Tag: hinduism
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Hymn to all gods (№2)
What follows is my own translation of Rig Veda Mandala 1 Sūkta 90. The final lines of this verse are well-known and well-loved as they feature in one of the Śānti Mantras. The repeated reference to honey (madhu) also seems to be picked up on later in the Madhu-vidyā section of the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. The…
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The Iśāvāsya Upanishad
Trisul, Nanda Devi and Himalayan range from Kausani, Uttarakhand – Wikimedia Commons Pervaded by the dominion [of the Supreme] is all of this which moves in the moving world Having abandoned this, enjoy! Do not be acquisitive! For whose indeed is wealth? [Iśāvāsya Upanishad Verse 1; my own translation] This is the famous first verse…
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Religious Pluralism in India
Lord Shiva dancing (Chamba, India, 18th century) — Google Arts and Culture/ National Museum, New Delhi Our religious and metaphysical worldviews correspond in deep and complex ways with social and ethical orders of our societies. Religiously monotheistic societies tend to be connected with highly centralised political structures, and indeed there is strong evidence that the adoption of Christianity…
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Spirituality and the Himalayas
Our emotional response to mountain landscapes Since ancient times the Himālayas have loomed large in the consciousness of the Indian people, geographically, politically and most of all in the context of religious belief and practice. This was perhaps in part because the ritual drink of Soma was fetched down from Mount Munjavant in the Himālayas…
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Hinduism and Creative Adaptation
Modern replica of utensils and falcon shaped altar used for Agnicayana — by Arayilpdas at Malayalam Wikipedia Ethics and other normative action in Indian thought The theory of creative adaptation perhaps began to evolve in the Indian tradition with the need to find adequate sacrificial materials as stipulated in Vedic texts even when the early Indian people…
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Creation in the Rig Veda
Exterior (shutters) of The Garden of Earthly Delights — Wikimedia Commons One of its several narratives in comparative perspective The Ṛg Veda contains various accounts of the creation of the universe, including the famous Nāsadīya Sūkta which I have previously discussed. That sets out a rather philosophically sophisticated and speculative idea about a single monistic principle whereby…
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Ethics in the Mahābhārata
The disrobing of Draupadi, attributed to Nainsukh, c.1765 — Wikimedia Commons Dharma and the difficulty of moral deliberation Why do bad things happen to good people? What is the best way to respond to sufferings or difficulties in life? How can we maintain faith in a moral standard in the face of the challenges and complexities of…
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The Battle of Ten Kings
Ahi-Kshetra – the ancient capital of Northern Panchala — Wikimedia Commons The account in the Ṛg Veda and the legacy for modern India The seventh maṇḍala of the Ṛg Veda was largely composed by the Rṣi Vasiṣṭha Maitrāvaruṇi, well-known from later literature too, especially for the mutual antagonism between him and Viśvamitra. It commemorates some events leading…
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The moral concern of the gods
Varuna, the God of Waters (1675–1700) — LACMA The Ᾱdityas in Indian history Do the gods care about the moral development of humanity? Do they encourage morally good behaviour and oppose those who act unethically? Many of the poets of the Rig Veda seem to have believed so, as did their Avestan compatriots. This article will present…
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What is eternal dharma?
How should a person who wants to practice dharma behave? What is eternal dharma?
Desire To Think 