August 2020
The Birth and Growth of Pārvatī
In the next segment of the sarga, the nāyikā of the epic, Pārvatī is born and grows up. The poet employs nineteen verses (31 to 49) just to establish the physical features of Pārvatī. In nāṭya, this can be portrayed with relative ease, if an actor with the specific characteristics enters the stage clad in appropriate costumes. In nṛtya, on the other hand, especially in the case of ekāhārya and ekahārya modes of...
Another noteworthy element visible in Kathā-sarit-sāgara is the amiability within society - even those days there were religions, castes, occupations, and good and bad people; but they did not clash due to these differences; even the principles of Buddhism which are termed Cārvāka or Nāstika (atheist), merged with Hindu traditions like milk and water. Within the same families there were people who followed different paths; wonder why people...
Gratification
On the day the gopura work was completed, the kalaśa was established, and the samprokṣaṇā was done, one should have seen Sajjan Rao. He was the epitome of gratification; a man in supreme bliss. An essential part of human life is that bliss. One has to live for such pure joy. Fortunate are those that experience such joy.
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Sajjan Rao graced my house one day afternoon at around three. I received him and after he sat down, I asked him...
My intention here is to write about my Ātma-gurus. Ātma-guru can mean several things: “The teacher of my choice”, “The teacher who taught me about the Ātman”, “The teacher of prime importance” etc. The meaning that I have in my mind is: “favorite teacher”. It is not that I found him because I specifically searched for him. Neither did I specifically evaluate his capabilities and hence acquainted myself to him. It is purely out of luck that we...
Yeldur (Elduru) is an ordinary small town. But it was neat and pretty. The arterial road ran from east to west. On the western end was the Kodandaramaswamy Temple, facing north. The Shiva Temple was opposite to that. The pūjā was performed punctually and regularly in both temples.
Among the town’s brāhmaṇa community, Venkatesha Shastri was a prominent figure. He was a Vedic scholar and disciplined in his rituals. He was tall, but very lean. All...
Naravāhanadatta who comes as a part of the Bṛhatkathā is special because of the streams of ‘knowledge’ he specialises in. There are stories where vāmācāra is practised and vetālas play prominent roles. They do not dazzle like the Pāṇḍavas who were filled with quialities of brilliant dharma and vīra. In the Bṛhatkathā, kāpālikas play a more important role as against the yājñikas. It is for this reason that Bāṇa-bhaṭṭa says:
समुद्दीपित कन्दर्पा...
Along with Mandi Hariyanna’s name, it is Dharmaprakāśa S Sajjan Rao’s name that comes to mind.[1] The two were always together, like the Aśvini-devatas. Every morning, both of them would go for a walk, to get some air. It was the same routine every evening too. Their friendship gave the impression that a single soul existed in two bodies. If any friend encountered only one of them, it was normal to enquire, “How is it that you’re alone? Where is...