#Thread on Sarasvatî and related controversies.

The root of the term Sarasvati is sri (सृ)+ asun (असुन्)= saras (सरस्) meaning 'watery substance' + vati वती ie वतुप् स्त्री, meaning 'containing of' = sarasvati which means a lake, a pond, a large water body(stagnant).

#3/thread on Angkor wat

Christianity and islam may be the largest religion of today’s world but Sanatan dharm has the largest religious monument in the world in the form of Angkor wat. It is situated in combodia and spread across over 400 acres / 1.6 km².

It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, which encouraged an international effort to save the complex.
It was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. In Khmer, the Cambodian language, Angkor means "city" and Wat means "temple grounds".

So Angkor Wat means "Temple City". Its original name was Vrah Vishnuloka or Parama Vishnuloka, meaning the sacred dwelling of Vishnu in Sanskrit.
But, it gradually turned into a Buddhist temple towards the end of the 12th century & is still used for worship today.

Angkor Wat was initially designed and constructed in the first half of the 12th century, during the reign of Suryavarman II, as the king’s state temple and capital city. It was built without the aid of any machinery, as there was no machinery available at that time.

Evidence for these dates comes in part from inscriptions, which are vague, but also from the architectural design and artistic style of the temple and its associated sculptures.

Another aspect is that the five central towers of Angkor Wat symbolize the peaks of Mount Meru,

#Thread on decoding the ॐ/AUM/OM

AUM is made up of 3 syllables: A, U, & M, or, phonetically, “aaah,” “oooh,” & “mmm.” A is the first of the guttural sound, so it is the very first sound that human can utter, M is the last of the labial sounds and

U is the sound produced by rolling the wind over the whole of the tongue. Hence the conjunction of these 3 primary sounds can be comprehended to contain the rudiment of all sounds that human can ever give utterance to and so it can be taken as the fittest sound symbol of Brahman.

According to Taittiriya Upanishad 1.8.1-

MnOm is Brahman. Om is everything here.

At a physical level, the Aum syllable addresses the whole of the human sound instrument: we open the mouth (a), move the lips closer to each other (u) & then close the mouth (m).

This activates the larynx fully. ‘A’ resonates in the stomach and chest, ‘u’ in the throat and chest and ‘m’ in the nasal cavity, skull and brain. By chanting Aum we move the energy from the abdomen up to the brain.

Moreover, the syllable AUM represents several important triads:

Worlds - Earth, Atmosphere, and Heaven; Major Hindu Gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; Gunas: Tamas, Rajas and
Sattva; Sacred Vedic scriptures - Rg, Yajur, and Sama; Actions: Creation, Preservation, and Destruction; Time: Past, Present, and Future;

#Thread on speed of light in terms of vedic measurement.

Galileo Galilee was among the first to try to measure the speed of light in the early 17th century. Today we know that the exact speed of light is defined as 29,97,92,458 metres per second (approximately 186000 mi/s).

But, when it comes to Indian prospect, there are many references about the speed of light much before the 17th century.
The speed of light is not directly from the Rigveda Samhita but It is given by a great Indian scholor Sāyaṇācārya, popularly known as Sayana.

Sayana was a sanskrit scholar under king Bukka Raya I and Harihara II of Vijaynagar empire in 14th century. His commentary on vedas are very famous and was translated from Sanskrit to English by Max Müller, himself.

RigVeda verse 1.50.4-
तरणिविश्वदर्शवो ज्योतिष्कृदसि सूर्य । विश्वमा भासि रोचनम् ।।
Swift and all beautiful art thou, O Surya, maker of the light, Illuming all the radiant realm.

As it talks about maker of light. Commentary of Sayana in this verse is as:

तथा च स्मर्यत योजनानां सहस्रम् द्वे द्वे शते द्वे च योजने । एकेन निमिषार्धेन क्रममाण नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
It is remembered, [O Sun] bow to you, you who traverse 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha.
Here it is talking about speed of Sun.

Here is a special thread introducing our series on “The Making of the Islamic World.” It offers 10 episodes about the transformation of Islamicate societies between the 7th and 17th centuries. You can find the series page here: https://t.co/7mL9eWmMmz

This is Chris Gratien posting. I created this series during Fall 2020 for my students as asynchronous material supported by readings and discussion. This is going to be a long thread, but it will be a great shortcut for those looking to make similar use of these materials.

There are two items worth pointing out: 1. This is an overview of the political, social, and cultural history of Islamicate societies. It does not deal with the origins of Islam or many theological questions. It does discuss Islam’s spread and the transformation of Islamic law.

2. This is the first part of a two-part sequence that takes the history of the Islamic world into the present. It emphasizes developments and themes that have particular relevance for later periods.

This is really a multivocal narrative of Islamic history. We feature over 20 scholars from almost as many institutions. Many of those who worked on it, myself included, study the early modern and modern era but have teaching obligations that take us further back in history.

Tamboola - Brings Turning Point in Life

People who offer Tamboola daily to Devis swarupas are blessed with apaara ashta aishwaryas and beyond.

Maa Lalitha Tripurasundari is seen doing Nitya Taamboola Charvana.

"Tamboola Poorita Mukhi, Daadimi Kusuma Prabha"

This nama from Lalitha sahasra describe Maa lalitha parmeshwari as one who has her mouth with Tamboola rasa and looks like one who shines in the hue of pomegranate flowers.

It is said suvasini sthree and kanyas should do Tamboola charvana daily to gain aishwaryas, hve a great health, be always energetic and happy. Men also do it to get a clarity in thoughts and also peaceful mind and bliss.

People who think we are lacking that spark in life should try this and see the benefits themselves. All you need are

Nagavalli Paan
Mishri
Elaichi
Jaiphal
Supari Full
Lavang
Javvadi
Madhu (Honey)
Gulaab Petals / Gulkand
Kesar

People can add all fragrant things additionally

If you dont have all of it, do it with what best is available at home. Maa wants the samarpan and prem. In a family count the number of people and offer that many of the paan to the goddess.

Muslim thought in India can be thought of as having two lineages

1. Islamic puritanism

Lineage : Sirhindi -> Shāh Walīullāh ->Syed Ahmad Barelvi, Deobandi movement, Maulana Azad -> Jamaat e Islami

2. Muslim nationalism

Syed Ahmed Khan ->Jinnah, Iqbal - > Ayub Khan/Musharraf

The former originated largely as a religious movement.

It has its origins in Sirhindi, who voiced the view in 16th cen, that Akbar's policy was "Indianizing" Islam too much

Too much of Din-e-ilahi crap.

Let's keep Islam pure

That lineage continues in the thinking of 18th cen theologian Shah Waliullah , the Delhi based Islamic scholar who lived b/w 1703 and 1762

Waliullah like Sirhindi emphasized segregation/purity
and loyalty to the Ummah (the global Islamic whole)

Not to South Asian muslims per se

Waliullah once said

"Muslims, no matter where they live, they should be completely separated from the natives of that country in their culture, traditions and mannerisms. And wherever they are, they must be immersed in their Arabic splendor and Arabic trends”

This line of thinking continues in two 19th cen movements-

That of Syed Barelvi - who fought valiantly against Sikh rule in Punjab at Balakot

And that of the Deobandis in late 19th cen

#Ramayana #LecturesOnTheRamayana

In the past, we had a glimpse of Lakshmana's devotion towards Sri Rama, his brother and father figure.

However, it is interesting to note his unique relationship with Sita, especially as seen by from her perspective.

Thread below

1/

We all know about the Golden Deer / Maricha incident and the way Sita influences Lakshmana to go in search of his brother.

Personally, I am unable to get 2 strong emotional points in one thread and hence, I will skip this incident for today.

2/

In Sundara Kanda, when Hanuman meets Sita, she says the following

सिंहस्कन्धो महाबाहुर्मनस्वी प्रियदर्शिनः।
पितृवद्वर्तते रामे मातृवन्मां समाचरन्।।

Lakshmana, who has lionshoulders and strong arms, who is handsome, who takes Rama as his father & treats me as his own mother

3/

ह्रियमाणां तदा वीरो न तु मां वेद लक्ष्मणः।
वृद्धोपसेवी लक्ष्मीवान् शक्तो न बहुभाषिता।।

Heroic Lakshmana, did not know while I was borne away. He is prosperous, foremost in serving elders. He is energetic and reserved in his speech like my father-in-law ..

4/

He is a prince dear (to his brother).

These are from Sarga-38, shlokas 60 and 61.

There are 3 distinct points which I want to draw the attention of the reader to.

1. She also compares Lakshmana to Dasaratha much like how Rama did when he constructed the hut in panchavati

5/

“Don’t leave the church because of the people who hurt you. Nobody is perfect, only God”

I’ll explain why this comment is not only not helpful at all, but also very harmful.

1/

The comment assumes we can’t tell the difference between people and toxic theology, it assumes our issues are with a few people who are outliers and misrepresented God, and we just seem to think that’s the totality of divinity. Which makes us appear unintelligent and petty.

2/

But, that’s not the case at all. I didn’t leave because a few people hurt me in the name of God, in fact I stayed long enough to get hurt again, and again, and again, and again. Because it’s not a few bad apples hurting people in the name of God what we are dealing with.

3/

Instead we are talking about systemic abuse due to toxic theology that is taught as righteousness.

Go to any white evangelical church today and conduct all the tests you must to ensure only those who are “good Christians,” remain. I guarantee you people will be harmed there.
4/

Not because people just hurt people, not because Christians have good intentions but sometimes make mistakes; instead because the harm is caused due to indoctrination into toxic theology and a belief that their social and theological framework is not only good,

5/