Ask Madhuri a Question about Hinduism

Madhuri · Jan 11, 2014

Kryptid said:
I apologize if this has already been asked before (seeing as how there are 36 pages), but does Hinduism have any kind of end-times prophecies like we see in Christianity? Does Hinduism teach that some great change will happen in the world at large some day? Will this world have an end or will it last forever?

That is a good question

Hinduism does teach that the universe ends but not in a prophecy - more like an explanation of the laws of nature.

We are told that the world experience 4 main Ages, the last of which we are currently in. After this Age ends, the universe is destroyed. But we believe that the universe cycles through creation and destruction so that after its death, it is re-created and the evolution of life begins again.

These cycles are infinite.

Vinayaka · Jan 11, 2014

If I can add, destruction isn't really the right word, as it connotes some sort of ruthlessness. A better word might be dissolution, or withdrawal back into formlessness.

Madhuri · Jan 11, 2014

Vinayaka said:
If I can add, destruction isn't really the right word, as it connotes some sort of ruthlessness. A better word might be dissolution, or withdrawal back into formlessness.

Good point

Aupmanyav · Jan 31, 2014

Kryptid said:
Does Hinduism teach that some great change will happen in the world at large some day? Will this world have an end or will it last forever?

Let me give you some numbers about it. The life of a universe is 6,220.8 billion years. We have completed nearly half of this, i.e., 3110.4 billion years. Excuse me if I do not go into more details because it sort of ties the mind in knots. After that period, there will be a great dissolution, going back to the source, before we start again. Please note that Big-Bang is not the great dissolution (Pralaya) or the great creation, it is only a minor local phenomenon.

Maija · Oct 14, 2016

Madhuri said:
I personally grew up using Tulsi japa beads for the Hare Krishna mantra.
One thing I really want to do is expand my experience with different Hindu traditions, practices and philosophies

Which mantras do you prefer most these days? Do you do rounds or just what feels right? Did you have a diksha, siksha guru or are those more ISKCON things?

I hope no questions are too ignorant.

Tabu · Oct 14, 2016

Madhuri said:
That is a good question

Hinduism does teach that the universe ends but not in a prophecy - more like an explanation of the laws of nature.

We are told that the world experience 4 main Ages, the last of which we are currently in. After this Age ends, the universe is destroyed. But we believe that the universe cycles through creation and destruction so that after its death, it is re-created and the evolution of life begins again.

These cycles are infinite.

Well, I understand how humans come down the ladder from ,Satyug to Kalyug , like how a battery over use would get drained and the heating up due use(birth -rebirth) and the environment(influence of other Kalyugi souls) would further add to this draining , but can you explain how re-creation as you have mentioned would take place. How the souls would be purified to start fresh again . Is there some godly intervention involved ?

Madhuri · Oct 16, 2016

Maija said:
Which mantras do you prefer most these days? Do you do rounds or just what feels right? Did you have a diksha, siksha guru or are those more ISKCON things?

I hope no questions are too ignorant.

I actually really enjoy the Gayatri mantra. There are some very beautiful recitations online that I like playing and chanting along too. I still love bhajans. I sometimes chant chapa but very rarely these days.

I have a diksha guru, who passed away a number of years ago. I think all Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradayas have a strong guru culture.

Madhuri · Oct 16, 2016

Tabu said:
Well, I understand how humans come down the ladder from ,Satyug to Kalyug , like how a battery over use would get drained and the heating up due use(birth -rebirth) and the environment(influence of other Kalyugi souls) would further add to this draining , but can you explain how re-creation as you have mentioned would take place. How the souls would be purified to start fresh again . Is there some godly intervention involved ?

The universe is literally destroyed and re-created. I like the theory of the big bang, which is seen as both the ending of the old and beginning of the new universe. This theory matches up somewhat with the idea of Vishnu breathing the universes in and out- that is, expansion and contraction of the universe.

The souls are not purified though. We take birth in a place and time that is compatible with our personal spiritual development.

Maija · Oct 16, 2016

Madhuri said:
I actually really enjoy the Gayatri mantra. There are some very beautiful recitations online that I like playing and chanting along too. I still love bhajans. I sometimes chant chapa but very rarely these days.

I have a diksha guru, who passed away a number of years ago. I think all Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradayas have a strong guru culture.

Thank you for all your responses!

Can you explain significance of gayatri mantra?

Thanks,

Tabu · Oct 17, 2016

Thanks Maduri for the previous reply
I would also like to know,
Who established the Hindu religion( Adi Sanatana Dharma) ? and When?

YmirGF · Oct 17, 2016

Madhuri said:
Is there anything you are confused about, think is weird, are unsure of or are just plain curious about Hinduism? How do Hindu concepts compare with the other main world religions?

I find that people are generally clueless about Hinduism.

Most importantly, I'm bored. So please ask me questions about Hinduism. It may even challenge me!

Can Lord Krsna create a bowl of yogurt so big that even he cannot eat it all?

Aupmanyav · Oct 17, 2016

Maija said:
Can you explain significance of gayatri mantra?

"Tat Savituh vareniyam, bhargo Devasya dhimahi, dhiyo yonah prachodayat."
(Let us meditate on the brilliance of that chicest deity, may he enhance our intelligence.)
Gayatri mantra is a request to the deity for intelligence.

Vareniyam - I have never been satisfied by the translation of the word 'vareniyam'. I have chosen 'choicest' here. 'Vareniyam' means the one who is the best selectable, like a bridegroom. 'Vara' means to choose, like in a 'swyamvara' (chossing of a groom for herself by a woman). If you have a good suggestion, please let me know.

Tabu said:
Who established the Hindu religion (Adi Sanatana Dharma)? and When?

It is exactly like asking who was the first man or the first woman in the world and when did he/she exist? Nobody knows, not even science. Hinduism arose in paleolithic times. It is like the River Bhagirathi, to which many other rivers contributed along with their own tributaries.

Ganges river basin in Uttarkhand, India

River Ganges and its tributaries in the rest of North India.

Aupmanyav · Oct 17, 2016

YmirGF said:
Can Lord Krsna create a bowl of yogurt so big that even he cannot eat it all?

Yes.
Because he does not create all the milk, yogurt or butter just for himself. He has to care about his friends too and for any spillage in the process of thieving. Furthermore, he cannot eat all the yogurt in the house, he has to keep some for Mother Yashoda, Nanda baba and other members of the household as well. He does not need to worry about 'Dau' (Balrama, his elder brother), because 'Dau' was with him in all his capers.
So he creates more milk, yogurt and butter than he himself can eat.
Jai Sri Krishna.

psychoslice · Oct 17, 2016

I love that naughty Krishna.

Aupmanyav · Oct 17, 2016

"Main nahin makhan khayo" (I did not eat any butter. It is only my friends who envy me. They have applied butter around my mouth to brand me a thief. See, there is nothing in my
mouth).

Yeah, Krishna is the most colorful personality in Hindu mythology.

Madhuri · Oct 18, 2016

YmirGF said:
Can Lord Krsna create a bowl of yogurt so big that even he cannot eat it all?

Probably

Madhuri · Oct 18, 2016

Tabu said:
Thanks Maduri for the previous reply
I would also like to know,
Who established the Hindu religion( Adi Sanatana Dharma) ? and When?

I don't think that 'Hinduism' was ever really established. Different revelations, so to speak, have come at different times in history but even before the Bhagavad Gita or Bhagavat Purana or even before the preaching of some of our main gurus and scholars, people had Vedic knowledge and worshiped the gods.

Hinduism, as in the religion, changes continuously over time and new branches appear regularly. This is not a problem though, as the path to Realisation is not one. Most paths are considered valid and it is believed by many that we become attracted to that path which is compatible with our personal spiritual development.

Madhuri · Oct 18, 2016

Maija said:
Thank you for all your responses!

Can you explain significance of gayatri mantra?

Thanks,

Simply put, it is a worship and a meditation. The main, original gayatri mantra is at Aup mentioned; an appeal to the Lord for understanding. But the Gaudiyas include numerous mantras in the gayatri ritual which are aimed to have us meditate with devotion on the personalities of Radhna and Krishna, Guru, Gauranga, and so on.

Tabu · Oct 20, 2016

Aupmanyav said:
Yes.
Because he does not create all the milk, yogurt or butter just for himself. He has to care about his friends too and for any spillage in the process of thieving.

When he can create why is he thieving around? Godly fun ?

Aupmanyav · Oct 20, 2016

What, otherwise, you think the Samasara is?

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