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Raja Ravi Varma’s Painting of Bhima |
The Darshana & The Itihasa
A blog dedicated to philosophy, history, politics, literature
Pages
Sunday, January 8, 2023
Bhima: The Greatest Warrior of the Mahabharata
Friday, December 23, 2022
Shiva: The Mahabharata’s God of Vengeance
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Shiva statue (1300 CE) |
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Bhishma and the Kuru Bloodline
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Vyasa with Satyavati (Geeta Press Illustration) |
Wednesday, December 21, 2022
The Sons of Indra and Surya
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Sunrise in Uttarakhand |
Who Controls Social Media and Mainstream Media?
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
A View of the Mahabharata War
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Statue of Krishna and Arjuna in chariot Kurukshetra (Haryana) |
Monday, December 19, 2022
Garuda and the Metaphysics of Death and Rebirth
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Vishnu and Lakshmi on Garuda (12th century sculpture) |
Sunday, December 18, 2022
The Four Sons of Lord Shiva
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The Pashupati Seal Depicting Shiva Mohenjo-Daro (2350–2000 BCE) |
Saturday, December 17, 2022
Aurobindo: Nationalism is the Work of God
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Copy of Bande Mataram Edited by Sri Aurobindo September 1907 |
Friday, December 16, 2022
Ram Mohan Roy’s View of Sanskrit Education
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Stamp Dedicated to the Sanskrit College (Issued in 1999) |
Thursday, December 15, 2022
The Master of Eclipses: Rahu and Ketu
Statue of Mohini (Avatar of Vishnu) |
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
The Sutras and Bhasyas of the Six Schools of Hindu Philosophy
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Shankaracharya with disciples Painting by Raja Ravi Varma |
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Language and Grammar in the Vedic Age
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Birch bark manuscript from Kashmir of Panini’s Rupavatara |
Monday, December 12, 2022
India’s Unlikely Hero: P. V. Narasimha Rao
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P. V. Narasimha Rao |
Sunday, December 11, 2022
Sankhya and Yoga in the Mahabharata
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Bhishma Lying on the Bed of Arrows |
Saturday, December 10, 2022
Naubandhana Peak of the Vedic Age: Mt. Everest of Our Time
Friday, December 9, 2022
What Can Narendra Modi Learn from George H.W. Bush
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Netanyahu and Modi Tel Aviv 2017 |
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Gandhi and Nehru
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Is Journalism the First Draft of History?
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
On Bharavi’s Kiratarjuniya
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Shiva granting Pashupatastra to Arjuna |
Monday, December 5, 2022
Yoga in Katha, Shvetashvatara, and Maitri Upanishads
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Statue of Patanjali, (Haridwar) |
Sunday, December 4, 2022
The Subversive Character of History
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Shriharsha: The Philosopher and Poet of the Middle Ages
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Nala leaving Damayanti while she sleeps (Raja Ravi Varma’s painting) |
Friday, December 2, 2022
Ferguson’s Conception of the West’s Challenger
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Grinning Nixon meets Dour Mao (21 Feb 1972) |
Thursday, December 1, 2022
A Note on Gurcharan Das’s India Unbound
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
On The Gayatri Mantra
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
Classical Indian Metaphysics by Stephen H. Phillips
Sunday, November 27, 2022
Girilal Jain’s Book: The Hindu Phenomena
If you are looking for a simple, concise, and systematic introduction to the political and cultural issues that India faced in the twentieth century (most of these issues remain unresolved and continue to plague this country in the twenty-first century), then Girilal Jain’s 1989 book The Hindu Phenomena is the one for you. Jain was the editor of The Times of India from 1978 to 1988. I read his book more than a decade ago—at that time, I was immensely impressed by his analysis of political and cultural issues. I regard Jain’s book as a classic, an absolute must-read.
Saturday, November 26, 2022
Rabindranath Tagore: On Hinduism, Semitic Religions, and Communism
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Tagore in 1925 |
Friday, November 25, 2022
Sister Nivedita: The Vision of Siva
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Siva Statue at Murdeshwar Temple |
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Vivekananda: Kali The Mother
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Samhara Kali by Raja Ravi Varma |
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Kumarasambhava: The Birth of War God
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Shiva-Parvati (11th century) as Uma-Maheshvara |