Questions tagged [history]
For questions about the history of Hinduism.
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History of Brahmin's diet
What is the history of brahmana diet?
Brahmins are generally vegetarians but there are some exceptions to it such as Pancha-Gauda Brahmans, Kashmiri Brahmans, and Oriya Brahmins?
So why is there so ...
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0answers
40 views
Where did Thirumangai Alwar meet Narasimha?
The Alwars (also spelled Azhwars) are a group of 12 ancient Vaishnava saints who lived in Tamil Nadu and are famous for their poetry in praise of Vishnu. One of the Alwars was Thirumangai Alwar, aka ...
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1answer
75 views
Is it true that “since the fifth century B.C., every known royal family has come from a non-Kshatriya caste”? [on hold]
The quote “since the fifth century B.C., every known royal family has come from a non-Kshatriya caste” is attributed to KM Panikkar.
What evidence would support or refute this claim?
This question ...
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2answers
193 views
Are mythologies real (historical) or merely allegorical?
Are all mythologies real or are they stories or symbolic things meant to teach us something higher?
I know that we (individuals) too are not so real as far as Vedanta is concerned. All is one. But ...
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1answer
59 views
Was Gaudiya Vaishnavism influenced by Madhwa's teachings?
I read that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had met and was guided by Sri Vyasa Tirtha.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vyasatirtha
If this is true, are there Gaudiya doctrines/practices that are influenced by ...
4
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1answer
154 views
Did Max Müller actually distort Hindu scriptures in his translations?
This answer claims:
It is also said that Müller was hired by the British East Indian Company only to distort Hindu scriptures.
But did Müller actually distort Hindu scriptures? If yes, how exactly ...
2
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2answers
161 views
Did the great Vedic scholar Sayanacharya reincarnate as Max Muller who propagated Aryan Invasion Theory?
Swami Vivekananda has claimed that the great Vedic scholar Sayanacharya, who wrote a commentary on the Vedas, had reincarnated as the infamous Max Muller.
Does this claim have any basis?
From what ...
6
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1answer
100 views
Where is the account of Ramanuja recovering the Melkote idol from the Delhi Sultan originally recorded?
I have heard that Ramanuja went to Delhi to ask for the idol after it had been plundered. The idol was in a room with other plundered items but when he called out its name the idol came and sat on ...
2
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1answer
179 views
When did Vaishnavites start wearing Urdhva Pundram?
Did Ramanuja introduce the Namam? What did Vaishnavites wear before that?
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1answer
87 views
What are the dates of Subala and Mudgala Upanishads?
Scholarly opinion is as follows:
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Mudgala_Upanishad.html
The author or composition date of Mudgala Upanishad is unknown. Jan ...
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2answers
63 views
Why do people put warm clothes on idol in winter?
I notice people put warm clothes on idols in winter time. Is this a personal practise or is it supposed to be followed?
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0answers
39 views
who is Audulomi who appears in Brahmasutras?
What is the history of Audulomi who appears in Brahmasutras of Vyasa
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0answers
136 views
What was the lifestyle of Gaudapada?
The Satadhusani is a work by the Sri Vaishnava Acharya Vedanta Desikan consisting of 100 refutations of Adi Shankaracharya's philosophy of Advaita. One chapter of the work is devoted to refuting the ...
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1answer
61 views
Which came first, dharma śāstras and smṛtis or the people that followed them?
This is a chicken-and-egg problem.
Did the dharma śāstras and smṛtis come first and then people started following them or people already had some unwritten rules and they were then codified into ...
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0answers
39 views
Who was the king who argued with Adi Shankaracharya using karma siddantha (law of karma)?
What is the name of the king who debated with Adi Shankaracharya against Advaita and supporting karma siddhantha (law of karma)?
Which authentic text contains the discussion between them?
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1answer
61 views
Where are drona and shiva used as meters, what other meters are there similarly?
I learned recently about Koorathaazhvar and Kulothunga Chola's apparent argument, although I'm not interested in the context it was used, I'm curious about the question, as what and when are these ...
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0answers
67 views
Was Nathamuni originally an Ekadandi Sanyasi?
The Satadhusani is a work by the Sri Vaishnava Acharya Vedanta Desikan consisting of 100 refutations of Adi Shankaracharya's philosophy of Advaita. One chapter of the work is devoted to refuting ...
1
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0answers
35 views
Who divided/rearranged the brāhmaṇas, āraṇyakas and upaniṣads?
According to SB 12.6.50 it appears Vyāsa (Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana) only rearranged the Vedic mantras into four parts:
50. Just as (out of a heap of mixed up)
precious stones of the same kind are ...
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0answers
32 views
Is Vyāsa being the compiler/divider/arranger of Vedas recorded anywhere in the Vedas themselves?
There are several Purāṇic references, e.g., SB 12.6.50 that say Vyāsa (Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana) arranged the disorganized Vedic mantras into four parts:
50. Just as (out of a heap of mixed up)
precious ...
3
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1answer
87 views
Which saints or Yogis from history are recorded to have done Parakaya Pravesha successfully?
Parakaya Pravesha is an advanced level Yogic Siddhi (accomplishment) obtained by certain adept Yogis. By virtue of which these Yogis can enter other's bodies.
Adi Shankaracharya mastered this Siddhi ...
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0answers
22 views
How is the date of Aryabhata calculated?
Kali Yuga is said to start at around 3000 BCE because Aryabhata said he is living 3600 years into Kali Yuga.
But how do we know when Aryabhata lived?
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80 views
Who coined the term “neo-vedanta?”
Some folks on this site are saying:
This term was invented by Western Christian orientalists to denigrate the Hindu religion...
Paul Hacker coined Neo-Vedanta for spread of Christianity and ...
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0answers
53 views
Did Ramanujacharya perform Sharanagati in Madhurantakam?
The Gadya Trayam is a set of three prose hymns composed by the famous Sri Vaishnava Acharya Ramanujacharya on the subject of Sharanagati or complete surrender to Vishnu as a means of attaining Moksha. ...
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1answer
88 views
Why does the Apsara Menaka keep abandoning her children?
It is well known that Menaka had a daughter with Vishvamitra by the name of Shakuntala, whom she abandoned during infancy because she didn't intend to have the child. This daughter was later adopted ...
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0answers
44 views
Who is King Yavana mentioned in Anushasana Parva of Mahabharat?
In Anushasana Parva (165), Bhishma tells Yudhishthira about the names of the deities, Rishis and Kings to be duly recited for efficacious cleansing of all sins. The following is the (abbreviated) ...
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0answers
44 views
Are there references to Mesopotamia in Hindu scripture?
It has been proven through archaeological discovery of seals and artifacts that the Indus Valley Civilization traded with the civilizations of Mesopotamia, such as Sumer.
Sumer and the IVC existed ...
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0answers
25 views
Is the Battle of 10 kings mentioned in the Puranas or Itihasas?
Do the Puranas or Itihasas talk about the Battle of 10 kings mentioned in the Rig Veda Samhita?
Since this is a historical event, it might be mentioned in the Puranas.
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40 views
Diet directives (meals how many times in a day) for Brahmans in ancient era [duplicate]
I recently heard that in ancient times, rishis, brahmans had a directive to have meals only once in a day. This was primarily because of the sedentary lifestyle involving acts such as yajna, homa, ...
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0answers
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Chowdeshwari Devi's mantra shakti used by the king for daily rituals ?
From the wiki article:
Hundreds of years ago, it is said, that there was a kingdom called Nandavara on the banks of the river Tunga in Karnataka near Raichur district, or another namesake village ...
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0answers
31 views
Historical evidence for time period of Nathamuni
Alkondaville Govindacharya's work on the life of Ramanujacharya mentions that Nathamuni lived for a total of 540 years (pg 12). The book begins by stating that in the year 916 A.D. when Yamunacharya ...
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1answer
127 views
Was Adi-Shankara initiated into Kriya Yoga?
There is a general belief that Adi Shankara was initiated into Kriya Yoga by Mahavatar babaji who is said to be living in the Himalayas. But do we have any authentic reference from our ancient texts ...
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0answers
66 views
At which point in time did Hinduism begin to embrace vegetarianism exactly?
I was watching a BBC documentary where they claimed that early Rig Vedic writers (early Brahmins) practiced "horse sacrifice" and were indeed non vegetarians. So at what point did they decide to ...
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1answer
116 views
Guarding of women's quarter in the later Vedic and Puranic eras
We come to learn from the Mahabharata and various puranas that Krishna had 16,000 or 16,100 wives besides his 8 principal consorts. Is there any direct or indirect reference in any of the major/minor ...
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0answers
98 views
Is Neo-Vedanta a modern modification of Hinduism?
According to this article, Neo-Vedanta is a modern interpretation of Hinduism that incorporates Western values. The author says this:
During this short span of time in the 19th century, the ancient
...
5
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2answers
118 views
Why do Vedas have śākhās? Are all of them apauruṣeyā?
This table lists the Vedas and their extant śākhās under the Saṃhitā column. My question has to do with the śākhās.
Note that the bracketed terms in the Saṃhitā column are names of the
...
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0answers
193 views
Who was the guru of Chanakya? [closed]
We all know Chanakya a.k.a Kautilya, the author of Arthashastra.
I would like to know that, who was his Guru and which school of thought did he follow?
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4answers
291 views
When were the Vedas classified into four?
It is said that Veda was one and later Vyasa arranged it into four ( rig sama yaju atharva) and then propagated through his pupil and hence we got shakhaas etc.
What was time when vedas were ...
3
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0answers
72 views
What are the different sampradayas under the “shanmatha” branches?
Like the various Vaishanava sampradayas, what are the major disciplic lines for the other 5 sects... Shaiva, Shakta, Ganapatya, Kaumara and Saura?
1
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1answer
127 views
Reference to China in Manusmṛti?
In his column What exactly is the Manusmriti?, Devdutt Pattanaik says the Manu mentions China. Which verse(s) is he referring to?
Manusmriti was composed roughly around 200 CE (Common Era). We know ...
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0answers
52 views
When did Shaivism start?
In terms of history of India, when did Shaivism appear? I don't mean references to Lord Shiva, I mean Shaivism as a religious entity.
10
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1answer
219 views
How did lord Rama perform penance for Ravana after killing him?
In this video, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudeva says that Shri Rama performed 1 year penance in Himalayas for killing Ravana, who was a great devotee of lord Shiva.
Is it true?
If yes, then how did he do ...
6
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1answer
101 views
Why Kumarila Bhatta sacrificed his life?
Kumarila Bhatta burnt his body in front of the whole villagers. What was the reason behind this act of his?
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66 views
Age of sanatan dharma till today [duplicate]
What's the exact age of sanatan dharma ? And when it started. whats the date it started.?
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41 views
Was Kumārila Bhaṭṭa the first to argue that the Vedas were apauruṣeya (authorless)?
Wikipedia says:
2. Every extant school held some scripture to be correct. To show that the Veda was the only correct scripture, Bhaṭṭa ingeniously said that "the absence of an author would ...
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0answers
44 views
What was the dialogue (debate) between YajnaMurti and Ramanujacharya?
While reading the biography of Sri Ramanujacharya, I've read one story of YajnaMurti (यज्ञमूर्ति), (You can read it from Internet Archive pg. 107) who was the believer of Advaita. He was pundit of ...
2
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0answers
57 views
Why is Garba performed?
I came to know that in many parts of India Garba is performed.
Is there any secret behind that?
When did the practice of Garba start?
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0answers
34 views
Difference between old and new temple of Yadagiri gutta
I recently visited Yadagiri gutta sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple with my parents and siblings.
While going back I came to know that we don't visit the old temple. I did search on the wiki about ...
4
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2answers
201 views
Didn't the Sati practice exist in India? [duplicate]
There's a YouTube channel called FMF, which makes videos on Indian culture and Hinduism. Recently one of its videos focused on the Sati practice.
here's the link to that video. It will also be ...
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1answer
117 views
What is the story behind the legendary temple of the virgin Goddess, Kanya Kumari?
As the question title says I would like to read references from some authentic resources (scriptures, if possible) about the story behind the legendary temple of the virgin Goddess, Kanya Kumari, like ...
3
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0answers
63 views
Before taking Samadhi Dnyaneshwar did follow Ashtangyoga?
Ashtangyoga contains 8 parts in yoga. Ashta means 8.
Ashtangyoga - Yam Niyam Aasan Pranayam Pratyahar Dharana Dhyan Samadhi
These are eight parts of Ashtangyoga. The saint Dnyaneshwar has taken ...
