texts: Is it the feeling of insecurity that induces the feeling of getting god on to one's body?

texts: I have seen people who get poonakam also called convulsion in medical terminology. This is usually seen during festivals of Grama Devatas in villages where the Devata manifests in ordinary people. What I observed from those instances is that those people are either from poor families or stress minded or those who are facing too much difficulties in the society. I want to know whether this is real or a type of psychological disorder that arises due to the feeling of insecurity?


texts: Why the Mangalsutra thread should not be changed during the period of pregnancy?

texts:
In Hindu religion after marriage Mangalsutra thread is worn by the ladies. They will change the threads after some days/months.

However, during the period when the woman is pregnant, she is not allowed to change the thread, what is reason behind this?


texts: English translation of Ganesh Sahasranam

texts: Any interpretation and translation available in English for Ganesh sahasranam as in the ganesha purana? Wikipedia mentions of a khadyota commentary by bhaskaraya on the sahasranama. Is there an English translation available for this commentary?


texts: How many times solar eclipse have occured during mahabharata war?

texts:
I heard from the scriptures that solar eclipse happened 3 times during the same paksha (sukla quarter) it signifies total destruction and Yuga change. Wants to know the scriptural reference for the same.

In the same month quite often we are getting 2 to 3 eclipse. but not in the same paksha(Quarter).


texts: Which Scriptures describe "Vish Purush" who incarnated as Aswatthama?

texts:
Some blogs on internet claim that,

  During Samudra Manthanam, Halahaal the fuming posion capable of burning
  universe appeared and all Dev Danav Manav Yaksha Gandharva fled. All
  of them along with Lord Vishnu and Lord Bramha came to Lord Shiva.
  Lord Shiva consumed Halahaal and held it in his throat. However unable
  to bear its consequences it started burning him. The Vish purush
  sprung out of Him. Lord Shiva told him, " Although we (lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva) didn’t let you kill the people, yet in
  Dwapar Yuga during Mahabharat war with my blessings you will be able
  to kill oppressive kshatriyas. Later you will assume the post of
  Saptarishis in following Manvantara. You will be born as Bhardwaja’s
  grandson and be raised as Brahman but attracted towards Kshatriyahood ".

Which Scriptures describe springing out "Vish Purusha" from throat of Lord Rudra aka Shiva? Are there any scriptures which prophesied the birth of Aswatthama other than Mahabhartha?


texts: What is the speciality of mAdhyandina shAkhA?

texts:
MAdhyandina samhita is the currently surviving most used samhita of shukla Yajurveda.

This is the most prevalent way of chanting the shukla Yaju samhita.

What are its unique features?

How is it different from other shAkhAs?


texts: Why Lord Krishna didn't change the Rule when delivering justice to the 16000 princess but married them Himself?

texts:
16000 Princess were kidnapped by Narakasura and saved by Lord Krishna.
If a young girl is out of home for one day, no one will marry her. It was a rule in that time and even nowadays.
So Lord Krishna married 16000 princess*
Lord Krishna did adharma (killing of Drona, Karna and Bhisma) to restore Dharma.
In same way, Krishna could have Changed that rule and allow to marry such women

DOUBT :

Why didn't Lord Krishna Change that rule and allow to marry such women instead of marrying them himself ?
Is there any Specific reason for changing the Rule ?


texts: How many times has Shiva opened his 3rd eye?

texts: According to Hindu mythology, how many times has Shiva opened his 3rd eye and why?


texts: Is "Dera Sacha Sauda" part of Hinduism or a different religion?

texts:
Recently after the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, I was wondering if the Dera Sacha Sauda is merely a cult or a part of Hindu religion?
What kind of philosophy do they believe in?


texts: Where is the full story of Radha Krishna?

texts: In which Hindu scriptures can we find the stories related to Radha and Krishna where Krishna purified Radha from her anger, moh, jealousy, fear, ego .


texts: Why does Krishna in certain verses of the gita state they are only his opinion?

texts:
For example last chapter you can find this, also in 15 or 16 chapter. Why is that, since all other verses are strictly revelatory?

But even these actions should be done leaving
aside attachment and fruit, Q Partha ; that is my certain and best opinion. ( 6 )

And he who shall study this sacred; dialogue of
ours, by him I shall be worshipped with the sacrifice of wisdom, Such is My opinion. 18,70

Understand Me as the Knower of the Field in all Fields, O Bharata. Wisdom as to the Field and the Knower of the Field, that in My opinion is the Wisdom,
(2)13


texts: Vyasa has composed Navagraha stotram for the nine planets which comprise two lines. Daily recitation of this will bring good. Adverse effects of the planets will not be there as per legends. What are the stotras with meanings?


texts: Is Mahabharata the longest poem of the world?

texts: Mahabharata is stated as the longest poem ever written. It consists of over 100,000 slokas and 200,000 individual lines. Is it true? Or are there any other holy books that are longer than the Mahabharata?


texts: Where does the Mahabharata say that liberated souls worship Krishna?

texts:
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 Adhyaya 3 Pada 3 Sutra 26 of the Brahma Sutras, Vyasa says this:

  Topic-15: Rejection and Reception of Merit
  26. But where only the rejection of virtue and vice is spoken of, the reception of these by others has to be inferred, on account of the term reception being a counter-correlative of rejection. And this is on the analogy of kusas, metres, praise and recitation, as has been explained (by Jaimini).

Now most commentators interpret this Sutra as referring to the fact that when a person gets Moksha, their good karma and bad karma gets transferred to their friends and enemies respectively; see Adi Shankaracharya's commentary here and Ramanujacgarya's commentary here.  But as with many things, the Dvaita philosopher Madhvacharya interprets this Sutra very differently.  Madhvacharya thinks it's saying that after Moksha, liberated souls continue to meditate upon Brahman; here's what he says in this except from his commentary on the Brahma Sutras.

  Just as the twice-born after the performance of the (daily) study enjoined upon them, viz., Brahma Yagna, they recite the praises (Yajus and other mantras) and the songs (of Sama Veda) wearing merely at their pleasure the Kusa Pavitra on their finger ; so ... also meditation, etc., in the world of heaven (are performed by the blessed of their own accord). For all the other injunctions are only subservient to the injunction (statement) referring to final beatitude, viz., "He who knows Brahman attains to the Highest (Brahman) " (Tait. III. 10).  And this optional performance of devotion etc., by the released is spoken of in such texts as, " He remains singing the Saman " (Tait III. 10) ; also in the Brahma Tarka, "Indeed even those that have attained to heavenly bliss perform of their own accord the meditation of Hari, just as Brahmins after their regular duty recite the Vedas, observing the rule of wearing Kusa grass,  etc., (sitting with their face to the east, etc.)." Further the Bharata says "Krishna the Lord of perfect bliss is worshipped by the released from whom all wrong knowledge is swept."

I discuss the Taittiriya Upanishad's description of liberated souls praising Vishnu using the Purushagati Saman in my question and answer here.  But my question is, where does the Mahabharata say that liberated souls worship Krishna?

Now in principle, one could check the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya, Madhvacharya's commentary on the Mahbharata.
But as I discuss in this question, Madhvacharya's scriptural quotes are notoriously hard to track down in actual copies of texts we have in our possession.  And so I am virtually certain that Madhvacharya doesn't mention this putative quote in his Mahabharata commentary.

In any case, is anyone familiar with this Mahabharata quote?


texts: What is the significance of nãrikel (coconut) in pooja?

texts:
In almost all Poojas (worship) nãrikel (coconut) is used.

Image source: picdif.com

What is the significance of using nãrikel in pooja?


texts:
In Hinduism why do we people offer prasad after every sacred ceremony?
Is it related to some ancient belief and has some logical benefits?


texts: If mother dies within 12 months of father's death, when the final ritual will happen for father & mother?


texts: Can commoners attain Moksha without needing to be born as a Brahmin?

texts:
Are commoners i.e, people not wearing yajnopavita able to attain moksha without needing to be born as Brahmin according to Hindu Scriptures? Are there any examples of them attaining Moksha or Oneness with God(Brahman) or Oneness with their Ishta Devata without being born as Brahmin?

Edit:
Can they(commoners) attain Moksha in their current life?


texts: I am studying Advaita Vedanta. According to Advaita Vedanta, this world is an illusion. It suggests one to do his duty with detachment. What I do not understand is why should one even do his duty when its clear that the world is an illusion?


texts:
Previously, I purchased few Yantras of Gods and Goddesses and kept in my Puja room. Even after 20-30 years, these yantras are still there and I worship them. I have not noticed any positive change in my life though.

Recently, I read a lot about Yantra and came to know that these sacred geometries are machines. A yantra needs regular meditation on it's bindu to make it work.

Few pandits say that these require Pran Pratistha. Now the question is how to know that pandit was successfully able to do Pran Pratistha.

How to make a Yantra work? After how many days I can expect any positive result, howsoever small?


texts: Are there any core invariants to Hinduism?

texts:
From what I've seen, Hinduism isn't a religion like most of the other modern ones with many "rules" that you have to follow, it's more of a "pick-your-own-rules" way of doing it. (See: Is there an Orthodox Hinduism?)

Additionally, it changes much as time passes1

The question is, are there any invariant "core" tenets/rules to Hinduism; i.e. rules that have not changed since Vedic times and are still a part of the religion.

Some candidates:

The no-conversions rule (one must be born a Hindu). This seems to be changing now.
Restrictions against beef

1. So do other religions, really.


texts: Is there any English translation of Vivekachudamani bhashya by Shri Chandrashekara Mahaswamigal?

texts:
Here is the link for the sanskrit work
https://archive.org/details/VivekChudamaniBhashyaChandrasekharaBharati

Is there an English translation of the work?
If so please provide the link


texts: Why did surya not accept shani as his son?

texts:
Surya had three wives, Samjna, Rajni and Prabha. Surya and Samjna had two sons and a daughter. The eldest son was Vaivasvata Manu. And the remaining two offspring were twins named Yama and Yamuna.

However, Samjna delivers another son – Shani. As the children grow older, Samjna does everything in her power to distance him from Surya. Devoid of motherly love and fatherly attention, Shani is distraught, depressed, lazy and utterly directionless.

What was the reason that Shani's mother kept him away from his father? Was it because he did not accept him as his son like many say?


texts:
Do the followers of Vivekananda believe that all religions are equal?

According to an answer here, followers of Vivekananda do believe all religions are equal.


texts:
We know Shiva is the Lord. But it is not clear what is meant by Shivaaya ?

My question is : What is the meaning of Shivaaya ?


texts: Is Vasistha an (Biological) ancestor of Rama?

texts:
There is a story in Mahabharata that says about some key events in the life of Vasistha. It is a conversation between a Gandharva and Arjuna.
In that conversation, it is clear that Vasistha contributed a biological son to the Ikshvaku family during Kalmashapada reign through the wife of Kalmashapada upon the request of Kalmashapada.

Recovering his power of reason, the king saluted that best of Rishis
with joined palms and said, 'O illustrious one, I am the son of Sudasa
and thy disciple, O best of Munis! O, tell me what is thy pleasure and
what I am to do.' Vasishtha replied, saying, 'My desire hath already
been accomplished. Return now to thy kingdom and rule thy subjects.
And, O chief of men, never insult Brahmanas any more.' The monarch
replied, 'O illustrious one, I shall never more insult superior
Brahmanas. In obedience to thy command I shall always worship
Brahmanas. But, O best of Brahmanas, I desire to obtain from thee that
by which, O foremost of all that are conversant with the Vedas, I may
be freed from the debt I owe to the race of Ikshvaku! O best of men,
it behoveth thee to grant me, for the perpetuation of Ikshvaku's race,
a desirable son possessing beauty and accomplishments and good
behaviour.'
"The Gandharva continued, 'Thus addressed, Vasishtha, that best of
Brahmanas devoted to truth replied unto that mighty bowman of a
monarch, saying, 'I will give you.' After some time, O prince of men,
Vasishtha, accompanied by the monarch, went to the latter's capital
known all over the earth by the name of Ayodhya. The citizens in great
joy came out to receive the sinless and illustrious one, like the
dwellers in heaven coming out to receive their chief. The monarch,
accompanied by Vasishtha, re-entered his auspicious capital after a
long time. The citizens of Ayodhya beheld their king accompanied by
his priest, as if he were the rising sun. The monarch who was superior
to everyone in beauty filled by his splendour the whole town of
Ayodhya, like the autumnal moon filling by his splendour the whole
firmament. And the excellent city itself, in consequence of its
streets having been watered and swept, and of the rows of banners and
pendants beautifying it all around, gladdened the monarch's heart.
And, O prince of Kuru's race, the city filled as it was with joyous
and healthy souls, in consequence of his presence, looked gay like
Amaravati with the presence of the chief of the celestials. After the
royal sage had entered his capital, the queen, at the king's command,
approached Vasishtha. The great Rishi, making a covenant with her,
united himself with her according to the high ordinance. And after a
little while, when the queen conceived, that best of Rishis, receiving
the reverential salutations of the king, went back to his asylum. The
queen bore the embryo in her womb for a long time. When she saw that
she did not bring forth anything, she tore open her womb by a piece of
stone. It was then that at the twelfth year (of the conception) was
born Asmaka, that bull amongst men, that royal sage who founded (the
city of) Paudanya.'"
[Section 179, Chaitraratha Parva, Adi Parva, The Mahabharata]

Rama also belongs to Ikshvaku dynasty.
So, Is Vasishta an ancestor of Rama? It is not possible only if the aforementioned event happens after the Rama's departure from Earth.
Do Valmiki Ramayana or any other scripture describes Vasishta as an ancestor of Rama?


texts:
How many wives and sons did Arjuna have?

I have heard about a son called Babruvahana. Who was he & where was he gone?

Was he very powerful like Arjuna?


texts: What mantras are chanted when a snake bites?

texts:
Well, It seems my question is off-topic. But really it is not. As, On our side, In our village if a snake bites to someone, the first aid given to the person is that the victim is carried to the old wise person. And that old person chants some mantras with Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaves for 5-10 minutes. This process is to be done for 3-4 days and victim's wound gets cured. I'm totally surprised that how mantras can cure a snake bite. As mantras work as Antidote on snake poison. So, I'm confused If its a black magic or kind of super powers like given by ancestors.

Secondly, an incident happened in our neighbour that a snake came into their house. They called up an old wise man who knew the mantras. He chanted some mantras and suddenly the snake came out of their house. Snake didn't even bite anyone. And the thing I noticed that all the people who know these mantras where HINDU by religion. I searched for this on Google but didn't get any answer. So, please if anyone knows anything about this, make me understand this.


texts: How should brahmcharya be interpreted nowadays according to the vedas?

texts:
According to the vedas a man who is from the age till 25 should be a brahmachari. The preservation or semen or ''virya'', will then transform into ojas, nourishing the brain and he will reap numerous benefits. Now, in the modern world how should youngsters from 12 to 25 use this principal? Many engage at least once a week in masturbation. Sadhguru said that a men should not be in denial, nor glorify the act of masturbation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLkJwAyx_k8). Are teenagers, according to the vedas, not allowed to release semen, or is there any kind of concrete guidance for them, like when they can or cant indulge into it?. If so, where can I read this vedic guidance? Many have heard about brahmacharya, but are we supposed to abstain from it till we are 25, should there be a balance, or should we do it just a few times a year, like every month and keep it as little as possible (what do the vedas say on this)?
Thanks in advance


texts: Nirodhah and Asamsayam mahābhāo meanings in Dhyānayogo shl. 35

texts:
Ch. Dhyānayogo , translated with "Il vero Yoga", = The True Yoga. Chapter number 6 for my edition.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम् |
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते || 35||
Romanized [IAST]
śhrī bhagavān uvācha
asanśhayaṁ mahā-bāho| mano durnigrahaṁ chalam|
abhyāsena tu kaunteya| vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate||
In my edition [Bhagavad Gita by Icilio Vecchiotti italian Sanskrit student with a translated Preface and Intro by S. Radhakrishnan; the ed. used Ramanuja, Shankaracharya comments among others. Edited by Ubaldini Editors, Rome, Italy, first edition 1964],
√ related to this verse above the translator relies on comparison with Yog Suutra I, 12:
" abhyāsavairāghyābhyām tan nirodhah"
And it translates this with "arresting- stopping the [psyche] functions it is [conveyed performed] through exercising detachement".
So non-attachment exercised constantly, do practically helps the manas to let detachment arrive.
Author mention also the need for tapasya = austhere devotion.

How is detachement concept associated in the shloka with the compounded whole verse?

Nirodhah word exact meaning and Asamsayam mahābhāo
meanings

Thank you

To Stack Exchange: The expected answers are linked to the Sanskrit terms of the shlok. That's it.


texts: What is the actual reason behind Holi Celebration?

texts:
Festivals of color Holi is celebrated in all over India with lots of fun and joy. In different region; there are different legends on origin of this auspicious festival.

Origin of Holi ? Mythology behind Holi Celebration ? Reason behind playing with colors ?


texts: What is the effect of wearing ring on our body? What are the external things one can wear for his progress- physically or spiritually?


texts: In the Bhagavadgītā, what are some objections to its proposed solutions to the paradox of action?

texts:
For those un-familiar with indian philosophy, the Bhagavadgītā is a text that proposes a solution to the problem of rebirth. This problem of rebirth is as follows:

We are in an endless cycle of life and death, and we are in this cycle because we act, and thus create karma, thus perpetuating our cycle of rebirth. If we want to try and stop this cycle, it may seem logical to stop all action. However, this too is a kind of action, and so we have the problem that every action keeps you in this cycle, and you can't not take action.

The Bhagavadgītā proposes that the solution to this problem is that we should act in a different way, not refrain from acting. Only our body and mind are in this cycle, not our true selves. We should use our lives to be devoted to the divine, and every action would be free from desire. Only then will we achieve spiritual freedom.

My question is, what are some possible objections to this proposed solution from the Bhagavadgītā? How would this not help us achieve spiritual freedom? Thank you!


texts: Which previous karma made Karna's life full of sorrow despite his benevolent nature?

texts:
Is there any story behind Karna's miserable life despite his benevolent nature? Any prior karma in a previous life to justify his current life?

I read it somewhere that when Karna died, Lord Krishna was not happy so Arjuna asked about it and he replied about Karna's daanveerta when they went to the battlefield where Karna laid dead. They went there in Brahmana form like they were looking for some alms but due to incapability of Karna they are returning. So Karna stopped them and took a brick and broke his golden teeth and offered this to Lord Krishna.

So my question is even though the nature of Karna was so good why did he lead a sorrowful life? What previous karma of his caused his sorry state of life?


texts:
There were some Rakshasas like Vibhishana who were noble.
Were there any Asuras/Rakshasas who were initially evil but eventually became good i.e moved to the side of Dharma?


texts: In Adi Shankaracharya's "Shiva Panchakshara Stotra," Yajna-Svaruupaaya or Yaksha-Svaruupaaya, which is correct?

texts:
In the penultimate verse of phalasruthi of Shiva Panchakshara Stotra written by Adi Shankaracharya,

Yajñasvarūpāya {Yakṣasvarūpāya} jaṭādharāya
pinākahastāya sanātanāya ।
divyāya devāya digambarāya
tasmai ya_kārāya namaḥ śivāya ॥5॥

There are two variations Yajna-Svarūpāya and Yaksha-Svarūpāya; which one is likely to be the correct one?


texts: What is the significance of 3, 16, or 41 days after the death?

texts:
Basically, there are a few numbers (of days) after various events that are of special significance.

E.g. 41 days after a person dies, the members of their family must go to a temple; likewise for any good occasions. Also, every 3, 16, or 41 days, certain events/formalities are done.

And my question is, what do these numbers signify in case of death?


texts: What are the Saptapadi or the seven promises of marriage?

texts: What are the Saptapadi or seven promises of marriage a Hindu couple takes walking around the fire?


texts:
So in scriptures I have come across several types of birth that we would term extra ordinary. Few examples that come to my mind are

Kunti giving birth via vidhi obtained from Sage Durvasa
Kauravas being born outside womb
Draupadi and Dhrishtadyumna coming out of a yagna

Is there a comprehensive description or enumeration of the various types of births possible as per scriptues ? Please note I am not looking for yagnas that ensure birth i.e. Ashwamedha, Putrakameshti etc or vratas . Only the types of birth
Edit 1
Looking for human births only; not animals, plants etc


texts: Will a man attain liberation the moment his karma is nullified?

texts:
Attainment of liberation is clearing of all the karma (both good and bad). Now my question is will a man attain liberation, the second both his good and bad karma will get nullified i.e. his karma will be zero.

If it is the case, can one attain liberation even at the age of a student?


texts: What technique they used earlier to make idols stand for centuries

texts:
We all know there are lot of Hinduism temples where idols are standing from many centuries best example is Lord Venktaeshwara in Tirumala, Tirupati.

This idol is standing from many centuries it survived from those many thousands of years. What construction technique they used earlier to establish a idol in temple to last so long? For example nowadays they use cement to establish idol in temples but cement were not available during those time, so what was the technique they used to make idols stand and survive for so long?

I am sure people say Lord Balaji is self manifested not built by human being (but there must be some sort of physical support right for idol to stand), but there many idols established by saints like Adi Shankara etc. So what they used in-lieu of cement to establish an idol?

Can anyone please shed some light on this? I am confused from many years on this topic!


texts: What is the worshipping place of Hayagriva mentioned in Yuddha Kanda?

texts:
One of the famous incidents from the Ramayana is Hanuman bringing the herbal mountain containing Sanjivani herbs. His journey towards the Himalayas is described in the Yuddha Kanda Sarga 74. He sees the abodes of different Gods there. There is a shloka which says he sees Kailasa, Brahma Loka, Brahma Kapala (in Badrinath) near Himalayas etc.,

  स ब्रह्मकोशं रजतालयं च |
  शक्रालयं रुद्रशरप्रमोक्षम् |
  हयाननं ब्रह्मशिरश्च दीप्तं |
  ददर्श वैवस्वत किङ्करांश् च || ६-७४-५९

  sa brahmakośaṃ rajatālayaṃ ca |
  śakrālayaṃ rudraśarapramokṣam |
  hayānanaṃ brahmaśiraśca dīptaṃ |
  dadarśa vaivasvata kiṅkarāṃś ca || 6-74-59

  He saw the abode of Brahma the lord of creation, Kailasa the abode of Shiva the lord of dissolution, the abode of Indra the lord of celestials, the arrow-discharging place of Rudra, the worshipping place of Hayagriva, the horse-faced form of Vishnu, the shining place at which Brahma's head fell down, the sun-god and Kimkaras. [6-74-59]

From the above shloka, many of the places can be identified but I could not identify what is the place where Hayagriva is worshipped.

What is the realm (loka) where Hayagriva, the Horse faced form of Vishnu is worshipped?


texts: What all should we do (which we are not doing) according to shastras?

texts: Shastras are nothing but a set of rules which a 'manava' should follow or else he can not be termed as 'manava'. In our urban life style we skip many of these rules, so I wanted to know some of the basic ones.


texts: Where is the passage about silence and Brahman preserved by Adi Shankaracharya?

texts:
In this excerpt from his book "Spiritual Heritage of India", Swami Prabhavananda quotes a number of passages from the Upanishads concerning the indescribability of Brahman.  In particular, he says this:

And again, in a passage preserved only in Shankara's commentary:
'"Sir," said a pupil to his master, "teach me the nature of Brahman." The master did not reply. When a second and a third time he was importuned, he answered: "I teach you indeed, but you do not follow. His name is silence."'

First of all, I'd preferably like to know what Upanishad this passage is taken from, even if the actual text of this Upanishad is no longer available.  But failing that, my question is, where in the works of Adi Shankaracharya is this passage quoted?
It says that it's preserved in "Shankara's commentary".  Does that mean one of his commentaries on the principal Upanishads, or his commentary on the Brahma Sutras, or what? I can't seem to find the quote outside of Swami Prabhavananda's book (or sources that cite it).


texts: relationship between tantra and devotion

texts:
I'm not really asking for the differences but I also believe that devotion as Lord Krishna mentions in Geeta is the best path for enlightnment.

I'm just curious if there is any relationship between the tantric principles/practises and devotion.


texts:
help me understand this answer.. https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/17586/19305

om padmni om

om nama sivaya

svacchanda bhairavaya namah

These sentences are collections of sacred words. Collections of sacred words are not mantras, but just a waste of time for the aspirant. In a real sense, these two - the aspirant's mind and a sacred word experienced as prasada mantra and/or pranav amantra - are mantras.

Prasada Mantra?? Pranav Mantra??


texts: Did the Rig Vedic Aryans find any people they encountered in the Saptasindhu praiseworthy?

texts:
The Panis (Sanskrit: पणि : ) are a clan in the Rigveda, from paṇi-, a term for "bargainer, miser," especially applied to one who is sparing of sacrificial oblations
Vṛṣaśipra (वृषशिप्र):—[=vṛṣa-śipra] [from vṛṣa > vṛṣ] m. ‘bull-cheeked’,
"mleccha"(barbarian) "sisnadeva" (penis-worshiper) etc.
Are any praiseworthy non-Aryans mentioned?


texts: How many human births does the soul take before it merges with the Almighty?

texts: The soul passes through a cycle of successive lives (samsara) and its next incarnation i.e., birth is always dependent on how the previous life was lived (karma). Finally, the soul travels back to Godhead. In this process, how many human births does the soul take? Is the number fixed or changes from person to person based on their karma?


texts: Can a human being become God and live forever? Have this incident happened before in the history? (a normal being becoming God and stays as God till now)


texts: Markendeya’s Mrutyunjaya Stotram (not Mantra) is in which purana and which adhyaya?

texts:
The following mrutyunjaya stotram claims to be by Markendeya rishi. There are multiple versions available on the Internet. Some have 18 Anushtup (4 padas  of 8 aksharas in each verse). Others have 8 Anushtup shlokas and 8 verses of chandrashekharashtaka that appear to have 2 padas of 18 aksharas in each verse, but they don’t appear to be dhruti chanda. They all claim to be from markendeya purana, but I couldn’t locate any in the purana text here.

Does anyone know which adhyaya in which purana can one find mrtyunjaya stotram that praises Lord Shiva? i understand there is another stotram with Lord Vishnu as savior in Padmapurana also, but I am looking for the Lord Shiva version.

Thanks in advance!


texts: In which scriptures that Hindu Number counting system is completely written?

texts:
A photo of Hindu Number Counting System is higher than described in 4-5 Shloka, 3rd Chapter of 6th Part of Vishnu Purana same also described in Vayu Purana:

Is there any scripture (Vedas/Upanishads/Puranas) which tells more higher counting system or its last?

Note : Please don't answer from Wikipedia.


texts:
As I said in this question, there is a kingdom called "Shini" that helped Jarasandha according to Harivamsa.

I want to know what this kingdom is, or if there was simply a translation error to refer to a king as "the king of Shini."


texts: Will god Forgive me If I vowed that I will not watch porn but I did

texts:
Please answer the above question
Will god forgive me


texts: Why do Sabarimala devotees wear Black clothes ?

texts: Black cloth is usual considered inauspicious and not used especially when visiting a temple. But devotee of Ayyappa  wears black clothes when they visit Sabarimala. Is there any reason for this practice. Does this have any related to Shanni ?


texts: Did Vishnuswami write a commentary on the Brahma Sutras?

texts:
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 they in turn started the four main Sampradayas or traditions of Vaishnavism: Sri Sampradayam, Brahma Sampradayam, Rudra Sampradayam, and Kumara Sampradayam.  Now in this section of the ISKCON commentary on the Chaitanya Charitamrita, Srila Prabhupada discusses commentaries on the Brahma Sutras produced by the four Vaishnava Sampradayas:

  The commentary by Śrīla Rāmānujācārya, known as Śrī-bhāṣya, establishes the viśiṣṭādvaita-vāda philosophy. Similarly, in the Brahma-sampradāya, Madhvācārya’s Pūrṇaprajña-bhāṣya establishes śuddha-dvaita-vāda. In the Kumāra-sampradāya, or Nimbārka-sampradāya, Śrī Nimbārka establishes the philosophy of dvaitādvaita-vāda in the Pārijāta-saurabha-bhāṣya. And in the Viṣṇu-svāmi-sampradāya, or Rudra-sampradāya, which comes from Lord Śiva, Viṣṇu Svāmī has written a commentary called Sarvajñabhāṣya, which establishes śuddhādvaita-vāda.

Now I'm familiar Ramanujacharya's Sri Bhashya, Madhvacharya's Brahma Sutra Bhashya, and Nimbarkacharya's Vedanta Parijata Saurabha; I've read all three in large part.  But I'm interested in the part in bold.  My question is, did Vishnuswami write a commentary on the Brahma Sutras called the Sarvajna Bhashya?

For those who don't know, Vishnuswami was an ancient Acharya of the Rudra Sampradayam.  Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pushtimarga sect, is said to have been in the Parampara of Vishnuswami, which is why the Pushtimarga sect traces its origins to the Rudra Sampradyam.  Now I assumed that Vallabhacharya's Anubhashya was the oldest Rudra Sampradayam commentary on the Brahma Sutras, but maybe it's the oldest surviving one.  (I posted a question about surviving Rudra Sampradayam works prior to Vallbhacharya here.) Do have any records, like works of Acharyas or modern scholarly works, that mention Vishnuswami's commentary, and if so what is the earliest reference to Vishnuswami's commentary?

By the way, the Dvaita philosopher Narayana Panditacharya said that 21 commentators on the Brahma Sutras preceded Madhvacharya, and he gave a list of them which you can read here.  As you can see, Vishnuswami is not mentioned, unless he's mentioned under a different name.


texts: Does Gita 9.7 contradict the advaita vedanta's monism philosophy?

texts:
BG 9.7-8: At the end of one kalp, all living beings merge into My  primordial material energy. At the beginning of the next creation, O son of Kunti, I manifest them again. Presiding over My material energy, I generate these myriad forms again and again, in accordance with the force of their natures.

"all living beings merge into My primordial material energy", This would be possible only if Shri Krishna was separate from the world. Because if he was the creation (monism) then there would be no reason for the merge, but the verse says "all living beings will merge".
But according to advaita everything is God (Shri Krishna).
What is the explanation for this contradiction?


texts: What is the association between earth and the fire element?

texts:
In vedic times, Boomi is known as 'Prithvi' and was mother to 'Agni'. [Wikipedia]

Also, some texts refer that Boomi is also mother to planet Mars (Angaraka) who is fiery in nature. [Wikipedia]

Incidentally, Boomi/earth sign Capricorn exalts planet Mars in that sign.

Therefore, what is the connection between Boomi and fire element of the panchabhutas?


texts: Can different people of different varna share the same gotra?

texts:
Every we time go to a temple, when the priest performs archana, he asks us our Gotra. Gotra states our lineage from the sages.
In some states of South India, Brahmins and Gouds have the same gotra like Koundinya gotra, Bharadwaja gotra. See this page.

What I want to ask is,

How is this possible that two different varna have the same gotras when no other varna or community have the same gotra as the Brahmins?
Is there any story related to this topic?


texts: Which scriptures gives details about the Ashta-Lakshmi?

texts:
There are said to be eight forms of Devi Lakshmi, called as Ashta Lakshmi ( अष्ट - लक्ष्मी ) .
Which all scriptures give details about them?
I'd like to further know, if they are to be considered as a parallel to the Vyūha manifestations of Lord Vishnu or just normal incarnation manifestations like the Nava-Durgas or the Dasha-Avataras ?
How does, and which scriptures define their origin, significance and mode of worship?

Please try to include (if possible), all the scriptures which might give details about the Ashta-Lakshmi concept.


texts: Approach to the Ultimate/Absolute Truth (Jnana)

texts:
I want to get/achieve/realize/attain the Ultimate/Absolute Truth (Aatman & Brahman). And I think Jnana path is perfect for this. And I believe if one truly achieves Jnana, then one gets moksha also!.

So, I want to know complete/true understanding about Jnana i.e:

First of all What is Jnana?
How to achieve it?
In this post, I've read that Dhyana is primary part of it. Then How-to?

Note: I believe that among the other path (Bhakti,Karma etc.), jnana should be most effective/efficient way and other way should merge into this ultimately

Further: Do I've to follow Karma and Bhakti marg in order to achieve Jnana? Or Can I directly go for Jnana with the help of Dhyana?

Upanishad and Vedanta are source/known for knowledge/philosophy about Ultimate Reality and Jnana so, What information/knowledge is available from Upanishads/Vedanta about Jnana/Dhyana and regarding to achieving it?


texts: What is the story of the 90 horses of Vishnu?

texts:
As you can see in the Rig Veda Anukramani I provided in this answer, verses 4-6 of Rig Veda Book 1 Hymn 155 are addressed to Vishnu. Here they are:

  We laud this manly power of him the Mighty One, preserver, inoffensive, bounteous and benign;
  His who strode, widely pacing, with three steppings forth over the realms of earth for freedom and for life.
  A mortal man, when he beholds two steps of him who looks upon the light, is restless with amaze.
  But his third step doth no one venture to approach, no, nor the feathered birds of air who fly with wings.
  He, like a rounded wheel, hath in swift motion set his ninety racing steeds together with the four.
  Developed, vast in form, with those who sing forth praise, a youth, no more a child, he cometh to our call.

The three steps seem like a clear reference to Vishnu's incarnation as Vamana the dwarf, but my question is, what is this reference to Vishnu's "ninety racing steeds together with the four"?  What is the story of these 90 horses of Vishnu, and what does "the four" denote?  Four additional horses?

Now Western Indologists, for instance in this book, have speculated that the 90 horses really denote the fact that there are 90 days in a season, and that the four denotes the fact that there four seasons in year.  But are there any scriptures that describe Vishnu literally driving a chariot pulled by 90 horses?


texts: Usually we chant ashtotram.during functions like Vinayak charthurthi, saraswathi Pooja etc , but recently my in laws were there during Vinayak charthurthi and he was of the opinion that ganaoathi moola mantra can be chanted instead of Astothram (maybe because it is difficult to get the pronounciation right ). He opined that nothing bigger than moola mantra and repeating it is enough. However usually sankalpa I do is for Astothram..can some explain difference between two and in which occasions the two should be used or can it be used as per convenience and belief.


texts: What is the relationship between Rig Veda and Sama Veda?

texts:
What is the proper meaning of the following phase? How do they relate to each other in the following manner?

  If the Rig Veda is the word, Sama Veda is the song or the meaning. If Rig Veda is the knowledge, Sama Veda is its realization. If Rig Veda is the wife, the Sama Veda is her husband.


texts: In the legend about Venkateswara,what is the relationship between Vedavati and Padmavati?

texts: In the legend about Venkateswara, he marries Padmavati. There is mention about Vedavati. What is the relationship between Vedavati and Padmavati?


texts:
I remember a scene from the Telugu movie Sri Ramadasu in which animals such as elephants, deer and peacocks are filled with ecstasy when Lord Vishnu descends to earth as Lord Rama, and welcomed Him. Now my questions are:

Do animals really know God exists? Or was it just picturization in the film? (You can see that particular scene here).
There is another story that Rama warmly stroked squirrel for the little help it could do while building Ramasethu. You can find the story from here. Does it mean that animals can recognize God (here Squirrel chants Rama-Nama and helps Him) in whatever form he exists? (Here Rama was human and some people who lived at that time saw him as human except Supraja and some other sages).


texts:
In some translation of Mahabharat, I read a conversation between Duryodhana and Shakuni, but I can't find it today on Google.  It goes something like this:
Duryodhana asks Shakuni some question.
In response, Shakuni answers the question with a question.
He says, "Do you know why God created the mind and the mouth as two separate?  So that the mind can think one thing and the mouth can speak another (entirely different thing)."
Do you know the quote, or where I can find the conversation?


texts:
We all have been seeing Hindu calendar since childhood. There we can see Subhamuhurtham and Durmuhurtham. These are the categories typically we may have (I'm not sure).

Subhamuhurtham:

Amrutha-kalam
Abhijit-Kalam

Durmuhurtham:

Rahu Kalam (time of the snake, or Dragon's Head)
Yamagandam (death time)
Varjyam
Gulika (blossoming time)
Shoolam (piercing direction)

Can anybody explain all these timings?


texts: What is the story behind the name of Indrajit?

texts: What is the story of Indrajit (Meghanada) who defeated Indra and hence received his title.


texts: Who saved Brahma from demons by singing the Sama Veda?

texts:
The Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana, aka the Talavakara Upanishad Brahmana, is a confusingly named text which is actually an Aranyaka of the Sama Veda, not a Brahmana or Upanishad.  It does contain within it the famous Kena Upanishad which I discuss here, but my question is about a different part of the text.  In this excerpt from the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana, the birth of Brahma and what ensued after it is described:

  The brahman created Prajapati.  It created him without seeing, without mouth.  Him lying not looking, without mouth, the brahman entered.  That [became?] human.  Verily the brahman is breath.  Breath, indeed, entered him thus.  He arose, a generator of progeny.Him the Rakshasas fastened on.  Him one singing this same saman rescued.  Because he singing (gayan) rescued (atrayata), that is the reason why the gayatra[-saman] is called so.... By means of the bodiless saman he shook off this one's bodies.

My question is, who is the one who rescued Brahma from demons by singing the Gayatra Saman hymn of the Sama Veda?

I think the story being referred to is the one told in this chapter of the Srimad Bhagavatam:

  Out of disgust, Brahmā threw off the body of ignorance, and taking this opportunity, Yakṣas and Rākṣasas sprang for possession of the body, which continued to exist in the form of night. Night is the source of hunger and thirst. Overpowered by hunger and thirst, they ran to devour Brahmā from all sides and cried, “Spare him not! Eat him up!” Brahmā, the head of the demigods, full of anxiety, asked them, “Do not eat me, but protect me. You are born from me and have become my sons. Therefore you are Yakṣas and Rākṣasas.” He then created the chief demigods, who were shining with the glory of goodness. He dropped before them the effulgent form of daytime, and the demigods sportingly took possession of it. Lord Brahmā then gave birth to the demons from his buttocks, and they were very fond of sex. Because they were too lustful, they approached him for copulation. The worshipful Brahmā first laughed at their stupidity, but finding the shameless asuras close upon him, he grew indignant and ran in great haste out of fear. He approached the Personality of Godhead, who bestows all boons and who dispels the agony of His devotees and of those who take shelter of His lotus feet. He manifests His innumerable transcendental forms for the satisfaction of His devotees. Lord Brahmā, approaching the Lord, addressed Him thus: "My Lord, please protect me from these sinful demons, who were created by me under Your order. They are infuriated by an appetite for sex and have come to attack me.  My Lord, You are the only one capable of ending the affliction of the distressed and inflicting agony on those who never resort to Your feet." The Lord, who can distinctly see the minds of others, perceived Brahmā’s distress and said to him: “Cast off this impure body of yours.” Thus commanded by the Lord, Brahmā cast off his body.

So is the Vishnu the person who rescued Brahma in that Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana?  If so, did he sing the Gayatra Saman in the process, even if the Srimad Bhagavatam doesn't mention it?  Or did someone, perhaps Brahma himself, pray to Vishnu using the Gayatra Saman to get Vishnu to rescue Brahma from the demons?

Does Sayana's commentary shed any light on this?  Are there any other scriptures that describe someone rescuing Brahma by chanting the Gayatra Saman?


texts: Every thing is a manifestation of bhraman, humans, cats dogs and other things. So do Gods like SHIVA VISHNU and and Brahma really exist in physical world or they exist in spiritual world.


texts: What is the relation between Dash Mahavidyas and Dashavatar?

texts:
Various Tantrik texts like Mundamala Tantra and Todal Tantra mention the Dash Mahavidyas in respect to the Dashavatar. For example in Todal Tantra CHapter 10 we find the following declaration:

  "Shri Shiva said: Tara Devi is the blue (fish) form, Bagala is the tortoise incarnation, Dhumavati is the boar, Chinnamasta is Narisimha, Bhuvaneshvari is Vamana, Matangi is the Rama form, Tripura is Jamadagni, Bhairavi is Balabhadra, Mahalakshmi is Buddha, and Durga is the Kalki form. BhagavatÌ Kali is the Krishna murti."

Is there any logic to these comparisons? Also, if Kali is equivalent to Krishna where does Shiva come into the picture?


texts: Do any of the scriptures mention the story of Badavagni/Vadavagni?

texts:
I heard a story in which Shiva sees only demons are left on earth and opens third eye. Saraswati takes powers from shiva's third eye and saves the world.

  Once Shiva saw the world filled with evil. He decided to clean it and opened his third eye from which came a great fire.

  Lord Shiva opened his third eye Saraswati took the form of a river and absorbed the fire. She took it into the sea where it formed a fire-spitting creature called Badavagni. Saraswati declared, "As long as man is wise, the animal will remain here, but if man becomes corrupt, this beast will destroy the world."

Read more at http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fairytales/indian_mythology_stories/saraswati_saves_the_world.htm#Kts49XlOtDrYWOdQ.99

Is this true story from scriptures or just a story?


texts: What will happen to Hanuman and the other Chiranjivis after the end of the Kali Yuga?

texts: Is there any reference regarding this in any Veda or other books?


texts: Why is Panguni Revati considered the "birthday" of Vishnu's Ranganatha form?

texts:
As I discuss in this answer, the oldest Vishnu statue in the world, and probably the oldest Hindu statue in the world period, is the famous Ranganatha statue in Sri Rangam.  The story of Ranganatha goes roughly as follows.

Shortly after the birth of Brahma (which I discuss in this answer), Brahma started praying to Vishnu (perhaps with either this hymn or this hymn). As a result, Vishnu appeared before him and gave Brahma a divine statue of Vishnu lying down on the serpent Adiseshan. Much later, Surya the sun god began to worship it, and then Surya's grandson Ikshvaku had the statue brought to Ayodhya so that he could continue worship it. The statue was passed down through the kings of Ayodhya, until it came to the possession of Rama. Rama gave it to Ravana's brother Vibhishana, who planned to install it in Lanka. But on his journey from Ayodhya to Lanka, Vibhishana put the statue down in the island of Sri Rangam in the middle of the Kaveri river, so that he could bathe in the holy Kaveri. When he came back, he found that he could not pick up the statue with all his might - Vishnu wanted to stay in Sri Rangam.  And that is where the statue remains to this day, in the illustrious Ranganatha temple.

But my question isn't about the statue itself, but about one of his festivals.  Last Saturday was the day of Panguni Revati, i.e. the day that that the Nakshatra Revati occurs in the month of Phalguna.  Every year on this day, the Sri Rangam temple celebrates the "birthday" of Ranganatha.  My question is, what exactly does this mean?  As I discuss in this answer, Vishnu is unborn and beginningless, so it can't refer to Vishnu's birth.  So what event does it celebrate?  The day Brahma received the Ranganatha statue from Vishnu? The day Ikshvaku brought it to Earth?  The day Vibhishana brought it to Sri Rangam?

This forum post claims that it was the day that Ranaganatha came to Sri Rangam, but does this have any scriptural basis?  For that matter, where in Hindu scripture does the story of Ranganatha occur?

On a side note, the Lakshmi statue in the temple, known as Ranganachiyar or Ranganayaki, has her "birthday" celebrated on the day of  Panguni Uttaram.  What does this mean, and does it have any relation to the fact that this was the day Venkateshwara and Padmavathi got married?


texts: Why did Veda vyasa use agni mantras of rigveda for Durga suktam?

texts:
Durga suktam a hymn in mahnarayana upanishad- has only two mantras for devi Durga, one is a gayatri. You can read it's info here

The Arya samajis are claiming that the hymn is stolen-interpolated by "pauranic" people

Why couldn't ved vyasa add an actual sukta for devi Durga instead of using old mantras of other deities? Is this explained in any shakta purana, or work of vyasa?


texts: What are the different types of Raja yogas in astrology?

texts:
In astrology, there are multiple Raja yogas based on placement of planets.

What are those? How are those formed in the birth chart?

Are there any negative Raja yogas?

The Wikipedia article is too long and too technical. Can someone explain this in simple language?
If list is too long, if someone just list down few important ones with how those are formed and if they are negative or positive, that should be enough.


texts: Do scriptures define what a "sect" (सम्प्रदाय ) is?

texts: I guess a sect (सम्प्रदाय ) is one that only subscribes to a subset of Hindu beliefs and/or worships only a subset of Hindu gods.  Is there anything in scriptures about this? What is the etymology of the word SampradAye (सम्प्रदाय)?


texts:
In many traditions Divination is an important part of the relationship with the Gods.
From Socrates to Shintoism and the I-Ching , Divination has been used for thousands of years.
What are references about divination in the scriptures (if any) and how is considered (good/bad thing)?
What kind of practices were usually associated with it and for which deity?


texts: Original version of Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram bhajan?

texts:
I would like to know about the original source and version and the author of the famous bhajan Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram. This bhajan was later edited and popularized by Gandhi. This was widely attributed to his attempts to bring about  restoration of friendly relations but it is anybody’s guess how many muslims would have actually sung this. Compare this with the confusion that it brought about in the minds of Hindus.

Please cite authentic references.


texts:
Why does Lord Krishna wear peacock feather on His head?
What is the significance of playing Basuri/Flute by Lord Krishna?
Is there any reference that took place that made Lord Krishna to wear peacock feather on His head and Flute in His hand respectively?


texts: Is it okay to keep a nataraja statue at Northeast corner of the house?

texts: Some sites say not to keep nataraja statue at home, but Is it okay to keep nataraja statue at Northeast corner in home?


texts: What is the difference between Prajapati and Parameshthin Prajapatya, and which one is Brahma?

texts:
The Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana, aka the Talavakara Upanishad Brahmana, is a confusingly named text which is actually an Aranyaka of the Sama Veda, not a Brahmana or Upanishad.  It contains within it the famous Kena Upanishad which I discuss here, but my question is about a different part of the text.  As I discuss in this question, the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana discusses how someone rescued Brahma from demons by singing the Gayatra Saman, an important hymn of the Sama Veda.

But after that, in this excerpt it gives the Guru Parampara by which the Gayatra Saman was passed down.  Here's the beginning of it:

  That is the immortal gayatra[-saman].  By means of it Prajapati went unto immortality, by means of it the gods, by means of it the sages (rishi).  That the same the brahman told to Prajapati; Prajapati to Parameshthin Prajapatya, Parameshthin Prajapatya to god Savitar, god Savitar to Agni, Agni to Indra, Indra to Kashyapa, Kashyapa to Rishyashringa Kashyapa, ...

As I discuss here, Rishyasringa is the priest who conducted Dasharatha's Putrakameshti Yagna.  But my question is, who is the figure "Prajapati" that Brahman taught the Gayatra Saman to, and who is the figure "Parameshthin Prajapatya" that this Prajapati taught it to?

Up until now, I had assumed that Prajapati and Parameshthin were just two names of the creator god Brahma, the husband of Saraswati.  For instance, this chapter of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad gives the Guru Parampara of the Madhu Vidya (which I discuss here), and it says this:

  Vyashti from Sanâru,
  Sanâru from Sanâtana,
  Sanâtana from Sanaga,
  Sanaga from Parameshthin,
  Parameshthin from Brahman,
  Brahman is Svayambhu, self-existent.

  Adoration to Brahman.

And this chapter of the Satapatha Brahmana of the Yajur Veda discusses the following Guru Parampara:

  Now the line of succession (of teachers). The same as far as Sâmgîvîputra. Sâmgîvîputra (received it) from Mândûkâyani, Mândûkâyani from Mândavya, Mândavya from Kautsa, Kautsa from Mâhitthi, Mâhitthi from Vâmakakshâyana, Vâmakakshâyana from Vâtsya, Vâtsya from Sândilya, Sândilya from Kusri, Kusri from Yagñavakas Râgastambâyana, Yagñavakas Râgastambâyana from Tura Kâvasheya, Tura Kâvasheya from Pragâpati, Pragâpati from Brahman (n.). Brahman is the self-existent: reverence be to Brahman!

Until now I had assumed that "Parameshthin from Brahman" and "Prajapati from Brahman" were just two ways of saying the same thing, namely that the creator god Brahma was a disciple of Vishnu.  But the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana quote above seems to be treating Prajapati and Parameshthin Prajapatya as two different people.  So who are these two figures, and which one of them is Brahma?

My question here about Adi Shankaracharya's use of the terms "Viraj" and "Hiranyagarbha" may be relevant to all this.  Also, on a side note it's interesting that Indra taught his father Kashyapa the Gayatra Saman.  Usually it's the other way around.


texts:
After the marriage of Devaki, there was an Akashvani (voice of sky) warning Kamsa (Devaki's Brother) that her eight son would kill him. When Kamsa tried to kill Devaki, Devaki's husband stopped Kamsa assuring him that he will give Kamsa all eight sons.

The question is: If birth of Krishna was a preplanned agenda and Krishna was going to kill Kamsa, what was the point of warning Kamsa?

P.S. If I misinterpreted Akashvani as Voice of Sky, please correct me. If it meant Prophecy, then whose voice was it? And, why did he/she/it reveals the plan to Kamsa?


texts: Why do we wear different colors on different days of Navratri?

texts:
Each day of Navratri is associated with a different color as mentioned in this article.

How are Navratri colours decided and why do they change every year?
The first colour of the Navratri is decided based on the week day when the festival begins or when Ghatsthapna or Pratipada falls. The remaining eight days then follow a fixed cycle of colors. Each day is dedicated to one particular form of Goddess Durga. Here’s a look at nine different colours to be worn on each day of Navratri 2017 festival according to Drik Panchang.

Is there any scriptural basis to this selection?


texts: What is the real source of these stotram or sloka?

texts:
“ওঁ পূর্ণ পরমজ্যোতি...”
OM PURNA PARAMJYOTI...
সায়াহ্নে সরস্বতী রবিমণ্ডল মধ্যস্থা শুক্লবর্ণা দ্বিভূজা
ত্রিশূলডম্বরু করাবৃযতাসনারূঢ়া বৃদ্ধা রুদ্রানী রুদ্রদৈবতা
সামবেদোদাহৃতা ধ্যেয়।
SAYAHNE SARASWATI RAVIMANDAL MADYASTHA SUKLAVARNA DVIBHUJA
TRISULDAMBRU KARABRITASANARUDHA BRIDDHA RUDRANI RUDRADAIVATA
SAMVEDADAHRITA DHYAYA
ওঁ আয়াহি বরদে দেবি এয়ক্ষরে ব্রহ্ম বাদিনি।
গায়ত্রী ছন্দসাং মাত: ব্রহ্ম যোনি নমোহস্তুতে।
OM AYAHI VARADE DEVI EYAKSHARE BRAHMA VADINI
GAYATRI CHANDASANG MATAH BRAHMA YONI NAMAHSTUTE
ওঁ বরদে দেবি পরমজ্যোতি: ব্রহ্মাণে স্বাহা।
OM VARADE DEVI PARAMJYOTIH BRAHMANE SVAHA


texts: Prayaschitta (regret) Mantra when one breaks fasting during Shravana month?

texts: Is there any Prayaschitta mantra if someone by mistake breaks fasting during holy month of Shravana?


texts: Where Epics and Puranas are mentioned as 5th Veda?

texts:
There are 4 vedas - Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda.

But in several places few scriptures are mentioned as 5th Veda, such as:

Mahabharata

  The boon-giving great one then taught Sumanta, Jaimini, Paila, his son Suka, and Vaisampayana, the Vedas having the Mahabharata for their fifth. -Adi Parva: Adivansavatarana Parva of Mahabharata

Purāṇas

  ṛg-yajuḥ-sāmātharvākhyā

  vedāś catvāra uddhṛtāḥ

  itihāsa-purāṇaṁ ca

  pañcamo veda ucyate

  The four divisions of the original sources of knowledge [the Vedas] were made separately. But the historical facts and authentic stories mentioned in the Purāṇas are called the fifth Veda. -SB 1.4.20

Similarly, I heard that Epics (Ramayana and Mahabharata) are called as 5th Veda or sometimes Epics and Puranas collectively called as 5th Veda.

So, is there any scripture where Ramayana is mentioned as 5th Veda or Epics collectively are mentioned as 5th Veda?


texts: What is the connection between Vidura from Mahabharata & Rishi Atri?

texts:
Mahabharat Sambhava Parva mentions the following about Vidura:

  O king, thou shouldst know that he who was known on earth as Vidura, who was the first of all virtuous men, who was the god of Justice himself, was the excellent and greatly fortunate son of the Rishi Atri.

I know Vidura is believed to have been a portion of Dharmaraja and that Rishi Atri had three sons - Soma/Chandra, Dattatreya and Durvasa rishi. Am not sure how Vidura or Dharma connects to either of them and my question is - What is their connection to Rishi Atri?


texts: Switching caste was possible in ancient India. However, Dharmashastras do not have such provisions. Why?

texts:
In ancient times, switching between castes was possible.
There are many Kshatriyas who became Brahmin. For example, the elder brother of King Shantanu of Mahabharata became a brahmin. In fact, he became a Rishi. His name was Devapi. Maudgalya Brahmins have Kshatriya ancestor, actually. Also, we all know the famous example of Vishwamitra.
The opposite was also not uncommon. The great King Bharata adopted a Brahmin and made him his successor. Bharata had sons, but he did not think them fit to rule the country. So he did that.
But in Dharmasutras, we do not find any provision for changing caste.
Why?


texts: Is there any difference between soul and self?

texts:
Sanskrit dictionary say this

So there is a clear difference between soul and self according to the dictionary
MY QUESTION : Is there a difference between these two thing mentioned in the scriptures.


texts: Who was Sankhyanasa rishi and what is his gotra pravara?

texts:
Who was Sankhyanasa rishi? Who were his forefathers and what was is his lineage?
What is his gotra pravara?
There is some info that his gotra maybe is a sublineage of Vasishta gotra, very similar to Upamanyu pravara(Vasishta, Aindrapramada, Bhadravasavya)
Please add sources and references if you can.
Edit 1: In a related question-answer
There was a link provided to Shankhayana Aranyaka in which 15th chapter is supposed to contain the genealogy. There is only one big shloka in 15th chapter, but it is in Sanskrit. This is the image. Translation can help. Also here the name is Shankhayana vs Sankhyanasa. So I dont know whether its the same person or not.


texts: Why did Vyasa seek the help of Lord Ganesha?

texts:
It is widely known that Mahabharata was written by Lord Ganesha under the dictation of Sage Vyasa. Quoting from Wikipedia:

  The first section of the Mahabharata states that it was Ganesha who
  wrote down the text to Vyasa's dictation. Ganesha is said to have
  agreed to write it only if Vyasa never paused in his recitation. Vyasa
  agrees on condition that Ganesha takes the time to understand what was
  said before writing it down.

Sage Vyasa already knew the complete chain of events. So, he could have written them all by himself. But he didn't. Is there any specific reason why Lord Ganesha had to write the Mahabharata instead of Vyasa writing it by himself?


texts: In terms of history of India, when did Shaivism appear? I don't mean references to Lord Shiva, I mean Shaivism as a religious entity.


texts: What is the esoteric meaning of BG 4.29?

texts:
In geetA, 4.29,  there is the following verse about yogic technique of prAnAyama, which is equated with higher internal sacrifice.

  apane juhvati pranam prane 'panam tathapare pranapana-gati ruddhva
  pranayama-parayanah apare niyataharah pranan pranesu juhvati

Is there any esoteric meaning behind it ?


texts: With respect to the concept of Advaita, why is there separate Karma for different people?

texts: According to the concept of Advaita, we say that 'Turiya', the supreme observer illuminates all the 3 forms the waker, dreamer, and deep sleep form of a human being. And also that every living being is united by Turiya. Then why is there separate karma for everyone if at the core we all are originating from a single entity?


texts: What is the story of Mahabali's sister's attempt to destroy the world?

texts:
In the Bala Kanda of the Ramayana, Rama is hesistant to kill the Rakshasi (demoness) Thataka because she's a woman, but the sage Vishwamitra tells him that even Indra king of the gods has fought women when they were engaged in evil:

  Compassion regarding the elimination of a female is ungermane, oh, best one among men, since a prince has to effectuate it intending the welfare of four categories of society....  To the nominee who bears the burden of kingdom this is the age-old duty, and hence oh, Rama, the legatee of Kakutstha, eliminate this infamy, as goodness is inevident in her, isn't it?  Oh, Rama, the protector of people, we have heard that Indra once eliminated Manthara, the daughter of Virochana, when she wished to annihilate earth, haven't we?

Well, "we" may have heard about this, but I haven't!  So my question is, what is the story of Manthara daughter of Virochana?  For those who don't know, Virochana was a famous demon killed by Indra.  He was the son of Prahlada and the father of Mahabali.  So that would make Manthara Mahabali's sister.

Unfortunately, the Puranas often focus on male genealogy, so they're not much help here; the Vishnu Purana just says "Prahláda had a son named Virochana; whose son was Bali" and similarly the Srimad Bhagavatam says "Prahlāda had one son, Virocana, whose wife gave birth to Bali Mahārāja."  However, later on in the Ramayana there is some indication that Virochana had a daughter; this excerpt from the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana describes the wife of Ravana's brother Kumbhakarna:

  [T]hat master - Lanka's lord - going (back) to the city married his brothers.  And Ravana married the grand-daughter of Virochana (on the maternal side) named Vajrajwala to Kumbhakarna.

So assuming Virochana had only one daughter, that would make Manthara Kumbhakarna's mother-in-law!

In any case, what is the story of Manthara's attempt to "destroy Earth", to the point where Indra needed to kill her?  By the way, Virochana's daughter Manthara is not to be confused with Virochana's uncle Mandara, whom I discuss in this question.  (And she is different from Kaikeyi's evil servant Manthara, although this translator claims that Kaikeyi's servant Manthara was named after Virochana's daughter.)


texts: What is the REAL MEANING of cutting Maa Kali by sword of Jnana by Sri Ramakrishna during Advaita Sadhana?

texts:
As per Sri Sri Ramakrishna-Leelaprasanga, Sri Ramakrishna while doing medidation under the guidance of Totapuri, cut Maa Kali in two pieces by the sword of jnana when She appeared before Him. He immediately attained Nirvikalpa-samadhi.

There must be some deeper meaning of this. Neither is God's form created by ajnana, nor can God be killed. Sri Ramakrishna never rejected His love of Mother Kali and saw Her and Had communications with Her till leaving of His Divine body.

Can someone explain the deeper meaning of 'cutting the Goddess in two pieces"?


texts: Is the Satvata Samhita, the oldest Pancharatra text, available online in English?

texts:
Before the time of the sage Vyasa, people had a very different understanding of which gods were important than the understanding we have today.  The Vedic mantras had not yet been compiled into the four books we call the Vedas, but the mantras were still known among men, and they unfortunately led to a skewed perspective on things.  Most of the Vedic hymns were addressed to gods like Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya, Chandra, etc., because they were the most relevant to the Soma Yagna, but people got the impression that those were the supreme gods.  It's only after Vyasa composed the Mahabharata and the Puranas that people got a correct view of the importance of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, etc.  Until then, they were often viewed as minor deities, and people didn't even realize that e.g. Matsya, Kurma, and Varaha were incarnations of Vishnu.

In any case, it's interesting to trace the history of Vaishnavism (Vishnu-worship) before Vyasa came and cleared things up.  Vaishnavism came from many different strands.  First of all, there is Vedic Vishnuism, the worship of Vishnu as he's described in the Vedas, which mostly involves his incarnation as Vamana the dwarf.  Then there is the Pancharatra movement, which began with the sage Narayana, an ancient incarnation of Vishnu.  As I discuss in this answer, apparently Narayana conducted a five-day (Pancharatra) Yagna and then became the entire universe, so people started following Pancharatra texts which gave detailed procedures to worship Narayana.  Then there is the Bhagavata movement, which worshipped four forms of god, Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Airuddha.  Finally there is Krishnaism, the worship of Krishna due to the various miracles he had performed in his time on Earth.

The Bhagavatas and Panchartras eventually realized that Narayana was just an incarnation of the Bhagavata deity Vasudeva, so the two movements merged into one, and then the Bhagavatas realized that it wasn't a coinicdence that the four forms of god they worshipped shared the names of Krishna and his family members. And then finally, when people realized that Krishna is an incarnation of Vishnu, Vaishnavism as we understand it today was born, since people now knew that Narayana, Vasudeva, and Vishnu were all the same god; the Mahanarayana Upanishad summarizes this insight in its famous verse, "Om nArAyaNAya vidmahE, vAsudevAya dhImahi, tanno viShNu prachodayAt".

Unfortunately, we don't have any Pancharatra scriptures dating back to before the unification with the Bhagavatas.  But we do have Pancharatra texts dating back to the time when Pancharatras and Bhagavatas had become one, but before Krishna had entered into the mix.  The oldest of these is the Satvata Samhits, which I think was authored by Narayana himself.  So my question is, is the Satvata Samhita available online in English?  There is a hard copy translation here, but is this translation online?  It would also be nice to have translations of three other Pancharatra texts almost as old, the Paushkara Samhita, the Ahirbudhnya Samhita, and the Jayakhya Samhita.

Note that this is a completely different text from the Satvata Tantra, which you can read here; that is a later Vaishnava text.


texts: What is the difference between Sanyaas and Vairagya?

texts: In both Sanyaas and Vairagya you let go of materialistic stuff and don't remain connected to physical pleasure. Are they same or there are any subtle differences between them?


texts: Why Lord Narasimha is worshipped during pradosha timings

texts: During Pradosha timings 4:30 to 6 PM on Trayodasi thithi,  in case of vaishnavites why Lord Narasimha is worshipped and what is the significance of this?


texts:
This question is inspired from the current demonetization that is happening.

I remember that Patanjali Yoga Sutras talk about Aparigraha which means non-accumulation. This refers to non-accumulation of thoughts and emotions i.e. not holding onto things and letting go. Also, in the physical realm, it refers to non-accumulation of unnecessary resources including wealth. The benefit of Aparigraha is said to be that the knowledge of other people and past lives come to you.

Which other scriptures talk about hoarding of wealth and resources?


texts:
After the death of Vali, his wife Tara becomes the wife of Vali's brother Sugriv
After the death of Ravana, his wife Mandodari becomes the wife of Ravana's brother Vhivhisan

Interesting both Tara and Mandodari are among the five panchakanyas of Hindu myhtology who are venerated as ideal women and chaste wives in one view.

Question 1: Are there other such examples in Hindu mythology?

Question 2: Was marrying brother's wife an accepted in the society of the Ramayana or pre-Ramayana era?


texts: What is the meaning of demon names: yAtudAnAs and AtatAyins?

texts: Demons are also called yAtudAnAs and AtatAyins. What are the meanings of these two terms and why demons are called so.


texts: Why is the poison that came out of Samudra Manthana called Halahalam and Kaalakootam?

texts:
This question discusses how poison was the first thing that came out of Samudra Manthana. Shiva drank that poison to save everyone and is known as Neelakantha. The poison itself is called हलाहलं (Halahalam) or कालकूटं (KaalaKootam).

I heard that the word हलाहलं is mentioned in different forms in different texts.

Also, this wiki article describes (maybe not correctly) two of the meanings of KaalaKootam as 'black mass' or 'time puzzle'.

Why is the poison given these two names - हलाहलं and कालकूटं ? Is there any hidden symbolism behind it?


texts: What should I [strictly] do to follow Hinduism as a way of life?

texts:
If I decide to follow Hinduism as a way of life, what exactly would I have to do, strictly according to the Vedanta philosophy?

I want to know what ancient Hindu scriptures say regarding this, not the personal preference/opinion of anyone who answers this question.

What I mean is, is there a certain set of rules I should follow (e.g., abstaining from meat, practising Yoga, meditation, etc.)?
Also, could someone suggest some books/scriptures I can read to get a better idea about what the "Vedic way of life" actually is?
Let me make it clear that I am NOT referring to Hinduism as a religion, but as a way of life, so I don't expect answers like worship a particular deity (e.g., Shiva), or perform a particular ritual (e.g., some xyz Puja).

PS: I have already started reading a reputed translation of the Bhagavad Gita.


texts: Does Hinduism give preference to scriptural injunctions over own logical thought in day to day activities?

texts:
We face many situations in our daily life. Starting from morning to night. We also face situations where we have to make decisions to get out of those situations. Should we follow what the prescription from the scriptures without thinking about much or use our intellect which says to be logical caused by attaining education (not necessarily Vedas and smritis) after a thought process thinking pros and cons.

For example : After returning from my work, I feel my body is smelly due to sweat and I should take a bath. But the time prescribed has already past. And many more situations like this.

In such cases, should we give importance to our logical thought caused by education or blindly follow the scriptural injunctions which say what to do?  Does Hinduism discourage own thought?

I'm not talking about  shabda pramana or pratyaksha pramana to prove something. I am talking about which should be followed in daily activities.

Please refrain from giving own thoughts and advises in comments.


texts: Which texts are Brahmins allowed to read?

texts: Does scripture mention texts of Hindu or non-Hindu origin that would be sinful for Brahmins to read or prohibited by their Varna Dharma?


texts: Reason behind Draupadi collecting blood of Yudhishthira in water

texts:
In Mahabharata, king Virata, out of anger, strikes Yudhishthira's face. Then Draupadi collects the blood due to that act by Virata.

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Saying this, the king inflamed with anger forcibly struck Yudhishthira in the face with a dice, and
reproached him angrily, saying, 'Let it not occur again! And having
been violently struck, blood began to flow from his nose. But the
son of Pritha held it in his hands before it fell on the ground. And
the virtuous Yudhishthira then glanced at Draupadi who was standing by
his side. Ever obedient to the wishes of her lord, the faultless
Draupadi, understanding his meaning, and bringing a golden vessel
filled with water, received the blood that flowed from his nose.
[Section 67, Go-harana Parva, Virata Parva, The Mahabharata]

Is there any hidden reason behind collecting blood in water? Do scriptures say that blood should be collected in water or blood should not touch the ground?


texts:
When the souls are created by GOD for the first time, are they neutral souls since they have not had any good or bad deeds to give them a birth of a animal or an insect vs giving them birth as a good human being?

If they are neutral souls, then what is neutral? Is it a good human being with a normal life a neutral soul?


texts: When actually lord brahma shares the knowledge of vedas?

texts:
I am in a big confusion, please correct me if I am wrong in some points.

Almost in every religion there are stories about catastrophic end of this world/universe.

In Hinduism it is believed that there is a catastrophic end at the end of each kalyuga of every mahayuga. That means there are 996 catastrophic happen in each day of Brahma. Also there are 14 manvantara in each day of Brahma and for every manvantara 1 Manu is assigned.

In my point of view assigning 1 Manu for 1 manvantra signifies starting of an entirely new world this clearly proves a catastrophic happens before the assignment of Manu.

Also after the passage of 996 mahayugas (1 kalpa) the whole universe is destroyed. And again recreation happens when Brahma ji awakes from his samadhi kala. This cycle goes on until the age of Brahma reaches to 100 years.

In Vishnu Purana it is written that at the beginning (satyuga) Brahma ji with 4 kumaras himself shared the knowledge of vedas.

I want to ask the meaning of beginning here, is it satyuga of first mahayuga of this kalpa? or it is satyuga of this current mahayuga?,
or it is first satyuga of each manvantra?

In sort I want to ask, when actually Brahma ji shares Vedas? Beginning of mahayuga or manvantra or kalpa? The Vedas we are reading today is an outcome of how many catastrophic?


texts: In which purana is vamana's boon that bali would be indra in next manvantara is mentioned

texts: In which purana is vamanas's boon that bali would be indra in next manvantara is mentioned? Savarni=White? I've realised that vamanas's boon has been turned true, describes America's (Bali's patala) rise from past 500 years as world ruler, as well as America won against Hitler due to vamana vs Kalki predecessor, battle of two avatars, hitler was only half Kalki, that's why swastika is half turned, nazis only hinted duty of Kalki when he rises. vamana's boon to protect patala (America), till bali becomes next indra.


texts:
Does a human being have a soul after death?
What will happen after death according to Hinduism?


texts: Did Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita "I am in every living being"

texts: Did Krishna say that he lives in every living entity like animal, tree, human etc.  If yes, then what actually meaning of Krishna living inside all these> Did he live as Atma or as something else?


texts: Authenticity of Hanuman searching for Rama's ring and realizing the nature of time

texts:
There is a story over internet and the story goes like this

  When the time came for the departure of Rama, Yama says to Rama that
  he cannot able to come to earth because of the presence of Hanuman.
  Then Rama throws his ring somewhere and asks Hanuman to bring it back.
  While searching it, Hanuman realizes that time is cyclic in nature by
  watching many rings of Rama. In between Rama departures from Earth.

The story seems to be not authentic. But is there any Ramayana that contains a story similar to this?


texts: Non recital of Gayatri Mantra by Women and ringtones

texts: Gayatri Mantra is to be chanted by a brahmachari or grihastha who adorn yagnopaveedam. Women neither should hear the mantra nor recite. If they do so what re the consequences? Nowadays ringtone has gayatri mantra which is so ridiculous. Any quotes from puranas substantiating about gayatri mantra.


texts: Where in the Garuda Purana is it said that only three Vaishnava Puranas are authoritative in Kali yuga?

texts:
I read somewhere that Garuda Purana declares that only three Vaishnava Puranas should be considered authoritative in Kali Yuga. By priority they are:-

Bhagavata Purana
Vishnu Purana
Garuda Purana

This contradicts sattva, tamas and rajas division of puranas done by Padma Purana as Padma Purana declares only Vaishnava Puranas as authentic. Garuda Purana however reduces it to only three puranas.

Is it true?


texts:
In the ongoing TV serial, Mahabali Hanuman, it was shown that Hanuman forgot his shaktis(Powers) due to curse by Rishis when he went to Swarg Lok to bring back his mother. But, as far as I know, Hanuman was cursed by a Rishi to forget his divine powers while he made lives of Rishis miserable alongwith his friends. So, which story is authentic?

My question is: Which of the versions is authentic?? I am asking this question because in the TV serial, the whole incident is shown in a diffent context.


texts: What percentage of Hindus belong to a sect that subscribes to the Vedanta school?

texts:
Indian schools of philosophy are traditionally divided into two categories, Astika and Nastika.  Astika schools accept the authority of the Vedas as divinely revealed truth (shruti), whereas Nastika schools, like Buddhism, Jainism, and Charvaka, reject the authority of the Vedas.  Generally members of Astika schools are the ones that are called Hindu, whereas the Nastika schools fall into the broader category of Dharmic faiths.  In any case, here are the traditional Astika schools of philosophy:

Samkhya
Yoga
Nyaya
Vaisheshika
Mimāṃsā
Vedanta

But it seems to me that one school is vastly more popular than the others: the Vedanta school, which derives its tenets from the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads, as expounded in Vyasa's Brahma Sutras.  Here is Wikipedia's chart of the various Vedanta philosophies:

From what I can tell, almost every popular sect of Hinduism subscribes to one of these Vedanta philosophies.  Smarthas, for instance, believe in Adi Shankarachatya's philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, according to which Jivatma (the individual soul) and Paramatma (divine soul or supersoul) are identical.  Sri Vaishnavas believe in Ramanujacharya's philosophy of Visistadvaita Vedanta, according to which Jivatmas are distinct parts of Parmatma but Paramatma extends beyond them.  And Gaudiya Vaishnavas believe in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Vedantic philosophy of Achintya Bheda Abheda, according to which there is a simultaneous unity and difference between Jivatma and Paramatma that is inconceivable.

So my question is, what is the percentage of Hindus who belong to a sect which subscribes to the Vedanta school of philosophy?  Note that when I say "Hindu" I don't mean Buddhists and the like, I just mean people belonging to the Astika schools.  I'm wondering how many Hindus belong to the Vedanta school, compared to how many Hindus belong to the other Astika schools like Purva Mimamsa.

My guess is that the percentage is significantly greater than 95%, but have there been any statistics collected on this?


texts:
Only looking for Ancient Shastras and Agamic or Tantra or Rig Vedaic based on answers. Pre-Vedic based question.
For Ancient History of Sanatana Dharma Students and Scholars.
1.Where Hindu and can Hindu be  accepted also as polytheist?
Is mandatory to only believe in 1 God?
Rig Vedic Times there were Visvedevas and people worshipped many Gods.
It is that true or they had a ParamIshwara?
Nowadays can be possible too to worship more Devas or Gods according to Sanatana Dharmo Gyaan?


texts: What is meant by chanting a mantra with faith?

texts:
It is said to chant mantra with faith and sincerity. But what does it exactly mean?

Does it mean uttering the mantra by recalling the image of the corresponding god or uttering it slowly or uttering it with a discipline (for example, we thought to chant it 108 times, is it doing so without any disturbance?).

Or if we are chanting the mantra to get a desire fulfilled, is it chanting the mantra by visualizing a mental image of the desire being fulfilled? or chanting the mantra in the thoughtless state or does it mean chanting the mantra by recalling the meaning of the mantra?

Also, what is chanting with faith for a person who expects nothing in return from the mantra?


texts: What kind of religions rites are mentioned in the verse of Atri Samhita/Smriti?

texts:
Perpetual impurity attaches to one who is always sickly, one who does not perform religious rites, one who is ignorant, one who is notoriously henpecked, one who is grossly inclined to vile practices, one who is always dependent upon others, and one who abstains from Vedic study and the vow of celibacy.

Atri Samhita/Smriti
What kind of religions rites are mentioned here?
If one doesn't preform Hindu religion rites, like yagnas and havanes. Is he/she impure.
Or they can be any religion's religious rites.

 The source of the this verse  is an answer on this website


texts: Did Shri Krishna point out wrong actions of Yudhisthira to Pandavas at any point of time in Mahabharata?

texts: Yudhisthira was known for his dharma but he seemed to have had addiction to dice game and his wife Draupadi was also staked for it. And none of Pandavas opposed it! Did Shri Krishna ever pointed out this wrong doing of Yudhisthira to Pandavas and said they should have opposed Yudhisthira? Do we have reference for it in Mahabharata?


texts:
SB 4.1 states that Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi incarnated as siblings Yajña and Dakṣiṇā. They were actually children of Ruchi and Akuti. But, Svāyambhuva Manu brought home Yajña, and Ruci, his son-in-law kept Dakṣiṇā. Yajña and Dakṣiṇā later got married.

The above incident is from Svāyambhuva-manvantara, the beginning of creation. Are there any instances where god and his consort incarnated as siblings in Vaivasvata-manvantara? If yes, whom they got married?


texts: Where does Ramayana state Ashwamedha Yajna is intended for worship of Lord Rudra?

texts:
SriKantha Shivacharya in his commentary on Brahma Sutra 3.2.38 gives various quotes to prove it is Parameswara alone who is actually worshipped in all sacrifices. The full Bhasya is as:

  And because so He is declared to be- (III - ii 38 )
  Indeed the Parames'vara is declared to be the lord of all works,—as worshipped by their means and as the dispenser of their fruits,—in the following passages :

    "...Rudra, the Lord of hymns, the Lord of sacrifices, possessed of medicaments that confer delight.
    " Secure Rudra, the king of sacrifice.. "

  The Smriti, too, based on these passages of the S'ruti, declares that the Parameswara is the lord of all sacrifices :

    " Let everyone worship, by soma, the Divine Being who is associated with Uma and who is adorned with the moon."

  And the Ramayana, too, says:;

    " There is no sacrifice, higher than the horse-sacrifice (as'vamedha), in the matter of Rudra's worship."

  And in the Chamakam also (Taittiriya-Samhita IV vii. I—11)—which read "May food (come) to me), may permission (come) to me ; may Dhatri (come) to me, .may VishnU (come) to me '—all things such as food, and all Gods such as Vishnu are declared as things to be given, so that,—as the sole alternative left,—the Parames'vara alone is the dispenser of the fruits of all actions. Therefore it is the Parames'vara alone who is to be worshipped by all sacrifices, and who is the dispenser of all fruits.

Most of the quotes above are traceable to various scripture. For instance the first quote is from RigVeda 1.43.4. The second quote 'Rudra, King of Sacrifices' is from Yajurveda 1.3.14.

But where does Ramayana state that quote of Ashwamedha sacrifice being worship of Rudra?. Is that quote from Valmiki Ramayana or from some other Ramayana ?


texts: What are the benefits of doing sandhyavandanam?

texts: What are the benefits, physical or mental, material or spiritual? Also, what are the consequences of not doing it?


texts: Is there a list of corresponding hymns between the Rig and Sama Vedas?

texts:
I've been deeply researching Hinduism as of late, and recently have been learning about the Samaveda, it's distinctions from the Rigveda and it's overall purpose. A thought recently came to me:
The Samaveda is (as one post put it) a 'remix' of the Rigveda, the hymns are modified from the Rigveda for singing. Is there any place by chance that has a list equating verses of the Sama and Rig Vedas?

For example, I noticed that in the first decade of the Samaveda, the 8th verse reads

  May Vatsa draw thy mind away even from thy loftiest dwelling place! Agni, I yearn for thee with song.

which is lifted from Manadala 8, Hymn 11 of the Rigveda. I would love to have a list of such parallels as there are definitely certain verses of the Rigveda I would like to try to find in the Samaveda.


texts: what are the smallest and the largest unit of measurement of time used in vedic calculation and universe creation?

texts: What are the smallest and the largest unit of measurement of time used in vedic calculation and universe creation and what are other time units used and list of all conversation from smallest to largest (ex: from seconds to hours).


texts: Which Upanishadic verse says that the very object of pleasure/beauty will turn into a object of pain or frustration?

texts:
I remember reading in some book related to Upanishad, probably one by Swami Sivananda of Rishkesh a quote something to the effect of this :

Whichever is the object/source of pleasure today, will turn later into an object/source of pain/suffering later.

Which verse(s) from any of the Upanishads mentions this ?


texts: Attributes of God according to Madhva and Shankara

texts:
The following passage is from Everitt's Book "The non-existence of God".

I propose then provisionally to adopt the following understanding of the term ‘God’: he is the creator and preserver of everything, a being who is omnipotent, omniscient, and perfect. He is in
some sense a conscious or minded being, in that he is the subject of various  psychological predicates (he knows everything, he cares for humankind, he has plans, he has wishes (e.g. about how we should behave), etc.). He is eternal, and omnipresent; and he is without bodily parts. Finally, he is an appropriate object of worship.

The book is aimed at the Abhrahmic God. I want to know what aspects of the above definition fit the God as conceived by Madhva. Obviously it will not fit Brahman as conceived by Shankara but what about Isvara? What asoects of the above definition fit Isvara?


texts: Why is Janmashtami celebrated on 2 dates in some parts of India?

texts:
For example, in Gurgaon in India, a few people are saying that Janmashtami will be celebrated on 23rd. Google shows 24th.

Also, I guess this time Rohini Nakshatra and Ashtami is more close to 24th. So why would it be celebrated on 23rd?

So why is it like that?


texts: Why Vishnu Sahasranama of Mahabharata is mostly used?

texts: We have multiple versions of Vishnu Sahasranama in our scriptures like Mahabharata, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana, etc. But the Mahabharata version is mostly used by us. So apart from the fact that Mahabharata is more popular than the other scriptures, is there any specific reason why that version of Sahasranama is mostly used and recommended by saints?


texts: Devendra got the seat of heaven only after performing 100 Yajnas. So, he is known as Shatakratu. What was he before and any details of the Yajnas he performed is available in Purana ?


texts: We all know that Karna was the greatest archer. As no archer, regardless of his level of supremacy, can win all the time. Even Krishna suffered defeats. Did Karna suffer defeats during his lifetime? If so, then what were the encounters?


texts: Did Satyavati and Shantanu belong to same caste?

texts:
Shantanu was king of Hastinapura. So, clearly he is Kshatriya by both caste and Varna.

Coming to Satyavati, she was daughter of Chedi king Vasu and  cursed apsara-turned-fish Adrika and  brought up as the adopted daughter of a fisherman-chieftain Dusharaj on the banks of the river Yamuna. So, Satyavati is Kshatriya by Varna and non-Kshatriya by caste.

If the above two statements are true, then their marriage is inter-caste. Is it true?

Otherwise, how can they belong to same caste ?


texts: Are the next and previous universes same or identical?

texts:
We know that time is cyclic in Hinduism[Time in Hinduism]  and universes are created and destroyed every time.
So, are the new and old universes identical in every way?


texts:
It might sound surprising but is a fact, as it is written in the Mahabharata itself.

The Kauravas had done many sins in their lifetime, yet they had attained the heaven after death.

So, does it mean that they did not get the punishment after death for their wrong doings?


texts: What is the duration (Timeline) of the four "Yugas"?

texts: What is the duration (timeline) of the four Yugas in Hindu cosmology?


texts: What is the story of KumbhaKarna's death?

texts:
This question on Baali mentions that the arrows used by Shri Rama used to kill Baali were also used to kill Kumbhakarna. Shri Rama used a 100 arrows and even those could not kill KumbhaKarna.

What is the story KumbhaKarna's death? How did he die?


texts: Conversion from Hinduism to other religions

texts: Is conversion to other religions allowed in Hinduism? Are there any references in Vedic texts on this regard? Is it considered a sin? If so what happens to one who converts after death?


texts: Does any yogic siddhi let a human to be simultaneously present at two different places physically?

texts: Is there any yogic siddhi by help of which one can be present at two or more places physically at the same time?


texts: Can anyone help me find this verse in the Atharva Veda?

texts:
I have found this verse quoted many places, but so far have not been able to verify that it is from the Atharva Veda. If anyone can help me I will be very grateful!

  "A brahmana's house without a Salagrama stone is as impure as a cemetery, and any food cooked therein is as unclean as the excrement of a dog."


texts: Does the mere sight or darshan of the deity in a Vishnu temple wash away all sins?

texts: Does just getting darshan of the deity wash away all sins?


texts: Names of the kings and their kingdoms who participated in Mahabharata war

texts: I want to know the names of the kings and their kingdoms who participated in Mahabharata war either from Kaurava side or Pandava side.


texts: Which Purana talks about Sahasrakavacha, the past life of Karna?

texts: Which Purana talks about Sahasrakavacha (one who has a thousand armors) - the purva janmam (past life) of Karna?


texts: How was the world running after Kamadev's death?

texts:
Tarkasur had a boon by Lord Shiva that he could be killed only by Shiva's son. Devtas assigned Kamadeva to stop Lord Shiva's meditation and create love in his heart, so that as a result Shiva's son can be born.

Kamadeva and Rati were played their role to create love between Lord Shiva & Parvati, but when Lord Shiva come to know about this, he got angry and opened his third eye. A fire raised from his third eye which burned the Kamadev.

On request of Kamadeva's wife Rati, Lord Shiva gave her a boon that in Dvapara Yuga, Kamadeva will re-born as Shree Krishna's son named Pradyumnna.

Now without the Kamadeva, it is not possible for a new life to born. So the question is How the new life was being created between the time period of the death and the re-born of kamadeva?


texts: intolerance -- as per hindu scriptures, tolerance of the intolerant person or ideology is right action or not?

texts: As per hindu scriptures, tolerating the intolerant person or ideology upto what level is right action ? Should an ascetic on path of meditation, react back with same reverse action ?


texts: Did Lord Rama show Vishwaroopa Darshan to Sati Devi?

texts:
I know Krishna showed his Vishwaroopa Darshna during Mahabharatha War. But Shiva Puranam by DSR Anjaneyulu, which was translated to English from Telugu by RM Chella says, Rama had shown Vishwaroopa Darshan to Sati Devi.

  As Sati bowed to Rama, he said: “O Mother, what made you, the wife of Siva, assume the form of my wife? What is the reason behind you
  leaving your husband and roaming in this wild jungle? Don’t you know
  that this place is full of demons? Please be welladvised and go back
  to Mount Kailasa”. Sati Devi was amazed. She regretted her ruse, and
  fell prostrate at Rama’s feet, begging his pardon. Then Lakshmana also
  realised the truth and the might of his divine brother.

  Then Lord Rama displayed his universal manifestation to Sati Devi.
  Sati was struck with reverential
  awe, and sang the Lord’s praises: “Lord, I am able to see the entire
  world of creation in Thee. There! I can see the sun and the moon; the
  Lord Creator Brahma, the Lord Siva Himself; the thirty million gods in
  you. In a trillion forms of creatures, with their countless arms and
  faces and feet, art Thou now mirrored. Thou art indeed the Alpha and
  the Omega of all creation, and yet Thou hast be beginning or middle or
  end. I discern the infinitely iridiscent transfiguration of Thine
  spreading itself in the multiplicity of the Rudras, Aadityas, Vasus,
  Saadhyas, Asvins, Maruts, Gandharvas, Yakshas and the Titans--- all of
  whom are now gazing at Thine awe-inspiring Light of lights. Oh Lord of
  grace and mercy, I Knew not Thine absolute power in my former
  ignorance; now I realise Thine undening glory; so on my bended knees I
  beseech Thy forgiveness”.

  Lord Siva told Sati: “You have been very fortunate to be able to see
  that great god’s Vishvarupa. You were indeed for ever sanctified by
  being addressed as ‘Mother by that supreme being. Now, since Vishnu,
  Brahma and myself are brotherly facets of one and the same Invisible
  Existence reflected in the Trinity, virtually you are my brother,
  too!”.

But Vishwaroopa Darshan wasn't mentioned in this unabridged Shiva Purana.

Did Rama show Vishwaroopa Darshan to Sati Devi?


texts: How did Bhishma Pitamaha know the Vishnu Sahasranama? Who gave it to him?


texts: Did a solar and lunar eclipse occur during kurukshetra war within a span of 14 days?

texts: Are there any such instances in recent history, can this be used to date back to the times?


texts: What is meant by one Deva day in human terms

texts:
Puranas mention that one Deva day (day and night) is one year on the mortal world. What does this actually mean?

Does this mean that time itself slows as a result of various (unknown) factors by applying Einstein's theory of relativity or does it mean devas to spend 360 human days (in terms of real time, just like humans spend here) to complete one of their day?

Is there any scripture that helps us better understand this relationship?