Questions tagged [history]
For questions about the history of Hinduism.
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When was Yama Smriti lost?
Yama Smriti is one of the eighteen Smriti which is no more extant.
Till when it is in existence and when did (in which year) we lose that scripture?
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45 views
Was Sati (a hindu custom) a rule during Shivaji's tenure?
I want to know : To whom was it mandatory to perform sati during shivaji's rule- only kshatriya widows? or all widows irrespective of castes?
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Did Adi Shankaracharya establish Akharas in addition to mathas?
Quite a few websites have popped up that claim Akharas were set up by Adi Shankaracharya. Some sites have even claimed that the Naga Sadhu order was organized into a mitary order by Adi Shankaracharya ...
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76 views
Why Brahmans cannot touch the blue color
In Alberuni’s India Volume 2, page 132 , about Brahmans , is said :
...the blue color is impure for him, so if it touches his body , he is
obliged to wash himself
Albiruni, writing about 1030 c....
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1answer
93 views
Does any sacred Hindu text have knowledge of electricity?
At many places our ancient books exhibit deep knowledge of various branches of maths, and that is discussed a lot. For instance, Yuktibhasha, a 15th century Malyalam textbook of maths teaches ...
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80 views
Does anyone write books on analyzing ( or reviewing) Hinduism?
Did any non-Hindu write any analysis (review) of Hinduism about why Vedas said like this and why our Puranas said like that etc?
The concepts in our Vedas and Puranas are far away from reality, so ...
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32 views
Does the tradition of writing Rama Koti have any scriptural basis?
Rama Koti is a practice in Hinduism in which a devotee of Rama writes the name of Rama in a book for one crore times.
Is this tradition of writing rama koti mentioned anywhere in the scriptures or ...
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38 views
Is Hinduism a foreign belief system in India? [closed]
As far as I know, Aryans migrated from Asia Minor (Anatolia or Turkey) to Indus valley.
And, in order to rule over the local and indigenous people, they created the caste system. They also created ...
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22 views
Datta guru's time and ashrams
When did Dattatreya live and preach and help devotees? If he was in the 15th century, who were his contemporaries? Where are his ashrams situated, and are they now protected and available for pilgrims'...
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2answers
81 views
What were Kauravas doing during geetopadesham from Sri Krishna? [duplicate]
When Arjuna was feeling bad to fight against Bheeshma and his Guru Dronacharya, Shri Krishna tries to enlighten Arjuna by preaching Geethopadesha when they are in the middle of the war field. What ...
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28 views
What happened to Ekalavya? [duplicate]
We have heard the story that Ekalavya just by peeping the training of Dronacharya to Arjuna, he became master in archery. But once Dronacharya found that Ekalavya is greatest Archer than his favorite ...
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61 views
Is Anushasan Parva from Mahabharat an interpolation? It is claimed by many scholars and also it is not mentioned in the spitzer manuscript [closed]
https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m13/index.htm
I have read at many places that Shanti parva and Anushasan parva were later added in the original mahabharata. Does that also make vishnu sahasranamam ...
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3answers
126 views
Why there was so much hatred towards Karna on the part of Bheeshma and Dronacharya?
During the time of war also, they did not let Karna do war. They always insulted every given chance against Karna. Is it just because Karma is a Sut Putru? Or they just hate him that Karma was a ...
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0answers
56 views
When was Vasavadatta praised in Sita’s assembly?
Madal is an ancient Indian practice where a man rejected by the woman he loved would go around riding on a fake horse made of palmyra stems badmouthing the woman, in an effort to embarass her into ...
4
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0answers
84 views
Who decided that mantras should be used for yajñas that came later?
Were the ṛṣis who heard the mantras (found in the saṃhitā portion of the Vedas) aware that what they heard (or was revealed to them) will be used to conduct yajñas (sacrifices)?
If not, who decided ...
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1answer
134 views
What is a jambu tree?
I am reading 'The Wonder That Was India' by A.L.Basham. In chapter 1, Introduction the author mentions as a footnote that,
The ancient Indians knew their sub-continent as Jambudvipa (the continent ...
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0answers
37 views
Is yoga an independent philosophy as classified in shad-darshan? or was it later incorporated in Tantra? or is it a part of tantra itself?
There is a separate school in Āstika tradition of Sanatana dharma as "Yoga". Also, the tantrik texts consists a section as Yoga itself. So how does the yoga as mentioned in Shad-Darshana differs from ...
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1answer
75 views
Hinduism opposite of a third eye [closed]
Is there the concept of someone who sees futures that shouldn't exist or shouldn't be?
I know about the third eye.
0
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1answer
70 views
Is Kṛṣṇasāra mentioned in Manusmṛti 2.23 the spotted deer (Axis axis) or the blackbuck (Indian antelope)?
Ganganath Jha translates 'kṛṣṇasāra' as 'spotted deer':
kṛṣṇasārastu carati mṛgo yatra svabhāvataḥ |
sa jñeyo yajñiyo deśo mlecchadeśastvataḥ paraḥ || 23 ||
But the region where the spotted ...
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1answer
222 views
Which group of currently active Hindus (not necessarily a sect) reject the least from the totality of Hindu scripture?
Most modern Hindus would probably reject animal sacrifice - although it is actively practiced by many Hindus today.
Many sects are currently active today and many of them are defined more by what ...
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94 views
Has the current day India become a mlecchadeśa? Is it still fit for sacrifices?
Commenting on Manusmṛti 2.23, Medhātithi says:
In fact, the name ‘mlecchadeśa’ is to be taken literally, in the sense that it is ‘the country of mlecchas’; so that if mlecchas happen to conquer a ...
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0answers
45 views
Where are imperishable personalities from Mahabharata?
The characters listed below are Chiranjeevi's or imperishable personalities from Dwaaparayuga that means they are immortal. So where do they exist in Kaliyug? Is there any evidence or documents ...
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31 views
Indian Solar dynasty king
Was there a Solar Dynasty king called Salisuka. If yes, please provide details of his place in the list of solar dynasty kings.
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43 views
Who is Jalangiman Chetti and what powers did he possess?
Swami Vivekananda in one of his talks mentions a person, Jalangiman Chetti, claiming he acquired some special powers from constant repetition of certain mantras.
Who is this person and what powers ...
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0answers
98 views
What scriptures describe Hiranyaksha mining the Earth?
Most people only know the story of the demon Hiranyaksha putting the Earth in the Garbhodska ocean, after which Vishnu’s incarnation Varaha the boar killed Hiranyaksha and rescued the Earth. But page ...
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1answer
144 views
When was the last Ashwamedha yajna conducted?
I have read at few sites that Pushyamitra Shunga (2nd century B.C.) had conducted two Ashwamedha yajnas. Did any king conduct Ashwamedha yagna after Pushyamitra ?
4
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2answers
417 views
Is there any religious significance of saffron flag as per our scriptures?
Modern Hindu organisations usually use saffron triangular flag as a unanimously accepted symbol of Hinduism. However, does the flag or colour have any significance as per authentic Hindu scriptures?
2
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0answers
73 views
What is the earliest reference to identifying/differentiating Siddhartha Gautama and the Buddha Avatara?
Hindu scripture describes two Buddha Avataras of Vishnu born to deceive people. One Buddha Avatara took place during the Tripura incident. Another Buddha Avatara took place in the present Kali Yuga. ...
6
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1answer
199 views
Did Ramakrishna ever meet Dayanand Saraswati?
I read somewhere(maybe Ramakrishna Kathamrta) that Ramakrishna had a meeting with Dayanand Saraswati(founder of Arya Samaj). Is it true? If so what topics were discussed between then and what ...
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0answers
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Has anyone combined Adi Shankaracharya's various purva paksha debates and shastrarthas?
Adi Shankaracharya is well known for his debating skills, I wonder if I can find his debates in written form anywhere.
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137 views
Is there any evidence to support Dayananda Saraswati's unorthodox claim that the medieval Sri Vaishnava scholar Yamunacharya was a Muslim?
Hindu-reformist Dayananda Saraswati claimed that the medieval Sri Vaishnava scholar Yamunacharya was a Greek or Muslim who was originally called "Yavanacharya".
From Life of Dayanand Saraswati:
...
6
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2answers
217 views
Is Sanskrit really a divine language or is it simply the common spoken language of the Vedic era?
If Vedas were to be "heard" in the medieval era by the sages, I am sure they might have composed it in Awadhi or some other common language, as even Tulsidas composed.
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1answer
92 views
Are today's Rajputs descendants of Kshatriyas of previous yugas?
Are today's Rajputs descendants of Kshatriyas of Dwapara Yuga and Treta Yuga?
In Short are Rajputs descendants of Shri Rama, Shri Krishna and Pandavas?
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2answers
255 views
What is the role of Jainism and Buddhism in introducing Vegetarianism to Hinduism?
It is said on multiple occasions that initially Hinduism was not a vegetarian society. From Was Lord Rama a non-vegetarian? :–
I know meat eating is not restricted to any Hindu Caste, while in
...
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2answers
188 views
Hindu scriptures before Mahabharata about thinking capability of head
Consider the following excerpt from the Shalya Parva of The Mahabharata
Indeed, the son of Pandu, filled with rage, struck off that head which
was the root of the evil policy of the Kurus, with ...
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176 views
Does the Kamma caste existing today fall into Sudra Varna?
There was no strict varna system in South India outside Kerala. They had only three classes namely Brahmin, non-Brahmin and Dalit. So their divisions are different from varna system. Since the Brahmin ...
7
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1answer
182 views
Charan samaj and their history
I am a chAraN (चारण in Devanagari), we usually call ourselves devi Putra (Son of Devi), we are the sons of Maa hinglaj.
I just want to know more about chAraN, I have seen we are mentioned in Ramayana, ...
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0answers
71 views
Is there any historical evidence that Britishers interpolated Hindu scriptures? [duplicate]
For many years, there is a lot of influence of British in India.
East India Company 1612–1757
Company rule in India 1757–1858
British Raj 1858–1947
Partition of India 1947
...
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0answers
104 views
Who was the earliest Vedic scholar to think that the Upanishads are not part of the Vedas?
It is a belief among some modern Hindus that the Upanishads in general are not part of the Vedas, nor are they Shruti (apaurusheya), and that they were authored after the Samhitas, which are the truly ...
4
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0answers
38 views
Was the Rig Veda organized into “Books” or “Mandalas” before it was written down?
I am reading on Wikipedia about how the Rig Veda was orally passed down "with unparalleled precision". And how it is divided into 10 books, with books 2-7 being the "family" books which are older and ...
4
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2answers
193 views
Why are Vedas often referred to as “three Vedas” instead of four? Why is Atharva Veda excluded from this list?
Āpastamba 1.1.28-29: If the proper time for initiation has passed, he shall observe, for the space of two months, the duties of a Student, as observed by those who are studying the three Vedas; after ...
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0answers
29 views
How old is the scripture Maya Samhita?
Maya Samhita is a scripture deals with shilpas.
When this scripture came into existence?
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97 views
History of the 12 laws of karma
The twelve laws are:
The Great Law: “As you sow, so shall you reap.”
The Law of Creation: “What we desire comes through participation.”
The Law of Humility: “Refusal to accept what is will still be ...
2
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2answers
135 views
Which is the first Hindu scripture that mentions about zodiac signs?
The following are the names of zodiac signs
Mesha (Aries),
Vrushabha (Taurus),
Mithuna (Gemini),
Karkat (Cancer),
Simha (Leo),
Kanya (Virgo),
Tula (Libra),
Vrushchika (Scorpio),
Dhanu (Sagittarius),
...
5
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1answer
218 views
According to Valmiki Ramayana, was Hanuman a human being or a monkey (vanara)?
Hanuman is one of the central characters of Ramayana. He's revered as a great devotee of Shree Rama and worshiped as an avatar of Shiva. He's also known as the son of Vayu. We see his images, statues, ...
7
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1answer
203 views
What was the opinion of Kumarila and Prabhakara about the Puranas?
What was the opinion of Kumarila and Prabhakara, who were proponents of the Jaimini mimamsa, about the Puranas? In context of both mythology and history.
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Do the Gorkha people from Nepal have their ancestral origin in the people who were once the part of Gorakhnath's army? [closed]
I heard somewhere that some king of Nepal was forcefully converting Hindu Sadhus to Buddhism.
When Gorakhnath heard about it, he built an army from clay then made that army alive and defeated the king....
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95 views
Books recommended to learn about atheist and/or agnostic schools of Sanatana Dharma in details
Which books do you recommend to learn about atheist and/or agnostic schools of Sanatana Dharma?
I haven't got any good references.
I have heard about the book known as Sarva Darsana Sangraha written ...
1
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2answers
222 views
How is Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda saṃhita different from Śukla Yajurveda?
Are both Śukla and Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda saṃhitas derived from the same parent source or are they totally independent from each other?
Are there any mantras common to both?
4
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1answer
131 views
Why do most of the people visit India to achieve high spiritual state or for becoming great?
I am always curious to know why do most of the people visit India to achieve high spiritual state or for becoming great ?
Example Steve Jobs, Mark Zukerburg etc.. the list is long.
