ल्येतुवा-देशात् तृणमणि-विषय एकाऽऽख्यायिका

पूरा त्वाकाशे सूर्यौ द्वावेवास्ताम् ।

मिस्रदेशे मम यात्रा

अस्मिन् वर्षे अहं मिस्रदेशं गतवान् | मिस्रदेशस्य सभ्यता, भाषा, साहित्य च खलु प्राचीनाः सन्ति |

Adam & Eve & the Egyptian serpent

Ancient Egypt had an immense influence on the world, through trade links and cultural contacts, so it should be no surprise to see ancient Egyptian ideas being propagated into later civilizations. Many Biblical figures in particular had very significant links with ancient Egypt, spending important and formative years there imbibing Egyptian ideas. In the Book of Genesis, we read about Abraham and Sarah going to Egypt and staying with the royal court, presumably becoming steeped in Egyptian knowledge and culture.

Family and society in the Vedic period

On the occasion of Guru Pūrṇimā, our thoughts may turn to the venerable lineages of successive teachers and students in India. As we will see, the need to record and preserve genealogical details of family and pedagogical lineages was already recognized in India in the earliest times. Indeed, this is very likely a continuation of the concerns of proto-Indo-European people. For many ancient peoples, family would perhaps be the main source of personal identity, and the basis of all religious life.

Þæt gefeoht ƿið Ucrægnan

On þissum gēare com micel landhere fram Russlande on Ucrægnan 7 micel Russisc sciphere ðurh þǣm blæcan sǣ oð þone Ucrægnan riman. Þās herigeas wǣron swā micel þe ærest gehwā þōhte þæt se Russisc here ahten sige.

Ethics in the Upanishads

Literature from across the world engages with ethical questions and moral quandaries, and plays a role in cultivating our moral sensibilities. Religious literatures often present ethical teachings indirectly, such as in the form of parables, or more directly, such as moral commandments. In the Upanishads of late Vedic India, we find both ethical and metaphysical teachings set out in contexts of lineages of teachers and students.

On war in Ukraine and in the Mahabharata

In the ancient Indian epic Mahābhārata, we read about a shocking and devastating war at Kurukṣetra that seems to have many parallels with the ongoing war in Ukraine. In this summary of some key points about the Kurukṣetra war, we may perhaps find some revealing similarities.

The theft of the mead

In a recent article, I discussed the theft of fire in the Rig Veda, and this may remind us of another similar incident of theft from the gods, viz. the theft of mead or soma by a falcon.

Thoughts on the film Memoria

The film Memoria is highly unusual and intriguing, prompting me to reflect on how to make sense of what is actually happening in the film. Rather giving any kind of comprehensive review or summary, however, I am just sharing here some of the workings of my own mind in response to the film.

गुरु लक्ष्मीङ्कर की कहानी

तिब्बत और भारत के सांस्कृतिक और ऐतिहासिक सम्बन्ध कई प्रकार के हैं | अतीत में, बहुत सी भारतीय साहित्यिक और आध्यात्मिक शास्त्रों को तिब्बत भेजा गया था, और उनके तिब्बती भाषा अनुवाद भी किया गया था | इनमें से बौद्ध ग्रन्थ हैं, जैसे के नागार्जुन, शान्तरक्षित, और कमलशील के लेखन | साथ ही व्याकरण के शास्त्र हैं, जो तिब्बती भाषाविज्ञान का विकास को प्रेरित किया | इसके अलावा, काव्य हैं, जैसे के कालिदास की उत्कृष्ट खण्डकाव्य ‘मेघदूत’ |