Posted on: 08 Jul 2021
1. What is the permanent solution for incurable diseases like diabetes?
[Śrī Anil asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, some questions raised in internet discussion forum is presented below. Please grace Your response to the same. At Your Lotus Divine Feet-anil. What is the permanent solution for incurable diseases like diabetes? Medicine, regular exercises, food control, repentance and non-repetition of sins. What is the role of each of these factors?]
Swāmi Replied:- I am related to the context of the last factor. Surely, realisation, repentance and practical non-repetition of the sin will avoid the entire punishment, which may be in the form of disease like diabetes. As a scientist, I feel that diabetes by itself is not a disease, but, it is a source of all diseases and spreads like water under the mat. It is not a disease because it is simply the imbalance between credit and debit of food. When credit is more and debit in the form of physical work and walking is very less, the letter from the income tax department is diabetes.
2. Why God only cared for Indians?
[Why Hindu Gods used to come only in Indian subcontinent when there were also humans living other parts of the earth (like Australia, America etc). Why Gods only cared for Indians and believed that other humans also believe in Indian Gods in future?]
Swāmi Replied:- This is totally a misunderstanding due to ignorance. We have the names of several angels (gods) and Gods (incarnations of God) in other religions existing in other countries also.
3. Why did Kṛṣṇa come on this earth to annihilate the wicked (Bhagavad Gītā 4:8)? As God, He should save the wicked, instead of destroying them?
Swāmi Replied:- Destruction of wicked is the last resort. The judge recommends the execution of criminal as last resort if he finds no hope of reformation through any other punishment. What is liquid fire? Is it not worse than killing? Don’t try to find fault with God, who is omniscient and omnipotent. After all, what are we, with a brain of the size of cabbage?
4. How is Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental form?
[How is Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental form? Some devotees of Kṛṣṇa believe that when He came into this world, His body was a special body which was not an ordinary human body. They say it is a transcendental form. Please clarify.]
Swāmi Replied:- I know only one basic truth, which is that Kṛṣṇa or any human incarnation is the absolute unimaginable God, having the unimaginable power to make any impossibility as possible.
5.Is there any Pramāṇa of 'evil eyes' existence in Śāstras?
Swāmi Replied:- Śāstras mention it as Dṛṣṭidoṣa. But, one thing is damn sure. That is, nothing will happen if the punishment of the sin is not ready to attack you.
6. What would have Sri Kṛṣṇa done if Duryodhana had chosen Him (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) instead of the Nārāyaṇī Senā before the Mahābhārata War?
Swāmi Replied:- If Duryodhana chose Kṛṣṇa instead of His army, Kṛṣṇa would have given wrong advises to Duryodhana to pave way for his defeat. Actually, Arjuna puts this question to Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa replies the same as said above. Even in the last scene, Kṛṣṇa met Duryodhana coming naked to see his mother as ordered by her and advised Duryodhana as his friend to cover the place of sexual organ since he is adult. Kṛṣṇa told that if he goes naked before his mother, great sin will attack and end him. By this, Kṛṣṇa showed what He will do to Duryodhana if Duryodhana selected Him.
7. Kenopaniṣad shows Goddess Pārvatī to be the knower of Brahman but Gītā calls her the lower form of Prakṛti. Which is correct?
Swāmi Replied:- Is there mention of the name of Pārvatī in the Gītā? The lower nature of the Prakṛti is called as Aparāprakṛti. The name mentioned in the Veda was Umā and Hymavatī, who is the closest senior most devotee of God appeared to give guidance to Indra, who was egoistic.
8. Why is it wrong to expect obedience from a wife and yet normal to expect obedience from an employee or subordinate?
Swāmi Replied:- One can expect obedience from an employee or wife provided the one maintains the other in the path of finance. The power lies in the finance.
9. Why are Rām, Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu never depicted with a beard even though Brahmā and Śaṇkara do have a beard in some of their paintings?
Swāmi Replied:- Viṣṇu‘s incarnations are Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu represents mother (Mātṛdevo bhava), Śiva represents father (Pitṛdevo bhava) and Brahmā represents the preacher (Ācāryadevo bhava).
10. In the Bhagavad Gītā, why is it written that when memory is bewildered intelligence is lost?
Swāmi Replied:- When memory disappears, the person does not remember the knowledge, which helps the intelligence to do sharp analysis. Intelligence is incapable of doing its function and this is said as the loss of intelligence.
11. What happens to the Ātmā or soul after its ultimate liberation? Does it completely dissolve in to existence or does it go to Vaikuṇṭha or somewhere else?
Swāmi Replied:- Ātman or soul remains as it is in the energetic body in the upper world and in the human body whenever it is born on earth in the service of the human incarnation of God. Such liberated soul will never be entangled in the worldly bonds on earth.
12. Is it true that both Suras and Asuras were given offerings by our ancestors of Vedic times? If yes, why are Asuras portrayed as the bad guys now?
Swāmi Replied:- Angels (Suras) and demons (Asuras) are not by birth, but by their qualities and deeds. Prahlāda was an angel though born in demons. Indra behaved like demon in some contexts, even though born in angels. The classification of Suras and Asuras is also similar to the present caste system.
13. What was so special about Arjuna that Śrī Kṛṣṇa helped him many times?
[What was so special about Arjuna of Mahābhārata that Śrī Kṛṣṇa had become so close to him and helped him many times? Does it also contain any account of his previous birth?]
Swāmi Replied:- Yes. Arjuna was associated with Kṛṣṇa for past millions of births. Both were Sages on the hill of Badarī. The name of Arjuna was Nara Ṛṣi and the name of Kṛṣṇa was Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi. Their bond of love was from several previous births. Sage Nārāyaṇa was born as Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṃsa and Sage Nara was born as Vivekānanda. Sage Nārāyaṇa was none but Sage Dattātreya.
14. Which Dharma bound the hands of Pāṇḍavas to save Draupadī?
[What is that strange thing called 'Dharma' which bound the hands of Pāṇḍavas who could not save their wife Draupadī who was dishonoured by Duśśāsana in front of their own eyes in Rāja Sabhā?]
Swāmi Replied:- The Pāṇḍavas lost the intelligence, which is the basis of Dharma or justice even while they were ready to play the gambling with Kauravas. They have already missed the path of Dharma in the beginning itself and about which Dharma are you speaking?
15. Can Christians believe in cakras?
Swāmi Replied:- Cakras are the rotating whirlpools or the worldly bonds appearing in the ocean of worldly life to attract and drag the swimmer of the ocean having the goal to cross the ocean. These whirlpools rotate the swimmer and give entertainment for some time initially and finally drown the swimmer to kill him finally. These worldly bonds are represented as Cakras (circles) in the poetic sense of figure of speech. These are common for any swimmer irrespective of his or her caste, gender, religion, region etc. It is a concept of the basic spiritual knowledge, which is the basic subject present in every religion-language.
16. Did Adam and Eve exist even before Lord Rām?
Swāmi Replied:- Adam and eve are said to be the first couple of humanity and in Hinduism Manu and Śatarūpā are said to be the first couple of humanity. Why such silly questions come to your brain, when there are so many very important concepts requiring very sharp analysis?