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
Shiva
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, Sacrifice Hasn’t Ended – A Response To A Case Of Insistently Myth-Taken Myth-Interpretation
We had recently had this passage from a work of the Italian writer, Roberto Calasso, thrust against us by somebody attempting to make a theological argument of sorts. This is infuriating. And not least because in the preceding paragraphs, Calasso does indeed write rather well - stylistically, at any rate. His command of content is … Continue reading No, Sacrifice Hasn’t Ended – A Response To A Case Of Insistently Myth-Taken Myth-Interpretation
Dakshinamurti – Lord Shiva As Teacher Of The Wise And Righteous
A fine illustration of Lord Shiva as Dakshinamurti - Now, as one can tell immediately by looking, this is a form of Shiva that is particularly prominent for knowledge-giving, insight and instruction. Hence we have one of the hands bearing a sheaf of sacred texts; and hence we also have the mala of beads with … Continue reading Dakshinamurti – Lord Shiva As Teacher Of The Wise And Righteous
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
For Guru Purnima – And The True Making Of Heroes
Tonight marks one of the most pervasively resonant of the Hindu religious observances - that of Guru Purnima. It is an occasion wherein we honour, as the name should imply, our Gurus and other Teachers. Those who have so enriched our world through the bestowal of that most precious of gifts - their illumination of … Continue reading For Guru Purnima – And The True Making Of Heroes
On The Hellenic Propitiation of Sirius Wolf-Zeus In Order To Re-Bestow Life To The Natural World
With a storm sweeping in tonight, bringing much rain and wind, it seems only apt to present the following. This is a slightly reworked excerpt from the Wolves of Rudra piece - one of many elements that, whilst they could not be fitted in to the final version, are nevertheless integrally linked to what we … Continue reading On The Hellenic Propitiation of Sirius Wolf-Zeus In Order To Re-Bestow Life To The Natural World
The Sacrifice to the Fourteen Gods of Tripura of the Enemies of that State
To provide some measure of context: at the time, Bengal was significantly under Muslim (and, indeed, Afghan - Pathan) domination, in the form of the Bengal Sultanate. Tripura had been a vassal-state - although not long afore this incident had occurred, Tripura had begun to throw off the foreign yoke in earnest (and more upon … Continue reading The Sacrifice to the Fourteen Gods of Tripura of the Enemies of that State
Sacral Or Sacrificial ? Interrogating The Position Of The Cosmic Cow Within The Reconstructive Efforts Of The Proto-Indo-European Mythos
It is Wednesday - Woden's Day. And therefore, a particular exploration of a Myth most pertinent to He. That of Auðumbla - the Great Cow. More specifically, how this links to a speculative archaic Proto-Indo-European cosmogonical myth. Or, rather, how it doesn't link to the rather annoyingly pervasive very particular effort at a "reconstruction" I have in … Continue reading Sacral Or Sacrificial ? Interrogating The Position Of The Cosmic Cow Within The Reconstructive Efforts Of The Proto-Indo-European Mythos
On The Wolves Of Rudra – The Terrific, Well-Storied Wolves And Wolf Forms Of The Indo-European Sky Father
We begin to speak upon a theme most close to us - that of the Wolf Form, the Wolf Associations and Associates of Rudra … but also of the Indo-European Sky Father deific complex more generally. Now I state that it is a mytheme close to this author. I mean this quite directly - it … Continue reading On The Wolves Of Rudra – The Terrific, Well-Storied Wolves And Wolf Forms Of The Indo-European Sky Father