"जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी" "Mother & Motherland Are Superior Even To Heaven" A noble sentiment attributed to the Rsi Bharadwaj ; and which is rendered further marvelous - to my mind, anyway - when we consider some of the implications of the Sanskrit word-choices used in its construction. For example, Janani has at its Sanskrit … Continue reading Devi NationalisMa Above All
Jai Hind
ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
The 15th of August marks India's Independence Day; and, as has become my custom, I have penned an article in honour of both the occasion, and the state and struggle for which it stands. Whereas 2017's piece looked at the geopolitical saliency of India, especially from the perspective of a small South Pacific state such … Continue reading ON THE GATES OF SOMNATH TEMPLE – AN ESSAY OF RAKSHA(PALA) FOR BOTH SWARAJ AND BANDHAN
MahaGauri – The Eighth Night of NavRatri – Eighth of the NavaDurgas
The Eight Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as MahaGauri - The Great White One. Now, as readers of yesterday's piece - on KaalRatri - will be patently aware, this stands in seemingly stark contrast to the previous Night's Aspect of MataJI, Who is the great(est) Black one. And yet, as it happens, a … Continue reading MahaGauri – The Eighth Night of NavRatri – Eighth of the NavaDurgas
KaalRatri – The Seventh Night of NavRatri; The Seventh of the NavaDurgas
"You often hear it said - "Time is on our side". Well ... This is Time. She is On My Side." The Sixth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as KaalRatri - the Blackest Night, the Night of Death, The Iron Night, The 'Stillness' of Time - and the 'Destroyer of Darkness', the Annihilator: … Continue reading KaalRatri – The Seventh Night of NavRatri; The Seventh of the NavaDurgas
Katyayani – The 6th NavaDurga, The Sixth Night Of NavRatri
The Sixth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Katyayani - Mahishasura Mardini Herself, the Devastator of the Demon. And, not at all coincidentally, one of my favourite of the NavaDurga Forms. In many ways, the tale of Ma Katyayani may be considered emblematic of so much of the Durgan mythic corpus - insofar … Continue reading Katyayani – The 6th NavaDurga, The Sixth Night Of NavRatri
SkandaMata – 5th of the NavaDurgas, 5th Night of NavRatri
The Fifth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as SkandaMata - the Mother of Skanda (Kartikeya), one of the foremost of our War Gods. He takes after His Mother in that regard 😀 Of course, before situating SkandaMata within the overarching context of the NavaRatri Cycle, it is necessary to briefly introduce Lord Skanda, … Continue reading SkandaMata – 5th of the NavaDurgas, 5th Night of NavRatri
Kushmanda – 4th Navadurga, The 4th Night of NavRatri
The Fourth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Kushmanda - the Power of the Sun. Now, this is my own somewhat figurative rendering of the name; with a more direct translation working out something like "Warmth of the Cosmic Egg". And while it might be tempting, I suppose, to think of the Sun … Continue reading Kushmanda – 4th Navadurga, The 4th Night of NavRatri
ChandraGhanta – Third of the NavaDurgas, The Third Night of NavRatri
The Third Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as ChandraGhanta - She Who Is Crowned With The Half-Moon In The Shape Of A Bell, to render it somewhat figuratively. Now, before going further (and for that matter, picking up the narrative thread where we left off with last night's Brahmacharini post), it is necessary … Continue reading ChandraGhanta – Third of the NavaDurgas, The Third Night of NavRatri
BHARAT MATA AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN DEIFIC OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
August 15th is India's National Day - the hallowed anniversary of Independence. And for that, we have prepared something a little bit different for publication here at AA. Now, you may be wondering why we are posting to mark a civic, political observance rather than something which is prima facie a religious one of ancient … Continue reading BHARAT MATA AND THE INDO-EUROPEAN DEIFIC OF NATIONAL IDENTITY
Akhanda Bharata – A Concept In Flux
I've previously written a bit about the occasional bouts of revanchist and irridentist tendencies which can accompany political Hinduism - the most common of which are rather justified claims that India ought to maintain or extend territorial possession to include areas such as the full extent of Jammu & Kashmir, and areas of China (or, … Continue reading Akhanda Bharata – A Concept In Flux
arya-akasha 