Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question What is the difference between sacrifice (yajna) and charity (dana)? Answer Yajna, the fire sacrifice, is the central ritual of the Vedic sacrificial cult. The basic idea of Yajna according to the Vedic ritualists was that man can have a happy and prosperous life only if he lived in harmony with his environment, consisting of Nature and the Devas who control the forces of Nature. Man gets his progeny and his sustenance as the gifts of Nature and he should express his thanks to the Devas....

Question What is the significance of the saffron color? Answer Quoting from About.com If there is any color that can symbolize all aspects of Hinduism, it's saffron - the color of Agni or fire, which reflects the Supreme Being. As such, the fire altar is regarded as a distinct symbol of ancient Vedic rites. The saffron color, also auspicious to the Sikhs, the Buddhists and the Jains, seems to have obtained religious significance much before these religions came into being....

Question Why do Gods take avatar? Answer This is indeed a very good question. But unfortunately no specific reason can be pointed out as the sole cause for God's incarnations: हरि अवतार हेतु जेहि होई। इदमित्थं कहि जाइ न सोई।। [Ramcharit Manas - 1.121] However, from scriptures and whatever sages have said three primary reasons can be pointed out, 1. Establishment of Dharma 2. Deliverance of saintly people 3. Destruction of the wicked people...

Question Why is lord Ganesha worshipped first before any puja? Answer Here's the story of its origin. Shiva Bhagwan left his abode on Mt. Kailas in the Himalayas to meditate in a cave. Parvati’s friends suggested that she should have an attendant (gana) of her own because they were not pleased with Shiva’s ganas. Thus, she used her divine powers and bore a son. She named him Vinayak and instructed him to guard their home....

Question Why did Lord Rama strike from behind to kill Vaali? Answer We don't need to speculate; we can look at the justification Rama himself gave for his actions: (This is all taken from this translation of the Valmiki Ramayana by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao and KMK Murthy.) In response to Vali's claim that Rama has no jurisdiction to enforce laws there, since they're not in Ayodhya, Rama says that the Ikshkvaku dynasty has authority over the entire earth: "...

Question How were the Trimurthi born? Answer Basically by asking "How were Trimurthis born?" This question is asking "Who is the originator of whom?" Or "Who is the Ishwara?" Several answers are given here, but most of them are only from their perspective. Here I present all perspectives of all Trimurty. Brahma: Yajurveda Shatapatha Brahmana 6.1.3.1 Verily, Prajâpati [Brahma] alone was here in the beginning. He desired, 'May I exist, may I reproduce myself!...

Question Soil for Maa Durga puja Answer As we know, prostitution is considered as taboo in Hindu Religion. So when a person decides to have sex with a prostitute, he is aware that he is going to do a bad thing, and hence he loses his good deeds/goodness outside the brothel. As many people visit the brothels, the soil outside holds all the goodness which are lost by those people, think as if the goodness is shed in that soil by the people who visit there and hence that soil is used to create idols as it is considered as pure/filled with good deeds....

Question What is the significance of Murthi pooja (idol worship)? Answer From the Vaishnava perspective: Taken as the summary of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 11, Chapter 27. Click here for the specific verses. Worshiping the Deity form of the Supreme Lord automatically brings purity and satisfaction to the mind. Thus it is the source of all desirable gains. If a person has no engagement in Deity service he will simply remain attracted to material sense gratification, and he will have no hope of giving up bad association....

Question Does the Gita have any apocrypha? Answer Hindu scriptures, including the Mahabharata which contains the Bhagavad Gita, were originally passed down through countless generations via oral tradition. But nowadays the main source we have on them (other than the limited oral tradition that still goes on in some ashrams) is via written manuscripts, and manuscripts had to be copied and recopied as the material they were written on (either bark in North India or palm leaves in South India) was of poor quality....

Question Why are temples devoted to Brahma so rare? Answer "I am of course familiar with the standard mythological justification." The story you mention isn't actually the standard justification for why Brahma isn't worshiped. But since you were wondering, the justification you give is from the Vidyeshwara Samhita of the Shiva Purana. In this account, Brahma and Vishnu argue about who is superior until this argument turns into a battle. The battle threatens to destroy the three worlds, so the devas (gods) go to Shiva for help....

Question Difference between Devas, Daevas, Asuras and Rakshasa Answer The usual translations are dēva=sura=divine, āsura=demoniac, rākšasa=man-eating. The divine qualities The dēvas are supposed to have these: fearlessness (abhayam), purification of existence (sattva samšuddhih), adherence to knowledge (jnāna vyavastitih), cooperation (yoga vyavasthitih), charity (dāna), self-control (dama), sacrifice (yajna), svādhyāya (contemplation), austerity (tapah), straightforwardness (ārjavam), nonviolence (ahimsā), truthfulness (satyam), placidity (akrodhah), renunciation (tyāgah), peacefulness (šāntih), non-malignancy (apēšunam), compassion towards embodied beings (dayā bhūtēšu), generosity (aloluptvam), gentleness (mārdavam), modesty (hrīh), reliability (acāpalam), influence (tējah), forgiveness (kšamā), determination (dhritih), cleanliness (šaucam), faithfulness (adrohah), limited ambitiousness (na ati mānitā)....

Question Why did Lord Krishna kidnap Rukmini to get married? Answer As per vedas getting married to a girl after kidnapping is considered devil/daemon (दानव) Vivaha (marriage) which isn't righteous (धर्मानुकूलन). You have perfectly stated the correct thing. Shri Krishna indeed married Rukmani in a rākṣasa style: bhagavān bhīṣmaka-sutāṁ rukmiṇīṁ rucirānanām rākṣasena vidhānena upayema [SB - 10.52.18] Meaning King Parīkṣit said: The Supreme Lord married Rukmiṇī, the beautiful-faced daughter of Bhīṣmaka, in the Rākṣasa style — thus I have heard....

Question Why does Lord Ganesha have an elephant head? Answer There is a story behind the elephant head. I would certainly write one but with some broken grammar so I preferred quoting it from Wikipedia. One day Goddess Parvati was at home on Mt.Kailash preparing for a bath. As she didn’t want to be disturbed, she told Nandi, her husband Shiva’s Bull, to guard the door and let no one pass....

Question Why did Sri Rama banish Lady Sita when he was a witness of her fire-test himself? Answer I will try to answer your question despite the comments pointing to a certain other answer. It is not about justification, but about decision making. If there were rumors about Sita Devi then that could potentially reduce respect to her king by their subjects and eventually lead to lesser able administration. As a king, Rama had to sacrifice his personal life for his role as a king - but it is to be remembered that for the rest of his reign, he did not think of another woman either....

Question Why didn’t Bhishma Pitamaha stop Kamsa? Answer There's no reason to believe that Bhishma would try to stop Kamsa. You can ask the same question about a million different people: why didn't Bhishma kill Kamsa, Shishupala, Jarasandha, Narakasura, etc. And why didn't Drupada kill any of them, and why didn't the Pandavas kill any of them (other than Bhima killing Jarasandha)? It's not the dharma of a Kshatriya to go around the world killing all the evildoers....