Ours is a glorious path. One which has set forth for the pious engagement with the ancient, the archaic, the ancestral … yet which has also undertaken to exist not merely within museums, but out amidst the modern world. Which does not, of course, mean that it ought be confused for something fundamentally "modern". And … Continue reading The Indo-European Propitiation Of Persephone-Kali [Part One: The Return]
Ramayana
ShivaJi, Jai Singh, and Combat Theology In Praxis
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
A Certain Blue-Cloaked Figure In Disguise …
I had seen this image of Hanuman with Lords Ram & Lakshman posted upon the occasion of the former's Jayanti and I did a double-take. Why? I'd been answering a question around Hanuman as an 'Avatar' or 'Form' of Shiva / Rudra on Hanuman Jayanti … and there we had Hanuman, appearing garbed in a … Continue reading A Certain Blue-Cloaked Figure In Disguise …
On The Simian Symbolic Representation Of Hanuman
We had recently been asked to weigh in on a rather recurrent matter of Hindu … well, iconography and understanding - namely, whether Hanuman is appropriate to depict as an 'ape' or 'monkey' style figure. The reasoning for this being at issue is that one can potentially interpret the name of Hanuman's clade, the Vanaras, … Continue reading On The Simian Symbolic Representation Of Hanuman
A Combat Of Piety – Lord Rama’s Averted Eye Sacrifice To Devi For Victory And Its Vedic Antecedents
To explain what's going on here - this is a Ramayana episode of particular significance to us in relation to #NavRatri and its apex. Although the occurrence in question is drawn from other sources than the familiar Valmiki Ramayana. It illustrates a particular ritual observance hailed within the realm of Myth (and which I believe … Continue reading A Combat Of Piety – Lord Rama’s Averted Eye Sacrifice To Devi For Victory And Its Vedic Antecedents
The Divine Invocation Of The War Goddess – Katyayani Prayed To For Victory By The Gods
Illustration: 'Rama’s Sharadiya Durga Puja' - Ratan Acharya Something that I feel deserves greater prominence when we speak of Indo-European theology - is the fact that Our Gods Have Gods. Or, more pointedly - Goddess. This isn't just a Hindu thing. It is also encountered - at least, inferentially - in the Hellenic sphere. There, … Continue reading The Divine Invocation Of The War Goddess – Katyayani Prayed To For Victory By The Gods
On Prayer – An Indo-European Commentary Upon Purported Germanic ‘God-Bothering’ With Same
Recently, our attention was drawn to a post from a "Reconstructionist Germanic Heathenry" page which made some claims about prayer that we feel deserve a bit of a closer look. The post itself had been taking aim at "Christian Baggage" in Germanic revivalist adherents - and had singled out … well, we'll quote for you: … Continue reading On Prayer – An Indo-European Commentary Upon Purported Germanic ‘God-Bothering’ With Same
The Sovereign-Sires Of The Sky – Lord Shiva And Devi As The Ultimate Rulers Of The Grahas
We had earlier had our attention drawn to this verse (and its backdrop) by several associates. It is a work of one of the great Tamil Shaivite saints, Sambandar (also anglicized, as here, as Campantar) - and, as one can immediately see, it is a verse for the simultaneous praising of Lord Shiva, as well … Continue reading The Sovereign-Sires Of The Sky – Lord Shiva And Devi As The Ultimate Rulers Of The Grahas
Telling Your Problem The (Siddhi-Shifting) Size Of Your God – Bajrang Bali Ki Jaye !
It has been said that faith is not telling a God the size of your problems - but, rather, telling your problems the size of the God. Apt wisdom for a Tuesday. Where we honour Hanuman, depicted in the photograph. And before somebody asks - no, no that is not He there on the right … Continue reading Telling Your Problem The (Siddhi-Shifting) Size Of Your God – Bajrang Bali Ki Jaye !
On The Archaic Notion Of The Indo-European Demigod
Recently, in the course of a discussion elsewhere, an occasional correspondant - 'Indian History' on twitter - made mention of a most intriguing Sanskrit term he'd observed in a Hymnal of the RigVeda. We were discussing 'Demigods', and whether these were a more exclusively Greek / Classical phenomenon or something of a broader Indo-European provenance. … Continue reading On The Archaic Notion Of The Indo-European Demigod
arya-akasha 