11 Sep 2021
[Padanamaskaram Swami, some questions raised in internet discussion forum is presented below. Please grace Your response to the same. At Your Lotus Divine Feet-anil]
1. What was Rinanubandhan between Radha and Krishna?
Swami replied:- Radha and Krishna are incarnations of God Shiva and God Vishnu. There is no question of Runaanubandham between them. They came here to preach the climax devotion of devotee (Radha) to God (Krishna) for the world of devotees.
2. What are the 16 kalas of Krishna?
Swami replied:- Kala means one of hundred Kalas of Datta. Krishna came with sixteen Kalaas means Krishna came with sixteen percent internal and external beauty of God Datta.
3. What are the incidents that tell You that Bhishma is a great devotee of Lord Vishnu?
Swami replied:- Bhishma composed the prayer of thousand names of Vishnu called Viṣṇu Sahasranāma stotram.
4. Who is Avadhuta?
Swami replied:- Avadhuta means a devotee, who threw away all the worldly bonds and entered care not devotion, which means not caring for the worldly bonds for the sake of devotion to God.
5. What are the reasons for not allowing prayers and visiting temples for the whole family after the birth of a child in Hindus family?
Swami replied:- Selfishness and ignorance are the reasons.
6. What is the meaning of inaction in action and action in inaction in Bhagavad Gita 4.18?
Swami replied:- Sometimes even if the work is done, its fruit does not bind the soul. Some times even if the work is not done, the fruit binds the soul. Without any attachment of mind sage Vyaasa met the two widows to generate children on the order of His mother and this is work done without its fruit. Duryodhana was fond of Draupadi and for no external sexual work also, he went to hell for this mental sin and this is fruit coming for no external work also.
7. It is said that if a person dies on an Ekadashi day, its soul attains moksha. How far is it true?
Swami replied:- It is Arthavaada, which is a lie told to explain the importance of that day so that people will at least worship God on that day.
8. Can I pray to Lord Krishna during periods?
Swami replied:- Periods are not sinful, but, told as sinful so that the lady being patient in periods due to bleeding will not do any work and take full rest. A lie can be told for doing a good thing.
9. Why is Radha more often worshiped with Lord Krishna than Rukumini?
[Why did Lord Krishna marry Rukumini, when He was in love with Radha? Why is Radha more often worshiped with Lord Krishna than Rukumini? I am confused between Radha and Rukumini. Who is the incarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi?]
Swami replied:- Rukmini is the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the power of God Vishnu. Radha is the incarnation of God Shiva. Rukmini opposed injustice to reach God whereas Radha opposed even justice to reach God. Rukmini reached Vaikuntha, the abode of God whereas Radha reached Goloka, which is above the abode of God.
10. Why was Lord Rama sent to exile for exactly 14 years?
Swami replied:- Any interpretation can be given to this number since it has no actual significance.
11. Do Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva represent Cosmic Energy, Cosmic Space and Cosmic Time respectively?
Swami replied:- Representation can be accepted if the reasons for representation are given.
12. A lot of bad people got darshan from Lord Shiva. I am sure that I am better than them. How can I get a darshana from Him?
Swami replied:- Those bad people after getting Darshan and boons also from God Shiva were destroyed like Ravana. Good people, who worshipped God Shiva without aspiration for any fruit in return were blessed like Rama.
13. In Hinduism, who is Yamaraja? Is Yamaraja an avatar of Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiva?
Swami replied:- Yamaraja, the deity of death is the servant of God Shiva.
14. As per the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, "Whatever happens is for good." How do You justify this statement? How can bad things be good?
Swami replied:- Bad things are punishments for sins, which are good for the reformation of the soul.
15. For what reason does Mata Lakshmi have the pain of separation from Vishnu in Her every avatar?
Swami replied:- There was no separation between God Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi in any incarnation except in the incarnation as Rama and Sita. This effect was due to the curse given by sage Bhrugu since God Vishnu killed his wife for protecting a demon.
16. If Sita Maa could beat Ravana, then why was she not able to save herself from Ravana when he was kidnapping her?
Swami replied:- It all happened for killing Ravana.
17. How did God analyse everybody’s karmas and give results appropriately without any mistake?
Swami replied:- God is said to be omniscient and omnipotent.
18. Was Manu same as Adam?
Swami replied:- Adam was the first human being created by God. Manu was a sage, who wrote ethical scripture for humanity.
19. Is Goddess Durga a poor man's Goddess?
Swami replied:- Why do you say so? Please give reason.
20. If Lord Krishna was from Yadav kulas, how does He wear Upanayan (white holy thread)?
Swami replied:- Krishna belonged to the race of Yadu (hence called Yadava) and Yadu was the son of King Yayaati, who was a Kshatriya. Yadu lost kingdom due to curse given by his father and by this his caste was not changed. However, one shall remember that caste shall not be by birth but shall be by qualities and deeds as Krishna told in the Bhagavat Gita.
21. Why do Lord Shiva and Parvati have children who attained Godhood while Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi have no such children?
Swami replied:- God cupid (Manmatha) is the son of God Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.
22. Why doesn't God give me death?
[Why does God keep me alive? I know God has favourites people but I am not for them. Why doesn't God give me death? My life is a waste of time for God.]
Swami replied:- You are under foolish depression. First, come out of it. Jesus told that first will be last and last will be first.
23. Is the following true?
[Does the Satapatha Brahmana say that 'melting glass' should be poured into the ears of a Sudra who is found listening to the Vedas and also his tongue is to be cut off if he is found memorizing the Vedas. Is this true?]
Swami replied:- This is a clever misinterpretation done by certain rogues to bring split in Hinduism. If this is correct, how a pot maker called Romaharshana was made the president of sacrifice performed by all sages in Naimisha forest?
24. What were the last words of Sri Krishna in the Holy Bhagavad Gita?
Swami replied:- Krishna told at last that Arjuna shall analyse whatever He told in the Gita and then only accept it with freewill and without any compulsion.
25. Why are Hindu Gods scary looking?
Swami replied:- I don’t know the reason for your such scary comment.
26. Can a husband do pujas at home when his wife has her period?
Swami replied:- Periods of women have nothing to do with the worship to God.
27. What makes Lord Krishna angry?
Swami replied:- The injustice makes Lord Krishna angry (Vināśāya ca Duṣkṛtām— Gītā).
28. Why do we offer food to God before eating?
Swami replied:- God has created us and also created food for us.
29. What sacrifice could God (Jesus) ever make? How can God sacrifice anything? He is God.
Swami replied:- God becomes even servant to His devotees. After all, what is sacrifice?
30. Did the prophet Muhammad get inspired from Ramayana and Mahabharata for doing wars?
Swami replied:- Divinity is always one irrespective of religions.
31. If I sinned because of illness (I am bipolar and I had promiscuous sexual behavior before marriage), how can I ask Allah for forgiveness?
Swami replied:- By non-repetition of sin the punishment of pending sins of similar type are also cancelled and no need to tell that the present sin also gets cancelled.
32. I’m Christian. Why am I starting to fall into sexual sin again? How do I stop?
Swami replied:- Legal Sex is not sin for a human being. Only illegitimate sex is a sin.
33. Why do Book of Mormon Israelites need Jesus to suffer, bleed and die for sin?
[When sin and iniquity is atoned through steadfast love and faithfulness or loyalty in Proverbs 16:6, why do Book of Mormon Israelites need Jesus to suffer and bleed and die for sin?]
Swami replied:- Jesus did not suffer for the sin of every Tom, Dick and Harry. He only transferred the punishments of sins of His climax devotees (see the meaning of the word Emmanuel).
34. Why does the Quran contain Muhammad’s personal marriage issues?
Swami replied:- To say that ordinary human beings shall not imitate God because the actions of God have lot of background, which is unknown to us.
35. How Adam’s every son married his own sister, which is sin?
[According to the Bible, God created only two humans, Adam and Eve, and they reproduced. Does that mean Adam’s every son married his own sister? Isn't that a sin?]
Swami replied:- The first couple created by God has mystic power to generate issues without sexual act. God Brahma created Sarasvati and people blame that God Brahma married His own daughter. How Sarasvati can be His daughter when God Brahma has no wife? Creation through sex only brings such worldly relationships.
36. Hindus reborn repeatedly, while Muslims and Christians do not. Is this fair?
[Hindus are reborn repeatedly, while Muslims, Christians & many others have to wait until judgement day to know what they are good for? Is this fair?]
Swami replied:- It is a misunderstanding. Final judgement for every individual means the judgement given by God after the death of that individual. The body of an individual (Piṇḍāṇḍa) is equal to the world (Brahmāṇḍa) because nine items (Navāvaraṇams), which are five elements, awareness, mind, intelligence and ego are common in both. The final dissolution of Piṇḍāṇḍa is misunderstood as the final dissolution of Brahmāṇḍa and due to this, this misinterpretation arose.
37. Why did Jesus allow Himself to get crucified?
[When satan tested Jesus, He said that He will not jump off, because one must not put God to the test. Then why did Jesus allow Himself to get crucified?]
Swami replied:- I don’t understand the link between these two statements. Jesus got crucified to fulfil the will of God. Jesus said that God should not be tested. What is the contradiction between these two?
38. Does a Catholic priest has the right to push you to confess your sin?
Swami replied:- There is no pushing and pulling. The devotee must confess before God by himself and not by any force. Confession must follow repentance for the sin done and finally non-repetition of sin is the most important step. This is universal process for any religion and for any sub-religion.
39. Why is the birth of the Lord Krishna and the Lord Jesus Christ similar?
Swami replied:- The birth of any human incarnation is similar because the same God is incarnating. The Gita and the Bible are one and the same.
40. How can we stop fighting for God's & pray for peace, harmony, prosperity among us as well as all the creatures of universe?
Swami replied:- This is very good intension. Please read My proposal of Universal Religion (Universal Spirituality) while staying in one’s own religion as given in www.universal-spirituality.org.
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