QUES ANSW DIVINE 54 Dear friends,
These are information posted by members compiled as QA by me in1998’s-2004’s and stored in my computer. At this date I have no information ofthe members posted. BEING COMPILATION THERE MAYBE ERRORS. Sincerely, R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, Former AGM Telecom Trivandrum dated 22-11-2021 Q1 What are thereferences in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and The Kathopanishad regarding rebirth? A1 In the Brihadaranyaka upanishad it is said that at the time ofdeath the departingself carries with it the knowledge acquired, the fruits of actions performed(karma) and past experience (IV.iv.2). The Kathopanishad says-(II.ii.7) - "Some souls enterwombs for acquiring bodies and others are born as motionless beings in accordance with theiractions and in conformity with their knowledge"-- i.e. the next birth will be as ahuman being or an animal or as a plantor tree, depending on his actions and thoughts in this life. Q2 Who hasprepared the code of practice for temples? A2 In the 14th centrury , Chennas Namoboothirippad wrote "Thanthra-samuchayam"the Code of practice for temples. Q3What was the difference from humans and mythological deities? A3 Mythological deities were not omniscient,omnipotent, or omnipresent. Like people, they were viewed as limited, flawed,and driven by emotions and ambitions; their main difference from humans was that they had moreknowledge and power. Q4 What is the importance of performingrituals? A4 "Performthese rituals." The rituals could include actions in which we exercise ourself-discipline (as a tribute to Disciplina), and also ceremonies in which wesymbolically strengthen the self-discipline or destroy whatever disrupts it. Perhaps wewould chant incantations, which are analogous to "affirmations." Rituals can indeed producepsychological changes if we believe in their potency and we performthem with feeling. Q5 DoChanting God's names will save the soul? A5 Holy texts cite examples of how men despite misdeeds had escapedpunishment by remembering God and uttering His names just once, at the timewhen they are about to die Whatever is easy need not becheap. There is no guaranteethat when he is in the throes of death, his mental faculties will be alert andhe can call the Almighty. On the other hand, that is the crucial timewhen he may even be able to think or see, but may not be able to say one word.. To recite God's name should hence arise out of one's constant practise inearlier days and one should have taken to the path of devotion. Also, in chanting, the names, should not be tested for their validity. Noone will be foolish to analyse chemically the medicine that is purchased on thedoctor's advice, to find out their ingredients. What the physician prescribesis taken with the hope that it will cure us. According to the saint( Parmahamsa) , the world maybe likened to water and the mind to milk; the latter, once mixed with theformer, cannot be brought back to its original form. Its purity can be keptonly in another state, that is if it is turned into butter and then placed inwater, "Let the milk of your mind be churned into the Butter of DivineLove by means of religious practices done in solitude. If aperson recites the holy names of God even unconsciously, his sins will dissolvelike salt in water. Therecitation can be done at all times, by all and in all places, with little orno expenses. The test of sincerity is that the body will be thrilled when thenames are uttered and tears will stream down the eyes, the voice getting chokedwith emotion It is an admitted fact that no one is infallible. Bornas a human being,one cannot avoid committing sins or mistakes or misdeeds – in some casesthis may not however be deliberate. The constant repetition of Divine names with faithand confidence of securing the pardon from the Divinity has been proclaimed asa universal remedy for the ills of man Thechanting of the name "Narayana" may be slightly long for some andhence the name "Govinda" which has only three letters (in Sanskrit)is easier for recitation "Parents are no protectors of a child in thisworld; a medicine is no remedy for an ailing person and a vessel is noprotection to a person drowning in the ocean, in as much they are all seen tofail in numerous cases A tale is told of two persons (narrated by Sringeri Acharya) facing theproblem of crossing a river. One uttered God's name and reached the other shoresafely. The other, who also restored to chanting, doubted, while in midstream,whether themantra would prove effective and he was washed away. Q6 Doreligious injunctions permit earning wealth ? A6 The religious injunctionspermit earning wealth to meet the day-to-day needs, but it should be acquiredonly through legitimate methods. Man is also permitted to enjoy comforts but heshould not be avaricious. Man's pride usually arises out of three factors – possession of wealth,his pedigree which may be high and his acquisition of knowledge andintellectual attainment Q7 Doreligion influence life? A7 Almostall aspects of life are influenced by religion, which is an important part ofthe culture and civilization As such religion contains views about magic,sorcery, taboos, spiritualism, concept of dead, ancestors, mythological storiesand so on. Hindu religion of dharma is based on the theory ofrebirth, and the various worlds or lives. It is also based on the theory ofkarma and various results thereof. The sin is the root cause of pain, while gooddeeds lead to progress. These beliefs are more found in the rural society Thebelief in the existence of an unseen power leads a man to right action (Karma) because he believes that his actions are beingwatched by an unseen power The belief in reincarnation keeps the man away fromwrongful acts because he believes that in order to have a good birth in nextlife, he must do good acts in this life. The belief in Nemesis also regulatesman’s behaviour because he believes that he will be punished for his sins, hereand now. Thefourth belief in the existence of hell and heaven influences a man to virtuousacts and avoid sins in order to go to heaven or avoidgoing to hell after death Heaven is a place full of luxuries, fairies andromance. Hell is a place of terror, miseries and torture. The last belief inthe immortality of the soul leads a man to avoid such actions as will causepain to the souls of the deceased ancestors. Beliefsare powerful influences on human actions. They are vital for human relations. Beliefs may betrue or false. They may be founded on factual or faulty evidence, but thequestion of their validity does not necessarily determine their effectivenessas social/ self controls. The Brahminsshall not take meat or the Jains shall not take curd, are some of the habits,unconsciously followed. Q8 Do morescontrol society morals? A8 yes. In society, there are innumerable mores viz., monogamy,prohibition, endogamy, antislavery, anti-sati, etc. Mores control man’sbehaviour in society to a very large extent. Q9What are customs? A9 customsare the long established habits and usage of the people. They are those folkways and mores that havepersisted for a very long time and have been passed down from one generation toanother. They arise spontaneously and gradually. There is no constitutedauthority to declare them or to safeguard them. They are accepted by society Hindu religionassigns great importance to Ceremonies, for example, at the time of birth, marriage and death. Mantras arerecited, even without understanding their meaning Art and literature influencethe imagination and exert control on human behaviour. The great epics Ramayanaand Mahabharata are of great social value, and give us information aboutcustoms and ceremonies, as they existed in the epic period. One cannot dare neglect a custom or a ceremony,because of the fear of a social boycott. Ceremoniesperformed after death of a Hindu, howsoever disliked, are still performed, sothat public recognition (opinion) is not degraded. Q10What are sacrments? How many are there? What are the important ones? A10 In the context of Hindu society, sacrament means that activity that helps toachieve purity and as a result of which the complete development of thepersonality of the individual is made Although sacraments exist in all religions as sunnatamong Muslims and baptism among Christians, but in Hindu society, they arerelated to the age, occasion and ashramas of the individual Sacraments are religious activities, which, throughmental and intellectual refinements, may develop complete personality of theindividual. Sacraments are performed from birth to death. In Hindu religion,there is no provision for natural development of the personality. Sixteensacraments of the Hindus are connected with some or the other aspects (physical, mental, social or educational)of personality and help their development. According to Greha Sutra, the numberof sacraments is 11; In ancient collection of domestic rules (GrehaSutras) and in the Code of Manu, twelve purificatory rites called Sanskaras(Sacraments) were prescribed for the purification of a man’s whole nature viz.:body, soul and spirit from the taint transmitted through the womb of an earthlymother. In ancient times, no bridegroom approached the bridetill the fourth night, after the completion of the marriage ceremony This first rite was sometimes called Chaturthi Karma. During the previous day,the bride and the bridegroom, after ablutions purified their bodies, and beforeapproaching his wife, which act might bring another human being into the world,the bridegroom repeated two mantras (R'Gveda X. 186): “Let all pervading Vishnuprepare her womb; let the creator shape the forms; let Prajapati be theimpregnator; let the creator give the embryo.” This sacrament, in modern times,is a physical act and has lost its religious sanctity. 2.Pumsavana : Punsavan: the impregnation rite: this rite wasfollowed after three months. This rite was performed for getting a handsomestrong male child (son). According to Vedic texts, the husband prayed, by theside of his wife, that she might give birth to a son.In this sacrament wifeused to observe fast and wear new clothes. Ason is fancifully said to mean one who delivers a parent from a hell called Put. The well being of the parent’s soul, after death, isbelieved to depend on the proper performance of the shraddha ceremonies by ason, and that the partition of the family inheritance is by law made dependenton the due celebration of such rites A son is to every Hindu, the first and the last ofall necessary wishes. With the introduction of the family planning and the new laws of Hinduinheritance, the craving for the son has diminished; but still its importancehas not lost. Aitareya-Brahmana of the R’Gveda VII.3.13 says, “Whena father sees the face of a living son, he pays a debt in him, and gains immortality.The pleasure, which a father has in his son, exceeds all other enjoyments. His wife is a friend, hisdaughter an object of compassion, his son shines as his light in the highestworld.” Manu says, “a man is perfect when he consists ofthree: himself, his wife and his son.” (VII.3) Q11 DoAfganisthan is referred in Mahabhata? A11 Was called the GandharaDesa in the epics such the Mahabharata Q12Do Arabians once lived a hindu way of life? A12 People lived as per the Hindu way of life in Arabia and Mesopotamia priorto around AD 700. Even now the pilgrims visiting the area wearunstitched cloth, similar to the dhoti and angavastara of the Hindus. Q13What is the relation with Hinduisam in Burma and Cambodia? A13 The Burmese law books are based on the Laws ofManu and are still recognised as valid legal authority. Sage Agastya from South India had spread the Hindu religion andculture in South East Asia. He is well respected in Cambodia even now. A disciple ofAsvatthama by name of Kaundinya,married a Naga princess, Soma. He then went on to build the city capital,Bhavapura, in Cambodia.Thus was started the Somavamsa line of Hindu dynasty rulers. Q14Name a few chinese travellers came to India A14 -A largenumber of Chinese travellers also visted India for higher studies and fortrade. Fahien, Hien Tsang,Itsing were some of the well known people to visit India from AD 400 onwards. Q15 What is the relation of HInduisam with Persians? A15 Iran wasknown as Persia in the earlier days. Zoroastrianism was the religion of the people ofPersia, known as Parsis ( 6th century BC ). This religion of theirs has a great affinity to VedicHinduism.A lot of Hindu concepts were part and parcel ofZoroastrianism Q16 What is theperiod of the Vedas? A16 The Rig Veda was compiled in three long and different periods.Opinions greatly differ as to the date of compilation or revelation of the fourVedas. Swami Daya Nand, founder of the Arya Samaj, holds the opinion that theVedas were revealed 1.3 billion years ago, while others (Hindu scholars andorientalists) hold the opinion that they are not more than four thousand years old. 17 Do there is aschool of thinking that upanishaths are superior to Vedas? A17 yes. However, some Pandits consider the Upanishads to besuperior to the Vedas primarily from the internal evidence found in theUpanishads -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/260411749.2364935.1637553789508%40mail.yahoo.com.
