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According to ShankarAchArya in Advaita, is the universe "unreal" or "unworthy"?

Recently I came across one of the key quote, which sums up Adi ShankarAchArya's Advaita philosophy: The Brahman of the Upanishads is the only Reality, and everything else—this world of manifoldness—is unreal, is a mere appearance; the individual…
iammilind
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Can the Devi Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavatam co-exist?

As we all know, Srimad Bhagavatam is regarded as the best of the Mahapuranas. It is also the most famous and widely commented upon scripture. But we also have the Devi Bhagavata, which calls itself a Mahapurana, but is actually considered as an…
Surya
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17
votes
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Why do devotees offer gods own creation as offering to him?

I see lot of people offering flowers, fruits and other tangible things to god to please him. However, I fail to understand, how can god be pleased by offerings that are his own creation.
Ashwith Ullal
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16
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4 answers

Do plants have atman?

Animals and humans have atman. killing animals is a sin because it has a soul. Do plants have Souls? Is the killing of Plants Sin or not?
Keerthi S
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16
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4 answers

Does the shloka 'ahiṃsā paramo dharma' or excerpt appear in Mahabharata?

Ahimsa paramo dharma, is it taken from Mahabharata? Many sources over internet say so and claim that it is a half-truth and the remaining half is Himsa dharma tadaivacha. Is it true? Who is the orator of the shloka and to whom is it addressed and in…
hanugm
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16
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1 answer

Is there any mention or description of Karwachauth in Hindu scriptures?

Please provide a description of why Karwachauth is celebrated. As far as I know, there is some story about fasting by a woman and due to her mistake ( in not doing the fasts properly, she mistook a diya as the moon), her husband dies. So,…
ABcDexter
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16
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7 answers

Did Rama know that he was Avatar of Lord Vishnu?

This chapter of Ramayana narrates the meeting of Garuda with Rama. न च कौतूहलं कार्यं सखित्वं प्रति काङ्क्षिणा । कृतकर्मा रणे वीर सखित्वं प्रतिवेत्स्यसि ॥६-५०-५७ "O, hero! You need not be so curious to know the casue of my friendship. You will…
The Destroyer
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16
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3 answers

Why is Mohini not one of the Dashavatara of lord Vishnu?

Dashavatara refers to the ten Avatars of lord Vishnu, which are : Matsya Kurma Varaha Narasimha Vamana Parashurama Rama Krishna Buddha Kalki But apart from the above, lord Vishnu has one more Avatar i.e Mohini, which is a female avatar of lord…
Mr. Alien
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16
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4 answers

If karma works, why are so many evil or corrupted people successful?

The world have so many evil or corrupted people who are successful. If karma is applicable to people, why do good people have to struggle?
Bhavin
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16
votes
3 answers

Why did Hanuman fight with Lord Rama?

I heard there was one occasion where a god and his devotee fought a great battle against each other. It's the case of Lord Rama vs. Hanuman. Being a true devotee, why did Hanuman fight against his cherished god, Lord Rama?
Mr_Green
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16
votes
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Who are Yakshas?

We have heard and read lot of stories involving Yakshas like Kuber was a Yaksha, there was an encounter of Yudhisthir with Yaksha who asked seven questions to him(ofcourse that was revealed to be Dharmaraj later). My question is who are Yakshas and…
Aby
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16
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What is Ashta-Siddhi and Nav-Nidhi?

It is said that Lord Hanuman has got Ashta-Siddhi (Eight divine powers) and Nav-Nidhi (9 more powers). I want to know what all powers are included in the Ashta-Siddhi and Nav-Nidhi. Also, who all were the other people who have got these powers apart…
Aby
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16
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महामद is not Islamic Muhammad, its a Sanskrit word and it has its own meaning?

I visited many of non Hindu sites that they argue that Prophet Muhammad is mentioned in our(Hindu) scriptures and they mention some sloka , I find one sloka in Bhavishya Purana that they mention in above image and sloka line is महामद इति …
Bhavin
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16
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How was the Madhu Vidya passed down before Dadhichi?

As I discuss in this question, by far the most popular school of Hindu philosophy is the Vedanta school, which bases its tenets on the doctrines laid out in the Brahma Sutras, a work by the sage Vyasa which summarizes and systematizes the…
Keshav Srinivasan
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16
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5 answers

Are there any stories related to Lord Shiva from the Kaliyuga?

All stories related to Lord Shiva I have read till now seem to be in the Satyayuga, Treta or Dwapara. The last one I heard is I think in Dwapara, when Lord Shiva was testing Arjuna. I want to know whether there are any stories related to Lord Shiva…
Aby
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