April 2023
The next morning, the brothers woke up, bowed down to the confluence of the rivers Sarayū and Jāhnavī and arrived at the region of Maladā and Karūṣā – the regions that were formed when Brahma-hatyā-doṣa which Indra had acquired upon killing Vṛtrāsura, was washed away. In the region lived a yakṣi named Tāṭakā, the wife of Sunda and the mother of Mārīca. Blessed with the strength of a thousand elephants at birth, she was cursed along with her son...
130. Na hi bhikṣuko bhikṣukāntaraṃ yācitumarhati satyanyasminnabhikṣuke
When there is someone who isn’t a beggar in the vicinity one beggar shouldn’t beg from another beggar! When there are wealthy and charitable patrons the beggar should ask from them. What use is asking another beggar who lives on other people’s mercy?
The import is, A dependent should relate himself to someone who is independent rather than to another dependent who is in a...
अवस्थात्रयम्
इह खलु सप्राणैः सर्वैरपि जाग्रत्-स्वप्न-सुषुप्तिसञ्ज्ञाः तिस्रोऽवस्थाः प्रत्यहम् अनुभूयन्ते। जाग्रति स्वप्ने च यो भेदः सुतराम् अनुभूयते स सुषुप्तौ नाम्नापि नाम्नायते। भेदो हि नामरूपात्मकस्य जगतः प्रधानमिव लक्षणं व्यवह्रियमाणो रागद्वेषात्मना जीवराशौ पदं निधत्ते। सोऽयं भेदो द्वितीयस्य वस्तुनः सद्भावाज्जायते वर्धते च। इदञ्च द्वैतीयीकं वस्तु जीवस्य प्रियाप्रियतया प्रतिपद्यमानम् इष्टं द्विष्टं वा भवति। इष्टनाशस्य अनिष्टप्राप्तेर्वा...
123. Naṭasāmājika-nyāya
An actor portrays many characters on stage, may it be Rāma or Bhīma. He provides the connoisseurs a feast of rasa by showing the sorrow of Rāma or the anger of Bhīma as though it is his very own. A member in the audience connects himself to those characters and thus is able to enjoy the rasa. In worldly affairs too, the intimate connection one keeps with his wife and children is the reason for the joys and sorrows one...
When Viṣṇu was about to take birth as the sons of Daśaratha, Brahmā addressed the devas – “You should create powerful beings to assist Viṣṇu. Beget vānaras who are as capable as you, through the wombs of apsarās, gandharvīs, kinnarīs, vānarīs, and the women of yakṣas and pannagas.”[1] The devas did as instructed. Upon their birth, vānaras were ruled by the brothers Vālī and Sugrīva, the sons of Indra and Sūrya respectively.
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After the Aśvamedha...
115. Dīrghaśaṣkulībhakṣaṇa-nyāya
When eating large/long śaṣkulīs i.e. chakli all the five sense organs feel happy! Since they are large, let's assume that we hold them in our hands while we eat. The skin gains by the touch. Its form is felt by our eyes. The taste is savoured by our tongue. The cumin ghee etc which form the ingredients through their aroma satisfy the nose. The eating sounds pleasing to our ears. Thus at the same time we get...
Introduction
ekam-evādvayam-arūpaṃ brahmam-avyayam-akriyaṃ
svīkarisi nijabhogakèṃdu śarīra-vividha-sahasramaṃ ।
prākṛtāsvādyagaḻa madhuviṃ tannane tāṃ maretavol
lokajīvana-sīṃdhu-vīciyoḻ ātmadī ḍolotsavaṃ ॥
Brahma is the One, without a second, formless, changeless and without action
Takes, a myriad varied forms, for its own pleasure
Seems as if it is lost in worldly pleasantness
This is the surf-fest of the ātma in the waves of the...
ದೇವುಡು ನರಸಿಂಹಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಿಗಳು ರಚಿಸಿದ ‘ಮಹಾಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ,’ ‘ಮಹಾಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯ’ ಮತ್ತು ‘ಮಹಾದರ್ಶನ’ ಎಂಬ ‘ಮಹಾತ್ರಯ’ದ ಪ್ರಸ್ತಾವ ಬಂದಾಗಲೆಲ್ಲ ವೇದಮಂತ್ರವೊಂದರ ಭಾಗ ನನಗೆ ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತದೆ - “ಮಹೋ ದೇವೋ ಮರ್ತ್ಯಾನಾವಿವೇಶ.” ಮಹಿಮಶಾಲಿಯಾದ ಭಗವಂತ ಮನುಷ್ಯರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿದನು ಎಂದು ಅದರ ತಾತ್ಪರ್ಯ. ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಮನುಷ್ಯಬುದ್ಧಿಗೆ ನಿಲುಕದ, ಅದನ್ನೂ ಮೀರಿದ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳನ್ನು ವಿವರಿಸುವಾಗ ಇದನ್ನು ಉದ್ಧರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಪ್ರಕೃತ ದೇವುಡು ಅವರ ಮೂರು ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಕುರಿತು ಚಿಂತಿಸುವಾಗ ಈ ಮಂತ್ರವೇ ನಮಗೆ ದಿಕ್ಕು. ಮನುಷ್ಯಮಾತ್ರರಿಂದ ಇಂಥ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ...
One of the most important contributions of the second edition is the article titled, ‘Aesthetics and Interconnectedness of the Daśa-rūpakas, Upa-rūpakas, and Nṛtya Traditions’.
This article is a very exhaustive one, both in terms of data and insights. This article gets a robust start with the analysis of the terms Anukaraṇa and Anukīrtana. This talks about the difference between classical arts and non-classical arts, between art becoming...
Daśaratha did not beget children for a long time and craved to have a successor for his lineage. He decided to perform the Aśvamedha upon the consultation of his ministers and asked them to invite his gurus. Sumantra, the charioteer and personal assistant of the king, who heard this, told him in private, “The ṛtviks had once discussed the manner in which you can beget children. Sanatkumāra had then said, ‘In the future, Daśaratha, whose daughter...