The Significance of ॐ: A Linguistic and Philosophical Analysis
Appearing before Sanskrit mantras, or as a stand-alone entity, ॐ or OM is perhaps the most important sound, syllable, letter, and symbol in Hinduism. Whether in Hindu rituals, prayers, or Yogic activities, the More...
In the Beginning- I: An analysis of ancient Vedic philosophy
In this paper, I examine briefly the real situation regarding the religio-philosophical frame of belief in Ancient India and particularly in the Vedic period. While undoubtedly the worship of many different, as More...
Book Review: Vedic and Indo-European Studies by Nicholas Kazanas
Vedic and Indo-European Studies. Nicholas Kazanas, Aditya Prakashan, New Delhi, 2015, xxxiii, 380, abbr., bibl., index. The book under review is a volume of erudite essays from the pen of Dr Nicholas Kazanas, the 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...
Breaking the Myth of Beef in Vedas
Any lifestyle that does not cause any violence (himsā) or causes the least violence on oneself and to other living entities (including humans) in this world, is said to be the best religion that one can follow(1). More...
Honoring our Gurus: Learning from the life accounts of Rishis-III
[contextly_sidebar id=”dyHaH4GIlxnYGl49MdCI0Su3JyLBjbp5″] In the previous article, I sketched the life accounts of Rishis like Vālmīki, Mātanga, Ashtāvakra, Markaṇdeya, and how these accounts teach More...
Varna and Caste: An Analysis-I
Varna and Caste are controversial issues today. But, this controversy is not so much because of the intrinsic concept, but instead because of what it has grown to become and how it is perceived today by many people. While More...
Honoring our Gurus: Learning from the life accounts of Rishis-I
This year Guru Poornima- the festival of honoring our teachers and masters- falls on July 19th. ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means he dispels it and hence ‘Guru’ means ‘one who dispels darkness of More...
Does ‘Varna’ provide a religious basis for the present Caste System?
Caste system and its accompanying discrimination and occasional violence have been the bane of Indian society. Even today, incidences of discrimination and violence have been reported from time to time, despite More...
Shankara Jayanti Special: Five Lessons from Sadhana Panchakam
Adi Shankaracharya is one of the most outstanding personalities that India has produced in last few thousand years. He was a teacher, scholar, poet, saint, philosopher, yogi, bhakta, tantrika, a jivanmukta, and More...