As applies Prometheus - everybody knows the main 'pop-culture' narrative. But what if there was an additional reason that Prometheus deserved the outcome - and for Prometheus to have wanted to interfere with setting down the formulaic metaphysics of sacrifice to begin with… Now, here is the key detail - a fragment transmitted via Hesychius … Continue reading Prometheus & Ithax, Saboteur of Sacrifice – Part One: The Emissary of the Anti-Divine
Krishna Yajurveda
TRI-LOKA : The Three Worlds Of Indo-European Cosmology – Part Four: Amidst The Glorious & Ancestral Dead
Now as something of a 'check and confirm' upon all of this (Parts III, II, & I), it should prove useful to return towards the Nordic cosmological schema. Wherein, as applies the destination(s) of the Glorious and Ancestral Dead - we once again observe what should decidedly seem to be 'Uppland' situations: Valhalla should certainly … Continue reading TRI-LOKA : The Three Worlds Of Indo-European Cosmology – Part Four: Amidst The Glorious & Ancestral Dead
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
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
‘For Want Of A Horse’ – On The Proper Perspective Upon Ritual Offerings And Why The ‘Asva’ Of ‘Asvamedha’ Is Held To Be Necessary As Same
Over the weekend, we had received a question from a reader as to the reasoning underpinning the Asvamedha - the Horse Sacrifice. Specifically, why would one offer a horse given the high value of such a creature in the late Bronze Age / early Iron Age milieu. Now, several people proffered suggestions as to the answer here, … Continue reading ‘For Want Of A Horse’ – On The Proper Perspective Upon Ritual Offerings And Why The ‘Asva’ Of ‘Asvamedha’ Is Held To Be Necessary As Same
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
Homage to the Rudras of Horse and Chariot
It is Monday Night - Lord Shiva's Night - And therefore … an evocative modern illustration. It is from a series of such commissioned by the well-known Shaivite monastery in Hawaii. And what is it illustrating ? Well, I would say that it is the suite of verses known from the Yajurveda [TS IV 5 … Continue reading Homage to the Rudras of Horse and Chariot
The War-Stones Of The Altar
I Have Theology For That Now, when I say that, I get the sense that some of you think I'm joking. Or that I just have some abstract concept in my head. No, I literally have theology for that. In fact, not just theology, but astrology, too ! Shatapatha Brahmana II 1 2 : "13 … Continue reading The War-Stones Of The Altar
Rohini – A Re-Examination Of The Red Goddess And Rudra
This morning marks an astrological transit - that of Mangala (Mars) into Rohini. Now, to explain a bit about this in terms that will, perhaps, be a bit more familiar - Rohini is a Nakshatra, a (lunar) star sign; and it is correlate with what, in Western terms, would be identified with Aldebaran or Alpha … Continue reading Rohini – A Re-Examination Of The Red Goddess And Rudra
‘Send the Wolves’ – Demons And Demon-Worshippers Driven Out From The Vedic Sacred Space By The Howling Hounds Of Heaven : An Exaltation !
Ever since I first read of it, this Vedic myth (and ritual operation) has resonated most potently within my mind. It deals with an 'exorcism' of sorts. One wherein a coterie of 'priests of demons' being fought by Indra are hurled into the howling demesne that is as the 'Gates of the Underworld' - the … Continue reading ‘Send the Wolves’ – Demons And Demon-Worshippers Driven Out From The Vedic Sacred Space By The Howling Hounds Of Heaven : An Exaltation !
arya-akasha 