Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
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Articles
History Is Not Mythology, Is Not Mytho-Fiction
But what about mythology? It is neither history nor mytho-fiction…
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Articles
Myth and Memories Before History
Published on 28th August, 2022, in Mid-Day. Vedic literature is full of stories informing us how rishis discovered and used the mantra to solve problems. These stories were called the itihasa, as they are reported by those who witnessed the events, as against puranas, which are simply old stories transmitted, not witnessed. These itihasas are…
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Articles
Neither Mythological Fiction Nor History
Published on 12th December, 2021, in Mid-day. People often confuse mythology with mythological fiction. Mythology decodes ancient stories, symbols and rituals to understand how our ancestors imagined the world. How does Ramayana and Mahabharata fit into Hinduism’s dharma framework? Mythological fiction is retelling or even reimagining ancient stories, often functioning as a lawyer, advocating for…
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Articles
Study of Myths: How Has Mythology Evolved Over the Years
Published on 14th November, 2021, in Mid-day. The subject of mythology emerged in the 19th Century, as the world discovered the subject of history. Before that, memories, legends, myths, parables, folklore and history were all bundled together in one basket. In the 19th Century, the scientific study of the past began. History demanded evidence and…
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Articles
Last of the Vedic Texts
Published on 13th June, 2021, in Mid-day. In the Mimansa school that became popular 2,000 years ago, the Rig Veda was considered ‘apaurusheya’ (not of human origin) and ‘ekavakya’ (a single sentence), with no breaks between words and no punctuations. Sounds (pada) fused to create words (shabda) which merged with other words (sandhi) which gave…
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Articles
Two sanatan dharmas?
There are two meanings of the phrase sanatan dharma. One is political, and the other philosophical…
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Articles
There Is No Escape From Myth
All cultures — Hindu, Christian, Greek or American — are guided by a myth communicated through a mythology…
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Articles
Sacredness has an Expiry Date
Muhurat may end but it also eventually, inevitably, comes back…
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Articles
Putting Focus in Perspective
A focused man does not let his mind waver with thought. A man of perspective is fully aware of the consequence of all his action. The former can make one a thoughtless actor. The latter can make one a paralyzed thinker…
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Articles
On Bhagavata
Since there are infinite levels of wisdom, there are infinite ways of seeing the same thing…
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Articles
The Unpredictable Animal
Relationships are never predictable. And this has been the bane of the corporate world…
