Blogs

It's been six months since we launched our board game Ranbhoomi - Kurukshetra. With that in mind, we have come up with one more way of playing ...

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy Chapter 6 (Ch 83 in the book) Sugreeva was filled with rage at the goddess' insolence, an...

Bheeshma advised Yudhishthira that the king who follows his dharma by protecting his citizens, is following vanaprastha. The king who studies Vedas...

Yudhishthira seated with Draupadi, performed a yajna, and offered gifts to the Brahmanas. He then addressed the people and asked them to respect Dh...

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy  Chapter 5 (Ch 82 in the book)  Rishi Sumedha continued his account of the goddess. Devi ...

We observe multiple rituals during Diwali celebration like worshiping Devi Lakshmi, toys made of sugar, banging of soop at midnight, playing cards, placing of demon statue outside the house. Do you know the Pauranik significance of these rituals?

Peace after the war The Pandavas stayed outside the city of Hastinapura for a month to complete the period of mourning. Yudhishthira grieved over K...

Devi Mahatmya - Markandeya Purana, tr. by Bibek Debroy  Chapter 4 (Ch 81 in the book)  With Mahishasura dead, the gods now praised the goddess. ...

By Bibek Debroy All of us are familiar with stories about Parashurama, in some fashion. In these columns, I have not talked about Parashurama so fa...

Gifting culture in India is very recent. We are used to entire family living together and not visiting our parents on Thanksgiving with bouquet and...

As Ravana took Sita to Lanka, she saw five great apes on a mountain. Removing all her ornaments, she wrapped them in her upper garment and threw th...

Yudhishtira went before her, trembling. In anger, she looked down through the folds of her blindfold and her eyes fell on Yudhishtira’s toenails. T...