Journeys into Vedic Thought
Long-form, researched essays on the deities, language, ritual and history of the Rig Veda. All free to read.
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The Eclipse That Atri Saw: RV 5.40 and the Limits of Dating the Veda by the Sky
Five verses in the Atri family book describe the sun pierced with darkness and rescued by a sage. They are the Rigveda's one plausible eclipse, and they have been asked to carry a dating burden the text cannot bear.
Counting the Stars: Nakshatra Astronomy in the Rigveda and What It Tells Us About Dating
The Rigveda contains astronomical references that scholars have tried to use as a clock. From Jacobi and Tilak in the 1890s to modern archaeoastronomy, the debate over whether star positions can date the Vedic hymns remains one of Indology's most contested questions. The precession math is real; the interpretive problems are harder.
Vedic Astronomy and the Year: Nakshatras, Months, and the Ritual Calendar
The Rig Veda is built around a calendar of 12 lunar months, 6 seasons (ṛtus) and 27 lunar mansions (nakshatras). The Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa — the first formal Indian astronomy text — documents the system that ritualists used to time the sacrifices.