Hinduism Questions & Answers

Question How can I work without desires? Answer Dharma, Artha, Kama and moksha are four purusharthas. So Sanatana dharma accepts that ordinary people will have desires. So people are free to work with desires. Nishkama karma, work with out desire, is only for people who want to attain moksha. Karma Yoga is explained below. You are asking about the practicality of nishkama Karma which is part of Karma Yoga. A person practices Karma Yoga when his work benefits other people and the work is done without caring about the result or name, fame, promotion, wealth etc....

Question Question for Advaitins: If I am Brahman, then why do I (who is already Brahman) need to find out that I am Brahman? Who is this “I”? Answer The second point is wrong. 'I' does not refer to Brahman. Here 'I' is the subtle body of Jiva that consists of manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkara. It is this I that is searching for Brahman. Marwari Devotee: "Who is this 'I' that says, 'O Lord, I am Thy servant'?...

Question Proof of hereditary caste system in Vedas OR Ramayana and Mahabharata Answer Short answer to your question is yes caste is hereditary as per Hindu scriptures whether Veidic or itihasas. I) FROM VEIDIC LITERATURE: Chhandogya Upanishad 5.10.7 - Those whose conduct has been good here will shortly get birth such as a Brahmana (brahmana yonim), a kshatriya, or a vaishya. But those whose conduct has been evil will be born in evil births shortly such as the birth of a dog (shva yonim), or as a pig, or a chandala....

Question Who was incarnation of Laxmi: Radha Rani or Rukmini Devi? Answer Quoting texts from the Bhagavata Purana: "O hero among the Kurus, the Supreme Lord Himself, Govinda, married Bhīṣmaka’s daughter, Vaidarbhī, who was a direct expansion of the goddess of fortune. The Lord did this by her desire, and in the process He beat down Śālva and other kings who took Śiśupāla’s side. Indeed, as everyone watched, Śrī Kṛṣṇa took Rukmiṇī just as Garuḍa boldly stole nectar from the demigods....

Question Why do yogis prefer bathing with cold water? Answer Probably because hot (specially boiled) water isn't considered pure. So, bathing with/in that water will not be purifying. See for example Manu Smriti 2.61: अनुष्णाभिरफेनाभिरद्भिस्तीर्थेन धर्मवित् । शौचेप्सुः सर्वदाऽचामेदेकान्ते प्रागुदङ्मुखः ॥ ६१ ॥ anuṣṇābhiraphenābhiradbhistīrthena dharmavit | śaucepsuḥ sarvadā'cāmedekānte prāgudaṅmukhaḥ || 61 || One who knows his duties, when desiring cleanliness, should always sip, through the proper receptacle, water which is neither hot nor frothy,—in solitude, with his face towards the North or the East....

Question Who gets the remnants of homa/sacrifice/puja? Answer Rudra (Shiva) is said to preside over sacrificial remnants, which is known as Ritual Remnant - Ucchiṣṭa (उच्छिष्ट) or śeṣa, or vāstu; and thus, as such he's the one who "metaphysically" takes/gets the remnants of sacrifice. Some scriptural references 1. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam MahāPurāṇa: ŚB 4.7.56 रुद्रं च स्वेन भागेन ह्युपाधावत्समाहित: । कर्मणोदवसानेन सोमपानितरानपि । उदवस्य सहर्त्विग्भि: सस्‍नाववभृथं तत: ॥ ५६ ॥ With concentrated mind, he waited upon Rudra, by offering the share due to him (viz....

Question Does Shiva Puran support Wife beating? Answer Maybe there is some wrong translation because as per Gita press translation A chaste woman shouldn't take her husband's name . Even after husband speaks harsh words , wife shouldn't say harsh words in return. When her husband calls her , she should leave all housework and immediately go to him and lovingly ask him with bowed head and folded hands ........

Question Is there any scripture which says how sandhya vandan should be performed Answer Nityakarm Pujaprakash published by Gita Press provides good detail of all Sandhya vandanas in morning, afternoon and evening. The book is available in Hindi, Telugu, Gujarati and Nepali. It is also available on Kindle. Author Pt Lalbihari Mishra details about following topics When to wake up and what to do after that Shauch kriya incl Snaan (Morning ablutions) How to dress up How to perform Morning Sandhya: Puja archana and Aarti It also talks about Afternoon and Evening Sandhya....

Question Can a woman get moksha? Answer First of all, Mokṣa is for the jīvātmā, not the gross body. And, the jīvātmā cannot be described/identified by any notion of sex, gender, caste, creed, appearance, et al (except, perhaps, as per theology of the Dvaitavada propounder - Madhawacharyaφ). Even so then, Unfortunately, the answer cannot be an unequivocal straight 'Yes or No' to this question, from a pan-Hinduism perspective. First, understand what is Moksha?...

Question Which people have got Moksha ? Could anyone enlist people mentioned in Puranas and Ithihas who got Moksha? Answer As such, I'm afraid we cannot have a comprehensive "exhaustive" list of all those who got Mokṣa Still, I'm providing here four instances, where people definitely got Mokṣa. Two instances are from Mahā-Purāṇas, and, the other two instances are from Itihāsas - the Mahābhārata & Ādhyātma Rāmāyaṇa. 1. Purāṇa. a. Vārāha MahāPurāṇa: Here a Brāhmiṇa (turned hunter) - named Satyatapas, and his guru - Āruṇi together get Mokṣa, as they are merged into Viṣṇu....

Question Where exactly is the Bhagavad Geeta quote that the “ultimate aim of life is to attain moksha” found? Answer There's no exact-verbatim verse in the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā that says "the Ultimate aim of Life is to attain Mokṣa". However, indirectly, Mokṣa as "the Ultimate Aim" is implied throughout the Gītā. Here, I have tried to compile all the verses in my knowledge that talks about Mokṣa or Nirvāṇa, either directly or indirectly:...

Question Vedic texts contain verses that support animal sacrifice , then why does Hinduism generally consider eating non-veg to be sin? Answer Sacrificial killing is allowed and it is regarded as non-killing (Ahimsa) unanimously in all scriptures. So such a killing is not a sin. Therefore, Vedas permitting animal sacrifices doesn't automatically allow all forms of meat eating (like outside of Vedic sacrifice). See the verses given below: Manu smriti 5....

Question What is importance of satsang according to various scriptures? Answer The importance of satsaṅga (सत्संग) is also underlined in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Purāṇa and Śrī Rāmacaritamānasa, besides other scriptures. 1. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Kapila Muni outlines the importance of Saints and Satsaṅga (सत्सङ्ग) to his mother, Devahūti in a discourse popularly known as the Kapila Gītā or the Kapila-Upadeśam. ŚB 3.25.24 त एते साधव: साध्वि सर्वसङ्गविवर्जिता: । सङ्गस्तेष्वथ ते प्रार्थ्य: सङ्गदोषहरा हि ते ॥ २४ ॥...

Question Gods and respective Chakra Answer The bottom 6 chakras are related to Maa Shakti and the 7th upper chakra is related to Lord Shiva. When Kundalini awakens Shakti rises from mooldhara chakra through Sushuma naadi and then she pierces 3 knots or granthis viz., Brahma Granthi near muldhara chakra (anus), Vishnu Granthi near anagata chakra (heart) and Rudra Granthi near ajna chakra (the junction of eyebrows) and thus reached Sahasrara Chakra and meet Lord Shiva there....

Question On the nature of Krishna Answer Krishna was already a "realized". He's the ever-realized for he's Vishnu himself, or Krishna (of Goloka) himself. This is what he says in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Purāṇa when he "departs" from his mortal coils when hit by the hunter Jarā. ŚB 11.30.39 श्रीभगवानुवाच मा भैर्जरे त्वमुत्तिष्ठ काम एष कृतो हि मे । याहि त्वं मदनुज्ञात: स्वर्गं सुकृतिनां पदम् ॥ ३९ ॥ Sri Krishna said: My dear Jarā, do not fear....