texts: Is Telugu translation of Garga Samhita available?

texts:
Garga Samhita contains pastimes of Krishna.

Is there any Telugu version of Garga Samhita?


texts:
Can somebody summarize, in short, the various aspects of Hinduism with respect to,

Morality
Ethics
Metaphysics
Origin of life (humans and other living beings)
Purpose of life
Various paths to achieve this purpose

Two lines for each point with reference to scriptures would do.


texts: What is source of the Saraswati sloka " Saraswati namastubhyam varade kamarupini..."?

texts:
Saraswati Sloka is a Hindu prayer chanted before beginning a class or at the beginning of one’s studies, so that all learning may resolve in knowledge alone. It is addressed to the Goddess Saraswatī, who symbolizes all forms of knowledge, including the knowledge of the performing arts. Knowledge is a fundamental pursuit of human life, and a life of study and learning provides nourishment and discipline to the human intellect. In the Vedic culture, study is considered as one’s duty. (Wiki source)

Saraswati Sloka:

  सरस्वति नमस्तुभ्यं वरदे कामरूपिणि ।

  विद्यारम्भं करिष्यामि सिद्धिर्भवतु मे सदा ॥

What is origin for this Sloka? and in Which scripture is it found? Also who composed the sloka?


texts: What is the significance of yaksha prashna? Are there any other such prominent scenarios?

texts:
I found wiki article on yaksha prashna here. Where can I find the elaborated explanation on  this?

I observe these sort of question & answer sessions, discourses, arguments appear in our epics which apparently seems like essence of dharma.

Can someone please list other such prominent scenarios?


texts: Is the Sahasranama recited by Bhisma Pitamaha to Yudhistra attributed to ParaBrahm or Lord Vishnu?

texts: Is the title 'Vishnu Sahasranama' a later addition or originally attributed to Lord Vishnu? The question arises because the names Brahma, Ishwar, Siva, Durga etc also find mention in the Sahasranama.


texts: Book recommendation for a thorough treatise on Rishi Gautama's Nyaya Shastra?

texts: An English translation with original Sanskrit verses would be ideal. It should cover all aspects/teachings contained in the Nyaya philosophy.


texts: Why Lord Rama was called Raghunath and when?

texts: Why lord Rama was called Raghunath? What is the meaning of this word and why he named so?


texts:
Who is the Rakshasa named Ravani in Ramayan?

Is Ravani the charitor of Ravan or the son of Ravan?

It is said that Ravani was more powerful than Ravan and sometimes he bounds Indra with his magical powers while fighting between gods and Rakhasas.

Is there any relationship between Ravan and Ravani?


texts: How could Hanuman change his form to human to meet lord Rama while he forgot about his powers?

texts:
When Hanuman goes to meet lord Rama for the first time, did he meet with his original form or as a human? If so,

why he didn't meet lord Rama with his original form?

How could they identify each other?

Could lord Rama not identify Hanuman at first meet?

If Hanuman had forgetten his power at this moment then, How could he able to change his form to human?


texts: Guidelines inside any south Indian temple

texts: South Indian temples are a lot different from North Indian temples. When we enter into the temple, there are lot of other gods and demi gods inside. Some people go straight to see the 'Moolavar'(the main diety). Some people first see all the other devas and gods whose idols are present surrounding the main diety. I am confused which way to follow. Also I am wondering whether our sacred scriptures have any guidelines for this. What are the rules, do's and don't 's inside a temple. Are there different rules for shaivite and vaishnava temples?


texts: Is the notion of "Godhead" opposed to Vaishnavite theology?

texts:
Wiki of Godhead in Christianity says:

  Godhead (or godhood), is the divinity or substance (ousia) of the Christian God, the substantial impersonal being of God, as opposed to the individual persons or hypostases of the Trinity; in other words, the Godhead refers to the "what" of God, and God refers to the "who" of God"

From what I understand, in vaishnavite theology, the ultimate reality is a person.


texts: Is there a concept of Triple Goddess in Hinduism according to stages of life?

texts:
All Devi worshippers are aware of the three main forms of the goddess - Ma Kali, Ma Lakshmi & Ma Saraswati. They can be considered as triple goddesses that correspond to the male Holy Trinity.

A similar concept of Triple Goddesses exists in neopaganism however it represents the different aspects of goddess as the Maiden (young woman), Matron (married/carrying a child) & Crone (old lady).

Interestingly, while going through the Devi Bhagvatam, I came across a similar concept in relation to Goddess Gayatri. Devi Bhagvatam Chapter 9 Book 12 mentions the following ode to the goddess:

  “O Devî Gâyatrî! Obeisance to Thee! Thou art the Great Vidyâ, the Mother of the Vedas, Higher than the Highest; Thou art Vyârhiti represented by the Mantra ‘Om Bhur Bhuvah Svah,’ O Mother! Thou art the state of equilibrium, i.e., the Turîya; Thou art of of the Form of Hrîm; Thou art Svâhâ and Svadhâ; Thou grantest the desires of the Bhaktas. Thou art the Witness of the three states, Jâgrat (waking), Svapna (dreaming) and Susupti (deep sleep). Thou art the Turîya and Sachchidânanda Brahmâ. O Devî! Thou resident in the Solar Orb and appearest as a ruddy girl in the morning, an youthful maiden at noon and a black old woman in the evening. O Devî! Obeisance to Thee!

I wanted to know if there are any other scriptures that refer to the Goddess in these three forms that are based on stages of life rather than their functions/consorts.


texts: What is the most probable date for Mahabharatha War?

texts:
Mahabharatha War is an event of tremendous religious and traditional significance to all Hindus and an important historical event in Indian and World history.
To this day, the date of the event remains controversial and various dates from 5561 BCE to 738 BCE have been proposed, by using various Historical, Archaeoastronomical, Scriptural and Traditional arguments.
Conventional Hindu traditionalists largely follow Aryabhatta and date the war at 3102 BCE.
We still don't have a definitive answer for this important event. And different answers making different arguments are spread all over the internet. So this question is a humble attempt to consolidate available different opinions and facts in one place, as a one stop source for all the different Mahabharatha date facts and arguments for anyone interested.

Note: Please follow these guidelines.

Write an answer presenting only one date, or a short range of years. Don't answer defending multiple dates ranging over a millennium.

Express clearly why you think that the date is most probable and supplement your answer amply with links, and where ever traditional verses are quoted, make sure you give the Chapter and Verse number, or appropriate link to the same.

If there are many many facts supporting for your date or if the answer is getting too huge, mention only the important facts and outsource the other arguments with links to the source.

Edit: Many people who have marked this question as a duplicate of another question. Please understand that even though the question is similar in nature the other question is way too general and asks

Has anyone made a thorough research of the Mahabharata and figured out
when this war actually took place with exact astronomical evidence?
Are there dates in any other text for the Mahabharata war?

Answer can be: Yes, PV Holey, Dr Vartak, Manish Pandit and Nilesh Oak have done research. It occurred 3500+ years ago. Other text like Puranas and Shirmad Bhagavagtham have some references for Mahabharata War.
While this answer can be for that question, this would be no way acceptable as an answer to this question, I am asking for the exact date and why DO YOU think its correct with appropriate reasons and more extensive reasons outsourced with sources.
Compare this answer which has 7 upvotes as of now. I pointed out some inconsistencies to which the answerer said

@VARUN.NRAO, I said thereabouts, not exactly 3140 B.C. My aim is to
establish the antiquity atleast and around 3100+ years ago, For exact
dates, probably need to research further

This would be not at all acceptable in my answer as it does not meet the criteria set by me. If this is the wrong answer to the other question why does it have 7 votes? Do not mark this as a duplicate just based on similarity.
Also read : How is this Hinduism?


texts: How & Why did Shukracharya become the guru of Daityas?

texts:
We know Brihaspati is the guru of Devas and Shukra of the Asuras. Both of them are sons of Brahma's Manas Putras so would have had equal chance to lead either of the clans so how did they end up on the opposite spectrums?

The Yog Vasishtha gives an interesting account of Shukracharya's struggles before becoming the guru of the Asuras and I am sharing it in short:

  Shukra, the son of sage Bhrigu, had performed tapas but falls
  in love with a fairy nymph. He pursues her to Indra’s heaven and ends up getting lost in repeated
  incarnations until he does such severe tapas by the Ganges River that his body perishes. Bhrigu uses
  his yogi powers to look for his missing son, finds the dead body, and complains to Yama, the god of
  death. Yama explains the nature of reality to sage Bhrigu, then awakens Shukra who restores his
  original body and becomes the guru of the demons. (IV.5.7-IV.16)

Is there any other story in scriptures that tells us how Shukra attained the position of the guru of Asuras?


texts: Do scriptures say about authentic living person(s) for Hinduism for current time?

texts:
I am asking the question in respect to current time.

Do scriptures provide any living people who can be treated as authentic (for decisions) in Hinduism without any doubt?


texts:
a) If someone is really depressed and want to commit suicide, are there any punishments for this also in garuda-purana?

b) Doesn't it means that they have more pain than they could bear so it's not entirely their fault to commit suicide.
(Assuming these pains are so severe that no one in that person's place could bear it, and without support and encouragement)

c) We have pain and bad incidents according to our deeds (karma) in this life and from past lives, so don't you think all these should be in a particular limit (more punishment than that shifted to next life?) so that no one commits suicide, and be able to bear their punishments.

Edit: I read a story in which the person steals some food and give to a poor family with which he has no relation then since his intention was good, INDRA himself came to take him to Swarg.
So I think reasons should also be seen for any punishments , since there are reasons for everything we do.


texts:
I was looking at some facebook posts and below is a pic I found in a post.

Do we have any providence about this in hindu puranas??

Or someone has just put this without any knowledge or for fun or getting likes on facebook?

Thanks


texts: What are the kalaas of arka (sun), soma (moon), bahni (fire)?

texts:
In Puja mantra, we get...

  Am Arkamandalaaya dvadasa-kalaatmane namah ( meaning I worship Arka with twelve kalaas), Um somamandalaaya shodashakalatmane namah (I worship soma with sixteen kalaas), mam bahnimandalaaya dasakalaatmane namah (I worship Bahni with ten kalaas).

My question is: What are these kalaas of Arka, Soma and Bahni?


texts: Why did Bhishma go to bring Amba, Ambika and Ambalika from Kashi without the invitation of Hastinapura in swayamvar?

texts: Why did not Invitation to Hastinapur for Swayamvar, and why did Bhishma go there without Invitation?


texts: Which of these Bhairava shruti texts / Tantras are lost?

texts:
The following is a list from the Shrikanthi Samhita of the 64 Bhairava Tantras and their 8 classifications:

Yamalasataka - BrahmayAmala, VishnuyAmala, Rudra-yAmala, Swacanda
yAmala, AtharvanayAmala, AdiyAmala, VetAla yAmala
Bhairavasataka - Swacanda Bhairava, CanDa Bhairava, Krodhbhairava,
AsitAngabhairava, MahochawAsa bhairava, KapAliSa bhairava
Mattasatka - Rakta, Lampata, LakSmi, KAlikA, PingaLA, Utphullaka,
VimbAdha
Mangalastka - Picu, Bhairavi, Brahmi, KalA, VijayA, CandrA, MangalA
and Sarva mangalA.
Cakrastka - Mantracakra, Varnacakra, Sakti Cankra, KalA chakra, Vindu
Chakra, NAdachakra, Guhya Cakra and PurNa Cakra.
Baharupastka - Andhaka, Rudrabheda, Arja, VarNabheda, Yama, Vidanga,
Matrrodana and JAlima.
Vagishastka - Bhairavi, CitrikA, HimsA, KadambikA, HrllekhA,
CandralekhA, VidyullekhA, VidvanmAtA.
Shikastka - Bhairavisikha, VinAshikha, VinAmani, Sammoha, DAmara,
Atharvaka, Kabandha and Shirshceda.

How many more Bhairava Tantras are there which claim to be part of this list? Where can these texts be found?


texts: Does Vallabhacharya ever mention Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in any of his works?

texts:
Vallabhacharya, a prominent Vaishnava acharya of the Rudra Sampradaya, was known to have had a close rapport with the Gaudiya Vaishnava saint, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is considered an incarnation of Krishna Himself by Gaudiya Vaishnavas. Their friendship has been described in details in the biography of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Chaitanya Charitamrita.

Now, there was one particular incident in the Chaitanya Charitamrita, where Vallabhacharya criticises Sridhara Swami's commentary on the Srimad Bhagavatam. This angers Mahaprabhu who terms Sridhara Swami's commentary authoritative. The day after this incident, Vallabhacharya returns to Mahaprabhu and asks for forgiveness for blaspheming against Sridhara Swami. Now, Vallabhacharya in one of the verses of the Chaitanya Charitamrita, declares Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to be an incarnation of Sri Krishna Himself:

  “My dear Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You have showed mercy to me in a way just befitting Your position by insulting me to cut down all my false pride.'' (Chaitanya Charitamrita, Antya Lila, 7.127)

My questions, however, are:

Does Vallabhacharya ever talk about Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in his works?
If yes, does he call Him to be Sri Krishna Himself?


texts:
सौराष्ट्रावन्त्याभीराश्च शूरा अर्बुदमालवाः । व्रात्या द्विजा भविष्यन्ति शूद्रप्राया जनाधिपाः (saurāṣṭrāvantyābhīrāśca śūrā arbudamālavāḥ | vrātyā dvijā bhaviṣyanti śūdraprāyā janādhipāḥ)

I got that shloka on a site. I want to know about it's source and translation. Can anybody help me?


texts: Under which school does the teachings of Brahma Kumaris fall under?

texts: I am unable to narrow it down to Sankhya or yoga or something else?


texts: How & when did Lord Shiva had started to wear tiger skin?

texts: Does Shiva purana have any story which describes about when did Shiva had started to wear tiger skin or when & how he started to hold trishul & damru?


texts: What do the scriptures say about Kali demon of Kaliyuga?

texts: I wish to know everything that the scriptures say about Kali demon of Kaliyuga.


texts: What portion of Hindus believe that deities are mere fiction?

texts:
I see varying degrees of deity "devotion" in Hinduism within the structure of the Vedas. The samhitas and brahmanas provide rituals and a mythos to illustrate use of the principles behind them. The aranyakas provide some specific concerns for later in life and the upanishads allow for ishta devata or even advaita where we and god are one as brahmin.

What percentage of all Hindus believe that the gods are merely mythical in nature?


texts: What is the complete shloka for Vishnu with meaning?

texts:
Can you please tell what is complete shloka of Vishnu with meaning that is below

  Shaantaakaaram bhujagashayanam padmanaabham suresham
  Vishwaa dharam Gagana Sadrusham Megha Varnam Subhangam
  Lakshmi kantam kamalanayanam yogibhir dhyaana gamyam
  Vande vishnum bhava bhaya haram sarva lokaika naatham.


texts: Has monogamy or eka patni vrata, as followed by Sri Rama, origins in Vedic Culture?

texts:
Rig Veda III.7.4 says

mahi tvāṣṭramūrjayantīrajuryaṃ stabhūyamānaṃ vahato vahanti |
vyaṅghebhirdidyutānaḥ sadhastha ekāmiva rodasī ā viveśa ||

Translation of H.H. Wilson is as follows:

The flowing rivers  invigorating him, bear along the great son of
TWASTHRI, the undecaying upholder (of the world) radiant with various
forms in the vicinity (of the firmmament): AGNI is associated with
heaven and earth, as (a husband with) only one wife.

It appears that monogamy or eka patni vrat, which was practiced by Sri Rama, has roots in Vedic Culture.
Am I right?


texts: How does one know that how many births he/she is yet to take? And is his/her present level of conciousness?

texts: As per the book Immortal talks, every soul has a level like T12 or T13; T14 being the highest. How do we know which level soul are we?


texts: Is naagmani a fictional thing or mentioned in scriptures? Also what about those special kind of naags?


texts: Which scripture tells about Saraswati upasana?

texts: Which scripture tells us about the rules and procedures for doing Saraswati upasana?


texts: Were there any incarnations of Lord Brahma?

texts: We hear a lot about incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and other Gods, but were there any incarnations of Lord Bramha too?


texts: Which deities should be honored for their protection of waters?

texts: Rivers seem to have their own, like Ganga. But what about wells, springs, streams and lakes in general?  Who are their protectors? How would one go about showing gratitude for the existence of - for example - a well or spring.?


texts: Can Shaivaites or Devotees of Shiva eat meat?

texts: I have seen animals sacrificing for  Kali mata. I am not brahmin by birth but had developed interest towards Lord Siva. I read Shiva Purana but there are no references for devotees of Shiva. I have read story of Bhaktha kannappa. Can Shaivaites eat meat?


texts:
As per my understanding,Atman is said to be my true self. When I die my gross body dies but my subtle body remains and reaps the fruits of karma in YamLoka. After which I take rebirth. However the Atman is unaffected by fruits of my actions.Atman neither takes birth or rebirth. Atman is self-existent. It is also said that Atman is one.

So my questions are :

Is Atman seated within me ?

If Atman is seated within me then to which dimension of me does it belong to? (for example does Atman belong to body or feelings or perceptions or mind or consciousness or awareness)

Is it true that Atman of every being is actually one?


texts: how many curses did Karna receive that he would fail in a crucial battle?

texts:
The most famous one is of course from Parashurama - for hiding his kshatriya identity.  I also read about a young calf that he kills by mistake and was cursed similarly.

Any others?


texts: What happened after one has achieved oneness with God. According to vedas and Bhagavad Gita

texts:
Can we be aware of of what is happening or we have lost our awareness. Can you describe the life after moksha. In short
Will our unsatisfied Desire be fulllfild. After moksha


texts: Why does the Yajur Veda call Vishnu the Nikhuryapa and the Nibhuyapa?

texts:
The Seventh Kanda of third Prapathaka of the Taittiriya Samhita of the Yajur Veda explains various Yagnas (Vedic fire-rituals), and in particular the third Prapathaka of this Khanda provides some of the hymns required for the Ashwamedha Yagna (horse ritual).  Here is one of those hymns:

  Hail! (To) meditation (I offer).

  To that meditated upon hail!

  Hail! (To) that which we meditate on (I offer).

  To mind hail! Hail! (To) mind (I offer).

  To Prajapati hail! To Ka hail! To Who hail!' To Whoever (katamásmai) hail!

  To Aditi hail! To Aditi the great hail! To Aditi the gentle hail!

  To Sarasvati hail! To Sarasvati the mighty hail! To Sarasvati, the purifying hail!

  To Pusan hail! To Pusan guardian of travellers hail! To Pusan watcher of men hail!

  To Tvastr hail! To Tvastr the seminal hail! To Tvastr the multiform
   hail!

  To Visnu hail! To Visnu the Nikhuryapa hail! To Visnu the Nibhuyapa hail!

I'm interested in the last line, addressed to Vishnu.  My question is, why is Vishnu called the Nikhuryapa and the Nibhuyapa?  What do these words mean?  Sanskrit dictionaries don't provide any help (they just say it's a name of Vishnu), and I don't think the name is in the Vishnu Sahasranama.

Does Sayana address this in his commentary on the Taittiriya Samhita?  He usually provides (sometimes fanciful) etymologies for the names of gods.


texts: Why is there a separate religion for Buddha, if Buddha is a Hindu god?

texts:
This is not a duplicate of Is Buddha an avatar of Lord Vishnu? I am posting totally different question below.

From www.sanatansociety.org:

  In Hinduism, Buddha is regarded as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu following Rama and Krishna.

Why is there a separate religion (Buddhism) for Buddha if Buddha is a Hindu god?


texts: Is everything in the universe conscious according to Hinduism?

texts:
In Devi Bhagavatam and some other scriptures of Hinduism, it is explicitly mentioned that (almost) every thing in the universe has a related god/goddesses. Here, every thing includes living things, non living things, habits, thoughts, sounds etc., whatever all exists in the universe.

Is it mentioned anywhere explicitly that everything in the universe has its own consciousness?


texts: Are there any analogues of this tale about the eventual fates of a sannyasin and an evil woman told by Swami Vivekananda in scripture?

texts:
Swami Vivekananda tells the following story (Complete Works, V8, Discourses on Jnana Yoga VI, available here):

Thought is all important, for "what we think we become". There was once a Sannyâsin, a holy man, who sat under a tree and taught the people. He drank milk, and ate only fruit, and made endless "Prânâyâmas", and felt himself to be very holy. In the same village lived an evil woman. Every day the Sannyasin went and warned her that her wickedness would lead her to hell. The poor woman, unable to change her method of life which was her only means of livelihood, was still much moved by the terrible future depicted by the Sannyasin. She wept and prayed to the Lord, begging Him to forgive her because she could not help herself. By and by both the holy man and the evil woman died. The angels came and bore her to heaven, while the demons claimed the soul of the Sannyasin. "Why is this!" he exclaimed, "have I not lived a most holy life, and preached holiness to everybody? Why should I be taken to hell while this wicked woman is taken to heaven?" "Because," answered the demons, "while she was forced to commit unholy acts, her mind was always fixed on the Lord and she sought deliverance, which has now come to her. But you, on the contrary, while you performed only holy acts, had your mind always fixed on the wickedness of others. You saw only sin, and thought only of sin, so now you have to go to that place where only sin is."

Are there any analogous tales in the scriptures? Failing which are there any scriptural statements which carry the same import? Failing even that --- which sampradayas accept this idea and to what extent and which sampradayas reject it absolutely?


texts:
Gaudiya Vaishnava Vedanta uses a term "achintya" (inconceivable).
Advaita Vedanta uses a term "anirvachaniya" (inexplicable).

What is difference between achintya and anirvachaniya? In what situations are these terms employed?

If one is expert only in one of the two systems, a partial answer can be added about when and where the term is employed.


texts: What is the story of Indra going to Nara-Narayana Rishis for aid, as mentioned in Mahabharata?

texts: I know that Bhishma narrates this story to Duryodhana. Please give me the reference from the Mahabharata if you can. It would help.


texts: I don't know that why every religions worship the Sun? Is there any big reason?


texts: Why did Sri Rama say that it is not possible to obtain fame and glory by conciliation even though the time period was treta yuga?

texts:
When ocean was not yielding to Sri Rama's request for 3 days , Sri Rama said the following to Laxmana

  "O, Lakshmana! In this world, it is not possible to obtain fame, glory or victory at the end of a battle, by conciliation"

He then goes on to add

  "This ocean is considering me as an incapable man endowed as I am with forbearance. It is a great mistake to show forbearance to such an individual."

I can easily imagine the above to be true in kalyuga.

But we are talking about Ramayana period which was treta yuga (to be precise the 24th treta yuga of present Manvantara as per the Puranas). I understand that 3 out of 4 legs of Dharma are still present in Treta yuga as mentioned in answers here - the four being austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness.  Thus I am interested to know whether the above statements are inline with what is expected in Treta Yuga - specifically mercy which was still present and only lost in Dwapar Yuga .


texts: What does the term Āstika-Nāstika mean- as such - without any connection with one particular faith?

texts:
There are different shades of interpretation of the terms Āstika-Nāstika.

Most of the answers on this forum relate to the interpretations that are propounded by some vested groups to denigrate other Indian faiths.

There is one question on this forum that could have been answered in the spirit of my question. However, it is married to another question, that reflects the general belief of the term Āstika-Nāstika and leaves no room to treat these terms divorced from the belief system. Hence, there is a need for a separate question.

However, the question that remains to be answered whether the terms Āstika-Nāstika can be explained without any connection to one particular faith or belief like Hinduism? Is there an etymological explanation for these terms?


texts: How did Goddess Sita protect herself in Ravana's palace?

texts: Ravana abducted Goddess Sita with evil intentions to marry her. But he didn't step forward to do so. What protected Goddess Sita from Ravana for more than six months (as far as I know) in Ravana's palace?


texts: For how long did Ratnakar did penance to become Valmiki the great sage?

texts: Is there any mention as to how long Ratnakar who was a hunter and thief did penance to wash off his sins and become a sage called Valmiki ??


texts:
As I am going through the Bala kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, came across the four names of demons Mareecha and Subaahu who were killed by Lord Rama. And they were the descendants of the earliest demons and subverters of rituals, namely Sunda and Upasunda.

  अथ काल उपमौ युद्धे सुतौ सुन्दोपसुन्दयोः || १-२०-२५
  यज्ञ विघ्न करौ तौ ते न एव दास्यामि पुत्रकम् |

  "Further, those saboteurs of your ritual namely Mareecha and Subaahu, are similar to Death-god and the descendents of the earliest demons and subverters of rituals, namely Sunda and Upasunda, no, I cannot spare my son, in any case. [1-20-25b, 26a]

My questions:

Who were Mareecha and Subaahu?
Who were Sunda and Upasunda?
How did they(all four) related to Ravana?


texts: Are Gods permitted to become non-vegetarians in their mortal form?

texts: I'm making an assumption that every God is a vegetarian? Is the God permitted to consume flesh in his mortal form which is to say his incarnation? Is there any mention in the scriptures to prevent him from doing so?


texts: Why had the first humans on earth suffered, if they did not do any bad karma from previous lives?

texts:
Karma philosophy teaches that everyone suffer or born according to their past karma or karma of previous birth.
The first humans did not have births earlier. Then what was the karma of first born humans for which they born again, and suffered  during their lifetime.


texts:
What is the origin of Sarveshaam Shanti Mantra

The text form of the mantra is as under:-

Om sarveshaam swastir bhavatu

Sarveshaam shantir bhavatu

Sarveshaam poornam bhavatu

Sarveshaam mangalam bhavatu

Sarve bhavantu sukhinah

Sarve santu niraamayaah

Sarve bhadraani pashyantu

Maakaschit duhkha bhaag bhavet

Meaning:-
Auspiciousness (swasti) be unto all; peace (shanti) be unto all;
fullness (poornam) be unto all; prosperity (mangalam) be unto all.
May all be happy! (sukhinah)
May all be free from disabilities! (niraamayaah)
May all look (pashyantu)to the good of others!
May none suffer from sorrow! (duhkha)

Shanti Mantras
By Sri Swami Sivananda
The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh


texts: What is the difference between Shrimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita?

texts:
Is Bhagavad Gita tells about one avatar and Shrimad Bhagavatam tells about all the Avatars?

Are they equivalent to each other or both are different?

Which is first written?
And when and why the later one is written if both are same?

Are both of the same author or different books?


texts:
In vedas the word arya appears may be it is addressed to indra too but i have listened that "ARYAS belong to no race" those are aryas who read vedas and those who not are called shudra.
So do manusmriti or vedas give the real meanibg of arya.

(note:— please give some verse related to vedas too.)


texts: Is kasam same as vachan/shapath? What if It is taken in a fit of anger, that you won't talk to so and so person and it is taken in the name of your deity. Does it have dharmic importance, if yes,  is there a dharmic way to undo it or get through it.


texts:
How has Hell been described in the Vedas and Upanishads?
Whether Hell has mental torture or physical torture?


texts: If Brahma created the universe then where he was living before creating it?

texts:
One of debate with friends lead me to write this question, please guide me.

Update
Thanks for all the answers, again for common men like me it's very difficult to digest complex scenarios/answers. It helps if someone describes in simple terms so that then I can continue my study step by step.

Or else kindly provide me book or online link where I can read from scratch.


texts: Difficulties one undergo when he is in pretha janma dosha

texts: What sort of form does a person attain when in pretha janma dosha? What sort of actions he will do to his family? How does he look like and will he cause difficulties to his family? On the contrary what sort of persons will not be disturbed by the pretha janma dosha?


texts:
Normally in Ramayana and Bharatha story telling, it is said that death during war is sacred: Veera Maranam.
Question is, is there any scriptural references to say the death in combat is considered sacred and any statements which says whether individual attains Moksha or goes to Swarga.


texts:
In the Tirthyatra parva of Vana parva, there are repeated texts (example here) saying Yudhistira have given away gems, cows and jewels to Brahmanas.
...

the king observed various fasts, and gave away large quantities of gems
...

distributed riches to the leaders of the twice-born class

....

Then he gave away thousands of cows at those holy spots

As Yudhistira was in forest and no longer the king, from where was he getting the wealth?
He was blessed with Akshaya Patra to feed the brahmanas. Was that the source of wealth as well? Or any other references I missed?


texts:
Bhagvad Gita says:

  Bg 15.1 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is said that
  there is an imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its
  branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this
  tree is the knower of the Vedas.

My question:

Is this a real or virtual banyan tree?
If real where exactly is it located?


texts: Are there any slokas/ verses/ scriptures to cure or avoid diseases

texts: Since we have this vast documented mythology related things, I am curious to know is there any book or something of this nature that outlines the verses / slokas that one can chant to ward off some diseases or illness or protect us from catching the same.


texts:
PLEASE NOTE: I come from an irreligious/atheist family. We do not have any Ishta-DevatA or Kula-DevatA.
Like most people from irreligious families, I am significantly ignorant of dharma. Would NAma-japa of any DevatA be beneficial for someone like me, who barely knows anything about our faith?
Also, could you give any tips for increasing devotion?


texts: Do Yajurveda 40.9, Yajurveda 32.3 and Bhagavadgita 7.20 reject idol worship?

texts:
First of all, I am a Hindu myself and I am saying this with no intentions of converting to any other religion but there some misconceptions that really boggle my mind.

The biggest of them is that in the Vedas, the Upanishads and even in the Bhagavad Gita it is prevented to worship idols and it is said that God is formless and He has no picture. The following verses are some examples:

  “They enter darkness those who worship natural things.They sink deeper
  in darkness those who worship sambhuti (created things)" (Yajurved
  40:9)

  "God Supreme or Supreme Spirit has no ‘Pratima’ (idol) or material
  shape" (Yajurved chapter 32 verse 3)

  “Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires they
  worship demigods i.e. idols." (Bhagavad Gita 7:20)

And the most opposing being:

  "The ignorant believe that un-manifest Para Brahma (One God)
  incarnates or takes manifestations, because they do not completely
  understand My highest, immutable, incomparable, and transcendental
  existence." (Bhagavad Gita 7:24)

I feel like this clearly says that God does not incarnate into avatars but we believe in Lord Rama, Lord Krishna... etc.

Hindus worship idols, make pictures of God, the concept of avatars of God is supported in Hinduism. And also... in the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana it is mentioned in the following verse the acceptable materials to make an idol:

  śailī dāru-mayī lauhī lepyā lekhyā ca saikatī mano-mayī maṇi-mayī
  pratimāṣṭa-vidhā smṛtā [SB - 11.27.12]

  Meaning: The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight
  varieties — stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or
  jewels.

The question is, doesn't it feel like the Vedas and the Bhagavata Purana are opposing each other?

If we look at Islam, the concept of God in it is completely clear and free of doubt that that there is no God but Allah and Muslims should not worship anything other than Allah. Nowhere in Islam two things are pointing against each other.

Again, I have absolutely no intentions of converting to Islam or any other religion. And also, in no way am I saying that Hinduism is a false religion because if it was false... it wouldn't have been alive right now. It would've been long gone in the time of Emperor Aurangzeb when he cut the head of the great Guru Teghbahadur of Sikhism. It is a miracle that Hinduism is being sustained without any terrific or convulsive movements where people are forced to accept Hinduism despite being one of the oldest religions and having suffered so many attacks, but still alive haven't executed any violent attacks forcing any one into the religion as done before in Islam and Christianity. Though, it should be noted that these kind of movements are prohibited in Islam and Christianity. I personally have also experienced small miracles and have been told of unbelievable miracles witnessed by my parents that have no doubt in my mind that Hinduism is not a false religion.

Nevertheless, these  are still some of the facts about Hinduism that boggle me and I would like to know if any of you have a true answer to this question.

Briefly, I would like to know:

1: Doesn't it look like the Vedas and the Bhagavata Purana are opposing each other? Why do different Hindu scriptures look like they're opposing each other?

2: Will we never know the true meaning of "God is formless, as well as with form" written in the Vedas in this life?

3: In Bhagavad Gita 7:24 it states:

  "The ignorant believe that un-manifest Para Brahma (One God)
  incarnates or takes manifestations, because they do not completely
  understand My highest, immutable, incomparable, and transcendental
  existence."

Doesn't this clearly state that God has no avatars? But we still believe in divine incarnations.


texts: How to worship in temples? Please explain in context of human body as temple

texts:
We know temples are a representation of human body. Please explain how one must approach each part of temple and worship it for ones progress.
For eg one prostrates at the flagpost of temple because it represents male genital organ.. And just like sexual energy is the largest energy in a body.. That part has maximum energy.


texts:
Wikipedia describes samadhi as

  Samadhi (Sanskrit: समाधि, Hindi pronunciation: [səˈmaːd̪ʱi]), also called samāpatti, in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools refers to a state of meditative consciousness. It is a meditative absorption or trance, attained by the practice of dhyāna. In samādhi the mind becomes still. It is a state of being totally aware of the present moment; a one-pointedness of mind.

But I've heard the word samadhi being used for graves in south Indian languages (especially Kannada). I'm not sure if the same word is used in other Indian languages too.

Other than the word samadhi's usage in yoga, is it also an exact Sanskrit translation for a grave?


texts: What are the arguments of vedanta sutras against pAshupata sect?

texts:
Vedanta Sutras and its commentaries are said to be critical of pashupata sect.

I think the second chapter talks about this in detail.

What are the arguments raised against this school?


texts: Is there an English translation of Shri Vidyaranya's Sarva darshana sangraha online?

texts:
I know that there is a Sanskrit version of this book, which seems to cover all philosophy of the Indian subcontinent.
So if any of you have the link to the English version online please post it here.


texts: Do any scriptures mention what would happen if temple restrictions are not followed?

texts:
The Supreme Court allowed the entry of women in the Swami Ayappa Temple at Shabarimala and ever since then a lot of protests have erupted in Kerala against the decision. One of the points that is raised by the devotees is that it would lead to a sort of desecration of the temple because we are breaking the ancient rules.

There is already a question regarding why women are not allowed in Shabarimala but mine is different. I want to know do any scriptures mention specifically that the entry of a woman who is capable of having periods leads to the desecration of a temple? It may not be specific to Shabarimala could be any other temple too but I want to know if any such statements barring the entry of women exist in our scriptures.


texts: What Guna is our current Kalpa, the Sveta Varaha Kalpa?

texts:
It is said in the Matysa Purana, that Brahma composes Puranas in accordance with the predominant Guna of that particular day of Brahma (Kalpa):

  ‘There are four categories — the mixed, the sattvik, the rajasik and the
  tamasik'

  In the various Puranas produced in the past by Brahma,
  deities have been praised corresponding to the dominant qualities of the epoch of
  production.

  In the epochs of tamas the greatness of Agni and Shiva is praised. In the epochs
  of rajas the greater greatness of Brahma is praised (Matsya. LIII, 68);’ ‘Then in the epochs
  of sattva the still greater greatness of Hari is praised. Those who reach realization in them
  attain the highest goal (Matsya. LIII, 67);’ ‘In the mixed epochs the greatness of Sarasvati
  and manes is praised (Matsya. LIII, 69).’

And Ramanujacharya in his Vedartha Sangraha, or "Summary of the meaning of the Vedas," says:

  The idea of the foregoing is this: Brahma is the first individual self (in the realm of
  samsara). Therefore even in him, some days sattva, some days rajas, and some days tamas
  preponderate.

  Further, it is to be understood, that in case there is a conflict between the Puranas that have been composed by Brahma on the days in which sattva
  preponderates and the Puranas that have been composed by him on other days, the Puranas
  composed on the days of sattva are true and the others in conflict with them and composed
  on other days are untrue. This principle of evaluation has been formulated by Brahma himself, when established in and devoted to sattva.

  The author of each of the Puranas, first of all gathered from Brahma himself all
  the materials that should go into the particular Purana and then transmitted that body of
  information through his composition. Accordingly it has been stated, ‘I will tell you, as
  Brahma, told, in reply to the questions put to him by the great sages like Daksa (Vi. Pu.
  1:2:8)’. (This is the governing principle of evaluation in connection with the Puranas).

Currently, we are in the Shveta Varaha Kalpa.

Does any scripture say what Guna this kalpa is?


texts:
I would like to find out what, modern contribution to Hindu scriptures are? Something akin to Brahmagupta or those insights of great Rishis. Today, we are not endowed with ‘aparushya’ visions. However we are endowed with other gifts such as critical thinking.
Besides writing commentaries on existing work or hymns how is the core knowledge expanded through research? . I see so many institutions vying to teach what is in the scriptures- poor job at that, let me add. Singing and dancing in bhakthi and doing your nitya karma and belief is one thing but researching in-depth through analysis( not Sanskrit language) on the concepts is super important. If you say I will only follow Madhva or Kashmiri Shaivism teachings and read and write only about them, isn’t that a very narrow mind set? Or Oh yeah Krishna is my God, but I’ll never justify basic intelligence that I am endowed with and continue to be blinded by emotions is a dishonor to Him and his design don’t you think?


texts: How are animals killed in the Soma Yajna?

texts:
In the Soma yajna, a few animals are killed (I think 3 different animals are killed). My question is, how are they killed? Through beheading, strangulation, etc?

This answer says that the horse is strangulated in the Ashvamedha yajna.

So do other yajnas involving animal sacrifice also involve strangulating the animal?


texts:
In Mahabharata:

Why was Bheesma Brother name was "Vichitraveerya" which direct means was strange semen. as ancient time name reflect the character in fact.

So was his semen strange?


texts:
We have heard about the Vajra holded by Dev Indra, which was said to be from the bones of Rishi Dadhichi, but before that, while saving Devi Sati from a rakshas Rishi Dadhichi earned a boon from Lord Shiva, that his bones will become of Vajra.

What does this Vajra mean?


texts: Have the Baudhayana Grihya Sutras ever been translated into English?

texts:
There are six Vedangas or supplements to the Vedas: Siksha or prounciation, Chandas or poetic meter, Vyakarana or grammar, Nirukta or etymology, Kalpa or rituals, and Jyotisha or astrology.  My question is about Kalpa.  There are three types of Kalpa Sutras or guides to Vedic rituals: Shrauta Sutras, which tell you how to do large public Yagnas; Grihya Sutras, which tell you how to do household rituals; and Shulba Sutras, which describe the geometry of altars for Vedic rituals.

Now as you can see in my Meta answer here, I've read many Grihya Sutra texts: the Shankhayana Grihya Sutras, the Ashvalayana Grihya Sutras, the Paraskara Grihya Sutras, the Khadira Grihya Sutras, the Gobhila Grihya Sutras, the Hiranyakeshi Grihya Sutras, the Apastamba Grihya Sutras, and the Vaikhanasa Grihya Sutras.  Almost all of these are available in English on sacred-texts.com here and here, except for the Vaikhanasa Grihya Sutras which I've uploaded to Google Drive here.

But there's one Grihya Sutra text I haven't read yet: the Baudhayana Grihya Sutras, which are associated with the Krishna Yajur Veda.  My question is, have the Baudhayana Grihya Sutras ever been translated into English? You can read it in Sanskrit here, but I can't seem to find an English translation.


texts: What happened to the Rakshasi who breastfed lord Krishna?

texts:
Video
At 19:50 onwards
So what happened to her in the video?  Why did she die? [How can someone die when she is breastfeeding?]


texts: Why only after brahmopadesham, marriages are done in Brahmins?

texts: Some does Brahmopadesham to their kids at very early age and some in the middle and some just before marriage. But why is this mandatory before marriage? What if it’s not done at all?


texts: Do scriptures record changes in the practice of Hinduism?

texts: Ancient linguists recorded changes in Sanskrit, while simultaneously holding on to "eternal Sanskrit" theology.  Similarly, practices like Ashwamedha Yagna seem to have been conducted in the past but have died.  Do any scriptures or secular works talk about Hindu practices that have been discontinued/changed/simplified?


texts: Where does the Padma Purana declares SadaShiva to be the originator of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara?

texts:
I asked this question so that there becomes a question analogous to this question:

Where does the Linga Purana declare Vishnu to be the supreme soul?

It becomes interesting to know about mystic nature of Puranas. So, my question is:

Although being a Vaishnav Purana where does PadmaPurana Declares SadShiva to be originator of Brahma Vishnu and Maheshwor ?


texts: When was the earliest that the Gaudiya Vaishnavas reversed the order of "Rama" and "Krishna" in their mantra?

texts:
I remember from childhood that you say "Hare Rama" first.

If you know Hindi, you can see the following video where a Sankarachrya talks about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVe3SSfJk0g

When did Gaudiya Vaishnavas reverse the order of the Mahamantra?  Do non-sectarian Hindus and non-gaudiyas chant in the traditional order?


texts: What do scriptures say about using swear or abusive words for cursing people?

texts:
I am asking this question from a modern perspective.

Do we consider the use of abusive words as "Vaani Hinsa"?

Is there any punishment for this and also does it affect our deeds (karma)?

And also can we use curse words for condemning bad or evil things?

Image source: Google images.


texts: Why there are the vedic ritual in Mīmāṃsā school of thought?

texts:
https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/44487/22556
According to this answer mimamsa preform vedic ritual to attain Moksha but according to both schools God do not play any role unlike dvaita Vedanta there God is karma enforcer.
So why do they preform vedic ritual and to whom they are dedicated ; if they do not believe that God plays any role then why do they preform vedic rituals.


texts: Does Shankaracharya of Puri consider that Varna is based on birth? Is this consistent with teachings of Adi Shankara?

texts:
I found this YouTube video (with English subtitles) of Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, the current Shankaracharya of Puri, but don't quite understand what he's trying to convey.
Can someone summarize what he's trying to say?
According to him, is one's varna fixed at birth?
Is this consistent with teachings or commentary of Adi Shankara?


texts: Is the Vāmakeśvara Taṃtra available with English Translation or Sanskrit Text?

texts: The Vāmakeśvara Taṃtra text with its sanskrit text or English translation or both, Is it available online or offline?


texts: Just because Chandalas are born from Sudra Father and Bramha mother,How justified is it to outcaste them and allocate menial and disgusting jobs?? Could they change their occupations if they gave up meat eating and cruel habits??


texts: What is the symbolism behind the ten heads of Ravana?

texts: Ravana is depicted to have ten heads. Is there any symbolism behind this?


texts: Akshata (rice) is used in all Hindu rituals. What is the significance of Akshata in rituals?


texts: Vande smartrgami Sanovatu in Datta Stavam

texts:
There are nine stanzas in Datta Stavam.

All the stanzas except the last one ends with vande Smarthrugaami Sanovathu.

What is the meaning of that and what is its connection with Dattatreya?


texts: Why Manusmriti and Mahabharata say women are living lies?

texts:
Manusmriti 9:17

  शय्याऽऽसनमलङ्कारं कामं क्रोधमनार्जवम् ।  द्रोहभावं कुचर्यां च
  स्त्रीभ्यो मनुरकल्पयत् ॥ १७ ॥

  śayyā''sanamalaṅkāraṃ kāmaṃ krodhamanārjavam |  drohabhāvaṃ kucaryāṃ
  ca strībhyo manurakalpayat || 17 ||

  Manu assigned to women sleep, sitting, ornament, lust, anger,
  dishonesty, malice and bad conduct.—(17)

Mahabharata 13.40

  O son of Kunti, women were all virtuous. Those, however, that sprang
  from this creation by Brahman with the aid of an illusion became
  sinful. The grandsire bestowed upon them the desire of enjoyment, all
  kinds of carnal pleasure. Tempted by the desire of enjoyment, they
  began to pursue persons of the other sex. The puissant lord of the
  deities created Wrath as the companion of Lust.  Women have no especial acts prescribed for them. Even this
  is the ordinance that was laid down. The Shruti declares that women are
  endued with senses the most powerful, that they have no scriptures to
  follow, and that they are living lies. Beds and seats and ornaments
  and food and drink and the absence of all that is respectable and
  righteous, indulgence in disagreeable words, and love of sexual
  companionship,--these were bestowed by Brahman upon women. Men are
  quite unable to restrain them within bounds.


texts: Which scriptures should be suffixed with the term Samhita?

texts:
According to the Wikipedia

Samhita literally means "put together, joined, union", a "collection",
and "a methodically, rule-based combination of text or verses".
Samhita also refers to the most ancient layer of text in the Vedas,
consisting of mantras, hymns, prayers, litanies and benedictions.
Parts of Vedic Samhitas constitute the oldest living part of Hindu
tradition.

It says that some rule based combination are called Samhitas. If yes, what are the rules?
We generally say RigVeds Samhita, but not Mahabharata Sahmita or Ramayana Samhitha.
What is the eligibility for a text to be called as Samhita?


texts: Was Hanuman ever shot in the leg by an arrow?

texts:
Was Hanuman ever shot in the leg by an arrow while he was flying with the mountain containing the Sanjivani herb, for Lakshmana?

I've heard that he was, which was a reminder for him to be humble and not proud because he was thinking how much Lord Rama needed him!


texts: How do we know that Lord Ganesha wrote the Mahabharata?

texts:
It's common to hear that Ganesha himself wrote the Mahabharata dictated by Vyasa muni. But wasn't all these epics passed down generation after generation orally?

They were written down fairly recently (in the broad time scale of Indian history I mean). Since its Kali Yuga how is it possible for God to have appeared?

So how can we be sure that it was written down and not dictated?


texts: What scriptures describe the layers of the Earth mentioned by Engalalwan?

texts:
This verse in Amsha 1 Adhyaya 4 of the Vishnu Purana describes the aftermath of Vishnu’s incarnation Varaha rescuing the Earth from the water:

  Uttishtatah tasya jalaardra kuksheh mahaa varaahasya maheem vigruhya |
  Vidhunvato veda mayama shareeram romaantarasthaa munayah stuvanti ||

  Through the indentations made by his hoofs, the waters rushed into the lower worlds with a thundering noise. Before his breath, the pious denizens of Janaloka were scattered[.]

Here is what the 11th century Sri Vaishnava Acharya Engalalwan says about this verse in his commentary on the Vishnu Purana, followed by U. Ve. A. Narasimhan Swami’s summary of the commentary:

  Prayaanti ityaadi |
  Varaahasya khuraagrena vikshate videerne rasaatale sati, adhah anda kataahe prayaanti sma |
  Kruta shabda santati iti kiyaa visheshanam |
  Tathaa cha shri vishnu dharmottare gangaa vyaaptou paataalaani adhikruti uktam * roukma bhoumaat adho yaataa roudram tejah sudaarunam |
  Tatra api avilayam yaataa varaaham lokamaagataa |
  Vaaraaha loke brahmaandam adha oordhve bhinnavaan harih |
  Chidrena tena saa devee svaam yonim punaraagataa |

  Rasaatala being torn apart, the waters started moving down in the anda kataaha. Great noise was made by the moving waters, when the Rasaatala got torn apart. Sri Engal Aalwaan quotes Vishnu Dharma, where Ganga came from Deva Loka to here, it went to various worlds. Various layers of the earth are told - shveta bhouma, rakta bhouma, shilaa bhouma, rukma bhouma. Crossing all of this, it came to Vaaraaha loka. Brahmaanda was torn apart into two halves by Hari. After that, He again came back to the original place.

I’m interested in the part in bold.  My question is, what scriptures describe Shveta Bhouma, Rakta Bhouma, Shila Bhouma, and Rukma Bhouma, the layers of the Earth alluded to by Engalalwan?

Note that I don’t want scientific speculation, I just want to know what scriptures describe these layers.


texts: Story of Lord Shani's sibling Bhadrā (भद्रा )?

texts:
Yama, Yami (personification of the river Yamuna) and the Aśvinī Kumāra, are popularly referred as the siblings of Lord Śani (शनिदेव ) .
What might be lesser known, are Bhadrā (भद्रा ) and, Tapatī (तपती ) are also Shani's siblings.
Again, Tapatī maybe understood as the personification of the Tapti (or Tapi) river. The starting lineage of Kuru can be traced to her.
Bhadrā is more shrouded in mystery, to even place her as some deity or other exalted entity. As a guess, I have heard from the elders and read a lot, is the concept of a recurring inauspicious time frame, which is also called as Bhadrā - kāl (भद्रा - काल).

Generally, to begin any new auspicious work, one has to make sure that all the
planetary positions are appropriate and conducive, thus yielding a
Śhubh Muhūrta i.e. A favourable or propitious period. All new works must be done on this propitious time frame, which is determined as per
the Pañcāṅga calculations by a competent astrologer -
jyotiṣika.  Now, if,  by chance the calculated propitious time frame coincides with a Bhadrā - kāl, then the propitious period is rendered inauspicious to either Start and End a new auspicious work. For example: Each year during Rakṣābandhana, a Bhadrā - kāl, is invariably observed, which forbids the Rakṣāsutra tying up ritual for that period of Bhadrā.

So, two questions:-

Is the astrology Bhadrā - kāl, actually same as the Lord Śani's sister Bhadrā ? What are the actual valid scriptural references for the various stories (linked above) related to the origin and life of Bhadrā?

What happens when a Bhadrā - kāl happens in Abūjh Muhūrta (A.B.)? As I discuss in this question, that A.B, by definition  are infallible and Bhadrā by definition invalidates any kind of auspicious moments. So, won't it create a paradox? Or, is it that generally the A.B days are choosen such, that they don't fall on any Bhadrā - kāl days?


texts: Why Gayatri mantra is widely recited by non-bramhins nowadays which was once the stronghold of only the brahmins?

texts: Is there any reason for release of Gayatri mantra to non brahmins and even to women? I think such practice is irregular. Who is responsible for deviation from very ancient practice and making it possible for others to follow this irreligious idea of devotion?


texts: Does the scriptures or eminent hindu acharyas, give any reasons as to why didn't Kunti invite the Trimurtis for begetting sons via Niyoga?

texts:
Since Kuntī got a boon from the legendary, Ṛṣi Durvāsa himself, I guess, noone would disrespect his boon thus would have descended down to beget Kuntī a son, as per her choice.
So, why did Panḍu and Kuntī limit themselves with the elemental or solar or netherworld deities only (i.e., Sūryadeva, Dharmarāj, Vāyudeva, Indradeva, & the Aśvinī Kumāras)?  Why not invite the 'higher' primordial Gods who are definitely 'more powerful' and thus more 'eligible'?
Why not call the Trimurtis (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva) or Gaṇeśa, Kārtikeya, etc.?
Does any scriptures or any eminent acharyas or hindu personalities or saints, specify or discuss any such reasons for this presumably "hypothetical - situation"?


texts: Where did the beheading of the elephant (which later became the head of Lord Ganesha) happen?

texts:
My home town is Tiruchirappalli (i.e Trichy) which is the abbreviated form of Thirucchiram arutha palli (Tamil). In English, it literally means 'the place where the holy beheading took place'.

As I asked all the elders in my city, the reason behind the name, everyone answered the same: "This is the place where the elephant's head was cut off, which was later attached to Lord Ganesha".

Also some people added more details like, "The elephant was lying facing north. So, that's why we should never sleep with our head towards north (There's scientific reason also there behind this. Like direction of Earth's magnetic rays are north-south)" and "The elephant was in the hill (which is the present Rockfort in the city) while it was beheaded. Then a Ganesh temple was built in that place to remember that incident. (Which is now one of the most famous Ganesh temples in India located at the top of Rockfort)".

I want to know whether the preceding statements are true. Even though I couldn't find any related stories that reveal where the beheading happened, everything the elders tell absolutely matches with our city's name, temples and places.


texts:
Who was Madalasa? What is the story of Ritudhwaj and Madalasa?
Is it true that she's known as a great mother in Hinduism?


texts: Is Tantra part of the Sruti or Smriti? I am a bit confused about where to place Tantra. Please answer with references.


texts:
I heard several times that according to Jyotish, moon is related to manas.
Which scripture talks about it? Did any scripture tell about the relation in detail?


texts: What are some famous military formations and strategies used in Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra?

texts:
What are some military formations and strategies used in Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra?

I heard Padma Vyuha was a famous one, From wikipedia

  Padmavyūha, is a multi-tier defensive formation that looks like a blooming lotus (padma, पद्म) when viewed from above. Very famous because of the warriors at each interleaving position would be in an increasingly tough position to fight".

Who were the warriors capable of fighting in Padma Vyuha?


texts: How did the Purva Mimamsa school explain Gotras?

texts: If the Purva Mimamsa school believes that the Earth and humans are eternal, then how does it explain ancestral Gotras, such descendants of Bharadwaj, Angirasa, etc?


texts: Is it true that Madhvācārīs used to emboss their bodies with hot iron blocks?

texts:
This article, Urdhapundra – The Vaishnavite Tilak, claims:

The Madhvacharis use hot iron blocks to emboss their bodies, especially the shoulders, with the four symbols of Vishnu.

Questions:

Is the above really true?
Do any of the Vaiṣṇava dharma śāstras recommend this practice?
Do any Vaiṣṇavas still follow this?


texts:
How does Vaishnava theology reconcile Brahman having no anger but experiencing anger?

For example, the Vishnu Purana says:

  He is all, he knows all, he sees all, he possess all strength, all knowledge, all power, all wealth. He is without fatigue, without lassitude, without fear, without anger, without desire and other such blemishes.

The Bhagavad Gita even says it's an asuric quality:

  Religious hypocrisy, hubris, self-conceit, anger, rudeness and ignorance these, O Arjuna,
  belong to asuric beings.

But we know well the Narasimha avatar where Brahman gets really angry at the injustice towards his devotees (Prahlada).

Vedanta Desikan in the Nyaya Siddhanjana says:

  Karma is nothing but the affection and anger
  of God

He even says this is a good quality:

  Conditioned with various karma of the Jivatmas, the knowledge of God forms anger and love. But it is not a defect for him because His anger is a good quality consistent with keeping His own command.

How to reconcile?


texts: In all of the temples that I have seen, only males serve as priests. I don't remember seeing any women priestesses. Though there are a few famous women devotees like Aandaal, Meera Bai, etc. there are seldom any women priestesses in our temples. Even in temples dedicated to Shakthi and Kaali only males serve as priests (as far as I know). Why are women restricted from priesthood?


texts: Is Hinduism strictly polytheistic or are the gods considered to be eventually one entity?

texts:
In Hinduism we have the "main" three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. We also have many, many, more devas, each with his or her own dominion.

Of course, the devas may appear in various avatars, in which case many entities are actually one.

However, in general, is there any way to perceive the entire array of devas as a single entity? I've seen some other Hindus with philosophies like this, and am wondering if there is any basis in the scriptures for this.

For example, is the Trimurti really one, single-willed entity, or is it a triumvirate-like conglomerate?


texts: Which scripture talks about chakras (energy centers) in present in human?

texts:
I know that there are colors and mantra (or sound) associated with each chakras (energy centers) in subtle human body. Which scripture mentions about it? I am interested in the oldest source of that chakra-color association.

(Just for information, the reason I am interested is because the colors from muladhara to sahasrara is in increasing order of frequency of colors. Isn't it weird if it had been assigned before modern science found about the frequency stuffs? And maybe there's similar thing with the sound as well!!)


texts: What is the belief behind god attaining human form?

texts:
If God is omnipresent and formless, then how did he attain human form in Puranas? What is the belief behind that?

how did Brahman become God in human form?

Are Puranas just for understanding the brahman better? or did Brahman really incarnated as Rama, Krishna etc?

Why did Brahman born as a male only in all avatars?


texts: Has any advaitic teacher said that learning advaita only at the word level is useless?

texts:
The 4 Mahakavyas or Great saying of Advaita Vedanta are as follows:

Prajñānam Brahma (प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म) - "Insight is Brahman," or "Brahman is insight” - (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
Ayam Ātmā Brahma (अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म) - "This Self (Atman) is Brahman" - (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
Tat Tvam Asi (तत् त्वम् असि) - "That essence (tat, referring to sat, "the Existent" are you" - (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
Aham Brahmāsmi (अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि) - "I am Brahman - (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)

The above sayings can all be learnt verbally very easily.
Meaning on one hand learning the Mahakavyas and the philosophy is easy, but to actually experience the Mahakavyas and realise their truth is a different case and requires enormous energy. A realised advaitic teacher can be felt as a highly energetic presence (with Brahmatejas).
Thus, have traditional advaitic teachers said that learning Advaita philosophy only at the word level (merely mugging up the Mahakavyas without understanding/experiencing the truth) is useless?


texts:
Wikipedia article of Pali says:

  Pali (Pāli) or Magadhan is a Prakrit language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of much of the earliest extant literature of Buddhism as collected in the Pāli Canon or Tipiṭaka and is the sacred language of some religious texts of Hinduism and all texts of Theravāda Buddhism."

Is this true? Are there any Hindu scriptures in Pali?


texts: Why was only Arjuna referred as "Partha", but not Yudhishtira or Bheema?

texts:
As per wikipedia article, Arjuna was also called 'Partha' because he was son of Kunti (Pritha).

Why could not Yudhishtira/Bheema be called by this name?


texts: How long to meditate for god to come and visit?

texts:
In Hindu mythology, God has given boon to demons for meditating. Generally,  how long the different demons had to meditate to make god visit them.

Wanted to know general estimate of time to meditate, to get god visit us.


texts: What are the various scientific proofs that Ramayana and Mahabharata describe real events in history and are not just mythical tales?

texts: I am really interested in understanding that where did all the ultramodern concepts like 'Brahmastra' (today's nukes) or the vimanas (today's aeroplane and space shuttles) etc, which were literally ages ahead of those times suddenly vanish into thin air. I don't intend to delve into all the god and reincarnation debate but more interested in the knowledge and know-how bit that is supposedly described during those times.


texts: We all know that there are 18 puranas in the Hindu mythology. The puranas were composed one after the another. What is the sequential order of the puranas, from the first to the last?


texts: If Radha and Krishna aren't married, why do we worship Them together, like Sita-Rama?

texts: We all know that Lord Krishna didn't marry his lover Radha, but we still consider her as the consort of Lord Krishna. My question is why do we worship them together?


texts: Can substitutes in rituals be permanent fixtures?

texts:
It is my understanding that use substitutes is permissible in case of random non-availability of samagri (ingredients, material etc). Some of the answers such as this one and this one provide references for valid substitutes.
But it seems that Hindus don't think twice in substituting original for something inferior yet easily done/available. It can't be the case that yagna will provide the same benefits if no efforts are undertaken in obtaining the original ingredients. If such reductionism is possible then quite sure that through "prashna" etc. we can do away with yagnas.
So assuming that we have a valid substitute in hand, how's it determined that due process was followed before resorting to using it ? Is the process mentioned somewhere in scriptures ?


texts: What is the reference for the following from Bhagavad geeta?

texts:
Which sloka in bhagavad gita says:

  Arjuna: How do I know that it is Dharma, O Keshava?
  Krishna: When the Adharmic lament, know that Dharma has manifested.


texts: Mantras and prayers in hindi(or other) language

texts:
Mantras are known to be very powerful prayers to gods and goddesses. They are in sanskrit generally , I want to know that prayers spoken in other languages are less effective than the mantras, or what  makes them supreme?

I was of the opinion that we don't even require to pray because god knows everything.


texts: How can all deities be equal when the Bhagavad Gita says the opposite?

texts:
Modern Smarthas often claim all deities are equal and that worshipping any deity grants liberation. However, we find in the Bhagavad Gita that Krishna makes a fine distinction between Him and the other deities:

  Being robbed of their wisdom by innumerable
  desires [and] being controlled by their own nature, per-
  sons take refuge in other deities by following one or
  the other religious regulations. (Bhagavad Gita 7.20)

  But that fruit of those men of poor intellect is
  finite. Those, who perform sacrifices, aiming at the
  gods, go to gods and My devotees go to Me. (Bhagavad Gita 7.23)

  All the worlds from the realm of Brahma down are subject to return, O Arjuna but after attaining Me, O Son of Kunti, there is no rebirth. (Bhagavad Gita 8.16)

So how can it be said that all deities are equal? Assuming multiple deities i.e. Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesha and Surya to be equal seems fine to me but all deities being equal seems (no offense but) quite far-fetched to me. How can virtually all the deities be same?


texts: Are there any verses which pray for the birth of daughter in Vedas?

texts:
Prajāpati, Anumati, Sinivāli have ordered it. Elsewhere may he effect
  the birth of maids, but here prepare a boy.-Atharva Veda 6.11.3

There are especial hymns and verses in Vedas which pray for the birth of a son like Atharva Veda  3.23.

  Be not divided; dwell ye here; reach the full time of human    life.
  With sons and grandsons sport and play, rejoicing in your happy
  home, -Atharva Veda 14.1.22;

  I cook the offering, I present oblation: only my wife attends the holy service.   A youthful world, a son hath been begotten. Begin a life that    brings success and triumph. -Atharva Veda 12.3.47

  Unmarried men desire to wed; bountiful givers wish for sons. Together may we dwell with strength unscathed for high prosperity. --Atharva Veda 14.2.72

  Wise, teaching, following the thought of Order, the sonless gained a grandson from his daughter. Fain, as a sire, to see his child
  prolific, he sped to meet her with an eager spirit. --Rig Veda 3.31.1

Above verses only emphasise on son over daughter.  Are there any verses which pray for daughters too?


texts: Is there any commentary available on Kutashlokas (VyasRahsya) of Mahabharata?

texts: Ganesha agreed to scribe Mahabharata only if Vyasa speak shlokas in continuation. But, Vyasa needed time to think shlokas so he put one condition that Ganesha would write shloka only after understanding them. Vyasa spoke very difficult some shlokas which took much time of Ganesha to understand and Vyasa could think other sholkas meanwhile. Is there any commentary available on these shlokas known as Kutashlokas or VyasaRahsya of Mahabharata?


texts: Rama sects like Ramanandi seemed to have risen in medieval period. What caused the sects to rise? Are there more sects like that? Name of the sects and their beliefs can be stated in the answer.


texts: What does the term "Adhikarika Purusha" mean?

texts: What is the meaning of the term "Adhikarika Purusha"? Is it the Vedic equivalent to Abrahamic prophets? Which scriptures mention this term? How is it related to Vedanta? Are there any examples of such individuals who can be termed as "Adhikarika Purusha"? Are they different from "avataras"?


texts: Is it compulsory to give name according to Rashi in Hinduism?

texts: Is it Compulsory  to give name(to Baby) according to Rashi (राशि) in Hinduism ?


texts: Is the capability of knowing past lives an unavoidable step in getting moksha?

texts:
A person in moksha state or higher yogic states is able to know about her past lives according to scriptures.
My doubt is that is it a mandated step in getting moksha? I mean, is it true that a person gets the capability of knowing her past lives and then only gets moksha, or is it an optional capability?


texts: I heard that Laxman is an avatar of Sheshnag? Is this true?


texts: Is it possible to establish Dharmarājya (Rāmarājya) in Kaliyuga?

texts:
It is often described in various Śāstras that the Kaliyuga will be an age rife with Adharma.
Does that imply that it is completely impossible to establish Dharmarājya or Rāmarājya in Kaliyuga?


texts: Who is Parangusa dasar and what are his salient features?

texts: Who is Parangusa dasar and whose avatar he took? Any salient features about him in old puranas or scriptures?


texts:
I have Gorochana or Goulochan, given by a friend. I want to know it's vedic application.

I have two types of Goulochan one is from cows head and other one cow gallstone Bezoar.

I did not find anywhere in web or in any magazine. Only through Durga Saptasati book its written to make tabiz with this Gouloachan.

Can I make tilak and give it to God while worshiping ?

Please give some details information and methods.


texts:
It is said that we are in samsara due to anadi karma.
If anadi karma has an end, i.e. moksha, that means that is has to have a beginning too.
What was the first incident that put jiva in samsara? What was the first ever karma?


texts: Do followers of dvaita really believe that advaitins are "deceitful demons"?

texts:
I came across a Shloka by Madhvacharya (ananda teertha) in which he calls advaitins as "deceitful demons". Also, in the work madvavijaya considered to be the authentic biography of Madhvacharya, the portrayal of Adi Shankaracharya as a wicked incarnation of the Asura Maniman is very weird. Ad Hominem attacks on Adi Shankara is made.

Do followers of Madhvacharya actually believe all this?

What about the current scholars and gurus of the Madhva tradition?

Do they believe this?


texts: Is Parmatma the fire or the heat of the fire?

texts:
Lord Krishna in Bhagwat Gita says the following in Verse 7.9:

I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in ﬁre. I
am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.

However in my opinion , where there is heat there is fire and where there is fire there is heat. Heat is generated by coming together of fuel , fire and consciousness. Consciousness alone can not generate heat. Therefore in my opinion heat can not be separated from fire and in conclusion we can say that Parmatma is the fire and not just the heat of fire.
My questions are:
1.Is Parmatma the fire or the heat of the fire ?
2.If Parmatma is heat of the fire then how can one separate the heat and the cause of heat?


texts: Shankaracharya said that ultimately even law of Karma is not right. Is there a scriptural reference where he says this?

texts:
Just watched a lecture from Swami Sarvapriyananda on Mandukya upanishad in which he states that Shankaracharya even cuts down the Law of Karma saying that ultimately that also is not true.

In what scripture did he say this?


texts: Bhagat Singh's essay - Why I am an atheist? I am looking for official hindu response

texts: Bhagat Singh has written an essay - Why I am an atheist. I am looking for official hindu response.


texts: Which scripture says that a sannyāsi can liberate 21 generations of ancestors without performing the śrāddha?

texts:
As most people know when a Hindu takes up sannyāsa, he no longer performs the daily and other rituals like the śrāddha that normal householders do.

Swami Chandrasekarendra Saraswati in the book Hindu Dharma: The Universal Way of Life §  explains as below.

  The Brahmin is born with three debts: he owes a debts to the sages, to the celestials and to the fathers. He repays the first by learning the Vedas as a student-bachelor; the second by taking a wife and performing sacrifices; and the third by begetting a son. So without marriage he cannot repay the second and third debts.

  Sons are primarily intended for the repayment of the debts to the fathers. Performing the sraddha ceremony is not enough. Forefathers of the past three generations are to be made to ascend from the manes. So even after a man dies, for two generations the daily libations must be offered to him. That is why the birth of a son is considered important. (The case of the naisthika brahmacarin and the sannyasin is different. Because of their inner purity and enlightenment, they can liberate, not just two generations, but twenty-one generations of fathers without performing any sraddha ceremony).

  [Hindu Dharma » Grhasthasrama » Grhastha and Grhini]

I'm specifically interested in the line marked in bold above.

Which Hindu scripture says that (naiṣṭhika) brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs can liberate souls of deceased parents and 21 generations of their ancestors without performing the śrāddha?

 §  An older and copyright-free version of this book is available for free here.


texts: What do scriptures say about lucid dreaming?

texts:
There are 4 states of consciousness - waking, dreaming, dreamless and Turiya although some people do refer to 5th state called Turiyatita. According to Adi Shankara, dreams are created by Jiva.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV.3.9 -

  He himself destroying, he himself shaping dreams with his own splendour, with his own light.

There is a type of dream known as lucid dream. According to Wiki:

  A lucid dream is a dream during which the dreamer is aware of dreaming. During lucid dreaming, the dreamer may be able to exert some degree of control over the dream characters, narrative, and environment.

This is the difference between normal dreams and lucid dreams, in normal dreams, dreamer has no control over environments and objects but in lucid dreaming, the dreamer decides what to do next!

Dreamer might want to go on a solar system trip or a visit to Betelgeuse which is 700 light years away. Dreamer can fly like a free bird or dive in the ocean like Godzilla!
There are a lot of experts in this field who have years of experience in lucid dreaming and according to research, most people experience atleast 1 lucid dream in their life.

But do scriptures contain anything about it? As far as I know, Upanishads talk about dreaming state but not sub type of it.


texts: Do all Non-Hindus remain as Pretas after death?

texts: The Jivatma will remain as a Preta unless Śrāddha is done, but non-Hindus do not perform Śrāddha.


texts:
Could someone please help me to identify the Goddess presented in the image?

But as you can see, She has two arms, and Her right hand is raised as if She is offering a blessing. Please tell me who She is.


texts: If a person were to write a new Hindu smriti, to what extent is that allowed and would that be appreciated by the Hindu community?


texts: What should a Hindu son do after the death of his father?

texts:
I am the youngest son of 3 brothers and my father passed away yesterday.  I went to the temple yesterday to seek the help of a pandit for funeral and cremation, when at the temple he mentioned that I should not enter the actual temple until my father has been cremated (actually I'm not sure if I should wait till the actual ashes are disbursed, or just wait till after the cremation).  Why is it that I cannot enter the temple?

Am I allowed to pray at home?  What should I be doing in these days other than planning the funeral/cremation, and notifying close family and friends of my father?

What should I be doing and what should I not be doing at this time?


texts: How to understand the dead person's future based on the life energy left through nava randhra marg?

texts:
I heard, for a person based on his karma leaves the physical body through one of the nava randhra marg. It is said that if life energy/atma left the body through bramha randra then the person may attain mukthi/liberation.

Is it true? Can we estimate person's next birth or the loka to which the soul/atma goes after the death based on the nava randhra marg choosen? Which of those marg indicates what about a person's death?


texts: Did the Society during the time of Mahabharata consider a common wife "polyandry" or "fraternal polyandry" condemned act?

texts: During the time of Mahabharata, did the society consider polyandry or fraternal polyandry a condemned or shameful act?


texts: How to understand essence of mind (Thought) is consciousness in vedanta?

texts:
i need simple logic to understand mind (each and every thought) is nothing but consciousness. In waking and dreaming state thought are coming and going but i the consciousness is not changing. But how to understand essence of changing thought
is changeless consciousness.


texts: Are there any unhealthy situations for Pandavas or Krishna in Mahabaratha?

texts:
Are there any situations in Mahabaratha where either Krishna or any Pandava is/are affected with disease or faced unhealthy situation ?

If there are no such instances, are there any slokas saying that their lifestyle is responsible for such diseaseless life?


texts:
Swami Vivekananda wrote the following commentary for Sutra 2.30 of Patanjali Yoga Sutras:

Receiving is just as bad as stealing; receiving gifts from others.
Whoever receives gifts, his mind is acted on by the mind of the giver,
so that the man who receives gifts becomes degenerated. Receiving
gifts destroys the independence of the mind, and makes us mere slaves.
Therefore, receive nothing.

At the same time, Bhagavad Gita 17.20 states:

That gift which is given out of duty, at the proper time and place, to
a worthy person, and without expectation of return, is considered to
be charity in the mode of goodness.

So, giving gifts for charity, at the proper time, proper place and to a worthy person, without any expectation of return, is praised.
But at the same time, receiving gifts is considered bad for the yogi.
Isn't this a conflict? Should one give gifts knowing that it will enslave the mind of the recipient?


texts: Is there a concept of "Satan" in Hinduism?

texts:
Is there a concept of Satan in Hinduism?. If so just cite the references.

How do the Asuras of the Puranas compare to this concept of evil entities?


texts:
What kind of position (importance) does Chaitanya Mahaprabhu enjoy in the sect called Gaudiya Vaishnavism?

To put it more precisely, can a person's opinions be considered as those of Gaudiya Vaishnavism if the opinions are found contradicting with what Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has said?


texts:
One of the mantras, which we usually recite before going to bed is,

  Ramaskandam Hanomantham Vynatheyam Vrukodharam
  Shayanesha Spatenithyam Dhuswapnam Thasyanashyathi

which is a prayer to Hanuman, Garuda and Bheema to prevent bad dreams.

My question is, why exactly do we pray these 3 gods in particular and which religious text it is mentioned in?


texts: How does the Yogi Remember his previous births?

texts:
The Yogi has the knowledge of all incarnations.

How does he dissolve the veils of separation from one incarnation to the next?


texts: Will there be any consequence to exceeding age 24 for Upanayana?

texts:
Apastamba Gryha Sutra, in verse 1.1.1.27, places a maximum age limit of 24 for the Upanayana ceremony.

If anyone exceeds this age for the ceremony, will there be any negative consequence?


texts: Are lord Ganesh ,Lord Subramanya Swamy and Lord Ayyappa are gods or demigods according to bhagavad geeta

texts: Are lord Ganesh , lord subramanya Swamy and lord Ayyappa are gods are demigods according to bhagavad gita


texts: The concept of Brahma as Creator, Vishnu as preserver and Siva as destroyer seems to be a Puranic concept.  By definition Trimurti cannot appear in Rig Veda since Siva as a God's name does not appear in Rig Veda.


texts:
Usually, when we use the term Yavana, we refer to the Greeks since this is what has been told to us. The Monier Williams Dictionary too gives the meaning of Yavana as Greek.

But then the following blogs tell a different story altogether.
This blog says that Yavanas were not Greeks.
This blog (you have to scroll down quite a bit) goes further and says that Yavanas were actually Egyptians.

The main Yavana who appears in the Puranas is Kalayavana, the warrior who caused Krsna to construct a whole new city named Dvaraka. He is supposed to be a son of a Yavana Queen by Sage Gaargya, when the King was unable to sire a son.

Personally, I think Yavana maps more to the Greeks, due to Ionia being near Persia, which logically would have been the westward course which Gaargya took had he travelled in that direction. But then the above cited blogs have made me rethink, because one can easily travel southwards towards Egypt as opposed to northwards towards Ionia.

So, were the Yavanas Greeks or Egyptians?
Also, did the Greek/Egyptian Pantheon exist at that time? (Since it was only 5000 years ago, I am compelled to say yes, hence the clarification.)


texts: Did the Samkhya school discuss the danger of Yagna fires to surrounding wildlife?

texts:
As I discuss in this question, by far the most popular school of Hindu philosophy is the Vedanta school. But there are five other Astika or orthodox schools of Hindu philosophy: Purva Mimamsa, Samkhya, Yoga, Vaisheshika, and Nyaya. My question is about the Samkhya school, founded by the sage Kapila. Verse 2 of Ishwara Krishna's Samkhya Karika, the defining text of the Samkhya school, describes the flaws of pursuing happiness through Dharma, and advocates pursuing happiness through knowledge of Purusha and Prakriti instead:

  dṛṣṭavadānuśravikaḥ sa hyaviśuddhi kṣayātiśayayuktaḥ ।
  tadviparītaḥ śreyān vyaktāvyaktajñavijñānāt ॥

  The [means of happiness revealed by the Vedas] is like the evident one, It is linked with impurity, destruction and inequality. Other than that is better,—proceeding from the right cognition of the Manifest, Unmanifest and the Knower.

I'm interested in the word "impurity".  As I discuss in this question, the Advaita philosopher Gaudapada, interprets "impurity" as referring to the Samkhya school's belief that animal sacrifice in Vedic Yagnas is a sin.  (This is an contrast to the Vedanta school which doesn't see animal sacrifice is a sin, as I discuss here.). And as I discuss in this question, the Advaita philosopher Vachaspati Mishra interprets "impurity" as referring not just to animal sacrifice, but also to the destruction of plants offered in Vedic Yagns.

But I'm interested in the interpretation given by the 17th century Advaita philosopher (and musician) Narayana Tirtha, in this section of his Samkhya Chandrika.  Narayana Tirtha agrees with Gaudapada and Vachaspati Mishra that it refers in part to animal sacrifice, but he thinks it also refers to something else:

  "Impurity": defect in the performance of some subsidiary act; also injury, from the text “Injure not.” Because at any rate, [there is] a likelihood of leaves of trees as well as small animals being destroyed through proximity to fire. Hence it is a source of pain.

I found this interesting, because Narayana Tirtha is essentially voicing an environmental concern: he's saying that the fires of Vedic Yagnas is a danger to the local wildlife in the area, and so Vedic Yagnas can be a source of sin.  My question is, are there any other Samkhya works which discuss the danger of Yagna fires to plants and animals in the area?

The reason I ask is that Narayana Tirtha was an Advaitin, not an actual follower of the Samkhya school, so his views may not be representative of what the Samkhya school believed.


texts: Why did Arjuna forget teachings of Bhagavad Gita?

texts: Krishna taught Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna during the Great War of Mahabharat. It helped Arjuna to overcome his despond and fight against Kouravas. Then he should have remained an enlightened person for life. But that didn't happen. After the war when his son Babruvaha approached him and requested him to consider him and his mother as family, Arjuna insulted him by saying that, "you must be the son of a prostitute since you are begging me to treat you as son. If you were my son you would have fought with me and asked me the same". My question is how and why did Arjuna forget the teachings of great Bhagavad Gita and behave with ego?


texts: Where exactly does a person's caste reside?

texts:
Which of the following have caste?

The physical body including the brain

After allowing for environmental factors like discriminaton, do castes have distinguishable bodily characteristics and brain capacity?

The mind

The quality of the mind - in particular qualities arising from early childhood influences.

The Atma


texts: What is the order of the present Varah Kalpa n Brahma's life?

texts:
The Skand Purana says Sati was born in the 1st Manvantar of the Pitri Kalpa which was the 30th Kalpa in the second Parardha of Brahma.

The text again says that Parvati was born in the Vaivasvat i.e. 7th Manvantar of the present Varah Kalpa.

Does this imply that the present Varah Kalpa is the 31st one or were there other Kalpas too in between? If there were what is the order of our present Kalpa in Brahma's second Parardha?**

EDIT: Vayu Purana Chapter 21 mentions 34 Kalpas:

  The kalpas since the
  original creation were as follows. (1) Bhava. (2) Bhuva. (3) Tapah. (4) Bhava. (5) Rambha. (6)
  Ritu. (7) Kratu. (8) Vahni. (9) Havyavahana. (10) Savitra. (11) Bhuvah. (12) Oushika. (13)
  Kushika. (14) Gandharva. (15) Rishabha. (16) Shadaja. (17) Marjaliya. (18) Madhyama. (19)
  Vairaja. The great Vairaja Manu was born in this kalpa and his son was the great sage
  Dadhichi. (20) Nishada. The race of nishadas (hunters) were created during this period. (21)
  Panchama. (22) Meghavahana. The word megha means cloud and vahana means to bear. In
  this kalpa, Vishnu adopted the form of a cloud and bore Shiva on his back. It is thus that the
  kalpa received its name. (23) Chintaka. (24) Akuti. (25) Vijnati. (26) Mana. (27) Bhava. (28)
  Vrihat. (29) Shvetalohita. (30) Rakta. (31) Pitavasa. (32) Sita. (33) Krishna (34) Vishvarupa.

So then are we in the 35th Kalpa?


texts: Who is 'I' in this verse a specific deity or supreme Bramhan?

texts:
I don't know Rishi (my guess is that Rishi's are agniras and Atharvana/Bhrigu) or gods of the following verse of 11th hymn and 3rd kanda of Atharvana Veda

  यदि क्षितायुर्यदि वा परेतो यदि मृत्योरन्तिकं नीतएव |
  तमा हरामि निर्ऋतेरुपस्थदश्पार्शमेनम् शतशारदाय ||

  अ०वे० काण्ड-३ सुक्त-११ मन्त्र-२

  Be his days ended, be he now departed, be he brought very
     near to death already,
    Out of Destruction's lap again I bring him, save him for life to
     last a hundred autumns.

  Atharvana Veda kanda-3 sukta-11 mantra-2

Here the mantra says be 'his', now 'his' is clear from the notion of reader or the one who is astika and follows vedic order.

Since every veda mantra has a god and a rishi , the word 'I' can refer to that god , If no then it must refer to bramhan as he is all powerful and god of gods. So who is the 'I'.

Disclaimer -: Atharva Veda mantras cannot be recited without consultation with a learned man(in vedas)/It should be recited by a learned man. If recited without consultation they produce no or opposite effects.


texts: What does Shiva purana says about Shiva wear tiger skin and hold a trishul with damru?

texts:
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According to Shiv puran when did Lord Shiva start to wear tiger skin and hold a trishul with damru? Does it describes any story about it. I have heard that Shiva had killed a tiger and wrapped the skin on his waist. Is it true as per Shiva purana? & how Shiva started to hold trishul with damru?


texts: What happens to a person who commits suicide according to Vedas and Bhagavd Gita

texts:
Can an atma harm or kill someone, can it gain superpowers like shape shiting and superhuman strength? Can it on constant humans(living) can it communicate with other souls? Can it climb up the atma rank (from atma to brahmarakshasa)?
Please give references from Vedas and Srimad Bhagavadgita only.


texts: How were the rules for Devalaya Vastu forged?

texts:
There are very few references as to how the rules for Devalaya Vastu (देवालय वस्तु) were written.

Any insights on who the original authors were, how and why they wrote the very specific rules that govern the construction of Hindu temples would be great.


texts: Which scriptures other than the Ramcharitmanas mention that during Shiva Parvati marriage ceremony Ganapaty was worshipped?

texts:
In the hundredth doha of the Balakanda of Ramcharitmanas it is mentioned that Ganapaty was worshipped during the marriage of Shiva & Parvati.

  मुनी अनुसासन गनपतिहि पूजेउ संभु भवानी ।
  कोउ सुनी संसय करै जानी सुर अनादि जिए जानी ।।

  " At the direction of the sages Sambhu and > Bhavani paid divine honours to Lord
  Ganapati. Let no one be puzzled to hear
  this; for one should bear in mind that gods have
  existed from time without beginning."

Also in Shiva Purana 2.109

  Once Narada had a desire to listen to the
  tales of Ganesha. Brahmaji replied-
  "There were various Ganeshas in
  different Kalpas. During the period of
  'Shweta-Kalp', Ganesha was
  born to Shiva and Parvati, when they went > to
  Kailash mountain shortly after their
  marriage. >

■ 1) Are there  any other scriptures which mention about  this incident  ?

■ 2) What is meant by "In Shweta kalpa Ganesh was born to Shiva and Parvati ".
Are there mentions of Ganesha being born to some other parents during any other Kalpas?


texts: Which Yagya To Perform When Wife Is Pregnant?

texts:
I’m deeply inspired with Vedic Dharma and Vedas. Agnihotra is what I found way to life.

There are many types of Yajna. So is there any Yajna which is best to perform for the benefits of child in the womb and the mother?


texts: Does praying to God help attain that which is not present in our destiny

texts:
Can praying to god/deity help a person attain something if that is not present in their Destiny/Prarabdha?

If it is not present in your destiny/prarabdha and you pray for it like you really want it, can you get it?


texts: Can someone provide non-ISKCON online resources for Krishna-related scriptures?

texts: If you search for something like Bhagavatam, you get overwhelmed by "supreme personality of godhead" type material.


texts: We are suffering from water problem without rain. Any suggestions about rain generating Mantras are welcomed. This question may appear as a primarily-opinion based, but actually it is not. So, please don't close it.


texts:
Is there any book ,which is written from Ravana's point of view ?
Like the book containing details regarding why he performed certain actions which are treated bad in Rama's point of view.
Is there book in which all his actions are justified ?


texts: How does meditation work on human personality?

texts: I thought meditation does not only work on mind and soul, but it is more than that.


texts: Why Lord Chaitanya leaves his incarnation in Puri dham?

texts:
I'm going to visit puri dham in coming days.Now I have a query in my mind, is there any specific reason Why Lord Chaitanya leaves his life in Puri dham?

If anybody has answer please tell me in short form.


texts: If one dies in kanchi will he get liberation too?

texts: It’s a mokshapuri just like kashi is.what scriptures talk about kanchi as a mokshapuri?and if it’s a mokshapuri why isn’t it as popular as pilgrimage site as kashi?


texts: Did Shri Rama and Shri Krishna kill all the adversaries

texts:
In case of Shri Rama I have heard about Vali and Ravana he killed both of them at the end of the battle.

Similarly Shri Krishna killed Narakarasura, Bakasura, Putana, etc. Is there any story/evidence where both of the Avatars of Shriman Narayana kept their adversaries alive after defeating them?


texts:
It is often said RigVeda is most ancient. And then the other 3 Vedas. And after them the rest Puraanas, Smriti et cetera come.

But is this true. Is there really something to be affiliated to scriptures that this scripture is most ancient, and this is a latter scripture.


texts: What is the distinction between yoga as Astika vs Nastika?

texts:
There are 6 orthodox (astikas) darshanas, very good explained in Keshav question here.

At same time, yoga is based mostly on agamas or tantras, and other kind of writtings:

Trika philosophy have texts as Shiva Sutras, Pratyabhijña, Tantraloka, etc
Saiva Siddhanta follow Tirumantiram, Tiruvacakam, etc
Nath Sampradaya have Goraksha shatakam, Siddha Siddhanta Paddhati, Shiva Samhita, etc

Then, this Tantric Yoga, could not be one of 6 darshanas.

So, is there a clear distinction between astika yoga, and tantrik yoga on scriptures? Both of then have same name (yoga)? Or is there a different name or another way to distinguish them?


texts:
I have one doubt.
If person has not accumulated any good sanchit karmas.

Will he still get blessings simply by worshipping mahadev with water and milk?


texts: Is Goddess Brahmacharini an avatara of Mata Durga?

texts:
The second day of Navaratri is observed on the Dwitya Tithi. On this day Goddess Brahmacharini is worshiped.

Who is Goddess Brahmacharini and what is the mythological story behind worshiping Brahmacharini Devi ?


texts: What are various ways, as per Scriptures, by which we lose our Punya:Good Merits?

texts:
It is said that if we refuse to donate someone who has come to ask for donations, then our Punya is lost.

What are other ways, as per Scriptures, which make us lose Good Virtues?


texts: Why reading Bhagvad Gita without Guru can be dangerous?

texts: I have heard many times that reading Gita without a teacher can be dangerous. Does it mean reader can take serious action if influenced strongly in wrong direction.


texts: Why did Shiva and Adishakti have to separate to create the universe?

texts: Many Puranas reference the separation of Shiva and Adishakti in order to create the universe. Adishakti then took many forms (Sati, Parvati, etc.) and each time married Shiva, so they can be united once again. If both entities are so powerful, why did they have to separate in order to create? Why is it that destruction doesn't take place when they unite? Please list any references that support your answer.


texts: In Hinduism, is there a concept of evolution? If so, how it it portrayed? I seen a YouTube video that I am unable to find again that says that the Vedic text says that beings evolve from most complex being to the simplest being(backwards from scientific conception), but also states that consciousness evolves from the simplest to the most complex. Is this true?


texts: How is Purusha Sukta revealed in Samaveda?

texts: Where does Purusha Sukta appear in Samaveda?


texts: What is the story of Maharishi Patanjali?

texts:
He is the propagator of yoga and grammar.

Well known for his great works.

What was his life story ?


texts: Within the word Sat Chit Ananda is the word Ananda What is the difference between the Red Bindu Ananda the Spiritual Union Ananda and the Golden Loka Ananda


texts: What is a mantra? Do mantras really have any power?

texts:
How does one define a mantra? Does it have any specific attributes?

Some mantras are purported to have some effect on the invoker. For example, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra is supposed to bring good health.

How should I believe this? It's like believing in spells and magic. Is it just a question of faith?


texts: Lord Krishna is the only supreme God in the Srimad Bhagavatam but in the Vedas Lord Narayana is supreme. Why?

texts: Lord Krishna is only supreme God in Bhagavatam, but Lord Narayana is supreme in the Vedas. Why? Is Lord Krishna only supreme God and not Lord Narayana?


texts: Do any versions of Ramayana talk about Mata Sita swallowing Lakshmana up?

texts:
I heard from a random source that while coming back from Ayodhya, Mata Sita went to the Sarayu river with Lakshmana so that he can worship that river. Mata Sita asked Lakshamana to bring water from the river, when Lakshmana went to bring water then one demon came out of the river and he was about to swallow Lakshmana. When Mata Sita saw it then she quickly swallowed Lakshmana herself before the demon could do it (to protect Lakshman).

Does any version of Ramayana speak of such a story?


texts: Did all rishis keep uncut hair (kesh) coiled on top of their heads ? what was its significance?

texts:
Whenever we think of a rishi , we imagine someone with white flowing beard and white long hair coiled on top of his head held together by a maala (rosary).

Why didn't rishis cut their hair , when kings are often shown with shaven beards in epics ?

Did long hair give them some power ?

I seriously don't understand it.