#Itihasa

[musingsonthemahabharata]

excerpt from an audio-translation I worked on with a colleague of mine; we translated Draupadī's imposing speech as rendered in modern Mahābhārat retellings. Draupadī utters this speech after she is dragged to the royal hall by her hair, and is assaulted & sexually harassed by the men of the Kuru dynasty. she renounces her status as a wife; in the Sanskrit Mbh, symbolically, by refusing to tie her hair again, while in modern renderings, explicitly, by directly renouncing her husbands who passively watched her humiliation.

in this sequence, Draupadī curses the Kurus. the curse bears similarities across the Sanskrit & modern tellings; that just as she bled in the sabhā (royal court / hall), so will all the men bleed on the battlefield, and just as she wept with her hair untied, so will their women cry before their corpses with their hair dishevelled (tied hair was the marking of a wife / bride, untied hair, of a widow).

photo: Pooja Sharma as Draupadī. Pooja is my Draupadī.

[teanicolae]

Draupadī and the Dharma of Women

"Strī" translates from Sanskrit as "woman", while "dharma" is a complex principle with manifold meanings, in this context bearing the significance of "duty"; in simple terms, it refers to an individual conduct that contributes to harmony in a greater framework, be it societal or cosmological.

Draupadī is lauded in the Critical Edition of the Mbh several times as being the epitome of strī-dharma, of the dharma of women. (2.62.20; 2.63.25-30; 2.64). Interestingly, she is most intensely praised as such after she angrily (yet elegantly!) questions the men of the royal court and demands justice, being anything but meek and demure. I would argue that this showcases that in the Mahābhārata voicing oneself and standing up for oneself are considered responsibilities belonging to the dharma of women.

To nuance this even more, Eknath Easwaran, an eminent translator of the Bhagavadgītā, highlights that, etymologically, the term "dharma" can be traced back to the root 'dhri', which means 'to support, hold up, or bear'; "dharma" therefore translates as "that which supports", and Draupadī's conduct therefore supports both society and cosmology.

In the Sanskrit Mbh, Kṛṣṇa does not appear in the sabhā (royal hall) at the time of Draupadī's attempted disrobing, and no direct mention of him is made during this episode. In a conversation with Dr. Brian Black, a Mbh researcher whom I had the honour to have as my MA supervisor, we talked about the implication of this, which is that Draupadī's adherence to strī-dharma appears to be that which shields her. A question that could arise here could be whether there is a contradiction between the Critical Edition and modern renderings of the Mahābhārata, with Draupadī being shielded by her dharma as opposed to by Kṛṣṇa.

For me there is no contradiction.

Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavadgītā establishes himself as 'the eternal dharma' (14.27); and so, Kṛṣṇa is all dharmas, including strī-dharma. We tend to associate Kṛṣṇa with a fully-fledged incarnation; but he is beyond that. I would maintain that, as the divine principle, he exists in Draupadī's consciousness and in her actions as dharma (and not only!). The latter renditions, for me, in which he is physically there, only bring forth in tangible projections the internal process extending Draupadī's consciousness.

You can find me on IG: @musingsonthemahabharata.

Painting: Jadurani Dasi, 1986.

[hindulivesmatter]

Resources to learn more about Hinduphobia, and Hindu culture.

Making a masterpost about this because I'm getting a lot of asks for it. The list will be updated!

Books to read:

Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody. This is the memoir of a woman stuck in Iran and how she has to illegally sneak out with her daughter. It doesn't focus on Hinduphobia but it does highlight the violence perpetuated by Muslims to women. This is a true story and a movie has also been made on it. Also, I just need to appreciate how well it's written, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.

Aavarna by  S. L. Bhyrappa. This book basically details how Hindu history was derailed and destroyed by Mughal invaders, specifically Aurangzeb, the plot is fictional but the history is real.

All Religions Are Not the Same by Sanjay Dixit. This is a new book and I've just ordered it actually. It discusses the differences between religions and how secularism affects that.

Why I Killed Gandhi by Nathuram Godse. Includes the testimonial of the man who killed Gandhi. I'm about to read this book and I'm excited. Don't be fooled by the one-star reviews.

Hindus in Hindu Rashtra by Anand Ranganathan. Illustrates 9 examples of the hypocrisy of the current government when it comes to legalities and laws concerning Hindus.

Some people you can follow on Twitter are Dr Anand Ranganathan, The Skin Doctor, and VivanVatsa. They're all well-read on Hinduphobia and/or Hindu history.

A fantastic account on Instagram called vrindkavi posts amazing comics on Indian history and mythology.

Blogs you can follow for awareness, and learning about Hinduphobia/Hindu culture:

@rhysaka (debunking common myths, awareness, politics/geopolitics, news, culture)

@mrityuloknative (debunking common myths, awareness, politics/geopolitics, news, culture)

@main-agar-kahoon (debunking common myths, awareness, culture)

@yato-dharmastato-jayah (history and explanations, culture)

@forgotten-bharat (amazing for the history of ancient India, and culture)

@kailash-se-birha (culture, awareness)

@aranyaani (debunking common myths, awareness, politics/geopolitics, news, culture)

Interesting masterposts from other blogs:

Booklist to learn more about Hindu History by @mrityuloknative

The Ayodhya Masterpost by @mrityuloknative

Some important Hindu literature:

Mahabharata This is classified as an Itihasa text. It deals with a war between 2 royal factions and is a vehicle for describing the activities of the Avatar Krishna.

Ramayana This is also an Itihasa text. It provides the biography of Lord Rama who is considered an Avatar of Vishnu.

Bhagavad Gita This is an important text of the Vedanta school and is treated separately although it is part of Mahabharata. It provides a coherent summary of Vedanta.

Srimad Bhagavatam This is a Purana and provides a biography of Lord Krishna. This is an important text for the Vaishnava sect of Hinduism.

Shiva Purana and Linga Purana These Puranas provide the biography of Lord Shiva and are important texts for the Saivite sect of Hinduism.

Chandi or Devi Mahatmyam This is an important text for Saktas who worship Sakti or Devi. This text is really part of the Markandeya Purana.

But really, the best way to combat Hinduphobia, is to learn about our history and culture, because if you know the truth, you won't fall for the twisted narrative being peddled by the media today. If you've got to the end of this, thank you for educating yourself and learning about us.

[lilavatilikeslemons]

Relief

A feeling of reassurance and relaxation following release of anxiety or distress.

--------------------------

Reminder: This is a work made from my own imagination, with inspiration from the actual itihasa, and not meant to hurt anyone's sentiments.

Unedited: You've been warned.

--------------------------------------------------

Hanuman held his amma's chudamani carefully in his grasp, as he briskly returned back to Kishkinda with his comrades.

As their feet moved across the changing terrains which led back to their camp, one thing that prevailed in his mind was 'How would my Prabhu's worries diminish quickly?'

He didn't care if the difference was by minutes- or even mere seconds.

Not a moment more that lasted even as short as a blink of an eye should his Prabhu suffer.

He closed his eyes, as he thought on how he could eradicate the worries that clouded his Prabhu's mind, the fog as thick as the fumes that raised from the fire that spread across Lanka.

"Janaki-"

No. No, he couldn't say that. His Svami wouldn't know if they'd seen his Amma or not, by only mentioning her pure name.

"In Lanka-"

No. Not that, either. His Svami didn't know where this Lanka was- what even was it. He must be made aware about the state his Amma is in, first. It was the reason he was sent.

He took a deep breath, as he saw the humble cave that Shri Ram resided in, as he quickened his pace, exclaiming so loudly, that his voice could be heard inside the cave, even before he entered his Svami's gaze.

"కనుగొంటిని జానకిని, తండ్రి!"

(Kanugontini Janakini, Tandri!)

(I saw Sita with my eyes, prabhu!)

The second his voice reached the ears of his father- oh, the relief that washed his troubled soul was like the sea's tide- the fierce waves slowly calming, as the period of darkness finally led to the first ray of light.

--------------------------------------------------

जय सीता राम लक्ष्मण की!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Hope y'all liked this piece, IVE BEEN ON A ROLL AHHAHA

This piece is inspired by a scene in the Telugu movie Sampoorna Ramayanam- where Hanuman (I love him so much omg) runs to Shri Rama, saying "Kanugotini Janakini!" From the moment he entered the camp, Ram heard him from like 20 meters away

It is said that Hanuman wished for Rama's worries to diminish as soon as possible, not wanting him to suffer a second more than it was necessary, and to make sure no doubts arose- that he thought of what would tell him that they'd found Sita.

I personally loved the scene so much I recommend watching it it's so beautiful I cry everytime hsjejeje

On that note, constructive feedback, criticism and comments on the story are always welcome!

Stay safe, healthy and hydrated<3

Have a good one, folks!

[h0bg0blin-meat]

Hey Meat! Currently combing through Matt Clayton’s Hindu Mythology: A Captivating Guide to Hindu Myths, Hindu Gods, and Hindu Goddesses and I was wondering if you could give like a little introduction to the main concepts/gods/goddesses? I’m seeing many terms like “the Veedas” and “the Shastras” as I go through it and I’m picking up context clues and I could probably google them but I’d like to hear from actual people and especially those who know and care deeply about these Myths (like you <3). So… can you help me? /gen

Heyyy Neptune! First of all I apologize it took me so long to answer you dfnsfjfdjg forgive meeee

I love how ardently you're researching Hinduism. I haven't really read his book, but I'll help you with giving you an overview of it, so to speak.

Firstly lemme tell you about the Vedic knowledge system, which consists of:

Vedas

Vedangas

Upavedas

Vedas: These are the oldest known scriptures of Hinduism. The religion has four Vedas, namely the:

Rig Veda (RV): book of hymns to the deities.

Yajur Veda (YV): book of mantras and worship rituals

Sama Veda (SV): book of chanting songs

Atharva Veda (AV): book of procedures of everyday life

Each of them have four subdivisions:

Samhitas (mantras, hymns, prayers and benedictions)

Brahmanas (explanations and instructions on performing Vedic rituals)

Aranyakas (texts on the meaning and symbolisms of rituals and ceremonies basically). They were mainly composed by sages who meditated in the wilderness, hence the name of the texts (aranya means forest in Sanskrit).

Upanishads (texts on meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge)

Upasanas (additional). These are texts on worship.

Vedangas: These are the six auxiliary disciplines of Hinduism, and are heavily linked to the Vedas. They are:

Shiksha: Study of phonetics

Vyakarana: Study of grammar

Chhandas: Study of poetic metres and rhythm

Niruktas: Study of etymology

Jyotishya: Study of astrology and astronomy

Kalpa: Study of rituals and guide to ritual instructions

Upavedas: These are texts regarding certain fields of work like:

Ayur Veda: Study of medicine and life sciences

Gandharva Veda: Study of music, art and dance

Dhanur Veda: Study of archery and warfare

Arthashastra: Study of business and administration

Speaking of Shastras, they are kinda similar to Upavedas, and deal with certain fields of knowledge, like we saw in the case of Arthashastra. There are many shastras:

Bhautikashastra - Study of physics

Rasashastra - Study of chemistry

Jivashastra - Study of biology

Vastushastra - Study of architectural science

Shilpashastra - Study of mechanical arts and sculpture

Nitishastra - Corpus on ethics and policies

Alamkarashastra - Study of rhetorics

Kavyashastra - Study of poetics

Sangitashastra - Study of music

Natyashastra - Study of theatre and dance

Yogashastra - contains instructions and teachings on yoga

Mokshashastra - contains instructions and teachings on moksha

Nyayashastra - contains instructions and teachings on justice, laws and judgement

Dharmashastra - contains instructions and teachings on dharma

Kamashastra - contains instructions and teachings on love, desire and pleasure.

And so on.

Then we have the Puranas, which are texts on various topics, usually legends and lores. A few examples are:

Brahma Purana

Vishnu Purana

Matsya Purana

Kalika Purana

Vamana Purana

Shiva Purana

Agni Purana

Bhagavata Purana

And so on. The latest Purana ever written was the Kalki Purana, which was around 400-600 years ago. It is believed that Ved Vyasa (the author* of the epic Mahabharata) composed all these Puranas as well. But many disagree.

*some believe Ved Vyas got Ganesh (the God of wisdom, success and remover of obstacles, and the son of Shiva) to write the Mahabharata for him. While some believe Ved Vyas wrote it himself.

Then we have the Sutras which are aphoristic (concise expression of a general truth/principle) texts. Some examples are:

Brahma Sutras

Yoga Sutras

Nyaya Sutras

Kama Sutra

and so on.

Then comes Itihasa (historical texts), which include the two major epics of Hinduism, namely:

Ramayana (composed by Valmiki)

Mahabharata (composed my Vyasa/Ganesh)

Read the epics I'll not spoil it for ya heehee

Now, for the Gods. Oh man there are so many, but not 33 crore (1 crore = 10 million), contrary to popular belief, but rather 33 types.

In the very beginning of the pantheon, the main Gods were:

Indra (god of thunder and rain and the King of Gods)

Agni (god of fire)

Mitra (god of friendship, sun, daylight)

Varuna (god of waters, oceans, night time)

Vayu (wind god)

Soma (wind god, also sometimes called the moon god)

Ushas (goddess of dawn)

Ashwins (twin solar gods of medicine and sons of Surya)

Surya (Sun god)

Rudra (another wind/storm god who later became another form of Shiva)

Vishnu (bro doesn't have any specific assigned field tbh)

And a few others like Brihaspati (Jupiter god), Pushan (solar god of meetings, marriages, roads and cattle), Savitr (god of speed and cosmos) and many others.

Now there was this supreme vague deity in the Vedas. It's not Brahman yet. They (for the lack of a better set of pronouns) appear later. But it is some kind of supernatural force that let to the creation of this universe, and was initially mostly referred to as Prajapati (sometimes it wasn't one being though, rather a group), from what I can infer. Some may even called em Purusha. In the link you'll also get the First Creation Myth of Hinduism.

There is also an agnostic section in the Rig Veda, known as the Nasadiya Sukta. In this specific section we know there's some form of a supreme deity, but it's very vague as to what it is.

Moving on, in around mid-Vedic period, Vishnu became heavily popular, and two new deities came into being, namely Brahma (who soon got the title of Prajapati) and Shiva (from Rudra because previously Rudra had an alternative name called Siva. So Ig that's where 'Shiva' stemmed from. But again not sure).

Vishnu and Shiva became extremely popular, to the point that they got an entire sect of people dedicated to each of em, hence Vaishnavism and Shaivism (respectively) were born. Vaishnavs heralded Vishnu to be the Supreme God, while Shaivites heralded Shiva to be the Supreme God. (Soon Harihar or Vishnu-Shiva sect also emerged where both the Gods were considered the same, and hence both were the Supreme Gods, or Supreme God, if we consider them one entity) But in the future we can see Vaishnavism took over the spotlight, and finally during the age of the epics, Sanatan Dharma was born, which eventually became synonymous with Hinduism, and now almost everyone considers Vishnu is the Supreme Lord (while many others consider it to be the Brahman, who Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma are a part of).

Vishnu actually gained the most popularity from the two epics that I've mentioned, and the first one is almost entirely surrounded around his avatar, Ram (yes he has avatars now). His most popular avatars include Ram and Krishna, and the latter has an entire organization dedicated to him (ISKON or International Society for Krishna Consciousness), and this org considers THIS avatar as the Supreme Lord, and actually considers Vishnu as his avatar, not the other way around. Krishna also appears in the famous Bhagavad Gita, which is the prime philosophy book of guidelines for the Hindus today.

Buckle up, it's about to get more confusing cuz now Vishnu is our main character for a while (bro has HEAVILY influenced this religion atp there's no turning back for him now). His evolution is so interesting cuz who'd have thought in the Rig Vedic times that he'd grow up to be THIS popular TOT. Not Indra for sure xD.

Anyhoo so about Vishnu's avatars. He has ten main avatars that appear through the cycle of Hindu Yugas (eras):

Matsya: Big fishiee. Some paintings portray him as a merman tho.

Kurma: Giant tortoise go brrr.

Varaha: A boar-man :D. Pumba's gunna vibe with him fs.

Narasimha: Very angy lion-man. Will be besties with Sekhmet in a heartbeat i just know it.

Vamana: Cute "lil" dwarf (covered the universe in three steps)

Parshurama: Appears in the Mahabharata

Rama: Main character of Ramayana (hence the name), and is the younger brother of Balarama.

Krishna: One of the main characters of the Mahabharata

Balarama/Buddha (sources vary)

Kalki (future avatar)

Now Mohini is the female form of Vishnu. Whether or not she counts as an avatar is debated. She's the goddess of beauty and a seductress that lures bad guys (mostly Asuras) and then kills them, or atleast teaches them a lesson (but she also attracts the devas sometimes. Shiva for example). So yeah.

His wife is Lakshmi, who's the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity. She also has avatars btw.

Now the Second Creation Myth is pretty messy. Different sects have different takes on it. Usually it is considered that:

Brahma created the universe (or universes in case of the multiverse version).

Vishnu preserves the universe

Shiva destroys the universe

This process is considered cyclic and after the destruction Brahma creates a new universe, and it keeps repeating.

The origin of these three gods are also debated. Some say Brahma created Vishnu and Shiva, some say Vishnu created Brahma and Shiva, some say Lakshmi created Brahma, some say Shiva created Brahma and Vishnu. Some say Vishnu and Shiva are two of the Adityas (comprising of Indra, Agni, Mitra, Varuna, Surya etc.), and hence the children of Kashyap and Aditi.

Quick desc of Shiva is that he's the god of destruction, rebirth, time, benevolence etc. He also has avatars, plus a female form, called Shivani. His wife is Parvati, who ALSO has avatars, primarily Kali, Durya, Gauri etc. Sometimes Parvati and Lakshmi's avatars overlap. Sometimes, Vishnu and Parvati's avatars overlap (like Krishna-Kali).

He and his wife have two sons- Ganesha (god of wisdom, beginnings, remover of obstacles etc.), and Kartikeya/Murugun/Skanda (god of war). Who's the elder one is debated but usually Kartikeya is considered older.

Also Brahma's wife is Saraswati (goddess of wisdom, knowledge, music, flowing water, abundance etc.), who was born from him. Bro has faced some issues with falling for ppl (women) he has created actually lol, which is why he was cursed by Shiva and even lost one of his heads, hence ending up with four heads, when he initially had five. Check this site out as to why he was cancelled by Mahadev (another name of Shiva).

Now we have two Holy Trinities:

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva (However, Vishnu and Shiva are way closer to Indra, while Brahma's kinda like the dad of the group, yk)

Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati

Then we have the Devas and the Asuras, who can be compared to the Aesir and Vanir, in a way. The Devas are usually the benevolent one, who attained the amrit (elixir), while the Asuras are usually the antagonists. But tbh, in my opinion, both of these groups are morally grey as fock.

Parents of Devas (Rishi/sage Kashyapa and Aditi)

Parents of Asuras (Rishi/sage Kashyapa and Diti)

Diti and Aditi and daughters of king Daksha (one of the Prajapatis). The reason the Asuras turned out the way they did was cuz Diti approached Kashyap at an unholy hour, to put it shortly. Sources say she was also jealous of how Aditi's kids turned out, which might be another factor to how her kids turned out in turn (lot of 'turn's we're getting ahah)

They are described well in the Samudra Manthan, from the Vishnu Purana. Have a look.

Now see, this stark contrast between the Devas and the Asuras didn't quite exist back in the earliest Rig-Vedic period. In fact, some of the most prominent Devas were referred to as Asuras in the Rig Veda, most famously Varuna, who was actually referred to as the leader of the Asuras/Asuryas. Other Devas who got referred to as Asuras include Indra, Agni, Mitra, and a few others. So I have a feeling the concept of the modern-day Asuras didn't quite exist back then.

Now for the concepts of Hinduism, like Moksha, Dharma etc., I think I'll refer to actual practising Hindus to explain it to you, since they'd be able to explain them in a much better way. They can also add to my explanations of things, or correct me if I explained anything wrong. So I'mma tag em.

@kaal-naagin @zeherili-ankhein @inc0rrectmyths @randomx123 @ssj2hindudude @blue-lotus333 (idk if you're a Hindu but you still know a lot so) and anyone else who wanna join.

[shyamasundar]

I wish that Lord Vishnu would also come to me and impart all the knowledge of the Vedas, Puranas, and Itihasa, just as He bestowed upon Dhruv. since in the fleeting span of life, the pursuit of such divine knowledge remains an eternal quest.

[incorrectmahabharatquotes]

hello, this is may be incoherent or long so apologies.

how do you reconcile with subscribing to hinduism in any way despite the horrific violence and atrocities it propagates? i was raised hindu (but I’m now a staunch atheist) and i was never religious but like you all i did enjoy the myths and the characters in it. but that was before i became politically conscious and came to know about the suffering wreaked by the caste system and the insanity of hindutva. hindutva ideology is so widespread now, casteism shows no signs of reducing and both are irretrievably linked to hindu gods and practices. i know none of the major world religions can claim to be unproblematic but as an indian, hinduism is the biggest problem, so to speak. reading works of Dr Ambedkar and Periyar only reaffirmed my beliefs that hinduism is extremely oppressive and dangerous. ik you all are aware of the oppression and are anti hindutva and anti caste but still have you faced dissonance by continuing to positively interact with hinduism despite this?

i don’t mean any offense, i am genuinely curious.

Hi, yes, I have 100% faced this dissonance. There was an extended point in time when I sort of backed away from engaging with mythology only because of the dissonance i was experiencing with regards to interacting with the myths. That really gave me some time to think through why I felt so uncomfortable with this.

But now I intend to engage whole heartedly because- in the end they're all stories. Stories which have gone through few hundreds of years of oral traditions, stories which contain the morals and values of yesterday. Whether or not they were 'itihasa' is no longer relevant because these stories have passed through the hands of many people.

I almost feel like its my duty now to imbibe a different kind of meaning to these stories. One which breaks down the 'holy' ness of them and gives a new lens through which to look at the characters. If you have noticed, Hindu gods are used as tools to justify some of the most heinous behaviours while practicing Hinduism. I'm just.....participating in a more creative process where we make our OWN meaning of the myths. Its one way I'm able to make peace with this.

-Mod G

[stxrrynxghts]

INTRO POST

about me:

shyama, she/her, indian, hindu.

itihasa enthusiast.

leo sun, pisces moon.

I write on the Mahabharata :))

socials:

my wattpad

my pinterest

works on wattpad:

i. Virat Aatmaja | Light of Matsya

ii. The Guilt

[musingsonthemahabharata]

Kṛṣṇa and Draupadī Discuss Karma

One of my favourite interpolations from modern tellings of the Mahābhārata is a conversation between Draupadī and Kṛṣṇa that occurs after Draupadī's sexual assault and attempted disrobing by the Kauravas.

Clutching his feet, Draupadī sobs: "Govind, why? Why did this happen to me? What sins did I commit? I am reaping the fruit of which actions of mine?”

Picking her up and caressing her hair, Arya tells her: "What happened was neither because of your ‘bad’ karma, nor did you reap the fruit of your past actions. It was the Kauravas who reaped the fruit of their past actions by engaging in such a grave misdeed. Sakhī, this is the meaning of karma."

"But I am the one experiencing agony, Govind."

"Then relinquish it, Sakhī. Although what happened was not the result of your 'bad' karma, the way you transform following these events will be your karma."

This is such a beautiful and profound exchange which offers rich nuances to the teaching of karma. Oftentimes, when events we perceive as terrible happen to us, we create a story of unworthiness around them; we wonder if we are being punished, if the root cause is our evilness, if God or the universe are rejecting or dooming us. A question that rests on these lines that is often asked would be the common: “why do bad things happen to good people”. A first layer to this, in my view, is a deconstruction of 'bad' and 'good' as solid concepts. The second layer is the understanding that any event 'just' happens aleatorily, rises and falls, and karma is not a simplistic cause-effect reaction.

Karma encapsulates, in my understanding, the ingrained patterns held within us through which we act, react, and process the world around us and the events that occur in our lives. There is freedom from karma in finding new ways of reacting, engaging, processing.

Finally, a significant teaching encased in this interpolation is that the way someone treats us, ultimately, is a reflection of their karma (ingrained patterns), and not a reflection of our ingrained patterns. We cannot control another's patterns, but we can aim to understand and rewire ours accordingly.

The magnificent art: @beauty_of_art_aditi.

[teanicolae]

a joy to present my PhD work at the School of Divinity [Edinburgh] yesterday on my first research panel 😊 i talked about the gendered politics inscribed in the body of Draupadī, the Mahābhārata's heroine. i argued that it is significant that a text such as the Mahābhārata, which holds so much religious, cultural and spiritual weight, includes the story of a sexually assaulted woman, and, moreover, one of divine origin, because it offers women subjected to gendered violence the opportunity to unearth psychological comfort in Draupadī's story, and the opportunity to shed shame and fears of impurity rooted in varied internalisations of social or religious messages. through the prism of shared experience, the trauma is voiced and processed, which percolates in the social stratum, where, by claiming and reimagining Draupadī's symbol, women ask for and enact socio-political change. i am exploring this movement in my thesis. ❤️‍🔥

astounding to listen to & learn from the presentations of the colleagues who shared the panel with me, and to engage with the work differently during the q&a portion; openings to approach the work differently, freshly, in ways i wouldn't be prone to without external stimulus.

thank you @ishitahp for the photos & video! 🫶

[krsnaradhika]

❛यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः।

तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम।।❜

wherever is krishna, the lord of yoga; wherever is arjuna, the wielder of the bow; there is prosperity, victory, happiness and firm policy; such is my conviction.

~ sanjaya to dhritarashtra, mahabharata.

🦢🪞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭.

₊❏❜ ⋮Dhruvi ❥

krishna's premika.

intp. desi. proud hindu.

reader. writer. itihasa enthusiast.

🪐☄️ 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

i) yamuna x kanha

ii) rukmini - satyabhama

iii) satyabhamadhavam

iv) shri hari sharanam

v) strength embodied

vi) the man i have loved

vii) cathartic

viii) the first four

here i take your leave and hope you have a great time ahead. jai shri rama <3

ps : krishna-sahacharini > krsnaradhika.

[transgenderer]

the Vedas aren't primarily narratives though, they're layers of poetry (with the same principles depicted with varying mythological imagery), then ritual commentary, and then theological/philosophical accretion. this is very different from the Tanach, which is primarily (alleged) history with law codes.

there have been Veda-believing Hindu schools which deny the gods' existence outside of being ritual functions, and most if not all modern Hindus have a substantially different theology (centered on Vishnu or Rudra) from that the Vedas would seem to depict.

so what belief in the Vedas entails is very different from belief in the Tanach.

of course some call anything to do with the religion the Vedas, same way Jews call reading the whole corpus including the Talmud as studying Torah.

the Ramayana and Mahabharat are Itihasa, which is smirti rather than shruti, but their narratives are far more popularly known than the Vedas themselves.

hmmm. yeah. that makes sense. i was kind of conflating them. the rigvedas have narrative but not that much

[hindulivesmatter]

i'd just like to kindly add women like draupadi and others in the mahabharata or ramayana are not "characters". she was written in the itihasas, and thus she is embedded in hindu history, she walked this earth.

let's decolonize ourselves from referring to historical dharmic people as "mythological" as this plays right into the hands of how western and islamic academic institutions including the far left wing demonize and frame our culture, history and people.

jai shri ram.

Very true, it takes a lot to unlearn the things we've been taught. I also keep correcting myself everytime I refer to our history as mythology. Thank you for the reminder!

Jai shri ram

[lilavatilikeslemons]

Adage

A short proverb or statement, to express the (general) truth.

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Reminder: This is a work made from my own imagination, with inspiration from the actual itihasa, and not meant to hurt anyone's sentiments.

Thank you.

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Unedited...ish- you've been warned

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THIS ONE IS FOR MY MOOT @h0bg0blin-meat LANCEY I AM SO SORRY I MADE YOU WAIT THIS LONG I HOPE THIS REACHES YOUR EXPECTATIONS😭

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He was the king, now.

Surrounded by the chants of Brahmanas, the ringing of bells, the triumphant roars of the subjects, he was crowned king of the Golden City.

He did not know how he had ended up being showered by rose petals, as the Anuj of Shri Ram applied Raj Tilak upon his forehead.

In the farthest recess of his mind, something told him this was how it was meant to be.

He did not want to think this was the only way.

His fault.

His lack of effort.

He couldn't seem to stop himself, as he tok large strides to his chambers, afterwards.

He couldn't stand being in that courtroom longer than he needed to.

"Traitor! Kul-nashak!"

"If you were not mother's son, your head would have been at my feet, and not on your neck, you fool."

His bruises from being pushed that day might've healed physically, but the wounds inflicted by the words and laughter that came out of everyone's mouths had wounded him deeper than the deepest trenches- they threw a weight heavier than a 1000 elephants.

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by the fragrance of freshly blossomed flowers of the royal gardens- although, that did not soothe the raging storm of his mind.

It was only when he ran a hand over his face that he realised his eyes stung. They were bloodshot with tears.

It was then, that the saffron-clad Vanar, Hanuman, approached him with hurried footsteps.

"The others are-..." He stopped in his tracks- it wasn't hard to guess that he stopped because of the disheveled state of the king in front of him.

Vibhishan fumbled, trying to quickly think of an explanation to give- only for his mouth to go dry. He..he didn't have any excuse.

"..Are you..alright?" He asked, hesitantly, approaching the man slowly.

Vibhishan nodded, not trusting himself to speak- he would breakdown if he spoke- he just knew it.

He certainly did not regret the decisions he made. He knew he was only following Dharma.

But... something in him could not stop but wonder- was it...the only way?

Vibhishan tried to speak- he really did, but he could only open and close his mouth.

"...You did what you could. You undermine yourself when you blame yourself for something which was decided by niyati, mitra." Hanuman said, his tone reassuring.

Vibhishan could only stare at him in befuddlement.

The way Hanuman looked at the king- it was as if the VayuPutra could read him like an open book, like it was nothing.

His interactions with Anjaneya not been lengthy, but it did not feel like they did not know eachother.

He could only quickly push away his confusion, as Hanuman patted his back.

"You blame yourself for nothing." The son of Kesari stated, looking down at the ground.

"I- wha-" Vibhishan could only start his sentence, before he was interrupted.

"..You are not as composed as you might envision yourself, Lankesh." Hanuman teased, a grin on his face.

Vibhishan could only let out a light chuckle, as his lips turned upwards, and Hanuman laughed.

"You will be- no, are a wonderful ruler, mitr." Hanuman simply declared, embracing the king.

"Would you like to accompany me? I am certain Prabhu would be tremendously happy to see you." He offered, as Vibhishan smiled, agreeing to walk with him, as they exited the gardens.

The raging storm in his mind had calmed down, somewhere in the middle of all of that- he did not know when exactly- but he had an idea.

Vibhishan did not really understand why said that- it wasn't a reassurance, nor was it consolement- he simply stated it- it was a truth, in his eyes. But it was probably the only thing that stopped him from breaking. That small, short exchange of words- was probably the only thing that turned his day around.

And Hanuman's statement turned out to be nothing but the truth. It was an adage, after all.

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जय सीतारामलक्ष्मण की!

HI THERE

This one took me a long while to write, I will admit- I wanted to do justice to this piece ToT

This was my very first request writing, again, I am SO sorry this took so long 😭

Honestly this dynamic in my opinion feels extremely unexplored I'm ngl- so I had a hard time figuring out what on earth to do 😭

These two characters are so beautifully complex but OH MY GOODNESS it is SO hard to write them without losing their essence somewhere in the middle 😭

hope y'all like it! As always, constructive feedback, comments and criticism are always appreciated :D

Stay safe, healthy, and hydrated <3

Have a good one, folks!

[blessed1neha]

What is Power of Raam Naam

As we all know Rama is a two letter mantra derived out of the ashtakshara (Aum Na mo Na ra ya na ya) and Panchakshara (Na ma Shi va ya).

Once Goddess Parvathi asked Lord Shiva how can a lay man achieve the benefits of reciting Vishnu sahasranama which is basically read by learned schlors.

For which Lord Shiva answered: "Keno Payena lakuna vishnoor naama sahasrakam - Patyathe pandithair nithyam srothumicchyaamyaham Prabho". "Just by reciting rama rama rama. Rama nama has the essence of Vishnu sahasranama or 1000 names of Lord Vishnu".

This is told in the sloka "sri rama rama ramethi rame rame manorame sahasranama thathulyam rama nama varanane"

Rama nama is so sweet as a nectar. It gives happiness to the mind.

Whatever comes in our way as an obstacle, Rama namam will protect us.

What we desire to have, we get it,that is the prowess of the nama.

The celestial s too sing the pride of this taraka mantra and it installs bravery in one's heart

The power of Rama nama is depicted by Lord Hanuman (Ever living - chiranjeevi). He crossed the ocean by chanting the Rama nama. Rama built a bridge across the ocean to reach Lanka, but hanuman just like that crossed the Ocean by just chanting Rama nama. So this means, Rama nama is mightier than Lord Rama himself.

Let us all chant, Hari and Shiva who are one and Rama nama gives happiness both in this birth and in the next birth. It erases the difficulties of the devotees, cures the illness. Let us all chant the nectar like Rama nama daily and get his blessings.

Every other mantra in our scriptures have their own names. Rama Nama is the only Mantra that is called ‘Taraka Mantra’. The word ‘taraka’ means the one that helps us cross. It helps us cross the ocean of ‘samsara’. It helps us cross the cycles of birth and death. If it is chanted as ‘Rama’, then it is a Nama.

If it is chanted ‘Ram’, then it is a Mantra.

Our ancient Sages and Rishis have glorified the Rama Nama.

Rama Nama gets exactly the same importance in Saguna Upasana (worshipping the Absolute Truth as a Being with a form) as does the Pranava (‘Om’) Mantra in Nirguna Upasana (worshipping the Absolute Truth as formless).

Rishi Manu shows that the Rama Nama has links to all the other mantras that ever exist.

In Syavana Smriti (Syavana is the name of a rishi), Syavana says that the Rama Nama is the essence of all the Vedas, Shastras, Itihasas and Puranas.

Sage Vasishta meditated on the Rama Nama for quite a long time. Hence he wanted to name the Almighty with the same Mantra that he had chanted.

THE YOGA CONNECTION

In the philosophy of the Yoga, ‘Ra’ is considered the ‘Mooladhara’ (the point of origin of the power of Kundalini) and ‘Ma’ is the ‘Sahasrara’ (the destination). Hence, when the Rama Nama is chanted in the right tone and manner, the serpent power rises and hits the head or the ‘kapala’ Thus, by merely chanting the Rama Nama, one can become a Yogi.

In Vishnu Sahasranamam, Lord Siva asks Parvati to chant the Rama Nama all the time. A good teacher is the one who practices what he preaches. It is obvious that Siva, being the Supreme Guru, (Jagadguru) Himself chants the Rama Nama. When parents do something noble, would not the son follow the same? Muruga and Ganesha chant the Rama Nama always. That is verily their ‘Kula Mantra’.

Sage Vishwamitra took Sri Rama and Lakshmana to the forests for ‘yagna samrakshana’ (protecting their fire austerities from the demons). Out of the boundless love for Sri Rama, Viswamnitra wanted to gift Him something. A sage that he was, he had no worldly possessions, nevertheless, he had performed an abundance of austerities. He had penanced for a very long time on crores of ‘Devatas’ with mantras for each of them. He initiated Sri Rama with these Mantras.

As soon as the Mantras were initiated to Sri Rama, the ‘devatas’ appeared before them! Viswamitra was jealous of the fact that those devatas who could be invoked by him only after severe penances, now appeared the instant Sri Rama chanted their Mantras!

In our Shastras it is prescribed that when the devatas are invited, they can be installed in one of the three — water (that is the reason we install ‘kalas’ – pots of water for japa, kumbabhishekam and the like), fire (that is the reason we perform homam) and the third being, installing them into one’s own body (during Sandhyavandanam, Goddess Gayathri is installed thus). Here, when the devatas were invoked, they refused to go back to their abodes. Hence Sri Rama invited one and all of them into his body. Thus, by merely chanting the Rama Nama, one gets the benefit of invoking all the 33 crores of devatas as well.

Ramayana is filled with instances where merely the Name ‘Rama’ has solved so many miseries and disentangled so many situations.

ONE NAME FOR ALL GODS

Generally, people can be divided into two broad categories: the Shaivites, who worship Lord Shiva as the supreme, and the Vaishnavites, who worship Lord Vishnu and His forms as the Supreme Being. The most significant Mantra for any Vaishnavite is the ‘Ashtakshari’ (it contains eight letters in Sanskrit) mantra ‘Om Namo Narayana’.

The chief among the Mantras for the Shaivites is the Panchakshari (5 lettered) mantra, ‘Om Nama Shivaya’. Without the letter ‘ra’, ‘Narayana’ would read as ‘Nayana’ that means one without a way (‘gati’); without the letter, ‘ma’, ‘Namasivaya’ would read as ‘Nasivaya’ that means inauspicious.

So the jiva akshara (life-giving letters) ‘Ra’ and ‘Ma’ of these two Mantras are put together to form the Rama Nama! Anyone chanting this Divine Name thus worships both Shiva and Vishnu at the same time.

Also, Here its is 

One very famous and old true incident of 15th century!

Once there was a very wealthy Seth (businessman) in the current Uttar Pradesh. He was suffering from leprosy disease (vitiligo as we say white spots) for long time and therefore he plans to end his life by taking Samadhi in Ganga Ji.

He along with his family members and friends came to Ganga river and they saw Kamaal. (son of Kabiradas Ji)

Kamaal inquired about everything and smiled.

Kamaal: Seth! What if I remove this leprosy completely from your body?

Seth: I will give half of my wealth to you Maharaj instantly.

Kamaal: Keep your wealth with you. I don't want anything. Just chant Ram once from the bottom of your heart and take a dip in Ganga.

Seth did what Kamaal told, but nothing happened.

Kamaal: You didn't chant Ram from your whole heart. Do it one more time and take a dip.

Again! Nothing happened.

Now Kamaal asked him to say Ram for the third time and while Seth was taking a dip, Kamaal hit his head with a wodden stick.

Seth was horrified and terrified due to this sudden attack and he cried out Ram naam from the bottom of his heart finally.

And magic happened!

His leprosy disease vanished completely.

Kamaal was very happy seeing this and he hurriedly came to Kabiradas Ji and told him everything.

Kabiradas Ji was very sad hearing this that Kamaal had to take Ram naam for 3 times to cure a disease.

Saying Ram for 3 times for such a small purpose made Kabiradas Ji very angry.

He sent Kamaal to Tulsidas Ji who was Param Ram Bhakt with a letter.

Tulsidas Ji read the letter when Kamaal came to him and it was written:

“Dooba Vansh Kabir Ka Upje Poot Kamaal”

“Teen Ram Ke Naam Se Kodi Kiyo Bahaal”

My lineage has drowned when son like Kamaal born who had to take 3 Ram nam for curing a leprosy disease.

Tulsidas Ji smiled and ordered that whoever wants to cure leprosy disease gather at my ashram.

Around 1k patient of leprosy disease gathered from many villages.

Tulsidas Ji came and chant Ram naam only once on the water in his hands and then sprinkled that water on those patients.

And again magic happened!

Every single patient became disease free. Leprosy was vanished from each and everyone's body.

Kamaal returned home and told the incident as it is to Kabiradas Ji.

Kabirdas Ji was not satisfied even after that.

He sent Kamaal to Soordas Ji who was Param Krishna Bhakt.

Soordas Ji was laying on Raman Reti and his eyes were full of tears of love of Govind. He was in dhyan avastha.

Kamaal went to Soordas Ji and told him both the incidents briefly to Soordas Ji.

Soordas Ji: Look at the Yamuna river Kamaal. There is a dead body flowing in it.

Kamaal: Yes! There is a dead body. You doesn't look blind to me at all!

Soordas Ji: (smiling) Take that body out from the river and bring it to me.

Kamaal took the body out and took it before Soordas Ji.

Then Soordas Ji with his heart full of love amd bhakti of Govind, chanted Ra only out of complete Ram and suddenly the dead body became alive and that man stood in front of everybody like he's waken up from a long sleep.

Again magic happened!

Saying half of Ram naam can make a dead into alive!

Valmiki became like a God by chanting Ram naam backwards.

Shri Hanuman Ji Maharaj control Shri Ram himself by continuously chanting Ram naam.

Shri Mahadev took the Halaahal poison and it became an ornament for him because of continous Ram naam jaap.

new

Lord Rama is the Supreme Lord himself and any paraphernalia associated with him has his qualities invested in them, then what to speak of his holy name!

In Bhagavad Gita (10.25), Lord Krishna says as follows:

maharṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ girām asmy ekam akṣaram yajñānāṁ japa-yajño ’smi sthāvarāṇāṁ himālayaḥ

Of the great sages I am Bhṛgu; of vibrations I am the transcendental oṁ. Of sacrifices I am the chanting of the holy names [japa], and of immovable things I am the Himālayas.

From this, we can understand that the chanting of the holy names of the lord hold the highest position amongst all other forms of sacrifice.

Why is that? you may ask

It is explained in the scriptures that the Lord has invested all his energies and glories into his holy name.

There are some practical examples where it has been shown that the holy names of the Lord are very powerful, and in some cases, even more powerful that the lord himself!

Evidence from Scripture In the phala sruti of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, it is said as follows: sri rAma rAma rAmeti rame rAme manorame sahasra nAma tat tulyam rAma nAma varAnane As stated by Lord Siva to PArvati - if you just chant the name "Rama",it is equivalent to chanting the 1000 names of Sri MahA Vishnu"

The Transformation of Valmiki There lived a dacoit in the treta yuga who was quite proud of his profession. One day he happened to come across a few sages. Even though he knew they would not have anything of much value to him, he decided to try his luck by approaching the sages with the intent of robbing them. The sages asked him if he was aware of the amount of negative karma his actions would bring him, to which he replied that he only had his family’s best interest in mind. The sages then advised him to ask his family members if they would be willing to share the results of his impious acts. When he asked his family members this question, they laughed and thought he was stupid to even ask such a ridiculous question. This made him realise the worth of his actions, after which he apologised to the sages. The sages gave him to chant the holy names of Lord Rama, following which he was completely transformed into the saint whom we now know as Valmiki.

The incident with Lord Shiva When Lord Brahma recited the Ramayana, it comprised of 100 crore stanzas. Due to concerns of ownership of the scripture, Lord Vishnu divided the Ramayana into 3 sections - 1/3rd was given to MahaLaxmi, 1/3rd to Garuda and 1/3rd to Shesha. At the end of the division remained 2 words: Ra and Ma. These were given to Lord Shiva. These words became the object of meditation of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva also promises to give Rama Nama to his devotees in Kashi to grant them liberation.

The incident with Hanuman Once upon a time, Lord Rama was meeting with sages in Ayodhya. As the sages left Ayodhya, Hanuman offered his obeisances to all sages except Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra was furious at this and demanded that Lord Rama execute the offender. Lord Rama being a noble and just king, obliged. Hanuman took shelter of the holy name of Lord Rama. When Lord Rama shot his arrows at Hanuman, the arrows had no effect on Hanuman. (Please keep in mind that this Lila was plotted by Narada to demonstrate the power of the holy name of Lord Rama)

The incident with the Vanaras If you have heard the story of the Ramayana you would be familiar with how the monkeys accomplished the mighty task of building a bridge from Rameshwaram to Lanka by inscribing Lord Rama’s name on rocks and plunging them in water. Due to the strength of the Holy name, the rocks floated on water.

The story of Vibhishana When Vibhishana left Lanka with his attendants, his associates were wondering how Lord Rama was able to build the bridge across to Lanka. Vibhishana explained to them that it was merely the power of the Holy name. The attendant was skeptical and Vibhishana decided that a demonstration was in order. He handed the attendant a folded up leaf with Rama’s name on it and told him to cross the ocean. The attendant may have been skeptical about Rama’s name but he had faith in Vibhishana’s words. He took the leaf and started crossing the ocean which, to his surprise was only knee deep for him. He kept walking until he reached the midway point. Then out of curiosity, he opened the leaf and read Rama’s name. His skepticism returned. How can such a simple name be so powerful as to make the ocean knee deep? Unfortunately for him, the moment he doubted the power of Rama’s name, the ocean swallowed him up. (Taken from Holy name story: Vibhishana and leaf with name Rama!)

The story of Mother Sita When Hanuman saw Mother Sita in the Ashoka Vatika, she was unkempt and chanting the holy names of Lord Rama. She states to Hanuman that only due to the power of the holy name has she been able to survive in Lanka.

[indianfromsouth]

Carnatic Music and Spirituality

Did you know that Carnatic Music is essentially spiritual in nature? Did you know that Carnatic music has the potential to activate your Kundalini? This understanding has unfortunately been lost to a great extent, so this can come as a surprise to many of you.

Have you visited some of the great South Indian temples? If you have, you must have noticed gigantic pillars and carvings depicting characters from Puranas/Itihasas made of stone and metal in many of those temples, vibrating with musical notes.

Look at Hindu deities to see how our fine arts and culture are inextricably connected. While Lord Nataraja portrays the evolution of life through his cosmic dance, Lord Krishna captivates all creation with his flute whereas Goddess Saraswati carries a Veena in her arms.

Thanks to our great ancestors, Indian classical music was woven into the texture of Hindu culture, religion, and yoga sadhana. The great composers of Carnatic music were men and women of saintly character, mystics, Siddhas, and bhaktas.

The goal of every life is God realization/mukthi or moksha. Our ancestors knew this more than anyone else, and so all activities were dedicated to the service of God. In their search for efficient sadhana to achieve this objective, our ancestors discovered that music had great disciplinary value and power to sublimate passions and attune the mind.

They also found that music could kindle the various subtle forces in the human body like the Kundalini. Something as powerful as this, needed to be given an elevated status. Carnatic music, therefore, started being referred to as Upa Veda, Gandharva Nada Vidya, Nada Upasana and so on. The learned men in ancient India developed Carnatic music as a tool to assist a man in his quest for Moksha.