Why did Indian Literature Get Dubbed As Mythology?

From Mithya to Mythology

Samskrt Mithya to Greek Mythos to English Myth / Mythology – the term itself has moved from East to West.

Word Mithya in use for 7000+ years in Samskrt.

Word Mythos in use for 2500+ years in Greek.

Word Myth in use for 700+ years in English.

We see an obvious flow of the word and meaning from India, westwards in antiquity.

Post 350 CE, with the Christianisation of Greece, all pre-Christian ideas and stories were dubbed as Pagan and consequently as Mythology. Europe has since then, been living with the idea of Greek mythology.

Since 1600s, with the arrival of European scholars to India, in their writings, they dubbed all Indian legends and divinities as mythology, for, they were already used to a 1000 years’ of deriding ancient Greek thought as Greek Mythology.

Since 1600s, 400 years of continuous and proliferating Colonial writings dubbing Indian legends and literature as mythology has dinned this word into our mind and psyche too.

In contrast however, all through these 400 years since 1600s CE and for centuries before that too, all writings in Indian languages have consistently termed Indian literature as Pauranic, Aitihasic, Vaignanik.

Through the last few centuries, till date, all the Dharmic Indian writers, writing in Indian languages, have not been swayed by the colonial narrative and have consistently called the Indian works as Pauranic, Aitihasic, Vaignanik and not mythology or mithya.

With the clarion call of New India to decolonize our minds, we need to look at our works from an Indic perspective i.e. from a non-colonial angle, for which the term Indian mythology should be removed from usage in English language and instead the phrase Indian legends should be emphasized. For, the term legends is an honorific.

So, while the term mythology has travelled from East to West, the wide application of the term has travelled from West to East.

Why Mythology?

While in Indian languages, mithya means a false claim or illusion, the word mythology has the connotation of fantasy and imagination, concoction.

Indian and other ancient, pre-Christian or pre-Abrahamic religions are based on Nature and not any single book or prophet or leader. These Nature based Divinities, which are subtle, can only be depicted symbolically and metaphorically through various stories. They therefore include all shades of colours and grey because with symbolism also comes aspect of individual interpretation. No doubt, there are religious guides / Guru in these civilizations, who help in interpreting these.

We see such stories and characters in the lands of India, Persia, Babylon, Mesopotomia, Assyria, Greece, pre-Christian Rome etc. (Short film – https://url-shortener.me/5YY6 )

Whereas, a book and prophet-based religion has a single, tangible reference and furthermore their literature is in the form of clear tenets of dos and don’ts. There is no scope for deep symbolism and metaphors in such literature. There is thus only black and white and no shades of grey. It is either False or True.

Hence, deeply symbolic, metaphorical depictions of Nature and Scientific Divinities by the Indians, became fanstasy and concocted stories in the eyes of the West, which was Abrahamic in thought.

Other Points For Denigrating Indian Literature as Myths

1. Mismatch in Timekeeping approach between Gregorian and Indian calendar – Linear vs Cyclical Yuga that calculate time in large cycles. What is Yuga? Post-renaissance Europe discovered heliocentricity only 500 years ago.
2. Inability to imagine and accept a civilization’s antiquity that went way back by millennia.
3. Forced theological glass ceiling of 23rd October 4004 BC as the date for Creation of the world in the West. ( https://url-shortener.me/5YYF )
4. Situation of British officers in India being overawed and influenced by Indian culture, literature and lifestyle and hence the need of the British to paint India in poor light to the British officers being deputed to India.
5. Difference in amount of History and hence methods of Histriography.

6. Unfamiliarity with notion of the 22 Indian ways of documentation – Purana, itihasa and many more where the 4 Purushartha are more important than Chronology.

Rishi Agastya – Agam of Tamil And Tamilagam

A book by authors Dr.D.K.Hari and Dr.D.K.Hema Hari

Agam is home, as agam means inside. Tamilagam is the home of Tamils. Agastya made Tamilagam his home.

Agastya received the nuances of Tamil language Grammar from Bhagavan Shiva Himself and along with Literature, Grammar, Sciences, Medicine, Music and various other Arts of the land he has been a fountain head for knowledge of the Bharata civilization and in particular for Tamils and Siddhars.

He is hence innate, inside, in the Agam of Tamil and Tamilagam.

In this book, we will see how Agastya is an overarching cosmic phenomenon spanning Mankind, Earth, Waters and Skies as a continuum across Time, Space, Thought and Actions.

This book examines Maharishi Agastya as an overarching phenomenon of Bharat from multiple disciplines and dimensions to show how, Agastya is a continuum in Bharata thought, across multiple planes. It also brings forth the significance that Indians have given to their monsoon rains which gave them their sustained flourish for millennia.

At a Human plane, Mahamuni Agastya stands for the Rishi and Siddhar who gave us Tamil Grammar along with giving us Astronomy and many Sciences, Technologies, Literature, Martial and Fine Arts, through a line of luminaries called Agastya.

At a Geographical plane, Kudagumuni Agastya stands for the Rishi who gave us the River Kaveri from the land of Kodagu, Coorg and taught us river engineering through various examples.

At an Earthly plane, Maitra-Varuni Agastya stands for the phenomenon that causes monsoon and brings rains to Bharat periodically every year at the same time.

At a Celestial plane, Lopamudra Agastya stands for the vanishing and appearing Canopus star that can be seen in the Southern skies and whose Heliacal rising and setting served as a Calendar for marking the advent of rains over Bharat.

At a Cosmic plane, Mana Agastya stands for the order in the Cosmos which causes the phenomenon of the periodic oscillation of the obliquity itself of the Earths’ Axis, even beyond the precession of the Axis, due to which the star Agastya, Canopus itself vanishes or becomes visible periodically over Bharat across 1000s of years, thus becoming a way to measure the tilt of the Earth’s axis.

This book also highlights the significance of the Vindhyas in Indian legends, as well as the metaphor in the name Vindhya itself.

It shows how Vindhya, from Vaindh, meaning one who obstructs and the legend of Agastya are also a metaphor for the apparent North – South movement of the Sun being limited by the Vindhya growing tall or short – i.e. how, the story of Agastya crossing Vindhya is the metaphoric depiction of how, the Tropic of Cancer, which can be physically seen in the form of Vindhya mountains at 23.28° latitude, oscillates between 22.1° and 24.5° due to the Obliquity i.e. periodic change in title of the Earth’s axis.

The book showcases how, the legend of Vindhya and Agastya also bring out the intrinsic nature, Dharma and Rta, cosmic order of the Earth itself.

This book brings forth the beauty in how, the knowledge of sciences and the art of storytelling in Bharat have merged to explain the complex aspects of earth’s motions and all these have come down to us across times as they were internalized by the civilization as Purana, legends and traditions.

It goes on to show how, Rishi Agastya, who is venerated in Tamil Nadu as the early patron sant for Tamil, is a name, idea, memory and a continuing conscious presence spanning across Bharat, making Bharat truly an Ek Bharat Sreshta Bharat – Ore Bharatham Unnatha Bharatham.

Read as flipbook.

Devi Sita – Living By Choices That Epitomized Womanhood

Dharma is not a standard rule which is black or white, good or bad, right or wrong.  Dharma is what is borne by everything – both animate as well as inanimate, in the form of their respective innate qualities as well as the contextual behaviour that arises due to these qualities when interacting with other varying entities, at varying times, under varying circumstances and the outcome of these go to keep the Universe existing and evolving the way it does.

While in all other beings, Dharma works as an innate principle, in the case of humans, Dharma comes with a compulsion of making a mindful choice on how to act, react or even not to act i.e. behave.

Sri Rama is called a Purushottam (Purusha Uttam, ideal man) for having explicitly made choices that showcased His individual Dharma as a man and sticking to these choices firmly. His wife, Devi Sita, who matched Him on all counts, was also an epitome of an ideal woman.

Devi Sita epitomized Womanhood, showcasing it as the  innate, naturally endowed traits of a woman such as motherliness that brings tolerance, love that leads to companionship, dutifulness that leads to responsibility and an unmatched inner strength and resilience, all of which she can summon at will to be the woman she chooses to be, to assert her womanhood.

Devi Sita also showed how these characteristics manifest visibly as the grace, charm and glow which together form a woman’s beauty. In Devi Sita these were all innately and visibly manifested to the fullest making Her venerable as a Universal Mother. 

A woman’s love and companionship makes her a sahabhagi, partner. Her dutifulness and responsibility makes her a sahadharmini. But her motherliness and tolerance makes her a Ma. 

While Saha denotes the aspect of complementing and hence a twosome, Ma has the connotation of self, one-ness and whole. It supersedes everything. The word for “My” in Sanskrit is “Mama”. “Ama” as in Amavasya denotes togetherness, one-ness, like when the Sun and Moon reside together as one. Infact, the word Atma also denotes that which has and is the Self.

Devi Sita, all through the Ramayana, shows how, even in the dire circumstances of Her life, She had the freedom to make a choice at every stage of life as well as the strength and resolve to live through those choices. The choices She made, places Her as the ideal embodiment of womanhood and a Divine Mother. 

• She got Her choice of husband right from Her marriage. 
• She chose to follow Her husband to the forest to vindicate the Love in womanhood. 
• She chose to ask for the golden deer despite words of caution, from love for beauty in womanhood.
• She chose to endure hardships in captivity than to succumb to the enticements from Ravana to vindicate the strength in Womanhood. 
• She chose not to escape from that captivity until released with honour by Her husband to vindicate the resolve in Womanhood. 
• She chose to end Her life after release from captivity to vindicate Her womanhood. 
• She chose not to end Her life after being abandoned in the forest while pregnant, to vindicate the Motherhood in Her womanhood. 
• She chose to return into Earth when She did, after She had nurtured Her children and was satisfied they would be looked after by their father, to vindicate the responsibility in Womanhood.  

Ma Sita’s conduct during all Her travails shows how She is the embodiment of love and tolerance which arise from a motherly nature, a singular trait of womanhood. No wonder She has been looked upto as a Ma and has therefore also been depicted as a manifestation of Mother Earth, the most tolerant, benevolent and bearer of all.

While the story of Ramayana showcases the choices made by all to act one way or the other as an expression of their respective Dharma, the many embedded stories within Ramayana showcase how these choices themselves were guided and driven by an overarching effect of Karma hanging over them from across births, incarnations, incidents and times.

Rama and Sita’s lives were bound by the twinning threads of Dharma and Karma to lead to their being enjoined in pure love but separated in real life.

Why China Came To Be Called China?

How China got this name “China” and its etymological source has been the subject of many a research studies.

It is popularly stated that China gets its name from the Qin dynasty which flourished around 230 BCE.

But India has been referring to China as China/Cheena from prior to that too. Even while some of the texts which bear reference to China are dated post 230 BCE, China finds mention as a land in Chanakya’s Arthasastra which can be dated to 300s BCE,  as well as a few times in the Mahabharata dating to over 5100 years ago too.

For instance, in the Mahabharata, in verse 6-9-65 i.e. in Book 6 – Bhishma Parva comprising of 117 Adhyaya i.e. chapters, the 9^th Adhyaya / chapter which falls in the Jambukhanda Nirmana Upa Parva i.e the collection of chapters 1 to 11, contains a detailed description of the various regions, rivers and people in and around Bharatavarsha. A region called Cina finds mention there among the names of foreign lands such as Yavana, China, Kambhoja, Daruna, Sukritvaha, Kulattha, Huna, Parasika, Ramana and Dasamalika. Cina is mentioned a few other times elsewhere in the voluminous work of Mahabharata too. In one instance it is also referred for being a land famous for deer skins.

Verses 6-9-65 and 66 from Jambukhanda Nirmana Parva from Bhishma Parva of Mahabharata

Not just to literature, we can trace the logic for this name China to Samskrt vocabulary too.

Prachi (Praachi) in Samskrt means former, before, in front of, preceding and hence also east, easterly for the region covered by the Sun before. From this comes Prachin (Pracheen) for ancient – i.e times before us, old, antique etc.

Opposite is Pascha meaning posterior, and Pashcat meaning hind, behind, after, later and hence also Paschim for west, westerly – the region covered by the Sun later, after.

Prachi/Prachya and Paschya have thus been innate words in Samskrt to denote the 2 opposite directions of East and West.

Incidentally another word for East is Purva which also means that which comes before.

It is interesting to note how, the words for the directions of East and West Prachya / Purva  and Pascha inherently bear in them, the notion of sunlight reaching these directions either before in case of East or after in case of West.

This very fact proves that the Indians were tuned to the skies and geography so much so that they used the Sun and its movement in the sky as a common anchor for many a thing.

From the notion of Prachin / Pracheenam being easterly and ancient, comes the word China (Cheena) to mean the ancient civilization to the East.

But East of what? Bharat ofcourse. Since this word and direction is being spoken of in Bharat.

The name Cheena for China can be traced to poet Kalidasa’s Abhijnana Shakuntalam of around 5^th Century CE and poet Banabhatta’s Harshacharita of 7^th century CE, where they refer to silk from China.

The word China is said to have become popular after Chinese contact with the Portuguese in 16^th century CE, who referred to this civilization as China.

But, if we see, the Portuguese in turn, called them so, since India, which was their first point of contact with the East / Orient referred to the Chinese civilization as Cheena, as Prachin meant easterly in Samskrt.

Thus, China is an exonym for this region based on what Bharat called it – as the land to the East.

The Endonym for China is Zhongguo which means Middle Kingdom or Central State. This name was originally used by the various kingdoms of present-day China to refer to themselves based on their respective sphere of control. This name eventually evolved to become the name for today’s People Republic of China.

The term Zhongguo comes from the Chinese dynasties viewing their control in terms of 5 zones:

• 1 – central lands, which they directly administered
• 2 – lands around which were states established by them but were part of their kingdom
• 3 – lands further which were conquered and owed allegiance to them
• 4 – foreign lands / barbarians who have been quelled
• 5 – foreign lands beyond their control.

The Yellow River flowing through China is regarded as having played a key role in demarcating these zones.

Thus, China is an exonym for the People’s Republic of China attributed by Bharat for the Chinese civilization, while Zhongguo (meaning Middle Kingdom) is its endonym – the name by which it calls itself.

The ties between China and India thus run very deep in time and stem from a sense of geography and direction.

Ayurveda – The Balancing Act

Ayurveda is the knowledge of the life sciences of India.

Ayurveda is not just rejuvenation massages, Churanam (herbal balls) and Kashayam (herbal decoction).

We can trace the history of Ayurveda from  Brahma to  Bharadvaja, and how it has reached us today with its various branches of knowledge.

To the layman Charaka and Susrutha are the two popular names in this field and Dhanvantri is the God of Ayurveda. Each of them have had their significance and role in the development of Ayurveda as an authentic branch of science.

Dhanvantri emerging during Samudra Manthan with a pitcher of Amrit and a Jalloka (leech) in hands

Some of the highlights of the practice of Ayurveda available include

1. Susruta’s Rhinoplasty surgery. The detailed surgical procedure, when it was noticed by English doctors in India, from where it was taken to England to perform the first recorded Indian nose surgery in England.
2. Cataract Surgery, Bladder Surgery and dissection procedures in which Susrutha and his shishya Parampara (lineage) excelled in along with its detailed step by step procedure.
3. Various Other Surgical procedures.
4. Names and images of the 121 instruments used in performing the above surgeries through the ages from Susrutha’s time.
5. The methodology of training young surgeons to use their deft fingers in surgical procedures.
6. Charaka’s compilation of medical treatise, codifying medicine, organising symposia, qualities a vaid should possess.
7. Charaka’s Oath for young physicians on Ethics of Medical Practice. Did Hypocrites borrow some of the points from this Oath or was it vice-versa?
8. Takshasila –  the Maha Vishwa Vidhyalaya, University which specialised in advanced medical training for over 500 years attracting the best students from Japan to Rome who specialised in the field of medicine.
9. Pioneers in different fields of Ayurveda like Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, Yoga, pharmacology.
10. Spread of Ayurveda practice to different parts of the world in the last 3000 years.
11. Smallpox Vaccination procedure’s origins from India.
12. Vicchitra Jananam– Unusual Births – For instance, how 101 Kauravas being born to one mother around the same time has been described as a process too and not as a story alone.

It can be seen how some of the various stories based on Ayurveda are scientific realities. Some have already been proven by modern medicine and some of the others could also be proven right in times to come.

Through all these we get to see how Ayurveda is the knowledge for preventive medicine and wholistic health and at the same time also encompasses knowledge, technique and skills for surgical and other invasive treatments.

The ethos and principles with which Ayurveda was practiced by both the doctor as well as the individual was focussed primarily on preventing illnesses and then, treating them if they happened to manifest.

It is both, a preventive medicine, as propagated by the Charaka as well as curative medicine, as propagated by Sushruta.

In summary, it deals with maintaining balance in life through balance in the body, actions and thoughts – a message that has been conveyed to us through the Divine Aswini Twins as the Deva for Ayurveda.

Aswini Twins, the Divinity that denote the principle of Balance in The Universe

Deepavali: A Season of Lights and Celebration

Introduction: The Festival of Deepavali

Deepavali is among the most famous festivals of India, celebrated not only across the country but also by Indians around the world. It has grown into a global festival, and yet its roots are deep and ancient. What is the meaning of Deepavali? How did it come to acquire such grandeur? What is its antiquity, and how has it evolved over the ages to be celebrated today in its present form?

Meaning of the Word Deepavali

The term Deepavali comes from two words: Deepa, meaning lamp or light (diya, vilakku), and Avali, meaning row. Thus, Deepavali means a ‘row of lights.’ Such a row of lights is most needed in the evenings, particularly when nights become longer and days shorter, after the sun sets early. This is why Deepavali is celebrated in the month of October, when evenings begin sooner and nights grow longer. The timing matches the rhythm of nature, making the row of lights especially meaningful then. As lamps are lit across every home, every village, and every town, the land glimmers beautifully, creating a sight to behold.

Deepavali as a Season: Kaumudi Mahotsava

Originally, Deepavali was not confined to a single day but was a season of lights lasting a month. In ancient times, it was called Kaumudi Mahotsava. The word Kaumudi comes from Kumud—the water lily, a white flower that blooms in lakes and ponds filled with post-monsoon water. This festival was celebrated after the monsoons, when the water bodies were full and lilies blossomed, signaling prosperity.

During this time, winter began to set in. The skies cleared, moonlight shone bright, and water bodies sparkled with reflections of lilies and lamps lit before every home. The season of Kartik thus became a time of joy and fullness, when nature itself seemed to celebrate prosperity and abundance.

Over time, this long festival season was abridged. Just as modern life has shortened messages into SMS and compressed rituals into quick observances, the month-long Kaumudi Mahotsava shrank into the present-day festival of a few days. Yet, even in its shorter form, Deepavali retains echoes of the original grandeur.

Day 1: Trayodashi – Dhanteras and Dhanvantari

The celebrations begin on Trayodashi, the 13th lunar day before Amavasya. Known as Dhanteras, it is associated with Dhanvantari, the divine physician. According to legend, during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), Dhanvantari emerged holding a pot of nectar and a leech, both symbols of health and healing. He is regarded as the master of Ayurveda. The symbolism is clear: true wealth (Dhan) is good health.

In North India, people celebrate Dhanteras by purchasing valuables, especially gold and silver, as tokens of wealth. In South India, families prepare a special herbal medicine called Deepavali Lehiyam (a paste made from herbs, ghee, honey, and jaggery), consumed the next day. Much like Chyawanprash, it aids digestion, which is important given the festive feasts. This practice is a tribute to Dhanvantari, reaffirming the value of health during times of celebration.

Day 2: Naraka Chaturdashi

The next day, Chaturdashi, commemorates the slaying of Narakasura. Narakasura was a spirited king of Pragjyotishpuram (modern-day Assam and parts of North Bengal). Over time, ‘Asura’ came to mean a demon, but originally it referred to someone spirited and vigorous. Narakasura’s energy turned tyrannical as he captured thousands of women and oppressed his people. It was foretold that a woman would defeat him. True to the prophecy, Satyabhama, wife of Krishna, took up arms and slew Narakasura in battle, freeing the captives.

This story, about 5,100 years old, demonstrates the valor and skill of women in warfare.

The festival of Naraka Chaturdashi is especially prominent in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Goa. In Goa, effigies of Narakasura are made and burnt. In Tamil Nadu, people burst firecrackers early in the morning before taking oil baths, symbolizing the announcement of Naraka’s death and cleansing thereafter.

The link between firecrackers and death rituals is notable: in Tamil Nadu, even funeral processions were led by fireworks. In this sense, bursting crackers was not for amusement but for proclamation.

Fireworks and Tradition

The use of fireworks in India is ancient. In Tamil Nadu, the Siddhars—great sages—left behind knowledge of chemistry. Among them, Bogar Siddhar, who lived about 5,000 years ago, wrote about Vedi Uppu (explosive salts) in his text Bogar 7000. This shows that fireworks were indigenous to India and predated their mention in China. Firecrackers thus became integral to Deepavali, not as a borrowed custom but as a uniquely Indian form of combining sound and light. Even during King Krishnadevaraya’s reign in Vijayanagara (500 years ago), processions such as the Mahanavami Dibba were preceded by fireworks, as noted by the Italian traveler Barbosa.

Day 3: Amavasya – Lakshmi Puja and Rama’s Return

On the dark night of Kartik Amavasya, lamps shine brightest. In western India, this is the day of Lakshmi Puja, when merchants open new account books, marking the start of a financial year after the harvest.

In northern India, this day commemorates Rama’s return to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and his victory over Ravana. The people lit the city with rows of lamps, celebrating their prince’s homecoming. This tradition continues in Ayodhya even today.

Day 4: Govardhan Puja / Annakut

The next day is Govardhan Puja, celebrated especially in Mathura, Braj, and Gujarat. It recalls Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill to protect villagers from heavy rains. Families prepare Annakut, a mountain of food consisting of many dishes, offered in devotion and then shared among the community. This act of collective cooking and sharing reinforces the spirit of prosperity and community bonding.

Day 5: Bhai Dooj / Kannupidi

On the following day, known as Bhai Dooj, brothers visit sisters with gifts and offerings. This balances the Raksha Bandhan tradition, where sisters tied rakhi threads for their brothers. In the South, a similar custom occurs later, after the harvest during Sankranti. Brothers carry the season’s bounty to their sisters’ homes. This practice—whether in Kartik in the North or in Sankranti in the South—shows a civilizational thread that connects all of India.

Day 6: Chhath Puja

In Bihar, the sixth day after Deepavali is celebrated as Chhath Puja. It is dedicated to the Sun God, observed from sunrise to sunset. Devotees offer prayers to the setting and rising sun, standing in water bodies, thanking the Sun for sustaining life and seeking blessings for health, prosperity, and wellbeing. This unique observance shows the extension of the Deepavali season beyond the first five days.

Culmination In Kartik Poornima

In Odisha and South India, the Deepavali season culminates with Kartik Poornima, celebrated under the full moon. On this night, rows of lamps are lit once more, echoing the ancient Kaumudi Mahotsava when lamps, lilies, and moonlight came together in harmony. Kartik Poornima thus serves as the closing chapter of the season of lights, marking completion with grandeur.

On the banks of the Ganga at Varanasi, Kartik Poornima is celebrated as Dev Deepavali since it opens the time window for the Deva to descend into the Ganga. It also marks the closure of the time window for the ancestral spirits, i.e. Pitr on Earth, which starts from Mahalaya Paksha and ends with seeing them off, back to their realm, with lights from Deepavali.

A North-South Contrast But Unity

We thus see a clear regional distinction in how Deepavali is observed:

In the North, Deepavali is the festival of lights itself, celebrated on Kartik Amavasya (the new moon day). This is when lamps are lit to welcome Rama in Ayodhya and to honor Lakshmi in the west.

In the South, the Deepavali observance emphasizes Naraka Chaturdashi — the slaying of Narakasura — with fireworks, oil baths, and morning rituals, rather than lighting of lamps. The major festival of lights in the South comes a fortnight later, on Kartik Poornima (the full moon day), when lamps are lit in abundance as a culmination of the season.

Thus, while the festival carries the same themes of prosperity, renewal, and victory of good over evil, the focal days differ across regions, showing diversity within shared tradition.

Deepavali Today

Today, Deepavali has become a condensed festival of about five days. Yet, it still carries its layered meanings: health, valor, prosperity, kinship, and community sharing. Fireworks remain integral, not as imported amusements, but as proclamations rooted in ancient traditions. The true challenge today is balance—celebrating tradition while being mindful of elders, animals, and the environment.

If we preserve water bodies, let lilies bloom again, and continue the custom of lights and proclamations, Deepavali will remain not just a festival of lights but also of prosperity, sound, sharing, and harmony with nature.

Onam – a Harmonious Blend of History, Culture, Knowledge and Religion

Onam is not just a harvest festival but also a symbol of Indian culture and sciences. This festival is mainly celebrated in Kerala in the month of Chingam (August–September), which is the first month of Kollam Varsham i.e. the Malayalam year. Onam is a 10-day festival. It has its roots in the Vamana avatar of Lord Vishnu.

According to the legend, Asuraraja Mahabali was a good and generous king but was arrogant about his kingdom’s prosperity and his own generosity. Vishnu, incarnated as Vamana, a dwarf  and asked Mahabali for just three steps of land. Ignoring his Guru Sukracharya’s advice, Mahabali offered Vamana 3 steps of land out of sheer arrogance. However, Vamana took a gigantic form and measured the sky and the earth in just two steps. Mahabali, realizing his folly, bowed his head in humility for the third step which would send him to Patala Loka. This universal form of Vishnu is known as Trivikrama – one who conquered with 3 steps. Before leaving for Patala Loka, Mahabali sought a boon from Vishnu that his kingdom should stay prosperous and that he could come and visit his people once a year. Pleased with Mahabali, Vishnu granted him his wish. Onam is celebrated as the day when Mahabali comes from Patala Loka every year to meet his subjects and see their prosperity. People therefore welcome him with signs of prosperity such as colourful flower rangoli, rich feast, new clothes and joy.

The legend of Vamana avatar and Mahabali are repeatedly narrated to remind people about the ills of arrogance and not listening to wise counsel. While this is a Purana story with history and morals depicted through the forms of divinities and a religious festival, it also showcases the knowledge of science that was prevalent commonly in people then itself. Rains in Kerala start in early June, which means 90 days or 3 months later, towards early September is time for harvesting crops. Harvest brings with it prosperity and joy amongst people. This is therefore the best time for Mahabli to come and visit his people. Onam thus is associated with harvest. Onam marks the end of rains for Kerala just as Ganesha Chaturthi marks the end of rainy season for regions like Maharashtra.

The 3 steps of Vishnu also show how Space can be seen from 3 perspectives – the Earth where we stand, the region above us which is visible and that below us which is not visible to us. It highlights how due to the circular, cyclical nature of motions in the Universe, even what is not visible will also come to visibility atleast once in a cycle – a year in this case.

In Onam, one can see the practice of agriculture, knowledge of climate patterns, use of astronomy as well as religion, harmoniously intertwined to create a beautiful festival of joy. A festival, Utsav is meant to uplift the spirits, knowledge, life-style and moral values of people and Onam is one such classic example.

How Ganesha is a Vignaharata, Remover of Obstacles

Sri Ganesha as per Indian traditional knowledge embodies the divine Tattva that goverrns the existence and functioning of the subtle form of existence of living beings which in turn comprises

1. Manas – the mind that aggregates the senses fed by the body’s sense organs into experiences and moods,
2. Buddhi – the intellect which is fed by the mind with options to choose from and choices to make
3. Ahamkara – the ego which in turn grows as a sense of identity with the body due to these choices made and
4. Chitta – the sub-conscious memory that remembers and stores all these experiences as impressions.

Together, these 4 subtle parts of a living being are called Antahkarana – that which function from the inside, unseen, unseeable. In short, they can be identified as the doer from inside.

Inside what? Inside the physical body.

The Antahkarana denote the subtle organs that generate the sense of identity of an individual entity and all the knowledge and wisdom of that entity gained from experiences. The word Mind is also used at times to denote the Antahkarana put together.

The Antahkarana are the subtle parts of an individual vis-a-vis the gross, physical body of the individual which bears the physical organs that keep the body alive and mobile.

The physical body’s interaction with the external world is through the sense organs, Gnanendriya and motor organs, Karmendriya. It is interesting that, while the Sense organs sense the world outside the body and the motor organs act with /react to the world outside the body, it needs the subtle Antahkarana to work in a balanced manner inorder to regulate activities of the brain which keep the various organ systems working correctly to keep the individual in good health.

Thus, maintaining a good mental health is essential for a good physical health.

Gana denotes group of people or hordes or masses. Groups tend to behave in a certain collective fashion. This is due to their minds and the common sense of identity they experience. A republic is therefore called Ganatantra – rule by / technique of a group of people.

Ganesha, who embodies the Antahkarana in the living, is therefore the Esha, Lord of the Gana, hordes, the masses, the people, the living. 

Once we see the reality of this aspect of existence, we will be able to relate to Ganesha as our personal divinity, as the Lord of our Mind, as the Leader of mankind itself.

Just as the physical body is not above diseases, the Antahkarana, our subtle composite Mind too, is not above afflictions. These afflictions however are of a different kind and have been majorly identified as 6 in number and called Shadripu or Arishadvarga. Ari meaning hostile, enemy. Arishadvarga are the 6 types of conditions that are hostile or enemies of the Antahkarana. These include –

1. Kama-Lust
2. Krodha-Anger
3. Lobha-Greed
4. Moha-Delusion
5. Mada-Intoxication
6. Matsarya-Envy

And together, they also feed and give rise to a sense of identity which is prone to

7. Mamata – Pride and Arrogance
8. Ahankara – Ego.

Thus, the subtle existence of an individual is also prone to 8 major forms of afflictions.

Ganesha, as the divinity for the Antahkarana helps us realize these aspects of our own subtle self and the various portrayals of Ganesha shows us ways to avoid these afflictions.

For, not only do these afflictions disturb the state of calm they become obstacles in the proper funtioning of our physical body.

Not only do these afflictions affect the functioning of our physical body, they also lead to bad decision making and behaviour, which inturn places obstacles between us and the goals we want to achieve in life.

Not only do these afflictions cause obstacles in our life, lifestyle and lifegoals, they also quiety lead to accumulation of subtle, sub-sconscious impressions.

In Indian traditional knowledge and philosophies, the Antahkarana with its subtle impressions are described as lasting beyond the physical body and as the cause for rebirths.

Ganesha can lead the way to discard the adverse and hostile subtle impressions accumulated in the Antahkarana over many births and rebirths which stand in the way of realizing true and eternal bliss, a state of Moksha. Ganesha thus, can lead an individual to liberation from the cycle of rebirths.

Ganesha, by helping us realize these afflictions of the Antahkarana and showing us ways to overcome them, thus helps us overcome obstacles in life as well as afterlife.

We therefore have 8 forms of Ganesha, each mapping to each of these 8 afflictions as described in the Mudgala Purana. They are called the 8 Avatars of Ganesha and each avatar is associated with overcoming a particular human weakness depicted as an Asura, a great hostile force. 

1. Vakratunda – for jealousy, Matsarya
2. Ekadanta – for intoxication, Mada
3. Mahodara – for delusion, Moha
4. Gajanana – for greed, Lobha
5. Lambodara – for anger, Krodha
6. Vikata – for lust, Kama
7. Vighnaraja – for pride and arrogance, Mamata
8. Dhumravarna – for ego, Ahankara.

Symbolically through the various names, forms and legends of Ganesha, our ancestors and seers have been continuosly reminding us of how to conduct ourselves wisely to avoid pitfalls in our daily lives.

Ganesha is therefore called a Vignaharata – remover of obstacles.

Utsav – Upliftment Through Celebrations

by Dr.D.K.Hari and Dr.D.K.Hema Hari, Bharath Gyan

Festival Season Of Bharat

In India, the time window between Aashaadh or Aadi (July), usually heralds a spate of major festivals until the month of Karthika (November). It is called the festival season of Bharat.

What does India have so much to celebrate?

Festivals of India are often, limitedly classified as celebration of good over evil. On the contrary, we will see that India has many more and profound reasons for its festivals.

Utsav and Festival

The word festival has its origin in the Latin word Festum, from which is also derived the English word Feast. Festival is an occasion for celebration and is often accompanied by a feast.

Festival in India is known as Utsav.

Utsav comes from the same root as Utsukh, Utthishta which means to elevate, to uplift, to arise.

Utsav uplifts spirits, character, thoughts and mood.

India Celebrates Everything

India is a land of veneration and celebrations.

Every being is venerated – be it plant, animal or human.

Even the non-living objects are venerated:

• Stones and Hills
• Rivers and Rain
• Volcanoes and Fire
• Breeze and Wind
• Sky and Space
• Sun and Moon
• Stars and Planets
• Souls and Spirits too!

Not only are they venerated for the role they play in the big picture of the Universe, they are celebrated for their role in man’s life too.

No wonder there are so many Divinities in this land and there are so many stories for each of these Divinities.

All these venerations finally manifest as festivals to celebrate all these Divine Beings.

India – A Land of Festivals

Indians have kept track of time using the sky as a clock as they had a great appreciation for

• How, time evolves from motion of stars and planets in Space
• How, time is perceived through changes in mankind and Nature and
• How, time needs to be set aside to celebrate this very passage of Time and what it means.

From this appreciation, grew the practice of earmarking certain time windows annually as time for celebrating Time itself and its sway over everything by,

• Celebrating the changeover of time cycles, seasons and years
• Celebrating the milestones in the life of near and dear.
• Celebrating the time when good won over evil
• Celebrating lifetimes of great leaders and personages
• Celebrating times full of auspiciousness
• Celebrating the Divine and Creation among others.

So many reasons to celebrate…

With so many festivals celebrated through the year, India has always been a Land of diversity, colours and celebrations.

Indians have a reason to celebrate every season.

Every season is a reason to celebrate.

The whole year is infact a season of celebrations.

And a whole life is not enough to explore and understand all the festivals of India, celebrated in every nook and corner of this land, all through the year.

Many Types of Festivals

While India is aptly described as a land of festivals, do Indians just celebrate at any time, without any rhyme or reason?

If we explore, we will see that there is a rationale and timing behind some of the main and common festivals of India. They can be grouped predominantly as:

• Achar – Vrat, Anushtan, Niyam, Periodic cleansing or aligning routines on a Daily, Weekly, Fortnightly, Lunar Phases, Monthly, Seasonal, Annual and occasional basis.
• Samskara – Milestone events in the life of self, near and dear
• Arpan – Puja, Worship of Deities in temples and the Divine Tattva – essence of Cosmic existence, working and consciousness, for the wellbeing of self, near and dear, Nature at appropriate time windows suited to the Tattva and the Deity
• Tarpan – Shraadh, Annual and Timely routines for ancestral veneration
• Samarpan – Renunciation into sainthood, monkhood etc.
• Brahmotsavam – Periodic Reenergizing of Temples and Deities
• Mela– Periodic reenergizing of self at river confluences, community occasions etc.
• Jayanthi – Birth anniversaries of saints, avatara purusha (Divine incarnations), heroes, leaders and even other aspects sacred such as Gita, etc.
• Divas – Days for honouring events of National or regional significance as well as to honour martyrs too
• Parva –Celebrations to commemorate victory of good over evil and other joyful events in history, beauty in season, celestial events, time windows of auspiciousness etc.

to list a few…

Reasons For These Utsav

All these and more festivals of India, are the direct result of a harmonious fusion of the wonderous qualities of our ancestors.

These qualities include those that they had been born with, those that they had intuitively imbibed, those they had inculcated and all of which they had nurtured carefully, such as:

• Their nature to glorify everything bright, beautiful, great, small, concrete, abstract, subtle, gross, living, non-living, dead, divine and what not…
• Their profoundness to see the Universe as an image of man with his relationships and mankind as a micro specimen of the Universe (Yatha Pinde Thatha Brahmande)
• Their ability to see and read the link between the cosmic bodies and the earthly bodies
• Their practice of uplifting self by aligning body and mind with Nature and Consciousness
• Their knowledge of space, its contents, its extents and its cyclic principles
• Their scientific mind that could simulate cosmic laws as Maths
• Their penchant for predictability and accuracy in it
• Their tendency to communicate through symbolism
• Their positivity to celebrate goodness and values.

All these qualities came together to create this bouquet of festivals and the calendar on which to arrange these festivals so that their and their progeny’s lives may get uplifted with goodness and wellbeing – Svasti.

Every Utsav is the time to celebrate these unique aspects of our culture as well as our ancestors, who have set these cultural traditions, Sampradaya to form part of our Dharma.

An Intrinsic Connect Between Periodic Table and Shiva – Maheshwara Sutra

by Dr.D.K.Hari and Dr.D.K.Hema Hari, Bharath Gyan

From Samskrt Grammar To The Grammar of Chemistry

Could the Shiva Sutra / Maheshwara Sutra, the Indian understanding and categorization of the Rules for Spoken Sounds in Samskrt Language as laid out by Panini, have been an inspiration for the Law Of Periodicity in Chemistry as published by Mendeleev?

Watch this film and read on, to uncover this connect between Samskrt Grammar and the Grammar of Chemistry.

Periodic Table and Law of Periodicity

We all learn about the Periodic Table in school — the chart that organizes all chemical elements in a neat pattern for easy learning and understanding. This pattern was published as the Law of Periodicity by Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian scientist, in 1871 after a decade of perseverance. But what if the inspiration behind this famous Law came from something much older — something from ancient India?

Let’s explore the possibility of a connect between the Law of Periodicity and the Shiva – Maheshwara Sutra.

Mendeleev’s Big Discovery

In the 1860s, scientists knew only about 63 elements (today we know 118). Mendeleev found that when he arranged these elements by increasing atomic weight, certain patterns started to appear and the elements could be classified using a table format.

For example, elements with similar properties — like metals or gases — ended up in the same columns.

This was not just clever. It was revolutionary.

Mendeleev could even predict the existence of new elements that had not been discovered yet, and left gaps in his table for them — and years later, many of those elements were found, just as he had described.

In 1871, Mendeleev announced this pattern found in the relation between the nature of atoms of an element and the behaviour of elements in Nature as a Law of Periodicity in Nature.

What gave Mendeleev the conviction to publish such a Law?

Here’s where it gets interesting.

A Language Serves As A Model

In English language, the alphabets (A-Z) are ordered randomly — there’s no logic behind why A comes before B or why the vowels are scattered.

But in Samskrt language, the logic and science behind the layout of the alphabets can be seen and explained. They are arranged in a table format — a grid, based on:

• How the tongue is used to make the sound (touching throat, palate, teeth, lips)
• How much air is pushed out to make the sound
• How long and how hard the sound is pronounced

This grid is called the Varnamala, and it looks a lot like a scientific chart.

The legendary Indian grammarian Panini, explained and further summarized their interactions into a set of 14 strings called the Shiva Sutra or Maheshwara Sutra. These strings group sounds in a logical way to define the rules and system of Grammar for the entire Samskrt language.

This arrangement and these rules show the natural connection between the human physiology, the physical features of the buccal cavity and hence, the sounds it can produce as the Samskrt language set of syllables. They also show the natural manner in which these physical features determine the sounds that can emerge when the syllables combine with one another.

These are almost like the laws of oral sound production – speech.

There is reason to believe that Mendeleev would have got the inspiration and conviction about such a Law of Periodicity in the structure of elements too in Nature, from these Samskrt alphabets and the way they can be arranged for our understanding, based on their sound and behaviour.

Similar Phenomena, Different Domains, Similar Visualization

Just as how, the Samskrt alphabet groups contain similarly produced and similarly sounding syllables together, Mendeleev’s Periodic Table grouped similarly structured and behaving elements together.

• The Samskrt table is based on sound production
• The Periodic table is based on atomic structure and behavior

Both are 2-dimensional grids to logically, scientifically and progressively arrange the patterns that are naturally occuring in Nature, so that, they can be depicted visually and concisely for our easy understanding and recall.

A Strong Clue – Samskrt Numerals in Mendeleev’s Table

When Mendeleev predicted new elements, he did not give them random names. He used Samskrt numerals for prefixes such as :

• “Eka” (1) — Eka-aluminium → became Gallium
• “Dvi” (2) — Dvi-tellurium → became Polonium
• “Tri” (3) — Tri-manganese → became Rhenium

While Dvi and Tri are close to the Russian words for numbers 2 and 3 too, namely, Dva and Tri, the word Eka is a Samskrt word for 1. The Russian word for 1 is Odin.

Source of Familiarity With Samskrt

One of Mendeleev’s close colleagues in the University of St.Peterburg was Prof. Otto Böhtlingk, who was a Samskrt expert, working on Panini’s grammar, when Mendeleev was working on his Periodic Table and his chemistry textbook in the 1860s.

The Baku Connection – A Tighter Connect

Between1862 and 1871, Mendeleev had visited the Ateshgah, Fire Temple in the outskirts of Baku in Azerbaijan atleast twice – in 1862 and 1870. He had later visisted Baku again in 1886. Baku, by the Caspian Sea (originally called Kashyapa Sagar) is known for its Ateshgah, the Fire Temple, where Vedic priests from India, fluent in Samskrt, had been visiting and staying even until 1880s.

Mendeleev used to stay in a room in the Atesgah lodgings, called balakhane, while working on oil research. He could not have avoided interacting with the Vedic scholars and priests there and listening to their chants, as it is an enclosed compound. It is highly probable that he would have got direct exposure to Panini’s grammar and the Shiva Sutras from the Indian priests along with the Vedic view of Nature and the order, rhythm, pattern in it, during his stay at Ateshgah.

Dr. D.K. Hari and Dr. D.K.Hema Hari had personally visited the Ateshgah Fire Temple in Baku in 2011 — the very site where Dmitri Mendeleev had stayed as he worked on the Periodic Table and Law of Periodicity.

View of the top floor room at Ateshgah in which Mendeleev had stayed during his visit to Baku in 1860s

Dr.D.K.Hari and Dr.D.K.Hema Hari standing below that room in 2011

It is interesting to note that it is after Mendeleev’s visit to Baku in 1870, that in 1871 Mendeleev got conviction to boldly publish his Periodic table as a Natural “Law of Periodicity” that forms the entire system of Chemistry.

What Are the Shiva Sutras?

The Shiva Sutras also called Maheshwara Sutra are a set of 14 strings of syllables used by Panini as a set of abridged rules to explain Samskrt grammar in short. They are hence extremely concise and precise. These are some of the first few lessons taught to students in a Gurukula and are to be chanted by them for life on specific occasions – for example on the annual changing of the sacred thread Yagnopavitam, Janeyu.

These Sutras depict the grammar of sound since these rules essentially state how oral sounds will naturally combine and the resultant sound they will naturally produce. These rules lay the  foundation for the grammar of the entire vocabulary and language.

Just as these Sutras arrange sounds to depict their nature and behaviour, Mendeleev’s Periodic Table arranges elements to depict their innate structure and propensity to interact with the rest of the elements. It is as if both have presented the order in the happenings in Nature – one in the domain of sound and linguistics, the other in the domain of elements and chemistry.

An Obvious Inference

That Mendeleev was very likely influenced by ancient Indian knowledge and the Indian way of depicting the laws of Nature can thus be gathered from –

• the similar way of using a 2 dimensional table to depict a natural law and structure in Nature
• the usage of Samskrt numerals as prefixes for new elements predicted
• his stay at a Fire Temple with Vedic priests leading to exposure to Vedic chants, Samskrt Grammar and Shiva Sutra
• his close friendship with a Samskrt scholar working on Paninian Samskrt Grammar.

We see a lot of similarity in the way India has expressed the laws of Nature in sound and the way Mendeleev has expressed the laws of Periodicity in Chemistry.

Interestingly, it is worth noting that the knowledge of Rasayana, Chemistry in India, is revealed as a dialogue between Shiva and His consort Parvati.

Infact, the alphabet sounds too are described as having emerged from the Damaru, kettle drum of Lord Shiva, which keeps beating to provide the sounds and rhythm for Shiva’s Cosmic dance.

Why It Matters?

If Mendeleev’s Law of Periodicity and the Periodic Table did indeed draw inspiration from ancient Indian wisdom and Samskrt, then the Periodic Table becomes more than a scientific chart.

It becomes a bridge between civilizations, between sound and matter, between grammar and structure. The Veda and Indian philosophies such as the Darshana, espouse how the Universe and all the matter in it, has emerged from the first created Sound. They further go on to say how sound itself is made of 4 stages starting from the subtlest stirring called Para.

Such aspects about Sound and Sound waves have been beautifully articulated as the beauty of the Divine Sri Shakti in the work Soundarya Lahiri by Adi Shankara, which was authored in Kashmir.

It also reminds us that knowledge does not always emerge from a lab. Sometimes, it is revealed by the chants of fire temples and the verses of ancient grammarians too. Knowledge has its own way of finding its expression.

In the Periodic Table and Law of Periodicity in Chemistry, as well as the Varnamala and Shiva – Maheshwara Sutra, one can see the rhythm and dance of Shiva. One can see the never ending, wave after wave of beautiful energy radiating from Sri Shakti too.

Throwing light on such an interesting connect is the glowing fire temple, Ateshgah in Baku which lies by the Caspian Sea or Kashyapa Sagar, which has played the crucial role of a connecting point between the Indian and Russian civilizations.