Bhāskara stepped in wrote a commentary on brahmasūtra to correct śankara's misrepresentations of bādarāyaṇa (though he doesn't name the opponent directly). In this milieu, we see vaiṣṇavas taking interest and commencing a vedāntisation initiative.
Aug 21 • 15 tweets • 5 min read
saṅkarṣakāṇḍa(SK) 4/N -rāmānuja & sarvasiddhānta saṅgraha.
Continuing from
In the previous threads we saw a simple meme of mīmāṃsā of 20 chapters getting complex by acquiring the memes "4 chapter of SK before brahmasūtra", "SK authored by jaimini"
and "devatākāṇḍa is synonymous with SK". In this thread, we see the next mutation: "saṅkarṣa and saṅkarṣaṇa confusion". pūrvamīmāṃsā authors and brahmasūtra commentators śankara and śrīkaṇṭha call SK as saṅkarṣa. rāmānuja in his śrībhāṣya calls it saṅkarṣaṇa.
Aug 20 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
Sankarsha kanda 3/N: miscellaneous points about Anur inscription and prapancha hridayam. Continuing from here:
Sankarsha kanda Part 2/N, continuing from
The first textual evidence of mimamsa of 20 chapters comes from an inscription from 999 AD, Anur in Chengalpat district during the reign of of Raja Raja I, where a v1 is mentioned to have studied mimamsa of 20
chapters. See Footnote 4 of Lariviere's chapter. We can posit that this is the earliest available attestation of the meme "Mimama shastra consists of 20 chapters". Even shakara, while accepting that purvamimamsa + vedanta forms the "krtsna shastra" - i.e. the full shastra, he
Aug 18 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
A speculative thread on sankarshakanda of mimamsa shastra: I have no intention to repeat the information that can be found on the net including Indologists' blogs. This site has links to soft copies of papers and books that can bring you up to speed. peterffreund.com/sankarsha/sank…
Quick context: The following facts should not be controversial. 1. There exists a genuine text called sankarshakanda with commentaries of devaswamin and bhaskaraya. 2. It's Jaimini's work of 4 chapters and supplement to the 12 chapter mimamsa sutra text by Jaimini.
Jul 26 • 15 tweets • 4 min read
A note on sAvitrI reference in Atharvaveda's Kaushika grihya sutra.
Atharva vedic samhitas do not contain the famous vishvAmitra's sAvitrI mantra in the gAyatrI meter. Still, we can infer that it is held in high regard in AV tradition.
Gopatha brahmana devotes a chapter on this mantra as a discussion between maudgalya and glAva maitreya. Note the question and answer -
kim svikAhurbhoH saviturvareNyaM bhargo devasya kavayH kimAhuH | dhiyo vichakshva yadi tAH pravettha pracodayantsavitA yAbhireti ||
Jul 23 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
A speculation on AV pAThabheda of the puruSha sukta Rik:
Purusha sukta is found in all the 4 vedas - RV 10.90, Taittiriya Aranyaka 3.12, Vajasaneyi 31.1, SV 6.4 and AV 19.6. It's also quoted in the kAThaka brahmana fragments. Despite the deviations in words, the number of mantras
All except AV, have "sahasrashIrShA puruShaH". AV alone, (both vulgate and paippalada) has "sahasrabAhuH puruShaH". IMO, this is not accidental. Granting that the compilation and consolidation of AV corpus still needs close study, there definitely was a phase where AV was
Jul 23 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
A note on "missing syllables" in Rik verses:
One often encounters instances of "missing syllables" in Rigvedic mantras. A gāyatrī pāda should have 8 syllables but you'll only see 7. A kakubh meter is supposed to have 3 pādas with 8-8-12 syllables and you'd find 11 in the 3rd line
There's an endeavor to metrically restore the Rigveda in Indological circles. Some strategies used are dissolution of sandhi, making words like indra, sūrya etc. as trisyllabic.
Jul 13 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
A short note on shrauta fire reference in Atharvaveda's Kaushika sutra:
Kaushika sutra of AV, also called Samhitavidhi is not merely a grihyasutra. It deals with application of AV materials- rites for pacification, growth, royalty, women, medicine and black magic.
In paribhasha sutras section, Kaushika displays awareness of materia ritualis of shrauta rites. But in a rite call "samudra karman" he literally names gArhapatya.
Jul 13 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
Viṣņu as a wielder of Chakra is pretty well known to modern H and well attested in puranic stories. However in the vedic texts, this aspect is generally wanting. So, what is the earliest reference to "Vishnu with the wheel"? Tentatively, I posit Samaveda's Shadvimshabrahmana.
For interesting omens and portents- statues of Gods weeping, laughing, dancing, blinking; rivers flowing in opposite direction; coals fall from horse's tail; kabandha appears in the sun;
Nov 21, 2024 • 18 tweets • 3 min read
This is an interesting question. I'll generalize the problem and attempt to provide a coherent answer from H insider POV.
Problem: If you accept the proposition that a deity you worship is a later day addition to H pantheon, and perhaps even inspired by a contact with foreign tribe, how can you continue to worship without slipping into cognitive dissonance?
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.
Jun 5, 2021 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
It is customary to invoke "lord of obstacles" before commencing an auspicious work. The pauranic "shuklāmbaradharam vişņum.." is popularly used. At a minimum "gaņeśāya namaH". It would be interesting to trace the evolution of "obstacle removal" formulas.
In this context, the virūpāksha dantāñji formula from sāmavedic texts is interesting. The mantras as per Chāndogya brāhmaņa as well as jaiminiya gŕhyasūtra are as follows:
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.
