Questions tagged [mahabharata]
The epic by Veda Vyasa narrating the great war fought in India between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
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How do we solve the contradiction of Rukmi being alive during the war, though Balarama had killed him before?
The events of Shri Krishna’s life described the Harivamsa, take place before the Mahabharata war. The same can also be gauged from the chronology of events given in the tenth skandha of the Srimad ...
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Drona pleasing Lord Shiva
I heard this description of Drona:
He that pleased Lord Shiva using a shower of arrows
Is this true?Please give scriptural references.
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1answer
44 views
What is the number of people from Varnas required to form a government in the Mahabharata?
I had watched a video of Jaipur Dialogues on YouTube some time back. It is difficult for me to go through all the videos again. In that video it was mentioned that -
w number of Brahmins
x number of ...
2
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0answers
58 views
Can Hindus go to foreign countries ? Is it best to avoid going to foreign countries?
Which caste people can go to foreign countries ?
Is it true that Hindus who go to foreign countries lose their caste (thus become untouchable) ?
And what about untouchable Hindus ? Can they go to ...
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74 views
Did Draupdi marry only Yudhistira? [duplicate]
Today I watched a YouTube video
As per this video, I am confused due to the opinions and thoughts stated by the youtuber. He says that Draupdi married only Yudhistira and not all five Pandavas. He ...
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1answer
61 views
Did Krishna actually call Draupdi as “Sakhi” ? Were Krishna and Draupdi friends?
I had watched Mahabharat on TV star plus. In the show , the Character of the Krishna used to call Draupdi "Sakhi" .And Draudpdi would call Krishna "Sakha" .
Were Krishna and ...
7
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1answer
348 views
What is the story of Parvati closing the eyes of Shiva?
There is a story in our scriptures where Goddess Parvati closes the eyes of Lord Shiva and the entire Universe went dark due to it. Lord Shiva has been described as Tryambakam (one with three eyes) in ...
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Why is it considered as bad to become ghost after death ? Do ghosts live a very miserable life?
It is being said that people who die by suicide or suffer violent death usually become ghosts .
So, why is becoming a ghost considered a bad thing ?
Is there more suffering in it ?
What things can a ...
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37 views
Hierarchy of entities spanning from gross body or senses to parabrahman
Across the scriptures, different hierarchies has been mentioned regarding entities related human life. For example consider the following hierarchies:
#1: Hierarchy by Krishna
The senses are superior ...
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41 views
Bali born as ass
Bali, son of Virochana, was pushed to underworld by Vamana. My understanding was he rules there with Vishnu serving as his door keeper.
In Mahabharata, a story narrated where Bali was born as ass. ...
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1answer
217 views
How to reconcile Rama's Vishwaroopa, Upanishads and Krishna saying he is Rama only among warriors?
Lord Rama is often known as the supreme being according to Vaishnavism. This is evidenced by many scriptural refereces:
Brahma in Valmiki Ramayana 6.117.31-32 calls Rama the first/primeval and ...
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1answer
65 views
Prahlada becoming a prisoner [duplicate]
Bianca narrates the discourse between Prahlada and Indra, and in that Indra says to Prahlada:
Thou art now bound in cords, fallen off from thy former position, brought under the sway of thy foes, and ...
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How and When did Parvati die? Or she still alive?
Parvati was a normal human . So, death must have come to her .
How and when did she die ?
Or Is she still alive ?
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Are Kapoti and Unchha methods one and same?
While enumerating the lifestyles allowed to Grihastha, Vyasa told the following statement
That kingdom grows in prosperity where these highly deserving persons
live, viz., those that lead a life of ...
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1answer
83 views
Order of senses according to sanathan dharma
In sanathan dharma, there are atleast six sensory organs: manas, ears, skin, eye, tongue, nose. We are considering only the five physical sensory organs for our discussion, keeping manas aside.
Modern ...
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73 views
Why is the Gayatri Mantra so important?Who is Gayatri Devi?What is Her relation with Lord Shiva?
I have seen this question
Someone had pointed out a quote of sage Yajnavalkya saying that Gayatri (Mantra) is the mother of the Vedas.
a)We know that the Vedas emerged from the four faces of Brahma.
b)...
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1answer
65 views
What was that secret message Dhritarashtra sent to arjuna before the day of war?
While reading Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda I come across the following passage:
After their long and strenuous trials, when the Pandavas at last
reached their native kingdom, their tyrant cousin,...
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41 views
Why did Pandavas killed Nishada woman and her sons while escaping the house of lac? [duplicate]
In Jatugriha Parva we see that Pandavas ended up killing Nishada woman and her five sons.
Desirous of obtaining food, there came, as though impelled by fate, to that feast, in course of her ...
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Disobeying the parents
I think bhishma did a big mistake by not disobeying his father and taking a lifelong vow of celibacy. Had he confronted his father at the right moment this whole war could have been stopped.
Was it so ...
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98 views
How to reconcile these incendiary acts of Devaguru Bṛhaspati, in the story of Dīrghatamas (from Mahābhārata)?
In the Book 1: Adi Parva, Sambhava Parva (Section 104) of the Mahābhārata, we encounter an appalling story of sage Dīrghatamas, as narrated by Pitāmaha Bhīṣhma to Satyavatī.
I'm quoting the ...
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1answer
152 views
Why cannot a Shudra earn wealth as per Mahabharata?
https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/19101/19211 This answer says that Shudras should serve other orders as menial by "massaging" and obeying their "wishes".
Another section of ...
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4answers
567 views
Should most brahmins today be considered as shudras?
Since most brahmins particularly those living in urban areas today don't follow the duties of a brahmin , should they be considered as shudras ?
Many of them indulge in degenerate things like alcohal ...
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Is Vaishnava dharma parva a part of Mahabharatha?
The telugu translation of Mahabharatha is containing an extra parva names Vaishnavadharma parva. It contains 22 chapters in it. It is basically a discussion between Krishna and Yudhishthira. It ...
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1answer
84 views
Blind obedience to father in Scriptures
Shantanu agreed to Pratipa's wish, hence had to marry Ganga.
Bhishma left everything for his father's wish.
Rama followed the orders of his father and left for exile even when he could have easily ...
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1answer
46 views
If Lord Krishna was able to prevent the Kurukshetra War, why did he not prevent the Kurukshetra War?
It is stated in texts of Mahabharata that Lord Krishna is an avatar of Vishnu and has the ability to change the very course of the universe with its creatures. Some people say the Kurukshetra War was ...
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1answer
108 views
Was there incarnation of Satya and Treta yugas personified in Mahabharata?
We know that Kali who is the ruler of Kali yuga incarnated as Dhuryodhana and Dwapara incarnated as Shakuni.
But what of the other two yugas of Sathya and Treta.
Who rules these yugas? Were they ...
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1answer
39 views
Can all saptarishis be considered as a brahmarishi?
People say that Spatarshi is a post and Brahmarshi is a person who understood the true meaning of Brahman. Can only a Brahmarishi become a Saptarishi?
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1answer
37 views
How was Yudhisthira able to enter heaven alive when Krishna himself could not go to Vaikuntha in his own human body?
Krishna was incarnation of Vishnu. In Mahaprasthanika Parva, it describes Yudhisthira entered heaven alive when Krishna dies which is the reason why Pandavas and Draupadi renounce the world. How was ...
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1answer
47 views
Who cursed the snakes that they will die in Emperor Janamejaya's snake sacrifice?
Somebody cursed the snakes that the nagas will die in the sarpa satra of Janamejaya who did it in revenge for the killing of his father Parikshit by Takshaka. Who cursed those nagas that they would ...
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1answer
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Why did many devas along with Vishnu incarnate on earth as major Mahabharat characters during dwapara yuga?
Why were devas born on earth as major Mahabharat characters such as Pandavas, Karna, Krishna, Balram, Bhishma, Abhimanyu, Upapandavas in the first place? Why did gods incarnate on earth?
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Was Aśhvatthāmā born immortal or did he become immortal later by Kṛiṣhṇa's curse? How did Aśhvatthāmā and Kṛipā become immortal?
From Mahābhārata
Aśhvatthāmā and Kṛipācārya are Chirañjīvī , but how did they become immortal?
Are they born immortal, or it's due to some boon or curse ?
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1answer
60 views
Were the 100 Kauravas, Jarasandha, Kamsa, Shakuni, Shishupala and other kings avatars or portions of demons? [duplicate]
In Adi Parva, it tells that Gods, Apsaras, Daityas, Demons, and Gandharvas took birth as men. Which asuras were born as hundred kauravas, shakuni, shishupala, jarasandha, shalya and others?
In Adi ...
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Will Ashwathama get his gem back on his forehead after the term of his curse is over?
In Sauptika Parva, Krishna cursed Ashwathama to be in pain for 3,000 years with all types of diseases but after the term is over, will he get his gem back on his forehead that he gave?
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39 views
How can Ashwathama be the next Vyāsa and Saptaṛṣī despite releasing Brahmaśhirā astra on Uttara's womb killing Parikshit?
From Viṣṇu Purāṇa:
Ashwathama killed foetus of Parikshit. He was not even born and was in his mother's womb when Ashwathama killed him. How can a person like him compile the vedas in the next ...
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Which is the best documentary on Mahabharata? [closed]
I wanted to watch any good documentary on Mahabharata. Please recommend.
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If Kripacharya is an immortal and one of the chiranjeevi and also the kulguru of hastinapur, where was he during the snake sacrifice of Janamejaya?
go to http://sacred-texts.com/ and read about mahabharat. Where was he when during the sarpa satra of Janamejaya, when Vaisampayana was narrating the 1st narration of Mahabharat in which Kripacharya ...
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1answer
103 views
Partition of night in to parts
Night or nighttime (also spelled night-time or night time) is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day.
Consider the following statement of Vyasa from the ...
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Uttara gita bhashya of Gaudapada
Uttara Gita is a famous text containing the conversation of Lord Kesava with Arjuna.
Traditional scholars claim that the Uttara-Gita has taken as its
source the Asvamedha Parva of the Mahabharata. ...
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0answers
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Glorifying others as a bad act
Consider the following statements of Sisupala from Mahbharatha.
O king, what can be done by me when (it seemeth) thou hast not heard
anything before from virtuous old men giving lessons in morality? ...
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1answer
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Bhishma enumerating avatars of Krishna to Yudhisthira
Bhishma enumerated all the popular avatars of Krishna just before the killing of Sisupala by Krishna. Bhishna told it to Yudhisthira. But, it is not present in some translations.
Did Bhishma ...
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2answers
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Five sacrifices of domesticity
The pigeon in Sibi's story says
one is especially bound to do so if one happens to lead a life of domesticity that consists of the five sacrifices. If one, while leading a life of domesticity, does ...
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1answer
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What are the purification rites for mixed castes mentioned by Manu?
Consider the following question and answer from the Mahabharata
"The serpent said, 'O king, if thou recognise him as a Brahmana by
characteristics, then, O long-lived one, the distinction of ...
3
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1answer
160 views
Is niyoga the same as surrogacy?
Does niyoga mean surrogacy?
In the Mahabharata vyasa did tubectomy like that only.
In case of Vichitravirya's wives did vyasa do surrogacy?
Does AyurVeda tell about this niyoga?
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1answer
48 views
What is the story of Babruvahan as per Vyas Mahabharat?
Babruvahan was son of Arjun and Chitrangada. But his story has different versions from different places i read. In some, Ulupi trained him to kill Arjun to later revive him.
What was this story ...
5
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1answer
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Does Mahabharata say anywhere that sun is parabrahman
Valmiki Ramayana contains Aditya Hridayam which (at-least indirectly) says that sun is parabrahman ?
He is Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector of the Universe, Lord
Shiva the god of destruction, ...
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1answer
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Are there sources other than this Mahabharata verse where Shri Veda Vyas is told to be reincarnation of Sage Apantaratamas?
In Brahma Sutra Bhashya of Shri Shankaracharya, while writing Bhashya for 3.3.32
Acharya says
apAntaratamo nAma muniH kali-dvApara-sandhau vyAsatvena sambabhUva
A sage named 'apAntaratamas' ...
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1answer
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Ritwijas and Purohitas becoming Kshatriya
While describing the duties of the Brahmanas, Bhishma says
They amongst them that become Ritwikas, Purohitas, counsellors, envoys, and messengers, become, O king, equal to Kshatriyas.
Ganguly's ...
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45 views
What type of torch is used during Mahabharata times?
There are several statements in Mahabharata that mentions the usage of torch, which provides light, mostly at night times.
Consider the following instances mentioning the usage of torch
Dhananjaya, ...
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1answer
88 views
What did the Pandavas have to do before reaching heaven?
Popular TV shows describe Yudhishthira's journey to heaven after each of the other Pandavas fell (or fail). He was accompanied by Yama Raj in the disguise of a dog.
He had to undergo a series of tests ...
