QUESANSW DIVINE 03-2022-18 Dear friends, These are information compiledas QA by me in 1998’s-2004’s and stored in my computer. They are posted by very learnt members.
BEING COMPILATION THERE MAY BE ERRORS. Sincerely, R. Gopalakrishnan, 78, dated 18-03-2022 Q1 WhyLord Vishnu is called Padmanbha ? What is Kouthubha? A1 Thethird virtue of Lord Vishnu is that he bears a lotus on his navel, hence he is also known asPadmanabham. Kaustubha is the best jewel among allthe gems. One who bears it, must be gentle, knowledgable,virtuous etc. Thus, bearing Kaustubha Mani, God preaches the common people thatif they wish to develop all these virtues in them, they will have to movetowards this gem once advanced, Q2What is the meaning of Saraswathi? A2 Literally,Saraswati means SARAH - Knowledge, STHANAMYASYAH ASTITI. Thus, Saraswati is thegoddess who rules all kinds of knowledge without worshipping her no one can bea learned person. Noted sage Bhartrihari writes thatwithout literature and music, a man is not more than an animal. Hencethe book and veena in the hands of Saraswati teach that if the humans wish todo away with their bruteness, knowledge of literature and music is must forthem Q3 Isit good to keep peacock feather in the house? A3Peacock enmity with the snake is well known It is said that snakes do not enterthe houses where peacocks feathers are kept. My note- I keep four full length pecockfeathers above a vasthu map in my home. Rarely I have seensnakes in my compound Q3 Itis said that All those who want theobstacles removed and receive auspicious fruits, must remember the twelve namesof Lord Ganesh.Which are they? Sumukhashchaikadantashcha kapilogaja karnakah | Lambodarashcha vikatovidhnanasho vinayakah|| Dhumaketurganadhyaksho bhalchandro gajananah| Dvadashaitani namani yah Pathechchhriguyadapi|| Vidyarambhe vivahe -cha Parveshe nigrame tatha| sangrame sankate chaiva Vidhnastasya na jayete|| Meaning : 1) Sumukha, 2)Ekadanta, 3) Kapila, 4) Gajakarna, 5) Lambodara, 6) Vikath, 7) Vidhnanashaka,8) Vinayaka, 9) Dhumraketu, 10) Ganadhayaksha, 11) Bhalchandra, 12) Gajanana. These are the twelve names of Lord Ganesh whoever recites or hearsthese twelve names at the beginning of education, marriage, journey, or war orat the time of crises, never faces any obstacle in any of his works. Q4What are the names of two wives of Lord Ganesha? A4 LordGanesha has two wives - Riddhi& Siddhi. It implies that all the Riddhi and Siddhi (knowledgeand perfections) of the world kiss those who adopts all the virtues of LordGanesha in his life. It also means that whoever wishes to gain knowledge andperfections, he must make Lord Ganesh his ideal and follow his virtures inlife. Only then can he gain knowledge and perfections. Q5 Whyshaligrama do not have limbs? A5Shali means group of the gods and Grama means abode. Hence, because of being asymbol of shapeless God, Shivalinga and Shaligrama don't have any limbs Q6 Whether we had idol worshipearlier? A6 A few quotes from Rig, Yajur and Atharva Vedas for the practice isgiven below ETU PRANA ETU MANAHETUCHAKSHORATHO BALAM (ARTHAVA) Meaning :May the life, the mind, the eyes and the power enter this idol. SAHASTRASYA PRATIMAASI (YAJURVEDA) Meaning: O, almighty God, you are an idol of millions of people. ARCHATA PRARCHATA PRIYAMEDHASOARCHATA (RIGVEDA) Meaning - O,wise people, worship that idol and worship it properly. According to Valmiki Ramayana the demon king of Lanka, Ravana used tocarry a golden Shivalinga in his chariot and worship it regularly. Devotion of Meerabai is so strong, so powerful that, in the end, shemerges in the stone idol of Lord Krishna. There is another tale of Tulsidas that says : Once Tulsidas went toVrindavana, where he entered a temple seeing the idol of Lord Krishna, there hesaid TULSI MASTAK TABA NAMAH | DHANUSHA BANA LO HATHA || That is Tulsidas will only bow his head before you, when you take bowand arrow in your hands. Immediately after recitation of this stanza idol of Lord Krishna changed intothe idol of Maryada Purushottama Rama with bow and arrow in his hands. Tulsidasalso describes this Mantra as : KRITA MURLI KRITANDRIKA, KRIT GOPIYANA KE SATHA| APNE JANAKEKARANA, SHRI KRISHNA BHAYO RAGHUNATH || Meaning: At the insistence of the devotees the idol of Shri Krishna changed into thearcher Rama, Thus, because of the mental determination of a devotee, form andappearance of a stone idol can change. These evidences, amply support theritual of idol worship and its significance. Q7What are the attributes of the river Ganga? A7No other river has been as much mentioned in the `Purana’ as the holy Ganges. According to the Puranas the Ganges is the holiestof all the shrines on this earth This river originates from the Himalayas, and while flowing in thesouthwest direction, enters India. In Nepal this rivers is known as ‘Salgrami’ inUttar Pradesh it is known as ‘Sapta Gandaki’, and ‘Narayani’. Before reachingthe Mountain Triveni, an auxiliary river ‘Trishul Ganga’ merges with it.Altogether it covers a distance of 192 miles and ultimately merges into theGanges near Patna. Since itgets water from the melting snow perennially, it poses danger of floods to theplains during the rainy season. Because of its perennicalflow it is also known as River ‘Saata Meera’.At the source ofGandak, ‘Shaligram’ stones are found which are considered as the embodiment ofLord Vishnu, and worshipped throughout India. Q8 Do Swami Narayan temple in Delhi is inthe Guinness books 2009? A8 Yes. BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham is a100-acre Hindu temple complex in New Delhi, India. It aims to showcaseHinduism's ancient art, culture and spiritual heritage. Since its opening in November 2005,Swaminarayan Akshardham has become a popular landmark of India's cultural andreligious landscape, attracting morethan five million visitors a year. It has featured in the 2009 editionof the Guinness World Records book for being the largest Hindu temple in the world. Over 60 acres of the complexcomprise various forms of landscaping. One part is the Lotus Garden, alotus-shaped sunken garden with messages from great world thinkers sharing their faithin God and humanity. The central feature of the complexis the ornately hand-carved stone temple, ormandir. Built according to ancientVedic texts, and measuring 356 ft (109m) long, 316 ft (96 m) wide and 141 ft (43 m) high, it is the world's largest comprehensive Hindutemple. Enshrined in the temple's innersanctum is an 11 ft.-high gilded murti (sacred image) of Bhagwan Swaminarayan,the deity to whom the temple and complex are dedicated. Other images includethose of popular Hindu deities andspiritual leaders of the Swaminarayan tradition. The temple stands on a 1,070ft..-long plinth of 148 full-sized elephants carved entirely from stone. Together, they weigh 3,000 tonnes. Q9 What are the attributes of Draksharamamtemple? A9 Draksharamam is considered highlysacred, next only to Banares, the holiest of Siva temples in the country. Located in the Godavari district, the temple here isone of the most important Saiva Aramas. It is believed that sage Vyasa performedpenance here and gave it the name Dakshina Kasi According to anotherlegend, Lord Siva's father-in-law, a king by name Daksha Prajapathi, performed a great yaga here. Q10Do Raja Raja Chola used to worship Goddess Durga at Patteeswaram beforeproceeding anything? A10 Patteeswaram is located near Pazhaiyaarai where RajaRaja Chola was born and brought up. It is said that the Cholas before taking any decision orbefore any battle, worshipped Goddess Durga here and proceeded. It is also said that Sage Viswamithra, got enlightened withGayathri Mantra in this place and was conferred with the title “Brahma Rishi”by Saint Vasishta. Q11 What is the importance of Asi Ghat at Kasi? A11 Asi Ghat (Haridwar Teertham) – thisis where the Asi river merges with the Ganga. Performingthe rites here is believed to give one the fruits of performing the rites atHaridwar. Q12 What isthe speciality of pindas offered at Varanasi and Gaya sraadhas? A12 Infact, I am told that in a normal Shrraddham , 6 pindams are made (two for eachgenerations which are no more); in a Teertha Shrraddham, as at Kashi, Allahabad, Rameswaram, etc., 16pindams are offered, including all ancestors on both parents side; in the GayaShrraddham, 64 pindams are offered, of which 16 are for the mother alone sinceshe carries her child for 9 whole months within her body, 16 for the ancestors, and 16 for all others as I havementioned earlier. Pinda prathanam ( 64 Pindams for those who have lost motheralso; if mother alive 48 pindams) -- 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/1940038546.154711.1647596283400%40mail.yahoo.com.
