Monthly Answer Challenge: Answer old unanswered questions!

Question

     🧨 Happy Deepavali 🧨

I am thinking to introduce a "Monthly Answer Challenge" on our site to keep enthusiasm among users and more precisely to appreciate answers on this site!

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^{Several beta sites run weekly topic challenge to increase or maintain questions per day stats, we had that thought once but it may sound bit improper to force or excite users to ask questions without any good reason. It may generate low quality unanswered questions.}

The idea of "Monthly Answer Challenge" seems fine. It will encourage users to do research, read scriptures which can be helpful in the self-development because users will learn something and the efforts won't go in vain. It can also improve the percentage answer stats of our community. Couple of attempts #1, #2 have been made in this area before and I think this would be more efficient.

^{By the way, this doesn't mean we are not doing well. If we look at all sites sorted by "Percent Answered", we (76%) are doing fine compared to even trilogy Stack Exchange sites, Stack Overflow (70%), Super User (65%), Server Fault (78%).}

The benefits of answering questions is already mentioned in the previous post. In brief, it will be beneficial to community and its users and visitors. The salient feature of this idea is Answers will be appreciated.

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Let me introduce:

Thanks @Napoleon Wilson♦ for the technical help.

What is this?

• This meta question post titled "Monthly Answer Challenge" will be yearly and answers will be added every month with declaring winners. The theme is "answer any question that was asked more than 3 months before the present month and which doesn't have an answer yet"

How do I?

• You can use the search function or this SEDE query to find out eligible questions.

What will happen?

• The top-voted answer given each month will be rewarded a bounty of 100 points if it has a score of at least 3 or has been accepted.

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^{Note: go through "monthly answer challenge" posts of 2019 or 2018 to see how does it work. Consider 1 November 2019 for the starting point for us. We will continue this custom every year if it will be well accepted by community.}

Answer 1

November 2019 results:

17 Answers are posted satisfying the criteria that is "Answers posted between 1^st November 2019 to 31^st November 2019 to old unanswered questions posted before 1^st August 2019.

Top voted answer posted by Sarvabhouma has won this challenge and is awarded a bounty of 100 points!

Following is a list of answers generated by November challenge in descending order of votes: (Number of votes and status of acceptance are mentioned in the bracket)

1. (+5) What are the names of Yamunacharya's disciples?

2. (+3A) Avatars of Garuda

3. (+3) Why is Ramayana called the adi-kavya (first poem) and not Rig Veda?

   • Where does Yajurveda have “karpūragauraṁ karuṇāvatāraṁ...” verse?
4. (+2) Does the concept of enlightenment apply to sects which only believe in Bhakti?
   • Were all human avataras of God Kshatriya or Brahmin?
5. (+1A) Which is the earliest reference to Upavedas?
   • Do Hindus believe that one can see god after death as per Advaitha?
6. (+1) How many years was Arjuna in Svarga?
   • Does the Narayanastra weapon of Vishnu summon the Rudras?
   • How much of Vedic Mathematics is related to Veda?
   • Story of Bhujyu
   • Chowdeshwari Devi's mantra shakti used by the king for daily rituals?
   • Why did the Devas let Brihaspati be their guru even though he had sex with his brothers' wives?
   • Can the time lapsed from Ramayana to Mahabharata be inferred from scriptures?
   • Who are the parents of lord Sai Baba?
   • Why is Ramayana called the adi-kavya (first poem) and not Rig Veda?

It may be worth to mention that out of 17, 8 answers are posted by srimannarayana k v and 3 by Sarvabhouma.

Note: Answers with no positive score with no acceptance are not listed here because they don't qualify as answering questions. (Questions with no upvoted or accepted answers are qualified as unanswered questions)

Answer 2

December 2019 results:

11 Answers are posted satisfying the criteria that is "Answers posted between 1^st December 2019 to 31^st December 2019 to old unanswered questions posted before 1^st September 2019.

Top voted answer posted by Sarvabhouma has won this challenge and is awarded a bounty of 100 points!

Following is a list of answers generated by December challenge in descending order of votes: (Number of votes and status of acceptance are mentioned in the bracket)

1. (+5) Why did Rama and Sita wait so long to have kids?

2. (+2A) Why Dronacharya demanded to make King Drupada prisoner in his Guru Dakshina?

3. (+2) How many Shaivite commentaries on the Brahma Sutras are there?

4. (+1A) Were there any other religions during the treta and dwapar yuga?
5. (+1) Why was Shishupala born with three eyes and four arms?
   • What is the relation of Aditi and Daksha?
   • Did Vishnu or Varuna measure out the Earth? 1, 2
   • Do Hindu scriptures give advice on how to stay present or mindful as one goes about doing regular day to day activities?
   • Which scripture mention coronation of Rama on the very first day of Chaitra Navratri?
   • Did Indra or Rama kill Trisiras?

Note: Answers with no positive score with no acceptance are not listed here because they don't qualify as answering questions. (Questions with no upvoted or accepted answers are qualified as unanswered questions)

Answer 3

January 2020 results:

07 Answers are posted satisfying the criteria that is "Answers posted between 1^st January 2020 to 31^st January 2020 to old unanswered questions posted before 1^st October 2019.

Top voted answer posted by Bhargav Rao has won this challenge and will be awarded a bounty of 100 points!

Following is a list of answers generated by January challenge in descending order of votes: (Number of votes and status of acceptance are mentioned in the bracket)

1. (+4) Why is Sri Krishna idol turned towards a window in Udupi temple?

2. (+3A) Did Adi Shankara persecute Buddhists in Nagarjunakonda? [won bounty of 100]

3. (+1A) How are animals killed in the Soma Yajna?

4. (+1) What is Ramanujacharya's argument that the Upanishads must be true if they grant Moksha?

   • According to Dvaita, are there puranic examples where Ishwara(God) or anyone(Sages and Saints) who has turned anybody's Jeevatma into Jada?
   • Subrahmanya Shodasa Nama Stotram from Skanda Purana [won bounty of 350 by OP]
   • English translation of the Brahmavaivarta Purana

Note: Answers with no positive score with no acceptance are not listed here because they don't qualify as answering questions. (Questions with no upvoted or accepted answers are qualified as unanswered questions)

Answer 4

June 2020 results:

15 Answers are posted satisfying the criteria that is "Answers posted between 1^st June 2020 to 1^st July 2020 to old unanswered questions posted before 1^st March 2020.

There is a tie between two answers: [1] answer posted by Sv. and [2] answer posted by Sanatan Darshan to win this challenge and hence both the answers will be awarded a bounty of 100 points!

Following is a list of answers generated by January challenge in descending order of votes: (Number of votes and status of acceptance are mentioned in the bracket)

1. (+4A) How was Pandava deceit sanctioned? & Whose translation of AV 7.5.5 is this?

2. (+4) What is the significance of frogs in the Vedas?

3. (+3) Vedanta and Kundalini

   • Is it possible to read and understand Vedas without guru? _{by RamAbloh}

4. (+2) How did King Kakudmi reach Brahma Loka with his daughter Revathi?

   • Sarasvatii - a goddess or a river first?
   • Any Vedantic messages from Karma Kanda of Vedas?

5. (+1) How king Janaka attained perfection through karma-yoga?

   • Is the notion of sattvik, tamasic and rajasic puranas genuine?
   • What is Punnama Naraka? How souls will be liberated from that Naraka?
   • Is it possible to read and understand Vedas without guru? _{(unsourced) by Balaji}
   • What are the arguments given by some scholars that the Vishnu Puranas are Tamasic?
   • How was Pandava deceit sanctioned? _{by hanugm}
   • Is it possible to read and understand Vedas without guru? by Lucky Pashu

It may be worth to mention that out of 15, 5 answers are posted by RamAbloh.

Note: Answers with no positive score with no acceptance are not listed here because they don't qualify as answering questions. (Questions with no upvoted or accepted answers are qualified as unanswered questions)

Answer 5

May 2020 results:

Note: This challenge was discontinued but we are again continuing it as per request from community. Since votes on old posts have been changed, we are not considering results for February, March and April moths.

08 Answers are posted satisfying the criteria that is "Answers posted between 1^st May 2020 to 1^st June 2020 to old unanswered questions posted before 1^st February 2020.

Top voted answer posted by Archit has won this challenge and will be awarded a bounty of 100 points!

Following is a list of answers generated by challenge for month of May in descending order of votes: (Number of votes and status of acceptance are mentioned in the bracket)

1. (+3) What is the correspondence between Khandas and Samhitas in the Skanda Purana?

2. (+1) Source of Ramayana Mantra

   • In search of an important shloka from Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata: 1, 2
   • Keeping Deities/God photos in everywhere in home
   • The Mysterious Origin of the Divine Sanskrit Language
   • Do any Sampradayas apart from the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya differentiate between Sharanagati and Bhakti Yoga?
   • Where is the injunction to do Sandhyavandanam found in the Vedas?

Note: Answers with no positive score with no acceptance are not listed here because they don't qualify as answering questions. (Questions with no upvoted or accepted answers are qualified as unanswered questions)

Answer 6

July 2020 results:

16 Answers are posted satisfying the criteria that is "Answers posted between 1-July-2020 to 1-August-2020 to old unanswered questions posted before 1-April-2020.

Top voted answer posted by RamAbloh has won this challenge and will be awarded a bounty of 100 points!

Following is a list of answers generated by July challenge in descending order of votes: (Number of votes and status of acceptance are mentioned in the bracket)

1. (+3A) How have traditional Vedic commentators intepreted Rig-Veda 1.164.46? _{By RamAbloh}

2. (+3) Was Shukla Yajurveda unknown to Vedavyasa? by sv. [won the bounty of 50 points from TheLittleNaruto]

   • Was deed of Indra in demolishing the citadels of gold, silver, and iron, of Danavas, source for the story of destruction of 3 cities by Shiva? by Tejaswee
   • Was Lord Venkateshwara's second wife Bibi Nanchari really a Muslim? by hanugm
   • Who owns a Hindu temple according to Hindu scriptures? by Rickross
   • Do any other scriptures mention Brahma Tirtha, bathing where non-Brahmins become Brahmins? by hanugm
     
     

3. (+2) What is the story of Alambusha, demon son of sage Rishyasringa? [unsourced]

   • Why does Sage Bhrigu have an extra eye on his foot? by Srimannarayana K V [won the bounty of 50 points from TheLittleNaruto]
   • What Ayurvedic texts describe shadows as sweet or cold? by Carmen sandiego [won the bounty of 50 points from Keshav Srinivasan ♦]
     
     

4. (+1A) Does the Kalika Purana identify itself as “Srimad Bhagavatam”? by R. Kaushik
   
   

5. (+1) Is the dharma of giving/offering own wife to others is relative with time? by hanugm

   • Where exactly is Ashtavakra Gita found? by sv.
   • What were the seven curses said by the goddesses to Lord Vishnu? by hanugm
   • How is Rukmi's killing by Balarama justified? by Carmen sandiego
   • Sukthams with khilams from Rigveda? by RamAbloh
     
     

6. (+0A) Is Yog Vasistha authentic scripture? by Lokesh

It may be worth to mention that out of 16, 4 answers are posted by hanugm.

Note: Answers with no positive score with no acceptance are not listed here because they don't qualify as answering questions. (Questions with no upvoted or accepted answers are qualified as unanswered questions)