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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Suryanar Kovil, Kumbakonam – Part 2
It is tough to preserve and maintain one's cultural standards when derision is all you get from the so-called progressive-minded.
श्रीराम जन्मभूमि के तथ्य (Facts about Ram Temple)
अयोध्या में मंदिर पर चलते विवाद के तथ्यों का अध्ययन कर यह निश्चित हो जाता है कि मंदिर का निर्माण ही इस विवाद का एकमात्र उपाय है।
Indic civilization and knowledge
Pandit Vamadeva Shastri (Dr David Frawley) speaks with us about his journey into Hinduism and Indic knowledge traditions.
The Relevance of Ram – and that of Ramjanmabhoomi
The site at Ayodhya is doubly important as it signifies the existence of a perfect dharmic state along with the presence of Maryada-Purushottam - Sri Ram.
The Tamil Veda
That the Vedic influence on Tamil people is undeniable, profound and as ancient as their culture itself is a fact that goes contrary to the Dravidian political discourse but is nevertheless true, according to the authoritative book by India's foremost epigraphist.
Lifestyle Choice – Material, Spiritual or a Combination
A few of the factors and reasons why we should choose to accept a fully dedicated spiritual life, or remain in material pursuits, or for now choose a balance of both.
“Oppenheimer”, the Gita, and Dharma
Imbibing the spirit of true Dharma, one achieves communion with nature, the cosmos, and eventually the Supreme being. The eternal fight therefore, is not between good and evil, or between believers and non-believers, but between Dharma and Adharma.
Secularism as a colonial project
Jakob De Roover's recent book, 'Europe, India, and the Limits of Secularism (Religion and Democracy)' is a fine study of the evolution of the principle of secularism, its inherent limitations and its striking dissonance with the civilizational ethos of India.
Immigrants were once welcomed in Assam – Part 1
Sentiments involving immigrants from Bengal into Assam have ebbed and flowed as time has gone by.
Mistranslation of Sanskrit Words: Misunderstanding and Absurdity
Western scholars and Indologists fail to grasp the essence of Hindu philosophy and history because despite their best attempts, words in Sanskrit are often non-translatable and meanings depend heavily upon context. Given their narrow-minded approach, while also accounting for personal biases, even the nearest translation in another language subverts the essence of the original text.
Thoughtful Reflections on ‘Mahabharata Unravelled’ by Ami Ganatra
A deeper dive into some characters and aspects of Mahabharata with the help of Ami Ganatra's book "Mahabharat Unravelled".
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Does Kantara depict women in bad light?
In this review of Kantara, Rohan Raghav Sharma tackles the allegations that the film depicts women in a poor light by analysing the actions of the key characters as well as scenes that may be interpreted as such.
Guha's Golwalkar (Part 1)
Noted columnist Ramchandra Guha completely misunderstands and therefore, misrepresents, the influence of Golwalkar's ideology on the RSS of today.
The concept of Širk: what it meant before Islam
Various religions had a concept of associating a creature or a heavenly body with their god, which later became the most fundamental sin as Semitic faiths took over.
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.
The Limits of Equality: A Dharmic Appraisal of Modern Political Theology
Modernity universalizes Enlightenment ideals of equality, recasting Dharmic order as moral failure. But in Dharma, justice lies not in sameness, but in harmony—each being acting in accordance with its Svabhāva and Svadharma. The caste system, far from being a hierarchy of worth, was a framework of reciprocal duty, now misunderstood and maligned through colonial and liberal lenses. True reform lies not in dismantling tradition, but in reclaiming its wisdom with renewed understanding.
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.
Śaṅkara Charitam – a re-telling – Chapter 06
In the 6th Chapter of Śaṅkara Charitam, Shri Ramesh Venkatraman brings to us the story of Śaṅkara's birth and the ensuing events; along with taking forward the story of Maṇḍana Miśhra and Ubhaya Bhārati and how they became householders.
Mithila Art: A living tradition since the Ramayana
Madhubani Art has a rich history which is steeped in stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata which till very recently was not known to most Indians.
Why all religions are not the same
A synopsis of "The heathen in his blindness", in which Professor S. N. Balagangadhara demolishes the idea of analyzing non-Abrahamic cultures through the western religious framework obsessed with theory-making.
History of Jihad, a thriller
The germination of Jihad and how it spread across the world is a historical fact that needs to be told.
Is the Hindutva movement casteist? – Part 1
The labeling of the Hindutva movement as casteist leaves a lot to be desired.
‘Antaraprabhava’ in Surendra Kumar’s ‘Viśuddha Manusmṛti’: A critical assessment in light of its avowedly revisionist interpretation
Nithin Sridhar shows the inconsistencies in the revisionist Arya Samaji version of Manusmṛti in this critique of Dr Surendra Kumar's Viśuddha Manusmṛti.
