Years of Rig Vedic research and study evolved to these three interpretive editions that present aspects of modern and ancient Himalayan culture in terms of Rig Vedic nature symbols.
Rig Vedic Annapurna
The first edition, began with discoveries through the translations of the Rig Veda by Sri Aurobindo. Ultimately the location of Annapurna in a Rig Vedic hymn was the result. The examples of nature symbols described, are universal and can be experienced throughout nature everywhere in the world.
Clarification: In Mandala 5 Sukta 19 of the Rig Veda, the mountain-massif now known as Annapurna is named the “white shining Mother”. For the sake of simplicity, I use the modern name and not the Vedic one.
Sacred Nature and Himalayan Womanhood
Following years of living in Nepalese village culture the second addition to this trilogy evolved. This publication focuses on various aspects of womanhood, but the most interesting aspect is the yoga associations of feminine Vedic nature symbols.
The Living Rig Vedic Symbolism in Himalayan Nepal
Provides four physical sites and one example of a tradition that have physical associations to Rig Vedic hymns. The physical associations are based in nature symbolism from specific ancient Rig Vedic hymns.
The methodology used is Visual Anthropology. For example, modern Himalayan Nepali culture continues to identify with the self discovery of a Rig Vedic Shakti named Mamata in their conception of womanhood. The examples provided and explained in 5 chapters can be seen today to be as much alive as they likely were during the Vedic age.
Visit the Happy Heart Hotel on Panchassee mountain (above Pokhara) where the author lives, or e-mail gmillar99@gmail.com for more details.
Even though Rig Vedic devotees have believed that Annapurna must be described somewhere in the hymns, traditional scholarship has failed to identify any association. Therefore this research identifies Annapurna in the Rig Veda through nature symbols and experience. This research shows that the view of Annapurna from meditation hut ruins on Panchassee mountain, directly opposite, is described in Mandala 5 Sukta 19.
This discovery will change the way the Vedas are perceived. No more will their content seem abstract and far away. With the approach of this research, the Veda exists also in nature experience. The “lap of the mother” gives an original nature symbol to the Feminine gender. Her encircling experience includes surrounding the mind and holding it.
Further, this nature experience opens the door to a sacred geography that includes Yoga practice. These Pilgrimage self-discovery practices, that require a visit to nature, includes a sacred geography found everywhere in the world.