texts: What surviving works of the Rudra Sampradayam are there before Vallabhacharya?

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As I discuss in my question here, Vishnu is said to have taught the principles of Vaishnavism to four disciples: Lakshmi, Brahma, Shiva and Sanatkumara. And in turn they started the four main Sampradayas or traditions of Vaishnavism: Sri Sampradayam (which I belong to), Brahma Sampradayam, Rudra Sampradayam, and Kumara Sampradayam.  My question is about the Rudra Sampradayam, the one founded by Shiva.

The most famous Acharya associated with the Rudra Sampradayam is Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pushtimarg sect which worships the Srinathji form of Krishna (which I discuss here). The reason that Vallabhacharya's followers consider themselves part of the Rudra Sampradayam is they believe that Vallabhacharya was in the disciplic succession of Vishnusvami, an earlier Vaishnava Acharya associated with the Rudra Sampradayam. But in this journal paper, G. H. Bhatt argues that Vallabacharya did not actually belong to the disciplic succession of Vishnusvami, and that Vishnusvami believed in a dualistic philosophy that has no connection to Vallabacharya's philosophy of Shuddhadvaita.  So my question is, what surviving works of the Rudra Sampradayam are there from before the time of Vallabhacharya?  That should help settle the issue.

This chapter of Vidyaranya's Sarva Darshana Sangraha, written contains some references to works from Vishnuswami's sect.  The context is that Vidyaranya is discussing a Shaivite sect called the Raseshvaras, who believed in using Mercury to make the body immortal and thereby achieve Jivanmukti.  The Raseshvaras argue that it's possible for a body to be eternal, because Vishnuswami's sect says the body of Vishnu's incarnation Narasimha is eternal:

  And this is not to be supposed to be unprecedented, for the adherents of the doctrine of Vishnusvámin maintain the eternity of the body of Vishnu half-man and halflion. Thus it is said in the Sákára-siddhi - “I glorify the man-lion set forth by Vishnusvámin, whose only body is existence, intelligence, and eternal and inconceivably perfect beatitude.” If the objection be raised that the body of the man-lion, which appears as composite and as coloured, is incompatible with real existence, it may be replied: How can the body of the man-lion be otherwise than really existent, proved as it is by three kinds of proof: (1) by the intuition of Sanaka and others; (2) by Vedic texts such as, A thousand heads has Purusha; and (3) by Purānic texts such as, That wondrous child, lotus-eyed, four-armed, armed with the conch-shell, the club, and other weapons? Real existence and other like predicates are affirmed also by Srikántamišra, the devoted adherent of Vishnusvámin. Let, then, those who aspire to the highest end of personal souls be assured that the eternity of the body which we are setting forth is by no means a mere innovation.

So do the Sakara Siddhi or the works of Srikantamishra still exist?

Also, I've seen claims that Sridharaswami was an Acharya of the Rudra Sampradayam who lived between the time of Vishnuswami and the time of Vallabhacharya.  Can anyone verify if that's correct?  If so, his commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam still exist.  But I've seen claims that there are multiple Sridharaswamis, so the one who lived before Vallabhacharya may not belong to the Rudra Sampradayam.  In any case, other than the works of Sridharaswami, are there any other works of the Rudra Sampradayam before the time of Vallabhacharya?

EDIT: In this section of the ISKCON commentary on the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Srila Prabhupada claims that Vishnuswami wrote a commentary on the Brahma Sutras called the Sarvajna Bhashya.  Is that correct?  If so, I assume it no longer exists.


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Consider a thought experiment :-
I have an enemy. He wants to shoot me.
Case A: If I receive the bullet on my body, then the most general explanation given by Hinduism is that I had a bad karma (प्रारब्ध) in past-births. That's why I got hit.
Case B: If instead, I am fortunate enough to be saved, unharmed from bullet fired by my enemy, then the most general explanation given by Hinduism is that I had done some good deeds (प्रारब्ध), which saved me from suffering.

I see a flaw in this reasoning. And the flaw that I observe is that
My past karma (प्रारब्ध) is a function of an external stimuli (enemy here). My enemy's shooting ability is deciding if my past karma to be good or bad.

The paradox: Is my past karma creating a stimulus in my present birth ? Or is the stimulus in my present birth affecting my past karma ?
How can my past karma be changing in accordance with an external stimulus in my present birth ?

Please clarify.
Follow-up question: Is human body capable of creating new karma, or is it just to consume the fruits of past karma, or both ?
What are views of Hinduism, in this regard?


texts: Why do we need to do Three time praying(trikal sandhya)

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As per Hindu culture, we believe in God and worship to them. We should need to remember on time(Like during Morning when we wake up, Then when we eating and last when we sleep) in a day.

So what is thinking behind it? How we do it based on Hinduism?


texts: What's the source of this verse (yuktiyuktaṃ vaco grāhyaṃ bālād api śukād api)?

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yuktiyuktaṃ vaco grāhyaṃ bālād api śukād api
  yukti hīnam, vacas tyājyaṃ vṛddhād api śukād api

  Whatever is based on sound reasoning ought to be accepted, even if it proceeds from a boy or parrot. Whatever is not so based ought to be rejected, even if it is uttered by an old man or the sage Śuka himself.

Source: Religion and Society by Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan


texts: What happens to the Idols in Temples at end of Kalpa as Rudra destroys Bhuloka at end of Kalpa?

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Please don't get offended and i'm just curious. According to Skanda Purana, Goddess Sati self immolated in Swayamabhuva Manvanatara of Pitri Kalpa. She was born again as Parvathi Devi at beginning of current Vaishvara Manvantara of Swetha Varaha Kalpa. When Lord Rudra was carrying her body, Lord Narayana used His Sudarshana Chakra which cut Her body into different parts and these organs had fallen in different locations on Earth and these places are called as Shakti Peeths.
But at the end of Kalpa, Rudra destroys Earth. But i'm not sure about transition times of Pitri Kalpa and Swetha Varaha Kalpa, as Lord Vishnu's Avatar Varaha rescued Earth from demon Hiranyaksha who hid Earth in waters. So, i think Earth was not destroyed by Rudra at end of Pitri Kalpa. Still people worship the Shakti Peets of Previous Kalpa where Goddess organs are well preserved and worshipped with high veneration. So, my questions are

Was Earth destroyed at end of previous Kalpa? If Yes, how Goddess organs were preserved during Pralaya?
Generally, what happens to Idols in various temples at the end of Kalpa? I think temples are built only in Kali Yuga. Is this true?
There's a legend for Holy City of Kashi where it will be not be destroyed even at at end of Kalpa. So, is there any story for these Shaktipeets in particular and other temples in general?


texts: What is the eight syllable holy mantra for Krishna recommended in Shikshapatri?

texts: What is the eight syllable holy mantra for Krishna recommended in Shikshapatri in this image here.


texts: Is each of Vishnu's 1000 names from the sahasranama of equal potency?

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I think some Purana says saying Rama's name 3 times is equivalent to reciting the entire Sahasranama.  The Hare Krishnas also have a similar claim regarding the "hare krishna" mantra.  There is a Puranic story that saying "narayana" on your death-bed grants you liberation, regardless of however many sins you have committed.

As far as I know, only these three names have been singled out this way.  Is that correct?


texts: What is meaning of these terms "root, middle and top" in Shivastotravalli 2.9?

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In Shivastotravalli Chapter 2 Hymn 9, Acharya Utpaladeva says:

  Obeisance to Thee! The total benevolence The root middle and top all in one, The root, The Middle and The top individually, And one without root, middle or top.

What are these root, middle top term? What he is talking about here? Is there any better interpretation to understand this hymn?


texts: Do Nastika and Astika have direct translations in English?

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We have a gross translation of Astika and Nastika as theism and Atheism. However, the etymology of Nastika (na-asti-ka) seems to indicate 'someone who does not believe in what exists`.

Is there an accurate translation of the words in English ?

Also, what do they exactly mean as per Hindu scriptures ? I know of Charvaka and his Nastika theories, but is that the only one ?


texts: Are badrayana and ved vyas the same person?

texts: Please cite evidence from the sutras, smritis for your inference


texts: Why should one not whisper in Nandi's ears?

texts: I visited the ancient Lord Shiva temple in the lane of Mahalaxmi temple in Mumbai, As I started whispering in the ears of Nandi, the pujari there told that me that we should never whisper in his ears and gave the following reason:"Sin would be endowed upon you if you speak in Nandi's ears as our saliva may get applied on the murti of which प्राण प्रतिष्ठा has been done". Does anyone know about this? Is it true?


texts: How much of Vedic Mathematics is related to Veda?

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As a mathematics student, I know that Vedic mathematics is elementary level mathematics and mainly consists of some calculation techniques.

How much of it is related to Vedas? In which Veda can it be found?


texts: Is Raavana a rakshasa or a brahmin and how he can be a king too?

texts: First, how is Raavana a rakshasa and a brahmin at the same time? Second, if Raavana is Brahmin, how is he the king of Lanka? Since one's caste was determined based on one's karma, I would think Raavana to be a Kshatriya by that logic.


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Were there any schools of Shaiva, Shakti, or Tantric philosophy that advocated human sacrifice?

If so, what were their arguments?


texts: Why is Devi Ambika called Lord Shiva's sister in Yajurveda?

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Goddess Ambika is considered the wife of Lord Shiva but here Yajurveda calls Devi  Ambika the sister of Lord Shiva:

  एष ते रुद्र भाग: सह स्वस्त्राम्बिकया तं जुषस्व स्वाहैष ते रुद्र भाग S
  आखुस्ते पशु:।।57।।

  Rudra, this is thine allotted portion. With Ambika thy sister kindly take it. This, Rudra, is thy share, the rat thy victim. (Shukla Yajurveda 3.57)

So why in this verse Devi Ambika is called sister of Lord Shiva?

Is the translation of this verse correct?


texts: Why a positive emotion like happiness is not encouraged by Krishna in Geetha?

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We all know that happiness is an positive emotion and being sad is a negative emotion in general.

In Geetha, Krishna says that we should consider both happiness and sadness, equal. (Chapter 2 verse 15,38) Does it mean we should not be happy?

Is happiness a forbidden feeling? Being sad is not a good thing. But I am confused why staying always happy is not encouraged and why it should be taken to be equal to sadness?

If I want to spend my life with full happiness, independent of the events occurring, then is it not correct to do so, according to Krishna?

Does Krishna say anywhere to always live with happiness?


texts: What happens when a Brahmin maiden marries a Kshatriya man?

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This question is about a man I know, who is the son of a Kashmiri Pandit mother and a Haryanvi Jatt father and he himself married a Kashmiri brahmin woman
What kind of marriage is this and what happens to the progenies?


texts:
Wiki says:

  The Bhavishya Purana (Bhaviṣya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major works in the Purana genre of Hinduism, written in Sanskrit.[1][2] The title Bhavishya means "future" and implies it is a work that contains prophecies regarding the future, however, the "prophecy" parts of the extant manuscripts are a modern era work. Those sections of the surviving manuscripts that are dated to be older, are partly borrowed from other Indian texts such as Brihat Samhita and Shamba Purana. The veracity and authenticity of much of the Bhavishya Purana has been questioned by modern scholarship, and the text is considered an example of "constant revisions and living nature" of Puranic genre of Hindu literature.

The text exists in many inconsistent versions, wherein the content as well as their subdivisions vary, and five major versions are known. Some manuscripts have four Parvan (parts), some two, others don't have any parts. The text as it exists today is a composite of material ranging from medieval era to very recent. The available versions of Bhavishya Purana are based on a printed text published during the British colonial era."

does it overlap Nostradamus?


texts: Are there any stories or descriptions in Hindu writings about the Universe and the Earth before humanity was born?

texts: I was searching for stories before humanity in Hindu texts. But found none. Can you tell me if any exists?


texts: English translation of Garga Samhita on Krishna

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Garga Samhita is written by sage Garga.

Is there any English translation for Garga Samhita available online?


texts:
Many of my friends married recently and all of them were either unhappy or divorced. I was wondering if there is any mantra or verse that ask god to provide very nice wife.

Is there any verse to have nice wife?


texts: What is the proof or argument for reality of brahman in advaita vedanta?

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Some people write that the Brahman is the ultimate state of consciousness and everything we touch smell or observe are nothing but the different manifestation of this Brahman. However I am very troubled by the fact that there is no argument provided for this. On what authority should I accept this description of the Brahman? Why has this idea convinced the ancients such that even today we are reading their teachings?

I believe that the conclusion "Brahman is consciousness" is based upon a very human experience and that is subjectivity and consciousness just like we sculpt and draw images of the Gods in our own image i.e. human form/animal form. Can someone shed light on the matter?


texts: Which Hindu scriptures use the word Ārya and in what sense?

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What does the word "Ārya" really mean in the context of Hinduism?
And which Hindu scriptures use this word and in what sense?

If you think the question is too broad, limit your answer to The Vedas, Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata.


texts: Does every mantra begin with/contain ॐ(Aum)?

texts:
OP claimed in this question that:

  Every mantra begins with the word ॐ (Aum/Om).

Is that true? Are there any mantras that don't have ॐ in them?


texts:
It is said that Sahadev used a specific chart for his prediction.
May I have a glimpse of same please if available.
Also, please share any instruction on how it works


texts: Why there are numerous contradictions about origin of universe and other creations in Hinduism?

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Rig Veda 10.90 says Earth, Sky, heaven, and other creatures were created from Purusha's body.

Yajur Veda 14.28 says something different.

  With one they praised; creatures were produced…With five they praised;
  beings were created.

Rig Veda 10.72 says that the earth was born from the upward-growing tree.

If you read Indra and Varuna  suktas, there it is written that Indra and Varuna are the creator.

  O Indra-Varuṇa, as ye created all these creatures of the world by your
  surpassing might, In peace and quiet Mitra waits on Varuṇa, the Other,
  awful, with the Maruis seeks renown.

Atharva Veda 13.1.52 says Rohita created Earth:

  Rohita made the earth to be his altar, heaven his Dakshinā.   Then
  heat he took for Agni, and with rain for molten butter he    created
  every living thing.

If you look at Puranas, there Brahma is the creator.


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Recently I visited Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga. On the way I found out that Hindus mostly there, instead of burning the dead body, they buried dead body in the graves. As far as I know, only children and sages should be buried otherwise a dead body should be burned only.
Why is this difference ?


texts:
We come across many curses in scriptures. But, all the curses I do remember are for adults or old people.
Are there any instances in scriptures where someone cursed young children? Do curses act for them?


texts: Is the notion of sattvik, tamasic and rajasic puranas genuine?

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e.g. Ramanuja has said that any Puranic content that disagrees with Vishnu purana is Tamasic. Ramanuja's criterion would make the widespread Narasimha story Tamasic since it occurs only in a rudimentary way in the Vishnu Purana.

But modern scholars regard this classification as invalid.

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puranas "Scholars consider the Sattva-Rajas-Tamas classification as "entirely fanciful" and there is nothing in each text that actually justifies this classification." [40] Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225,

Is such classification worth considering?


texts: Who agrees with Adi Shankaracharya on Smriti having no authority over the existence of objects?

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As I discuss in this question, by far the most popular school of Hindu philosophy is the Vedanta school, which bases its tenets on the doctrines laid out in the Brahma Sutras, a work by the sage Vyasa that summarizes and systematizes the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads. You can read the Brahma Sutras here.  In any case, in the beginning of Adhyaya 2 Pada 1 of the Brahma Sutras, Vyasa refutes Kapila's Samkhya school:

  If it be argued (that from the acceptance of Brahman as the cause of the universe) arises the defect of the (Samkhya) Smritis being left without any scope, then not so, for otherwise will arise the defect of other Smritis losing their scope.
  And (Pradhana is not the cause) since the others are not met with (in the Vedas and common experience).

This translation is written from the viewpoint of the Advaita philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, who believed that in Sutra 2 Vyasa is rejecting Mahat and the other evolutes of Prakriti acknowledged by the Samkhya school; here's what he says in this section of his Brahma Sutra Bhashya:

  The principles different from the pradhâna, but to be viewed as its modifications which the (Sânkhya) Smriti assumes, as, for instance, the great principle [Mahat], are perceived neither in the Veda nor in ordinary experience. Now things of the nature of the elements and the sense organs, which are well known from the Veda, as well as from experience, may be referred to in Smriti; but with regard to things which, like Kapila's great principle [Mahat], are known neither from the Veda nor from experience--no more than, for instance, the objects of a sixth sense--Smriti is altogether impossible.

I'm interested in the part in bold.  In Hindu philosophy, there are three main Pramanas or valid means of knowledge: Pratyaksha or sensory perception, Anumana or inference, and Shabda or scriptural testimony. And there is a hierarchy of these Pramanas: Anumana is only applicable to those that which cannot be known through Pratyaksha, and Shabda is only applicable to that which cannot be known through either Pratyaksha or Anumana.  Now the Purva Mimamsa school believed that scripture was only authoritative on the subject of Dharma, since Dharma cannot be known through perception or inference, and that it has no authority on Siddharthas or objects which already exist in the Universe.  The Vedanta school, on the other hand, believes that scripture is also authoritative over already-existing objects like Brahman whose existence cannot be known through perception or inference.

But what Adi Shankaracharya is saying is that not all scriptures can establish the existence of objects; he's saying that if the existence of an object is not known perception or through Shruti (i.e. the Vedas), then its existence cannot be established through Smriti.  Now it's a well-established principle, going back to Adhyaya 1 Pada 3 of the Purva Mimamsa Sutras, that if Smriti prescribes an action which Shruti is silent on, like the payment of Guru Dakshina, then Smriti is authoritative.  (But if Smiriti prescribes an action prohibited by Shruti, then Shruti prevails.)  But Adi Shankaracharya apparently believed that that principle does not extend to the existence of the objects.

My question is, do any other Vedantic philosophers agree with Adi Shankaracharya that Smriti has no authority over the existence of objects?  Presumably Adi Shankaracharya's followers agree with him, but I'm interested in what non-Advaitins have to say. The Sri Vaishnava Acharya Ramanujacharya doesn't address this issue in the corresponding section of his Sri Bhashya, because he accepts the existence of Mahat and the evolutes of Prakriti, and he argues that their existence is actually supported by the Vedas.  But does he address this issue elsewhere?


texts: Is crossing the ocean (Samudrollanghana) a taboo in Hinduism?

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As per the below wiki link, crossing the ocean is considered a taboo in hinduism.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kala_pani_(taboo)

The link gives quote from a dharmashastra which prohibits crossing the ocean.  I am not sure how this is interpreted by commentators. Is it true that crossing the ocean is considered taboo? Does this have strong basis in the scriptures?

Edit: I am looking for all the references from scriptures which prohibit crossing the ocean.


texts: What are the views of Achintya Bheda Abheda on Nirguna Brahman?

texts: In the Advaita Vedanta, Nirguna Brahman refers to a formless God without qualities and is the supreme. In Vishishtadvaita, it refers to God without negative qualities. However, I want to know what does Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Achintya Bheda Abheda say about Nirguna Brahman?


texts: Which is the first Hindu scripture that mentions about zodiac signs?

texts:
The following are the names of zodiac signs

Mesha (Aries),
Vrushabha (Taurus),
Mithuna (Gemini),
Karkat (Cancer),
Simha (Leo),
Kanya (Virgo),
Tula (Libra),
Vrushchika (Scorpio),
Dhanu (Sagittarius),
Makar (Capricorn),
Kumbha (Aquarius) and
Meena (Pisces).

Which is the first Hindu scripture, according to the historical dating, mentions about zodiac signs?


texts: Story where Puloman was killed by Indrani's future husband Indra?

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As per wiki/Shachi:

Puloman, an Asura who was killed by Indrani's future husband, Indra.

But as per UTTARA KANDA of Valmiki Ramayana, Puloman (or Puloma) saves Jayanta (Indra's son) in Ravana/MeghnAdh - Indra war:

पुत्रश च तव देवेन्द्र न विनष्टॊ महारणे
नीतः संनिहितश चैव अर्यकेण महॊदधौ
Thy son, O lord of Devas, hath not been destroyed in the conflict. He hath been taken into the ocean by his [maternal] grand father (Puloma).

What is the story where Puloman was killed by Indrani's future husband Indra? If Indra killed Puloma even before his marriage then how come Puloma saves Indra's son? Does someone bring Puloma's life back?


texts: What is meant by Āmnāya/Āmnāyakrama, Abhiseka, and Deekshyaa-krama in Tantra? Where can I learn about them in depth?

texts:
All I came to know about Āmnāya is that it refers to the 5heads of Shiva facing 5 direction and one being a secret (kālāgni Rudra) where each head revealed  Āgama to Devi. So basically it means a sacred and secret tradition.
Also I heard that abhiseka, āmnāya-krama and krama-deekshya plays a prominent role in a Tantrik practises for Self-Realisation. So where can I learn the concepts about them? Suggestion of good book would be a much help.


texts: Does any scripture mention that forms of God or Goddess are symbolic?

texts:
Often I read different interpretations of the Forms of God. For example, the ten hands of Durga repesent the ten directions, the standing of Kali over Shiva repesent the Saguna Brahman or Prakriti standing on the Nirguna Brahman and so on and on and on.

What is the origin of such interpretations? Does any scripture provide such symbolic meanings of any Form of God?  Or, more generally, does any scripture support such symbolic interpretations?

Also, if such meanings are accepted, how could the devotees get direct vision of the God with Form?


texts:
Is it possible to reduce Tamogun (Tamasic qualities) ?

If so, then which steps can be taken to reduce Tamogun by following:
Worship, Behaviour, Mental attitude and Seva

It would be great if any ancient text reference is given with the answer.


texts: What is the significance of bride leading the groom during Saptapadi?

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This question has nothing to do with feminism or anything else. In Vedic or Hindu religion every step has deep meaning or significance. I know the significance of sacred oaths taken during Saptapadi. But during Saptapadi while walking around the fire (Agni deva) why does the bride always walk first before bridegroom?

It would be great to know the significance of bride leading the groom from scriptures. Please do not give self-made explanations.

Note: This is not a duplicate of What are the Saptapadi or the seven promises of marriage? which is a general question and doesn't deal with the specific question asked here.


texts: Why we see Goddess Durga sometimes sitting on a tiger and sometimes on a lion?

texts: I don't know why we see Goddess Durga sometimes sitting on a lion and sometimes on a tiger? Which animal was actually Durga's mount (vahana)? Is it Tiger or Lion?


texts: Can I get a mundan and Janeo at 33 years of age?

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I think I should add some context to this.
I like in Austin, Texas. My parents moved to USA in the mid 70s. My younger brother and I were born here. My parents have not been the best when it came to ceremonies and festivals. Both doctors, they do not believe in religion and unless they have a basis in science they do not believe in the ceremonies. This is something, I learnt in the last few years as we have moved more and more apart. Now they don't even bother.

My younger brother told me last week that our Mundan and Janeo ceremonies were not done, as in my parents words - they couldn't be bothered. Though this does not seem to concern my brother, it does bother me. I believe that there is reason behind these ceremonies and they should be performed. I have no idea however how they are done and what all is involved. All I know is that mundan involves a tonsure and the Janeo is a sacred thread.

My Girlfriend and soon to be wife (me marry in fall) and her family - Father, Mother, and Sister will support my decision and stand with me. Along with two close friends. However none of them are Hindu or Indian heritage. So this is all new to them too.

TL;dr:
I am a 33 year old Hindu or so I thought. I am a Sharma. I do not know anything else about Gotra etc.

Today I learnt that my parents had never bothered to get my Mundan done nor had I ever had my thread ceremony.

Can I still get these ceremonies done?
Where should I get them done?
What will it involve?
What family is needed to be present?


texts: What scriptures describe Parashurama as an Avesha Avatara of Vishnu?

texts:
Most people only about how Vishnu's Avataras or incarnations are classified into two categories: Purna Avataras who have all six Kalyana Gunas of Vishnu, and Amsha Avataras who only have some of his Kalyana Gunas.  But there's another way to classify them: Avesha Avataras and non-Avesha Avataras.  An Avesha Avatara, also known as a Shakti Avesha Avatara, is a person who has both Vishnu and an ordinary Jiva dwelling inside them.  A non-Avesha Avatara, on the other hand, only has Vishnu as their soul.

Now Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, lists some Avesha Avataras of Vishnu in this chapter of the Chaitanya Charitamrita:

  Some śaktyāveśa-avatāras are the four Kumāras, Nārada, Mahārāja Pṛthu and Paraśurāma. When a living being is empowered to act as Lord Brahmā, he is also considered a śaktyāveśa-avatāra.

My question is, what scriptures describe Parashurama as an Avesha Avatara of Vishnu?

Also, if he is an Avesha Avatara, that means that there's a Jiva dwelling within him.  So do any scriptures describe Parashurama's previous birth, which caused him to deserve to be reborn as an Avesha Avatara?


texts: Who was the wife of Kaushik who stopped the Sun from rising to save her husband's life?

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Markandeya Purana mentions the story of a Brahmin named Kaushik who got the following curse from sage Mandavya:

"That sinful wretch of a man, by whom, I sorely afflicted and reduced to a miserable plight, have been pushed with feet, shall forsooth be deprived of his life at the sun rise. As soon as he will see the rays of the sun he will meet with destruction." Kaushika's wife was terrified, so she used her magical powers to stop the sun from rising:
Thereupon hearing that dreadful curse, his wife, greatly afflicted, said "The sun shall not rise". Therefore the sun not rising there was a continuous night extending over many days and accordingly the celestials were terrified.

To cut the long story short the Devas took the help of Rishi Atri's wife Anasuya who was able to convince Kaushika's wife to allow the sun to rise, in exchange for Anasuya using her magical powers to save her husband's life.
My question is who was this wife who had the power to stop the Sun from rising! Could it be Ahalya as I mentioned in this question? If not, who can this powerful woman be?


texts: What is the physical location of the chakras?

texts:
Where exactly are the chakras located ?

If one is to visualise and meditate on a chakra, where in the spine are the chakras ?

If looking at the spine's 3-D image, are the chakras located immediately behind the skin (of our backs), in the middle of the spine ?
Or where ?

Edit : I am not exactly interested in the location of the chakra on the vertebrae but where on the vertebrae. Which dimension/side. The linked question does not answer my question as I am interested to know where in the vertebrae are the chakras.


texts: What is `Kashmir Series of texts and studies`?

texts: All the Kashmirir Shaivite scriptures are originally (in Sanskrit) found with a prefix Kashmir Series of texts and studies. What is the reason behind this naming? It seems some organization (probably public) have/had undertaken the work to publish Kashmiri Scriptures in bulk. Is that so? And my another question is what are all those scriptures have been published under the same title? Can we get a list of those scriptures which have been published so far under the same name?


texts: Who is the Creator of all Energy and Sources in the Universe?

texts: Who is the creator of all Energy and Sources in the Universe?I want to know the name of the God.


texts: What is the ideal time to perform tharpanam?

texts:
What is the best time to perform Amavasya Tharpanam?
Is there any specific reason why it should be done at that time ?


texts: What is the meaning of Karni Mata's description as a woman with a head in her hand?

texts:
What's the meaning of Karni Mata's depiction as a woman with a head in hand, a lion behind her and rats on the floor? What is her story?

  Also known as Shri Karniji Maharaj, she is worshiped as the
  incarnation of the warrior goddess Durga by her followers. She is
  an official deity of the royal families of Jodhpur and Bikaner.


texts:
Which of the following was the most important reason for Ravana abducting Sita?

Because Suparnakha was humiliated whatever was the reason
Because he came to know that Sita was the most beautiful women in the world so she could be the his wife.
Because Khara & Dusana were killed by Lord Rama & Lord Laxmana and it was the duty of the King to take revenge . it is immaterial for Ravana that "Khar & Dusan were killed as they attacked for wrong reasons"
No one can show supremacy in front of Ravana even if he's right.

Can anyone tell me the actual reason?


texts: Can anyone cite hymns about marriages particularly in Vedas? If nothing mentioned about marriages in the Vedas, Smriti or Puranas or Ramayana or Mahabharata references are also accepted in worst case.


texts: I have read somewhere that each NavaGraha is presided by a Durga. I want to know which Devi presides over which planet.


texts: Does any scripture proclaim Shirdi Sai to be an incarnation of Lord Dattatreya?

texts: I have heard many people claiming that shirdi sai baba was an incarnation of Dattatreya and thus is an Hindu God.Is there any reference in  scriptures regarding shirdi sai baba being an incarnation of Dattatreya?


texts: Is there any festival in hindu religion celebrating girl child and why girls have to fast most of the time?

texts:
A person raised a question that why in Hindu religion we have "boy" centered festivals but none for girls. For example in north India we have bhai-duj and jhat puja festival in which family worship to god for well being of "boy" child. Bhai-duj is similar to rakshabandhan.

In a reply I said that in Navratri we worship girl child. And bhai-duj and rakshabandhan is for the love and relationship of brother and sister. This is pointless of saying that boys are treated special on these occasions.

Then another question was raised that why women always fast, sometime for husband and sometime for child(example: jhat puja)??

I was not even able to reply to it.

So is there any festivals with "girls" at the center? And is there any occasion where man take fast for "girls", if not then why always girls take fast?

The whole point of the discussion was that to come to a conclusion that Hindu religion do not treat both the genders equally and so is men centered religion.


texts: Who is Agastya's brother in the Ramayana?

texts:
In the Aranya Kanda of the Ramayana, Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita are on the way to the ashram of the famous sage Agastya when they first stop by at the ashram of another sage:

While viewing beautiful forests, cloud-like mountains, lakes, and rivers that are flowing following the pathways, Rama happily journeyed on the pathway indicated by sage Suteekshna, then he gladly spoke this sentence to Lakshmana. "Definitely this alone appears to be the hermitage of Sage Agastya's brother, one with great soul and pious deeds. As how thousands of trees are bowing under the weight of flowers and fruit on the pathway, thereby I perceive it to be the hermitage of Agastya's bother." ...
Raghava spent one night there when that sage received him well and when they dined on tubers and fruits. Raghava spent that night there and when sun rose in solar orbit he took leave of the brother of Sage Agastya saying the following.  "Oh, godly sage, we stayed in the night comfortably, I now make an obeisance and bid farewell to you, as I wish to proceed to see your mentor and elder brother Agastya. When the brother of Agastya said, "you may go," Rama the legatee of Raghu journeyed on the pathways as directed by Suteekshna[.]

My question is, who is this brother of Agastya that Rama visits in the forest?  As I discuss in this answer, the sages Agastya and Vasishta are the sons of Mitra god of friendship and Varuna the ocean god.  Here is how the Srimad Bhagavatam describes their birth:

Agastya and Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣis were the common sons of Varuṇa and Mitra, the tenth son of Aditi. Upon seeing Urvaśī, the celestial society girl, both Mitra and Varuṇa discharged semen, which they preserved in an earthen pot. The two sons Agastya and Vasiṣṭha later appeared from that pot, and they are therefore the common sons of Mitra and Varuṇa.

Clearly the sage Rama met wasn't Vasishta, since Vasishta lived in Ayodhya.  So how could Agastya have another brother? Would he also be a son of Mitra and Varuna, and if so how was he born?
The Ramayana translator just says this:

The name of this brother of Agastya is Sudarshana. But none calls him by that name and he is just called agastya bhraata, Agastya's brother.

So are there any other scriptures that discuss Agastya's brother Sudarshana?  And what text gives his name as Sudarshana?
EDIT: I found this chapter of the Setu Mahatmya of the Skanda Purana describes the death of Agastya's brother.  In this account, Agastya's brother prays to Shiva for Moksha, and Shiva appears before him and tells him to bathe in the Amritavapi Tirtha, located in what is now the Ekantharama Temple near Rameshwaram.  He does so, and he attains Moksha.  But the Skanda Purana doesn't provide any biographical information about him, just that he is the "brother of the Pot-born Sage".  So I'm still trying to find how Agastya, being born in a pot along with Vasishta, could have an additional brother.


texts: Does Hinduism say anything about ghosts? Like why they may be stuck here, if it's really the jiva or something else like it?


texts: Does the liberated human (Jivan Mukta) has the same knowledge as brahman?

texts: If a person's soul get liberate(Jivan Mukta) and alive, then does his knowledge is equal to the knowledge of brahman?


texts: What is the story of the Tarakeshwar Temple in West Bengal?

texts: A man told me that the Shiva Linga of Tarakeshwar had grown automatically; what is the real story? And why is the Linga’s name Taraknath?


texts:
I know it was spoken in the battlefield of Mahabharata by Lord Krishna. If Lord Krishna departed around 3102 B.C (the beginning of Kali), the events of the Mahabharata must have occurred before it. If someone could trace back the events and give me an estimate on when the Bhagavad Gita was spoken, it would be helpful.

Thanks.


texts: Where can I find the authentic and complete Vedas online? [Hindi + English]

texts:
There are various sources of Vedas available online but I'd like to know what is the most authentic source of Vedas, which haven't been manipulated and are complete to the best of our knowledge.

Also, if these are available online in Hindi + English along with the original Sanskrit text.


texts: What is the source of this verse attributed to Madhavacharya?

texts:
This answer cites a verse supposedly written by Madhavacharya:

Swami Vidyaranya (aka Madhavacharya) the 12th Jagadguru of Śringeri
Śarada Pītham from 1380-1386 who is credited for founding the
Vijayanagara empire, enumerates five conditions for someone to be
considered a Hindu
“ओंकारमन्त्रमूलाढ्यः पुनर्जन्मदृढाशयः
गोभक्तो भारतगुरुर्हिन्दुर्हिंसनदूषकः |”
oṃkāramantramūlāḍhyaḥ punarjanmadṛḍhāśayaḥ
gobhakto bhāratagururhindurhiṃsanadūṣakaḥ
The above translates to that
He who 1) believes in “Omkar” mantra 2) has firm faith in
reincarnation (by extension law of karma) 3) venerates cows 4)
considers Bharat to be a holy land and 5) keeps away from himsa, is
considered to be Hindu

Some people say it's found in Madhavacharya's Shankara Digvijayam but I can't find it in the English translation by Swami Tapasyananda. Others attribute it to Madhavacharya without mentioning the source. Which makes me wonder if Madhavacharya is really the author of this verse.
If Madhavacharya is indeed the author of this, which of his works has the verse?


texts:
I have heard something about Rantideva that he was a king but I don't know the full story of King Rantideva.

Can you help me with the story related to the King Rantideva?


texts: What's the oldest advaita ashram or mathas?

texts: The title is the question. But I know Shankara mathas are the oldest, I'm not considering them for this question.


texts:
I have kind of a stupid question, but I believe it's valid.

What exactly happens when a Yuga changes from Satya Yuga -> Treta Yuga -> Dwapar Yuga -> Kali Yuga?

I don't have any reference to cite, but it says that in Kali Yuga, the average age of a person is 100 years whereas in Dwapara Yuga it's 1000 years and Treta Yuga 10000 years (I guess).

Then what will happen during transition of one Yuga to another; let's take the case of Parikshit and Yudhisthir. I believe that Kali Yuga had started at the time of Parikshit. So, how exactly does the age difference happen? Behavioral changes can be applied directly but structural changes to human body is hard to go unnoticed.

Is it immediate or slow? How do people react to the change?

I know it might sound crazy, do we have any reference to that in Hindu scriptures or the history books?


texts: Are there sects that prohibit their women from uttering "Om"?

texts: There is a chap on u-tube that says women should not say "Om" - they should say "am".


texts: What is the relationship between spiritual path, sectarian affiliation, and ascetic mode?


texts: What scriptures describe Ganesha having five hands?

texts:
The term "Shaivite" is overused nowadays. For instance, Iyer Brahmins are often called Shaivites, but they're actually followers of Adi Shankaracharya's Smartha sect (which I discuss here and here), and simply adopt Shiva as their Ishta Devata. True philosophical Shaivism is relatively rare nowadays (in contrast to philosophical Vaishnavism which is pretty common). I discussed one genuine Shaivite sect, the Lingayat sect of Basava, in my answer here. But my question is related to a more famous sect of Shaivism, known as Shaiva Siddhanta.

Just as the Sri Vaishnava sect (of which I am a member) is based on the Pancharatra Agamas and the poems of the 12 Alwars, Shaiva Siddhanta is based on the Shaiva Agamas and the poems of the 63 Nayanars.  In any case, one of the defining works of the Shaiva Siddhanta sect is Meykandar's Shivajnana Bodham, a commentary on twelve important verses of a Shaiva Agama called the Raurava Agamas.  Now Meykandar's shishya Arrulnandi Shivacharya wrote a commentary on the Shivajnana Bodham called the Shivajnana Siddhiyar.  Here is the invocatory verse to Ganesha that the Shivajnana Soddhiyar starts with:

  O God Ganesha, with the elephant head, single-tusked, double-eared, triple-juiced, with the hanging lip, and five hands, begotten by the Lord with the braided hair, adorned with the Ganges, the crescent moon and the cassia flowers, Thy feet will remove without fail the evil in our hearts flowing with love, humility, and knowledge, night and day.  Thy feet will lift such far above the delights of Brahma and Vishnu.

Now most of these attributes of Ganesha are recognizable: having an elephant head, having one tusk (as I discuss here), being the son of Shiva, being the remover of obstacles, etc.  But my question is, what scriptures describe Ganesha having five hands?

The translator claims that these represent the five functions that Shaivites believe Sadashiva performs: creation, preservation, destruction, obscuraton, and liberation.  But I'm generally skeptical of such symbolic explanations.  In any case, where exactly is Ganesha's fifth hand?  Is his trunk being counted as an extra hand?


texts:
Was the name "Ramayana" given to Ramayana by sage Valmiki or is it people who just call it by that name?

If not, then what was the name given by Valmiki?
Is the Ramayana book written by the sage Valmiki still available?
If not, then what is the oldest book/scriptures/source of Ramayanam?
Was it divided into 5 or 7 kandas by Valmiki himself?
Also, was it Valmiki himself, who gave the names/titles to the volumes (e.g., "Bala Kanda")?

Similarly, was the name "Mahabharata" given by sage Krishna Dwaipayana (Veda Vyasa)?

Was it divided and named as the various parvas by the sage himself?
What's the oldest source of the Mahabharata?
I know that Bhagavad Gita is a part of the Mahabharata. But was the name 'Bhagavad Gita' given by Veda Vyasa?
If not, then how did the name 'Bhagavad Gita' come into usage?


texts: Why do they put a hole behind some Ganesha idols?

texts:
I just bought a Ganesha idol from market to my home for Ganesh chaturadhi puja.

I found this small hole behind the idol. What does it indicate?


texts:
It is possible to have a translation of this Stotram ?
In the menu on the top right there many variants but of course is not translated, only translitterated.


texts: Who were the gurus of Brihaspati and Sukracharya?

texts: A Guru in Hinduism is of paramount importance in spiritual matters. So I want to know who were the gurus of Guru Brihaspati and Sukracharya? I heard that Shiva taught Shukra the art of reviving the dead. But I haven't come across any teacher for Brihaspati. Also, I don't think Shukra had only one teacher. Are there any names mentioned in the Puranas?


texts:
What is Karna's varna (caste)? A Kshatriya by birth, then assumed a different one after being raised by foster parents (belonging to a different varna) and finally reclaimed it?

Who all (during the Mahabharata time) knew of Karna's true identity and his varna due to birth?


texts: Why peacock is the Vahana of Lord Karthik?

texts:
Is there any reason for peacock as Vahana of Lord Karthik?
What is the story?


texts: Vedic Chanting Rudram - Beginning verses?

texts:
Hari Om,

What is traditionally chanted before and after Rudram (Namakam & Chamakam)


texts: Do scriptures allow to worship idol of acharya?

texts: Do scriptures allow to worship idol/photo of an acharya/guru?


texts: What is Adi Shesha's role during Kalki avatar?

texts: In Ramavatar, Adisesha took the avatar of Lakshmana. In Krishnavatar, he incarnated as Balarama. After that, Adisesha took the avatar of Ramanujacharya to spread the Vaishnavism. It is also believed that Raghavendra is Adisesha's avatar. Likewise, is there any puranic reference for Adishesha's avatar at end of Kaliyuga to accompany Narayana as Kalki who will come on a white horse with sword?


texts: Lord Hanuman is called as "Pavan-putra", the son of wind. The Vedas say, there are fortynine winds. Which Pawan, helped conceive Lord Hanuman?

texts:
Krishna says in B.Gita (chapter #10) among the 49 winds, "marichi" is His own opulence.
The Vedic Puranas further relate that Sage Kashyap fathered daityas (demons) from his second wife Diti. However, apart from the daityas, Diti desired to have a son more powerful than Indra (the king of the celestial gods). So she kept her baby in her womb for a year. Indra then used a thunderbolt and split her fetus into many pieces, but it turned into many fetuses. These became the Maruts, or the 49 kinds of winds that flow in the universe, doing tremendous good. The major ones amongst them are Avaha, Pravaha, Nivaha, Purvaha, Udvaha, Samvaha, and Parivaha. The chief wind, known as Parivaha, also bears the name Marichi. Shree Krishna states that His vibhūti (opulence) manifests in the wind called “Marichi”.
Is this "Marichi", the same wind who helped father the divine birth of Lord Hanuman??


texts: Is bitter gourd permitted to be used in Devi alankar?

texts: In Navaratri, Devi is decorated with alankara (ornaments, garlands) made of vegetables. Is the vegetable bitter gourd permitted?


texts: Where are the realms of a perpetual Treta Yuga mentioned as being such?

texts:
It kind of makes sense for Treta Yuga to be the default Yuga, as its number of legs is the average number of legs:
(4(4)+2(2)+1(1))/(4+2+1) = 3
i.e., If you average the dharma in all Yugas you get the dharma in Treta Yuga as the default yuga.
Still, I don't know where this author is getting the realms of perpetual Treta Yuga from, so I would like a scriptural source for this idea. So does any scripture enjoin Treta Yuga as the default state of Dharma ?


texts: Do the different schools of thought in Hinduism believe that where way of getting moksha is the only correct way and others are wrong?

texts:
Different schools of thought in Hinduism have different ways to attain Moksha.
Do any school believe in "there way is only way"?
And do the different schools believe that people that believe in other schools can not attain Moksha.
For example : Do Dvaita Vedanta  believe people who believe in nastika or Samkhya philosophy can not attain Moksha.
Because dvaita believes in devotion(worship) but Samkhya believe in meditation.


texts: Do the days of forbidding non vegetarian food depends on the time of birth?

texts:
It is well known from scriptures that one should avoid non vegetarian foods on the festivals, special days such as Sunday, full moon, new moon etc.,

But other than those that are common to everyone, are there any special restrictions based solely on birth time?


texts: The descriptions of pyramids in Vedic scriptures

texts: Do Vedas (and any other Vedic scripture, such as Puranas) hold any information on pyramids? What is their function? What can they do?


texts:
I'm curious about cultures and religion. As I have been browsing through Wikipedia I have found this:

  Māyā is also a spiritual concept connoting "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and the "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality".

These are quotes from western studies, but taken from the page of Maya (illusion). I want to know if one can found proof in the sacred texts that support this vision i.e. that the soul is immutable.
I am familiar with the concept of samsara, but as I view it, a man tries to reconnect with his soul throughout all the reincarnations.
Otherwise, what is the view in hinduism on the evolution of the atma of a man?


texts: Is Lord Parashurama affected by Anger Rasa?

texts:
Lord Parashurama is an avatar of Lord Vishnu and is a Brahmin with Unimaginable skill in Battle.
In Television Shows,Movies say that Lord Parashurama has Very High Anger.
Anger is One of the Rasas and it Affects Majorly Normal People in Ignorance.

MY QUESTION :

How can Lord be affected by Anger Rasa ?
If it is possible then please state the Reason ?
Also state that why specifically Anger Rasa affect him ?


texts: Why does part of Vaishnavism consider Gautama Buddha to be an Avatara of Lord Vishnu, even though he rejected Vedic wisdom?

texts: I had seen the arguments of some of the Vaishnavas before, that Gautama rejected the Vedic precepts to keep the evil and ignorant out of the way of Dharma, but after all, why would God send someone who rejected him countless times? Someone that would found a new line of thoughts that for a time usurped the Vedic faith in India? Is there anything that can prove this in our scriptures?


texts: When did Mainda and Dvivida drink Amrita with the permission of Brahma?

texts:
Mainda and Dvivida are the valiant lieutenants in the army of Vānara. They are the sons of Ashwini Kumaras. Hanuman describes the plight of Lanka to his fellow vānaras and praises every Vānara including Angada, Jambavan, Neela etc., When it comes to Mainda and divida, Hanuman praises them as follows.

  अश्विपुत्रौ महाभागावेतौ प्लवगसत्तमौ |
  एतयोः प्रतियोद्धारम् न पश्यामि रणाजिरे ||  ५-५९-१७

  aśviputrau mahābhāgāvetau plavagasattamau |
  etayoḥ pratiyoddhāram na paśyāmi raṇājire || 5-59-17

  "These two illustrious sons of Ashvini Kumaras, Mainda and Dvivida are the foremost among the monkeys. In the battle-field, I do not find anyone who can fight against these two monkeys."

  पितामहवरोत्सेकात्परमम् दर्पमास्थितौ |
  अमृतप्राशनावेतौ सर्ववानरसत्तमौ || ५-५९-१८

  pitāmahavarotsekātparamam darpamāsthitau |
  amṛtaprāśanāvetau sarvavānarasattamau || 5-59-18

  Proud of having received boons from Brahma the creator and their grandfather and abiding in a supreme haughtiness, these two foremost among all the monkeys live on Amrita the nectar.

In yuddhakanda too, they were said as drinking amrita.

  यौ तौ पश्यसि तिष्ठन्तौ कुमारौ देव रूपिणौ |
    मैन्दः च द्विविदः च उभौ ताभ्याम् न अस्ति समो युधि || 6-28-6
    ब्रह्मणा समनुज्ञाताव् अमृत प्राशिनाव् उभौ |
    आशंसेते युधा लंकाम् एतौ मर्दितुम् ओजसा || 6-28-7

  The two who stand there, who have the same resemblance and have the appearance of celestials, are Mainda and Dvivida. None can equal them in combat. These two, who ate ambrosion on due authorization by Brahma, are hopefully of destroying Lanka by their power.

What boons did Mainda and Dvivida receive from Brahma?
When did Mainda and Dvivida drink nectar?
How was Dvivida got killed by Balarāma despite of drinking nectar?


texts:
We see a lot of conflicts, accidents, diseases, poverty, pain and suffering around us in our day to day life.

I often wonder why god created so much misery and so little goodness.

What is His plan in all this (happiness & suffering) at the end?


texts: What about the technology of the previous Kali Yugas?

texts:
In today's world, we have advanced a lot in science and technology, and people have distanced themselves from all the Puranas and Vedas. All that is fine, because it is predicted that the Kali Yuga is like that.

My question: Since this is the 28th Kaliyuga, what about all the other Kaliyugas? They obviously must have been similar. But for all those dynasties to continue into ages such as ours and survive to the next Chaturyuga seems impossible! Then how is this explained?

Note: Even if one wants to refute the concept of 71 Chaturyugas, please do so with constructive arguments.


texts:
What are graha and Nakshatras?

Is there any story how they are created?

What are their effects to human?

How many graha and Nakshatras are there?

Is there a specific God for each of them? What are those names of God


texts: Do women face problem in conceiving if she wears rudraksh, does rudraksh has negative effect for women?

texts: I have bought 2 Mukhi and 9 Mukhi rudraksh recently and I was wearing it. I hadn’t felt any negative effect till now. But one of the priest told me that wearing rudraksh creates problem in pregnancy. Please let me know if women can not wear rudraksh and could there be any problem in pregnancy because of wearing rudraksh?


texts: Why and how do Hindus celebrate Christmas?

texts:
Why and how do (some) Hindus celebrate Christmas?

What have any modern Hindu Gurus commented on this practice?

EDIT

I don't think this is an opinion-based question. From What types of questions should I avoid asking? I think this fits into constructive subjective questions: "inspire answers that explain why and how"


texts: Questions on thoughts of Jealousy, Lust and Anger.......do they ever stop and where are they stored?

texts:
I am more inclined towards Advaita which says that for any person pursuing freedom, these qualities are necessary:

Viveka
Vairagya
Sat-Sampatti - control of senses, mind, etc
Mumukshutva

So my question set is,

Once a person starts following the path above, do these negative thoughts stop or do they keep coming but we can deal with it in a better way?
Where are these thoughts stored? Subtle or Causal body?


texts: Can you worship a statue (idol) of Lord Shiva? Not just the Shiva linga.


texts: Why do some claim that madhyamika is compatible with vedanta,when consciousness is not a cause in madhyamika?

texts:
https://archive.org/details/IndianPhilosophyACriticalSurvey claims sunyavaada is compatible with Upanishadic ideas.

but in madhyamika,the 5 elements(earth,water,fire,air and Consciousness) are seperate and do not arise from consciousness.they also do not arise or cease,and momentariness is an upaya therein,so shankara's criticism against momentariness can't refute madhyamika.
Furthermore,this awareness is individual.these five elements are elements because each individual set of the 5 wisdom lights or basis is reified as a material element through beginningless ignorance of their true nature as 5 empty wisdom lights.thats how it is in Prasangika Dzogchen from what I read.We percieve a similar universe because of similar traces.
there is no way to even argue against such view.and I say that as a Advaitin.


texts: Is Hanuman the first writer of Ramayana?

texts:
Many great sages wrote Ramayana in different time and yuga. But great Sage Valmiki is the first writer of Ramayana who wrote whole Ramayana even before the story of Ramayana is completed in real life. Means Ramayana (Story of Rama's life) was being written by Valmiki from birth to death even when Rama was alive. He wrote down all incidents of Rama's  life before it actually happened because Valmiki was able to see future. But recently I came to know about a new fact in which it is stated that Hanuman was the first writer of Ramayana. Here is how...

After defeating Ravana, Hanuman went to a mountain (don't remember name right now) and start writing Ramayana with his nails. When he did complete his Ramayana then Great Sage Valmiki saw Hanuman's Ramayana and found that his Ramayana is far more superior and better than Valmiki's (mine) Ramayana. So he got tense by seeing Humaana's version of Ramayana. He got afraid that if world will see Hanuman's far superior Ramayana then no one will even notice his Ramayana and no one will praise his work. So Valmiki politely asked to Hanuman that...

  Ramayana Should only be written by human devotee, not by Lord or incarnation of Lord. Since you are incarnation of Lord Shiva, so you should not write Ramayana

Lord Hanuman got convinced by Valmiki's words and destroyed his version of Ramayana so that no one ever could see his Ramayana and world can only witness Valmiki's Ramayana.

So is it really true that Hanuman wrote Ramayana before Sage Valmiki and his version of Ramayana was more superior than Valmiki's Ramayana?


texts:
What is Agni karyam(worshiping fire)?
Are there any classifications among?
Whats the eligibility to do Agni karyam?
How one gets benefited by such act?
What is Nityagnihotra?
Are there any mandatory Agni karyas to do in one's own life time? If so, what are they and when they will be performed?


texts: Which one is more dominating - freewill or karma?

texts:
I am little confused here, out of the two entities - freewill and karma which one is more dominating in deciding the future course of action for a person?

Reason am confused is because in every decision making we have a freewill but then there are karmic outcomes of our actions in our previous births that may force us to take a particular decision - so is it right to say that we have freewill to take any decision?


texts: How could Subathirai and Balarama are mentioned in Satya yuga (Krita yuga) in Brahma purana while they belong in Dwapara yuga?

texts: In one of the stories from Brahma purana about Indradhyumna, it is mentioned that in Satya yuga, a king built a temple where Vishwakarma in disguise built three statues: Balarama, Krishna and Subathirai (Krishna's sister). All these three characters appear only in Dwapara yuga, in that case how come they could be mentioned in Satya yuga?


texts: How can one be born as a Daitya, Danava, or Naga?

texts:
The Yajnas in the Vedas provide the means to attain heaven (swarga, gandharva loka), etc that are situated above earth. These yajnas also allow one to be born as a god. For example, doing 100 Ashwamedha yajnas gives the fruit of becoming an Indra. The Upanishads also describe meditations one can do to be born as gods. The Madhu vidya for example allows one to be born as a Vasu. These heavenly realms are realms of paradise and material enjoyment, and the inhabitants stay there for a very long time, thousands of years or so.

However, below the Earth are situated seven subterranean realms. These are inhabited by Daityas, Danavas, and Nagas who enjoy tremendous material opulence. The Bhagavata Purana calls these realms "bila-swargas", or subterranean realms. Narada Rishi himself even said that Patala is better than swarga in the Vishnu Purana and Mahabharata:

  The Muni Nárada, after his return from those regions to the skies, declared amongst the celestials that Pátála was much more delightful than Indra's heaven. "What," exclaimed the sage, "can be compared to Pátála, where the Nágas are decorated with brilliant and beautiful and pleasure-shedding jewels? who will not delight in Pátála, where the lovely daughters of the Daityas and Dánavas wander about, fascinating even the most austere; where the rays of the sun diffuse light, and not heat, by day; and where the moon shines by night for illumination, not for cold; where the sons of Danu, happy in the enjoyment of delicious viands and strong wines, know not how time passes? There are beautiful groves and streams and lakes where the lotus blows; and the skies are resonant with the Koïl's song. Splendid ornaments, fragrant perfumes, rich unguents, the blended music of the lute and pipe and tabor; these and many other enjoyments are the common portion of the Dánavas, Daityas, and snake-gods, who inhabit the regions of Pátála."

My question is, how can one be born in the Patalas as a Daitya, Danava, or Naga?


texts: Why was Shishupala born with three eyes and four arms?

texts:
From this answer by Keshav Srinivasan,
Shishupala had three eyes and four arms.

  When Shishupala was born, he had three eyes and four arms, which terrified his parents, the king and queen of Chedi.

Why he had these extra eye and arms?


texts: What is the expiation for accidentally killing a cat?


texts: Was Shiva ever incarnated by taking birth from womb?

texts: Krishna and Rama were born to humans by taking birth from womb. What about Shiva?


texts: Is it known why Periyalwar wrote the following song?

texts:
Is there any authentic information available as to why Periyalwar wrote this song?

Periyalwar Tirumoli 300  oru magaḷ tannai uḍaiyēn  ulagam niṛainda
pugaḻāl     tirumagaḷ pōla vaḷarttēn  ceṅgaṇmāl

and the other songs in this decade? Was he expressing his grief and apprehension about separation from Andal?


texts:
Shape form of Shiva is like linga.. is there any such, non-human form of representation... like a shape form for other Gods.. like Vishnu, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Brahma..etc..
God - Non-Human form of representation
Shiva - Lingam
Vishnu - ?
Brahma - ?


texts: The late Mohanlal Agrawal composed two volumes entitled "Aghor Nagara Vage" regarding the secret practices and siddhis of Hindu ascetics/yogis.  Why aren't these books discussed more within the Hindu community? They seem to address the esoteric aspect of Hinduism.


texts: What is the name of Yoga Nidra Wakeup Conch?

texts: Wondering, if anybody knows the name of the Conch that Uma blows to wake Vishnu from Yoga Nidra? There is a particular conch for that I have heard.


texts: What is the secular account of the compilation of the Alwars' poems?

texts:
The Alwars (also spelled Azhwars) are a group of 12 ancient Vaishnava saints who lived in Tamil Nadu and are famous for their poetry in praise of Vishnu. The 4000 verses of the Alwars were compiled by the Vaishnava Acharya Nathamuni into a book called the Naalayira Divya Prabhandam, which is considered by many to be the "Dravida Veda", or South Indian Veda. The Alwars are crucially important figures in the history of Vaishnavism; it's the principles and beliefs embodied in the Alwars' poems which Nathamuni used to found what we now call the Sri Vaishnava sect of Hinduism (of which I'm a member).

But I'm interested in how Nathamuni compiled the Alwars' poems into the Naalayira Divya Prabhandam.  As I understand it, the traditional account goes roughly as follows. (This is what is presented, e.g. in this Wikipedia page.)  Long after the time of the Alwars, almost all their poetry had been lost.  Then one day Nathamuni, while on a religious pilgrimage, heard someone reciting a poem of an Alwar named Nammalwar, AKA Sadagopan, in praise of the deity of the Sarangapani Vishnu Temple.  Now Nammalwar had spent his life under a tamarind tree in the town of Kurugur, but he still managed to write such vivid poetry about many of the sacred places of Vishnu.  Nathamuni was spell-bound by the beauty of the poem, which you can read here, and then he heard the last verse:

  Sadagopan of Kurugur has caught hold of The Lotus Feet of Krishna, (who
  sucked the life of Putana, the Rakshasa, along with her breast milk,
  who came in the guise of a lady to offer the infant Krishna her poisonous
  breast milk to kill Him) and sung thousand verses about Krishna, which
  are sweeter than the music of flute; out of those 1000, the readers of
  these ten are so dear and sweet to Vaishnavas.

Nathamuni was so captivated by this single poem of Nammalwar that he wanted to  hear the other 990 verses, but the person who recited the poem didn't know any more verses, or whether any other verses even existed.  Nathamuni didn't know how to obtain the other verses, but then he remembered that the lazt verse said that the author was "Sadagopan of Kurugur", so he decided to go to the town of Kurugur in the hope of learning more of the poems

The people of Kurugur told Nathamuni that there was a poet named Nammalwar who lived there, but the townspeople had thrown the scroll containing his poetry into the river out of a misplaced fear that Nammalwar's poetry would lead people astray from the teachings of the Vedas.  Nathamuni was distraught, but then someone in the town taught him a poem by another Alwar, named Madhurakavi Alwar, who was a student of Nammalwar.  Madhurakavi Alwar's poem, which you can read here, is not about Vishnu like most of the Alwars' poems, but rather in praise of his guru Nammalwar.  So Nathamuni went to the Tamarind tree, under which Nammalwar had spent his life, and he recited Madhurakavi Alwar's poem 12000 times!  Finally Nammalwar appeared before Nathamuni, and taught him the 1000 verses of Nammalwar, the 3000 verses of the other 11 Alwars, and other philosophical teachings.  That, according to traditional accounts, is how Nathamuni acquired the 4000 verses of the Alwars, which he compiled in the Naalayira Divya Prabhandam.

But my question is, are there any secular accounts of how Nathamuni compiled the poems of the Alwars?  Western Indologists, for instance, presumably don't believe that Nathamuni acquired them by magic, so what do they think he did?  Sri Vaishnavas consider Nammalwar to be the guru of Nathamuni, since Nammalwar appeared before him and taught him so much.  Do Western Indologists believe that Nathamuni was a contemporary of Nammalwar, and that Nammalwar was Nathamuni's literal guru?  Do they think he learned all 4000 verses of the Alwars from Nammalwar, or do they think that he got the poems from many different people, akin to how Vyasa compiled the Vedas from many different sages?


texts:
According to some puranas, Nandi was born to sage Shilada, who got him by the grace of Lord Shiva.   Lord Shiva blessed the child and declared that he would be worshiped along with Him and become his vaahana (vehicle).

It is to be remembered that in Srimad Ramayana  no mention was made about Lord Shiva as God, except the Prakshipta parts here and there, but mention about "Nandiswara"  was made in Srimad Ramayana.

When Ravana saw Sri Hanuma and taken aback by his radiance, thought Sri Hanuma as either Nandiswara or Baanasura.

किमेष भगवान्नन्दी भवेत्साक्षादिहागतः ||
येन शप्तोऽस्मि कैलासे मया संचालिते पुरा |
सोऽयम् वानरमूर्तिः स्यात्किंस्विद्बाणो महासुरः ||   (Sundara Kanda Sarga 50 Sloka 2)

"When Mount Kailasa was moved by me, is it the same revered Nandi , who cursed me long ago and came here now in this form or whether he is Bana the great demon  came here in the form of a monkey."

Here, Ravana was referring  "Nandi" as "Bhagvan (भगवन्)".  Did he say so, because he was one among many Devatas?   I think, it was not the case, because even  Indra or Vayu was not referred to as भगवन् in Srimad Ramayana.

In Srimad Ramayana Lord Brahma was referred to as "Pitamaha", "Swayambhu", "Brahma" and occasionally as "Bhagwan Brahma".  Lord Indra was referred to as "Sakraha", "Sahasraaksha", "Vaasavaha", "Indra".

Then the question arises as to why Sage Valmiki referred "Nandi" as Bhagavan (भगवन्)?

The answer lies in Srimad Ramayana itself in other place.

After his first encounter with Sri Rama in the war, Ravana gets defeated, humiliated and spared of his life by Sri Rama.  He comes back to Lanka and thinks as follows:

उमा नन्दीश्वरश्चापि रम्भा वरुणकन्यका ||
यथोक्तास्तन्मया प्राप्तम् न मिध्या ऋषिभाषितम् |  (Yuddha Kanda Sarga 60 Sloka 11)

"What was predicted by Uma, Nandishvara, Rambha the wife of Nalakubara and Punjikasthala the daughter of Varuna has come to pass! The words of the sages never prove false."

In the above situation, Ravana was saying, while referring to Uma, Nandiswara that words of the sages never prove false!    So Nandiswara was a Great Rishi, but not a bull, doing austerities in Mount Kailash area, when Ravana tried to move it and invited a curse from Nandiswara.

If we browse through Srimad Ramayana, we will come across the word "Bhagvan ( भगवन्)" in some episodes describing Great Rishis.

1)      Dasaratha requests Vasishta and Vamadeva to start arrangements for the anointing ceremony of Sri Rama.

अभिषेकाय रामस्य यत्कर्म सपरिच्छदम् ||
तदद्य भगवन् सर्वमाज्ञापयितु मर्हसि |    (Ayodhya Kanda Sarga 3 Sloka 6)

"Oh Divine Vasishta! Be pleased to order now for the traditional ceremonial that is to be done and various accessories needed for the anointing ceremony of Rama."

2)     Sri Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana reach the hermitage of Bharadwaja, situated at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna rivers.  After entering his hermitage Sri Rama addresses Sage Bharadwaja as follows:

न्यवेदयत च आत्मानम् तस्मै लक्ष्मण पूर्वजः |
पुत्रौ दशरथस्य आवाम् भगवन् राम लक्ष्मणौ ||  (Ayodhya Kanda Sarga 54 Sloka 13)

Sri Rama (the elder brother of Lakshmana) introduced himself to the sage as follows: "Oh!  venerable sage! We both are Rama and Lakshmana the sons of Dasaratha."

3)    While roaming in the Dandaka Forest,  Sri Rama, Lakshmana, and Seetha enter the hermitage of Sage Agastya. Sri Rama informs the greatness of Sage Agastya to Lakshmana and  falls on the feet of sun-like radiant sage Agastya, touching them reverentially.

अब्रवीत् वचनम् वीरो लक्ष्मणम् लक्ष्मिवर्धनम् ||
बहिर् लक्ष्मण निष्क्रामति अगस्त्यो भगवान् ऋषिः |
औदार्येण अवगच्छ्हामि निधानम् तपसाम् इमम् ||   (Aranya Kanda Sarga 12 Sloka 22)

On seeing the brilliantly glowing sage among those sages, Sri Rama told Lakshmana,  "Here comes the godly sage, Lakshmana, by his eminence I comprehend him as a depository of all ascesis."

So Nandiiswara was a great Rishi, residing in Mount Kailasa area, but not the divine vehicle of Shiva.

Am I right?


texts: Is a complete count of rigvedic riks by devata available?

texts:
Deity        ┃  No. of Mantra  ┃
┣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╋━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┫
┃   Agni          ┃       2013      ┃
┣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╋━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┫
┃   Indra         ┃       2862      ┃
┣━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━╋━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┫
┃   Soma          ┃       1775
HSE gives the top three.  Is a complete list available?


texts: Need clarification on the analogy of dream in Advaita

texts:
My background is in Vishistadvaita and I have always had a few challenges in understanding some of the concepts from Advaita and have wondered if later acharyas in the Advaita sampradaya have provided answers to some of these. I am wondering if anyone here is able to clarify and provide references to me for further reading. One such concept is the analogy of a dream to explain vyavahaarika sat (existential reality).

According to the Advaita, there is only one Brahman and whatever realities different living entities are going through are only like a dream which all come to an end the moment their egos are destroyed. In a dream, one person (the same consciousness) becomes life to many characters that all seem to interact with each other. From what I understand, just as the entire dream consisting of all these characters comes to an end the moment one wakes up and one realizes that all these characters do not exist except oneself, the moment a person awakens to knowledge/liberation, they realize they are the Brahman.

Taking this example, what is not clear to me is when a person wakes up from a dream, all characters end all at once. However, when one person is liberated (say, the Guru), there are still others who are living here who are in ignorance. How, then, can parts of Brahman be in knowledge while other parts are in ignorance? Is not Brahman supposed to have a unified conscious experience? How can other characters continue to exist when at least one person is liberated? Shouldn't at least one be equal to everyone's liberation at the same time? Also, to begin with, why does the Brahman that is "yah sarvajna sarvavit" impose avidya upon Itself and become many realities? In Adi Shankaracharya's commentary on the Gita for verse 13.2, he writes that "bondage and liberation cannot be simultaneous states of the Self as they both are mutually opposed". How then, can one Self simultaneously have parts of it that are in knowledge and parts that are in ignorance?


texts: Why Lord Krishna is also called "Bankey Bihari"?

texts: In Vrindavan,there is a temple of Lord Krishna named "Bankey Bihari" and Lord Krishna's another name is also Bankey Bihari. So,why Lord Krishna's another name is Bankey Bihari?


texts: Did adi shankara refuted Mimamsa's claim on Brahman's Omniscience?

texts:
Did adi shankara debated with mimamsa scholar are refuted them on Brahman Omniscience.
Because mimamsa doesn't believe in Brahman or if they believe they do not believe Brahman alone exist or he is Omniscience.
So did adi shankara refuted mimamsa claims.

The Purva Mimamsa school was divided on the existence of Brahman. But one thing they all agreed on was tha Brahman (if Brahman even existed) was neither the creator of the Universe, nor the author of the Vedas, nor even omniscient. In fact, they didn't even believe the Universe is ever created or destroyed! Here is what the Purva Mimamsa philosopher Kumarila Bhatta says in this excerpt from his Shloka Vartika:
(Source)


texts:
Here and there, I heard that Jesus is an avatar of Lord Vishnu (or even a reincarnation of Krishna).

Is this true?


texts: Was Rukmini at Vrindavan when she was young?

texts: What is the birth star of Goddess Radharani? There seems to be very few references of young Rukmini Devi. Was she at Vrindavan as Radharani during that time?


texts:
Say a non Hindu colleague or an acquaintance, approaches you with a request that he/she wants to become Hindu?  What to do and what to tell them?

The top answer to question Steps-to-convert-to-hinduism tells to act like Hindu. I want to understand what comprises "acting like Hindu"?

Hindu philosophy is vast. There are thousands of rituals and practices. Telling someone to read more about it or act like a Hindu is just going to confuse them.

I am looking for concrete steps or activities to recommend. Something on the lines of:

Read Bhagwad Gita (which one?)
Do Sandhya vandanam (or any such daily ritual)
Chant Gayatri Mantra everyday in the morning.
...


texts: Which scriptures describe swayambhu linga lakshanas (signs) and what are those?

texts:
I have a small book called Shiva Tattva PradipikA which discusses the various facts associated with Lord Shiva by quoting from scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Agamas.

In it we find the mention of several kinds of Shiva Lingas like Swayambhu, Bana, Indra, Vaishnava, Gola, Arsha, Raudra, Manasa, Shivanabhi and many others.

The book also discusses the signs that determine some of these lingas.

For Swayambhu Lingas (self manifested lingas) following are the lakshanas (or signs) mentioned:

  NAnacchidrasamAdhritam NAnAvarnasamanvitam | Adrishtamulam Yalingam
  Karkasam Bhuvi Drisyathe || Tallinganthu Swayambhutamatharam
  Lakshyanachyutam | Swayambhulingamityuktam Taccha NAnAvidha Matam ||
  ShankhAbhamastakam Lingam Vaishnavam TadudAhritam | PadmAbhamastakam
  BrAhmam ChatrAbham Shatrumuchyathe ||........

  ...........

  The Lingas which have many pours or holes, which have different
  colors, whose root is deep within the earth and can't be seen. which
  are rough are called Swayambhulingas. The Lingas which are deprived of
  these signs are lakshanachyuta. Swayambhulingas are of various kinds.
  The head of which is like a conch shell is called a Vaishnavalinga. If the head
  is like a lotus then its  known as BrAhmalinga. If head is like an
  umbrella is called the Aindralinga and so on...

1) From which scripture the above verses are taken?

2) Do Puranas like Shiva. Linga etc discuss the various kinds of Swayambhu lingas and do they mention their signs? If yes, what are those signs?


texts:
In Satya Yuga, Manu creates a boat to save the 7 sages from the great deluge/flood and Lord Vishnu assumes the avatar called as Matsya avatar and pulls the boat.

But why does the great deluge/flood happen?


texts: On what basis do Hindu philosophies say Sabda Pramana is infallible?

texts:
Almost all Hindu Philosophies accept at least three Pramanas:

Pratyaksha or direct sense perception,
Anumana or Inference and doubting,
Sabda or word testimony.

Now the common argument in many Hindu philosophies is that Sabda Pramana is infallible i.e., it cannot be distorted but other two Pramanas can be distorted or error prone.

They say Pratyaksha is fallible because of the following points:

A person after witnessing something may lie that he had seen some other thing. For example after I saw two birds, I am lying to other person that I actually saw only one.
He may be in illusion, so there are possibilities that he might have misunderstood the perceived object. For example, due to lack of light a person is thinking rope is actually a snake.

Similarly Anumana is definitely fallible as doubting and assumption always don't give us the exact knowledge.

But these philosophies say Sabda Pramana is infallible and not prone to error. How this is so? Even Arya Samajis inserted some verse in the Vedas containing killing infidels. Even I can distort the swaras in Vedas while teaching Vedas to my students. Doesn't this mean Sabda Pramana is also fallible and prone to error?


texts: the problems with an unchanging Atma in Advaita Vedanta?

texts:
The Samkhyas,wich influenced every major Hindu theology,asserted a static cause.a static Cause is logically unfathomable,and if it were the case that a static cause could exist,its effect to would be static.
in Advaita Vedanta,the idea seems to be that Buddhi is what changes but Atma remains the same.
the questions then arise:
1)Did Atma create Buddhi?
If so why assert that Atma doesn't change,if all Atma does is create Buddhi you can say Atma has one nature,but then Buddhi would be eternal and could not be discarded etc you couldn't however say Atma is static
2)does Atma control Ishvara and Buddhi?
if so why assert that Atma doesn't change and doesn't do the deeds of Ishvara and Buddhi wich are changing in nature and condition etc if contact is two way ,i.e Atma needs Buddhi to be aware of objects(and there is no awareness without objects to be aware of),and Buddhi needs atman to percieve anything then its a two way street and Atma IS affected by Buddhi and experiences what Buddhi experiences.
I am wondering what the Advaita Vedanta answer to this is.the Kashmir Shaivas have their own issue in asserting Prakasha being a static cause giving rise to vimarsha a dynamic entity.in reality it must transform to create vimarsha into vimarsha as production is not established out of nothing.
same for the Advaita Vedantins,they must admit that Atman transforms into Ishvara and Buddhi as production out of nothing is not established,or Buddhi was always there in wich case it is eternal and cannot be destroyed.


texts: Rituals at Rameswaram before going to Varanasi

texts:
What rituals to be done at Rameswaram before going to Varanasi ?

And What rituals to be done at Rameswaram after returning from Varanasi ?


texts:
Who coined the term Brahmarishi? How can one become a Brahmarishi?

Does a Brahmarishi know the future? A lot of rishi's in Ramayana seem to know the purpose of Rama's birth, how is that they know this?

I have more questions like the ones asked here, but not quite sure why it was closed (some of the comments to that question could very well be answers)


texts: Why Lord Krishna's feet became vulnerable?

texts:
From this answer, Brabrika had an arrow that could find the vulnerable spot(s) of a person and was able to find Krishna's vulnerable spot that was His feet's sole.

  The ash fell on the hair of Bhisma; on the neck of Karna and Drona; on the thigh of Duryodhana; on the chest of Salya; the brilliant ash fell on the necks of Sakuni and Bhagadatta; on the sole of the foot of Krsna; on the necks of Drupada and Matsya; on the hip of Sikhandin; on the neck of the commander-in-chief of the army (Dhrstadyumna). The red ash fell on the vulnerable spot of everyone. But the ash did not touch the Pandavas, Krpa and Asvatthama.

And this website gives a story for it. It says sage Durvasa cursed Krishna for not applying a sweet dish on His leg

  Durvasa did not spare Lord also from his curse. One day, Durvasa was eating kheer (a sweet dish made of rice and milk) in persence of Lord. Durvasa ordered Lord to apply the left over kheer on his body.
  He applied it on the full body but did not apply on his feet thinking of the kheer to be consecrated. Durvasa got angry at this and curses Krishna that since you did not obey my orders and did not apply the kheer on your legs, your legs will not remain impenetrable and unbroken. It is the famous story that he left this world because an arrow by a hunter hurt his toe.
  So my questions are:

Where is this (Durvasa's curse) story mentioned?

If this story is not authentic then,

Why/how was Krishna's feet became vulnerable?


texts: How knowledge of weapons (shastra) शस्त्र got lost?

texts: How did the knowledge of great weapons like Bramhastra got lost in Hinduism tradition? As can be seen in Ramayan and Mahabharat, Gurus used to give knowledge of weapons to their shishya which were then used to protect Dharma. But eventually this knowledge was lost and Bharat couldn't fight invaders. How did this happen? Why weren't Devas invoked through yajnas when Sanatan Dharma  followers were ethnically cleansed at the rate of millions by foreign invaders? At time of Mahabharat Indra himself helped Arjuna by granting him weapons. What happened now?


texts: Can bad Karma gained by misunderstanding?

texts: Suppose someone pretending to be me said something or lied/spread lies, something bad about me & maybe about someone I know too,  to themselves(like Man-in-the-middle- attack)  who are dharmic innocent pure-hearted, void of any negative karma, who'd never wish or do bad to anyone, If they believe it, get hurt/take offence by misunderstanding thinking of me as those lies, would I get negative karma even when I did anything wrong to anyone, instead of true perprators? I think I'm dying, t why asking this question.


texts: Is every atom of this universe a representation of Maha Vishnu?

texts:
According to Gaudiya Vaishnavism, The material world is made from the expansion of Maha-Vishnu, means whatever material was made from his body.

Does each and every atom of this universe is a representation of Mahavishnu?


texts: Source of the ₹ 10 million question on Mahābhārata

texts:
Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu (Who among you is a Millionaire?), MEK for short, is the Telugu version of the more popular Hindi KBC show. In a recent air of the show (Season 4), the final and the ₹ 10 million (1 cr.) question was based on the Mahābhārata. The guy unfortunately guessed the answer wrong and took home just ₹ 300,000.

The question was:

  According to the Mahabharata, who among these is not one of the 100 sons of Gandhari?

  A. Sulochan    B. Nanda    C. Ugrasena    D. Srutasru

The correct answer according to the show is:

!! spoiler alert !!

       D. Srutasru

I tried to look up the above names in answers to Name all the hundred Kauravas in Mahabharata but the names are spelled differently in different answers.

So did MEK base its question on Vyasa Mahābhārata or Andhra Mahābhārata or Wikipedia?


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In this answer under this question, it was stated about the importance of Ratha Saptami, as follows:

  Magha sukla Paksha saptami is known as Ratha Saptami & is considered
  as the most auspicous day to worship Lord Surya.It is also believed
  that Surya Deva started illuminating the whole world on the Saptami
  Tithi and hence it is also known as "Surya Jayanti".

My questions are:

Why is Ratha Saptami celebrated as per thithi  - Moon's movement, whereas Makara Sankranti is being celebrated as per Sun's movement?

If Surya Deva started illuminating the whole world on the Saptami
Tithi, what was he doing 6 days before that?


texts: Why are women not allowed to chant the Gayatri mantra?

texts: Many say that girls/women are not supposed to chant the Gayatri mantra. Is there any specific reason for this? Since it is one of the most powerful mantras, would it be good if women also chant the Gayatri mantra?


texts: How do Vishishtadvaitins interpret this passage from the Vishnu Purana?

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Having thus spoken to Nidāgha, the
  Brāhmaṇa Ṛbhu went away, leaving his
  disciple profoundly impressed, by his
  instructions, with belief in unity. He beheld all
  beings thenceforth as the same with himself
  and, perfect in holy knowledge, obtained final
  liberation. “In like manner do you, oh king,
  who knows what duty is, regarding equally
  friend or foe, consider yourself as one with all
  that exists in the world. Even as the same sky
  is apparently diversified as white or blue, so
  Soul which is in truth but one, appears to
  erroneous vision distinct in different persons." (Vishnu Purana, Book 2, Chapter 16)

The above passage, seems to show that the plurality of all Jivas is unreal and that all Jivatmas are in essential, one Atman in reality.

This more or less seems to be in agreement with Advaita Vedanta and direct contradiction with Vishishtadvaita Vedanta, which states that all Jivas are not one, but multiple (atleast superficially).

So my question is how do Vishishtadvaitins interpret this passage? How do they show the above passage does not indicate oneness of Jivatmas?


texts: Recently, a cousin of mine lost his father. Before conducting a ritual for the well being of his father's soul, he had to shave all his hair except for a bit at the back (choti). Why did he have to do this?


texts:
What is the definition of Veda?

I listen the following two lines but could not understand. And like to know.

  "to know" is Veda. How?
  "Veda is akhand" what does it mean?


texts: As in title. Is it by birth? Especially righteous ones like Prahalada, Bali and to some extend Ravana. And many of them are sons of saints. So what defines an Asura?


texts: What is the story of sage Narada and Lord Hanuman's music competition?


texts: What is the role of Grief according to Hinduism?

texts:
What is the role of Grief acc. to scriptures? How is it categorised and on what basis?

Do the Vedas mention any definitive relationship between the processing of grief and its consequent culminating in wisdom? If so, what do they have to say?
On a related note, which vedic deities are associated with Grieving/Grief?


texts: which sects brand themselves with hot irons with symbols of their sectarian deity?

texts: And do these practices continue today?  Are exceptions made for children, the old and so forth?


texts: What is the origin of the practice involving applying bhasma, tilak, nama / thiruman, kumkuma?

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I am seeking some information on the origin of this practice involving applying bhasma (vibuthi), kumkum(am), tilakas (with sandal paste or others), namam / thiruman etc?

How did this originate? To my knowledge this does not have Vedic references (though I could be wrong), but are there Puranic references to all these? I think there may be some reference to Bhasma in Shiva oriented Puranas. I can take kumkum(am) more as a cultural practice, but what about Thiruman that Tamil Vaishnavas apply? It also has two different shapes - one like letter V and the other one like the letter Y (or U with a short vertical extension at the bottom)

Where can one find the origins of these symbols, and this tradition?

To add to this, it is one thing for the devotees and practitioners to wear them, but the practice also involves applying them to the deities.

Lord Shiva is offered Bhasma
Lord Vishnu is offered nama(m) / Thiruman (at least in the South Indian temples, though in the North the tradition varies)

Why so? What is the philosophical background for this?

Thanks in advance for any one who can provide a comprehensive account of this tradition.


texts: Where do ramanuja and shankara quote the sutras from devata kanda sutras?

texts: At which place in their commentaries do they mention about the sutras?


texts: How do Advaitins explain the meaning of the verse "naikātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti" in Srimad Bhagvatam 3.25.34?

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Could someone kindly explain the advaitic interpreation of the verse

नैकात्मतां मे स्पृहयन्ति केचिन्मत्पादसेवाभिरता मदीहाः |
येऽन्योन्यतो भागवताः प्रसज्य सभाजयन्ते मम पौरुषाणि ॥ ३.२५.३४ ॥
naikātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti kecin
mat-pāda-sevābhiratā mad-īhāḥ
ye 'nyonyato bhāgavatāḥ prasajya
sabhājayante mama pauruṣāṇi
English Translation: Some of my devotees, who ever delight in the service of My feet and are engaged in activities only for My sake, and who lovingly sing to one another of My exploits alone, crave not even for absorption into My Being.

Does it goes against Advaitic philosophy?


texts: Can some one explain this painting of Fire God with people watching? looks like a painting from 1500 AD. I found it in my home. can some one explain what is happening here?


texts: Who all are said to be Chiranjivis and their whereabouts?

texts: In Hindu texts, we find that some people are said to be 'Chiranjivis', meaning that they will live till the end of the world or immortals. Can somebody let me know the names of all of them and where are they if they are still alive or any news about them in the recent past? Some of them I know are Ashwathama, Markandeya, Vashista, etc.


texts: Why is 6th Chapter of 2nd Canto of the ISKCON Bhagavatam named "Purushasukta confirmed"?

texts:
Why is 6th Chapter of 2nd Canto of ISKCON's Bhagavatam named Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed? What is correlation between Purusha sukta and this chapter?

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/6/


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The answer I am looking for is more from a perspective of "What was the original purpose for which people used temples" how has it changed and has it changed for the worse or for the good.

Any citation to literature would be preferred, but I am looking for opinions from people who have had this thought in some form.

I did have a look at (What do Hindu scriptures say about Hindu temples?), but I guess these are different in the purpose, I am primarily looking for what people feel was the purpose of it and most importantly the modern day purpose and its repercussions on the way Hinduism is perceived both by Hindus and others.


texts: Hindus observe Nava Ratris twice in a year. What is the logic and theory behind the same?

texts: Hindus observe Nava Ratris twice in the same calendar year. One is associated with Rama Navami (ie birth of Lord Rama) and the other is with Lord Rama's victory over Ravana. But why do we worship the nine forms of the Devi on both the occasions? What is the logic and theory behind the same?


texts: Why does the word "Atma" in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad refer to the mind rather than the actual Atma?

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In Adhyaya 3 Brahmana 9 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, the sage Yagnavalkya tells Vidagdha Sakalya what the eleven Rudras are associated with:

katame rudrā iti ।
daśeme puruṣe prāṇā
ātmaikādaśas
te yadā'smāccharīrānmartyādutkrāmanty
atha rodayanti
tadyadrodayanti
tasmādrudrā iti ॥
[Vidagdha Sakalya] asked: 'Who are the Rudras?'
Yâgñavalkya replied: 'These ten vital breaths (prânas, the senses, i.e. the five gñânendriyas, and the five karmendriyas), and Âtman as the eleventh. When they depart from this mortal body, they make us cry (rodayanti), and because they make us cry, they are called Rudras.'

Now this verse contains the word Atma, but all the commentators on the Brahma Sutras seem to agree that the word Atma here does not refer to the thing we usually denote by the word Atma, namely the soul or self.  Instead, they say it refers to something else, like the Manas or mind or the Buddhi or intelligence.  Here is what Adi Shankaracharya says in his Brahma Sutra Bhashya:

By the word Âtman we have to understand the internal organ, on account of its ruling over the organs.

And here is what Ramanujacharya says in his Sri Bhashya:

The organs are not seven only, but eleven, since the hands and the rest also contribute towards the experience and fruition of that which abides in the body, i.e. the soul, and have their separate offices, such as seizing, and so on. Hence it is not so, i.e. it must not be thought that the hands and the rest are not organs. Buddhi, ahankâra and kitta, on the other hand, are(not independent organs but) mere designations of the manas, according as the latter is engaged in the functions of deciding (adhyavasâya), or misconception (abhimâna, or thinking (kintâ). The organs therefore are eleven. From this it follows that in the passage 'Ten are these prânas in man, and Âtman is the eleventh'(Bri. Up. II, 4, ii), the word Âtman denotes the manas.

And here is what Madhvacharya says in his Brahma Sutra Bhashya:

The ten pranas are the ten sons of Vayu, while atma, the eleventh, is Buddhi or rather the presiding deity of Buddhi, namely, Brihaspati.

And for good measure, Nimbarka (the Kumara Vaishnava commentator), Srikantha Shivacharya (the Shaiva Siddhanta commentator whom I discuss here), and Baladeva Vidyabhushana (the Gaudiya Vaishnava commentator) also agree on this point; see here.  This seems to be a rare case of unanimous agreement among all commentators on the Brahma Sutras! (I discuss two other such cases here and here).
So my question is, why is it that all commentators agree that the word "Atma" here does not refer to the actual Atma, but rather to the Manas or Buddhi?  What is there in the text indicates that?
Also, is there anyone at all who does interpret this verse as referring to the actual Atma, whether the Jivatma or Paramatma?


texts: Ganapati's Birth in relation to writing of Mahabharata

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We know Ved Vyasa told Ganapati to write Mahabharata as he dictated. If a live story can only be written after it is completed, it would mean Mahabharata was written during the start of the Kali Yuga since the war ended in Dwapara Yuga.

Is there a relation of Ganapati's birth to writing of Mahabharat? Does it mean Ganapati was born during the start of the Kali Yuga?


texts: Are there any explicit statements forbidding a bride to marry a groom of higher caste/kula/varna/jati?

texts:
In Bhagwad Gita (4:13) lord Krishna said

  Four classes have been created by me, based on the division of guna
  and action

The four varnas are Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras.

Based on the varna compatibility for marriages as per astrology, the overall scenario is

  Groom varna >= Bride varna (Allowed)

  Groom varna < Bride varna (Not allowed)

From this answer, the conclusive lines for marriage compatibility based on caste are

  Groom caste = bride caste  (Allowed, Encouraged)

  Groom caste > bride caste  (Allowed, Not encouraged)

  Groom caste < bride caste  (Not Allowed)

So, I can draw the following conclusion for marriage compatibility, either based on varna or caste

  Groom >= Bride (Allowed)

  Groom < Bride (Not allowed)

So, scriptures are clearly stating that if a groom is higher than a bride in terms of either varna or caste, then the marriage between them is allowed.

But since some scriptures may contain different views other than the sources I provided, I am asking the following question.

Is there any explicit statement from any scripture forbidding a bride to marry a groom of higher caste(kula)/varna/jati etc.,


texts: A documentation by History channel says that, Mohenjo-Daro could be affected by Brahmastra, they provide enough proofs like the rocks are melted at high temperature and turned out to magma state and feel like glass, this can be achieved only if the material is exposed to extreme heat. If so it is true, who could have used Brahmastra and Why?


texts:
From three classical yogas in Hinduism viz. Karma, Bhakti and Jnana, I found me Ajnani in case of Bhakti yoga probably due to improper concept of god.

I understand the Karma Yoga:

Nishkam Karma or Selfless/Desire-less Karma can save you from Karma bandhan and can lead to Liberation/Moksha.
It is necessary to understand the concept of Karma-Yoga in order to get necessary qualities like चित्तशुद्धि or purification of mind, Elimination of Ahmkar(I-ness) so that one can spiritual progress for Jnana!

I understand the Jnana Yoga:

Self-Realization leads to Atma-Jnana/Brahma-Jnana and to the oneness, Jivanmukta state & Liberation/Moksha, In other words, to the Ultimate Reality!

But I can't understand the Bhakti Yoga:

Serving god, Surrendering to god, devotion to god ?

For the understanding the Bhakti-Yoga, one should have the clear understanding or right knowledge about the concept of god which I'm missing I think!

Because serving/worshipping of/surrendering to god whom I actually/really don't know about! The main problem is: If I don't know myself (until self-realization), then how do I know god?

So, Help me to understand the Concept of God or Right Knowledge (Jnana) about God.

I believe that Jnana leads to Bhakti and vice-versa but Starting from Bhakti without Jnana about God seems misunderstand-able for me


texts: Do Adi shankaracharya mentioned Nalayira Divya Prabandam?

texts: Do Adi shankaracharya mentioned Nalayira Divya Prabandam in this commentaries and his scriptures


texts: Books recommended for learning about all of the different branches of Sanatana philosophy in brief

texts:
Which books do you recommend for learning about all of the different branches of Sanatana philosophy in brief?

I have a copy of Sarva Darsana Sangraha written by 14th century Hindu scholar Madhava Acharya, where he lists the major schools of Sanatana philosphy and writes commentary on them.
Somebody recommended me The Principal Upanishads by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. How is that book?

Please recommend me some books and/or scriptures where I can learn about many  different branches of Sanatana philosphy in brief.


texts: How different is a mantra from a prayer?

texts:
Whenever we try to think of God, mantra, prayer etc are the things which come to our mind.

I was trying to understand how is a mantra different than a normal prayer ?
If we consider a mantra it is also a form of prayer, then what is the speciality of a mantra ?
And , which is more effective in terms of communicating with the divine god ?


texts: Why did the Shankaracharya of Puri said Arya Samaj is based on philosophy of shri Ramanujacharya?

texts:
Please find the statement below :
https://youtu.be/Gh67Ht0JjvQ

Does Arya Samaj follow the theology of Vishishtadvait principle by Shri ramanuja ?