The 2nd of June marked the 350th anniversary of the coronation of ShivaJi. With that in mind - it seemed apt to finalize a piece looking at a rather under-explored detail pertaining to the great man's ascent. As I think we all know by now, I make a fairly active study of what we might … Continue reading ShivaJi, Jai Singh, and Combat Theology In Praxis
Jai Mata DI !
For Pratyangira – Roaring Goddess of the Counter-Fire
A murti of the fearsome Goddess[-form], Pratyangira - a theonymic we would be tempted to translate as "Return Fire!" She is regarded as Goddess of the Atharva Veda via Atharvana Bhadrakali - and also linked to Kali through the Narasimhika ('Heroic Lioness' / 'Lion-(Wo)Man') encountered in the Sri Kalika Sahasranama stotram of MahaKalaBhairava : and … Continue reading For Pratyangira – Roaring Goddess of the Counter-Fire
A Slightly Belated Beltane Commentary (With Additional Slavic Comparanda)
Every year, we try and have (A)Arti-cles ready for the major days of the Indo-European religious calendars. Some years, we do better than others. Other years - a delay turns out to be a blessing in disguise. So it may be viz. Beltane. For we had just in the past few hours happened across postings … Continue reading A Slightly Belated Beltane Commentary (With Additional Slavic Comparanda)
Rama’s Invocation Of The War-Goddess
It is Friday - Devi's Day And therefore - a Hero making offering to the Goddess, so as to ensure His Victory in the (more actively combative phase of the ongoing) War soon to come, where He shall vanquish the demon who has stolen His Wife. The Hero, of course, here is Lord Ram (the … Continue reading Rama’s Invocation Of The War-Goddess
On Kali In The Vedas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFnWiEUJ9ZQ We have often heard it claimed that there is no Kali in the Vedas - and that She is therefore some kind of 'foreign' or 'novel' figure in relation thereto. This is not true.We take a brief look at several divine expressions of the Vedas that are clearly resemblant to Kali - not simply … Continue reading On Kali In The Vedas
On The Equinox War-Rites Of The Indo-Europeans
The 19th of March, per the Roman calendar, marks a prominent observance to Minerva - so named 'Quinquatria' due to its occurring on the fifth day ('Quinque') following the Ides of March. And, as should perhaps come as a surprise to no-one by this point, we happened to notice some rather significant points of Indo-European … Continue reading On The Equinox War-Rites Of The Indo-Europeans
On Curious Claims Of There Not Being “Anything Like Kali” In The Vedas – A Brief Illumination To Some Of Her Correlates Within The Vedic Texts
Yesterday evening we encountered this most curious claim: https://twitter.com/Dhvasra/status/1634700610673995777 He might want to check Sankhayana Grihya Sutra II 14 14 - wherein we do, quite literally, find a 'Bhadrakali' directly attested. This guy has been doing a thing for awhile of claiming he's "reviving" the 'real' religion of Vedas. I presume this is why he … Continue reading On Curious Claims Of There Not Being “Anything Like Kali” In The Vedas – A Brief Illumination To Some Of Her Correlates Within The Vedic Texts
On Sadhguru’s Recent Curious Comment About (Hindu, Divine) Feminine And Conquest
To answer Nirjharaḥ Mukhopādhyāyaḥ's question … "No World Beyond HER RuleNo Enemy Beyond HER Wrath" is what I think about this. Now I know that Sadhguru prides himself on not letting himself be "cluttered" by reading scripture - however it does not take a pervasive engagement with our texts to see that the "Feminine", Devi, … Continue reading On Sadhguru’s Recent Curious Comment About (Hindu, Divine) Feminine And Conquest
On Ramprasad’s Devi Theonymic Weapons Of The Mind
An associate had sent me this poem - curiously, as fate would have it, very swiftly after I'd finished my Kali & Durga hymnals in the pre-dawn darkness here after yet another night awake. It is an interesting suite of verses. And no doubt, would be more so if I were working from the Bengali … Continue reading On Ramprasad’s Devi Theonymic Weapons Of The Mind
For Juno Sospita
The First of February is, so I have just heard, the anniversary of the dedication of the Palatine Temple of Juno Sospita ['The Savioress'] in Rome. We find this prominently mentioned in Ovid's Fasti (II 55-66): "At the start of the month [of February] they say that Juno the Saviour (Sospita),Neighbouring the Phrygian Mother, was … Continue reading For Juno Sospita