Vedas
How many Vedas are there?
4
Who wrote the Mahabharata?
Vyasa
How many brothers did Rama have?
3
Why is Arjuna in such extreme sorrow during the battle of Kurekshetra?
Due to him having to fight his cousins, the Kauravas
Who are the sons of Shiva?
Kartikeya and Ganesha
How many subsections are there for each Veda?
4
What were the two main warring groups of the Mahabharata?
Pandavas and Kauravas
Who was the father of Sita?
King Janaka
Who has the power to see and hear the dialogues during the battle?
Sanjaya
How many verses are in the Vishnu Sahasranamam?
108
What is the ultimate goal of Vedas?
to lead us to the supreme goal of liberation from the material world and attain moksha(divine abode of the lord)
What was the name of the place where the final battle of the Mahabharata took place, and what is its translation?
Kurukshetra, field of Kuru
What was the turning point which finally pitted Rama against Ravana?
The kidnapping of Sita
What did Krishna reveal as the difference between a karm yogi and karm sanyasi?
karm yogi is one who invests in his worldly duties with full efforts and leaves the fruits of the actions for the lord’s pleasure while Karm sanyasi completely gives away all forms of worldly duties and fully focuses on spiritual devotion through meditation and other means
Who was the great devotee during the 4th Dashavatar?
Prahlada
What is one text that is considered the panchama Veda?
Mahabharata, Ramayana
What did Arjuna focus on when told to shoot the wooden bird with an arrow?
the eye
What was the name of the iconic vehicle of Ravana to kidnap Sita?
Pushpak Vimaan
In chapter 2 of Bhagavad Gita, what does Shri Krishna say are the 2 qualities of the soul/athma?
imperishable and eternal)
What main ideas did Swami Vivekenanda preach for in his 1893 speech in Chicago?
Religious tolerance and the end of fanaticism
In what manner were the Vedas “given” to the Vyasa, and what Sanskrit adjective is used to describe the Vedas because of this?
heard/via voice, sruti
What boon was given to Bhisma, who gave it to him, and why was he given it?
He could only die when he chose; his kingly father; because he chose to be a brahmachari so his father could marry
Why didn’t Sita let Hanuman rescue her upon their contact in Lanka
Because it was Rama’s dharma to fight Ravana and claim retribution for his adharmic acts
What was the real context behind Oppenheimer’s infamous Bhagavad Gita quote?
Krishna revealed his divine form to Arjuna as a way to convince him to believe in his words
What is the difference between Dualism vs Non-Dualism
Non-Dualism sees the soul and God as not distinct but as one entity, known as brahman, while Dualism believes that the soul and God are distinct, as the soul is pervasive only within the body while God is all-pervasive and provides infinite bliss.