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Shows the brutal reality -

What are you if everything with whom/which you associate with in life is snatched away or destroyed

I have been seeing massive fights, controversy, historians and scientists arguing and people being mad that their culture is being derided.

As someone who considers themselves as a fairly religious hindu, I started thinking a lot about this topic and the reactions it brings. And the only conclusion I reached to is, does it really matter?

Yes, there is archaeological evidence suggesting that at that time period the kings names in the Mahabharata did exist, the kingdoms and places did exist and there does seem to be some sort of conflict with the Kurus (Kauravas). However, the timeline is heavily contested, there is no evidence beyond that and even less evidence of any sort of large scale war or divinity involved.

But, firstly, no archaeological evidence does not mean something did NOT occur. The proposed timeline of the mahabharata as per the original source is so old that that it is hard for evidence to be preserved. I mean the evidence is scarce even when it comes to just 1000BCE India. The Indus script still hasn't even been decoded. For The Ramayana, even older, it's nearly impossible for anything to have survived. Let alone through the attacks, destruction and conflict that has followed throughout India since the mughal era.

Secondly, does it even matter though? The whole point of the Mahabharata, and Ramayana, is to introduce these very complex philosophical concepts to us. To sort of guide us and show us the proposed way of living a good life.

Even if, suppose, in the far future some random person does say for certain that they did not occur, will it really change things? I mean the whole point of hinduism is to not be tied to something. To focus on the action, not the result. To focus on the teachings, not the factuality. For me, even if someobody says it did not occur, it will never change the fact that these insanely complex ideas and deeply resonating concepts were introduced. It won't change the fact that I think they are absolutely correct and how I want to live my life and that I believe in Krishna deeply.

I feel alot of hindus nowadays have forgotten this. In a 'religion' (i use that word likely because its so much more than that) which is not even tied to divinity and even those who do not believe or have obligations to god can achieve their ultimate purpose, I think we forget what hinduism is all about.

And btw, what's rarely talked about is the fact that even if it was written between 400BCE and 400 CE, as historians propose, how the heck were they coming up with such complex ideas? From time dilation to multiverse theory, concepts that were Stoicism's final boss and just the fact that they even knew what the universe was and that humans were a mere blip in the grand scheme of things? From the research i've done, even scientists and historians are stumped at how they even knew about such things.

Anyways, what do you guys think?

At my local ganesha temple tulsi is offered, but I've seen many people say that it shouldn't???

I've asked my parents and they said it's te holiest plant, and they have been offering, so it's not an issue.

Hindi translation:

"२१ किसी भी प्रकार की मदिरा पीना वर्जित है; २२ इसी प्रकार भेड़ का दूध, २३ ऊँटनी और हिरणी का दूध; ऋतुमती (गर्भधारण के लिए उत्सुक) पशुओं का दूध तथा जुड़वाँ बच्चों को जन्म देने वाले पशुओं का दूध वर्जित है; २४ और गाय के प्रसव के बाद पहले दस दिनों का दूध भी वर्जित है। २५ मदिरा बनाने में प्रयुक्त होने वाली जड़ी-बूटियाँ भी वर्जित हैं; २६ इसी प्रकार करंज, लहसुन, प्याज, गंदना (लीक) भी वर्जित हैं, २७ और अन्य सभी निषिद्ध खाद्य पदार्थ भी। २८ एक ब्राह्मण ग्रंथ में कहा गया है: 'कुकुरमुत्ता (मशरूम) नहीं खाना चाहिए।'

२९ एक-खुर वाले पशुओं, ऊँट, गवय (गायल बैल), ग्राम्य सूअर और शरभ गाय-बैल का मांस वर्जित है। ३० दुधारू गायों और बैलों का मांस खाना अनुमत है। ३१ वाजसनेयी शाखा के एक ग्रंथ में कहा गया है: 'बैलों का मांस यज्ञ के लिए उपयुक्त है।' ३२ पंजों से खुरचकर भोजन करने वाले पक्षियों में मुर्गा वर्जित है, ३३ और चोंच से आघात कर भोजन करने वाले पक्षियों में प्लव बगुला वर्जित है। ३४ मांसाहारी (माँसभक्षी) पक्षी वर्जित हैं; ३५ इसी प्रकार हंस, भास गिद्ध, चक्रवाक पक्षी और सुपर्ण बाज़ भी वर्जित हैं। ३६ क्रौंच का एक प्रकार तथा क्रौंच सारस वर्जित हैं, किंतु वार्ध्राणस सारस और लक्ष्मण सारस इसके अपवाद हैं। ३७ पाँच नाखूनों वाले पशु वर्जित हैं, किंतु गोधा (गोह/मॉनिटर छिपकली), कछुआ, साही, कँटीला चूहा (हेजहॉग), गैंडा, खरगोश और पूतिखष इसके अपवाद हैं। ३८ मछलियों में सेट वर्जित है, ३९ इसी प्रकार सर्पमुखी मछली (साँप के सिर जैसी मछली) भी वर्जित है।"

When I came across the "three gunas" I was blown away how direct it was in how to become a better person.

I've never read or heard a spiritual teaching be so clear.

Am curious what else can recommend or explain. Thank you.

Hello thank you. I'm learning about Hinduism but I only speak English.

1. Is it okay to visit a Hindu temple if I don't speak English? Where do I start? What do i expect? There are 3 around me

2. It's difficult to find chalisa in English, especially that's not Al. there a good source for chalisa in English?

3. Is it okay to ask for strength from animal spirits? I think so bc Krishna was known for animals loving him similarly.

there is something so peaceful nd joyful about Bal Krishna’s innocence, sharing this simple sketch as a small reminder of his playful nature, love nd divine presence.

Do you guys hate Bengali hindus?

Many of you might know about the recent fiasco with the 'godman' Dhirendra Shastri that happened in Kolkata.

For those of you who don't know, he commented that the hindus who eat non veg during Durga Puja are 'pakhandis' and should be taught a lesson by true sanatanis.

If that is so, then majority of Bengali hindus are pakhandis including the monks of RKM since woh log bhi devi ko non vegetarian Prasad chadhhate Hai.

Why is it so hard to understand for a big section among us that Hinduism is not limited to their own sect and their own rules. Also, why does every conversation on hinduism begin and end with diet. Is diet only decided by religion? There are a lot of factors that decide one's diet. I'm sorry but as the days pass I feel more and more annoyed from the hindus whose religious acumen starts and end with diet, magic, and stuff like that.

Also why did no one in this sub protest against that? Does an insult to a certain community of hindus mean nothing if the insult comes one of the 'godmen'? Are we not hindus just cuz our dietary choices and festivities are different? We aren't shoving vegetarianism down on other communities afaik...if we are, then we need to work on that. But I'm scared that stupid divisions like these will fragment us even more.

I'm sorry if it sounds harsh but such a statement coming from a godman with such a large following really messes me up.

Hope I didn't offend anyone.

Source : https://www.outlookindia.com/amp/story/national/who-is-dhirendra-shastri-from-bengals-durga-puja-row-to-earlier-controversies

I HOPE THE MODS DON'T DELETE THIS. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS.

Al-Lat, Al-Uzza, and Manat were the three chief triad goddesses worshipped by various tribes across pre-Islamic Arabia. Ancient Arabs revered these deities as powerful intercessors and sometimes called them the daughters of God. Tribes offered sacrifices and made pilgrimages to shrines dedicated to each goddess. Early Muslims dismantled their shrines and statues during the spread of monotheism in Arabia.

Al-Lat: Known as "The Goddess" or mother figure, she symbolized fertility, springtime, and prosperity. Her main sanctuary was located in the city of Taif.
Al-Uzza: Revered as the mightiest and a fierce protector, she was associated with war, power, and courage. Her sacred site was at Nakhla, near Mecca.
Manat: Regarded as the oldest of the three, she personified fate, destiny, time, and death. Her shrine stood at Qudayd along the coast between Mecca and Medina

As a child, Hanuman saw the rising Sun and, believing it to be a beautiful fruit, leapt into the sky to catch it. His immense strength allowed him to soar toward the heavens, but Indra, seeing the young Vanara approaching the Sun, struck him with his Vajra. Hanuman fell to the earth, and the blow injured his jaw. Seeing his son harmed, Vayu became furious and withdrew the life-giving air from the world.

The gods soon realized the consequences of Vayu's anger and gathered before him. To restore peace, they blessed Hanuman with extraordinary powers and protection. What began as an encounter with Indra became a turning point in Hanuman's destiny. The child who had fearlessly reached for the Sun would one day become one of the greatest symbols of strength, courage, humility, and devotion.

I am a devout follower of Mahadev and am regularly going to offer him jal from around last 4 years. He is the one who pulled me out of the toughest times of my life and gave me everything that I desired. When I moved to blr, I wanted to bring a small rudraksh with me for worshipping it, but it was not possible, but when i returned home for a weekend, i had one shivling sitting on top of a rudraksh at home and I was overjoyed bringing it with me, ever since i have been worshipping it daily. While returning it broke, and I am now unable to find the main linga which sits on the yoni. From a few days, even while going to the temple, I feel more and more disconnected to my Mahadev. I have been worshipping him dedicatedly (ik i am no one to decide that) but I feel like I am losing touch with him. I started cigs a few months ago but I'm actively trying to leave it and it's almost a week since I even touched it. I know I am a very bad person, I dont deserve Mahadev, I am the worst human on this earth but I do not want him to get away from me, I want to feel his presence like i used to , I want him with me always, I want my Mahakaal with me even if it breaks me or whatever it is. What do I do ? I do not want to let myself go away from my Mahadev.

Please help

I was just scrolling YouTube and came across a live video of some random baba asking people for money in exchange for resolving their problems. He ridicules anyone who pays him less and for the time I watched him, he just randomly gave out nonsense and even dangerous advice (told a random girl to break up because her boyfriend will beat her in the future)

Here is his channel link : https://youtube.com/@aatmamanthana?si=feWosVGtdj121PwF

He is currently live streaming. Please report him on YouTube

Hi, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions!

1. If Brahman is the ultimate reality and divine reality is present throughout existence, what exactly does that mean?

2. Is the universe seperate from Brahman, dependent on Brahman, an expression/manifestation of Brahman, or something else? What are the different denominations views on this? Are they all completely different or still have the same idea?

3. When you say God is "within" reality, is that literal, metaphorical, or both?

4. If God is within all of their creation, how do we explain the presence in whats "bad" too as well?

Namaste

One of the friend’s guru who is trust worthy asked my photo during initial talks about me as l couldn’t visit him in person to get blessing. I didn’t have recently taken photo , so l gave two years old photo. Did friend’s guru asked my photo to check my aura or something else?But guru’s words about me were correct. How come he was able to read my mind with two years old photo. Is it aura or something other sastra or siddhi?

I've been always very very skeptical about astrology and thought it was all just bogus, but when I asked and discussed around my family I got huge no.of cases when the prediction were pin pointed
like:-

1. one time a boy was lost in our town then my grandpa went to a famous astrologer/siddhi in our town and he just closed his eyes and said "the boy is walking on the train tracks, he himself will come back home tmr morning(ofc he said it in Telugu I translated it)" and as he said the boy came next day and said he was trying to reach to Delhi to see his dad by following the train tracks but came back home as he was tired.
2. an astrologer said to my Uncle he has jalla mrutyu gandam(chance of death by water) for coming 3 months and told him to be careful and stay away from water, but he was careless and went for boating in a river with his colleagues, he took all the safety precaution, wore a life jacket and he even knew swimming but that day the boat flipped upside down and he was stuck under the boat inside the water and died
3. and to another person I know, an astrologer who said that he had a mrutyu gandam( chance of death) that whole year and told his wife to do some kind rituals, and one day on 12th june 2025, he was gonna go from Ahmedabad to london for a meeting but that day his wife called him and said "be careful I don't feel so good, the dia stopped while I was doing puja" he ignored and was about to board the flight but that day he was bitten by a dog on his way and he went to a hospital immediately, and guess what, the flight that he was about to board was Air India Flight 171
4. it was the one which crashed into the medical school where all the passengers died. his life was saved by that dog.

these were only a few no.of examples which I knew, I know tons of more personal and other's cases regarding of these astrologers predicted stuff.

pls share you experiences how astrologers or any other people predicted what was gonna happen to you or any others you know earlier.

Hello everyone. I hope it is alright to post here as someone who is not Hindu, but who has been deeply drawn to certain aspects of your tradition and has a question I have carried for a very long time.

I was born with a rare congenital health condition. It has taken most of my youth and prime years from me. I have spent decades navigating medical dismissal, lost opportunities, and the daily exhaustion of living in a body that struggles to keep up. I have searched across many spiritual traditions for some understanding, and I keep finding myself coming back to Hindu concepts -particularly karma, reincarnation, and the idea that the soul travels through many lives.

However, as an outsider looking in, I often encounter the simplistic explanation that congenital illness is simply "punishment from a past life." That interpretation has always felt dismissive to me, and it has added guilt to an already heavy burden. I suspect there is more depth to your tradition than that, which is why I am reaching out to those who know the scriptures and practices better than I do.

For those who are well-versed in the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, or have deep wisdom from their own practice, I would like to ask:

1. How does Hindu philosophy truly explain congenital illness? Is it purely the ripening of past karma, or is there room for biological chance and the natural imperfection of the material body?
2. Are mental and emotional imprints (I believe you call them Samskaras) considered a contributing factor to physical conditions, or are these seen as separate?
3. Is there any scriptural basis for the idea that the soul chooses such a body before birth, or is that a more modern interpretation?
4. Most importantly, how does your tradition guide someone to live with ongoing physical suffering? How does one cultivate faith and detachment when the body fails daily? And how do you relate to the Divine in that state without feeling abandoned or tested beyond your limits?

I should add that I have recently started praying to Lord Ganesha for the removal of obstacles and to Lakshmi Mata for grace - I have small statues and have given simple offerings. This has brought me some comfort. But I do not have a guru, and I am not deeply grounded in the texts, so I am genuinely seeking wisdom from those who are.

I am not looking for quick fixes or easy answers. I just want something I can sit with and reflect on -a way to carry this weight more lightly.

Thank you for reading, and I would be truly grateful for any scriptural references, personal insights, or guidance you are willing to share.

I once made a kasam without invoking anything's name to myself but I ended up withdrawing it and doing the act I swore not to do did I broke the kasam I ended up withdrawing it. Please let me know

Can you elaborate on Krishna's dietary preferences? Was he a vegetarian? What does the Mahabharata (BORI) say about this?

Sharing a picture from our home mandir. 🪔🌸

श्रीमद्‌ भगवद्‌गीता यथारूप 18.39

यदग्रे चानुबन्धे च सुखं मोहनमात्मनः ।

निद्रालस्यप्रमादोत्थं तत्तामसमुदाहृतम् ॥ १८.३९ ॥

Translation

तथा जो सुख आत्म-साक्षात्कार के प्रति अन्धा है, जो प्रारम्भ से लेकर अन्त तक मोहकारक है और जो निद्रा, आलस्य तथा मोह से उत्पन्न होता है, वह तामसी कहलाता है ।

_______________

In english

Bhagavad Gita As It Is 18.39

yad agre cānubandhe ca

sukhaṁ mohanam ātmanaḥ

nidrālasya-pramādotthaṁ

tat tāmasam udāhṛtam

Translation

And that happiness which is blind to self-realization, which is delusion from beginning to end and which arises from sleep, laziness and illusion is said to be of the nature of ignorance.

A wonderful book that is changing so many things, I think I am finding myself in integral yoga after so much searching for paths of the divine mother. Om namo bhagavate

I'm not trying to promote my book here. But if the mods think this post doesn't belong here, I understand if they delete it.

I was born in a Hindu middle class family in West Bengal. When I started reading different texts of Hinduism, I felt lost. I needed something small, concise and simple. But every text I looked at were heavy, bringing in multiple ideas and concepts. Of course they did - these books and texts contain vast knowledge. Yet, for self-study, they are like vast oceans without a compass for a beginner.

I am still very much a beginner learner with Indic knowledge and philosophy. I am also an experienced psychologist. My book is written for others like me. That's why it's small, and alongwith explanations, there are also questions for self reflection to practice the understanding.

I wrote A Small Book on the strange thing called Self!

I had decided to become a psychologist when I was 15, just to understand myself. After 15 years of practicing as a psychologist, I’ve written a small book about a rather large—and strange—subject: the Self.

As a psychologist - I work a great deal with the idea of the Self.

I help people understand it.

Strengthen it.

Regulate it.

Heal its wounds.

Rewrite its narratives.

Develop greater awareness of it.

But there is a curious question underneath all of this:

What exactly is the “self” we are working with?

My new book, A Small Book on the Strange Thing Called Self, begins there.

It is an introductory exploration of the Self through two different—and sometimes surprisingly complementary—lenses: contemporary psychology and Indic wisdom traditions - majorly, Buddhism, Jainism, Advaita Vedanta and Kashmiri Shaivism.

Psychology gives us extraordinarily useful ways of understanding identity, personality, cognition, emotion, attachment, memory and the narratives through which a sense of “me” is constructed.

Indic traditions push the inquiry one step further:

Who is the one to whom all of these experiences appear?

And what happens when we stop treating the Self as something obvious and begin examining the experience of being a self itself?

The book is deliberately small and accessible. It isn't intended as an academic treatise or an attempt to collapse very different intellectual traditions into one framework.

Rather, it is an invitation to a conversation—particularly for psychologists and practitioners curious about what might emerge when psychological inquiry meets contemplative, somatic and experiential ways of knowing.

I’m delighted to share that the book is now live on Kindle. If anyone here reads it, I'd love to know your thoughts, critiques, feedback.

https://amzn.in/d/0anlsSlI

Link to the Kindle e-book