Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra
We were taught in our books that the Vedic chhanda is nonrhyming.
That is an error of appreciation. The Veda uses rhyme copiously but we don’t notice it
Like a brilliant composer who hides his tricks, the Veda has many subliminal devices
Rhyme is one of them. Take any Suktam of the Veda. There is slant rhyme, distant rhyme, irregular rhyme, internal rhyme. All buried and hidden among the assonances and consonances
You have to slowly excavate them. Delicately. Rediscover this constant creativity. And then discover how this constant freshness is sustained
Rhyme is a powerful means in the Veda to create effects of recurrence, repetition and connection. It holds the sound together during chanting and it ekes out unique effects with constant experimentation.
The vyakarana, Chhanda, nirukta, kalpa, all play with this antyanuprasa or end-rhyme and turn it into madhyanuprasa and antaranuprasa. And this is only one device
The next time you read or chant a rik listen to how the rhyme creates expectations and how it is held at bay. So that it can appear later as the unexpected and as the eventual fulfillment, the revelation of sound
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Examples of rhymes in the first five riks of the Agni Suktam
Take a look at RV 1.1.1
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवमृत्विजम् । होतारं रत्नधातमम् ॥१॥
Look at purohitam, ritvijam, hotaram, dhaatamam
They are all internally rhyming
Look at 1.1.4 pari bhoorasi which rhymes with vakshati RV 1.1.2 as imperfect rhyme
Rhyme of vakshati and gacchati between RV 1.1.2 and 1.1.4
Look at RV 1.1.2 nootanairuta and RV 1.1.5 gamat slant rhyme
It is overflowing with the anupraasa everywhere. The dhatus are played with in RV 1.1.6. Vibhaktis are used to create a drumming effect, adjectives piled on adjectives. The chhanda is perfect with 8 varnas in each pada, the third pada beautifully set as counterpoint to the first two padas closing the sound at the end and yet, being carried on to a new architecture with the next rik. I should stop here before I write another book :- )
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Rig Veda 1.4 is really a fabulous Suktam coming after the tremendous yoga of the first 3 Suktah
Look at the inner movements that bring us to this point
RV 1.1.1 You light up Agni, Tejas, energize the consciousness that is your Leader
RV 1.1.4 Agni surrounds you as your armor
RV 1.1.9 Agni grows intimate as your own father
RV 1.2.1 Vayu is invoked and transformed with the Soma
1.2.4 Vayu and Indra both are brought in touch with the Bliss together
1.2.7 Mitra and Varuna purify strength and destroy enemies
1.3.1 Ashvins intensify the Yajna
1.3.7 All devas descend and arrange the offerings and gifts, to each his or her due. All cosmic powers are here
1.3.12 Sarasvati awakens the great ocean and masters all thoughts, on a universal scale
And Indra in 1.4 is ready, to take the Yajna to an entirely new collective level. What would Gen Z say? He is lit
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Can the Vedas speak to Gen Z? Join @PariksithSingh , author of the new book 'Vedas for Gen Z', in conversation with @MakrandParanspe as they explore how ancient wisdom can be accessible, relevant, and relatable. Watch now! youtu.be/ifUa2hgYx3I?si… @AmazingVedas
https://x.com/i/status/2082160406349410499
The Rishis had wisdom… and a sense of humor! @PariksithSingh uncovers the joyful, human side of the Vedas in his new book @VedaforGenZ . Ancient wisdom isn’t just profound—it’s full of life and laughter! Watch now youtu.be/LJbw257WlS0?si… @MakrandParanspe @AmazingVedas #vedas
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“First and most obviously, the gods are still among us. But they are no longer made up of just the one family, however complicated, residing in their vast homes on the slopes of a single mountain. No, now they are multitudes, a teeming crowd in an endless metropolis. It hardly matters that their names are often exotic and unpronounceable, like the names one reads on the doorbells of families of immigrants. The power of their stories is still at work. Yet there is something new and unusual about the situation: this composite tribe of gods now lives only in its stories and scattered idols.”
-Calasso, Literature and the Gods
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Hit songs r not always best poetry. For Raja Mehdi, d hit lyrics were his best poetry! "Jee bhar ke dekh lijiye ham ko kareeb se" is a miraculous line from d Psychic. Sri Aurobindo wd hv been pleased by this. D title song of Mera Saya is another Psychic gem! @Sanjufflm4567
- GG
To MACET :--> Kaam to aakhir G-12 se hi karwaana hai na ?? Ramakrishna Mission ke bas ki ye baat nahi hai. Aur G-12 bhi bagair Sri Aurobindo ke ye kaam kar nahi paayenge. To gol-gol ghoomne me time kyon barbaad karna ?? Gol-gol ghoomne wala aadmi kahin nahi pahunchta hai ??
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“Why read the whole sentence when two words fit your angry tweet?’
C’mon, no clip business please. Let’s look at the big picture. Placing the clips in context. Attaching the full interview. Enjoy!
PS: Open to debate on public platform anytime, anywhere. Only one request: raise the argument not the abusive language!!
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“Dalit autobiography occupies a significant position in Indian literature because it transforms individual memory into a collective testimony of caste oppression, social exclusion, poverty, resistance, and self-assertion. Siddalingaiah's Ooru Keri…”
scholar.google.com/scholar_url?ur…
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This complaint about the Indian diaspora, the hang-wringing about the ideological deviance of Gen-Z protesters in India, the obsession with "deep state" conspiracies targeting India are all IMO downstream from a deep-seated Indian tendency to see all behavior and values as downstream from identity.
For Brahma, it is taken as a given that Indians will lobby on behalf of India's interests in America because, well, they are Indian. The fact that many of these Indians are grounded in American society, loyal to America, and consciously seeking American citizenship is irrelevant to this expectation.
Similarly, older Indians are at a loss to understand their own children because they are not capable of seeing them as individuals outside of the bounds of family, caste, religion, etc. In this context it is natural to attribute any national calamity or political failing to malicious outside forces b/c they can't grasp the fact that individuals, whether in India or abroad, might have an independent sense of self, with their own values and perspectives.
The cumulative effect of this tendency is a chronic unwillingness to engage in persuasion. The righteousness of one's cause is simply taken for granted, and someone's failure to understand that is reflexively chalked up to nefarious external forces.
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Loneliness Is Not a Personal Failure—It’s a Social Justice Issue
by Shikha Bhagat and Deepika S.R countercurrents.org/2026/07/loneli…
Loneliness is increasingly recognised as more than an individual emotional struggle. It reflects deeper inequalities in access to community, healthcare, inclusive public spaces and meaningful social relationships. This article examines how rapid urbanisation, digital life, ageing and social exclusion have intensified isolation for many, particularly among young professionals, older adults and marginalised communities. It argues that addressing loneliness requires public policy, inclusive community design and stronger social institutions, alongside mental health support. Building a society where everyone has the opportunity to belong is not only a public health priority but also a matter of social justice.
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In recent years, empathy has gotten a bad reputation.
Paul Bloom's famous work Against Empathy argued that empathy was necessarily biased and should be thrown out. Figures like Elon Musk argue our instinct for compassion is leading to bad outcomes.
Here, philosopher Gigla Gonashvili argues we must reclaim our empathy from those who seek to temper it, and embrace our will to care.
Tap here for the full article. iai.tv/articles/the-c…
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New essay! As much as I admire Thomas Sowell’s ‘A Conflict of Visions’, it has always bothered me how his “constrained” (or “tragic”) vision of human nature and society bundles together a tragic view of human motivation (which I think is correct) with a pessimistic view of human knowledge and reason (which I think is false).
This essay explains why this bundling is confused and argues that the deep and ineradicable flaws of our species - the self-regarding, biased, competitive, hypocritical elements of our nature - are consistent with an optimistic, open-ended Enlightenment view of knowledge and reason.
conspicuouscognition.com/p/we-are-stuck…
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On the 250th: “In the year of the semiquincentennial, American exceptionalism is a zombie movie, but the actors who manage its media, write its histories, organise its politics and plan its wars can’t see that they are the ones shambling along.”
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