A carved Surya from Magadha, likely about 21-22 centuries old. Now, I felt this deserved a brief commentary due to the two decidedly female figures either side of Lord Surya in the Solar Chariot. Per the Suprabedhagama and Amsumadbhedagama (manuals of Hindu iconographic depiction, inter alia) - we may find Surya flanked by Prathyusha & … Continue reading The Maricis Of Lord Surya – A Solar Warrior Women Typology ?
Rudra
On Goddess, The Gender of the Moon, And Insistent Paradigmatic Error-ism
There's one point which seems to keep coming up when the fact of an Indo-European male Moon deific is raised.Namely, the notion that this is an impossibility - or, at the very least, a glaring incongruity - because we know with our modern scientific perspective that the Moon 'receives' the light from the Sun. There … Continue reading On Goddess, The Gender of the Moon, And Insistent Paradigmatic Error-ism
Appealing To Odin Rudra Shiva To Help Find One’s Beloved (Again)
"He gives Victory to some,Money to others,Eloquence to many,and Common Sense to all.He gives Waves to the Sea,Word-Skill to Poets,He gives many the Happiness of Love" Freyja, speaking of Odin, apparently from the Völuspá hin skamma per Dr Jackson Crawford's translation … which appears to be extracted from Hyndluljóð Interested to see this particular verse … Continue reading Appealing To Odin Rudra Shiva To Help Find One’s Beloved (Again)
Pradosha Vrat – The Fortnightly Evening Observance For Lord Shiva
Pradosha Vrat tonight … so here's a pretty aesthetic shot of the Shiva Temple at Kedarnath Pradosh Vrat [literally 'Evening Observance' - 'Vrata', from the same root as our English 'Word', communicates the sense of a 'Vow', giving somebody your Word] is hailed as an ideal time to approach the Lord in supplication. This is, … Continue reading Pradosha Vrat – The Fortnightly Evening Observance For Lord Shiva
Ravens For Rudra ?
It is interesting how things work out. We have known for some time now that Lord Shiva and Odin are the same deific - expressed prominently to two broad Indo-European mytho-religious sphere : the 'Vedic' and 'Eddic', we might say. We have spent much time over the past few years tracing out the various coterminities … Continue reading Ravens For Rudra ?
Brief lines from the Rahu Stotra
Since it is Shaani's Hora [Saturn's Hour] on a Monday [Moon's Day - Lord Shiva's Day] - and something Lunar resonant has been reminded of … it seemed appropriate to post this. Rahur dhanavamanthri cha simhika chitha nandana,Ardha kaya, sada krodhi, chandradhithya vimardhana Rahu, Vizier of Danavas and Delighter of Simhika [His Mother]Half-Bodied, Ever Wrathful, … Continue reading Brief lines from the Rahu Stotra
The AtharvaVeda’s Invocation Of The Mother Of Indra To Impart Strength And Splendour To The Worshipper
The AtharvaVeda is a trove of interesting and otherwise under-thought of lore. It has to be due to the nature of its subject-matter - the invoking via allusion of elements to pointed projects and intended outcomes. Here are two translations of AV VI 38, entitled by Griffith as "A prayer for surpassing strength and energy" … Continue reading The AtharvaVeda’s Invocation Of The Mother Of Indra To Impart Strength And Splendour To The Worshipper
In Honour Of The BanaLingam Upon The Occasion Of Its Arrival – The Living Altar Of Narmada That Is Shakti & Shiva Rightfully Conjoined
We have attained the BanaLinga ! Yet what is this mighty stone, inset within a shining Yoni of Silver ? The easiest way to explicate it is to start with the very basic and work our way up from there. At its core, a ShivLing is an 'aniconic' embodiment of the Lord Shiva. It may also … Continue reading In Honour Of The BanaLingam Upon The Occasion Of Its Arrival – The Living Altar Of Narmada That Is Shakti & Shiva Rightfully Conjoined
Krttika – The Six Swords of the Stars
An asterism of Bindrunes - 'Krittika'. Which I've constructed from ᚲ ᚱ ᛏ ᛏ ᚲ ᚨ (Kaunan, Raidho, Tiwaz Tiwaz, Kaunan, Ansuz); and which, well, it represents something rather important. Particularly for a certain 'Sword' of 'Divine Design' out there. 'Krttika' in Sanskrit means 'The Cutter' - and The Krttikas (plural) refer to the Pleiades. … Continue reading Krttika – The Six Swords of the Stars
Shiva As Kirata – The Hunter Of The Himalayan Wilds
It is MONDAY - Lord Shiva's Day ! And therefore - a fine sculpture of Lord Shiva as Hunter. Now, this particular representation is of Shiva as a Kirata. These days the term refers to a particular and significantly Sino-Tibetan ethnic sphere found in the northeast of the SubContinent (this sculpture is situated in Namchi … Continue reading Shiva As Kirata – The Hunter Of The Himalayan Wilds
arya-akasha 