21
votes
Accepted
When does a soul lose its memory of its previous birth?
According to the Garbha Upanishad, the soul can remember its past life when it is 9 months old in the womb:
Whatever is consumed or drunk by the mother passes through the nerves
and vessels to ...
- 111k
19
votes
Accepted
Moksha for the Soul of Brahma
Yes, the current Brahma attains Moksha at the end of his life. As I discuss in this answer, the Srimad Bhagavatam describes what happens to the inhabitants of Brahmaloka, including Brahma himself, at ...
- 97.2k
16
votes
Accepted
What is the relation/difference between Brahman(ब्रह्म) & Parabrahm(परब्रह्म)?
Brahman can be thought of in its as Saguna Brahman and as Nirguna Brahman. Parabrahman refers to Nirguna Brahman.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa says (Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, Chapter 10, The Master and ...
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16
votes
Accepted
Does a soul have any gender?
No, the self doesn't have gender, it's just a body which has gender.
According to Shwetashwatara Upanishad:
नैव स्त्री न पुमानेष न चैवायं नपुंसकः । यद्यच्छरीरमादत्ते तेने तेने स युज्यते ॥ १०॥
V-10: ...
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14
votes
Do plants have atman?
Going to the question: Do plants have souls?
Yes, many scriptures discuss the birth of Jiva as a tree. Example:
Chhandogya Upanishad 5-10-6:
अभ्रं भूत्वा मेघो भवति मेघो भूत्वा प्रवर्षति
त इह ...
- 26k
14
votes
Which scripture says that a sannyāsi can liberate 21 generations of ancestors without performing the śrāddha?
The book Dharma Bindu(Essence of all Dharma Shastras) quotes Daksha Prajapati,in the context of discussing "Sannyasa Dharma":
Dakshan Prajapati affirms:
Trimshatparaamstrim shadaparaan ...
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13
votes
Accepted
On what basis is a soul born as male or female?
We can get an answer from the embryological point of view as found in an Upanishad called the Garbha Upanishad (which is linked to the Krishna Yajur Veda).
In the fourth month, belly and hip are ...
- 111k
12
votes
According to Hinduism, who am I?
Atman. You've already said you've spent good time in understanding what is Atman or the self and the answer of "Who am I?" is already hidden in that thing.
Now, since you've started to learn ...
- 26k
11
votes
Accepted
If soul gets rebirth into another body, will pinda pradanam and shraddha rituals reach that soul?
The same question was asked to Sri Swami Sivananda. He answers this question in his book "May I Answer That?"
267. When the Jiva undergoes transmigration and takes another birth after ...
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9
votes
What is color of Purusha(jivatman) according to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
First of all, it seems the translation is missing a crucial part of the verse. Here is the translation of the same verse by Swāmī Mādhavānanda:
The form of that ‘being’ is as follows: Like a cloth ...
- 3,522
9
votes
Accepted
How can we identify a self realized person?
Some of the quintessential qualities of an enlightened person are:
He always observes silence. In other words, he is in a trance state most of the time.
He is child like and most of his actions ...
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8
votes
What exactly is a loka? Is it a place that be physically reached?
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to Lokas. People identify with their material bodies and therefore assume that the material sensual universe is the be all of everything. Lokas do not exist ...
- 23.8k
8
votes
Is every Jeeva "eternal" like the ultimate God (nirguna Brahman) or "temporary" within cycle?
"Above observations don't mean that Bhagavad Gita is the final authority." Let me preface this by saying that the Bhagavad Gita is definitely an infallible authority, and if you're ...
- 97.2k
8
votes
Why man is mortal irrespective of good or bad activity?
Why is man mortal?
We are not mortal. In fact no living being in true sense is mortal. it is only owing to our ignorance that we think that we are being born, growing, dying etc.
in Bhagavad Geeta ...
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8
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between living beings and dead matter according to scriptures?
First, your interpretation of verse 7.5 is almost there, but not quite, which leads to your confusion. It is best to read verses 4-7 together and not separately. Verse 4 refers to the apparent ...
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8
votes
Accepted
Do conjoined twins have same soul?
No, they have different soul because they have different Consciousness. Here is passage from Aitreya Upanishad showing it:
III-i-3: This One is Brahman; this is Indra, this is Prajapati; this is ...
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8
votes
Is Atma the same as the body?
In the Kathopanishad (Kath Up) we find the famous discussion between NachiketA and Yama. Where Yama gives NachiketA a short discourse on AtmAgyAna (knowledge of the self or soul).
In that context, he ...
- 111k
8
votes
Is Atma the same as the body?
रुद्र विष्णुप्रजानाथप्रमुखाः सर्वचेतनाः । स्वरसेनाहमित्याहुरिदमित्यपि च स्वतः ॥ २॥
The Consciousness is the principle entity amongst, Rüdra, Vishñu, and Prajänätha(Brahma).The Instinctual ...
8
votes
Accepted
What liberation technique taught by Shree Ramana Maharshi?
From the book Who am I. His technique name is Self inquiry.
Que:10. How will the mind become quiescent?
Ramana: By the inquiry ‘Who am I?’. The thought ‘who am I?’ will destroy all other ...
- 15.6k
8
votes
Does a soul have any gender?
"All Supreme souls are male, so are all souls that enter human body male?"
No. All souls that enter in human body are not male because soul doesn't have any gender.
Listen to me as I speak ...
- 23.7k
8
votes
Does a soul have any gender?
No it does not have.
As already answered here:
Naiva stri Na PumAnesha Na ChaivAyam Napumsakaha |
[The Soul or Brahman or the Self] is neither female, nor male not even
a Kliva or a sexless ...
8
votes
How many rebirths does a soul go through?
It must be numerous rebirths. Can not be counted and explicitly stated. Certainly not seven for all cases.
Atra janma sahasreshu sahasrairapi pArvati | KadAchit labhyate
janturmAnushyam ...
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8
votes
Shankara's Gita Bhasya says that the Self transmigrates. Is this true?
Shankaracharya uses Sanskrit word "dehi" in his commentary which is translated as "embodied self" (not self or Atman) and it indicates Jiva. You can read bhashya in Sanskrit from Gitasupersite of IITK....
- 31.1k
8
votes
Accepted
What is Advaita?
It is not possible to say that Brahman and the Atman are one because in the Advaita experience the ego dissolves. Without the ego there is no one left to do the counting.
In that state a man no ...
- 36.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Are there references to Out of Body experiences in Hinduism or its texts in detail?
Since you are expecting answer in detail. Here is the story from Yog Vasistha about out of body experience (or astral travel:::
Chapter 21 — Saraswati Explains the Practice of Meditation, Astral ...
- 48.2k
7
votes
Do plants have atman?
अहमात्मा गुडाकेश सर्वभूताशयस्थितः।
अहमादिश्च मध्यं च भूतानामन्त एव च ॥१०- २०॥
I am seated in the heart of all living entities. ... The ātmā or eternal soul is enthroned in the etheric heart of all ...
- 31.9k
7
votes
Accepted
What exactly happens during Parakaya Pravesha?
The key to every power in Yoga comes from Samyama. If you apply Samyama to other body, then you enter that body. When the mind has attained to that state when it identifies itself with the internal ...
- 48.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Does the soul remain at home for 10 days after death?
Yes, It does. It has been explicitly stated in Preta Khanda Chapter 15, Verse 72 of Garuda Purana
देहं प्राप्तः क्षुधाविष्टो गृहे द्वारे च तिष्ठति । दशमेऽहनि यः
पिण्डस्तं दद्यादामिषेण तु ॥
...
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