Sanskrit & Shastraमाता गुरूतरो भूमेः (The mother is weightier than the earth)—in the Mahabharata, when the Yaksha asks Dharmaraja Yudhishthira, ‘Who is heavier than the earth?’, Yudhishthira replies, ‘माता गुरूतरा भूमेः’ (The mother is weightier than the earth). Yudhishthira’s affirmation of this exalted preeminence of the mother is by no means casual; if you study the Vedas (revelatory canonical scriptures), the Veda, extolling the glory of the mother, proclaims that the mother...
23 October 2026 · 5 min read
Sanskrit & ShastraIn the fourth chapter of the Chhandogyopanishad, we find the narrative of Jabala, Satyakam, and Maharshi Gautama, the son of Haridrumata. Jabala represents that Bharat where woman in every form is Narayani (the divine feminine), while Satyakam stands as the sentinel of truth who declares that the wise person who never deviates from the path of truth is alone Brahma
18 October 2026 · 4 min read
Dharma & CultureIn Sanskrit literature, there is a long-standing tradition of *mangalācharan* (auspicious invocation) at the beginning of a text. All the Upanishads have their own *mangalācharan*. If an undertaking is commenced without a *mangalācharan*, there remains the apprehension of obstacles befalling it. Inscribing ‘*Shri Ganeshaya Namah*’ atop a book is also a *mangalācharan*. Yet, the commentator Bhagavan Adi Shankaracharya’s Brah...
18 October 2026 · 2 min read
Sanskrit & ShastraWhere does the jiva (individual soul) go after death? A detailed description of this is found in the Chandogya Upanishad of the Tandya Mahabrahmana of the Samaveda. Three gatis (post-mortem paths) of the jiva are described there, among which we shall discuss the movement towards Chandraloka (realm of the Moon), in which...
17 October 2026 · 8 min read
Sanskrit & ShastraThere are many Hindus who wish to know and understand Sanatan Dharma, or what we call Hindu Dharma, in its true and authentic form, but in the absence of guidance, they are unable to reach the right destination. It is both the unique characteristic and the difficulty of Hindu Dharma that, just as in other faiths, such as the Quran in Islam, and in Christianity
1 September 2026 · 5 min read
