Conversational Sanskrit

 भ्रमर न्याय:  भ्रमर = the bee न्याय: = maxim The bee only takes nectar from everywhere. Similarly the wise person only takes good from all, no bitterness, anger or evil. Thus is the maxim of the bee

  घट्ट-कुटी-प्रभात न्याय घट्ट= toll कुटी=cottage प्रभात = dawn न्याय=maxim The maxim of the toll cottage at dawn A Businessman wants to avoid paying toll, so he rides his cart all night in a ciRcUitoUs roUTe hopes of avoiding paying toll. When dawn breaks, he notices that his cart is right in front of the toll gate. Despite his strenuous effort to avoid something he ends up at what he was trying to avoid. This is the maxim of the toll booth at dawn

Here is an example oF clever wording of a boon वृद्ध कुमारी वाक्य न्याय वृद्ध  = Old कुमारी = unmarried woman वाक्य =statement न्याय=maxim An old unmarried woman asks a boon thus: पुत्रा मे बहु-क्षीर-घृत्म् ओदनं  कांचन-पात्राभ्याम् भुञ्जीरन् पुत्रा =sons मे = my बहु= a lot OF क्षीर = milk घृत्म्  = ghee ओदनं = rice कांचन= golden पात्राभ्याम् = from two vessels भुञ्जीरन् = may they eat The olD woman cleverly asks the boon, " may my sons eat out of two golden vessels rice mixed with ghee. The boon if granted would mean 1. make the woman young ( and fertile) again 2. she will marry 3. She will have sons 4. Her sons will have plenty of nourishing food 5. They will be rich eating out of two golden vessels each Pretty Good in five word boon! pretty clever

Of the seven core Vedic rituals that constitute a Hindu wedding, the most important is paaNigrahaNam or the taking of the bride's hand in marriage. Manu, the lawgiver, emphasizes the central role of the  paaNigrahaNam  in the Hindu wedding in the Manu Smriti पाणिग्र्हणिका  मन्त्रा नियतं दारलक्षणम् | तेषां  निष्ठा तु  विज्ञेया विद्वद्भि: सप्तमे पदे || The taking of the hand is undoubtedly the mark of wifehood, the culmination ( of the wedding ceremonies) is understood by the learned in the seventh step. This underscores the central nature of the taking of the hand and the seven steps to the Hindu wedding ceremonies.  So much so that the husband is referred to as the पाणिगृहितृ  (pANigrahItRu) or the taker of the hand. Notably, these two are among the seven elements of the wedding ceremony which are described by all the ancient authorities. Notably, saptapadi is different from the circumambulation of the fire, also ...

 The story of Shakuntala as seen through the eyes of the great painter Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma is one of the greatest Indian painters. He has many firsts to his credit, a member of the Royal family of Travancore in modern day Kerala (the current royals are his direct descendants), the first to extensively use oil paintings , the first to make his paintings accessible to the common man by setting up the first lithograph press in India. His greatness transcends these firsts. He was the first to give form to and introduce to the world, the traditional Indian concept of feminine beauty, of proud and confident women draped in the most elegant, form fitting Indian sari and jewelry. He brought to life in his paintings, the great nayika and nayaka, the heroines and heroes in the Indian tradition, epics and literature, in a very human, relatable form. His rendering of the subject and the access through his lithographs meant that since the late nineteenth century, Indians have seen t...