Articles - Rik Amrit Articles
English August 27, 2025 14

Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection

Parvati created a son from turmeric paste scraped from her body and ordered him to guard her cave. W...

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Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection
English August 26, 2025 135

The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

In a temple courtyard in Mumbai, a businessman touches his forehead to a clay elephant and whispers ...

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The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider
English August 15, 2025 92

Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play

Dividing life into two distinct perspectives is a natural characteristic of any religious philosophy...

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Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play
English July 17, 2025 52

Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays

Some stories never really leave us. They return in new forms, wearing new clothes, speaking new lan...

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Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays
English May 29, 2025 643

Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Tagore

The colours of my May are as yellow as the golden showers. The 7th of this month, the twenty-fifth d...

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Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Tagore

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Natyasastra Articles

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 1): A Personal Academic Exploration

A decade ago, in March 2013, I visited Manish Da’s (Manish Mitra, the director of the Kasba Arghya theatre group) home for the first time for a lu...
May 29, 2025
1,146

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 2): Philosophy Beyond Performance

Natyashastra is not merely a handbook or manual for the art of Theatre; it is a philosophy that speaks of Purushartha (the four aims of human life) wi...
May 29, 2025
1,034

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 3): The Complete Training Manual

Without further preamble, let us now consider the chapters and topics of the Natya Shastra. For until we know exactly which aspects are being discusse...
May 29, 2025
1,021

My Journey with Natyashastra (Part 4): The Sacred Purpose of Art

No matter how much Sri Krishna directs towards Brahmajnana in the Gita and advises against desiring the fruits of one’s actions, if Arjuna did not f...
May 29, 2025
1,017

Bharata’s Doctrine and the Eleven Elements of Natya: A Dive into the Essence of Indian Classical Theatre

The Nāṭyaśāstra stands as a seminal treatise on Indian classical theater, encapsulating a comprehensive framework known as the Eleven Nāṭya Sa...
May 29, 2025
1,280

Exploring the Vedic Basis of Bharata's Natyashastra

According to Bharata, the Nāṭyaveda was divinely revealed by Brahmā himself, compiling the essence of all four Vedas and serving as the quintessen...
May 29, 2025
1,214

Recent Articles

Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection

Parvati created a son from turmeric paste scraped from her body and ordered him ...
Aug 27 14

The Paradox of the Elephant-Headed God: How Ganesha Became Hinduism's Most Beloved Outsider

In a temple courtyard in Mumbai, a businessman touches his forehead to a clay el...
Aug 26 135

Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play

Dividing life into two distinct perspectives is a natural characteristic of any ...
Aug 15 92

Ancient Stories, Urgent Questions: Why I Wrote Two Plays

Some stories never really leave us. They return in new forms, wearing new cloth...
Jul 17 52

Featured Quotes

Airavata served as Indra's mount, helping the sky-god release rain by shattering clouds with thunderbolts. In agricultural societies dependent on monsoons, elephants naturally symbolized fertility and abundance. Only well-watered, vegetation-rich lands could sustain these massive creatures. By receiving Airavata's head, Ganesha inherited this rain-bringing power.
— Airavata's Head: Ganesha's Agricultural Connection
We have no doubts left about the necessity of art.
— Whispers of Laughter and Tears: Entertainment
Krishna is also used in the sense of "karshate iti Krishna"—meaning one who attracts. In Yoga philosophy, he is the presiding deity of the Ajna chakra. He attracts and pulls up Arjuna, who is stuck in the Manipura chakra. This is the essence of the Gita in Yoga philosophy.
— Janmashtami Special: Rama and Krishna- The Dialectics of Dignity and Divine Play
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