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PRACTICES
I have holy lemons and coconut. May I drop them in a river like Cauvery?
Yes you may do so.
In olden days, brahmins were forbidden from crossing oceans. Why?
It is not only Brahmins, even Swami Vivekananda’s trip abroad raised a lot of oppositions. Avoiding the inter-mixture of cultures could be a strong reason for restricting people from crossing oceans.
Shaivites apply sacred ash on specific parts of their body while Vaishnavites apply Gopi Chandan. What is the significance of applying sacred ash/gopi chandan only on specific parts of the body? What should one think on while applying them?
When we love someone, we dress ourselves in a manner that would please the beloved. In the same way, devotees dress themselves according to the wish of their ishta devatas. When doing so, one has to chant the different names of the ishta devata. The specific parts of the body where sacred ash/gopi chandan are applied are considered important by our scriptures.
I read Sri Swamiji’s beautiful answer about Vibhuti (sacred ash). What is the significance of applying Gopi Chandan on the different parts of the body?
Ash is the remains after burning. Gopi Chandan is nothing but the sand found in the sea shore of Dwaraka.
While Vibhuti (sacred ash) is applied by the Saivites after burning the ‘I’ sense (ego), Bhagavatas apply the sand under which their ‘I’ sense is buried, over which Lord Sri Krishna lived, danced and played.
What is the logic behind leaving a pregnant woman in her mother’s place during the seventh month of her pregnancy?
Just like every other woman, a pregnant woman too feels ‘at home’ at her parents’ place and enjoys more freedom there. She will be taken care of better and can rest more when compared to her in-laws’ place.
This is the simple logic behind sending a pregnant woman to her parents’ place. There is no other reasoning behind it.
