The common understanding about yoga is that is a set of physical postures. It is also propogated as such these days. But in reality the physical posture of yoga, which is called as hathayoga to distinguish it from other forms of yoga, was a later development. It is believed that many of the independent ancient … Continue reading Yogic Texts of Hindustan
Author: Durga Prasad Dash
The X-factors of Hindustan
India may have hundreds of X factors that distinguish it from other countries. For this post I have taken three broad factors which in themselves will cover a whole range of other factors. Of course India has also many negative aspects. But when we talk of X factors, it should be positive. After going through … Continue reading The X-factors of Hindustan
From Wholeness to Wholeness : three types of mathematics
In my previous post I have given some idea about vedanta or the Upanishads which are the foundations of India philosophy and spirituality. Most of the stanzas of the Upanishads do not subject themselves to easy understanding. That is also one of the reasons why many epics were written so that the common man can … Continue reading From Wholeness to Wholeness : three types of mathematics
Vedanta and the Villains of our epics
If you think that the use and popularity of grey characters in movies and literature is a recent phenomenon, you have to think again. It may well have its first inception back in the vedic ages. Even though not many in number, in India there are temples dedicated to Ravana. In many versions of Ramayana, … Continue reading Vedanta and the Villains of our epics
Odisha and its People : the Unknown, the Unique and the Ugly
Where is Odisha? To write about unknown Odisha is a difficult proposition because, for someone not from Odisha everything about Odisha may be unknown. In my interactions with common men during my travels in India I have found that the North Indians think it is somewhere in South India and the South Indians think it … Continue reading Odisha and its People : the Unknown, the Unique and the Ugly
Train Travel in India
Having briefly mentioned in a previous post about the opportunity train travel provides to meet with alien characters, I intend to write a full post about it. Moreover this series may feel incomplete without such a topic since train journeys are so much part of our real and reel life. Talking of reel life who … Continue reading Train Travel in India
What happens when you don’t understand Sanskrit
So, what does really happen if you are an Indian and don't understand Sanskrit? Chances are, you may grow up to be a fake mythologist like Devdutt Pattanaik. It is a matter of shame that Indians grow up reading the interpretation of our mythologies and other scriptures of only western authors and then grow up … Continue reading What happens when you don’t understand Sanskrit
Her Majesty’s Royal Service – Making Sense of the British Raj
When it comes to interpretation of the British Rule in India there are two schools of thought. The popular view is that it was an era of darkness. Then there are intellectuals who attribute everything that is good in modern India to the colonial rule. The Popular View After Shashi Tharoor quit his international career … Continue reading Her Majesty’s Royal Service – Making Sense of the British Raj
The Quitters of Hindustan
image source: resanskrit.com Scene I In my first post of the current series, a reader has asked about how Odisha fell from its high pedestals of fine arts, affluence, power and glory. The presence of large number of huge temples of architectural grandeur indicate to affluent times in the past and to be affluent the … Continue reading The Quitters of Hindustan
How we learnt our puranas
Hari anant hari katha ananta, kahahi sunahi bahu bidhi sadhu santa - thus goes a stanza in Ramacharita Manasa of Tulsidas. Hari is endless, so are his stories. The saint listens and speaks of it in so many ways. Mahabharata, the biggest epic of the world runs into hundred thousand slokas. Then there is Ramayana … Continue reading How we learnt our puranas
