Journeys into Vedic Thought
Long-form, researched essays on the deities, language, ritual and history of the Rig Veda. All free to read.
No articles match your search. Clear →
The Roaring Bull of the Sky: Parjanya, the Rig Veda's Rain God and the Indo-European Thunderer
Only three hymns of the Rig Veda are addressed to Parjanya, the roaring rain-bull who fertilizes the earth. Yet his name may preserve a thread reaching back to a Proto-Indo-European storm god, one that also surfaces in Lithuanian Perkūnas and Slavic Perun. The match is tantalizing and far from settled.
How Old Is the Rigveda? Three Thousand Years of Dating Debates
Scholars have proposed dates for the Rigveda ranging from 6000 BCE to 1000 BCE. The gap between the earliest and latest serious proposals spans five millennia. This article traces every major approach, from Max Muller's backward arithmetic to ancient DNA, and is honest about what each one can and cannot prove.