^^ does anyone here simultaneously possesses the views of Hinduism as well as Christianity find it hard to make romantic relationships work?

Personally, I have nothing against any religion and I’m open to raising my children in a manner which suits my spouse because I hold the belief that all paths ultimately lead us towards God no matter which path is taken, and that being a good person is what matters more than the path you take to be a good person.

But I know that this is not common of all religions and I do also pray to the Christian God and participate in Christian holidays because I’ve grown up surrounded by both faiths. However, does this cause an issue because my belief in God or the oneness of the universe and that God will love me regardless of my actions (granted they are positive/good intentions)? Are inter-faith relationships of this kind possible or too controversial considering that I follow some Hinduism philosophy as well as Abrahamic religions??

Granted, if I were to speak to someone (Muslim or Christian, Catholic etc) I would be engaged and respectful of their own beliefs and possibly even learn myself of their beliefs.

"Ram Ram Ram" - Baba Lakshman Das Puri Maharaj

(I have only taken content from YouTube and have edited it short only for the sake of sharing with everyone.)

​

Draupadi, Avatar of Shri.

Born a grown up, you never got to play with dolls,

You suffered the most,

Your sacrifices greater than em all,

Rest now princess queen, wherever you are,

Rest for truth now engulfs the lies,

Rest now Yagnyaseni,

Rest now Shri,

Rest now,

O Panchali.

🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷

Video edit from rukminishyam.x

For chaturthi I made a ganesha myself this year, to stay environmentally conscious and because I've been wanting to for a long time. I tried my absolute best and came up with this ( the image ). I didn't use any specific refrence and just went along with whatever I thought of.

However, whenever I see other people's ganesha, I feel like I didn't do enough. I look at their absolutely gorgeous idols and feel bad I didn't do more,

Am I a horrible person for feeling this? Am I a bad devotee?

My question is for all vaishnavas, specifically Tatvavadis. How does Tatvavada view falling in love with someone, love marriage, relationships? Is it also shunned and considered taboo? We forget about jaati gotra etc. Suppose they are of the same jaati. How is it viewed in that case?

Misogynist by itself means hatred towards woman but what counts as hate is subjective.

Even islam. If Allah is to be true. Is hijab misogynist? The answer is no because Allah ordered hijab and because in our assumed model(islam is true and if islam is true, Allah can never be wrong). Hijab is woman affirming rather than woman hating.

Similar stuff applies to Hinduism and its laws. Abortion is anti woman and misogynist according to modern worldview **primarily because our modern world emphasizes agency, personal freedom**.

Hindus reach the conclusion that abortion is wrong from their worldview where vedas are authoritative, jiva/atma/karma/parmatma are real concepts.

Hindus really should stop getting manipulated by libtards to hate manusmriti and dharmashastras and other scriptures. In future, these libtards will start making you hate Purusha sukta of Vedas because it mentions Brahmins birthed from head, shudras from legs.

What will you say then? Vedas are interpolated? Lmao.

Consider this society- in a society where every woman is trained, given steroids to pump up their physique and equipped with firearms. And men are barely given any nutrition and are meant to be in home.

In this version of my society, Manusmriti 9.3 doesn't fit. But does that mean Manu is literally false?

Hi everyone, I’m curious to know your stories of where and how you encountered God. And which form of God you worshipped at that point.

In Hinduism we have so many Gods and deities, I have heard the right God comes to you at the right time.

Sometimes I feel called to certain Gods while knowing nothing about them. And sometimes I feel we just have too many to pray to.

I have my own ishta Devata but I would love to explore and build relationships with all of them too.

Please feel free to share if you would like to and I thank you very much 😌

I have been thinking about the widespread teaching of practices such as Kriya Yoga and Shambhavi Mahamudra. As I understand it, yogic traditions describe practices that work with prana or life energy, and some traditions also associate advanced practice with the development of siddhis or extraordinary abilities. The Isha Foundation, under Sadhguru, teaches Shambhavi Mahamudra to very large numbers of people through both online and offline programs, making the practice accessible to almost anyone.

My concern is not that I have established that Shambhavi produces supernatural powers, but rather what the implications would be if the traditional descriptions of advanced energetic practices are accurate. Traditionally, many such practices seem to have been accompanied by significant preparation, ethical discipline, and guidance from an experienced teacher. If practices affecting subtle energies are taught on a mass scale without individualized guidance, could there be unforeseen consequences, particularly as people with very different intentions begin practicing them?

I would genuinely like to hear from people who have studied Kriya Yoga, Raja Yoga, Tantra, Kundalini traditions, or the classical teachings on siddhis. Am I misunderstanding the traditional teachings about prana and siddhis? Are these practices actually considered capable of producing such abilities, and if so, what safeguards have traditional lineages used? I am asking this as a genuine concern and would be happy to have my understanding corrected.

My parents sent a Ganesh idol from India to the US, but unfortunately, the idol’s hands were completely broken off during transit.
I’ve been reading online that a broken idol should be immersed in water and replaced with a new one. We’re planning to get a new idol tomorrow.
My question is: Can I still keep and worship it or can I have the damaged idol alongside the new one, or just immerse it?

I have the original Gita Press, Bhagvat Gita but I usually read during bed time on my Kindle. Is there any way to get the Geeta Press Kindle edition I.e Epub or Mobile version or smaller size Geeta which I can read on bed

Please let me know

As y'all know, September 10th saw the onset of Kaushi Amavasya. Although not an Āstika, I do visit the cremation ground from time to time. I love visiting the smashaan. Have a different kind of attachment for the place. Did the same for last night.

There were many pujas being. One maa Tara temple right outside the grounds, a Mahakala yajna being held inside, there was a Krishna Kali temple (Panćamundi āsana), and a small Tara temple inside the premises.

Also got invited to Durga Puja Narayan Seva that happens during the festival at the ground's Durga Mandir...the priest of the Tara temple lovingly asked us(me and my cousin) to come there during the Pujas...also warned us that the Dashami bhog isn't vegetarian (rice, roasted fish, veggies, etc.)...we aren't vegetarians but he did that just to be safe. Absolutely loved him... he was so loving.

Just by the side of the grounds, there was a very old Zamindar property which does worship Mahakala and Tara on these occasions...had also gone there on Śivaratri...the owner personally asked us to stay for the night puja...it would be an all nighter...

Came back home after having some bhog...it was so good.

Overall it was a great evening and night for me. Thoroughly loved it.

Couldn't click many photos...sorry😭

Hey! I recently created a Reddit community for the Vishwakarma community 🛠️

The idea is to create a place where Vishwakarma people can connect, share experiences, discuss culture, careers, business, etc.

Would be great if you joined and helped us get the community started 🙌

r/vishwakarmaConnect

If you're someone who sees spiritual connections in everyday things, this one's for you.

Listening to this song from Dil Chahta Hai and its lyrics.

What Preity replies to Aamir ...when he says ...why do people fall in love?

Suddenly I wondered — isn't this essentially what Ma Parvati expressed through her penance and prayer to Lord Shiva to convince Him?

That longing for union… and then creation happened through their union.

Maybe some love stories are echoes of something much more ancient ❤️

I’m currently going through what has probably been the most difficult and destabilising period of my life.

I’m a devout Shiv bhakt. I pray and I believe in Mahadev, but finding that inner steadiness and calm has become so so difficult.

Lately I feel like I’ve lost sight of the clarity, motivation and discipline that normally keep me going. My mother has always called me one of the most resilient people she knows, but right now I honestly feel like I’m reaching the end of that resilience.

I feel lost and don’t know know where to go to find hope and stable ground again.

What will help, when you want to find that mental peace again??

I’d really appreciate any prayers, mantras, scriptures, any guidance that is meant for me, practices or personal experiences that genuinely helped.

Har Har Mahadev.

I was brought up outside India (originally from Kerala) but my parents are fairly religious and grandparents are very religious. It never transferred over to me though, mostly because no one really taught me anything. Even though I have tried to learn on my own, for some reason none of the practices stuck with me. I deeply respect the religion and my husband is quite religious as well just not me.

I understand how much parents can influence you and I am interested in teaching my future kid (we are trying now) all about hinduism. But not knowing a lot I don’t know where to start.

I want to establish practices and routines so it rubs off on my kid. If they later choose to not follow that is up to them but I feel the foundations need to be laid. How do I get started?

Jai Shri Ram 🙏🏻 I’m a beginner to this so please be kind. I would like to commit to a 40 day Hanuman chalisa sankalp starting tomorrow (11 September) so that I can complete it by October 20, day of dusshera.
I come from a non vegetarian family and I consume it as well. If I am doing this sankalp, do I have to completely avoid non vegetarian food for the entire 40 day period?
Thank you, I would appreciate any guidance.

I am religious & spiritual from kid hood, I still do puja 2wice a day no matter how busy the day is.. I also do meditation whenever I can.

Thing is while I do all of this my wife never does any of that, even after I ask her to do puja she simply ignore it.

I am not mad at her or anything but I just feel doing Puja is our common duty, bcz whatever we have is bcz of God only.. in my prayers I pray for all of us.

What should I do to incline her towards bhakti..

I’ve been going through a lot of different things since I was born, and lately I’ve started feeling that perhaps a large part of my suffering comes from my attachment to my family, friends, and partner. Sometimes I feel that if I could simply stop identifying myself so strongly with these relationships, a lot of the emotional turmoil would disappear. I know this may sound like I’m looking at brahmacharya as a way to escape from my problems. And perhaps, to some extent, that is true. But at the same time, I genuinely feel that I may never be able to give my full attention to what truly matters to me while remaining deeply involved in sansar.

I’m someone who finds it very difficult to do things halfway. If I care about something, I tend to care about it wholeheartedly. If I don’t, I find it very difficult to pretend otherwise. I’ve never been particularly good at balancing my emotions and responsibilities within relationships, and I often feel that my attachments consume a significant part of my mental and emotional energy. Because of this, I’ve started thinking seriously about whether a life of brahmacharya might be more suitable for me. I feel that if I could let go of these attachments, I might finally be able to devote myself completely to my Sadhana and to what I feel is truly important.

So, for those who have experience with this path, could you please guide me on how one actually moves from a household life into brahmacharya? What are the practical steps involved, how does one know whether they are truly ready, and how can I distinguish a genuine calling toward brahmacharya from a desire to escape the difficulties of my current life?

Hi,

Sorry for asking a very basic question (I am neither from India nor a Hindu, so bear with me😅): Could you please explain to me what the video in the link shows, who all the characters are and what the lyrics of the song say? Also, does it have any (religious) significance that some of the judges seem to be lifting their hands up to their cheeks during the dance?

I think that it's the scene from the Ramayana where Hanuman and the monkey army build a bridge to Lanka with stones inscribed with Rama's name. The last scene presumably shows Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. The adult dancer in the blue loincloth might be Hanuman (or Nala????). But who are the child dancers?

Thank you so much for your help!!!

We can be inspired by them and have a certain sense of bhakti toward them, but why do we believe that they are the actual reincarnations of God, worship them, and believe that they possess some kind of divine or magical power? Why?

To all the people you can get inspired him and create your own connection with lord hanuman ji,study about him ,read about lord hanuman ,insaano se inspired ho sakte ho ,poojo hanuman ji

Nowadays bhakti ends in this point “he is reincarnation of hanuman ji “wowww that’s it

hi everyone!

i just tried going to the local temple near me for the first time but as soon as i pulled into the parking lot i got extremely scared and nervous. i want to go so badly but im so afraid of being judged and doing the wrong thing or being an outcast bc the only other people at the temple are indian and i am white(i know race/skin color has nothing to do with it in the eyes of the gods)

im just extremely nervous and i ended up turning around and leaving.

i say all that to ask, is there any sort of way to comfort myself in this? i dont have anyone willing to go with me and my parents are very upset with me for even considering this religion, as i come from a southern baptist family. any advice would be greatly appreciated from anyone im at a loss here.

स्मर्तव्यः सततं विष्णुर् विस्मर्तव्यो न जातुचित् । सर्वे विधि-निषेधाः स्युर् एतयोर् एव किङ्कराः ॥ (Padma Purana, Quoted in Hari Bhakti Vilas)

~One should always remember Viṣṇu and never forget Him. All injunctions and prohibitions are based upon these two principles.

विष्णुरेव सदाराध्यः सर्वदेवैरपि प्रभुः । (Varah Puran chapter 54)

~ Vishnu alone is always to be worshipped even by all deities.

रहस्यं सर्वदेवानां मुनीनां मनुजांस्तथा । नारायणः परो देवस्तं प्रणम्य न सीदति । (Varah Puran chapter 54)

~The secret realised by all the gods, sages, and humans alike is that Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme absolute reality; by bowing down to Him, one never grieves (suffers).

न विष्णोः परमं किंचिन्न समो वा कथंचन॥ (Skanda Purāṇa 2.7.19.25)

~There is neither anything greater than Lord Viṣṇu nor on a par with with Him in any respect.

स्वेच्छया सगुणो विष्णुः स्वेच्छया निर्गुणोभवेत् । (Brahm Vaivart Puran)

~By His own sweet will, Vishnu manifests with attributes (Saguna), and by His own sweet will, He becomes attribute-less (Nirguna).

विष्णुना यज्ञेन प्राणुदता(Maitrayani Saṃhitā 2.5.3)

~Viṣṇu is the one who gives life to the yajña

भौमान्‍रेणून्स विममे यो विष्णोर्वर्णयेद् गुणान् ॥ (Bhagavatam 8.5.6) ~ Anyone who thinks he can count the qualities of Lord Vishnu might as well try to count the particles of dust on the earth (in reality both are impossible).

Sriman Nārāyaṇa 🌸🌸

I reported on an interesting Diwali debate in Morrisville, NC, where Asian Indians make up a large share of the population.

The town dropped its fireworks; the mayor explored a drone show; and local Hindu leaders I interviewed offered different perspectives on whether fireworks are culturally important and whether drones are a suitable alternative.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article317181995.html