Posted on: 18 Nov 2022
1. What is the meaning of the name Madhu Suudana?
[Shri Hrushikesh asked:- Dear Swami, I request You to kindly answer the questions below asked by my daughter Aradhya and my friend Ram. What is the meaning of the name "Madhu Sudana" from "Vishnu Sahasranamam"?]
Swami replied:- God Vishnu killed demons called Madhu and Kaitabha. Madhusudana means killer of the demon Madhu.
2. How can I learn spiritual knowledge and serve God if the majority of my time is spent in office work?
[Shri Hrushikesh asked:- In today's competitive world, a person has to continuously keep up skilling in their respective fields in order to progress in career. Especially in IT industry, there is a threat of losing a job if a person doesn't keep learning with fast changing technologies. Due to this situation, after working for ten hours in a day it becomes inevitable to invest at least two hours of time in learning new technologies. When the complete time gets consumed in one’s job, where is the possibility of learning Spiritual knowledge and serving God? Should the person believe in God, leave it to God with complete trust that God will take care of his job and continue to do Spiritual work without bothering about learning?]
Swami replied:- This is completely a wrong angle. You must allot full time to worldly life or Pravrutti because it is the basis of Nivrutti. You have some free time during weekends. A long disturbance is always good for the spiritual work because the disturbance will act like a culvert increasing the speed of flow of water in the canal. You must understand the arrangement of God, who always tries to help every soul spiritually.
3. Is it wrong to completely believe in God and do not save for the future?
[Shri Hrushikesh asked:- My friend strongly believes that, God is taking care of him and his family members. From his earnings apart from fulfilling his family needs, he doesn't save anything for the future and contributes the rest of the earning for God's work and also spends rest of his time after job in God's service because he completely believes that God who has always been providing to every being on the earth will also provide him in the future, he openly says to his wife about his belief, but she says that this is not fair to depend on God and she also says that it is out of laziness that he is covering in the name of God. Is there anything wrong in my friend's belief system? Kindly elaborate.]
Swami replied:- There is nothing wrong in the belief of your friend, but, such faith is of very high level and is impossible to the majority of souls. The wife of your friend is also correct because we, the ordinary people shall not try to imitate high level. We shall slowly develop to high level and such progress is good being slow and steady.
4. Is it justified to give birth to more children in the present circumstances?
[Shri Hrushikesh asked:- When the world is having problems with over population like food shortage, unemployment and pollution, Is it justified to give birth to more and more children? At Your feet, Hrushikesh]
Swami replied:- The number of children is decided by God and not by human beings. The national problems will be taken care of by God and we shall limit ourselves to personal problems and family problems. If one cannot set right the family, can he set right the nation and the world?