Answers on Hinduism

“It is very much regrettable that unfortunate people do not discuss the description of the Vaikuntha Loka.” – Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana Vaikuntha (वैकुण्ठ, Vaikuṇṭha) Loka is the Eternal Heavenly Loka of Bhagavan Vishnu and Sri Mahalakshmi Devi. They preside over this celestial realm together. Both have many manifestations who dwell in Vaikuntha. “Endowed with a most lovely form,Continue reading “Full Description of Vaikuntha Loka, the Heaven of Lakshmi-Narayana”

Most western teachings try to make Mantras accessible to westerners. This makes sense; generally they’re selling something (a book, a meditation workshop , etc.), and you’d better make it accessible to your target audience if you want them to buy it. But often they do this to a fault, leaving out things like: The importanceContinue reading “The Truth About Mantras that Most Western Teachings Leave Out”

First of all, Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma are worshipped in the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas, but it’s true that Indra is far more emphasized. The way in which I account for this fact is based on my perspective as a traditional Pauranika Hindu. I consider the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva toContinue reading “Why is Indra More Important than the Trimurti in the Vedas?”

‘We’ in the sense of separate individualities can never become fully like Shri Krishna, who is infinitely beyond us. But we can become more and more like Shri Krishna by attuning our consciousness to Him. This will cause us to naturally imbibe some of His qualities. First, do your Dharma, and avoid Adharma to the best ofContinue reading “How Can We Become Like Sri Krishna?”

Someone once asked me, “What is the most supernatural experience you’ve had at a temple?” Here’s my answer: It was at the Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand, India. First of all, two days in a row in that temple I sat down alone, with no one around, closed my eyes in meditation, and immediately experienced aContinue reading “A Vision of Vishnu at Badrinath Temple”

The one verse from the Upanishads that most informed my perspective on the world is probably this one, from my favorite Upanishad, the Taittiriya. I’ve abridged it slightly for brevity. “Om. The Brahman-knower obtains the Supreme. As has been said: he who knows Brahman as Satya (Truth or Reality), as Gnyana (Knowledge), and then asContinue reading “Panchakosha in the Upanishads”

The Upanishads are a series of ancient Hindu sacred scriptures composed in the Sanskrit language thousands of years ago. They are a part of the Vedas, the core scriptures of Hinduism. Specifically they are the main section that explains the esoteric, inner meaning of the Vedas, and are concerned much less with outer rituals andContinue reading “What are the Upanishads?”

Hinduism teaches that for as long as we are imperfect beings, we cannot discern the truth from falsehood with 100% certainty. All we can do is our best. But Hinduism does provide guidelines for this. There is a Sanskrit term, Pramana (प्रमाण, Pramāṇa), meaning ‘proof’ or ‘means of knowing truth’. Pramana interacts with Pramatra (प्रमातृ, Pramātŗ, theContinue reading “Hindu Ways of Knowing Truth”

Kakabhushundi (काकभुशुण्डि) is an immortal sage with the body of a crow. The ‘Kaka’ part of his name just means ‘crow’; his actual name is Bhushundi. He is one of the greatest Bhaktas of Lord Rama. He learned Rama Bhakti from his Guru, Lomasa Muni, while in the form of a crow, and such wasContinue reading “Kakabhushundi”

It’s debatable whether Hindus do worship cows, depending on the definition of ‘worship’. Hinduism teaches to respect all living creatures, but most of us do single out the cow for special treatment, including protection, decoration, rituals of honoring, etc., but not worship to the extent that we would worship a God. This culture of cow-reverenceContinue reading “Why do Hindus worship cows?”

In Hinduism, Savitr (सवित्र् in Sanskrit) is the Sun God, or more specifically an aspect of the Sun God. The Sun God’s primary name is Surya, but he is worshiped in his aspect as Savitr at sunrise and sunset. He is one of the children of the Goddess Aditi. Many Hindus, myself included, worship himContinue reading “Who Is Savitr?”

In modern Hinduism the word ‘Deva’ is generally used to mean a god. Specifically, however, a Deva is a certain type of divine or supernatural being, but not all Devas would make sense to call gods and not all Gods are technically Devas. In the specific sense, Devas are a race of beings primarily nativeContinue reading “What is a Deva?”