Q&A

Question Geological changes in Hindu Scriptures Answer The tale of King Sagara seems to have support Pangea super-continent and its division into two as Laurasia and Gondwanaland.As per continental drift theory, once only one super continent existed and it was surrounded by oceans all the side: tat gacchata vicinvadhvam putrakaa bhadram astu vah samudra maaliniim sarvaam prithiviim anugacchata Oh, sons, you may therefore proceed to search for the horse and its thief on this Entire Earth which is Garlanded by the Ocean....

Question Were women cursed with menstruation? Answer Were women cursed by any sage or god with menstruation? What is the story of women being cursed with menstruation? I think that is not a curse given to women by any sage or god, but women themselves accepted the menstruation cycle to make Indra free of his sin along with Prithivi, Jal, and Vruksha (earth, water and trees). There is a story described in Shreemad Bhagvat Purana of Indra killing Vishwroopa and to get rid of the sin, he distributed his sin of killing a brahmana (Brahma-Hatya) in four parts to women, water, trees and earth....

Question Why Hinduism does not force any rules like other religions? Answer Religions like Christianity and Islam threaten their followers with eternal hell if they don't obey the rules. Thus these rules are commandments. There is no fear in Hinduism. The reason is that God runs the entire show in Christianity and Islam and any wrong doing is a direct offence against God. That is not the case in Hinduism. God is a non-doer and unattached to the universe....

Question What is Dīkṣā (दीक्षा)? Answer So can I initiate myself, if possible how? NO. See what Lord Shiva says on this: VinA dikshAm na mokshah syAttaduktam shivashasane | SA cha na syAdvinAchArjya mityAchArjyaparamparA || Without initiation (VinA dikshAm) there is no liberation- this has been laid down by the Lord. And, initiation can not be there without a Teacher (VinA AchAryajya). Hence it comes down the line of Teachers- Parampara....

Question Why did Adi Sankaracharya compare the color of Ishwara’s eyes to that of monkey’s nates? Answer First of all, here is the Chandogya Upanishad verse in question: tasya yathā kapyāsaṃ puṇḍarīkamevamakṣiṇī tasyoditi nāma sa eṣa sarvebhyaḥ pāpmabhya udita udeti ha vai sarvebhyaḥ pāpmabhyo ya evaṃ veda ॥ Whose eyes are like blue lotus's, his name is ut, for he has risen (udita) above all evil. He also who knows this, rises above all evil....

Question What was the true reason behind the practice of Child Marriage? Answer See similar question and reference from Manu Smriti Of the 8 types of marriage, the first and foremost is Brahma type, where groom's family comes searching for bride, and she is given as kanyadaan to a brahmachari who has completed gurukula and done samavartana. It is to be done "Pradanam prak rtoh:" - Before Rtu (menses) Marriage for girl is same as Upanayana for boy - they both have to surrender to someone at age 7 - 16 - boy surrenders to guru, girl surrenders to husband....

Question Which scriptures say that the Kings and Kshatriyas are allowed to hunt animals? Answer Bhishma says this to Yudhishthira in Mahabharata Book 13 of Anushasana parva Chapter CXVI http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/m13b081.htm "Bhishma said, 'It is even so, O mighty-armed one, as thou sayest. There is nothing on earth that is superior to flesh in point of taste. There is nothing that is more beneficial then flesh to persons that are lean, or weak, or afflicted with disease, or addicted to sexual congress or exhausted with travel....

Question Why do sanyasa scriptures degrade women? Answer None of the so-called "sanyasa Upanishads" are part of the traditional orthodox Vedic canon. Yajnavalkya Upanishad, Sanyasa Upanishad, Naradaparivrajaka Upanishad, etc. are very late medieval productions. That is abundantly evident from their late medieval language style as well as their utter emphasis on renunciation and sanyasa and as the quotes show, the bizarrely contemptuous words used for women. The only Upanishads that are trustworthy are the classical Vedic Upanishads which all the major Vedantacharyas (Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, etc) have considered authoritative and referenced in their commentaries....

Question Are there any mantra or mantras in Veda Samhitas that confirm that Vedas are apaurusheya? Answer I am answering for the time being only from Rig Veda. The answer may be updated in future with references from the other Vedas. First of all, a Rishi is a person to whom is revealed at least one Rik mantra of the Rig Veda. The Rishi literally hears the mantra by super- physical methods in a state like trance, which he has achieved by means of tapas....

Question Which scripture is the source of the verse “janmana jayate shudrah.. " (everyone is born a shudra)? Answer No this shloka is not from Shreemad Bhagvat Purana. This shloka is given in Skanda Purana Vol.18 Book VI , Nagar Kanda , Chapter 239 , ( Efficacy of Adoration , Penance etc.) Verse 31-34 जन्मना जायते शूद्रः संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते। शापानुग्रहसामर्थ्यं तथा क्रोधः प्रसन्नता ।|31-34|| 31 : A Man is no better than a sudra at his birth ....

Question Why doesn’t Miracles occur in Kali Yuga? Answer As per oxford dictionary, Miracle is 'an extraordinary and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency'. If we go by above definition, there are many such events happened in Kali Yuga too. Books by recent Yogis or Swamis narrate many such episodes. You also mentioned in your question, "now there are no magic or powers seen day to day"....

Question How did the death of Karna happen? Answer Detailed story related to Karna death can be read in Mahabharata, Karna Parva, Section 90 and Mahabharata, Karna Parva, Section 91. Krishna testing Karna at time of death is not mentioned in Mahabharata. Karna's last moment is described in Mahabharata, Karna Parva, Section 91 as follows: Meanwhile the diadem-decked and high-souled Arjuna, recovering his senses, took up a shaft, fatal as the rod of Death, and called anjalika....

Question Is Lord Bhairava same as Lord Shiva, or are they a little different? Is Bhairava a part incarnation or complete Shiva? Answer Lord Shiva took his fifth incarnation as Bhairav and his Shakti was called 'Bhairavi'. So he is incarnation of shiva . An incarnation may not be same as the one who is taking avatar like narsimha is not like how lord Vishnu is shown. Shiva Purana says in...

Question What is the significance of jyotirlinga? Answer The significance is that all the 12 Jyotirlingas are Swayambhu or self- manifested or self- existent. They are not man made or krittima. So, they represent Lord Shiva fully. And their greatness is unmatched. In MatrikA Bheda Tantram, Lord Shiva says that in Kailasa there exists a Jyotirmaya lingam (or Jyotirlingam ) ( which is of course inaccessible to human beings ) , similarly on earth a corresponding lingam exists in Visweswara KAsi....

Question Did Rama really call Buddha as a thief? Answer First of all, this translation translates the word buddah in the literal meaning of intellection, rather than the name of the founder of Buddhism: It is an exact state of the case that a mere intellection deserves to be punished as it were a thief and know an atheist to be on par with a mere intellectual. Therefore he is the most suspectable and should be punished in the interest of the people....