Today we post Gurudeva's answers to two separate questionsa short answer to someone who asked Gurudeva if his followers study the Bhagavad Gita, and a longer answer to a follow-up question about interfaith marriage. What should the two spouses do if the interfaith part of the marriage happens long after the marriage itself, and after the birth of the children? Gurudeva stresses that harmony, finding points of agreement, is the key.

Unedited Transcript:

A question from Australia, through cyberspace. "It is said that the Bhagavad Gita is the Bible for most Hindus. Do you, in your Saiva Siddhanta Church, Gurudeva, use the Bhagavad Gita?"

There are two major denominations in Sanatana Dharma. Saivism and Vaishnavism. The Bhagavad Gita is for the Vaishnavites. The Saivites lean more towards the Vedas.

A question from Santa Monica, California. "The other day you talked about a young couple going into an inter-faith marriage and discouraged that at the beginning. But, what if an interfaith marriage happens in the lives of the husband and wife long after they have been married and have children?"

When this occurs, and often it does occur, it is not a better procedure for the husband to convert the wife into his faith or for the wife to convert the husband into hers. Each living a separate faith together in harmony is the answer.

But then, what about the children? Are they not torn between one religion and another? This is the children's birth karma to be in a situation like this and they have to eventually make up their own minds, which path to follow.

They mystical way is to find points of agreement and not the differences. Study each religion carefully and find all the agreements between the two religions. Never discuss the differences because this might lead to