User contributions for Akshayjha
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18 July 2024
- 04:2904:29, 18 July 2024 diff hist +17,123 N The Saga of the Padmanabhadasas - History of Travancore Kingdom 1 Created page with " The Travancore monarchy is one of the most dhārmika kingdoms of Bhārata. Along with Mysore, Maheshwar, Baroda, Bikaner, Udaipur, and a few others, these royalties have embodied the ideals of Rāma Rājya both in their politics, as well as in their attitude towards their public. Above all, they have been role models for their piety, simplicity, and śraddhā in our devatās. During the Padmanabhaswamy Temple fracas, where the non-Hindu Kerala government wanted to take..." Tag: Visual edit
- 04:2504:25, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Sugama Ji’s Journey No edit summary current
- 04:2504:25, 18 July 2024 diff hist +18,268 N Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Sugama Ji’s Journey Created page with "==== Introduction ==== There were many disciples of Amma who came to serve her at the World Hindu Congress (WHC) in Bangkok, in November 2023. It was a wonderful sight seeing them in handloom saris, bindis, vibhutis, or dhotis as the case maybe, walking in groups and spreading good cheer all around. Some helped in handing out audio translation devices, some in offering ‘Amma’ shoulder bags, many assisted in giving books and literature to the attendees, and many more..." Tag: Visual edit
- 04:2104:21, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Kate Herse’s Personal Account No edit summary current
- 04:2104:21, 18 July 2024 diff hist +15,404 N Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Kate Herse’s Personal Account Created page with " When I first visited Eugene, USA, in 2014 I was pleasantly surprised to find myself amongst a small community of non-Indian Hindus. In terms of dedication, service and sincerity of practice they seemed to be far ahead of any deracinated Indian Hindu. This was not a Hare Krishna group, nor a Swaminarayan group which are the two major Hindu-makers outside of India. Nor did they belong to any of the Isha Yoga, Art of Living, Amma, and other similar global traditions. Here..." Tag: Visual edit
- 04:1804:18, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Case for Sanatana No edit summary current
- 04:1804:18, 18 July 2024 diff hist +7,609 N Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Case for Sanatana Created page with "==== Conclusion ==== In previous articles, we discussed the issue of converting to Hindu Dharma in the context of certain texts. If anything, it is the starting point for a deeper reflection and conversation. While being mindful of our texts, we can also be respectful of the growing needs of a silent majority who want to join the Hindu fold. For example, the sacrifices to the Gods and ancestors mentioned in Indra’s discourse are hardly practiced even among traditiona..." Tag: Visual edit
- 04:1704:17, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Textual Precedents No edit summary current
- 04:1704:17, 18 July 2024 diff hist +9,575 N Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Textual Precedents Created page with "==== Conversion into a “Generic” Hinduism – Textual Precedent ==== Now, that leaves us with the question as to whether it is possible for a foreigner to convert into a less-defined Hinduism that falls outside well-defined sampradāya spaces. And that is intertwined with the 2nd issue that we highlighted at the beginning of this article: What does conversion to Hindu Dharma mean in terms of belief and/or praxis? Surely, if an outsider can convert into what we may ca..." Tag: Visual edit
- 04:1304:13, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Perspectives from Various Sampradayas No edit summary current
- 04:1304:13, 18 July 2024 diff hist +13,681 N Conversion to Hindu Dharma - Perspectives from Various Sampradayas Created page with " There is an ongoing quest, especially among those who practice yoga and meditation, to dwell deeper into the secrets of life and living. The more they tend to reach out sincerely the closer will they get towards vaidika dharma or sanātana dharma, Hinduism if you will. Once they stand on the threshold of this oldest continuous surviving tradition which is at once a philosophy, spirituality, religion, way of life and culture, they have reached home. Yet many among such s..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:5903:59, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Aghori Parampara - Dispelling Myths No edit summary current
- 03:5903:59, 18 July 2024 diff hist +15,044 N Aghori Parampara - Dispelling Myths Created page with " After attempting to present our understanding of the Aghorī paramparā in previous articles, here I would like to talk about some of the common misrepresentations of the Aghorīs as well as their actual practices and provide a safe space to learn about them. Let us look at Reza Aslan’s CNN Documentary, which tried its level best to twist and misinterpret the Aghorī sampradāya. Blatant Hindumisia blinds journalists and researchers alike, it prevents them from bein..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:5603:56, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Aghori Parampara - Lineage and Practices No edit summary current
- 03:5603:56, 18 July 2024 diff hist +11,051 N Aghori Parampara - Lineage and Practices Created page with "==== The Lineage ==== Śiva has five faces and each has a name. Sadyojāta, Vāmadeva, Aghora, Tatpuruṣa, Īśāna. The dakśiṇa or south-ward looking face is called aghora. The essence of this knowledge was first passed down to guru Dattātreya. Dattātreya swāmi as he is popularly known divided this knowledge into two. The first is called yoga sampradāya. The second is called aghora sampradāya. Both these traditions together are called Nātha sampradāya (Shanka..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:5103:51, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Aghori Parampara - Sadhana, and Philosophy No edit summary current
- 03:5103:51, 18 July 2024 diff hist +9,345 N Aghori Parampara - Sadhana, and Philosophy Created page with " A sect that has borne the brunt of being caricatured ad infinitum is the Aghorī. It has been othered like no other and has spawned many a fantastical tale around its origins, practices, and membership. Making fun of its adherents for looking a certain way or creating an Indiana Jones level of misinformation around its supposed practices, is a reductionist caste, cows, curry (Rajiv Malhotra) approach towards a very revered panth. Trying to appreciate a different sect on..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:3803:38, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Sanskrit vs FATE Languages No edit summary current
- 03:3803:38, 18 July 2024 diff hist +9,289 N Sanskrit vs FATE Languages Created page with "==== Language and Creativity ==== Language is deeply connected to the process of creativity. Man became man, when he discovered language and started cogitating on deeper and more abstract problems related to life, existence and culture. A regional language is deeply intimate with the culture, society, politics, food and all other aspects of human culture of the people inhabiting that linguistic and cultural space and the metaphors and idioms that come out in a regional l..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:3503:35, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Shiva-Shakti of Language and Impact of Colonialism No edit summary current
- 03:3503:35, 18 July 2024 diff hist +7,477 N Shiva-Shakti of Language and Impact of Colonialism Created page with "==== The Śiva-Śakti of Language ==== “I speak Hindī” – millions from north India would say this. But how true is that? Can they really speak Hindī? Do they speak Hindī? If we observe what we speak and how we speak then we will find that we are practically speaking English or some other language by using the grammar of Hindī. All our nouns, adjectives and adverbs have become either English or Farsi, Arabic, Turkish or Urdu. The same is true about any other Ind..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:3003:30, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Decolonizing Language No edit summary current
- 03:3003:30, 18 July 2024 diff hist +15,111 N Decolonizing Language Created page with " How do dialects evolve into languages? And what role does colonialism play in this process, particularly in the context of Bhāratavarṣa, one of the greatest language cauldrons in the world? Answering these questions leads us on a quest which makes us understand the history of our culture, civilization and religion much better. To answer them we need to explore the process of how dialects evolve into languages and compare the process in North India to what happened in..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:2703:27, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 Towards Dharma-centric Polity : Universalization of Ganesha Utsava No edit summary current
- 03:2703:27, 18 July 2024 diff hist +13,267 N Towards Dharma-centric Polity : Universalization of Ganesha Utsava Created page with "==== Dharma, Religion and State ==== One of the founding premises of a modern secular State is that religion and politics should not mix. Though India became officially secular much after its independence, due to Nehruvian ideas dominating Indian socio-politics, “secularism” has been the guiding light of the Indian State since independence. And from a leftist, liberal and secular point of view, there really is no dilemma over the question of mixing politics and relig..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:2403:24, 18 July 2024 diff hist +23 Swayambodha and Shatrubodha - Two Wheels of Civilization No edit summary current
- 03:2403:24, 18 July 2024 diff hist +8,628 N Swayambodha and Shatrubodha - Two Wheels of Civilization Created page with "==== Svayaṃbodha and Śatrubodha joined by the Axle of Dharma ==== The good news is that more and more Hindus are waking up and developing a sense of Śatrubodha, understanding and studying the enemy to be able to defeat them. But is that enough? Is it enough to know your enemy? In the past two decades, even those Hindus who have a highly developed Śatrubodha faltered on their own identity, culture and civilization. In their eagerness to recognize, call out and diffe..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:2003:20, 18 July 2024 diff hist +23 Swayambodha and Shatrubodha - The Framework No edit summary current
- 03:2003:20, 18 July 2024 diff hist +9,292 N Swayambodha and Shatrubodha - The Framework Created page with "==== Why Do We Need a Framework? ==== Cultural phenomena progress through three phases: Naïve, Sophisticated and Decadent. A few of them however escape the downward turn towards decadence and acquire a canonical status. It is artefacts such as a definitive book, an anthem or a ritual that distinguish a canon from a mere trend. '''With time, that becomes tradition.''' Tradition is not static, it is dynamic and living because it has an unchanging core that adapts to the..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:1703:17, 18 July 2024 diff hist +23 The Quest for Happiness: Art As A Redemptive Force No edit summary current
- 03:1703:17, 18 July 2024 diff hist +6,863 N The Quest for Happiness: Art As A Redemptive Force Created page with " Culture in India existed in harmony with Nature and did not seek to destroy it. Instead social laws imitated natural principles and individuals were exhorted to transcend the material limitations spiritually by walking the path of self-realization. What is important for us here is the fact that this spiritual quest for freedom from natural constraints was imitated by art in its own sphere. Art acted as a redemptive and elevating force in the life of man. Coomaraswamy..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:1403:14, 18 July 2024 diff hist +23 The Quest for Happiness: Two Cultural Paradigms No edit summary current
- 03:1403:14, 18 July 2024 diff hist +9,292 N The Quest for Happiness: Two Cultural Paradigms Created page with " Culture was not always pitted against Nature as it is in today’s modern world. Nature-conducive cultures existed all over the world, but its most expansive expression was seen in Bhāratavarṣa dictated by the values of Sanātana Dharma. ==== Conflict Paradigm ==== Culture in various modern definitions is seen as a tool of man to mold Nature for his own needs. In this Man vs. Nature narrative, culture and technology are always pitted against the forces of Nature. I..." Tag: Visual edit
- 03:1103:11, 18 July 2024 diff hist +23 The Quest for Happiness: A Civilization in Imbalance No edit summary current
- 03:1103:11, 18 July 2024 diff hist +11,679 N The Quest for Happiness: A Civilization in Imbalance Created page with " One of the most fundamental quests of human life is to be happy. One can debate on the meaning of the word ‘happiness’ but the quest itself remains indisputable. All human actions pivot around this central quest. While individuals want to be happy, institutions rush to fulfill this ‘need’. Almost all of contemporary relations between the individuals and the institutions can be seen through this relationship whether the institution is the State, the free market,..." Tag: Visual edit
- 00:3700:37, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 12 - Universal and Eternal No edit summary current
- 00:3700:37, 18 July 2024 diff hist +8,295 N The Bangla Dream, Part 12 - Universal and Eternal Created page with " Putting various Bhāratīya consciousnesses together - and making them greater than the sum of their parts - is the New Dream. '''It is Hind Swaraj, it is The Mother, it is the Khalsa, it is Shiva, it is Venkata, it is the Ramcharitramanas'''. When I look back at the history of Bhārata, I find myself in the Kashmiri pandit mapping the impossible to map Ananatag cave, in the Jat soldier pushing back the invader from the West. in the toiler of the Gangetic plains and i..." Tag: Visual edit
- 00:3600:36, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 11 - Songs in Stone, Part and the Whole No edit summary current
- 00:3600:36, 18 July 2024 diff hist −44 The Bangla Dream, Part 11 - Songs in Stone, Part and the Whole No edit summary Tag: Visual edit
- 00:3500:35, 18 July 2024 diff hist +7,963 The Bangla Dream, Part 11 - Songs in Stone, Part and the Whole No edit summary Tag: Visual edit
- 00:3200:32, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 11 - Songs in Stone, Part and the Whole No edit summary
- 00:3200:32, 18 July 2024 diff hist +17,351 N The Bangla Dream, Part 11 - Songs in Stone, Part and the Whole Created page with " From this prolonged stay in eastern Bhārata, we take a sojourn to look at the solid structures that we build with our own hands. '''At this point, complaining about the lack of a sense of Indic aesthetics in our modern architecture has become akin to beating a dead horse'''. Public architecture in modern Bhārata is a complete mess, with almost no connection to the diverse traditions of building things that have evolved in this country. No “secular” public space to..." Tag: Visual edit
- 00:3000:30, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 10 - Nations are Languages, and Civilization A Song No edit summary current
- 00:3000:30, 18 July 2024 diff hist +19,454 N The Bangla Dream, Part 10 - Nations are Languages, and Civilization A Song Created page with " Yes, I know, dear reader. I promised you a positive vision for the future in an earlier part of this essay series, but what I’ve given you so far is three more sections of analysis! I’m fully aware of the fact that you have come here for a viable answer to the question: '''What will the ''New Dhārmika Dream'' be?''' The one that replaces ''Shuddho'', and inspires the next generation to make our civilization whole again. I think I’m now ready for my humble stab at..." Tag: Visual edit
- 00:2600:26, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 9 - The Blockchain of Dharma and Who We Are No edit summary current
- 00:2600:26, 18 July 2024 diff hist +12,839 N The Bangla Dream, Part 9 - The Blockchain of Dharma and Who We Are Created page with " There’s an endless debate, one I often find unimaginably tiresome, in our political discourse, about the origin of Hindu Dharma, the history of the early Āryan people, and how Bhāratīya civilization came into being. Most of these theories are about “invasions”, “migrations”, impositions, colonizations, etc., all of which are focused on creating the same basic structure of narrative for Bhārata’s story as a civilization. '''This is essentially a Hegelian..." Tag: Visual edit
- 00:2500:25, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 8 - The Buffet on Offer No edit summary current
- 00:2400:24, 18 July 2024 diff hist +6,408 N The Bangla Dream, Part 8 - The Buffet on Offer Created page with " In the “A House of Grain” chapter of ''A Wounded Civilization'', V.S. Naipaul makes the following pronouncement: <blockquote>But the alarm had been sounded. The millions are on the move. '''Both in the cities and in the villages there is an urgent new claim on the land; and any idea of India which does not take this claim into account is worthless'''. The poor are no longer the occasion for sentiment or holy alms-giving; land reform is no longer a matter for the rel..." Tag: Visual edit
- 00:2100:21, 18 July 2024 diff hist +28 The Bangla Dream, Part 7 - Knowledge Must Be Filtered Down No edit summary current
- 00:2100:21, 18 July 2024 diff hist +14,823 N The Bangla Dream, Part 7 - Knowledge Must Be Filtered Down Created page with "<blockquote>“Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. '''A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance…'''</blockquote><blockquote>The..." Tag: Visual edit