We have recently had much cause to discuss the This is the fifth such excerpt, from our impressively aegis'd 'On The Wolves Of Rudra – The Terrific, Well-Storied Wolves And Wolf Forms Of The Indo-European Sky Father' (A)Arti-cle. The first and second of these sought to briefly examine Apollo Lykeios and the Wolf That Stalks … Continue reading Bhairava Kshetrapala – The Terrifying Guardian Of The Temple , Castellan Of The Holy City And His Hounds Of Furious Vengeance And Law’s Upholding [ Excerpt V From ‘ On The Wolves Of Rudra – The Terrific, Well-Storied Wolves And Wolf Forms Of The Indo-European Sky Father ‘ ]
Shaivism
Rudra By Day, Rudra By Night – Countering Claims Of The Terrific God Being Somehow ‘Marginal’ Based Upon Spurious Vedic Non-Comprehension
Every so often, we run into some comment - whether on social media or in amidst academia - that is … useful, as a teachable moment for what not to do. And applicable in its general principle to a span far broader (and more persistent) than the individual exemplar that we'd run into. Often because … Continue reading Rudra By Day, Rudra By Night – Countering Claims Of The Terrific God Being Somehow ‘Marginal’ Based Upon Spurious Vedic Non-Comprehension
Prayer As Petitioning – A Lesson In Piety From ‘The GodsFather’
The conception many people have of 'Prayer' is that it constitutes of 'asking' - often for things that might be thought of as 'for personal gain', or for the assistance of others. Now, as we've recently discussed, there's quite a bit more to prayer than that, and effectively the broad meaning to the concept is … Continue reading Prayer As Petitioning – A Lesson In Piety From ‘The GodsFather’
On Indo-European Divine Refraction
Last week, we ran a post in reaction to yet another wave of Very Online Christian Triumphalism about Zeus having long ago been 'replaced' as the major deity worshipped in the Greek sphere. We pointed out that as Zeus Pater = Jupiter = Dyaus Pitar, with Dyaus Pitar quite directly (and in Shruti) being hailed … Continue reading On Indo-European Divine Refraction
Encountering The Great Hunter In The Wild – And Receiving His Arrow
Here's two depictions of a most particular encounter between Arjuna and … a certain Hunter (and His Wife), in the course of the Mahabharata. First, an illustration by Shobha Rajagopalan. This depicts both Arjuna and the Kirata (Who should be looking pretty familiar) engaged in the hunting of a (demonic) Boar. Now, of course, the … Continue reading Encountering The Great Hunter In The Wild – And Receiving His Arrow
Dyaus Inter Alia – On The Sky Father’s Major Theonym And The Relative (In-)Frequency Of Its Occurrence Across Various Indo-European Spheres
Something a perspicacious associate [O.R.] observed is that even though each Indo-European mythic sphere may have its Sky Father deific in prominent pride of place … it is only amidst the Hellenic and Roman perspectives that we actually find 'Dyaus Pitar' (or, if we are being properly PIE : *Dyḗus ph₂tḗr) theonymics in prominent usage and … Continue reading Dyaus Inter Alia – On The Sky Father’s Major Theonym And The Relative (In-)Frequency Of Its Occurrence Across Various Indo-European Spheres
The Divine Family Of Lord Shiva Sheltered In Demon-Hide – A Parable For Mahadev’s Miraculous Transmutation Of Difficulties To Boons
It's the last Monday night of the Shaivite Holy Month of Shravan Maas tonight, and I've had this image upon my mind. The sage Manasataramgini captioned it thusly: "Rudra's clan all huddled in an elephant hide for the cold Himalayan night". I think that's a pretty touching description. And most definitely apt. Yet in truth … Continue reading The Divine Family Of Lord Shiva Sheltered In Demon-Hide – A Parable For Mahadev’s Miraculous Transmutation Of Difficulties To Boons
A God-Fearing People – Against The Pretension That One Ought Not Perhaps Fear An Indo-European God
We had recently seen a claim from a prominent American witch that seemed to suggest it was improper to have "fear" of Gods. As they put it: "Not really something considered to be a healthy trait in a relationship - divine or otherwise." We could say quite a bit about this, but let's just stick … Continue reading A God-Fearing People – Against The Pretension That One Ought Not Perhaps Fear An Indo-European God
Accessible Shaivite Piety For Shravan Maas
Shravan Maas - the Shaivite Holy Month - is in full swing. We had had some questions as to how one can worship the Lord during this month. So here are a few easy ways. This is particularly for people who may not have the luxury of a fully-equipped Temple or detailed prior knowledge. And … Continue reading Accessible Shaivite Piety For Shravan Maas
No, Śarva, The Archer Theonym Of Rudra, Is Not Of Non-Indo-European Origination
I am, it would appear, once again infuriated. This time, by that most frequent of annoyances, Academic Shenaniganry. Specifically pertaining to Lord Shiva. An associate had directed my attention to a recent work by Lubotsky that attempted to set out that a rather large and integral swathe of Vedic religion … was non-Indo-European. And was, … Continue reading No, Śarva, The Archer Theonym Of Rudra, Is Not Of Non-Indo-European Origination