2021 / Articles
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Hindutva: A Sampradaya, Not a Parampara
Published on 30th May, 2021, in Mid-day. The word Hindutva was invented by Chandranath Basu in Bengal in 1892. He was against the 19th Century reform movement popularly known as Hindu Renaissance led by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who had…
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Unfit for Vikramaditya’s Throne
Published on 28th May, 2021, in Economic Times. About a thousand years ago, a collection of Sanskrit tales, known as ’32 tales of the throne’, came into being to draw attention to the qualities of a good king. In the…
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Where Do Rishis Come from?
Published on 23rd May, 2021, in Mid-day. Many believe rishis are special beings, who have access to special mantras. They understand the vibrations of the universe. They communicate these mantras through words, chants, and hymns of the Vedas. They play…
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Why Do Hindu Gods Never Give Sermons?
Published on 22nd May, 2021, in Mumbai Mirror. Buddhism speaks of the discourses given by the Buddha to thousands of monks, nuns and lay people at Jetavana. Jainism speaks of samavasaran, when the Tirthankara reveals Jain wisdom to all creatures,…
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Bhairava’s Truth In the Light Of the Funeral Pyre
Published on 17th May, 2021, in Scroll.in . Hindutva is a 19th-century political ideology that proclaims itself to be the defender of Hinduism. Yet it is terrified of truth. The truth of death – of hundreds of bodies floating down…
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Jataka on Same-Sex Love
Published on 16th May, 2021, in Mid-day. Scholars never talk about the homoerotic, homosocial and homosexual tales found in the ancient Buddhist Jataka collection. When men live together, even as monks, in a solitary spiritual pursuit, it is natural that…
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Power Points and Excel Sheets in Jataka Tales
Published on 14th May, 2021, in Economic Times. In the venture capitalist industry, it is known that all things being the same, a tall handsome man who presents well, preferably with an American accent, is more likely to get funds…
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Does Krishna Take the Viratrupa In the Gita To Intimidate?
Who is a Hindu? Does Krishna take the Viratrupa in the Gita to intimidate? Published on 9th May, 2021, in Bangalore Mirror. A friend, who works in human resources, once shared his understanding of the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna was trying…
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Kaabah, As Metaphor
Published on 9th May, 2021, in Mid-day. Humans found food in the plant and animal kingdoms. They were first foragers of fruits and roots, and hunters of animals. Then, they became cultivators of the land and herders of goats, pigs,…
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How Brahma Lost His Position
Published on 25th April, 2021, in Mid-day. In Vedic times, 3,000 years ago, Brahma referred to ‘brahman’, the impersonal divine energy linked to consciousness, spirit and meaning. Gradually, in Puranic times, 2,000 years ago, the idea of a god named…
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Are Brahmins a Single, Homogenous Group?
Who is a Hindu? Are Brahmins a single, homogenous group? Published on 25th April, 2021, in Mumbai Mirror. Brahmins have to be distinguished from rishis, who actually ‘saw’ the mantras and transmitted them in the Vedas. They were different from…
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Tamed by Buddhism
Published on 18th April, 2021, in Mid-day. Buddha taught the sacred lore (dhamma) that would end all suffering. Many of his students renounced society and became monks (bhikku) and nuns (bhikkuni) of his sacred order (sangha). They travelled everywhere spreading…
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Give or Take: Bartering For Better Economics
Published on 15th April, 2021, in Economic Times. The word ‘transaction’ is associated with commerce, business and marketplaces. It is considered the opposite of spirituality, which should be non-transactional. Spirituality presupposes a spiritual entity, with infinite energy, that can give…
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Don’t Turn Back
Published on 11th April, 2021, in Mid-day. Once, an old man promised a fellow traveller, a young man, his daughter’s hand in marriage. Days later, when the young man actually showed up at the village, the old man refused saying…
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Why Is There No Judgement Day in Hinduism?
Who is a Hindu? Why is there no Judgement Day in Hinduism? Published on 11th April, 2021, in Mumbai Mirror. Hindus believe in rebirth and so greater value is given to debt to the world and liberation from the world,…
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A Forgotten Buddhist Journey
Published on 4th April, 2021, in Mid-day. About 2,500 years ago, Buddha revolutionised the intellectual world with his idea that desire is the cause of suffering. He invented practices that would end desire and so suffering. He established a community…