प्रचण्डसूर्यः स्पृहणीयचन्द्रमाः सूखावगाह क्षतवारिसञ्चयः। दिनान्तरम्योऽभुय्पशान्तमन्मथो निदाघकालोऽयम् उपागतः प्रिये ।। The sun is furious, but the moon is cool. Bathing is pleasant, but ponds are shrinking. Day-ends are charming, but the Cupid stirs no more. Cruel summer has set in, my love. (Ritusamhara 1:1) random image collected from internet (supposedly the cover of a You tube … Continue reading Ritusamhara – there used to be six seasons, my love
Tag: Books I have loved
Panchatantra – world’s oldest written tale
A couple of years back I had suffered mitrabheda- there was some misunderstanding with a friend and we parted ways. It was somewhat compensated by the mitralabha or the gain of friends that happened due to the flurry of online activities during the lockdown last year. What added to the Corona woes were skirmishes with … Continue reading Panchatantra – world’s oldest written tale
Narada Bhakti Sutras
I will take this opportunity to talk about the Bhakti genre of literature as well as the sutra form of Indic texts. Bhakti literature flourished in the middle ages. The poet saints of that era wrote odes to particular form of deities. Those who were devotees of Lord Krishna wrote songs in praise of lord … Continue reading Narada Bhakti Sutras
Mricchakatikam – the cart of clay
Mricchakatikam, the Sanskrit play of the fifth century AD written by Sudraka, has all the element of a Bollywood blockbuster. It is unfortunate that the movies made on this paly in Hindi and other languages did not become so. Hindi movie Utsav was made on this play and it starred Rekha, Sekhar Suman, and Amzad … Continue reading Mricchakatikam – the cart of clay
Kamasutra of Sage Vatsyayana
The difficulty of writing a post about Kamasutra is that there is so much free material already floating in cyberspace. With about 12000 verses Charaka Samhita may have 12 times more content than Kamasutra. But the wikipedia page of Kamasutra is definitely much more elaborate than Charaka Samhita. So sex being still a taboo, we … Continue reading Kamasutra of Sage Vatsyayana
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
We live in the times of market economy. Seeing that yoga has caught the fancy of all and sundry, multi-billion dollar multinational industries have grown around it. Then, to make it more marketable, customer friendly and gain the competitive edge, these days all kinds of body contortions and conceptual distortions go in the name of … Continue reading Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Gita Govindam – the ultimate romance
As I do a little research now to refresh my knowledge about Jayadeva and his Gita Govindam it comes as a pleasant surprise to know that Guru Granth Sahib has some of his verses even though these are not from Gita Govindam for which he is primarily known. There is no dispute over the facts … Continue reading Gita Govindam – the ultimate romance
Bhajagovindam – a wake up call for everyone
Bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam Govindam bhaja mudhamate. Samprapte sannihitekale Nahin nahin rakshati tukkkun-karane. Oh Foolish Mind, sing the song of the divine, sing the song of the divine, sing the song of the divine. The memorization of grammar will not save you from impending death. In Sivasutras it is said, “VITARKA ATMAGNANAM”. One has to … Continue reading Bhajagovindam – a wake up call for everyone
A Crusade against Wrong Attribution
You say what is in a name? Whether that spongy syrupy round sweet that you ate was r-a-s-a-g-o-l-a or r-o-s-o-g-o-l-l-a will depend upon where you ate it. It was not so until 29.07.2019 when 'Odishara Rasagola' got the GI tag to end the century long war between Odisha and West Bengal over the origin of … Continue reading A Crusade against Wrong Attribution
Lyrical Landscapes of Dots and Streaks
Poet Ellora Mishra makes her debut as a book author with her collection of poetry titled 'Dots and Streaks'. It is a part of Blogchatter ebook carnival and is available for free download. Ellora hails from Odisha - the land of fine arts. She did her degree in Chemical Engineering from BITS Pilani, Rajasthan and … Continue reading Lyrical Landscapes of Dots and Streaks
