Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question How can an unmarried person repay their debt to parents and ancestors? Answer First of all it is recommended in the scriptures that one marries and begets son. The following Aitreya Brahmana 7.13 verses quoted in the Vashishta Dharma Sutras make that explicit: ‘A debt he pays in him and immortality he gains, the father who sees the face of his son born and alive’ (AB 7.13). 2 ‘Eternal are the worlds of those men who have sons....

Question Why has God created material system/universe? Answer Every action (present) has a reaction (future) and had a cause (past). There is no action (work) without a cause. Every cause has its cause(s) material or eternal. God (as the Supreme Person) is the cause of all causes, however, He Himself has no cause. He is the "sarv kaaran-kaaranam", He is the cause of His "Brahman" and "Parmatama" revelation (Supreme Personality) too....

Question Side effects of Initiation by a Guru? Answer Quoting the verse from this answer: Mantridoshascha rAjAnam jAyAdoshah patim yathA | TathA prApnotyasandeham shishyapApam gurum priye || Just like a king gets affected by the sins committed by his ministers, a husband gets affected by the sins committed by his wife, likewise, without any doubt, O Beloved, a disciple's sins affect the Teacher (Guru). KulArnava Tantram 11.110 This means that if after initiation, the disciple commits a sin, the Guru will also have to share that guilt....

Question What to do when scriptures go against conscience? Answer Sri Krishnaprem, the great Gaudiya Vaishnava saint ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_Prem) writes in His 'Cruelty and Religion' However divine the ShAstras may have been in its origin, it has been transmitted to us through the memories and writings of purely human beings who like all human beings are subject to error...There are many other practices which..are..intolerable cruelties...If we once admit the principle that Bhagavan would never sanction,let alone command cruelty, we must then fearlessly erase from our religions teachings of all such acts however well-established they may be....

Question What is ShiroVrata (a vow of holding fire on head)? Answer The Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa has the description of a vrata by the same name. Chapter IX On the rules of Śirovrata 1-43. Śrī Nārāyana said :-- The Brāhmanas that will perform duly the Śirovrata, to be described in the following, are the only ones who will attain very easily the highest knowledge, destroying all Avidyā or Ignorance. So much so that the rules of right living and right conduct as ordained in the Śrutis and Smritis are not necessary to be observed by those who duly and devotedly perform the Śirovrata (i....

Question What is the most confidential knowledge in Bhagavad-Gita spoken in BG 18.64? Answer Firstly, although Krsna (beginning with Chapter 2, verse 11: "While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor the dead") appears to be speaking the Bhagavad-gita in order to incite Arjuna to fight, this is not Krsna s actual purpose. Krsna does not need to convince Arjuna to fight, for Arjuna will fight anyway (Chapter 18, verse 60: "...

Question What are sattva, rajas and tamas? Answer The entire creation/Prakriti/Maya is running on 3 gunas, but Purusha/Brahman is Nirguna and devoid of Gunas. Here, Krishna in Geeta and in Samadhi with formless Brahman Purusha is explaining, how manifested unconscious material Prakriti, becomes movable with consciousness of Purusha. Bhagavad Gita 14.3 – 14.4 The total material substance, prakṛiti, is the womb. I impregnate it with the individual souls, and thus all living beings are born....

Question What can we do so that all of us can increase own spiritual progress? Answer Only by removal of ego/Ahamkaar i.e. "I am this or that" one can become spiritual and for it there are only 2 main paths for spiritual progress, either Bhakti Marg of Prakriti(from Puranas), you call yourself to be servant of God and than live in world like Tulsidas, Kabirdas, Ramanujacharya etc., did or Gyana Marg of Purush(from Vedas), accept Sanyas/monkhood and in which you identify self to be infinite Brahman and do sense-restraint and call this world and your body to be a temporary dream and live for selfless work for the welfare of society like Swami Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, Shankaracharya etc....

Question Primary weapon of kalki Answer As per Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa): Skandha 12: Adhyay 2, the primary weapon of Lord Kalki would be a sword (असि) and his vahana wold be a horse named Devadatta: अश्वमाशुगमारुह्य देवदत्तं जगत्पति: । असिनासाधुदमनमष्टैश्वर्यगुणान्वित: ॥ १९ ॥ Lord Kalki, the Lord of the universe, will mount His swift horse Devadatta and, sword in hand, travel over the earth exhibiting His eight mystic opulences and eight special qualities of Godhead....

Question Did Shri Krishna point out wrong actions of Yudhisthira to Pandavas at any point of time in Mahabharata? Answer Kṛṣṇa doesn't hold the Pāṇḍavas directly responsible for some of their actions like agreeing to the gambling match in the first place, betting their wife, etc. Instead he blames it all on the ill-effects of gambling and the Pāṇḍavas' misfortune. Āraṇyaka Parva / Kairāta Parva 311 (Chapter 14) Vasudeva said, "...

Question Did Pandavas really complete their ajnatavasa? Answer At first, as per Duryodhana, they didn't complete: Vaisampayana said, 'King Duryodhana then, on the field of battle said unto Bhishma, and unto Drona--that tiger among warriors, and unto Kripa--that mighty car-warrior, these words, 'Both myself and Kama had said this unto the preceptors 1 I refer to the subject again, for I am not satisfied with having said it once. Even this was the pledge of the sons of Pandu that if defeated (at dice) they would reside to our knowledge in countries and woods for twelve years, and one more year unknown to us....

Question Is it adharma for a daasi to be stripped by her swami? Answer In the current context, the word dāsī means female slave not maid servant (paricārikā). After losing all his brothers Yudhiṣṭhira bets himself and says, should he lose, he'll do anything the Kauravas ask him to: Sabhā Parva / Dyūta Parva - Chapter 58 Shakuni said, "O Kounteya! You have lost a great deal of riches. You have lost your brothers, your horses and your elephants....

Question What is Advaita? Answer It is not possible to say that Brahman and the Atman are one because in the Advaita experience the ego dissolves. Without the ego there is no one left to do the counting. In that state a man no longer finds the existence of his ego. And who is there left to seek it? Who can describe how he feels in that state - in his own Pure Consciousness - about the real nature of Brahman?...

Question Mythology vs itihasa? Answer We need to see what term is used for those scriptures in our scriptures. We should stick to it. The word used is "Itihasa" only. Here are various references from various scriptures: One should make them [i.e., the invited Brahmanas] listen to the Vedic recitations, Dharma-Sastras, Itihasas (History) Puranas, and the most beautiful portion [of the S'astras] dealing with [the performance of] the S'raddha. (66)...

Question Are the 11 rudras mentioned in the Vedas? Answer No, they are not 11 Rudras mentioned in the Vedas. This is a concept invented in the Puranas. Specifically, Matsya(५.२९-३॰), (Harivamśa (१.३.४९-५२) and has no support in the Vedas. Rig Veda reveals Rudra as श्वितीचे (śvitīce) (२.३३.८) which is translated by Sāyaṇa as of white complexion. He is one among two or three gods who are invoked as having or assuming all forms....