The Practice of Nose-Cutting in the Ancient World
In the list of bizarre misinterpretations of ancient Indian thought by Devdutt Pattanaik, one could add his reading of the Śūrpaṇakhā episode in the Rāmāyaṇa, as evident from this tweet: “After More...
An Introduction to the kāvyaśāstra Tradition
For readers unfamiliar with the kāvyaśāstra tradition I present here a brief summary of its concepts and history, including the Vedic origins of kāvya and the important sampradāyas (schools) of kāvyaśāstra, More...
Conservative Interpretation of Indic Past using the Pañcatantra
This is a revised version of a speech I delivered at Indic Academy, Bangalore on 22 January 2017. We are gathered here for a discussion on my new book called Natural Enmity – Reflections on the Nīti and Rasa More...
Hindu Political Thought: Liberal, Conservative and Reactionary
Introduction This essay is intended to provide a theoretical introduction to the three varieties of political thought that have emerged among the Hindus in modern times. The circumstances of modernity naturally More...
The Pancatantra as a Nitishastra
[1] The Pañcatantra does not need an introduction for Indian readers. Most Indians are familiar with its narratives since childhood, having heard it from an elder or having read it in some abridged and lucid form, More...
Bhagavad Gītā – Reconciling the Interpretations of Tilak and Śaṅkara
[1] The Bhagavad Gītā is the most commented text in sanātana dharma, on account of its popularity and intellectual depth, as well as its harmonising of the different paths available within sanātana dharma into More...
The upodghāta (introduction) of Śaṅkara’s Īśā Upaniṣad Bhāṣya
This post is an elucidation of the upodghāta (introductory) section of Śaṅkara’s Īśā Upaniṣad Bhāṣya. Such texts give us insights about how the ancient Indian scholars approached the sacred texts, More...
The Conflict between Tradition and Modernity in India
One can hardly deny that Aatish Taseer writes beautifully, but it is a beauty that has now become so commonplace that it fails to make an impression. It invites you to put your trust in the gorgeous weave of words More...
Language and Discourse: Why the issue is not merely about Sanskrit or English
With the rapid spread of English in India, most Indians are worried about the future of Indian languages, especially Sanskrit. It is also observed that learning is less efficient when conducted through a foreign More...
Purvapaksa & Uttarapaksa: An illustration from Ādi Śaṅkara’s Gita Bhashyam
Prologue Bharatiyas appear to have regained their familiarity with the terms pūrvapakṣa and uttarapakṣa but I don’t think many of them would be aware of what was actually involved in this process. More...