Who is a Guru?
The Sanskrit word Guru is often mistranslated as a ‘teacher’. Teacher in Sanskrit is called as Shikshak. A teacher is someone who informs and educates us. A teacher is supposed to ensure that we learn to read, More...
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 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...
Book Review: Tunnel of Varanavat by Gautam Chikermane
The readers of Mahabharata would find its subaltern universe as fascinating as the main plot line of ‘Jaya’. The sermons on Dharma by the nameless housewife and of the butcher Dharmavyadha to a learned Brahmin More...
Krishna and Narakasura: The Tale of Dharma Asserting Over Adharma
Naraka Chaturdashi, the fourteenth day of the darker fortnight of the month of Ashvayuja is celebrated as the day of Narakasura’s deliverance in the hands of Lord Krishna. As children, we have all heard of this More...
No Mr. Devdutt Pattanaik, Krishna was not a negligent father
This is a Rebuttal to Devdutt Pattanaik’s article published in Economic Times and subsequently in his website Devdutt.com titled ‘Children of the Great’ published in the category of applied-mythology and in More...
Krishna’s Lila: Stories from the life of Sri Krishna-III
When to speak a Lie? Contrary to the rules of the war, Dronacharya, the Guru of the Kauravas, started attacking common soldiers with his specialized weapons, killing them in thousands, on the 15th day of the war. More...
Insights from Mahabharata-III: When Kunti met Karna
[contextly_sidebar id=”RUuId7PWMN60KiZw28S7AGIfKphwVA1f”] The second meeting Karna had was with Kunti. Kunti, the mother who had abandoned her first-born son and Karna, the son who could not bring himself More...
Insights from Mahabharata-II: Karna, Krishna, and the Fear of Abandonment
[contextly_sidebar id=”TFjoE8szvI5gUhhEwkNHh3OyzzwmX14f”] In the previous article, we saw how Karna’s like could be viewed as a cautionary tale against distractions. Let us now look into another aspect More...
What Hinduism Is Lacking
There seems to be some defect in Hinduism, because it is clearly not as respected as Christianity and Islam worldwide. Hindus struggle to get a fair representation for Hinduism in the media or in the textbooks, More...