This poem by Pornima Rajkarne traces the relationship shared by the author with Bhakti, one of the important paths of Adhyatma. She weaves together her personal experiences, fieldwork insights, and the academic discourse of Bhakti in this piece.
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Why Are We This Way? A Guide to Rediscovering Hindu Shastras
Why do Hindus think differently about knowledge, duty, worship, time and existence? Why Are We This Way: A Guide to Hindu Shastras approaches these questions through the vast knowledge traditions of Sanatana Dharma. Rather than treating Hinduism as a collection of rituals or beliefs, the book introduces readers to the interconnected Shastric ecosystem underlying them. Its accessible treatment of complex traditions makes it particularly relevant to a generation increasingly disconnected from its scriptural inheritance. This review examines the book as a roadmap towards recovering that intellectual and civilizational memory.

Decolonizing IKS (“Indian Knowledge Systems”)
Delivered by Prof. Prakash Shah on behalf of Prof. Vamsee Juluri at the panel "Decolonisation, Public Discourse and IKS" during the IKSHA Conference at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida, this thought-provoking talk argues that decolonisation cannot be reduced to merely replacing Western knowledge with Indian knowledge. It challenges the Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) movement to examine its own assumptions and recover the spiritual foundations of Bharatiya knowledge. The talk ultimately asks whether true decolonisation is possible if Bhagawan is removed from the centre of the civilizational worldview.

Scholarship and Sacred Truth
Can a civilization survive if all its sacred truths are judged solely by external academic standards? This essay argues that while historical inquiry has its place, Hindu Dharma must remain rooted in its own sacred framework of shraddha, sampradaya, and parampara. A living tradition cannot endure if its foundational beliefs are endlessly relativized. History may study a civilization from the outside, but only its sacred truths sustain it from within.

Rāmo Vigrahavān Dharmaḥ: The Sixteen Lakṣaṇas as a Complete Condition-Set of Dharma
What does it truly mean to call Rāma "Vigrahavān Dharmaḥ" - the embodiment of Dharma? Drawing on the opening verses of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, this essay argues that the sixteen lakṣaṇas are not merely admirable virtues but a complete and indispensable condition-set for the embodiment of Dharma. Through a rigorous śāstric analysis of pramāṇa, lakṣaṇa, and embodiment, it presents a compelling philosophical framework that reveals why Rāma is not simply a follower of Dharma, but its fullest living manifestation.
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False Supremacy of Science
Metaphysical conceptions are slighted in our modern world while the scientific method is hailed as a panacea for all our ills.
Gaffe or Gambit – Did A R Rahman Cross a Line While Keeping Within Others?
Was A.R. Rahman’s reference to a “communal thing” in Bollywood a careless gaffe—or a calibrated signal within a larger minority-progressive discourse? Situating his remarks within a broader pattern of celebrity secularism, this essay argues that selective invocations of intolerance often coexist with studied evasions on questions of history, identity, and civilizational memory. Rahman’s diplomatic silences—on Aurangzeb, on cultural politics, on ideological alignments—appear less accidental than strategic. The result is a familiar cycle: grievance, outrage, clarification, and international amplification. At stake is not merely celebrity speech, but the narrative framing of Hindu-majority India itself.
On the existence of the Self: Part 4
The nature of consciousness is the biggest debating point in western traditions and sciences. The overwhelming consensus remains that it is secondary to matter and arises as an epiphenomenon.
India’s Ancient Maritime History – Part 2
India's hold on maritime trade greatly benefited numerous kingdoms, but with the arrival of the British, its shipping industry declined drastically.
125 Years Of The Ramakrishna Order: A Glorious History, Unlimited Future Potential
In this article, Sukalyan Sengupta analyzes the foundational principles of the Ramakrishna Math which have shaped its glorious history of 125 years.
An Open Letter to the Indian Government – Appeal to Protect Hindus in Bangladesh
A group of eminent writers pen an open letter to the Indian government appealing for action to protect Bangladeshi Hindus.
Desire, Hierarchy, and Dehumanization: A Critique of Anti-Caste Imagination
This essay examines the deeper assumptions behind a provocative anti-caste claim that caste will end only when oppressed communities can marry Brahmin women. Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s analysis of colonial psychology, it argues that such rhetoric often preserves the very hierarchy it seeks to destroy. The article also critiques the reduction of caste to endogamy, exposing conceptual contradictions in modern anti-caste discourse. Finally, it warns against the dehumanization hidden within symbolic “conquest” narratives, where individuals are reduced to tokens in ideological struggles. Ultimately, the essay calls for a more rigorous understanding of caste, equality, and human dignity beyond the language of resentment and inversion.
Is India’s National Anthem secular?
Survey of the origins of the various National Anthems in Europe and a study of the final choice for the Indian anthem throws up interesting questions and amusing answers.
Search for Savarkarite Conservatism
Was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar a conservative? Exploring this question, this article by Chandravir Pandey delves into Savarkar's concept of Hindutva, and its alignment with conservative principles. The essay also examines the paradoxes in labeling Savarkar a conservative, given his revolutionary zeal and progressive ideas.
“The Secret of The Veda” by Sri Aurobindo – A Review
"The Secret of The Veda" by Sri Aurobindo is a collection of Sri Aurobindo’s various writings on the Veda and his translations of some of the hymns, originally published in the monthly review 'Arya' between August 1914 and 1920.
Looking back at tomorrow
Harari’s second book (Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow) breaks many a modernist myth but ends up shouldering, perhaps unavoidably, a rather excessive baggage of biology.
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125 Years Of The Ramakrishna Order: A Glorious History, Unlimited Future Potential
In this article, Sukalyan Sengupta analyzes the foundational principles of the Ramakrishna Math which have shaped its glorious history of 125 years.
The Hārītīputras — Contesting distortionary narratives about the origins of the Ćāḷukyās
Anirudh Kanisetty’s book ‘Lords of the Deccan’ claims that the Ćāḷukyās were originally agriculturalists who formed into bands of brigands going about looting villages and towns, amassing wealth which emboldened them to lay claim to the terrorized territories as sovereigns, legitimised by védic sacrifices.
Lakshmi Prasad J, in his rebuttal, researches and unearths that the Ćāḷukyas of Bādāmī claim descent from Hārīti, a royal matriarch from antiquity, associated with a string of illustrious dynasties. The matronym, Hārītīputra finds mention in the royal panegyrics of at least half a dozen dynasties of Deccan.
With so much information about Calukyas being available in public domain for decades now, one expects a young researcher to be better informed and not get influenced into weaving Bollywood-esque portrayal of our ancestors.
An Open Letter to the Indian Government – Appeal to Protect Hindus in Bangladesh
A group of eminent writers pen an open letter to the Indian government appealing for action to protect Bangladeshi Hindus.
Bhagvada Gita and violence (Part 1)
Bhagvada Gita is unambiguous in its endorsement of Ahimsa as the highest ideal. However, what constitutes Ahimsa goes beyond mere non-violence on the physical plane of being.
Solving the Soma Mystery – Part 2
Though there are several possible plants that can claim to be the bearer of the Soma elixir, presently there is only one that meets the prerequisites.
The wonder that was Kashmir
Kashmir, before the advent of Islam, was a vibrant seat of learning and made staggering contributions to Indic culture in fields as diverse as arts, sciences, literature and philosophy.
Looking for Indianness
The essence of what constitutes Indianness is disappearing in the mutating mass of present day society, not helped by the Indians' own cultural bankruptcy, which might pave the way towards a regrettable future.
Nationalism in Indian thought
It is a popular myth that Nationalism is a concept alien to India and that it was brought to her shores in the imperial age. A reading of traditional Indic literature (Śāstras and Kāvyas) tells a totally different story.
Science, Secularism and Saturn
The interplay between rationality, politics and Hindu tradition is much more complex than westerners or elitist Indians imagine. The worship of reason at the expense of traditional wisdom of the diverse communities in India creates artificial fault lines in the social fabric of the country and can have serious long term implications.
What is culture?
In Indian culture, spirituality permeates life; spirituality is the pivot around which all other activities revolve.
