Religions
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Is Hinduism timeless?
Published on 10th November, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror. Hinduism is called Sanatan Dharma in popular understanding. It is based on the line from the Bhagavad Gita where Sri Krishna describes the wisdom he is sharing assanatan, which means timeless. Any…
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A body with eight bends
Published on 10th November, 2019, in Mid-day Ashtavakra is a famous rishi associated with the Upanishadic period, roughly 2,500 years ago. His conversations with Janaka are very popular, where he draws attention to the connection between the spirit within us…
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Hindu Trinity: 21 Life-enhancing Secrets Revealed Through Stories and Art
In the living tradition that is Hinduism, divinity manifests as the Goddess, who embodies the world, as Shiva, who seeks to withdraw from it, and Vishnu, who engages with it.This omnibus, comprising the bestselling titles 7 Secrets of Shiva, 7…
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Pakistani Mythology
Published on 3rd November, 2019, in Mid-day Pakistan was the first modern republic to declare itself ‘Islamic’. It imagines itself as the Eastern edge of Arab civilisation, when in fact, it is the Western edge of Indian civilisation. No Pakistani…
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A cannibal of the Puranas
Published on 27th October, 2019, in Mid-day The Rigveda refers to the battle of 10 kings that was won by Sudas of the Bharata clan. In Puranas, we are told that he had a son called Kalmashpada. That is why…
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A savage civilisation
Published on 20th October, 2019, in Mid-day A few years ago, I had a confrontation with a senior newspaper editor, on stage, which quickly became viral and considerably popular. In the video, the editor insisted on equating Hinduism with Hindutva…
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Love in simplified Chinese is without a heart
Published on 18th October, 2019, in Economic Times In China, there are many dialects and a lot of diversity; however, everyone is united by the use of the single script. You can read the same script, in different languages but…
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The Arya in Iran
Published on 13th October, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror Ancient Hindus called themselves Arya and their homeland Arya-varta, which, according to Manusmriti, stretched from the Himalayas in the north to the sea in the south. But Manusmriti does not refer to…
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Shakti or Shaktiman?
Published on 13th October, 2019, in Mid-day I was recently trolled by a group of people. This was because I apparently had stated a claim that women are not powerful in India. I tried to figure out from where they…
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Science and yoga
Published on 6th October, 2019, in Mid-day Is yoga scientific? This is a question I am often asked, in various forums. The problem that lies with this question is essentially with the understanding of what yoga is, what science is…
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Lakshmi Helps Us Define Who’s God and Who’s Not
Published on 4th October, 2019, in Economic Times Everyone needs, and wants Lakshmi in Hindu mythology: Devas, Asuras, Rakshasas, Yakshas. But each one’s relationship with wealth is different. Some like Ram and Duryodhana are lucky, they are born in rich…
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How to Become Rich: 12 Lessons I Learnt from Vedic and Puranic Stories
Lakshmi is worshipped as the goddess of wealth. Her arrival is considered auspicious, while her departure is bad and inauspicious. In temples, gods are bedecked with jewels; during festivals, our houses are decorated with flowers, lamps and lakshmi’s footprints. Clearly,…
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Vedic stories are different from Puranic stories
Who is a Hindu? Published on 29th September, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror In the Vedas, there are references to many kings (raja) and to their poet-priests (rishi). Their stories are elaborated in the Puranas. There is a gap of two…
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A cluster of goddesses
Published on 29th September, 2019, in Mid-day In the Vedas, one does find references to individual goddesses, like Usha, Vak, and Aranyani who represent dawn, speech, and forests, respectively. In the Puranas, there is Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati, embodiments of…
