I was horrified when a close relative — whom I shall refrain from naming — casually remarked that Bhagwan Shiva was blue, probably influenced by comic books and calendar art. That one offhand comment revealed how far we have drifted from our own aesthetic vocabulary.
Almost instinctively, I found myself reciting:
कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं
karpūra-gauraṁ karuṇā-avatāram
He whose form is white and translucent like camphor, the embodiment of compassion.
Shiva, in our earliest imagination, is not blue in the literal sense. He is camphor-white — clear, luminous, almost translucent. His form dissolves into light the way camphor does. Somewhere along the way, symbolism became pigment, and depth became surface. That small moment stayed with me, because it opened up a larger question: how did our sense of beauty become so narrowly defined?
Before all this, India saw beauty everywhere
If we turn to our epics and poetry, we meet a civilisation that never believed beauty had to look one particular way.
Rama is described as:
श्यामः पीताम्बरधरः
śyāmaḥ pītāmbaradharaḥ
Dark-complexioned, radiant in bearing.
Krishna is loved as:
मे��श्यामं
megha-śyāmaṁ
Dark like a monsoon cloud.
Draupadi, born of fire yet dusky, is named Krishnaa:
कृष्णा मनोज्ञा
kṛṣṇā mano-jñā
The dark one, deeply captivating.
Sita, daughter of the earth, is remembered as:
काञ्चनप्रभाम्
kāñcana-prabhām
She who shines with a warm, golden radiance.
And Ulupi, the Nāga princess, brings in an entirely different geography and aesthetic:
नागकन्या रूपयुवती
nāga-kanyā rūpa-yuvatī
The beautiful young maiden of the Nāgas.
These descriptions are not just about skin tone. They speak of presence, grace, strength, virtue, and harmony with nature. Beauty was not uniform; it was regional, seasonal, and deeply human. Sangam poets adored ebony skin. Sculptors carved bodies full of vitality and sensual confidence. Nothing about our aesthetic imagination was apologetic or narrow.
Parvati, and the reminder that beauty is not skin deep
As I reflected further, I was reminded of the old adage that beauty is not skin deep — especially when I thought about Maa Parvati and how she has been described.
Parvati does not belong to one shade. She moves freely across the entire spectrum.
As Gauri, she is gentle and luminous:
उमा गौरी जगन्माता
umā gaurī jagan-mātā
Uma, the radiant mother of the world.
As Shyama or Kali, she becomes the deep, protective dark:
श्यामा रूपं धृतवती
śyāmā rūpaṁ dhṛtavatī
She who has assumed the dark form.
As Annapurna, she carries the warmth of grain and nourishment:
अन्नपूर्णे सदापूर्णे
annapūrṇe sadā-pūrṇe
O ever-nourishing goddess.
And as Tripurasundari, beauty transcends colour altogether:
मुखचन्द्रकला
mukha-candra-kalā
Her face shines like the crescent moon.
Parvati makes something unmistakably clear: beauty was never a single complexion. It was Shakti — strength, compassion, nourishment, radiance — expressed differently depending on the moment and the need.
When colonialism narrowed our gaze
Colonial rule quietly introduced a hierarchy where fairness became aspiration and power. Over time, this seeped into cinema, advertising, and even family conversations. Gods grew lighter on calendars. Heroines were softened on screen. A civilisation that once celebrated dark gods and earth-toned goddesses began to doubt its own reflection.
The loss wasn’t dramatic — it was subtle, and therefore deeper.
Coming home to our own way of seeing
India’s older imagination still whispers to us — in verses
The Lost Durga Stuti Of Bengal
Why This Hymn Disappeared?
This Durga Stuti is inspired by the spiritual atmosphere of 1980s Bengali devotion where Sanskrit chants, soulful vocals, and divine emotion came together in pure bhakti.
Experience the timeless presence of Maa Durga through this vintage-style Bengali devotional journey filled with Shakti, nostalgia, and sacred energy.
🔱🙏🏾 Joy Maa Durga 🙏🏾🔱
Credit : Beyond Conscious
This handle is an absolute must follow.
Deep appreciation for Sanskrit, Hindu epics, our mythology, faith, lore, art, books.
I get more out of following him than 99.9% of Twitter dharmics.
Just wish all of his Japanese recs auto-translate into English so I can read them!
Marwaris don’t become rich because they earn more.
They become rich because their entire family behaves like a private equity fund.
12 hidden rules of India’s richest community you have never noticed 👇🏻
Hanuman Chalisa written by Tulsidas is considered very powerful that should be recited daily to get divine blessings of Lord Hanuman.
Here are 4 couplets from the same that hold significance.
Finally the @NobelPrize puts out the complete "Jana Gana Mana" song written by Kavi Guru Rabindranath Tagore for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. Do you know for whom this song was written? KRISHNA - Yes Bhagavan Krishna. That's why Mulla-Marxist-Missionaries are so against it.
Another leftist conspiracy exposed! Jana Gana Mana was written for Bhagavan Krishna, not George V? Yes! But envious leftists have deliberately spread misinformation about it. Rabindranath Tagore himself clarified that he wrote the song for Krishna, addressing Him as the "eternal charioteer." Listen to our ISKCON devotee & Professor Abhishekh Ghosh, who explains this beautifully.
देश के मान-सम्मान की रक्षा के लिए भारतीय सेना का शौर्य और पराक्रम सभी देशवासियों को गौरवान्वित करता है। मां भारती के लिए मर-मिटने का उनका जज्बा हर किसी को प्रेरित करने वाला है।
स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि |
धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते ||
The Satyajit Ray of Indian Politics — A First-Hand Account of Bengal’s Redemption 🧵
To the armchair critics sitting hundreds of kilometers away: your "political analysis" of Bengal is noise. I was born and raised in the heart of Kolkata. I didn't read about Bengal in a textbook; I breathed its dust, felt its fear, and watched its slow decay. This is for you.
You see videos of celebrations today and call it "unrest." You don’t understand. This is the sound of a glass ceiling shattering after 50 years of suffocation. This is the primal scream of a people who have finally broken their chains. ⛓️🔥
Dhanwantari Mantra to get relief from all illness
Dhanvantara Murthy is the Deva of medicine, who holds the pot of Amruth
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धन���वंतरये अमृतकलशहस्ताय सर्वामयविनाशनाय त्रैलोक्यनाथाय श्रीमहावि��्णवे नम:
“This is the sound of a glass ceiling shattering after 50 years of suffocation. This is the primal scream of a people who have finally broken their chains…”
This thread @Kishore1975_
This is quite the master class in data analysis by Rahul Kanwal.
A real lesson in reading data and simplifying it for the common man. Brilliant interpretation.
The fruit with the most fat is coconut.
The fruit with the most sugar is dates.
The fruit with the most protein is jackfruit.
The fruit with the most vitamin C is guava.
The fruit with the most vitamin A is mango.
The fruit with the most fiber is raspberries.
The fruit with the most antioxidants is blueberries.
The fruit with the most calcium is figs.
The fruit with the most vitamin K is kiwi.
The fruit with the most water is watermelon.
The fruit with the most potassium is banana.
The fruit with the most natural melatonin is tart cherries.
The fruit with the most vitamin E is mamey sapote.
The fruit with the most iron is mulberries.
The fruit with the most healthy fats is avocado.
The fruit with the most folate is papaya.
The fruit with the most resveratrol is red grapes.
The fruit with the most vitamin B6 is bananas.
The fruit with the most pectin is apples.
The fruit with the most bromelain is pineapple.
The fruit with the most lycopene is pink grapefruit.
The fruit with the most magnesium is tamarind.
The fruit with the most manganese is pineapple.
The fruit with the most lycopene is pink grapefruit.
The fruit with the most lutein and zeaxanthin is honeydew melon.
The fruit with the most sorbitol is prunes.
The fruit with the most niacin (Vitamin B3) is avocado.
The fruit with the most zinc is blackberries.
The fruit with the most quercetin is cranberries.
The fruit with the most riboflavin (Vitamin B2) is passion fruit.
The fruit with the most phosphorus is passion fruit.
The fruit with the most selenium is soursop.
The kitchen tap was leaking again. With a sigh, I called a plumber.
A few minutes later, a middle-aged man walked in — calm, steady, carrying a faded toolkit.
I watched him at work. He pulled out a wrench - it was cracked at the handle.
“How will he fix anything with that?” I wondered silently.
He didn’t seem bothered. With a quiet focus, he began loosening the pipe. A rusted portion needed to be cut off. He reached into his bag again and pulled out a small saw - half of it was missing!
Now I was sure. I’ve called the wrong man for the job. But within ten minutes, the leak was gone. The tap was shining, and not a single drop escaped.
When I handed him a hundred dollar note, he shook his head. “No, Sir. Half of this is enough.”
I stared at him, surprised. “Who refuses extra money these days?”
He smiled - a calm, grounded smile.
“Sir, every job has a fixed worth. If I take more today, I’ll expect more tomorrow. When that doesn’t come, I’ll be unhappy. So I prefer to take only what’s fair. It keeps me content.”
I nodded slowly. “At least buy yourself a new wrench and saw. They’ll make your work easier.”
He chuckled softly. “Ah, Sir… tools are meant to wear out. That’s their destiny. But even when they’re chipped or cracked, they still do their job. Just like senior people - a few scars don’t make us useless.”
He paused, then added, “When you write in your office, does it matter which pen you use? Expensive or ordinary - if you know how to write, you’ll write well with anything. But if you don’t, even the costliest pen won’t help. The skill lies in the hands, not the tool.”
I stood there speechless. His words sank deep. The satisfaction on his weathered face was something rare - something money can’t buy.
In our endless race for wealth and comfort, we often forget the true “tools” of life - hard work, skill and gratitude.
When these are intact, even broken tools can create miracles.
But when they’re missing, no riches in the world can fix the leaks within us. #contentment #attitude