Knowledge

The essence of Hindu religion is humanity. I believe that any system must have human being at the centre. I had read somewhere ‘A society where a person is in the centre and objects in the circumference is a healthy society and a society in which the objects are at the centre and a person…

Are there any restrictions to attain God, such as, cast, colour, language or creed?

God has no secrets, divisions or differences, but only those who know this secret understand this. Every living being is a part of God. Therefore, attaining and experiencing God is a birth-right for every living entity. There are no differences in cast, class, language or gender in attaining God. As a matter of fact, one…

What does the word “Kalyān” mean? On Television everyone says “Kalyān ho” what is that? Even in ślokas this word is found. Please explain.

Kalyān is a Sanskrit word which according to scholars has evolved from the word “kalya” meaning a new dawn. That which brings a new dawn, a new beginning in your life, is “Kalyān”. One in whose life there is always a new beginning, a new dawn, for whom every day is a new day, the…

What makes a person religious? To be a good human being, does one need Religion and good deeds? What classifies as being religious – going to temples, meditating or personal worship of God? Please guide.

The term Dharma (Religion) has many connotations. It means quality, duty, etc. Dharma is the sum total of qualities that enable us to attain spiritual emancipation. Dharma enjoins being truthful, ethical, having love, compassion and mercy for mankind, and all God’s creations. Dharma forewarns us against lies, violence, deceit, etc. in order to create a…

How can one recognize a real Saint? What are the indications of a real Guru?

He whose life embodies the truth is a real saint. The characteristics of a saint have been described by Sage Kapil in Kapilopakhyan, by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita and by Lord Ram in Aranya kānd of Shri Ramcharitmanas. Seekers of knowledge should read these scriptures for further guidance on this matter. One should…

Whom do we call our real guru? One who gives us guru mantra and ties a sacred mala or the one from whom we get inspiration to attain God and follow in his footsteps?

In the word ‘Guru’, ‘Gu’ means darkness, while ‘Ru’ means light. So Guru means the one, who removes the darkness of our ignorance with the light of his knowledge. Merely by giving out a ‘mantra’ or tying a sacred mala on your neck, one cannot become your Guru. According to Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, a Guru…

Where and how can we find a Sadguru?

The answer to ‘where’ is simple. Sadguru can be found everywhere. It is not necessary that we have to travel to find a Sadguru. It is also not necessary that a Guru will be dressed in any particular clothes or has a particular appearance. A Guru can be found in any form from which we…

The life of Jesus Christ and Shri Krishna are very similar as told in the Bible and the Gita. For example, both were born to one set of parents, but then raised by another; Lord Krishna’s uncle tried to kill all the kids of one age in order to kill Krishna, a similar situation was present for Christ, the Slaughter of the Innocence. There are many are more similarities between the Bible and the Gita. Why is this? Are the scriptures of other religions similar as well? Is it a result of a cultural inter-change? I have read that the Vedas are the oldest books. Does that mean that Christianity, along with other religions derived from the Vedas? I am having a hard time understanding why the two are so similar.

All religions have spoken about adoring and worshiping Truth. Love, Truth, Service, etc. are the virtues which are fundamentals of all religions. Therefore, stories of all religions are similar. Truth is neither ancient, nor new, it is eternal. And our scriptures through different stories, incarnations, ideals and biographies of prophets and saints present that eternal…

Pujya Bhaishri, in the process of domestic chores, ants and other insects get hurt or killed unintentionally. If there is no place nearby to feed ants, how can we absolve ourselves from such unintended sins?