Culture
The Goddess Collective!
A few weeks earlier was the Navaratri festival in India that is celebrated for the victory of Goddess over Mahishasura. In the 9 days of Navaratri, we saw the 10 Mahavidyas and their forms, meanings, […]
Culture
Culture
Psychology of Embodiment in Hinduism
In January 2019, I became certified to practice Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP), a body-oriented psychotherapy modality, in which we work with emotions that get embedded in the muscular system and the organs at the physical […]
Culture
Durga, Kali- The fierce Goddess of Revolutionaries-II
The votaries of Bharat Mata ensured that along with the caring and nourishing nature of hers, she could pick up weapons at will so as to not to be perceived weak or passive especially at […]
Culture
Durga, Kali- the fierce Goddess of Revolutionaries-I
Durga, the warrior goddess of the Hindu pantheon, responsible for the creation of the Universe, is generally represented as a multiply armed goddess wielding weapons of all sorts. She rides a fierce lion and invariably […]
Culture
The Vijayadashmi of Peshwas!
During Peshwa’s time, the public festivals of Ganpati, Holi, and Dasara were held on a grand scale as state functions, where Shaniwar Wada, the beautiful mansion of the Peshwas formed the center of importance and […]
Culture
Durga, Matrikas in the Eastern Chalukyan reign!
One of the important temples of the eastern Chalukyan period is in the village of Biccavolu which lies between Samalkot and Rajahmundry. The village’s name is a corruption of Bikkanavrol, or Birudankavrolu, which was derived […]
Culture
Goddess Tuljabhavani: A link between Maharashtra, Karnataka and Nepal
Tuljapur, an ancient Shaktipeeth in Maharashtra is the seat of Devi Tuljabhavani, the Kuldevi of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his inspiration who empowered him to build Hindavi Swarajya. The goddess has been the Kuladevi of […]
Culture
Goddess Tara: The Second Mahavidya!
One of the special things about the Goddess worshipping in Hinduism is the worship of the goddess collective in different forms. The collective can take forms from Goddess pair like Chamumda-Chotila of Gujarat to Tri-Ambika […]
Culture
Kali: The first Mahavidya!
The Goddess worship in India is eons old, sometimes pre-dating to the oldest Vedic hymns. In Indian scriptures, we find a division of the world into 2 parts – Prakriti – that which is material, […]
Culture
The Divine Month of Shravana
The story goes that in the Tretayuga, the Yadav’s were ruling the land of Mathura. Among them was a Yadav whose name was Kamsa. He was the child of a rakshasa and a Yadav woman. […]
Culture
Gajendra Moksha
Sanatana Dharma alone recognizes the life in all sentient forms as Jiva. Contrast this with the desert idea that all beings in the universe were created for human enjoyment, opening the door to their perpetual […]
Culture
Maharajabhisheka of the Bhonsale king: Abhishikta Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj
In the political, social and religious life of the humans, the coronation of King forms an important role. The ‘trusteeship’ (Kingship) announced to the anointed person didn’t form his property or a utilitarian entity but […]
Culture
Tax And Revenue in Ancient India
“It was only for the good of his subjects that he collected taxes from them, just as the Sun draws moisture from the Earth to give it back a thousand-fold” — Kalidas in Raghuvansh eulogizing King Dalip. […]
Culture
The Identity of Mount Meru!
It is common in Indian literature to compare exemplary humans to Mount Meru. Even in current news reports you may see the usage of this word to mean ‘great’, or ‘of a tall order’. Going back […]
Culture
DharmaVeer Sambhaji Maharaj- part I
There is a famous line about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj, ‘Shivaji Maharaj taught us how to live for the better life of a common man, and Sambhaji Maharaj taught us how to die […]
Culture
Is Buddha an Avatar?
Avatar is a very Vaishnava idea. It solves too many problems in one go. There are three aspects that are essential to be considered an Avatar. -As the word itself connotes, it is a descent […]
Culture
What to pick? A Parshu, Dhanush, Murali, or Nothing?
Parashurama was born and brought up in a humble hut, surrounded by immense knowledge in the form of his enlightened father Sage Jamadagni, immense love in the form of his Mother Renuka, and immense abundance, […]
Culture
The Maratha Queen-Rajmata AhilyaBai Holkar Part-I
The Holkars The family of Holkars are of the Dhangar or shepherd tribe. Malhar Rao Holkar was the first who obtained any eminence, or indeed rose from the ‘Shepherd-Boy’ to the ‘Subhedar’. Holkar, or more […]
Culture
Raja Shiv Chhatrapati
In Shake Shaliwahan, in the year 1551, in Shukla Paksha, during the Uttarayan (when sun travels in the northern hemisphere), on the third day of waning moon, in the season of Shishir, on the star […]
Culture
Tapping Potential Like Hanumana
Hanuman, a central figure in Ramayana, is worshipped by millions. Despite adoring him, we often take the path of blind ritualistic worship or reduce him to a caricature as done by sickular Hindus, thus not […]