maadhav

the 'Guest' you responded to probably is not a hindu but an anti-hindu or ignorant hindu. never allow any one, any thought, to break your love for hindus and hinduism. now, we hindus do have some internal problems, and we need to work/solve them without fighting in public when possible.

Here is a link that would help. http://www.geocities.com/shvyaas/Content.html

you are a true seeker and will learn. Thanks, and may god bless you. please search 'Hinduism' on google.

<< --"When belief is not producing the results you expect of that, you introduce what is called faith. That means hope.">> may be you, not many here. such hope also cannot get any result you expect. <<--"Anything you do to escape from the reality of the world will make it difficult for you to live in harmony with the things around you.">> people, not things, mostly. harmoney is a mutual responsibility of the peoplw who desire harmoney. if one party keeps causing trouble, even a saint cn not live in harmoney with crooks. <<--"All I can guarantee you is that as long as you are searching for happiness, you will remain unhappy." >> it is the converse. don't search, and stay in hell, and feel happy. <<--"Why should life have any meaning? Why should there be any purpose to living? Living itself is all that is there. Your search for meaning has made a problem out of living.">> no. the problems you get and see makes you search for the meaning of life. once you find it, you have a way to happiness. <<--"All I am saying is that the peace you are seeking is already inside you..." >> yes, but saying that does not open the door to peace instantly. there are yoga processes to reach that peace. it takes time, generally. you cannot become an engineer or doctro without going to a university. same here. << --"Only if you reject all the other paths can you discover your own path." >> no. then you can get totally lost, unless you are an avatar sent by god. you are free thik think what i wrote are illusions. cheers! enjoy your enlightnement! i would prefer to remain in such illusions.

very good response! thanks. please pick a usre name. it makes discussion easy.

dear brother, you are doing good seva by your responses to the hindu haters. i suggest please pick a username. that helps in communication on the forum. thanks and may krishan bless you. dhanyavad!

yes. hinduism does not talk abour races or skin colors. the enemies of hinduism try to cause strife between the hindus by such questions. other non hindus, some try to pose as hindus and give totally wrong presentation of hinduism. teh fact is that aryan is not a race. any one who accepts the authority of the vedas and lives by it is an aryan. so draidians (south indians) are also aryas. the kkk or hitler are not an arya. they do not care for the vedas. Hare Krishna are aryans. every human being has equal right to the vedas. the vedic literature is not a monopoly of the indian people only. the hindus however are keeping the vedic literature and the culture alive for future generations of the world. so, they do deserve some credit/appreciation for it. only the anti-hindus would not apprecite them for it. no hindu should fall in trap questions that cause any strife among us all the hindus of the world. so i pray. dharma rakshitah rakshati. a lot of things are possible with sangha bala and some action. dare to dream a strong and vibrant vedic culture in india and in the world, such that the world would look up to it.

<< .. but there is one thing we must do as hindus. learn to accept other religious teachings. >> if you live by the bank of ganga, you do not need to drinnl waters of all the places of the world. any one who says he/he is a hindu, needs to understand hinduism form gita and live by it. that is totally sufficient. to think that those who have repeatedly killed us for 1000 years have a good religion is foolishness. krishna cleary tells how to deal with them. << our scholars have taught many great things in the past couple mellinia (not sure if thats how its spelled). but we must also come to accept that people from other countries of other faiths are not stupider than us by default.>> sure we respect them, but if an ideology flatly is against our survival and survival of dharma, then it is sheer lie to say it is a good ideology. << they have many wise teachings as well and we must learn to put all the important teachings together>> why? we (gita, vedas) do not miss anything. Live by it. << and only then will we as hindus be totally complete. >> we are true hindus when we live by gita. anyone can follow other religion, we dont mind, but when anyone is up to destroy us, our culture, or dharma, then we cannot sit silent. it is sin to completely avoid kshatruya dharma.

illusion is when you think that something is true and it is not. there are many things true and we cannot see them, e.g. radio waves, air, etc. soul (aatma, jiva, spirit) is someting within a living body. when this spirits quits teh body, then the living entity is dead. after quitting a body the soul takes another body in next birth. there are cases where some remember theri past life and retain their skills or knowledge of the past. hindus know this is a fact.

very good post! thanks. the situation is sad, adharmic. krishna says: sve sve kamaNi abhiratah samsiddhi labhate naraH no need to fight between varnas. all have their place in the vedic society.

death: body dies, not the soul (jiva within). therefore there is no need to save the body. so hindus cremate it. the dead body is to be removed from the house and burnted without any delay. bodies of some gurus/swamis however are buried and a memorial/temple is made there. traditionally one removes all hair from head and face if an elder in the family dies. due to sorrow, the family would not particilate in any functions of fun and joy for some time, at least 13 days if not more. men take shower after coming from cremation. marriage: it is one time in life, ideally. engagement preceeds marriage. marriage ceremony is a few days long. the priest must be a married man. marriage rite is done in teh witness of fire god. groom sits there with the priest. and relaties of both sides sit surrounded. then the priest requests, "present/bring the bride, attention." thus he warns the groom and all that there is still time if any one on the groom side does not want this marriage to happen. then the ritual contines and brid and groom circambulates the fire seven times one by one whole the priest sings vedic hymns for marriage. marriage is fian when seven rounds complete. till then any party has chance to stop from marrying. bride and groom are under teh direction of the priest. they need to fast a day prior to marriage. a sword is kept with the groom. this is a symbolic way of saying that teh groom and the party is willing to fight robbers or any one who atttacks or casues disturbance to the town or village or the function. there is more info than than this.

very good post! thanks.

<< It's true for Hinduism with some indications, such as the intention of abolishing varna for competitivity as well as fabricating the idols of new gods that can't be found in any scripture. >> that is not hinduism, but malpractice of hinduism. hinduism cannot be defined by or understood from malpracticeners.

so what religion or scripture you decided to follow/live by?

if he/she can handle it, then he/she feels bliss and full knowledge of three kaalas. he realized god.

you cannot find truth anywhere? you cannot find hermlessness anywhere? you see violence everywhere?

if you have veg. foods available, then do not eat non veg. if it is sever emergency - life/death situation, then you could eat what ever saves life. however, some do prefer to die than eat meat.

yes.

hridayanand goswami has translated mahabharat. it may be on a web page. i am not sure if BBT published it. BBT or BTG might know.

according to gita and the vedic scriptures, god and haven is for every one, not just for xians. . world has created hell here by erecting cow slaugher houses, nuclear wate and pollution due to industry and car exhausts. mircles happen any place or time. gyandev touched the head of a buffallow and it started singing vedic hymns. when changdev was coming to meet him riding on a tiger, gyandev went to great him riding on a rock slab. once gyandev's sister cooked chappati on his back. lives of many saints in india is full of miracles.

bhishma, while on the bed of arrows, describes the dharma karma of a king to yudhishthir. plese see mahabharat, bhishma parva probably. if the current democracy of india has a body of vedic gurus as volunteer advising committee and accepted by the public, and if the ministers and gov.servants follow gita and gurus' instructions, then india would become a hindu rajya.

you will find it in india.

<< If the world is an illusion >> The world is not an illusion but temporary where real happiness cannot be found if one just goes after satisfying the senses only. when brahma, the first created being was instructed by god to create, he tried various ways to crete. then finally he cratred male-female, an automation in creation. is in not ingenious?

i think that this practice is not mentioned in thehindu scriptures. it came in india with the muslims invasions. I have seen more muslims wear it than hindus. any way, neck or biseps are convenient places to put it on. the practice is innocent, if superscitician is not mixed with it. the capsule contains a mantra or a yantra for some specific benefit. it is usually received from a saintly person.

<<1) According to Hindus, what is the way to true happiness?>> live sin-free acording to gita and be free from the cycles of birth-death. << 2) Why were humans created? >> the soul within each living being is eternal. a soul takes bodies, one after another to satisfy its desires.