↯ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢’𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐦: When the sages of Vibhinduka assembled for a great yajña, 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐡ā𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢 𝐊āṇ𝐯𝐚, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭 (𝐠ṛ𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢), 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. In this Vedic lore video based on my artwork of the same tale – I explain how the cattle he desired alluded to divine illumination. In this narrative, I elucidate how 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐡ā𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢’𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐦 and how this is part of a 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝘇𝗼𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 ie animal manifestations assumed by Indra in the Vedic corpus. Indra is often likened to a bull or ram. In the heart of the Jaiminīya Brāhmaṇa, a curious tale is told. Indra, the ultimate Vedic deity, appears not as terrestial thunder but as a horned, hooved, breathing, and very real zoomorphic avatara – a spiritual storm compressed into flesh, a vajra sheathed in electric wool.
He came as the ram of Medātithi Kaanva, a mortal sacrificer. Indeed, in Rigveda 1.51.1, he is praised as Mesham, which literally translates to a Ram, but also denotes victory over foes. He is described as one who is adored by many, whose good deeds spread for the benefit of mankind, like the rays of light. The tale so goes – he sages of Vibhinduka were performing a grand sacrificial session. The seven priests had a personal wish: Sanaka and Navaka sought women, while the others sought their own material fortunes. Medātithi however sought the cattle of illumination – a prominent Vedic metaphor for divine insight. And so the Soma flowed. But as the libations rose, an impetuous golden ram appeared.
Drinking deeply of the Soma offerings. Again and again, he was chased away. “Medātithi’s ram is drinking our Soma!” they cried. And yet, the next time – Indra returned in his own form – drinking not by stealth, but by right. This isn’t just a tale of divine mischief. It’s a vision of Indra’s Māyā, his power to take on real forms, to walk among men, to become a beast, a guest, a fellow sacrificer. Indra as a ram isn’t just metaphor. The Brāhmaṇa heuristic texts, and even Sāyaṇa – take it literally. This was a theomorphic appearance, not an illusion. As the Rig Veda says: “Indra moves in many forms by his Māyā.” (RV 6.47.18). Not symbolic – embodied.
In the later crass Puranic characterisations of the ultimate Vedic God, Indra is called “meṣavṛṣaṇa” – one who has ram’s testicles as part of the outfall of his curse by Gautama in the Ramayana. But the Vedic corpus is explicit in according him his rightful glory – and shows post-Paninian epic-puranic era Sanskrit composers’ inability to perceive the primordial language of the Vedas, as the verse below will show you. Yajurveda invokes him thus in the Subrahmanya litany, which as opposed to it’s popular conception as an epithet of Skanda/Kartikeya or Murugan, is an invocation to Indra!
✦ Indra āgaccha! — Indra, come! ✦ Hariva āgaccha! — You of the golden steeds, come! ✦ Medhātither meṣa! — Ram of Medhātithi! ✦ Vṛṣaṇaśvasya mene! — Vivifier of Vṛṣaṇaśva! ✦ Gauravaskandin! — Coagulatlor, Cow-leaper! ✦ Ahalyāyai jāra! — Lover of Ahalyā! ✦ Kauśika brāhmaṇa! — You who is Versified as “Kauśika”, one of the plougshare! ✦ Gautama bruvāṇa! — You who is Spoken of as “Gautama”, the possessor of the divinely illuminating cattle!
As you can see, Ahalya is the metaphorical unploughed land that Indra rains and shines upon. Gautama, one rich in cows or rays, is Indra himself! Kaushika is the proverbial ploughshare that ploughs the barren land. The ram is a veerya-mūrti (heroic image) of Indra – virile, impetuous, unrelenting. A horned flash of storm hunger, desiring Soma, yet tenderly aligned with Medātithi – his chosen host. And to me as an artist personally – a reclamation of this form beyond its puerile usage in modern Satanism. What is a horn, if not a curved vajra? And Medātithi himself? His name translates to “the guest of wisdom” – he didn’t desire mere cows, but the radiant cattle of the mind, the illuminations of speech, clarity, and truth – that held highest by the Sages of the golden Vedic age! But, the Vedic worldview does not shame desire. The other priests wanted material desires and material success, glory, pleasure – all were valid aims. The ritual wasn’t just for mokṣa, it was for honoring life itself. And the gods? They answered. Sometimes disguised. Sometimes drinking your Soma. Sometimes… being your ram.
This is part of a broader motif of Indra taking on Zoomorphic which includes an ant, a horsetail, a jackal and a falcon. But that is an elaboration for another time. Hail Indra – He who became the inner form of every form. As the Rigveda so appropriately proclaims – Indra by his creative powers assumes many forms, his 1000 rays are yoked, always ready. Watch the audio-visual narration of this, below (and do subscribe for more):
Before Kartikeya, there was Indra! Contrary to its popular conception as an epithet of Skanda-Kartikeya-Murugan, Subramanya was originally an epithet of the foremost deity of the Vedic worldview – Indra!
𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐚 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐜𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚, 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 (𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬): The metaphysical chanting of Harsh Nath (@mrigottama on Instagram) resounds with the Subrahmaṇyā litany, with artwork by @achintya.venkatesh (link below) accompanying it – the superlative hymn of the Yajurveda praising Indra, the foremost Vedic deity. 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐯𝐞𝐝𝐚 𝟏𝟎.𝟏𝟏𝟐.𝟗 𝐚𝐬 “gaṇapate gaṇeṣu tvām āhur vipratamaṃ kavīnām” – which translates to 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬. ↯ 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐚ṇ𝐲ā (𝐘𝐚𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝𝐚), the poetic allegory shines:
Subrahmaṇyogum subrahmaṇyogum subrahmaṇyom (Indra – loftiest of Brāhmaṇas or learned ones)
Indra āgaccha! Hariva āgaccha! (Indra come, you of golden horses come!)
Medhātither meṣa! (You, the Ram of Medhatithi Kanva ṛṣi)
Vṛṣaṇaśvasya mene! (You, the vivifier of Vṛṣaṇaśva)
Gauravaskandin! (Coagulator / Cow-leaper)
Ahalyāyai jāra! (Lover of Ahalyā the barren land)
Kauśika brāhmaṇa! (You versified as Kauśika, the ploughshare who ploughs the land)
Gautama bruvāṇa! (You who are spoken of as Gautama, one rich in illuminating cows of the mind and milk clouds)
Dispelling some popular Pauranika/Itihasic misconceptions of Indra based on the sascrosanct Vedic perspective:
↯ 𝐀𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐲ā is “𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐝” – 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧, 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭-𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝, the act of Indra imparting affecting equally to the socially chastised – is shown as divine benevolence, not crass adultery as in the Puranas.
↯ 𝐆𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟: “𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐬/𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭,” 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞-𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝𝐬 – thus a fertility agricultural allegory, too. Kausika is likewise the ploughshare that ploughs the barren land. All – epithets of Indra.
Introduction: Most people today dismiss Indra as just some drunk, amorous, petty storm-god -a crass Vedic version of Zeus, emboldening humans to mock him – including practicing Hindus and aficionados of the theology. Nothing could be further from the truth.
What did the most ancient Rishis (Sages), that Hindus hold in esteem – deeming their divine conceptions as aupurusheya or “unauthored” ie divinely revealed/sacrosanct, say? Per the most primordial sages and the aupuruseya, sacrosanct Vedas – Indra is not just one among many gods in the Rigveda – let us unapologetically accept that he is the most invoked, the most lauded, the vastest divine concept that encompasses all the others. Each venerable rishi over a millennia knew them not by hearsay but through personal, living vision and spiritual experience. Across clans, tribes, and even rival tribal patrons. The oldest sages and their Vedic era clan descendants are unambiguous in describing Vedic Indra as one and eternal, whereas Puranic Indra is merely a “position” like some modern corporate CXO attained by performing a preposterous number of horse sacrifices.
Rigveda 1.81.5 : “na tvāvāṅ indra kaścana – na jāto na janiṣyate. Ati viśvaṃ vivakṣitha!” : “There is no one, like you, Indra! None who was born, none who will be born. For you grow beyond all.” ️
Rigveda 1.165.9 : “nakir nu na tvāvāṅ asti devatā vidānaḥ, na jāyamāno naśate na jāto ”There is no one like you, no such divinity is known. None who is being born attains you, nor those born!” ️
Rigveda 6.21.10 : “na tvāvāṅ anyo – amṛta – tvad asti”. “O Eternal one, there is none like you, other than you”.
Who is Indra, therefore and what is his true, multivariate nature? Indra is the seat of all divinity, the supreme Vedic deific and multivariate. Indra is not ‘one god in a pantheon’ – he is the very oneness in which every deva ideal converges. He is:
Maghavan, the ever-giving and generous.
Puramdara, the warrior who breaks strongholds of the mind.
Vipratamahakavinam – the Sage of Sages, a poet among poets.
Subrahmanya – the foremost of Brahmanas (learned ones).
Vṛtrahan, upholder of Rta (cosmic order) slayer of chaos.
Ganapati or Marutvaan, lord of hosts.
Ga-avindat or the original Govinda – seeker and finder of cows, the treasures of knowledge.
Vaikuntha, slayer of malevolent demons. The rescuer and uplifter of the shunned.
The ṛṣis say: rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo babhūva – he became the inner form of every form. Indra assumes countless faces, infinite rays, always present, always awake. Indra is supreme above all and a singularity. The Sages emphatically proclaim: There is no one, like you, Indra! None who was born, none who will be born. For you grow beyond all. But he is a first among equals, among the Vedic devata pantheon. That is where it escapes the dogmatism and hierarchy. He seemingly explains the nature of Prana or Brahman in a self referential manner to Pratardana Daivodasi in the Kaushitaki Upanishad which has him declare: ‘Know me as the Supreme Self.’
There is so much more to be said – but this is why I center Indra in my art — because he is not a relic of a religion in a primitive, nature-worship stage but a para-archetypal entity pervading all of existence and the center of an already sophisticated metaphysical worldview.
↯ 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚, 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐚 (𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞) – 𝐈𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐢: Pratardhana, son of Divodasa of Kāśī by valor and war verily reached the abode of the Gods. There, a resplendent voice spoke: “𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙖, 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙣.” The king replied: “𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙣.” But the Lord above all said: “𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘊𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.” Pratardhana responded: “𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚 𝙣𝙤 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡. For I cling to nothing.” Now, Indra did not want to swerve from truth – 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐲𝐚 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. ️ So he declared:
꩜𖦹༄ ❝𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒏. 𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝑷𝒓āṇ𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆-𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆. 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑨𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉, 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉: 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆. For as long as the vital breath remains in the body so long is there life. For indeed with the vital breath one obtains immortality in this world; with intelligence, true conception. So he who worships me as life, as immortality, reaches the full term of life in this world; he obtains immortality and indestructibility in the heavenly world.❞
𝕴𝖓𝖉𝖗𝖆 𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖉𝖘: ❝ I slew the three-headed son of Tvaṣṭṛ. I delivered the Aruṇmukhas and the ascetics (yatis) to the wolves. I broke many covenants. I slew the people of Prahlāda in heaven, the Paulomas in mid-air, and the Kālakāñjas on earth. 𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒅. 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔, 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏𝒋𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝑷𝒓āṇ𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.❞ 𖣘
ॐ In the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad, this vision is presented as the great revelation to Pratardhana Daivodāsi. Vedānta confirms it in the Brahma Sūtras: ❝ 𝑷𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒉𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔. 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒓𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇, 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒓’𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝑽ā𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒂. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝑷𝒓āṇ𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒉𝒎𝒂𝒏.❞ I am breath (prana). Meditate upon me as the intelligent self, as lifespan, as immortality itself. Lifespan is breath, breath is lifespan. As long as breath dwells in the body, so long is the span of life. By breath only does one obtains immortality in the other world, and by intelligence truth and will. He who worships me as lifespan and immortality, reaches his full span of life in this world and obtains in the heavenly world (svarga) immortality and imperishability. Now, in this regard some say that the breaths (sense organs) become one, (because otherwise) no one would be able to discern instantly name, form sound and thought by speech, by the eye, by the ear and by the mind. These breaths, by becoming one only, enable us to discern all this one by one. When speech speaks, all the breaths speak after it. When the eye sees, all the breaths see after it. When the ear hears, all the breaths hear after it. When the mind thinks, all the breaths think after it. When the breath breathes, all the breaths breathe after it. Thus it is so, indeed,” said Indra. “There is however a greater good among the breaths.”
ॐ Śhaṅkarācārya also concurs in the Vedantasutra commentaries: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙖, 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙮 ṛṣ𝙞-𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛, 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨: “𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.” This is not merely a tale of boon and denial – it is a vision of the deepest Vedāntic truth behind Indra, the para-Vedic personality – 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐢 of Kāśī, as a warrior who transcended flesh through martial valor, entering the transcendent realm of the foremost Vedic deity was offered a boon, he asked for none, proving his selflessness before the Lord of truth and divine illumination of the devotee’s mind. ↯ 𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 – a teaching found in the venerable the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad, known by few and illustrated by none.
This artwork is part of my ongoing 𝙑𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝙑𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 series: mythopoetic paintings that bring back the forgotten encounters of the devotees and the devas in the Vedic hyperreality. Join me as I unveil these obscured myths and their hidden wisdom through my artwork.
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐬𝐢 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐚𝐬𝐢 – 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫: 𝘼𝙣 𝙞𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥-𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚: Pratardhana’s very name means “one who shakes or pierces (the foe) – from the root √tṛdh / dhvan = to pierce, shatter or strike. Swipe through the carousel to check out the iconographic inspirations! In the Kauṣītaki Upaniṣad (3.1), this warrior-king stands at the threshold of revelation, when Indra declares: ꩜𖦹༄ “Know me as Prāṇa, the Brahman – the very life-force. I am the Spirit of the vital breath, the intelligent Self”.
𝓜𝔂 𝓿𝓲𝓼𝓾𝓪𝓵 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓥𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓬 𝓡𝓸𝓸𝓽𝓼:
𖦹 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐫 (jaṭā): Pratardhana’s tied locks draw from Rigvedic imagery. The Keśin Hymn (RV 10.136.1–2) praises the long-haired seer “girdled with the wind,” radiant and otherworldly. Rudra too is invoked as “the Lord of Heroes with braided hair” (RV 1.114.1). Thus, matted hair in the Vedic world was not merely ascetic – it embodied both spiritual intensity and heroic might. For a warrior-king like Pratardhana, this symbolism was essential.
𖦹 𝐀 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐚r: Unlike the ornate Gupta and Epic-era mukuṭas, Vedic kings were adorned with austere regalia rather than giant crowns. Hymns describe nobles with golden ornaments – “golden earrings and a jewel necklace” (RV 1.122.14) – while ritual texts mention the hiraṇya-śirastraṇa, a simple golden circlet or diadem binding the forehead. A lack of a crown anchors him firmly in the martial simplicity of the Vedic age.
𖦹 𝐎𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Armlets and necklaces were essential markers of royalty. The spiral motifs on his armlets draw inspiration from Kāśī’s punch-marked coins, whose abstract swirls and solar designs signified fertility, wealth, and kingship. These early symbols, transposed into regal jewelry, bridge archaeology and myth.
𖦹 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: Pratardhana wears the antarīya and uttarīya, draped textiles authentic to the Vedic period, contrasting with the later crowned and heavily robed imagery of later Hindu antiquity.ॐ 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗜 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿, 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝘃𝗼𝗱ā𝘀𝗶 𝗼𝗳 𝗞āśī.
Agni Nakshatram is celebrated for 25 days, from May 4th to May 28th in 2024 – in Vedic cosmology, when Surya passes through the Krittika star. In timely synchronicity – I was asked to summarize the ritual context of Lord Agni from the cultural thread that runs through practices from the primordial Rigvedic times to modern Dharmic belief. There is a somewhat hasty tendency to paint with broad swathes the notion that Rigvedic religion is fundamentally different from modern Hinduism. These are not because of simplistic interpolations replacing the pre-existing lore but rather building atop it, thus possessing the same conceptual core.
Let me give you, the reader, a brief primer of who Lord Agni is and then do a selectful conceptual dissection based on scriptural reading/research (that has informed my illustrations of this deity in the recent past – read on to witness these emanations). The word itself traces back to reconstructed (read: hypothetical) Proto-Indo-European word h₁n̥gʷnis, which shares DNA with Latin ignis (ignite). He is the central cosmic conduit to commune with the Gods – being the fulcrum of Yagnas (fire ritual), weddings, pujas (worship) of both the grandiose ritual and domestic scale and to mark life-cycle ceremonies. There are several primers for this across the board – so I will not expand upon this further.
Lord Agni by Mukesh Singh, an art hero of mine
Metaphysical, anthropomorphic and phenomenological – Agni is a prime example tripartite nature of the Gods in the Vedic context.
We can’t help but go into the allegorical significance of these Gods – because in dissecting every Vedic God, there are three levels: physical phenomenon; anthropomorphic theism and existential significance. Inherently in a ritual context – all three are concurrent. This is distinguished from everyday worship of other Gods where it is more individual commune with a personification. It would be accurate to say that the personal devotion quotient of Lord Agni isn’t as high as with other Gods (a few of us conscious devotees aside). How many people do you know who’s ishta-devata (cherished divinity) is Agni, for one?
Let’s get to the crux: Lord Agni is a conduit – the connective medium between the devotees/invokers and the Gods. The Gods eat the offerings through him. The iconic first Rigvedic verse – referring to him as the purohita and being the rtvij – the priest who officiates rites, is the ultimate declaration of this. He is of course often referred to as the first or eldest of the Angirasas – signifying his proverbial role as a progenitor of fire priests.
Rig Veda 1.127.2: We, the instrumental tutors of the ceremony, invoke you, Agni, who are most deserving of worship, and are the eldest of the Aṅgirasas, with (acceptable) prayers; and with prayers (recited) by the priests, (we adore) you, who, like the traverser of the sky, (the sun), are the invoker (of the gods on behalf) of men, and whom, the bright-haired showerer (of blessings), many people approaching propitiate for the attainment of felicity.Sanskrit: yajiṣṭhaṃ tvā yajamānā huvema jyeṣṭham aṅgirasāṃ vipra manmabhir viprebhiḥ śukra manmabhiḥ | parijmānam iva dyāṃ hotāraṃ carṣaṇīnām | śociṣkeśaṃ vṛṣaṇaṃ yam imā viśaḥ prāvantu jūtaye viśaḥ ||
A masterful depiction by the legendary Molee art – my indirect guru, really.
Agni as Transformation: One could extend the definition of Agni to be the transformative aspect of creation, over and above just the mundane understanding of it as just fire. Jatharagni – in Ayurveda i.e. digestive fire – is one such concept. Perhaps a reflection of the inherently theological nature of even the sciences of ancient India – you simply cannot divorce the ritualistic invocation of Agni from the allegorical presence of fire tatva/principle within the self.
Two roles: It would be a simplification of a multifaceted concept – but a good idea to split the role Agni in to two roles, and hence his traditional iconographic depiction with 2 heads: Jataveda (source of existential knowledge, but also denoting the terrestrial fire) and Kravyada (carnivorous aspect i.e. incinerating, flesh devourer, he who facilitates transmigration, receiver of the ancestors/dead) – found particularly in Rig Veda book 10 and in other later texts such as the Agni Purana. From this incinerating/ego-destroying aspect – we can draw a straight line as to the reason Svaha (Agni’s consort) is invoked by uttering the word every time ghee is fed into the yagna fire – a proverbial offering of the ego/self (tyaga mantra – disassociation of the individual).
Having set that context, let me briefly expand upon the two epithets or emanations of Lord Agni that inspired two illustrations I rendered of this venerable deity in the recent past:
Jataveda: Agni as the proverbial source of all knowledge, divine conduit and terrestrial fire
To reinforce: 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐀𝐠𝐧𝐢 is the cosmic conduit for devotees to gain knowledge/wisdom (veda) of all existence (jata), hence His epithet 𝙅𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙙𝙖. Jataveda represents the terrestrial fires i.e Agni as the altar fire/homa kunda fire.
✴ 𝗞𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗨𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝟯.𝟰: He (Yakṣa) said to Agni:—𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶? 𝘈𝘨𝘯𝘪 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘈𝘨𝘯𝘪 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭-𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘑ā𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥𝘢.”
𝗩𝗮𝗶ś𝘃ā𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮: Lord Agni as the celestial sun, a personification of cosmic proportions
Lord Vivaswan – Surya
Vaiśvānara is a solar epithet of Lord Agni denoting the celestial sun. He is deemed the indicator of days (anhām ketuḥ). Vaiśvānara extends (vistārayati) Uṣās (the Dawn Goddess) and when he sets, the entire world is in darkness. This clearly points to the Solar nature of Agni. Obvious enough, elementally speaking – but it is satisfying to have that interrelation reinforced from a solar perspective. Vaiśvānara is the universal fire i.e representing the animating nature of the sun, the ultimate life force of our existence. The Krishna Yajurveda fittingly expands Vaiśvānara further:
Jñānāgni (wisdom-fire): Pertaining to thought/the mind
Darśanāgni (eye-fire): Pertaining to the senses – sight, literally
Koshthāgni (digestive fire): That which is stimulated through consumption via prāṇa and apāna.
To quote the Garbha Upanishad of Krishna-Yajurveda: Darśanāgni is (in) the eye itself and is the cause of vijñāna and enables one to see all objects of form. It has three seats, the (spiritual) eye itself being the (primary) seat, and the eyeballs being the accessory seats. Dakṣiṇāgni is in the heart, Gārhapatya is in the belly, and in the face is Āhavanīya. (In this sacrifice with the three agnis)
• In Rig Veda 7.5.5, he is clearly praised as the Sun: “The horses, full of ardour, worship you, Agni; the praises (of men), dispersers (of iniquity), accompanied by oblations, (honour you), the lord of men, the conveyer of riches, the Vaiśvānara of dawns, the manifester of days.” || tvām agne harito vāvaśānā giraḥ sacante dhunayo ghṛtācīḥ | patiṃ kṛṣṭīnāṃ rathyaṃ rayīṇāṃ vaiśvānaram uṣasāṃ ketum ahnām ||
• Rig Veda 7.6.7: “The divine Agni Vaiśvānara has removed from the firmament the investing (glooms) at the rising of the sun; he has removed them from the lower firmament of the earth, from the upper firmament of heaven.”
• Rig Veda 6.8.4″: “The mighty maruts have seized upon him on the lap of the waters (in firmament), and men have acknowledged him as their adorable sovereign; mātariśvan, the messenger of the gods, has brought Agni vaiśvānara (hither) from the distant (sphere of the) sun.”
To conclude – the corporeal and incorporeal forms of the Gods, as Lord Agni illustrates – are both naturally, concurrent and internally coherent.
An old post written in 2021 for a friend’s news website’s alternate cultural column. Read away!
KRS One: Known as the The Blast Master/The Teacher, earning his reputation as uncontestable in a rap-battle, and arguably the proto-gangsta rapper from the Golden Age of the genre, with ‘Criminal Minded’. Set a precedent for an enunciated yet hard-hitting flow all the same.
Eric B & Rakim: Perhaps a specific praise of Rakim in particular – among the first to pioneer multi-syllabic delivery with religious themes and the Nation of Islam that were a first at the time in this then incipient street art.
Slick Rick: The original narrative rapper with vivid wordplay and a unique cadence, whose DNA is sprinkled through equally/more mainstream rappers like Snoop Dogg and the like. Also the original blinged rapper with ostentatious accessories.
Dogg Pound gang (Snoop Dogg, Daz, Kurupt etc): Dr.Dre’s The Chronic might have announced the arrival of g-funk, but records like Doggystyle and Dogg Food solidified it as a genre with both lasting mainstream clout and technical triumph. Snoop was the rapper to make being weird, cool and Kurupt and Daz’s lyricism has had a far more lasting impact than is palpable to the layman’s eye.
N.W.A: They didn’t create Gangsta Rap, but there’s no other name that comes to mind as immediately when you meditate on it. The true launching pad for West Coast titans like Dr. Dre – arguably the most prolific mainstream producer of all time, Ice Cube – the contradictory poet with arguably the best enunciation of all time and the sleazy Eazy-E, and others.
Eminem: Undeniably influential – originally drawing on the unorthodox drawls and lyricism of Snoop, Kurupt and ilk, mixed with his own bizarre and zany thematic explorations that evolved into its unique style – he opened up hip-hop to a wider audience like no other. Too much to say to truly justify the breadth of his influence.
Nas: God forbid, if he would have passed on instead of Tupac and Biggie in the 90s, he would be known as the greatest rapper of all time. A legend living in our midst. A true virtuoso with an equal sense of musicality and lyricism.
Notorious B.I.G: With a limited subject range but superseded by his large presence and mafioso attitude, a figurehead to the East Coast in the 90s and arguably balanced skill and memorability like no other.
Tupac: Arguably the most influential rapper ever and the embodiment of a perfect MC – flow, lyricism and presence, coupled with a contradictory personal life of social activism, dodgy violence and career antics that are borderline mythological.
ESG (Economic, Social & Governance) continues to gain significant importance as a governing framework, originating in UN’s 2006 Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Certainly, the concept itself is noble in its intent. Non-financial soft indicators such as social responsibility and brand reputation have always been important, so isn’t this a continuation of the same spirit, with tangible KPIs? There are multiple thought-pieces addressing ESG skepticism, in favor of this common altruistic framework. The main objective of the Paris agreement is to curb emissions and ensure financial flows consistent with climate change needs and the organization of resiliency. Buzzwords afloat are sustainable finance, that are in my estimation only furthers the obfuscation of this topic to the laymen, the everyman, and the average joe investor who’s funds the likes of Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street, or any other fund-manager use – to enforce this altruism. ESG is being positioned as the solution to concurrent financial ROI and prospects for a social/environmental utopia.
As an HR professional and investor, certainly there is an individual/personal angle to this as well. We as Talent-related professionals are deeply entrenched in defining and executing the ethos of an organization – and therefore part of this enforcing framework. In India, SEBI’s Integrated Reporting Framework has been widely used by the top 100 Indian companies to indicate ESG performance.
Organizations need to be careful about putting ESG ahead of their customers, a cart before the horse syndrome. Is ESG as a governance framework truly impactful, or are we being presented with a bureaucratic placebo or an investment marketing theme? Is the solution to the existential issues facing us a fight between “good” hedge/mutual fund investing in carbon-neutrality and the “bad” one in something else? Without ESG skepticism, ESG will become equivalent to a social-credit score for organizations. Asset managers control 60% of global investable assets per the BCG – rendering companies uneasy in an ESG context as financial flows are connected to it. Conversely, Bloomberg reported in December 2021 that only 1/155 ESG upgrades of S&P 500 companies cited an actual cut in emissions as a factor. Implementing any meaningful ESG measures requires additional investments into renewable energy, sustainable practices, and employee training.
There is a gradation of opinions, anywhere between the unequivocally pro-ESG stance of an individual with a clear direct vested interest and spearhead position in this conversation – such as Larry Fink (BlackRock CEO); versus the stance of Warren Buffet who has labeled ESG reporting as “a fraud”, subsequently increasing his stake in Occidental Petroleum ($250mn). A multivariate approach needs to be taken too – at face value, the likes of Tesla by way of electronic vehicles seem to be addressing the environmental issue, but have a low ESG score nevertheless, owing to an intensive water production and lack of water management systems. Tobacco companies scored higher. There’s also a great amount of irony in generators for EVs being diesel-fueled in many instances. Likewise, the ESG framework hardly holds Big Pharma accountable for animal cruelty by way of testing, or the discomfort associated with nuclear energy being the liminal alternative to fossil fuels in terms of scalability.
Conceptually speaking – ESG also renders all other altruistic frameworks void and may lead to an unhealthy uniformity and disingenuity in CSR endeavors, as well as significant window-dressing/white-washing. Using investment vehicles to shape social engineering will inevitably lead to a knock-on effect and possibly reinforce and amplify socio-cultural and political inequities, marginalize the third world and lead to market distortions. The ESG conversation is yet to address factors such as inevitable market consolidation due to inflexible compliance metrics, reduced competition/innovation, and meritocracy. Virtue, isn’t necessarily the same as good.
While it has existed in an incipient form for a few decades now, Artificial Intelligence is taking off in a big way now with organizations like OpenAI that seeks to develop safe and beneficial artificial intelligence platforms. By this juncture, it is redundant to define AI, with a plethora of resources at our fingertips on it. There are even stories of antiquity with AI-like beings such as Barbarik in the Mahabharata or Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein – so it has clearly been at the tip of the human mind a while now. The premise of my ruminations find their basis in the fact that we are rapidly moving from Business AI – which makes use of existing data for more accurate prediction models; to Perception AI.
Perception AI gives machines and algorithms human-like senses, if not quasi-consciousness, which in turn broadens the spectrum of their context/application to abstract proportions. An amalgam of physical and digital, it is a precursor to Autonomous AI. This is the juncture where we should seek to explore the ethical principles and human implications of AI.
• AI and it’s lack of moral navigation: AI, unlike us humans, does not have the obligation to navigate moral and ethical dilemmas, and may present view points as empirically verified facts. Facts by definition are not analogous to view-points, and requires repeated empirical evidence. Indisputable truths, essentially. Our polarized social/political/cultural/economic climate inherently affects the more objective fields of science, and we must be guarded to not let specific biases be presented as self-evident facts by way of AI taking on the biases of its developers, and the databases it draws from.
• Principle of convenience – the end of the Subject Matter Expert? There are several ethical dilemmas that are rearing their heads as we dive into this precursor of the Autonomous AI age. In a more broadly introspective context, what does the mass-scale adoption of AI for educational purposes hold for future professionals of all kind?
AI gives us a ready-made answer for questions we would previously have to keenly deliberate, hypothesize, test our assumptions, build internal logic and thereon present as a solution. Without being too alarmist, humans are by nature ready to leverage technologies that further convenience. Our paleolithic cavemen ancestors did not avoid candy because of being orthorexic – they simply did not have the option to eat it. Drawing on this parallel, we should likewise be cognizant of not choosing convenience over principles – the redundancy of human agency and the organic learning process.
• Epidemic of amplified attention deficit: Attention deficit, from the spectrum of mild attention deficit to diagnosed ADHD, is only being magnified in our age endless scrolling and short-form video structures across all platforms. Who knew supratherapeutic doses of dopamine would be ultimately suboptimal? There is a wealth of digital literature on this.
There is also an age old adage that reading and writing helps internalize concepts better. AI automates this process entirely for burgeoning professionals of all sorts and does away with the admittedly rote-learning/manual process. This sounds appealing to be sure, but what implications does this have on the future of learning?
It is the clunky, iterative learning process and the micro-failures that come with it that reinforces learning and absorption. The analogue process of absorbing conceptual structures, furthers neuroplasticity, strengthens and activates synaptic structures.
Are we setting ourselves up for limited neuroplasticity in a pre-adult stage, with these applications of convenience that do not require reinforcement to get it done? Is such an essentialist means to an end, healthy for us?
• Legalities & intellectual property, the more practical concern: AI generated images, or “art”, are a contentious topic. As a hobby artist, I naturally tend to gravitate towards a specific side of the ideological argument. Likewise, Gordon Graham (That Whitepaper Guy) has publicly highlighted how his copyrighted academic contributions are word-for-word generated by ChatGPT prompts. AI art is notably mired in legal troubles – as of January 2023, the Joseph Saveri Law Firmm LLP filed a class action was filed against Stability AI, Midjourney and DeviantArt for DMCA violation, rights of publicity violations, unlawful competition and breach of TOS. While that may be a legal mouthful – the essence of the concerns against this side of AI is the appropriation of the work of artists without consent, credit and compensation as part of the database it draws on.
A prominent example is DreamUp, a product that unlawfully infringes from the DeviantArt community without permission from the artists it generates from. Even giants like Adobe have an automatic opt-in for Machine Learning AI – photoshop is prominently used by many digital artists. Needless to say, there are several intellectual property concerns about the databases such visual generator apps derive from. It will inevitably make many visual artists redundant.
Many pro-AI proponents liken it to the camera not replacing painting – but AI image generators plagiarize, they do not inherently innovate. Deep-fakes, propaganda and political manipulation are other uses of AI “art” with no governance framework. Large language models, likewise, will inevitably lead to data-protection concerns.
• AI – appropriating both mundanities and creativity: In the absence of an adequate governance framework protecting the intellectual property that AI derives its generations from, AI is destined to become the battleground of humans and machines alike – proverbially and literally. Legislations and morality in the meanwhile are playing catchup, but our approach hereon should be applied and pre-emptive.
An idea that needs to further take hold in the cultural zeitgeist is that AI cannot be indiscriminate in its underlying mechanism, and can only ever be an enabler, not a replacement – in an ideal world.
We live in interesting times, facing an unprecedented pandemic, or depending on how deep in the conspiracy rabbit hole you are willing to delve into – you are an every-man trapped in an elaborate maelstrom of a conspiracy to topple our way of living, liberty and sovereignty. This post is not about that, although certainly there is consonance between some of the themes explored here. There is a call for collective cooperation without directly controlling or knowing each other, and the collective mitigating effect being intangible.
While ours is a less proactive role in comparison to how this plays out in the stories collected under the Seven Soldiers umbrella, this is a theme that is the primary premise of Seven Soldiers by Grant Morrison. This is a run that ran across 2005-06 in parallel to (in the wake of) DC Comics’ line-wide event Infinite Crisis. A re-reading of this had me feeling the urge to pen my thoughts and highlight the emergent themes from this brilliant collection of stories, and why this story stands head-and-shoulders above regular cape-fare.
The Seven Soldiers, with additional characters of the meta-series, depicted by the brilliant Ryan Sook. Also the wrap around cover art for the hardcover of the Seven Soldiers omnibus.Left bottom: Shining Knight, Zatanna; Klarion the Witchboy. Left Top: Gloria Tenebrae and to her right, Zor and Melmoth; Nebuloh the sentient universe. Center: ManhattanGuardian; Mister Miracle; Frankenstein & Bulleteer. Top left of Frankenstein: Darkseid, the (New) God of Evil
Modular storytelling: Seven Soldiers begins with Seven Soldiers #0, runs through 7, four-issue miniseries, and concludes with Seven Soldiers #1. Each miniseries has our Seven Soldiers playing within their own sand-box, yet in parallel inevitably converging towards their shared concomitant crisis. Each of the parallel runs/storylines are modular in nature – in that they can be read by themselves, but the true reward for this comes with the convergence of these narratives like pieces of a puzzle. The reader itself plays an active role in stringing the threads together. They are a team that never really meets each other, and even in the culmination are not fully aware of each others’ roles and existences in this obscure crisis. I use the word obscure, as our regular pantheon of heroes, with their colorful capes, archetypal and statuesque presences are out of commission, which makes this set of characters all the more interesting – both in isolation and the way they proverbially cross paths.
Each book also has distinct, stylistic art befitting of each character. Shining Knight has a gouache/watercolor style by Simone Bianchi befitting of its Arthurian origins, while Klarion the Witchboy has very somber, stylized, negative-space/shadow-dependent art by Frazer Irving. Similarly, Frankenstein has the intricate, scraggly lines characteristic of the prolific Doug Mahnke that adds a dimensionality to the horror-adventure vibe of the character.
“Each issue is stand alone, each miniseries can be read complete and the whole thing assembles like a jigsaw into one huge epic with multiple, criss-crossing storylines, ranging across a swathe of genres and human emotions.” – Grant Morrison
My personal copy of the Seven Soldiers omnibus – a pleasure to own for the oversized artwork, prestige hardcover format and additional material
Timorous heroes each embodying a specific hero archetype: The Seven Soldiers are The Shining Knight, Klarion the Witch Boy, Frankenstein, Bulleteer, The Manhattan Guardian, Mister Miracle, and Zatanna. The Seven Soldiers are not your traditional, enthusiastic superheroes – they are apprehensive heroes, yet at their core out to do good.
For some heroism is their penance (Zatanna, Frankenstein) for others it is a destiny that was otherwise obscured to them amidst their fantastical but shallow lives (Mister Miracle), a second chance at making an impact (Guardian), something they fell into entirely under non-ideal circumstances (Bulleteer) or driven by an unfulfilled call to duty riddled with survivor’s guilt (Shining Knight). Shining Knight, who is arguably the most traditional hero here is a time-displaced individual from the first Arthurian Epoch, 10,000 years ago, somewhere in the 81st century BC. Klarion is barely a hero to begin or end with, with his trickster, impish, self-serving ways. The Witchboy nevertheless plays a pivotal part in the tale and is a testament to the legacy imprint that the Sheeda left with the limbo-town puritans, who are eventually revealed to be half-Sheeda, descended from Melmoth – the former king of the Sheeda. So who are the Sheeda?
Frankenstein realizes he’s up against evil dystopian Fairies from the future. Isn’t that a trip?
The Sheeda as the logical extreme conclusion to humanity’s self-devouring nature: The Sheeda are essentially an inversion of the traditional changeling or fairie mythological trope. A “fairy-harvester” race from one billion years into the future, described as a ransacked, hyper-dystopian planet earth, tumbling on slow, wounded spirals towards a blistering, undead sun – a half-life existence, a claustrophobic imitation of culture at the end of all things. Which is precisely why the Sheeda thrive on travelling to various segments of the earth’s history and feeding on the cultural achievements of past civilizations. It is eventually revealed that the Sheeda are the evolutionary logical end of homo-sapiens, a metaphorical reflection on the self-devouring nature of our species to meet the primordial survival-of-the-fittest criteria to its perverted extreme.
Sheeda harrowing of Camelot, 10000 BC – depicting their insectoid associations and fairie-like appearance
Civilizational cycles(Non-linear history): Shining Knight (Sir Ystin/Ystina), one of our core characters, is a time-displaced knight who serves as a squire of sorts to Sir Galahad – a name that should be familiar to those familiar with King Arthur’s round table. The narrative eventually reveals she is a young woman posing as a male squire, who rises to the occasion when their era is faced with the Sheeda harrowing (the Fall of Camelot).
However, the more interesting implication here is the cyclical nature of civilizations and non-linear historical timelines. Allusions of multiple Arthurs – a pagan general in Roman Britain, a medieval Christian mystic and theproto-Arthur from Sir Ystin’s era in the 81st Century BC, imply that Arthur is not a singular individual but a man-myth, a recurring archetype. The rise and fall of civilizations being a cyclical occurrence is a mind-tingling prospect – what with our world being six billion years old and our current version of history being only 6000 years old. History is not as linear as we see it, tying into similar concepts across cultures (eg. Yugas in Dharmic theology).
Gloria Tenebrae and the Wicked Stepmother archetype: The Sheeda are ruled by the Dark King Melmoth, who is usurped by his Queen Gloria Tenebrae, in a proverbially named place known as Summers End, additionally known by other names such as Unwhen, The Otherworld and Land of the Vampire Sun. Gloria Tenebrae is clearly modeled after the Wicked Stepmother from the Snow White fable, even asking a mirror on the wall for information pertaining to the Seven Soldiers (Manhattan Guardian #4). Self-referential statements about being the “Fairest of them all” (Shining Knight #1), and the appearance of the apple motif (Shining Knight #1 & Frankenstein #4) reinforces this. A step-daughter also plays a pivotal role in the story, with Neh-Buh-Loh (a literal sentient universe) ordered to kill her daughter by Melmoth, in Eternity’s dark woods.
Seven: Quite obviously, the number 7 is a recurring motif throughout the story, with Ali Kazoom (The Merlin of the Ghetto) even alluding to it being the mystery thread tying things together. From the oldest point in history (10000 BC) where Seven Score, soldiers are slain during the Fall of Camelot; to the Seven that set the story in motion.; to the seven Time Tailors who stop the renegade time-tailor Zor; to the unwitting “team” of Seven Soldiers – the motif is clear as day to see. Seven Soldiers #0 reflects on the 7 being the count of the days of the week, virtues, sins, seven champions of Christendom, seven spirits at the throne of God, seven sleepers, seven wise masters etc (Seven Soldiers #0) and in line with the aforementioned Snow White/Wicked Mother themes – the 7 dwarves are our 7 Soldiers.
Shilo Norman confronting the human manifestation (Boss Dark Side) and abstract gestalt entity (True Form Darkseid) simultaneously
Simultaneous deconstruction and elevation of Jack Kirby’s New Gods: Jack Kirby’s New Gods are easily the most interesting part of DC cosmology. Morrison simultaneously deconstructs and elevates this part of the DC mythos. The iteration of Mister Miracle here is Shilo Norman – who first appeared as Scott Free’s protege in Kirby’s original early 70s series, has now taken on the mantle of Mister Miracle as a celebrity escapologist, post-his apprenticeship under Scott Free – the original and a God of New Genesis who grew up on Apokolips (see: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World). Through the course of the story, it is revealed that an incomprehensible War in Heaven (the Fourth World) has led to the New Gods manifesting in three-dimensional human forms as a Fall from Heaven of sorts. The manifestation of higher-dimensional Gods in lower planes of existence.
Shilo, stuck in the Omega Life-Trap, confronts and overcomes various possible false versions of his life and escapes as he is (unbeknownst to him) the manifestation of Scott Free (the original Mister Miracle) – the God of Freedom, granted Godsight by his ordeal(s). Norman trades in his life and frees Aurakles – the original superhero made of splicing Neanderthal and New God DNA. There are many fantastical implications here too, with the red-haired Aurakles being the progenitor of Bulleteer (also red-haired), who was his symbolic secret spear against the Sheeda. Ultimately, despite trading in his life, as the last panel of the story reveals – he escapes this trap still, cementing his significance as the ultimate paragon of perseverant freedom. This interpretation of the New Gods also sets up the mega-epic Final Crisis.
The original Sheeda harrowing as faced by Aurakles (the original superhero), depicted in classic Kirby style by the brilliant J.H Williams III
Underappreciated DC lore: Seven Soldiers is exceptionally literate and full of rich themes at its core. It uses lesser-known pieces of DC lore (original Seven Soldiers, Jack Kirby’s Newsboy Legion etc.) and puts a beyond-fresh twist on them while still referencing the original concepts as being the precursors in the DC meta-timeline. In this sense, the allusions and easter-eggs are clear to see for those who pick up on them, but non-essential and melds into the narrative for fresh readers. This is Morrison’s elaborate homage, a love-letter to influential figures like Len Wein and Jack Kirby.
Meta-textual literary devices: Fiction cannibalism is one of the prominent themes that arises from Seven Soldiers. Static, degenerating creative organizations (i.e comicbook companies) stealing from their own history to infuse a new (albeit disingenuous) life into their creative IPs is one of the implicit themes. One of the eight Time Tailors (who look like a group of bald men, in Morrison’s likeness), charged with keeping the fabric of the universe, named Zor, eventually goes renegade. Zor infects the timestream with the Sheeda virus in Zatanna #4 but is eventually stopped by his fellow Time Tailors who deem him to have gone too far. This occurs outside conventional linear time and even pops out of panels, reinforcing its meta-textual nature, with the author himself in a sense participating in the narrative’s progression, in-panel.
The ultimate jolt to the story’s conclusion is Zatanna’s incantation/command to her universe to wake up for its own self-preservation and asking the seven soldiers to strike (read the dialogue backwards). This is essentially Morrison himself casting a spell on the DC universe, congregating all the narrative threads into the “final battle”, if it can be called that in any conventional sense.
While there is much more to be said about this book, its future-setups (Final Crisis) and sigil-magick, those are topics for another time.
An exploration of the philosophy and motivations of this largely reviled iteration of the iconic Superman antagonist
lexophile (plural lexophiles). Noun
A lover of words, especially in word games, puzzles, anagrams, palindromes, etc.
One of the main points of contention with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice across the greater fandom was Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor. Gone was the strapping, bald, calculating business mogul familiar to most; and most were taken by surprise at the socially awkward, click-laden and fidgety, Silicon valley, tech-billionaire version of the character – not so dissimilar in background to the Zuckerbergs and Jobs of the world. As in all dramatized fan outcry, most viewers asserted that this iteration of the character was an insult to the traditional versions of the character, and that Jesse Eisenberg was just playing himself, or some distorted version of the Riddler or the Joker, due to his surface level mannerisms.
Lex Luthor: Mad Scientist and Master Schemer
But, allow me a few minutes to convince you otherwise. Luthor has not always been the confident, strapping, well-built, calculating businessman archetype that was soldified by John Byrne’s The Man of Steel. The Luthor of the Golden and Silver Age of comic books was a mad-scientist first and foremost in terms of the former, and an obsessive genius in the latter era, tying into the strings of the Golden Age. Our Luthor in Batman v Superman too is a mad scientist, what with his kryptonite exploration and genetic engineering of Doomsday, among other things. We see shades of his ability to be a political maverick of sorts too, attempting to manipulate the Senators in the movie to allow authorization to engineer kryptonite as a planetary defense system – we don’t have to use a silver bullet, but if we forge one, we don’t have to depend on the kindness of monsters either.
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, as he appears towards the end of the movie post-incarceration
But let’s pause for a moment and just look at him. No, really, just look at him. The cockiness, the surety, the neurotic gaze, those heavy brows and cheekbones and slimy gate – all emanate this almost exaggerated sense of villainy that was so perfectly in contrast to the hulking yet heroic presences of Henry Cavill (Superman) and Ben Affleck (Batman). Eisenberg is the most interesting character in the movie if one sees beyond the quirks – but that in itself is the point. One thing, to note, however, is that the character is bald (pictured) only at the end of the movie during the time of his incarceration. The majority of the movie sees someone more in line with the iteration seen in the flashbacks of Lex in the book Superman: Birthright (by Mark Waid) or Superman: Secret Origin (by Geoff Johns, illustrated by Gary Frank).
Similar? Kind of, at least? In particular, I as a viewer loved the idea that this was someone who had an abusive childhood and yet, due to being from a privileged background concurrently, he also developed this heightened sense of entitlement and a resentment bubbling under the surface, all too reflective of some of us millennials.
Luthor is essentially a resentful atheist, which is why the idea of Superman in itself is abhorrent to his very world-view and an existential disruption tying into his emotional trauma. Especially, because there was no Superman or God to save him from the abusive nature of his father – in line with the running theme in the movie of living up to one’s fabled and romanticized paternal legacy.
I seek to explore the philosophical motivations, references and allusions that forge Lex Luthor from BvS as, in my opinion, one of the most compelling and interesting villains, that has been unfairly maligned for not being a clean-and-cut copy of the archetypal Luthor that was introduced in the mid-1980s. Instead, he is more of an amalagam of the various iterations across the ages, and of course, very much his own character all the same.
Luthor stands out in the sea of generic comic-book villains because he is one of the few, who, in the context of this film, actually wins. Luthor’s entire plan hinges on ensuring not only the meticulous political character assassination of Superman and not allowing him to voice his side of the story (Capitol Bombing), but also ensures a distinct lack of interaction between our two protagonists to heighten the ideological tension between the two. This is genius, as more interaction between Supes and the Bat would in turn would lead to increasing common ground, but we wouldn’t want that would we?
Yes he’s quirky, awkward, slimy and obnoxious. But as I’ve mentioned, that isthe point, and all part of the manipulative act. So, without further ado, let’s get into an in-depth analysis on this Lexophile (see what I did there?) of a character below:
Lex Luthor: The Lexophile
From Superman Unchained #1 (2013)
The story of Icarus is referenced both in the Metropolis Library fundraiser and as he mixes his blood with Zod’s corpse (“You flew too close to the sun”) while genetically engineering Doomsday. Also interesting to note that Lex is subject to the Icarus paradox – he is too smart for his own good. The very intelligence and intellectual prowess that aided him in elevating LexCorp in becoming the industry stalwart it is, also led to his downfall and subsequent incarceration.
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is referenced during the Lois Lane confrontation on the helipad: “Plane Lo in the morning. Lola in slacks.” Also, this somewhat fits well with the sleazy nature of Luthor viz. the pedophilic undertones of the novel.
French philosopher Michel Foucault’s concept of le savoir-pouvoir or power-knowledge i.e power is based on knowledge and makes use of knowledge; on the other hand, power reproduces knowledge by shaping it in accordance with its anonymous intentions. Power (re-) creates its own fields of exercise through knowledge. A direct parallel to his dialogue “The bittersweet pain among men is having knowledge with no power, because that is paradoxical“.
“Late late says the White rabbit” based on Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland(and its various adaptations across media).
Luthor’s Epicurean paradox —
The Epicurean Paradox
Lactantius’s De Ira Dei (On the Anger of God), attributed to Epicurus, parralels Lex’s The problem of evil and his problem with the aspirationally omniscient nature of Superman — “If He wants to and cannot, then he is weak and this does not apply to god. If he can but does not want to, then he is spiteful which is equally foreign to god’s nature. If he neither wants to nor can, he is both weak and spiteful, and so not a god. If he wants to and can, which is the only thing fitting for a god, where then do bad things come from? Or why does he not eliminate them?“
Dialogues concerning Natural Religion (1779) by Scottish philosopher David Hume in the context of Epicurus — “Epicurus’s old questions are yet unanswered. Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? then is he impotent. Is he able, but not willing? then is he malevolent. Is he both able and willing? whence then is evil?“
“I don’t hate the sinner. I hate the sin. And yours, my friend, is existing.” American scholar Victor Brombert’s commentary (Flaubert’s Saint Julien: The Sin of Existing) on Gustav Flaubert’s La Légende de Saint-Julien l’Hospitalier (The Legend of St. Julian the Hospitaller) parallels this notion – one’s pre-destiny to sin, thus being a sin in oneself. In the original legend, pagan witches secretly jinx Julian into predestining killing both his parents at birth. The enemy tricks him into believing that his wife is cheating on him, and mistakes his parents laying on his bed as his wife and another man, and mistakenly murders them.
A lot of these questions are also addressed in the Must there be a Superman? montage in the movie itself.
Civilization on the Wayne, Manors out the window
Lex’s wordplay and wit —
Batman-Belle Reve jail scene: “This is how it all caves in. Civilization on the wane (Wayne), manners (Manor) out the window*” – an obvious reference to the Bruce Wayne alter ego.
American Revolutionary figure Paul Revere, referencing his trip from Boston to Lexington warning everyone along the way of British troops (“redcoats”) approaching by sea – “The redcoats are coming! The redcoats are coming!”, an obvious parallel to “The red capes are coming!”.
Minor/obvious wordplay and wit: Upon seeing the Bat signal — “The knight/night is here”; “Mother of God; would you look at the time?”; obviously a play on Martha Kent, Superman’s adoptive human mother. “Now God is as good as dead.”; a reference to the classic Friedrich Nietzsche quote. “Now the world will see the holes in the holy.”, foreshadowing Superman’s impalement at the hands of Doomsday.
Source: Lex Luthor – Man of Steel (2005)
Full credits and praise to the philosophers, original comicbook artists and authors as credited and featured in the article; including but not limited to Mark Waid, Scott Snyder, Jim Lee, Brian Azzarello, Geoff Johns, Lee Bermejo and Gary Frank.
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Achintya Venkatesh - Art, Meditations & Deliberations 