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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
| Q.
What are the famous epics and who wrote them? |
A. The two famous epics or Ithihasas are the
Ramayana and Mahabharata. Sage Valmiki wrote the former and Sage Veda
Vyasa, , wrote the latter.
| Q.
What are the foremost sacred books of Hinduism ? |
A. They
are known as the Vedas, which means "knowledge." There are
four Vedas and they claim to teach a man the highest truths that can
lead him to God. Rig Veda consists of 1028 hymns, to gods like Indra
and Agni. Yajur Veda is the knowledge of rites. Sama Veda concerns the
knowledge of chants. Atharva Veda has 731 hymns with 6000 verses. The
Atharva Veda was also known as the Brahma Veda.
| Q.
What is the Bhagavad Gita? |
A. The majority of Hindus consider the Bhagavad
Gita as the Hindu holy bible. The Gita is in the form of a
conversation between the warrior-prince Arjuna and his charioteer and
friend Lord Krishna at the outset of the Mahabharata War.
The rider in the chariot of the body is Arjuna which is you and I.
The charioteer is Krishna the spiritual guide, the horses the senses.
We all have a Krishna inside us let Him guide you.
| Q.
What are the Hindu scriptures? |
A.
The Hindu scriptures can be broadly classified into two groups. One is
Sruti ("that which is heard") literature and the other is
Smriti ("that which is remembered") Literature. Both these
literatures are considered as "revelations of God".
| Q.
What does each Veda consist of ? |
A. The Veda consist mainly of:
1. Samhitas. Basic texts for hymns, formulas and chants
2. Brahman's. Performance of rites and rituals.
3. Aranykas. Mantras and meaning of rituals.
4. Upanishads. These reveal the ultimate spiritual truths and various
suggestions of ways to realize them. The word Upanishad is composed of
Upa (near), Ni (down) and Shad (to sit).
| Q.
How many Upanishads are there? |
A. There are more than 108 books of Upanishads.
The thirteen most important Upanishads are: Esa, Kena, Katha, Prasna,
Mundaka, Mandukya, Aitareya, Taittirya, Chandogya, Brihad-Aranyaka,
Kaushitaki, Shvetasvatara and Maitri. Some of the Upanishads are named
after the great sages who are featured in them. Those sages are
Mandukya, Shvetasvatara, Kaushitaki and Maitri.
We also have eleven minor Yogic Upanishads. The most important among
them are Yogatattva, Dhyanabindu, and Nadabindu. Yogatattva consists
of all the details about yogic practices. Nadabindu, as the name
depicts, deals with the auditory phenomena that accompany certain
yogic exercises. Dhyanabindu deals with the syllable Aum and with many
mystic revelations.
| Q.
What are the different methods of God-realisation /
Self-realisation? |
A. Four methods known as Yogas, word Yoga means "Union
with the Divine.
1. Jnana Yoga -the path of knowledge
2. Bhakti Yoga-the path of devotion
3. Karma Yoga-the path of action
4. Raja Yoga -the path based on the practice of Pranayama and
thought-control The different methods or paths are not separate
divisions; instead they merge into each other. They are not mutually
exclusive. Which must predominate is a question of individual talent.
All are legitimate and all can be misused.
A. An Avatar is an incarnation of God. When God
comes down to earth in any life-form, then we call that an Avatar. In
the Bhagavad Gita it is written, "Whenever there is a decay of
Dharma (righteousness) and outbreak of Adharma (Non-righteousness), I
descend Myself to protect good, to annihilate the wicked and to
re-establish Dharma. I am born from age to age."
| Q.
What is Karma Yoga in brief? |
A. Attaining freedom by unselfish actions is known
as Nishkama Karma. Selfish actions retard our goal. Unselfish actions
take us towards our goal. So Karma Yoga is the system of attaining
freedom through selfless actions. A Karma Yogi may or may not believe
in God or in any religious doctrine. The ideal is to act without
acting, be the unmoved spectator of our own "fate"
remembering that this destiny is enacted by our temporary
psycho-physical vehicle.
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Spiritual
Masters
