In many ways, it is not at all a controversial thing to assert that War is rather fundamental to the Indo-European View of the Universe. One of the first mythemes that almost everybody tends to identify when they begin their journey along the skeins of comparative Indo-European mythography - is that of the 'Chaoskampf', the … Continue reading On The Mytholinguistics Of War [Part 1]
Shiva
Hanuman, of the Rudras
Something interesting which I happened across earlier this morning, and eminently appropriate for a Tuesday, is the identity of a particular Rudra amidst the RudraGana in several attestations. The Rudras (plural) are emanations, descendants, forms, and especially favoured followers of Rudra - all of which is entailed in the term "Gana" [for more detail upon … Continue reading Hanuman, of the Rudras
NataRaja In The RigVeda – The Dance Of The Universe At CERN
The Shiva Nataraja Murti at CERN in Switzerland. I've written about the general characteristics and iconography of the Nataraja Aspect before, but I had this particular statue in mind in light of a RigVedic verse we were working with over the weekend. Now, the Nataraja at CERN is done in a style which has been … Continue reading NataRaja In The RigVeda – The Dance Of The Universe At CERN
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
ChandraGhanta – Third of the NavaDurgas, The Third Night of NavRatri
The Third Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as ChandraGhanta – She Who Is Crowned With The Half-Moon In The Shape Of A Bell, to render it somewhat figuratively. Now, before going further (and for that matter, picking up the narrative thread where we left off with last night’s Brahmacharini post), it is necessary … Continue reading ChandraGhanta – Third of the NavaDurgas, The Third Night of NavRatri
Brahmacharini – The Second of the NavaDurgas, The Second Night of NavRatri
The Second Night of #NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Brahmacharini – the Seeker of the Absolute. This is a rather direct rendering of Her theonym, as can be seen from the constituent parts: Brahman, and Charya (Charini is the feminine form of this noun). But what is actually meant by these terms, and what … Continue reading Brahmacharini – The Second of the NavaDurgas, The Second Night of NavRatri
Shailaputri – First of the NavaDurga
The first night of NavRatri is dedicated to Ma as Shailaputri – the Daughter of the Mountain. As noted in the introductory piece, the Mountain in question refers to King Himavat – the Lord of the Himalayas, and the father of Parvati [‘[Daughter] Of the Mountain’] in this particular cycle of Her incarnation. However, I … Continue reading Shailaputri – First of the NavaDurga
NandiJi – Seneschal of the Shaivite House
It is Monday - Lord Shiva's Day ; Therefore, in a bit of a different spin to usual, a hail to an under-acknowledged figure - Nandi Puja. Nandi means "Happiness", and is also a way to refer to an inceptor - an opening prayer, particularly in a dramatic context. He is the Vahana of Shiva, … Continue reading NandiJi – Seneschal of the Shaivite House
The “Buddhist” Coin Of Tilya Tepe – Arte-Facts #3
I've had this coin in my head for awhile now - and it seemed rather appropriate to post for a Wednesday. It's another of the artefacts from the justifiably famed Tilya Tepe burial-site in northern Afghanistan; a roughly two millennia old set of seven graves that are likely of Scythian origin, rediscovered in 1978. But … Continue reading The “Buddhist” Coin Of Tilya Tepe – Arte-Facts #3
arya-akasha 