Hindu Spiritual Wisdom - Short Articles

Effect of Food on Spiritual Growth Role of music in the process of spiritual growth If I am a vegetarian can I take eggs? - Sun, 23 Jan '05 Misconceptions of Hinduism in America? - Tue, 7 Dec '04 Hindu Dharma - Material World - Sun, 24 Oct '04 How were the four Vedas written? Freedom from the bondage of desires How do we find God How do you recognize a qualified teacher? Grihasta and Sanyasi - which life is better? What is...

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Effect of Food on Spiritual Growth

Question:   Swamiji, does the food we eat have any affect on our spiritual growth? Answer:   The food we eat seems to affect us not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually as well. After overeating, for example, we not only add to our waistlines, but we also feel dull or listless. To give a personal example, I grew up in a family where eating meat and drinking alcohol were acceptable. As a young man, when I began to practice yoga and meditation, I soon noticed how much those foods disturbed my practice. They made my body feel...

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Role of music in the process of spiritual growth

Question:   Swamiji, what is the role of music in the process of spiritual growth? Answer:   There are a number of ways in which music can serve as sadhana, spiritual practice. The power of music goes far beyond conventional ideas about singing bhajans and other forms of devotional music. On the spiritual journey to discover God's presence within ourselves, we must be prepared to employ all of our faculties to reach this lofty goal. We must employ our intellects in scriptural study. We must employ our minds in meditation. And we must...

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If I am a vegetarian can I take eggs? - Sun, 23 Jan '05

Question from balvihar student Rishabh Iyer: Question:   Swamiji, you taught us that vegetarianism is based on ahimsa, non-injury. Then, is it OK to eat eggs since chickens are not killed? Answer:   It is true that eating an unfertilized egg does not kill a chicken. But it is also true that chickens are treated very badly in modern chicken farms. They are kept in tiny cages, allowed no freedom of movement, and are fed with hormones to artificially stimulate the rapid production of eggs. So, eating eggs contributes to this cruel treatment...

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Misconceptions of Hinduism in America? - Tue, 7 Dec '04

Question:   Swamiji, most people in the USA know very little about Hinduism. Many here seem to have a low regard for our religion. What can we do about this? Answer:   It is certainly true that most of your neighbors, co-workers, and fellow citizens are virtually clueless about Hinduism. Few people are well-informed about the people, cultures, and religions that lie beyond our borders. Ignorance and wrong ideas about Hinduism are widespread. Unfortunately, this ignorance can lead to problems for Hindus, especially with the fear and...

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Hindu Dharma - Material World - Sun, 24 Oct '04

Question:   Swamiji, according to Hindu dharma, is it better to raise our children to be competitive so that they can succeed in this material world, or should we raise them to be content with whatever they have? Answer:   Before answering your question, allow me to ask another: "Is it necessary to be competitive to succeed in the material world?" Competition always places individuals against each other; competitors must fight one another. And on the battlefield of competition, one competitor must lose for the other to win. Competition...

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How were the four Vedas written?

Questions from Bal Vihar Students Question:   How were the four Vedas written? Who wrote them? (from Neil Merchant, 6th grade) Answer:   The four Vedas – Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva – are not the work of any single author. In ancient India, there were many rishis (sages) living simple, contemplative lives in hermitages high in the Himalayas and along the banks of sacred rivers. The rishis had names like Angiras, Bhrigu, Yajnavalkya, and Gargi (Gargi was a woman). They sought to understand the fundamental truths of life – Why are...

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Freedom from the bondage of desires

Answer:   The ancient rishis taught us that unfulfilled desires cause suffering. The more desires we have and want to fulfill, the more we suffer when they remain unfulfilled. Therefore, freedom from desires leads to freedom from suffering. While this is certainly true, it seems unnatural to be totally free from desires. Suppose an person who has gained liberation, enlightenment, moksha, is asked, "Would you like tea, coffee, or a cold drink?" Would the enlightened person reply, "I have no desires, so it doesn't make any difference to me."...

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How do we find God

Question:   Swamiji, how can we find God? To discover Bhagavan, the supreme Lord, seems too difficult for ordinary people like us. Answer:   It is certainly difficult to find what we seek when we look in the wrong place. Did you ever lose your keys or pocketbook and spend hours looking in so many wrong places? To discover anything, we must know where to look. Where shall we look to discover God? The ancient rishis taught us that the Lord is everywhere, pervading the universe. Bhagavan is sarva-vyapaka, all-pervasive like space. There...

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How do you recognize a qualified teacher?

Question:  Swamiji, how can we recognize one who is a qualified spiritual teacher, a true guru? Answer:   This question is trickier than it might seem. In modern times, professionals like physicians and attorneys must pass examinations and receive some kind of certification. Traditional gurus, however, follow no such conventions. Other standards must be applied. Appearance is certainly not one of those standards. A long beard and orange robes does not make one a guru. In a famous passage from the Mundaka Upanishad, the sage Angiras...

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Grihasta and Sanyasi - which life is better?

Question: Swamiji, which is better for gaining spiritual growth, the life of a householder (grihasta) or the life of a monk (sannyasi)? Answer: This same question was asked by Arjuna at the beginning of chapter three in the Bhagavad Gita. There, Sri Krishna says that both lifestyles are equally meant for spiritual growth. Sannyasis are free to be totally committed to a life of sadhana (spiritual practice) because they have no other responsibilities. Householders, on the other hand, have many responsibilities. Therefore, they must resort to the...

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What is the role of prayer in spiritual growth?

Question: Swamiji, prayers are usually recited to help obtain a particular result, like a student's prayer for good grades on an exam. But for one who seeks spiritual growth, rather than worldly goals, what is the purpose of prayer? Answer: The purpose of prayer depends entirely on a person's needs. Those who have financial, emotional, or health problems can pray for the Lord's blessings. Their prayers, if done with sincerity and faith (shraddha), will invoke the Lord's grace in their lives, helping them to manage or overcome their problems. Those...

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Effects of navagrahas on our lives

Question: Swamiji, what are the effects of the navagrahas, the nine planetary deities? Some astrologers say they influence our lives. How? Answer: How do the navagrahas affect our lives? According to the ancient rishis, our lives are shaped by two mighty forces: free will and karma. Through the use of our free will, we make choices. And based on our choices, we act. But our actions alone cannot fully account for all that happens to us in life. Many unexpected events take place that can only be explained by the doctrine of karma.  We are...

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Shraddha and it's importance

Question: Swamiji, please explain shraddha (faith) and its importance. Answer: First, let us see the difference between shraddha and andha-vishwasa or blind faith. The great acharyas (teachers) of the Hindu tradition never demanded that their students should blindly believe or "swallow" anything. In fact, they didn't want their students to believe; they wanted their students to understand. A teacher wants students to understand, to know, unlike a preacher who wants listeners to believe. A physics professor doesn't want his students to believe...

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God and Nature

Question: If God is good, why is God's creation in the form of nature often harmful and even violent? Answer: This question vexes many people. Earthquakes, famine, disease, and death all occur according to the laws of nature. These natural laws, like everything else in the universe, ultimately come from the Lord. Then why does it appear that the Lord's goodness not always expressed in nature? The basis for this question is our very limited concept of what is "good" and what is "bad." Generally, good is what we like and bad is what we don't like....

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Relationship between bhakti and jnana

Question: What is the relationship between bhakti (devotion) and jnana (knowledge)? It is said that there is a very thin line between them. Answer: Bhakti and jnana are as inseparable as two sides of a coin. Jnana means spiritual wisdom. To gain the highest jnana--knowledge of God--an extraordinary degree of effort will certainly be required. But will our limited efforts ever be sufficient to scale the lofty heights of jnana to finally know God? Without grace, without the Lord's blessings, those heights will forever remain beyond our grasp. Yet,...

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Questions about God

Questions from Neela Saraswati - 4th Grade Question:   If God is everywhere, why do we go to the temple to pray? Answer:    Even though God is indeed everywhere, we often find it difficult to recognize His presence in all places.   God is just as present in the middle of a busy highway as He is in the temple.  But do you feel God's presence driving down the highway?   Probably not.  On the other hand, when we enter a temple and see the Lord's sacred form on the altar, we can certainly feel God's divine presence....

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Hinduism's standpoint on evolution

Question from Bal Vihar student Sapan Shah: Question:   Swamiji, in my school we discussed the theory of evolution and another theory called creationism. What is Hinduism's standpoint on evolution? Answer:   Creationism is based on a Biblical story in which God creates the universe in six days. According to this account, God created the Earth with its seas, vegetation, birds, fish, and animals before finally creating the progenitors of the human race, Adam and Eve. Evolution, on the other hand, is based on scientific observations about...

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Prayer versus Destiny

Question:   Swamiji, can you please explain Prayer versus Destiny? How can we explain the significance of prayer to our children? Answer:   Thank you for your excellent questions. First of all, the Hindu doctrine of karma should not be confused with the concept of predestination. According to Hinduism, your future is not predetermined or predestined. Your karmas from past lives (and earlier in this life) do indeed affect you, but they do not necessarily determine your future. Why not? Because the Lord has blessed us all with the power...

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