Q&A

Question Should Stotras and Mantras be recited aloud? Answer Stotras Stotras should never be recited in mind. In Stotras' case there should be loud recital. In Mantra Japa, the best form is Manasa Japa (the silent chant). Loud Mantra Japa is considered as the inferior kind of Japa. Manasaa yah smaret stotram vachashaa vaa manum japet | Ubhayam nishphalam devi bhinna-bhaandokadam yathaa || O Devi! The act of reciting Stotras in mind and the act of repeating Mantras loudly are both fruitless just as is the act of storing water in a pot which has a hole in it....

Question Do scriptures give a method to recognize a truly self-realized person/jivanmukta? Answer Dattatreya, among others, is an ideal example of a Jivanmukta. He was always associated with wine etc and a filthy lifestyle. Why is that? Because Jivanmuktas don't want the masses to come to them. As simple as that. Because their touch is enough to liberate others, but not everyone is ready for liberation yet. Symptoms from Upanishads: Like Svetaketu, Rbhu, Nidagha, Vrsabha, Durvasas, Samvartaka, Dattatreya, and Raivataka, he has no visible emblem; he keeps his conduct concealed; he acts as if he were a fool, a lunatic, or a goblin; and, although he is sane, he behaves like a madman....

Question Can Sri Krishna be called ‘a person’? Answer This is how Krishnaprem, (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_Prem), the renowned siddha Gaudiya Vaishnava saint sees the topic.He clearly answers in the negative and writes Nor Krishna is man at all, but a great Power which, by its presence, though unknown, unseen, lightens the bitter sorrows of the world. The sanskritdictionary.com gives the relevant meanings of 'Purusha' as The soul; द्वाविमौ पुरुषौ लोके क्षरश्चाक्षर एव च Bg....

Question Did ‘Cinema Songs’ exist during Hiranyakshipu’s time? Answer NO. The 'Cinema-Song' is just an unwanted addition by the translator. The original sloka is: jihvaikato ’cyuta vikarṣati māvitṛptā śiśno ’nyatas tvag-udaraṁ śravaṇaṁ kutaścit ghrāṇo ’nyataś capala-dṛk kva ca karma-śaktir bahvyaḥ sapatnya iva geha-patiṁ lunanti SYNONYMS jihvā—the tongue; ekataḥ—to one side; acyuta—O my infallible Lord; vikarṣati—attracts; mā—me; avitṛptā—not being satisfied; śiśnaḥ—the genitals; anyataḥ—to another side; tvak—the skin; udaram—the belly ; śravaṇam—the ears; kutaścit—anywhere; ghrāṇaḥ—the nose; anyataḥ—to still another side; capala-dṛk—the restless eyesight; kva ca—somewhere; karma-śaktiḥ—the active senses; bahvyaḥ—many; sa-patnyaḥ—co-wives; iva—like; geha-patim—a householder; lunanti—annihilate....

Question Did Prahlada think that the worldly people are ‘fools and rascals’? Answer No,. Not at all. The original sloka is naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaraṇyās tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha- māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān The lines made bold of the following quotation are all wrong translations. Let us see why SYNONYMS na—not; eva—certainly; udvije—I am disturbed or afraid; para—O Supreme; duratyaya—insurmountable or very difficult to cross; vaitaraṇyāḥ—of the Vaitaraṇī, the river of the material world; tvat-vīrya—of Your Lordship’s glories and activities; gāyana—from chanting or distributing; mahā-amṛta—in the great ocean of nectarean spiritual bliss; magna-cittaḥ—whose consciousness is absorbed; śoce—I am simply lamenting; tataḥ—from that; vimukha-cetasaḥ—the fools and rascals who are bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; indriya-artha—in sense gratification; māyā-sukhāya—for temporary, illusory happiness; bharam—the false burden or responsibility (of maintaining one’s family, society and nation and elaborate arrangements for that purpose); udvahataḥ—who are lifting (by making grand plans for this arrangement); vimūḍhān—although all of them are nothing but fools and rascals (I am thinking of them also)....

Question Is there any proof that none of our ancient rishis were unmarried or left their families? Answer Yes, we have a proof that Yajnavalkya was married and taken Sanyasa: Quoting from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: IV-v-1: Now Yajnavalkya had two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani. Of these Maitreyi used to discuss Brahman, (while) Katyayani had then only an essentially feminine outlook. One day Yajnavalkya, with a view to embracing life - IV-v-2: 'O Maitreyi, my dear', said Yajnavalkya, 'I am going to renounce this life for monasticism....

Question What is the position of Durga in Gaudiya Vaishnavism? Answer Chaitanya Bhagavata is not a philosophical book, and it doesn't cover full life of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. It covers till Chaitanya Mahaprabhu takes sanyas and a bit after that. One things we learn from Chaitanya Bhagavata is that Bengali Vaishnavas were quite liberal and culturally sensitive and didn't have any fights/debates with other groups about supremacy. However, Chaitanya Charitamrita covers later details and it is a book mixed with hagiograpy and philosophical teachings....

Question Why Ramcharitmanas received more popularity than Valmiki Ramayana? Answer Summary: Tulsidasji chose to write the story in Awadhi on being ordered to do so by Lord Shiva who appeared before him. The incident is a very interesting one read the detailed part to find out. Further the popularity of the Manas is only restricted to the Hindi belt of Northern India and the part the of the answer describing the factors responsible, is obviously based on my opinion....

Question Following Your Passion/ Dreams against Hinduism? Answer It depends on what my passions/dreams are. The Sanatana Dharma speaks of four 'Purushartha'-s as the four types of fulfillment of life. They are : Dharma (Rightousness),Artha(Wealth), Kama (Desires) and Moksha (Liberation). For most people, the first three constitute the goals and hence the term 'Trivarga' is also used. If Artha and Kama that we have passion for or dream of does not contradict Dharma, they are never condemned,In fact they are encouraged....

Question What is the language(lipi) in which the Vedas are written? Answer संस्कृतम् (Sanskritam) Any language can have 2 components - sound and sight - the words we hear and the script we write. The sounds of Vedas are eternal (literally exist infinite time before and infinite time after). They are not made by man, rather they just exist in nature as the breath of Brahmam, and are perceived by rishis during deep state of tapas....

Question Which form of God is referred to as ‘Hari’? Answer The form of God referred to as 'Hari' is Sri Vishnu, Sri Krishna or His different incarnations. Lord Shiva is also referred to as 'Hari' in the Shiva-Shasranama, but our scriptures do not use the word 'Hari' to imply Lord Shiva. Otherwise, we would not have a separate dhyana-sloka for 'Hari-Hara'. An image of Hari-Hara is enclosed. The dhyana-sloka of Hari-Hara is...

Question Was Sri Krishna’s vishwaroopam seen by anyone before the Gita Upadesha? Answer It was Viraatroop not Vishwaroop which was observed before giving the Gita Upadesh SECTION CXXXI of the Udyoga Parva describes Lord's Viraatroop Saying this Kesava, that slayer of hostile heroes burst out into a loud laughter. And as the high-souled Sauri laughed, from his body, that resembled a blazing fire, issued myriads of gods, each of lightning effulgence, and not bigger than the thumb....

Question Does Gita support doctrine of eternal samsara? Answer Samsara = bhumi + svarga + naraka Samsara is eternal. Creation and Destruction have always happened and will always happen. 'yatha purvam akalpayat' - RigVeda 10.190.3 Krishna says : I forever punish evil men You interpreted : I punish evil men forever Krishna says : Evil men never reach me You interpreted : Evil men never reach me Good or Evil are characteristics of an action, not of a person....

Question Why do we worship Lord Hanuman on these weekdays? Answer Partial Answer Kastabhanjan Hanuman Mandir ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanuman_temple,_Salangpur) is an old temple at Salangpur. According to this video: https://youtu.be/lK3nFGMQNnw when Hanumanji saved His devotees from the horrible effects of Sanidev who took the form of a woman to save himself from the anger of Bala-brahmachari Hanumanji. Hanumanji's idol worshipped there shows Sanidev as a female at His feet.An image is enclosed....

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....