The culture journal
Explore Indian heritage through clear introductions to sacred places, thoughtful readings of familiar texts, and practical guides to living traditions.
21 articles in this topic
Puranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Rama's departure for the forest changes the direction of the Ayodhya story. A planned coronation becomes a separation, and a public expectation gives way to a promise made within…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Sita's place in the exile story is sometimes reduced to the sentence that she followed Rama into the forest. In the Ayodhyakanda, however, her departure is preceded by conversation.…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Lakshmana accompanies Rama and Sita into exile, but his role is more than that of a figure standing beside them in a painting. His decision raises questions about loyalty,…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Bharata's meeting with Rama is one of the most searching episodes in the exile narrative. He comes hoping Rama will return, yet the brothers do not resolve the crisis…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Chitrakuta is an important setting in the early forest narrative of the Ramayana. It is associated with the establishment of a forest dwelling and with Bharata's meeting with Rama.…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
The memory of Sant Dnyaneshwar is carried not only in books and temple worship but also in the movement of the Wari. The palkhi associated with him travels from…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 3 min read
Sant Dnyaneshwar Jayanti is an occasion to remember a saint whose work helped make philosophical reflection part of Marathi literary and devotional life. Readers encounter his name in several…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
The Dnyaneshwari is a Marathi exposition of the Bhagavad Gita associated with Sant Dnyaneshwar. It is also known as the Bhavarthadipika. Calling it simply a word-for-word translation misses the…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Pasaydan is the closing prayer associated with the Dnyaneshwari. Many listeners first encounter it at the end of a school programme, a devotional gathering or a reading. Its position…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Alandi, Apegaon and Nevasa appear in accounts of Sant Dnyaneshwar, but they should not be treated as interchangeable names for one pilgrimage stop. Each belongs to a different part…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 3 min read
An elephant caught in water is a striking image because it reverses an expectation. An animal associated with power cannot free itself. In the story of Gajendra Moksha, that…
Read articlePuranic Legends & Epics · 3 min read
Dhruva's story links a child's determination with the enduring image of a fixed star. It is often told as an example of devotion, but its emotional beginning is also…
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