A Journey To Discover Life

The Indian Subcontinent is a diverse mix of cultures, religions and traditions that make up its value system. The moment we discuss the early Indian subcontinent and its religions, long before Buddhism or Jainism came into existence or the Abrahamic religions were introduced on the western coasts by travellers and traders, long before any invasion proved any sign of forced conversion, a layman’s idea of the Indian Subcontinent is that of a single unified culture. Historically speaking, that is far from the truth. The Indian Subcontinent, since the evidence of early civilisation has been found in its river banks, like that in Bhirrana or Mehrgarh, dating back to around 6000 BCE, has never had one unifying belief through its geographic boundaries. The terms Hindu, Hindustan and many others come originally from the primary sources of the Ancient West Asian civilisation. But our history starts much earlier than that. And where there is society and civilisation, there is bound to be religio...

Demons in the Abrahamic religion are not the same as Asuras of Hinduism. Originally deities of Iranian origin, they were seen in the tribal context as no different from Devas but as counterparts to maintain balance. In early epics and Puranas, asura meant a chosen leader of great capacity. Only later, perhaps due to the Iranian link, their image declined. It was with the Brahmanas that the sharp divide appeared: devas as divine, asuras as evil. Puranic myths demonised them mainly to assert the superiority and immortality of devas, while asuras were cast as symbols of the "other." Since Tribes still worshipped them and embraced their power of negativity, being important to balance, they soon became synonymous with tribes, which was not the case mythologically. There are instances of Bali or Ravana being Kshatriya or Brahmin Asuras and competent kings. Indian demonology itself is vast and layered, shaped by surviving tribes, each with unique myths. Celestial, aerial, and terres...

In the vast tapestry of Hindu mythology, Neelkanth Sasti holds a significant place, as it honours Lord Shiva’s act of supreme compassion and courage. According to the Puranas, this day commemorates the pivotal moment during the Samudra Manthan, the cosmic churning of the ocean, when the deadly poison Halahal emerged. Halahal, described as the collective essence of all the universe’s negativity and toxicity, began to spread destruction among both Devas and Asuras. Its effects were so perilous that even the gods could not approach it, symbolising the universal truth that adversity and suffering make no distinction between divine or mortal beings. With the balance of creation at risk and the churning brought to a standstill, Mahadev Lord Shiva, the Destroyer and Transformer within the Hindu Trinity, was invoked for help. In an act of unparalleled self-sacrifice, he consumed the Halahal to protect all existence from annihilation. However, the potency of the poison was such that it threaten...

Hastinapur was the most powerful empire in the north of the Vindyas, in the subcontinent once ruled by King Bharata. When its long-reigning and prosperous king Shantanu passed away in old age, he left behind his ambitious wife Satyabati, her two sons, Chitrangad and Bichitravirjaya and his first surviving son from his first wife Ganga, Devabrata, who took the lifelong oath of not being king nor marrying or having any progeny and hence earned the name Bhishma. When Chitrangad was about to ascend the throne, he died in an unfortunate accident, leaving the minor Bichitravirjaya as the only contender on the throne. Bhishma almost outspokenly took over the role of guardian to the throne of Hastinapur upon this event. However, the rules suggested that the young prince must marry before he could be crowned. Upon hearing of this, Bhishma sent his spies around the subcontinent to find eligible princesses who would not only marry the heir apparent but also be the future queen and queen mother of...

A lot of you have been asking me whether the traditions of Durga Puja are the same as those of Navratri, and have shown your interest in knowing about it. Trying to put up a series of blogs on the same topic, I came across a lot of information that I will address below. Is Durga Puja like Navratri? To start with, Durga Puja and Navratri are not one and the same. In Navratri, people worship the Navdurga (Nine aspects of Durga) while Durga Puja focuses on the Mahishashur Mardini or Slayer of Mahish Asura for four days. Durga Puja starts on Saptami and ends on Vijaya Dashami. Traditionally, it lasts for four days and not nine like the Navratris. The Durga Puja in October is also known as Okal Bodhon or “Worship during Unusual time” This is because usually, Mahishashur Mardini i s worshipped during spring when she is originally believed to have killed Mahishashur . However, with time, it evolved in Bengali culture and legends as Maa Durga returned “home” to her paternal house with her ch...

Here are some sources of Mythological Links I found while reading James Todd's Annals of Mewar. This section is subject to updates if I find any further links . Mewari Ramayana Script commissioned by Rana Jagat Singh Kush, Son of Rama, had four sons, two of whom were Kushanabha and Kushambha. Kushanabha was the founder of Muhadhya, later Kanauj. Kushamba had also founded a city in his name, Kausambi. The other two are said to have built their capitals, Dharmarunya and Vasumitra, traces of neither of which are found in the present History Dushmanta and Shakuntala's son Bharata had four sons, namely, Kalinjra, Keril, Pandh, and Chowal. Kalinjra is the celebrated fortress of Bundelkhand. Keril found its place in the 36 royal clans (see part one). Pandh's capital was present-day Tanjore. Chowal's ancestors survived in the Saurastra region. Chowal thrived in a place named the same, 7 miles from Junagarh, Gujarat. From Rama, the Royals of Mewar, Marwar, Jaipur and Bikaner thr...

Origin: Lord Rama had two sons,  Labh  and  Kush . The Ranas of Mewar are descendants of the former. Labh had built his capital at  Lah-Kot (Lahore) , and the branch from which the Mewar blue blood arrives resided there until  Kanaksen  (Often traced as the founder)moved to  Dwarika, Saurashtra.  "Sen" was used as a title term for many decades by this Suryavanshi clan until it later changed to "Dit" or "Aditya", names of the Sun. Aditya was changed to Guhilot permanently after the expulsion from Saurashtra when they settled in the  Ahar  valleys (Aravallis). The  Sisodia  clan sprang from a Prince of Chittoor who had killed a hard chase hare (sissoo in local dialect). The branch often used " Ranawat ", meaning "Royal Blood", as a title, but over time, Sisodia emerged as the retained branch name. Kanaksen wrestled dominance of the Parmar race and founded  Birnagar  in AD 144. Four generations hence,  Vijay Sen ...