Book Review: Harivamsha, translated by Dr. Bibek Debroy
The Harivamsha is the final, final part of the Mahabharata. Not quite a part of itihaasa – which the Mahabharata and Ramayana are – nor quite a Purana, the Harivamsha nonetheless gets by being called a “kheel” (appendix) to the Mahabharata. The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, over several decades, compiled a Critical More...
Understanding Karma through probability
I have long been fascinated by the idea of karma. The notion itself is just built on simple empiricism (that of causality), but once you accept a single metaphysical prior – that of rebirth and the quest for More...
Understanding Manu Smriti-II: Nature of Women
[contextly_sidebar id=”bFY94ELPCPD9ygDP0qiPvYFvallTWcHC”] In the previous article, we saw how one of the most touted verse from Manu Smriti, which is used to as ultimate evidence for Manu Smriti being More...
Sports and Menstruation: Exploring Indigenous Knowledge- II
[contextly_sidebar id=”RhceYd3PL9XKGKVwZaHPK5yfHzJHhFMe”] “Female martial artists, as with all serious female athletes, have a distinct advantage over their male counterparts in one very crucial area: More...
In the beginning- III: One or many
[contextly_sidebar id=”8qdJisMQroO8Anuh4S0QqcMAaWeHp6rQ”] Contrary to the modern mainstream belief that religio-philosophical beliefs developed from primitive crude ritualistic nature-worship and/or More...
For the Love of Nature
This excerpt has been taken from Indian Culture and India’s Future, DK Printworld, New Delhi, 2011 A strongly marked aspect of that culture, and one that offers a rich field of investigation, is India’s ancient 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...
A brief study of possession in Hinduism-I: Introduction
The English word possession and spirits when taken together have come to indicate a certain unfriendly, disturbing, yet exotic area of life whose detailed knowledge, though scanty or rare, is nevertheless peppered More...
From Darkness to Light
Deepavali or the festival of lights is one of the most important festival in Hindu tradition, with many important events, such as the slaying of Narakasura, returning of Rama and Sita to Ayodhya, Nachiketa’s immortal More...
Kālī: The Mother of vīra-s
Diwali is arguably one of the most prominent Hindu festivals across India with various associated stories that speak of its importance. Some believe this was the day Rama returned back to Ayodhya, others link it More...