Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question Who is mother Durga, why was she prayed by all gods including Vishnu to be reborn as Parvathi? Answer Since you asked Was Sati also a reincarnation of mother Durga ?, you should also understand why Durga Devi was born as Sati Devi. When Brahma created beings initially, they couldn't multiply or reproduce sexually. Lord Brahma wanted female energy or Shakti to make sexual reproduction possible (so that beings would be able to reproduce) and did Tapasya for Parameswara (Shiva with Shakti) and Lord Shiva appeared before him in Ardhanareswara form and gave female energy (shakti) needed for creation....

Question Is Sambhoga (sex) the need of the body or soul as per Vedas? Answer Are the carnal desires being needed by the body or the soul? No Clearly carnal desires are not needed by soul , nor it is attached by it. It's also said in our Upanishads that he (soul) is pure one, without a (subtle) body, without blemish, without muscles (a gross body) . Himself devoid of senses, He shines through the functions of the senses....

Question Is there a Darshana/Philosophy based on Agamas? Answer I can answer only based on ShAkta scriptures. I can't elaborate anything on man made philosophies. Also, Agamas are plenty in number. They can be divided into ShAkta, Shaiva and other similar groups. Note that, my answer is only based on the ShAkta Agamas, and also on as much as i know about them. The 6 Darshanas are first of all condemned in KulArnava Tantram, which is one of the most authoritative ShAkta Agamas, as follows:...

Question Does anyone know the name of this goddess? Answer It's Goddess Chamunda. Unlike what others have said, the person carrying her is not a vetala, it's a preta. From the Iconography The black or red coloured Chamunda is described as wearing a garland of severed heads or skulls (Mundamala). She is described as having four, eight, ten or twelve arms, holding a Damaru (drum), trishula (trident), sword, a snake, skull-mace (khatvanga), thunderbolt, a severed head and panapatra (drinking vessel, wine cup) or skull-cup (kapala), filled with blood....

Question Is Vishnu the incarnation of Krishna or the other way around, according to the Geetha? Answer "Which is true according to the holy books?" Well, the answer is that both are true! :) There are some verses in the scriptures which say that Krishna is incarnation of Vishnu, but there are also verses in the scriptures which say the other way round, namely that Vishnu is incarnation of Krishna. So both of those views are true....

Question What is “Brahm” in “Brahmacharya”? How does it relate to celibacy? Answer This answer is based on teachings of Swami Sivananda. Swami Sivananda wrote many books explaining Brahmacharya, such as Practice of Brahmacharya. I will quotes some of his words here. Swami Sivanada says Brahmacharya literally means Achara or conduct that leads to the realization of Brahman or one’s own Self and conduct is control of semen, the study of the Vedas and contemplation on God....

Question What work does God do daily? Answer First of all whatever work Supreme Lord does he has no purpose to do it from absolute level perspective which I discuss here and hence his activity is termed as Leela. As for daily activity like what do Lord Shiva do daily in Kailash or what do Lord Vishnu do daily in Vaikuntha we can infer their daily activity from various Puranic sources and also from Itihasas....

Question According to Vedas which one is a better guide - Mann or Budhdhi? Answer Neither. One should rely on scripture in making decisions. While the brain/mind/heart may produce all sorts of beliefs about morality, i.e. what one should do and should not do, the sole source of knowledge of morality is scripture. Here is what Adi Shankaracharya says in his commentary on the Brahma Sutras, while discussing animal sacrifice:...

Question According to Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda, which is more important in attaining moksha- Bhakti or Jnana? Answer They're equally important. I'm here quoting some relevant quotes of Swami Vivekananda from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 3/Bhakti-Yoga/Definition of Bhakti: There is not really so much difference between knowledge (Jnana) and love (Bhakti) as people sometimes imagine. We shall see, as we go on, that in the end they converge and meet at the same point....

Question Giving Alms (Donation/charity) with the intention of getting merit will give me merit? Answer Yes, if your intention is getting merit then you will get it. Manu Smriti 4.234. For whatever purpose (a man) bestows any gift, for that same purpose he receives (in his next birth) with due honour its (reward). But you should make sure that the recipient is worthy of receiving gifts. Also, one should never boast of the act after donating something....

Question How do Advaitins interpret Bhagavad Gita 7.24? Answer However, this seems that the forms of God are real. No, it doesn't mean that. ...was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality... says that Brahman wasn't impersonal only before, he is still impersonal i.e the assumption of personality is wrong. Actually the higher nature of Brahman is imperishable (From Kena Upanishad 2.3 to 2.8 Brahman is not the subject of/for mind, speech, eye etc....

Question Are the Vedic Gods Prajapati and Brahma the same? Answer Are Prajapati and Brahma the same? I think the Vedic Brahma and Prajapati are two different notions. But In Puranas Brahma is Prajapati. Let’s take a look at some verses from Upanishads and Vedas , which are giving us different accounts before reaching at some conclusion. There is a story in The Chandogya Upanishad 4.8 - Page no. 304 - about Prajapati declaring nature of Atman and then Indra and Virochana going to Prajapati to learn about Atman....

Question Is there any god / deity for the mathematics? Answer According to Vayu Purana, Chapter 70, Samvatsara is the overlord of Ganita. When, everything was created by Prajapati Kashyapa, then he assigned every god their respective domain. In this process Samvatsara was assigned as presiding deity of Ganita. पक्षाणां च विपक्षाणां मुहूर्तानां च पर्वणाम्। कलाकाष्ठाप्रमाणाना गतेरयनयोस्तथा। गणितस्याथ योगस्य चक्रे संवत्सरं प्रभुम्। १५॥ He made Sanvatsara as the lord of Ritus (seasons), months and groups of seasons, fortnights, Vipaksas (the day of transition from one half of a lunar month to another), Muhûrtas', Parvans, Kalās’, Kasthas', and Pramănas", the movement of the solstices, Ganita (mathematical calculations) and Yogas (astronomical divisions of time or combinations of Stars)....

Question What is the Karma and what karma a human should do to be a perfect? Answer **When is someone called a perfect and pure person? real Karma of human being in this kaliyug** I think when a person perfectly follow Dharma or SwaDharma , Performs his duties towards all according to the rules laid out by Shastras and when he completely immerse himself in meditation of Brahman / devotional service /Bhakti , then the person is called a pure person....

Question Why is lord Ganesh also called Ekdant, Char Bhuja Dhari? Answer Ganesha is depicted having one tooth which has a story that one tooth was taken away by the axe of parashurAma. He has four arms hence he is called as Chaturbhuja also. Also another name is danti. Secondly ganesha is not the only god who has animal face of body. There is also Sri varAha, Sri HayagrIva, Sri Narasimha etc....