QUES ANSW DIVINE59
Dearfriends, These areinformation posted by members compiled as QA by me in 1998’s-2004’s and storedin my computer. At this date I have no information of the members posted. BEINGCOMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS. Sincerely, R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, Former AGM Telecom Trivandrum dated 27 -11-2021 Q1 Why do Lord Vishnu is coloured blue? A1 One of the theories is that Vishnu, because of his association withwater, is depicted blue; therefore all his incarnations including Krishna,are shown as such. In Hinduism, persons who have depth of character and thecapacity to fight evil are depicted as blue skinned. Q2What does Namaskar mean? A2 Namaskar is the most popular form of greetingin India. It is a general salutation and is used as a welcome and also afarewell. Namaskar also means ‘I BOW TO THEE’.The palms are placed together and raised to touch the forehead, the position ofthe Third Eye Q3 Why cow is considered sacred? A3 The cow is supposed to be the living symbol ofMother Earth. For theearly migrants the cow was an indispensable member of the family. Asagriculture was the occupation of the migrants, the cow provided them with milkand its byproducts and also necessities of life such as fuel, manure for the farm, etc. It was through the instrumentality of Agni(fire) that the offering of milk pudding and a drink of milk, curds and honey(madhupeya) were conveyed to one’s chosen gods. Thus the cow supplied the majorrequirements of the yagna and this association soon made it sacred. Graduallythe cow came to be known as ‘Gaumata’ (cow, the Mother) and ‘Aditi’ (mother of gods). The rise ofVaishnavism amongst the prosperous middle and lower castes (expressed in thefigure of the cowherd god Krishna) helped consolidate the importance and thereligious glorification of the cow. Q4 How do Trimurthy worship started? A4 The transition from Vedic gods to the Puranicgods led to the TRIMURTI or the Hindu Trinity gaining more importance in the post Vedic period.Gradually the Vedic gods other than AGNI, VAYU and SURYA took secondplace to the Hindu Triad. At the same time personification of nature like rivers, heroes who provedtheir utmost faith to the legendary heroes of the Puranas and served them wereelevated to the status of gods. Although these gods are not individuallyworshiped expect for some they have a special place in the Hindu mythology andare often seen in temples or in paintings or pictures beside the main threetriads and their various manifestations. Q5 Which are the other deities of Hinduisam? A5 The other deities of Hinduisam are the following:- | HANUMAN | the monkey god devotee of Rama | | INDRA | King of the abode of gods | | YAMA | the god of death | | GAYATRI | personification of the Vedic hymn | | GANGA | personification of the holy river | | KAMADEVA | god of love | | KUBERA | god of wealth | | NARADA | the wandering seer who features in almost all the Puranas | | VARUNA | the god of oceans | | SOMA | the moon god | | VISHWAKARMA | the divine architect of the universe | Q6 What issoma/who is soma? A6 Soma is the moon god also known as Chandra. Soma isidentified with amrita (nectar). He is represented as a copper coloured man,trailing a red pennant behind his three wheeled chariot, which is drawn eitherby an antelope or by ten white horses. He has normally four hands, one carryinga mace, second carryingnectar or soma, the third carrying a lotus and the last in protectivemode. His lineage says he was the son of Dharma or ofVaruna, lord of oceans, from which the moon rises. According to a legend, Surya nourishes the moon with the water from theocean when Soma isexhausted by the many beings that feed upon his substance. It is believed that during half the month, thirty six thousanddivinities feed on Soma and thus assure their immortality. This account neatlycombines the two aspects of Soma: as the nectar from which, the gods derive their strength and as themoon that waxes and wanes. The legend of the banishment of Soma by Brahma to the outer atmospherecan be interpreted as yet another myth explaining how intoxicants came to be banned. Q7 Whois Yama and what are the details of Yamaloka ? A7 YAMA is the god of death and is the lord of the infernalregions visited by man after cessation of life. He is the embodiment of therule of law and imparts justice according to deeds. The word ‘ Yama’ means the restrainer,it is he who keeps the mankind in check. Yama’s mount is a fierce-looking black buffalo, a form,which he also adopts for himself on occasions. He has got a rope noose in onehand, by [yama - the god of death]which he is supposed to catch hold of his victims and a mace in the YAMA - THEGOD OF DEATH other, which represents the weapon of punishment. He decides what are the actions of the living beings thatbear or do not bear fruits, when his messengers drag the dead before histhrone. In Vedas, Yama is the FirstAncestor and has the full distinction of a god. He is shown as having a fearfuland grim appearance and he wears a glittering crown upon his head. Yama is the son ofVIVASAT, the embodiment of social morality, while his mother is SARANYU(clouds), who is the daughter of VISHWAKARMA, the cosmic architect. Yama’ s twin sister is YAMI, whohas the greatest affection for her brother. Yami later appeared on this earthas the river YAMUNA. As being the judge of the dead, he is said to hold a court, in which heis the presiding officer. He has another small god to assist him, who is calledCHITRAGUPTA. Chitragupta is supposed to keep an account of the actions of men. Ifthe actions of the deceased in his lifetime have been wicked, he is sent tosuffer in a particular part of hell, while a man with noble deeds is sent to a part of heaven. Yama is regent of the south quarter and as such is called DAKSHINASAPATI. His abodeis named as YAMALYA on the south side of the earth and has an interestinglegend around it. This account is taken from the Mahabharata. The narration is that afterBrahma had created thethree worlds, viz. EARTH, HEAVEN and PATAL (i.e., subterranean region),he recollected that a place for judgment and punishment of the wicked waswanting. He therefore asked the architect Vishwakarma to prepare a suitableplace for this purpose. Vishwakarmaprepared a magnificent palace and opposite its south door he created four pitsto punish the wicked. Three other doors were reserved for theentrance of the good so that they might not see the place of punishment whenthey went to be judged. Brahma named this palace SANJEEVANI. Brahmaordered the architect to form a vast trench around and fill it with water,which came to be called VAITAMEE. Brahma next ordered Agni (the fire god) to enter this river so that thewater might boil. Afterthe death each person is obliged to swim across this Vaitamee river, which gives harmless passage to good souls but the evil ones have to suffer torments and pangs while crossing thisriver’s boiling water. This legendary place of heaven created for Yama by Vishwakarma is 800miles in circumference. At this place there is no fear of enemies and sorrow ofmind and body is non-existent. The climate is mild and salubrious and each oneis rewarded in kind according to his deeds. He who has given much in charity receives very manycomforts of all kinds. Q8 What are the geneology of vedic gods? A8 VEDIC GODS assumed the most undoubtedpersonality, of the real qualities intended to be expressed by their names. They have no fixed hierarchy, orregular genealogy, no settled marriages and relationships; theyremain to the last transparent reflections of those physical phenomena andpowers of which they are the earliest known appellations. They were mere abstractions, intangible andillusive personification of powers of Nature. It is only in the Puranas thatthey become invested with strong personality, and it is their order among the Puranic gods that theconventional representation of them in the later mythology of the Hindus wasmore appropriately described. Q9 What is the importanceof rituals? A9 Therituals could include actions in which we exercise our self-discipline (as a tributeto Disciplina), and also ceremonies in which we symbolically strengthen the self-disciplineor destroy whatever disrupts it. Perhapswe would chant incantations, which are analogous to "affirmations."Rituals can indeed produce psychological changes if we believe in their potency and we performthem with feeling. Even as the jackfruit is obtained only by peeling theouter skin by smearing oil on the palms, gradual detachment is possible bycontinuously chanting God's names. Q10Whydo we chant God’s names? A10 Man shouldavoid greed and treat lust and lucre with contempt. These are some of the teachings ofRamakrishna Paramahamsa, who was born 150 years ago and lived for nearly fivedecades If a personrecites the holy names of God even unconsciously, his sins will dissolve likesalt in water. The recitation can be done at all times, by all andin all places, with little or no expenses. The test of sincerity is that thebody will be thrilled when the names are uttered and tears will streamdown the eyes, the voice getting choked with emotion Animals are also sacrificed in order to placategod and goddesses. Rituals, as religious activities, are performed in order tomaintain religious and social purity. Q11Do there are religious injunctions in getting wealth? A11 No. The religious injunctions permit earningwealth to meet the day-to-day needs, but it should be acquired only through legitimatemethods. Man is also permitted to enjoy comforts but he should not beavaricious. Q12 Do idol worship is an injunction of hinduisam? A12 NO God is treated either as having aform (sakar) and without a form (nirakar). Q13 Why shouldwe gain spiritual knowledge? A 13The earnest desire of ever human being is to be spared ofproblems in the life. He will like to be ever immersed in happiness. Theacquisition of spiritual knowledge is necessary for attaining the eternalbliss. Q14 Why should wefollow custom? A14 Man, from birth to death, is undergoing the process ofsocialization and his behaviour is being controlled in numerous ways. Diet, dress, manner of speech,marriage, education and a host of other matters are controlled by customs. Q15 Why shouldwe have belieifs? A15 The belief in the existence ofan unseen power leads a man to right action (Karma) because he believes that his actions are being watched by an unseenpower. The belief in reincarnationkeeps the man away from wrongful 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 alsoregulates man’s behaviour because he believes that he will be punished for hissins, here and now. The fourth belief in theexistence of hell and heaveninfluences a man to virtuous acts and avoid sins in order to go to heaven oravoid going to hell after death. Heaven is a place full of luxuries, fairies and romance. Hell is aplace of terror, miseries and torture. The last belief in theimmortality of the soul leads a man to avoid such actions as will cause pain to the souls of the deceased ancestors. Beliefs arepowerful influences on human actions. They are vital for human relations. Beliefs may be true or false.They may be founded on factual or faulty evidence, but the question of theirvalidity does not necessarily determine their effectiveness as social/ selfcontrols. One cannot dare neglect a custom or a ceremony, because of the fear ofa social boycott. Ceremonies performed after death of aHindu, howsoever disliked, are still performed, so that public recognition(opinion) is not degraded. Belief in Christ or Prophet Mohammed, as the casemay be is the only way to go to heaven. According to both these religions, the unbelievers went tohell As these two religions did not believe in another birth afterthe present one, the entire emphasis in their teachings was on going to heavenafter death. Q16 Do Christians and Muslims have sacrements? A16 Although sacraments exist in all religions as sunnat among Muslims and baptism among Christians,but in Hindu society, they are related to the age, occasion and ashramas of theindividual. Q17 What are the positive points of re incarnation theory?What islagging with other religions? A17 Hinduism, on the other hand, postulates aseries of births, and proclaims that the sorrows and sufferings of each life, like its joys, are theresult of our karmas (deeds) in our past lives The Hindu theory of karma and cycle of births anddeaths alone offered a satisfactory explanation. Each person has "earned" the sorrows ofhis present life, as he has "earned" its joys, by his karmas in aprevious life, and can "earn" happiness in his present and futurelives, by the performance of good karmas. According to historians, Islam forgedahead with the help of the sword. The Muslim religious leaders obviously felthonestly that even threat can be employed to rescue the unbeliever. Another significant feature of our religion is that it has no name,because at one time no other religion existed. As it taught thepractice of eternal Dharma, it was referred to only as Sanaatana Dharma The logical consequence of the assertion that onlythose who believed in Christ or in Prophet Mohammed, as the case may be, willgo to heaven, is that those who were born in the world before the advent ofChrist or Prophet did not attain salvation. Moreover, these two religions did not give a rationalexplanation for present sufferings or provide a remedy for them. Q18 What is the famous Sathyameva Jayate-story told by SriKripanandavariar which make every one remember of the story immediately? A18 SriKripanandavariar illustrated how honesty always pays rich dividends, by tellingthe story of aprofessional thief who vowed never to speak a lie. He managed to get entry into a palace and as hewas about to break open the treasury, met an unfamiliar Counterpart (the king himself in disguise) and byan arrangement they equally shared two of the four precious diamonds, leaving the remainingin tact. The nextday, the king asked his minister to inspect the stock but the latter not awareof the previous night's episode, appropriated the other two gems for himself but reported that all thefour were missing. The king exposedthe Minister's lack of morality and replaced him by the honest thief. -- 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/1516244670.3791984.1637986251099%40mail.yahoo.com.
