Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
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Articles
What was Rig Vedic society like?
Rig Vedic society reflects a long and uneven transition from a predominantly pastoral mode of life to a more settled agrarian order, accompanied by the gradual emergence of social hierarchies…
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Articles
How Theosophy changed Hinduism
Modern Hinduism, as it is practised and explained today, did not emerge in isolation. It was shaped in conversation with Europe at a moment when Christianity itself was in crisis. Theosophy became the bridge in this encounter. Through it, Hindu ideas were reframed, revived, and repackaged, influencing figures as different as Gandhi, Rukmini Arundale, and…
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Articles
The Great Satvic Scam
Across India and in the diaspora, satvikism is now being marketed as a refined, enlightened Hinduism. However, it subtly divides Hindus into two camps. …
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Articles
Equality In Love
Every context is different. Standard rules do not apply. The point is that we witness each other and allow each other to grow…
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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…
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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. …
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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…
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Articles
How Metaphors Reveal Ancient India’s Cultural Secrets
Early Indian metaphors emerge from three very different cultural zones: the Vedic northwest, the Tamil south, and the Prakrit-speaking Deccan. Each region had its own climate, flora, fauna, settlement pattern, and historical rhythm. …
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Articles
Jain Saraswati On Goose or Peacock
Sarasvati, goddess of knowledge and speech, has ancient roots in the Vedic river Sarasvati, the cradle of learning and ritual. Over time she evolved from river to goddess, depicted with manuscript, rosary, and water pot — symbols of wisdom. …
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Articles
Islam in Bengal and Odisha is not the Islam of Gujarat
As per Sanatani lore, Islam came to India, smashing the Somnath temple of Gujarat. They forget to mention that the Jagannath temple of Odisha, attacked over eighteen times, remained resilient and continues to stand tall. Different parts of India responded differently to Islam. …
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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. …
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Articles
Transformations of the Stupa
In 1898, William Peppé, a British engineer, excavated the Piprahwa stupa near Siddharthnagar in Uttar Pradesh (nine miles from Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama), and found bone fragments, ashes, and hundreds of gems. The inscription claimed the bones were those of the Buddha himself. …
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Articles
Tales of Biblical Jealousy
Jealousy moves quietly through the Bible, slipping into homes, upsetting marriages, splitting kingdoms, and turning love into rivalry. Each tale becomes a mirror for our own anxieties about attention, approval, and belonging…
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Articles
Why lotus remains India’s simplest yet most profound symbol
The lotus today is a symbol of a leading political party in India, but for thousands of years it has been part of Indian myth, ritual, architecture, and craft. At the village level, the lotus thrives as a simple floor drawing made with rice flour. …
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Articles
Six Signs Your Friend Has Been Colonised
Once your friend starts saying things like ‘karma is a b*tch’ or ‘you’ll get your karma’, he’s turned an ancient idea into a moral courtroom. He has replaced karma with justice, a concept that entered India through Christian and Islamic theology — through colonial education that divided the world into good and evil, heaven and…