In many ways, it is not at all a controversial thing to assert that War is rather fundamental to the Indo-European View of the Universe. One of the first mythemes that almost everybody tends to identify when they begin their journey along the skeins of comparative Indo-European mythography - is that of the 'Chaoskampf', the … Continue reading On The Mytholinguistics Of War [Part 1]
BhutaGana
NandiJi – Seneschal of the Shaivite House
It is Monday - Lord Shiva's Day ; Therefore, in a bit of a different spin to usual, a hail to an under-acknowledged figure - Nandi Puja. Nandi means "Happiness", and is also a way to refer to an inceptor - an opening prayer, particularly in a dramatic context. He is the Vahana of Shiva, … Continue reading NandiJi – Seneschal of the Shaivite House
Aum Gananam Tva Ganapatim…
Ganesh Chaturthi began yesterday, and as one should properly expect, this has been accompanied by a considerable escalation in expressions of piety towards the deity in question. Frequently, these have included a particular and rather prominent verse of Sanskrit, drawn from the RigVeda, and attributed as a prayer to Him: गणानां तवा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं … Continue reading Aum Gananam Tva Ganapatim…
GHOST DIVISION – On The BhutaGana of Mahadev & The Einherjar of Odin
GHOST DIVISION - On The BhutaGana of Mahadev & The Einherjar of Odin [Author's Note: This piece was initially intended as an offering for MahaShivRatri, which was this year in early March. A combination of delays in the writing and peer-review process - for which I take full responsibility - meant that it was not … Continue reading GHOST DIVISION – On The BhutaGana of Mahadev & The Einherjar of Odin
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