Princess Savitri was the only child of King Ashvapati. It was unknown whether she was more beautiful or smarter. Once she went on an excursion to the forest with her attendants. In the forest, she met a woodcutter whose beauty captivated her; and somehow she knew that he was not a woodcutter by birth. Inquiring … Read more
One of the main characters in the Mahabharata is the great king Judhisthira, known as a just and righteous ruler, honored with the title dharma-raja due to his love for justice, a title acknowledged by both friends and foes. King Judhisthira has four other brothers. They are the sons of two mothers. Three are the … Read more
The Indian Hindu temple is a reflection of millennia of cultural development, deep religiosity and mysticism, art that captivates with its beauty, and science that reveals a profound understanding of natural laws. Tens of thousands of temples on the Indian subcontinent convey scenes from the great epics of the Mahabharata and Ramayana, the fables of … Read more
The Great Song of the Bharata Tribe This ancient Indian epic is often referred to as the Indian encyclopedia of history and mythology, politics, law, theology, and philosophy. In addition to the historical elements that depict the development and changes within the ancient Aryan civilization, the Mahabharata reflects both the world of one of the … Read more
TIME CYCLES Describing the changes and decline of moral values, Mahabharata explains the succession of yugas, the great cycles of human existence. “Yuga, known as krta, is a period in which there is only one immutable faith. In this best of yugas, everyone is a flawless believer, and there is no need for actions to … Read more
When we consider the Bhagavad Gita solely as an old and valuable literary text, we still cannot remain untouched by the interesting nature of its content. In the epic literature of ancient India, the Bhagavad Gita holds a special place. Most educated Indians are familiar with this holy text by heart. In general, it is … Read more
The concept of martial arts is usually associated with numerous combat techniques that come from the Far East. Their historical origin is the ancient martial art of the Indian kshatriyas (warriors), known as Kalari Payit, which was brought to China by the legendary Bodhidharma as a form of exercise for Shaolin monks. This gave rise … Read more
One of the great cradles of martial arts is ancient India. Already in the oldest Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, we read that young people were expected to be well-versed and skilled in military strategy, archery, wrestling, and other forms of these arts. Thus, the Mahabharata narrates: Two of Drona’s disciples, Duryodhana and … Read more
