Signs of the Divine
This is an excerpt from the “Human and Divine: 2000 Years of Indian Sculpture” by Balraj Khanna and George Michell. Balraj Khanna in this short excerpt discusses the symbolism of Indian Art. He explains how the various mudras, postures and ayudhas of the deities convey different aspects and moods of the divine.
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Examination of Advaita Spirituality – Dharma vs. Religion – Part 2
Sita Ram Goel in this brief excerpt discusses the principle of Advaita and the concept of spirituality according to Indic culture. He analyzes seven aspects of Advaita and Indian spirituality and also compares it with the Prophetic Monotheistic mindset.
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The Fifth Veda
This is an excerpt from the book “Veda Mimansa – Volume 1” by Shri Anirvan. The Vedanta in reality is the culmination of the Vedic philosophy. It is the exposition of the meaning of the Veda from the standpoint of ‘Knowledge’ (Vijnana). Therefore, it may be said that in order to discover the meaning of the mantras, we have to have a foundation of comprehensive knowledge of the Upanisad, an intimate acquaintance with the Trantra, the Purana and a direct experience of the methods of the Yogic and Tantrik spiritual praxis.
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Aesthetics of Indian Art
This is an excerpt from the "Human and Divine: 2000 Years of Indian Sculpture" by Balraj Khanna and George Michell. Balraj Khanna in this short excerpt discusses the aesthetics of Indian Art. He explores the symbolism of Indian art. Why is it not physically accurate about anatomy like the Greek art? Why does it focus on facial expressions favoring inner peace? It gives a basic understanding about the spiritual import behind creating Hindu art.
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Inadequacy of the Intellect – Wisdom of the Upanishads
In this brief excerpt, Will Durant explains the importance of Upanishads and how they tell us about the inadequacy of the intellect. To our own day the Upanishads have remained to India what the New Testament has been to Christendom- a noble creed occasionally practiced and generally revered. Even in Europe and America this wistful theosophy has won millions upon millions of followers, from lonely women and tired men to Schopenhauer and Emerson. Who would have thought that the great American philosopher of individualism would give perfect expression to the Hindu conviction that individuality is a delusion?
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Dharma vs. Religion – Part I
In European languages, there was no one word which could completely express the essential nature of dharma. So the European scholars had to make use of different words relative to the context in which the word had been used in Indian literature. In the English language, dharma was translated as religion, righteousness, law, tradition, moral code, etc., according to the context. But the modern scholars in India did not have to experience any such difficulty in the context of translation. They heard the word 'religion' of the English language and decided instantly and unanimously that this word should be translated as 'dharma' in all Indian languages.
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Eternal Words of the Vedas
In this excerpt, from Veda Mimansa, Volume I, Shri Anirvan discusses the notion of the eternality of the words of the Vedas. He discusses the age old debate between the Mimansakas and the rationalists, in which the Mimansakas claim that the very words of the Vedas are eternal and not just the meaning, and the rationalists consider only the meaning is eternal. In this brief excerpt, Shri Anirvan navigates through this debate and in the process interprets the origin of language and the importance of the Vedas.
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Apaurusheya and the Origin of Language
In this excerpt, Shri Anirvan talks about Apaurusheya and how the origin of language is related to it. Sanatana Dharma, its scriptures, its philosophy and its institutions are famous for not crediting the individual for certain achievement, or failure, for that matter. Indian arts, famously remain nameless. Shri Anirvan, in this very deep piece analyzes the basic idea of Apaurusheya behind this tradition.
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