Ayurveda · 1 min read
Agni and the Language of the Kitchen Fire
A cook knows that a flame can be present without cooking a pot evenly. That observation gives an English reader a foothold in agni, the image of fire used…
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217 articles
Ayurveda · 1 min read
Prakriti: What a Family Resemblance Cannot Tell You
Two sisters can grow up eating at the same table and still describe hunger, sleep and comfort in the heat differently. Prakriti, usually translated as constitution, gives Ayurvedic writers…
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Vata, Pitta and Kapha Beyond the Personality Quiz
An online quiz asks whether you prefer cool weather and returns a label in large type: Pitta. What has it actually measured? At most, your answers to a particular…
Read articleAyurveda · 1 min read
The Five Elements: Reading a Classical Model
A clay lamp makes a useful companion to a discussion of the five elements. You can point to the firm rim, the liquid oil, the flame, the moving air…
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How to Read a Samhita in Translation
Open a translation of a Sanskrit medical compendium and look at a single page before reading its advice. Is there a numbered passage, a paragraph underneath, and perhaps a…
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The Two Questions Behind the Word Ayurveda
A grandmother describes the ginger tea she makes when the rains begin. A physician describes a preparation prescribed after an examination. Both speakers may use the word Ayurveda, but…
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Sanatan Festivals & Rituals · 2 min read
Saraswati’s Veena, Book and Swan: Looking Carefully at Her Images
A Saraswati image often brings together a veena, a book and a bird associated with the Goddess. Looking at these details can open a conversation about music, learning and…
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Sanatan Festivals & Rituals · 2 min read
Saraswati Puja in Spring and Autumn: Basant Panchami and Navratri
Someone familiar with Saraswati Puja at Basant Panchami may be surprised to encounter it again during Navratri. The difference reflects regional calendars and practices rather than a need to…
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Sanatan Festivals & Rituals · 2 min read
Vidyarambham: Welcoming a Child into the World of Letters
Vidyarambham marks a beginning in learning. In Kerala it is closely associated with Vijayadashami, when children may be introduced ceremonially to letters. The public image of a guided hand…
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Sanatan Festivals & Rituals · 2 min read
Books at the Altar: Understanding Pustaka Puja During Navratri
Placing books and musical instruments before Saraswati during Navratri changes the way familiar objects are seen. A textbook normally opened in a hurry or an instrument used for daily…
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Sanatan Festivals & Rituals · 2 min read
Why Saraswati Puja Matters: Learning, Music and Humility
Saraswati Puja places learning and the arts within a language of reverence. Books, music and study are not treated merely as ways to obtain marks or recognition. They become…
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Puranic Legends & Epics · 2 min read
Chitrakuta in the Ramayana: A Forest Home and a Family Meeting
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.…
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