2016 / Articles
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The faces of Mahalakshmi
While the word Mahalakshmi evokes images of the Hindu goddess of wealth seated on a lotus, the deity in Kolhapur, referred to as Amba-bai by locals, evokes Durga, the goddess of war.
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Is Hinduism A Religion, A Myth Or Something Else?
Words are not ‘objective truths’ as we assume, but ‘subjective truths’, imbued with power and embedded in politics.
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How Indian sages viewed violence (and why western mythology has such different ideas about it)
In Greek myth, violence is part of a movement from chaos to order. But Indian myth lays out that as long as violence exists, it will beget violence.
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Single fathers
Tales of men who become fathers without wives is a recurring theme in Hindu mythology.
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How a new akhara of transgendered people stole the spotlight at the Ujjain Kumbh
Thousands of devotees lined up to seek the blessings of the kinnar order.
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The impact of Abrahamic mythology
The tale of the Promised Land mirrors the tale of Eden: returning home to perfection.
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THE LION ON THE HILL
Simhachalam is special for the worship of a composite image of ‘masculine’ avatars of Vishnu, Varaha and Narasimha.
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Equality & loss of diversity
Why do we assume that every member of civil society will respond exactly the same way? Why do we get upset when others do not react the same way as we do?
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Doesn’t Shiva take drugs?
To understand this mystery, we have to appreciate how Hinduism divides the world into inside and outside, the home and the wilderness, the realm of the householder and the realm of the hermit.
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Ramayana in OLPS
Do the corruption, cynicism and rage of elders eventually seep into stories we tell our children? Do we now edit stories to make them more politically correct? Is there now a censor board monitoring school plays too?
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Forest and Field in Dharma Discussion
Dharma is when we function for the benefit of others. It has nothing to do with rules.
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No laughing in Ram Rajya
In one story, Ram hears a courtier laugh and is reminded of Ravan’s laughter… Annoyed, he banned laughter in Ayodhya…
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Passport shame: What’s really at the heart of the California textbook row on Hinduism?
It is a battle that will not die down, for it reveals a great split in the Indian American community.
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Nathdwara God in the Haveli
To devotees, Shrinathji at Nathdwara is the swayambhu (self-created) and swarupa (self-image, not representation) of the seven-year old Krishna.
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Caste Purana
Traditionally, there are 18 Maha-puranas or major texts, 18 Upa-purnas or minor texts, hundreds of Kshetra-puranas, that tell the story of pilgrim spots, Jati-puranas, that tell the story of different castes.
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What we really mean when we say that Modi became the prime minister of India because of karma
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power riding a very popular wave, was it karma at work? When we ponder on this question, we understand karma. This article is about karma, not Modi.