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Peter Sahota
Peter Sahota

172 Followers

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Published in

Desire To Think

·Apr 30

The Mirror in Indian Art and Literature

I recently read a fascinating article by Christopher P Jones, ‘Decoding Reflections: The Meaning of Mirrors in Art’, where the author talks about some important European paintings featuring mirrors, and explains the role and symbolism of the mirror in each painting. After reading it, I thought of the depiction of…

Art

4 min read

The Mirror in Indian Art and Literature
The Mirror in Indian Art and Literature
Art

4 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Apr 28

World Happiness and Indian Philosophy

As the exuberant celebrations of the ‘Holi’ festival last month were dying down, a slight dampener came in the form of the release of the ‘World Happiness Report 2023’. The report authors managed to rank India 126th out of 136 countries surveyed, far behind countries such as Pakistan (108) and…

Happiness

4 min read

World Happiness and Indian Philosophy
World Happiness and Indian Philosophy
Happiness

4 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Mar 4

Poetry for the G20

This year India holds the presidency of the G20, and is hosting high-level diplomatic and ministerial meetings which are now in full swing. The theme of this Indian presidency is the Sanskrit phrase “वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्” taken from the Mahā Upanishad, or, in English, it is ‘One Earth, One Family, One…

G20

5 min read

Poetry for the G20
Poetry for the G20
G20

5 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Feb 25

On doubt in science and religion

That doubt is of the greatest value in supporting the scientific tradition has been a fundamental principle for many of the greatest scientists. Richard Feynman has eloquently described how doubt and intellectual humility are values at the heart of the scientific enterprise. “We have found it of paramount importance that…

Science

6 min read

On doubt in science and religion
On doubt in science and religion
Science

6 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Feb 18

Indra driving the chariot

The chariot race was one of the most important competitive sports in Greece, Rome and many other ancient cultures. In the Iliad, we read a description of a chariot race held as part of the funeral games. …

Indra

4 min read

Indra driving the chariot
Indra driving the chariot
Indra

4 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Feb 11

Animals and the sacred

“Western culture has become more and more exclusively humanistic and ideas of ancient cultures, such as that of ancient Egypt that man and animal are partners and, to some extent, equals as living beings are largely forgotten and neglected.” [Herman te Velde, Some remarks on the mysterious language of the…

Animals

5 min read

Animals and the sacred
Animals and the sacred
Animals

5 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Feb 4

On poetry and the arrangement of words

The Indian philosopher Bhaṭṭa Jayanta once speculated on the limits of expressive possibilities as follows - “How can we imagine something new? Here I will just develop variety in the arrangements of words. Having once made a garland of flowers, we can make a new one using the same flowers. Just a new…

Poetry

5 min read

On poetry and the arrangement of words
On poetry and the arrangement of words
Poetry

5 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Jan 12

Haruki Murakami and Buddhist philosophy

Over Christmas I read ‘The Wind-up Bird Chronicle’, a novel by Haruki Murakami, in the English translation by Jay Rubin. …

Haruki Murakami

9 min read

Haruki Murakami and Buddhist philosophy
Haruki Murakami and Buddhist philosophy
Haruki Murakami

9 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Dec 17, 2022

On the moment of insight

I was just reading about how a “grammatical problem that has defeated Sanskrit scholars since the 5th century BC has finally been solved by an Indian Ph.D. student at the University of Cambridge.” The researcher explains - “I had a eureka moment in Cambridge. After 9 months trying to crack…

Sanskrit

4 min read

On the moment of insight
On the moment of insight
Sanskrit

4 min read


Published in

Desire To Think

·Oct 9, 2022

On poetic understanding

Eliot, Larkin and the Rig Veda Just as scientists strive to crystallize deeper truths about the world, so too do poets. However, whereas scientists further our understanding of reality through a process of abstraction, poets develop insights that resists abstraction and stays at the level of ordinary things. In The…

Poetry

3 min read

On poetic understanding
On poetic understanding
Poetry

3 min read

Peter Sahota

Peter Sahota

172 Followers

Writing on themes from Vedas, Upanishads, Indian art, and other ancient literatures.

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