Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
-
Articles
Are God’s Messengers Real or Imaginary?
We know that information about Gautama Buddha, Chanakya, and Shankaracharya come from textual sources that were composed centuries after their supposed lifetimes. There is no material proof of their existence. But they are assumed to be historical figures. The same holds true for religious leaders like Jesus Christ and Prophet Muhammad. Believers insist they are…
-
Articles
All About Marriage, Meaning, and the Shiva–Shakti Union
The marriage of Shiva and Shakti is not about property, lineage, or inheritance. It is not about power, spectacle, or display. It is about two individuals giving meaning to each other. …
-
Articles
How Ganesh Became The God Of All Things
To understand why Ganesha is worshipped as the remover of obstacles and invoked before every Hindu ceremony, we must understand—and appreciate—the role elephants have played in Indian history and imagination. …
-
Articles
Are vegetarians kinder people?
Vegetarianism has become associated with Jains, Brahmins, Baniyas, Lingayats and with the idea of purity, even though Kashmiri, Maithili, Bengali and Odia Brahmins are meat-eaters. Meat eating became associated with communities considered “untouchable” and “impure”: Tribals, Dalits, Chandalas, Ati Shudras. Over time, diet has become a caste marker. …
-
Articles
How Diwali Changes Shape Across India
Diwali is celebrated across India, but contrary to popular assumption, it is not a single, uniform festival. It takes very different forms depending on where you go. …
-
Articles
The Seven Steps To Partnership Over Promises
The idea of taking vows during weddings is not part of Hindu traditions. This idea comes to us from West Asia and the Middle East…
-
Articles
The hook-swinging rituals of India
Across India there are festivals where men and sometimes women do hook swinging. Here, an iron hook is passed through the back of the person and they are hung from a pole that either rotates around a pillar or is attached to a pillar of a cart that is pulled by buffaloes. This is not…
-
Articles
What Does Indian Mythology Have To Say About Marriage Dynamics?
In Shiva temples, the couple are always together, but in Vishnu temples, the goddess has her separate shrine, asserting her identity…
-
Articles
Ramayana in Thailand & Cambodia
The Thai and Cambodian Ramayanas developed between the medieval and early modern periods as court-centred narratives shaped by performance, visual art, and Buddhist ethics. Though they share a common source, they reinterpret the story through parallel but contrasting treatments of kingship, heroes, villains, and moral order…
-
Articles
Creation, In Many Tongues
India is not just Vedas and Puranas. India is also Bhil, Gond, Santhal, Khasi, Banjara, Dhangar, Koli, Toda, Rabari, Munda, Nicobarese, and Lepcha. …
-
Articles
When Hanuman Took Initiative
There are two forms of Hanuman. In one he sits at the feet of Ram, an obedient assistant. This is Ram-dasa Hanuman. In the other, he stands alone, displaying ten hands and four extra heads: that of a lion, an eagle, a wild boar and a horse. This is Maha-bali Hanuman. …
-
Articles
The Sage Under the Berry Tree
The name Badrinath carries a quiet ecological memory. Badri means the berry (Ziziphus mauritiana), or jujube tree. Nath means lord. …
-
Articles
Lakshmi’s Elephants
Across India, the most familiar image of prosperity is Lakshmi flanked by two elephants pouring water over her. We see this in homes, shops, banks, and even in modern advertising. But few pause to ask why elephants stand beside the goddess of wealth. Why not cows, horses, lions or birds? …
-
Articles
Children of the Sun God
From early Vedic times, the sun is also tied to humanity and death. Surya has two sons who frame the human condition. Manu is the father of humankind, lawgiver, and culture hero…His brother Yama embodies the opposite destiny…
-
Articles
Is the Hamsa an Indian Goose or a European Swan?
The bar-headed goose (hansa) is a key cultural symbol of India, along with other waterfowl such as the sarus crane (krauncha), ruddy shelduck (chakravaka) and crane (baga, bagula). This list excludes the swan (raj-hansa), which is European, not Indian. But somewhere in the last two centuries, the Indian goose was eclipsed…
-
Articles
Demon King of Brahmaputra
Once upon a time, the earth-goddess Bhumi was dragged under the sea by an asura called Hiranayaksha. Vishnu took the form of Varaha, killed Hiranayaksha, placed Bhumi on his snout, raised her up and thus rescued the earth-goddess. …