen today. That is not the case. The term Brahmana in Hindu scripture has a different connotation from the Brahmana of Hindu caste system. Hindu scripture is talking of Varna which is dependent on conduct. Bhrigu said, 'He is called a Brahmana in whom are truth, gifts, abstention from injury to others, compassion, shame, benevolence, and penance....

Question Why is Brahma depicted as old in pictures? Answer Brahma is often referred to as "pitamaha" (forefather or grandfather) in scriptures, so I think some of the pictures that portray him in human form with white hair and beard is to just show how he is older than some of the other gods. From Valmiki Ramayana, here are a few verses that refer to Brahma as pitamaha: इति एवम् उक्त्वा देवेशः सर्वलोक पितामहः | यथा आगतम् तथा अगच्छत् देव लोकम् महायशाः || १-४४-१६...

Question Sandhyavandanam before the age of Vishwamitra? Answer In every age the Gayatri mantra is heard by a sage named Vishwamitra.. In this section of Ramanujacharya's Sri Bhashya, his commentary on the Brahma Sutras, Ramanujacharya explains how sages with the same names hear the same mantras after undergoing Tapasya: As words such as Indra and Vasishtha, which denote gods and Rishis, denote (not individuals only, but) classes, and as the creation of those beings is preceded by their being suggested to the creative mind through those words; for this reason the eternity of the Veda admits of being reconciled with what scripture says about the mantras and kândas (sections) of the sacred text having 'makers' and about Rishis seeing the hymns; cp....

Question Reason behind applying Vibuthi Answer The significance of Bhasma is well explained by Lord Shiva himself in the Linga Purana as follows: Significance of Bhasma: Bhagavan Shiva further analysed the significance of Bhasma which was product of Agni Karyaas like daily homas and Yagnas; the burning of ‘Sthavara Jangamaas’ by Fire would result in Ash: Bhasmattadvihitam Sarvam Pavitramidamuttamam, Bhasmaanaa Veeryamaasyaaya Bhutaani parishanchati/ Agnikaaryam cha yah krutwaa karishyati triyaayusham, Bhasmanaa mama veeryena muchyatey Sarva kilbishey/...

Question Meaning of inaction in action and action in inaction in Bhagavadgita 4.18 Answer Here is a better understanding of the verse. I would like to start with an analogy. Inaction in action: Unattachment amidst Action Suppose a person is taking his food and we request him to listen to a story simultaneously. So, we would say "Listen to the story while eating" or an act of "listening in eating" is requested....

Question Why are owls considered inauspicious? Answer Owls and pigeons are mentioned in Vedas(Atharva Veda to be specific) as the messengers of Nirrti,the Goddess of misfortune ,destruction,poverty etc and hence they are considered inauspicious. Nirrti also known as Alakshmi is considered to be Goddess Lakshmi's sister. Quoting from this page: VI, 27. Charm against pigeons regarded as ominous birds. O ye gods, if the pigeon, despatched as the messenger of Nirriti (the goddess of destruction), hath come here seeking (us out), we shall sing his praises, and prepare (our) ransom....

Question Was Gaudapada a guru or grand-guru of Adi Shankarachrya? Answer Adi Shankara told Nirvana Shatakam on being questioned by Govindapada. Here is what Madhaviya Shankara Digvijaya tells: Meeting with Govindapada and accepting Sanyasa (89-96) Travelling a long distance, that young Sannyasin; with staff in hand and wearing new Kashaya dress, arrived at the forest hermitage of sage Govinda towards one evening, even like the sun at the western horizon. The shade of tall trees on [he river bank and the cool breeze blowing through them assuaged his bodily exhaustion very soon, while the sight of deer skins and bark clothes on the pranches of bushes indicated to him that he had arrived at a hermitage....

Question Is Sanskrit the oldest language? Is it older than Pali? Answer The oldest surviving Buddhist texts in the Pali language come from the relic chamber of a Buddhist stupa at Sri Ksetra. They consist of a twenty-leaf manuscript of solid gold and a large gilded reliquary of silver. A new and exhaustive palaeographic study of these inscriptions shows that they date from the mid-fifth to mid-sixth century AD. This link provides multiple reference to support this claim : http://dhammawheel....

Question What Tilak or Namam does Lord Brahma have on His forehead? Answer The best iconography of Brahma is found in the Puranas (such as Matsya Purāṇa Chapter 260 and Agni Purāṇa chapter 49) and other iconography in some medieval texts on architecture (the most famous being Aparājitapṛcchā Chapter 214, Devatāmūrtiprakaraṇam Chapter 4, Mayamatam Chapter 36) but the tilaka of Lord Brahma was nowhere to be found except in only one book called the Mānasāra...

Question Was Rishi Vyasa the great grandson of Rishi Vashishtha? Answer There is a verse Attributed to Great Sage Vyasa which goes like this vyAsam vasishta-naptAram Sakteh pautram akalmasham parAsarAtmajam vande Suka-tAtam tapo-nidhim. Which means vyAsa is the Great-Grandson of vasishta and the grandson of Sakti. He is the son of parAsara and the father of Suka. I offer my obeisance to that vyAsa who is free from all defects and is a mine of austerities....

Question Did Rama or Krishna ever practise meditation? Answer Not sure if he did it regularly, but on the night before Arjuna slayed Jayadratha, Krishna went into a state of yoga and meditation: "Sanjaya said, 'Then lord Kesava, of eyes like lotus-petals, having entered the unrivalled mansion of Arjuna, touched water, and spread (for Arjuna) on the auspicious and even floor an excellent bed of Kusa blades that were of the hue of the lapis lazuli....

Question What are Mahavakyas? Answer The Mahavakyas are "Grand Pronouncements" or "Great Sayings" usually taken from Upanishads. They have profound significance in Hinduism. The four Mahavakyas (महावाक्यानि) are as follows: 1. Prajñānaṃ Brahma (प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म) From Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda. Also called लक्षणा वाक्य. It is about (pure) consciousness of Brahman 2. Tat Tvam Asi (तत्त्वमसि) From Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda Also called उपदेश वाक्य....

Question Where can I find an online version of the Adhyatma Ramayana? Answer Unabridged English translation by Rai Bahadur Lala Baij Nath: https://archive.org/details/TheAdhyatmaRamayana Link to PDF Hindi translation by Munilal (with original Sanskrit verses): https://archive.org/details/AdhyatmaRamayana Link to PDF Abridged English translation by Srikrishna Prapnnachari: indiadivine.org (PDF) Note: “The question: Where can I find an online version of the Adhyatma Ramayana?” is licensed by Stack Exchange Inc (https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/); user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA....