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KRK Profile picture
KRK
@RangaTheDude
The ape was a great big hit.
2 subscribers
Nov 26, 2023 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
A very short remark on svasti puņyāhavāchanam. This is a preliminary ritual done before Main rituals, where an even number of brāhmaņas are invited, a kalaśa is installed with due decoration, water is filled, perfumes, gems, gold, herbs, and seeds are added. Varuna is invoked in the kalaśa. A japa of various mantras (typically around the themes of purification and auspiciousness) is done. I've examined prayoga manuals of all the 4 vedas as well as the vasudeva puņyāhavāchanam of pāñcharātrikas. Only in the pancharatra deployment,
Sep 26, 2023 • 39 tweets • 6 min read
Thread on origin and evolution of 7 Rishis. Credit to the linked tweet that spurred a discussion in a private group where certain questions were raised.
1. What's the origin of the concept of 7 Rishis?
2. How did it evolve over time?
3. Who were the 7 Rishis? 4. Is there a canonical set of 7 Rishis? If so, why the names keep changing across texts?

These are interesting questions and Rigveda should be the last place one would typically look. Even the term saptarishi is sparse in RV (1 or 2), but that's where I wanted to start.
Jul 30, 2023 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
A thread on the evolution of Hindu kavacha literature:
Typical characteristics of a kavacha are as follows:
1. They are shlokas invoking various names of the deity.
2. Each name is invoked for protection.
3. Typically protection is sought in various directions (East, West,...) And on various parts of the body.
4. Simply reciting is sufficient to obtain protection (though the kavachas occurring in tantric literature are accompanied with a ritual deployment).

This literature is voluminous. Collating all material from itihasa-puranas, tantra/agamas
Nov 19, 2022 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
A note on mantras. There was an offline conversation with an acquaintance regarding whether mantras should be kept secret or be open sourced for anyone to open and study. While, obviously the outcome was a stalemate, one thing became clear. It's actually hard to define a mantra While an H has an intuitive grasp of what it is, describing it is another story. I was reflecting on this briefly. One can go via the etymological route - *men -PIE to think. However, Avestan has the cognate manthra (mãthra actually with ã being a nasal vowel).
Nov 9, 2022 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
A sampler of vratas to keep while learning certain samavedic mantras. The upanayana ceremony confers basic eligibility to start learning the veda. The student keeps the usual austerities while living with teacher - moderation in food, fasting, obeying teacher, Sleeping on the floor. This list is long and well documented in dharma shastras regarding the rules of veda vrata. Now, certain higher mantras require even higher austerities. For e.g. performance of āditya-vrata makes the student eligible to learn shukriya mantras.
Oct 9, 2022 • 23 tweets • 5 min read
Subaqueous fire problem: A reflective thread.
In the past I've tweeted on this topic which is essentially a highlight of textual evidences and my opinion and let readers draw their own conclusions. In contrast, this thread is an attempt at my reasoning in the form of FAQ. 1. What is the subaqueous fire or "fire in the water" problem?
Rigveda talks about fire that's from waters in numerous instances. "apsu antar" - inside waters; "agnim samudra vāsasam" - agni, having ocean as clothes.
Feb 13, 2022 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
A short note on "Purusha" - the cosmic "Man". For vaiṣṇavas, the deity of puruṣa sūkta is none other than nārāyaṇa.
This hasn't stopped shaiva leaning post vedic texts to appropriate the hymn for themselves. The emergence if the figure puruṣa nārāyaṇa in śukla yajurvedic texts sort of favors the vaiṣṇava view. Also, by the time of yajurveda, uttaranārāyaṇa portion had appended itself and the wives of purusha being Lakshmi + hrī/shrī favor the vaiṣṇava view again.
Jul 11, 2021 • 17 tweets • 3 min read
Two tales of 'magick'.
Note: I'll try to be vague to keep the identities of concerned parties.
First:
There was this vaidika and a vidvān. He had a set of students learning śruti from him. All of a sudden, one of his student went incommunicado. The vaidika paid him a visit. It turned out the student developed white kuṣṭha and became depressed. Medications weren't working.. It was so worse that he quit his job and rarely came out of his room.
Apr 13, 2021 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
A thread on sociological musings before I go on prolonged hibernation.
1. Social science of India is hopeless gas. Discourses around avarna/savarna conflict, dalitism, 'brahminical' practices are nothing but noxious gas emissions. 2. Correct way of formulating should be based on "kin group" - this has crisp definition of "relationship by the way of blood or marriage". Empirical data has to be collected across various regions of India and catalogued.
Apr 10, 2021 • 16 tweets • 3 min read
A thread on materialization of AV corpus. Apparently there's a claim going on that AV is unknown to bhagavadgItA as it only knows the first three veda. Let us set the record straight. Taittiriya Upanishad of yajurveda in brahmAnandavalli (8.3.1)on manomaya kosha has yajur as the head, R^iks and sAmans as the wings and atharvAngirasa as the tail. This establishes taittiriya upanishad is aware of all the 4 veda. One has to be brain dead or dishonest to argue that taittiriya upanishad is later than mahAbhArata, even in its oldest form jaya samhita.
Mar 23, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Commenting on learning and teaching vedas alone - at least for more than 3 decades Chinmaya mission has been trying to so this. Sad reality is there are no non-v1 takers lining up to learn and propagate the shruti. Multiple centers had to close. As for v1s holding a monopoly of temple priesthood- this is patently false. Our local temple had avarna priestess and the job passed on matrilineally. She was also famous for preparing tails (medicinal oils) for snake/insect bites and a go to person for colic children.
Aug 31, 2020 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
3 silver Thomai:
Few weeks before disastrous experience of Yeshu in Chera lands...

Appukkuttan was very happy. He had a good sale of spices, ivory and other merchandise. Need to move alone more merchandise in the kingdom of Gundupureesvara or Gondophores. Then home, sweet home.. An Ebireyan approaches appukkuttan.
"Are you Abbanes? I'm Yeshu Ben Yosef Panthera. You see the guy over there? He's my servant Thomai. He's a carpenter. He can also be helpful in pattarai - cutting, welding, thattaan velai, edupidi. Only for 300 silvers"
May 9, 2020 • 27 tweets • 6 min read
Thanks for everyone who participated. This is the result thread. 1. Who were the 3 who heard gitopadeśa as it was being given?
1. Arjuna. Should be obvious.
2. Sanjaya: in jambukhanda nirmana parvan, sanjaya gets divyadŕşți to see everything pertaining to the war from vyāsa, as dhŕtarāşțra refuses to see the fight. sacred-texts.com/hin/m06/m06002…
May 8, 2020 • 14 tweets • 2 min read
Quiz time: who were the 3 who heard gītopadeśa as it was being given by kŕşņa at kurukshetra? (Don't include kŕşņa) 2. Name the only dhārtarāştra who survived the war in mahābhārata.
May 2, 2020 • 16 tweets • 2 min read
A short thread on 'sacrificing to the texts':
Tarpanams or water libations to Gods, sages and ancient teachers are offered during nityakarmas as well as during yearly upākarma. A peculiar feature is the sacrifice to the texts or mantras themselves.
Taittiriya yajurvedins divide the entire yajurveda into kāņđas and offer tarpanam to the kāņda ŕşis - prajapati, agni, soma and viśvedevas.
Apr 29, 2020 • 17 tweets • 3 min read
Short thread noting what it takes to teach and recieve the gāyatrī mantra - not meant as an explanation of upanayana samskāra. This is a musing on select mantras deployed. My teacher, should he chooses to officiate in upanayana would do a japa of gāyatrī 1008 for 10 days before The event. He encourages the father to do the same. Some salient features in the ritual - darvi homa is performed. Āyurdā agne is deployed - agni in his form of life-giver is prayed to bestow long life on the boy. O agni! Lead this boy to old age as a father would lead his son.
Mar 17, 2020 • 14 tweets • 3 min read
A note on kŕmi destroying mantra from taittiriya āraņyaka:
Recently received this from a social media forward as a germ and virus killing mantra purportedly a remedy for infection by certain pathogen making rounds these days. Image This mantra is deployed in a specific śrauta context. If the cow whose milk is to be used for gharma in pravargya ritual has worm and parasite infestation, this mantra is deployed. (Āpastamba śrauta 15.19)
Jan 1, 2020 • 20 tweets • 4 min read
Musings on symbolisms in mŕdākrānti - a minor sub-ritual involving collection of clay to make fire-pan in agnicayana (ritual piling of fire altar). Agnicayana is a complicated ritual taking years to master the details. There are multiple forms - sāvitra, nāchiketa, aruņaketuka... They all have their distinctive features and yet one can discern the prototype from which they emerged. This short thread is a musing on the symbolism of a tiny portion of the ritual - ritual collection of clay to make ukha or the fire pan.
Nov 3, 2019 • 8 tweets • 1 min read
A short thread on an incident from a śrīvaişņava āchārya. Indian tradition accords great respect for vyākhyāna kartas- commentators. A commentator brings out additional nuanced meanings than what a poet originally intended, maximizing enjoyment of the poetry. For e.g, kālidāsa's first śloka in raghuvamśa has "vāgarthāviva sampŕktau... jagatah pitarau vande pārvatïparameśvarau". The poet salutes universal parents pārvati and parameśvara conjoined like a word and its meaning.
Oct 27, 2019 • 9 tweets • 2 min read
A reflective thread on rāmāyanam. Move on if this is not your cup of tea.
A friend who's well versed in vaidika karma and mantraśāstra recently shared a childhood story. It was just after his upanayana. He committed a faux pas. His father who witnessed it asked him to come near. (They were smārtas not śrīvaişņavas which is an aside). The father directed him to do 1008 sāvitrī japa and pārāyańam of sundara kāņdam from rāmāyaņa. I understood the atonement value of gāyatri japa. I asked whether the pārāyaņam of rāmāyaņa is part of prāyaśchitta.
Oct 6, 2019 • 25 tweets • 4 min read
Going to be a long thread. Disclaimer: caveat emptor Indo-European society just like any other human society was stratified. We can infer a tripartite system having these broad categories: (a) priest-philosophers, (b) warriors/royalty and (c) the laity. In Aryan system it is brahma, kshatra and viś. Viś is indeed the general term