There is an aphorism of the great Baltasar Gracian which I have been turning over in my mind a fair bit this week. Not least because, upon closer inspection there's some *strongly* Indo-European [and, although Gracian could not possibly have known it, Shaivite - Shakta] subtext immanent within it. I shall not repeat it in full … Continue reading ‘Time And I Against Any Other Two’ – an Indo-European analysis of a maxim.
Sanskrit
Calling The Gods
"There can be no doubt that gods have appeared, not only in ancient times but even late in history; they feasted with us and fought at our sides. But what good is the splendor of bygone banquets to a starving man? What good is the clinking of gold that a poor man hears through the … Continue reading Calling The Gods
Man Cannot Ban What Man Did Not Create – On Sweden’s Proposed “Rune-Ban”
The heralded intent of the Swedish government to attempt to "ban" Runes, and more broadly other heritage/religious elements on grounds that they might "look" Neo-Nazi, must be *absolutely* opposed. Before proceeding further, and lest I be (wilfully) misinterpreted, I shall say one thing. I am no fan of Neo-Nazis, and have regularly found that some … Continue reading Man Cannot Ban What Man Did Not Create – On Sweden’s Proposed “Rune-Ban”
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
Sanskrit – A Living Language for the Digital Age
Man, this brings a smile to my face. Some allege that Sanskrit is a "dead" language; which is a bit of a nonsense - it's still spoken literally daily across the Dharmasphere, and drawn from for quite an array of functions beyond liturgy. Indeed, according to the most recent Indian Census data I could find, there … Continue reading Sanskrit – A Living Language for the Digital Age
HANUMAN JAYANTI
Today [yesterday for those of us to the west of the International Date Line] is an important religious observance, commemorating the triumph of an incarnate-and-born form of Deus Pater - sent from on high to help out Mankind (particularly via severance of the chains of sin upon the soul) in fulfilment of a covenant made … Continue reading HANUMAN JAYANTI
Ardhanarishvara ; Valentine’s Day
The Ardhanarishvara dual-aspect of Mahadev & Mata JI. Now, 'Ardhanarishvara', directly translated, means 'Half [Ardha] Woman [Nari] Sovereign [Ishvara]'. And while I can see why misunderstandings have lead to this particular shared form of the Divine Couple being co-opted, appropriated, and flagrantly misrepresented in the modern day by an array of people and clickbait-publishers looking … Continue reading Ardhanarishvara ; Valentine’s Day
MahaGauri – The Eighth Night of NavRatri – Eighth of the NavaDurgas
The Eight Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as MahaGauri - The Great White One. Now, as readers of yesterday's piece - on KaalRatri - will be patently aware, this stands in seemingly stark contrast to the previous Night's Aspect of MataJI, Who is the great(est) Black one. And yet, as it happens, a … Continue reading MahaGauri – The Eighth Night of NavRatri – Eighth of the NavaDurgas
KaalRatri – The Seventh Night of NavRatri; The Seventh of the NavaDurgas
"You often hear it said - "Time is on our side". Well ... This is Time. She is On My Side." The Sixth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as KaalRatri - the Blackest Night, the Night of Death, The Iron Night, The 'Stillness' of Time - and the 'Destroyer of Darkness', the Annihilator: … Continue reading KaalRatri – The Seventh Night of NavRatri; The Seventh of the NavaDurgas
Katyayani – The 6th NavaDurga, The Sixth Night Of NavRatri
The Sixth Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Katyayani - Mahishasura Mardini Herself, the Devastator of the Demon. And, not at all coincidentally, one of my favourite of the NavaDurga Forms. In many ways, the tale of Ma Katyayani may be considered emblematic of so much of the Durgan mythic corpus - insofar … Continue reading Katyayani – The 6th NavaDurga, The Sixth Night Of NavRatri
arya-akasha 