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 →
Who Has Ever Seen Him? The Rig Veda's Own Unbelievers
Three verses into a hymn of praise, the Rig Veda stops and quotes somebody saying the god is not real. The line was memorised, syllable by syllable, for three thousand years by people who did not believe it. This is what happens next.
Hard to Catch as the Wind: The Rigveda's Oldest Love Story
In eighteen verses of Rigveda 10.95, a mortal king begs a vanishing celestial nymph to stay, and she refuses. It may be the oldest recorded lovers' quarrel in any Indo-European language, and the seed of the swan-maiden tale told from Sweden to Japan.
Hidden Women of the Rigveda: The Female Voices Most Readers Miss
Beyond Lopāmudrā and Apālā lie a set of bolder, sometimes uncomfortable female voices preserved in the Rigveda's dialogue hymns. A reading of Yamī, Urvaśī, Indrāṇī, Sūryā and the lesser-known Rishikas, with notes on how later tradition quieted them.
If the Rigvedic Rishis Had Social Media: Tweets, DMs and Reviews from the Vedic Age
The Rigveda is full of dialogue, gossip, complaint and even humour. A playful reading of real verses recast as modern social-media posts, with every joke anchored in a citable hymn.