Monthly Archives: October 2006

New wave

Posted on October 23, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The jAnashruteya birds flew by and said: “The spider has run around the web twice since that fateful night of the 3-front war. 2 bow-shots away from your seat you saw the deadly one. It was the same place where … Continue reading →

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The AmnAya-krama for the dual worship of shArikA and tripurA

Posted on October 21, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

R and I finally got to moving ahead with the initial part of laying out the formulae related to the dual worship of shArikA and tripurA that was prevalent with the Himalayan tantrics. The shArikA-tripurA krama of aghora-shiva is related … Continue reading →

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shakra virachita laghu kumAra stotraM

Posted on October 21, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

laghu kumAra stotrasya shatakratuH R^iShiH | anuShTup ChandaH | skando devata ||OM hrAM ~NaMdeva-devaM namasyAmi kumAraM varamachyutaM |kArttikeyaM durArAdhyaM vahni-tejaH samudbhavaM || 1 ||umA sha~NkarajaM bhImaM ga~NgAyA jaThare dhR^itaM |shakti-hastaM viShAlAkShaM ShaNmukhaM dIpta-tejasaM || 2 ||bhaktAnukaMpinaM dAtaM brahmaNyaM varadaM prabhuM … Continue reading →

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Some more observations on the saura mata

Posted on October 21, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

We had earlier compiled incomplete accounts of both the saura mata and its offshoots like the worship of revanta. We initially wanted to work on the final part of the incomplete revanta essay dealing with the specific point of the … Continue reading →

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Of the past

Posted on October 20, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

It was relatively late when we were sort of startled by R’s call. She said we had a visitor from really ancient times- Igul. One forgets most males, at such a distance in time, but then some women are much … Continue reading →

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The AkhyAna of skanda-patnI

Posted on October 19, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

OM hrIM ShaShaThI devyai svAhA || The wandering sUta said: “Listen to the wonderous AkhyAna of skanda-patnI that relieves unborn and young kids from troubles. In days long past I was wandering in the fringes of the magadha, when I … Continue reading →

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vedic mantra-s adapted for kaumAra ritual

Posted on October 18, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

kumAram mAtA yuvatiH samubdhaM guhA bibharti na dadAti pitre | anIkam asya na minaj janAsaH puraH pashyanti nihitam aratau || The young mother keeps the boy hidden in secret, nor gives him to the father; Men see his undiminishing radiance … Continue reading →

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kumAra mAla

Posted on October 17, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI
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Comet C/2006 M4 Swan

Posted on October 16, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

“On this day a fairly bright shikhI was seen coursing between the tail of the R^ikSha and the pashupAla at the evening time a muhUrta after sunset, on kR^iShNa navamI under puShya nakShatra” Yesterday, Mn as well as Marc and … Continue reading →

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The 3 great impact craters of India

Posted on October 15, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

1) Luna 2) Ramgarh 3) Lonar

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The 800th anniversary of the great khuriltai of 1206

Posted on October 14, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

It was the year of the Tiger (1206 CE). At the head waters of the Onon River, at the foot of the sacred mountain of Burkhan Khaldun, in northern Mongolia a great throng of humanity was assembling. Jamuqa, the once … Continue reading →

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The bhR^igu-s, the country and the national epic

Posted on October 12, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The imprint of the bhR^igu-s is not just all over the literature of bhAratavarSha but also dotting the very expanses of the land of the bhArata-s. While being a bhR^igu, I may be biased to see this imprint more than … Continue reading →

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Revisiting the synapsids

Posted on October 11, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The evolution of early synapsids was a topic that fascinated me beyond words during the age of 8-14. It still remains an enormous fascinating topic though hardly my primary focus. Revisiting is done just for fun to see some still … Continue reading →

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kumAra vidyA-s

Posted on October 10, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

Of the mUrti-s of kumAra [Note 1] that are worshiped by the educated kaumAra sAdhaka there are few having a special significance. The first of these is of great import for a dvija in devoted the yAj~nIkI perfection. It is … Continue reading →

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naming of the initiates as per the classic siddhAnta tantras

Posted on October 7, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The siddhAnta tantrics receive their names as per a fixed procedure: After the student receives mantra dIkSha from the preceptor, s/he is taken to the central kumbha in which shiva has been invoked earlier. Then, the student casts flowers which … Continue reading →

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The iconography of diverse goddesses

Posted on October 6, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The Wodeyar of Mysore, kR^iShNa rAja, prepared a compendium of Hindu iconography from diverse classical Hindu sources. This collation called the shrI-tattva-nidhI (STN) has become a useful standard for upAsaka-s in amongst educated Hindus, especially from Southern India. Sadly, the … Continue reading →

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The encounter with the pAShaNDa-s of the nAstIka mata

Posted on October 5, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

With the due assent I decided to narrate the account of R1‘s father encounter with the vile pAShaNDa-s of the nAstIka mata- this is an illustrative example of some technicalities for the complete uchChATana of paShaNDa mantras. The other learned … Continue reading →

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Hindus on the hard problem

Posted on October 2, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

We had earlier mentioned the interesting discussion we had with Marc and kalashajA on what the western philosophers admit is the hard problem of consciousness. Our other acquaintance of the clan of the kAshyapa-s, had asked me if the Indians … Continue reading →

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11 dances of the gods.

Posted on October 1, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The silapadhikAraM (6.44), the great champu written in the dramiDa language, mentions 11 dances that, as far as I know, have no mention in the literature in deva-bhAShA. We do not know if these were once prevalent over jambu-dvIpa and … Continue reading →

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The meditation and emanation of the pa~nchAkSharI vidyA

Posted on October 1, 2006 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

We described earlier how one installs the yantra of mahAdeva pertaining to the pa~nchAkSharI vidyA and performs worship of it. Now we shall describe that meditation of and the mantra emanation from it.-As one starts the meditation of the pa~nchAkSharI … Continue reading →

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