Nānārtha — Polysemy

Freedom of Expression

meaning

Why clarity about the nature of prophetic monotheism's claim on speech is a prerequisite for any meaningful Hindu engagement with the politics of free expression - the conceptual tools for a discourse that currently lacks them.

Hinduism in the Blind Spot - Part 2

meaning

Part 2 - continuing the diagnosis of why even well-meaning Western and westernized Indian intellectuals systematically fail to engage with Hinduism - and what a genuine encounter with it would actually require.

A Primer of Indian Logic

categories

Introductory exposition of Indian logical method, categories, inference, and debate using the Tarkasangraha tradition.

A Scheme for Knowledge Representation in Samskritam

semantic

Paper exploring Sanskrit-based formal knowledge representation and semantic structuring.

Amarakośaḥ Devanāgarī

lexicon

Devanagari text of the Amarakosha for direct study of the classical Sanskrit lexicon.

Amarakosha English Translation

lexicon, semantic

English translation of the Amarakosha, the classical Sanskrit lexicon arranged by semantic groupings.

An Elementary Treatise on Mimamsa

hermeneutics

Accessible introduction to Mimamsa principles, Vedic injunctions, and hermeneutical reasoning.

Art Experience

meaning

Reflection on art, meaning, symbolism, and the experience of beauty in Indian thought.

Bhartṛhari’s Linguistic Ontology and the Semantics of Ātmanepada

semantic

Specialized study of Bhartrhari’s metaphysics of language and grammatical semantics.

Genetics And AIT, Look Again

interpretation

Re-examines genetic claims supporting the Aryan Invasion Theory, highlighting methodological flaws and alternative interpretations of population data.

Genetics And The Aryan Issue

interpretation

Critical evaluation of genetic evidence in the Aryan debate, addressing misinterpretations and emphasizing continuity in South Asian populations.

Hermeneutics and Narrative Architecture

interpretation, hermeneutics

Study of how interpretive method and narrative design work together in Sanskrit epic literature.

Hindu Realism An Introduction to Vaisheshika

categories

Introductory study of Vaisheshika realism, categories of being, and metaphysical analysis.

Hindu Studies in a Secular Academy

categories

Reflection on the institutional framing of Hindu studies and the limits of secular academic categories.

Indian Concept of Performance

category

Study of performance as a conceptual and embodied category in Indian aesthetic theory.

Introduction to IKS

categories

Survey introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems and their major domains, methods, and categories.

On the Meaning of Hymns to Maruts in the Rigveda

meaning

Philological examination of Marut hymns in the Rig Veda, exploring storm mythology, ritual significance, and Indo-Iranian parallels.

Paradigm Lost the Application of the Historical Critical Method to the Bhagavadgita

interpretation

Critique of applying historical-critical methods reductively to the Bhagavad Gita.

Philosophy and Criticism

interpretation

Essay on the relation between philosophical interpretation and critical academic method.

Pride and Prejudice Orientalism and Germany

interpretation

Study of German orientalism and the ideological lenses shaping Indological interpretation.

Purva Mimamsa in its Sources

hermeneutics

Source-based introduction to Purva Mimamsa doctrine and textual method.

Rakhigarhi and After

interpretation

Critical response to Rakhigarhi ancient DNA findings, evaluating implications for Aryan migration theories and indigenous population continuity.

Religious Sects of Hindus

classification

Survey of major Hindu sects, their doctrines, institutions, and devotional lineages.

Sastradipika

interpretation

Classical Mimamsa text on interpretation, injunction, and the structure of Vedic authority.

Scratching my head! — Criticism of Narsimhan VM et al 2019

interpretation

Independent critique of Narasimhan et al. 2019 ancient DNA study, addressing sampling limitations and alternative interpretations of Steppe ancestry.

The Epistemological Event Horizon In Archaeology

interpretation

Philosophical critique of archaeological interpretation, addressing methodological limits in reconstructing prehistoric language and population movements.

The Kalās

categories, classification

Work on Indian Knowledge Systems, bringing traditional categories into conversation with practice, theory, or pedagogy.

The Knowledge Structure in the Amarakosha

categories, classification, semantic

Study of how the Amarakosha encodes categories, semantic relations, and systems of knowledge.

The Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini

hermeneutics

Another edition of the Mimamsa Sutras presenting the core framework of Vedic hermeneutics and duty.

The Purva Mimamsa Sutras of Jaimini

interpretation, hermeneutics

Foundational Mimamsa sutra text on ritual duty, injunction, and scriptural interpretation.

The Riks

interpretation

Selection and interpretation of Rigvedic hymns highlighting poetic vision, symbolism, and early Vedic spirituality.

The Secret of the Veda

interpretation, hermeneutics

Sri Aurobindo’s symbolic interpretation of the Vedic hymns as spiritual and psychological texts rather than merely ritual documents.

The Vaisheshika Darshan

categories

Presentation of the Vaisheshika system and its ontology of substances, qualities, and relations.

Theories of Language

meaning, semantic

Study of Indian theories of language, meaning, signification, and verbal cognition.

Treatise on Rigveda

interpretation

Extended interpretive study of the Rigveda with attention to language, symbolism, and historical understanding.

True Meaning Of Ashva

meaning, interpretation

Etymological and contextual analysis of 'Ashva' in the Rig Veda, exploring symbolic, ritual, and literal interpretations of the term.

Vākyapadīya

meaning

Foundational work of Bhartrhari on language, meaning, cognition, and the philosophy of linguistic unity.

Yogasutra with Commentary of Madhavacharya

interpretation

Yoga Sutra text accompanied by traditional commentary for philosophical and practical interpretation.

What Idea Must Die, for Hindu Renaissance

category

What idea must die for Hindu renaissance to happen - caste, secularism, modernity, sarva-dharma-samabhāva, or the very category of religion applied to dharma?

AK Saran

categories

A rare Indian sociologist who refused to think inside British intellectual frameworks - his is one of the few attempts to develop a genuinely Hindu social science, reading the tradition from within rather than against Western categories.