We often see Ramayana as an exposition on ideal brotherhood where the inherent affection among brothers and respect and regard for the elder siblings are never totally sacrificed for selfishness, power or greed; the theme of which runs across through four sets of brothers:  Rama and his three brothers, Vali and Sugriva, Jatayu and Sampati, […]

Love is in the air, it seems, with the first gust of the spring breeze… Vasant Panchami. It is the first of the two spring festivals (the other being Holi at the end of this season) welcoming spring and which, interestingly, is associated with the emotions of love and all emotional anticipation linking it immediately […]

Probably because of the absence of long, white winters, we often do not realise that like other cultures of the world, we too have winter solstice celebrations in the form of, of course, festivals! Winters are part of the seasonal cycle, and while reiterating the theme of endless birth, life, death, and rebirth, the time […]

Five days of Diwali and each has a different story behind it. One Diwali story of this particular day – Narakchaturdashi is interesting essentially because it celebrates an unusual aspect in love and relationship: that of gender equality in marriage.  Though Narakchaturdashi, which falls on the second day, is often observed as the commemoration of […]

There are both gods and goddesses in Hindu mythology and interestingly, God, is venerated as both male and female. And Navratri is this unbroken observance of goddess worship – the divine feminine – who has the strongest presence as the devi, where the goddess is viewed as central in existence. Such feminism and divinity together […]

Hindu mythology would be incomplete without the reference of ‘Shakti’, as an embodiment of womanhood, power and all that is considered to be feminine. However, it is this ‘Shakti’, which when coupled with ‘Shiva’, forms the ‘Shiva-Shakti’—the supreme power of Shiva and the adishakti of Parvati. But while Ganesha is popularly considered to be the […]

If marriage binds spouses, Raksha Bandhan ties brothers and sisters. And mythology has numerous stories about such sibling love and loyalty but each telling a different tale. One of the most unusual and unique relationship is the one that between Krishna and Draupadi. Once, to stanch the bleeding finger of Krishna, Draupadi promptly tore the […]

Is wicked so attractive that we are ready to forgive the transgressions so easily? It keeps happening: we remember Shylock more starkly than Antonio just as in a recent film a brutal invader (read Alauddin Khilji in Padmavat) and a wayward actor (read Sanjay Dutt in Sanju) become sympathetic heroes. Mythology has its share of […]

Mythology often throws instances of patriarchy with its share of misogynist mores and chauvinist men. And yet within the narrative are interesting exceptions – the men as fathers. Some good, some bad, some ugly, some devoted, some selfless. If King Dashrath is the paragon of paternal love, Hiranyankashipu is the profoundly malevolent father bent on […]

Mothers in Indian mythology are those special women who reveal enormous strength and character, displaying exceptional love and courage in the worst and best of situations. There is a significant aspect though. Motherhood is not merely worshipped as divinity but considers the living mother as a God for each of us through the concept of […]