Monthly Archives: March 2010

The tyrants pile on

Posted on March 31, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The procession of proceratosaurids: the elongated naris and the premaxillary process are a very distinctive feature of this clade of tyrannosauroids. The adaptive significance of this type of naris in light of the work of Witmer might be worth exploring. … Continue reading →

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Potentially interesting tyrannosauroid scraps

Posted on March 26, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

Recent dinosaurian discoveries are emphasizing cosmopolitanism against the earlier belief of regionalism triggered by vicariance. The discovery of Brusatte et al that Shaochilong, Chilantaisaurus and Fukuiraptor are carcharodontosauroids showed that this derived lineage of allosauroids comprised of the two clades, … Continue reading →

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navaratna-s

Posted on March 23, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

Hindu lore has it that there are nine gems. For example shaiva tantra-s mention these as the material from which li~Nga-s are made: mANikya-mukte tvatha vajra-nIlau vaiDUrya saMj~naM haritAshmanA cha | tat puShyarAgaM sphaTikaM pravAlaM navaiva ratnAni bhavanty amUnI || … Continue reading →

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The hasti-cheTaka mantra

Posted on March 21, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The fierce hasti-cheTaka is animated by invoking the terrible vinAyaka in a charma of an animal offered as bali (see above) with the mantra: OM grIM grUM hastipishAchAya namaH svAhA | He makes oblations with the dried root of the … Continue reading →

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The mlechCha brain behind the sword arm

Posted on March 18, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

It is hardly pleasant to talk about geopolitical issues concerning Hindus these days. Yet, from time to time those urges of the arm-chair general are hard to curb. I received from the sources articles by Vishal Agrawal and Rajiv Malhotra … Continue reading →

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Experience: phenomenal and accessional

Posted on March 16, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

ST said that after seeing the presence of vaivasvata she wanted to widen her experience. She felt that by experiencing the existence of a diverse range of people and situations she will shake off the images of the mahiSha-vAhana who … Continue reading →

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Two sides of the phone

Posted on March 15, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

ST was describing her readings of a chIna authoress (I totally forgot her name) writing in English and how they touched a “nerve” in her even though the author is from an alien cultural setting. The points which ST mentioned … Continue reading →

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The experience: transient and eternal

Posted on March 12, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

Having reached the ford I called on indra for aid and also that great devI who had birthed him, who is praised in the shrutI of the atharvan-s. The great deva-s and gnA-s had granted us the victory we sought … Continue reading →

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akbarIya chitra kathA

Posted on March 11, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The Mogol tyrant Akbar gave the old tradition stemming from the mankha and yamoghaNTha-s of yore an unexpected revival when it had nearly died under the depredations of the rAkShasa-mata. In the later phase of his career post 1579 CE … Continue reading →

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The rasa-yoShaNA

Posted on March 9, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The rasAyana texts developing in the bhairava-srotas of the shaiva-shAsana furnish a remarkable myth about the extraction of mercury in the darada country. One instance of this myth is found in the Anandakanda: Anandakanda 1.1.53cd-1.1.62ab prathamArtava susnAtA surUpA shubha-lakShaNA || … Continue reading →

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Asilisaurus and the rise of the dinosaur line

Posted on March 7, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

In the days of my youth a clansman visiting from England had given me a set of pamphlets from the British Natural History museum which described among other things the work of the English paleontologist Charig in Tanzania. It was … Continue reading →

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The epic on stone

Posted on March 6, 2010 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

While historians of certain brands have often disregarded epics as a source of history, their value in reconstructing the past cannot be underrated. The great Turko-Mongol empire of Blue Turks or the Tu-Chueh set their entire epic down in stone … Continue reading →

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