The pain of sacrifice

Read the previous part here… “And from that day, Vāsuki sends a snake to this shore every single day, and Garuḍa eats them. This heap of bones are of those very snakes who have been devoured by Garuḍa, and have accumulated over the course of time, and now resemble a small mountain…” इति मित्रावसोर् वक्त्रात् …

The pain of sacrifice Read More »

Of snakes and Garuda

Read the previous part here… “The king felt happy at this suggestion and approved of the marriage, and so your brother has now gone to meet Jīmūtavāhana’s parents and discuss this with them. So let’s go back to the palace to make preparations, and let your would-be husband also return home, so that he can …

Of snakes and Garuda Read More »

Welcoming changes again…

या देवी सर्वभूतेषु विष्णुमायेति शब्दिता । नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमस्तस्यै नमो नमः ॥  yā devī sarvabhūteṣu viṣṇumāyeti śabditā ।namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo namaḥ ॥ Today is the new year, the beginning of विक्रम संवत् (Vikram Samvat) 2078. And the beginning of Vasanta Navratri. I had written a whole series on Navratri, the first post of which I have …

Welcoming changes again… Read More »

Yuga-ādi

Tomorrow is Ugādi — the first day of Chaitrā māsā, or the beginning of the new year. Largely celebrated in South India (where I am from), Maharashtra (as Gudi Padwa), Sindh (as Cheti Chand), and Manipur (as Sajibu Nongma Pānba). It is also the start of Navaratri.  Unlike New Year’s day as per the Gregorian calendar, the …

Yuga-ādi Read More »

Fixing a marriage…

Read the previous part here… As soon as she said this, she made a noose with a cloth, fastened it to a branch of the aśoka tree next to the temple, and said… “My lord Jīmūtavāhana! You are renowned in the three worlds for your compassion, yet, why haven’t you been compassionate and rescued me!” …

Fixing a marriage… Read More »

Of prayers answered…

Read the previous part here… She then performed the arghya, offering the guests water to wash their feet and hands, and then garlanded him with sweet-smelling flowers. Jīmūtavāhana, who as already deep in love, took it off and threw it around the neck of Malayavatī. She blushed, and looked at him with loving glances, her …

Of prayers answered… Read More »

Falling in love…2

Read the previous part here… “What is your friend’s name, and what beautiful family is she from?” The attendant replied… “She is the sister of Mitrāvasu, and the daughter of Viśvāvasu, the King of the Siddhas, and her name is Malayavatī.” एवम् उक्त्वा सहृदया सा तं जीमूतवाहनम् ।नामान्वयौ च पृष्ट्वास्य मुनिपुत्रं सहागतम् ॥ १२,२३.५१ ॥ तां …

Falling in love…2 Read More »

Kuro-obi -and then?

A black belt in Karate is an achievement…a big achievement. Its a culmination of years of blood and sweat, of hard toil, of pain and perseverance. A Kyokushin Karate black belt is even more treasured, since it carries with it a silent testimony of hard practice and a spirit of never-give-up. But what happens next? …

Kuro-obi -and then? Read More »

Falling in love…

Read the previous part here… And so Jīmūtavāhana, his father and his mother, left that very night and went to the Malaya mountains. They made a small hut near a stream, one that was well-hidden by sandalwood trees, and lived a simple life, making do with whatever they could find, and caring for each other. …

Falling in love… Read More »

Renouncing a kingdom…

Read the previous part here… “Where are those ancestors of ours, who always thought this tree to be their personal possession? For which of them does it still exist, and which of them exists for it?” “And so, if you permit me father, I would like to worship this kalpa-vrksha, the one that grants all …

Renouncing a kingdom… Read More »