Those specific sacred artifacts are part of a massive, heartbreaking wave of illicit antiquities trafficking that stripped Nepal of its gods throughout the late 20th century. For 30 years, that very mask wasn't a living object of devotion—it was treated as a cold, static art piece sitting thousands of miles away in a climate-controlled American museum display case.
A Conduit for Ritual Offerings: During the height of the festival, some of the largest Bhairava masks (like Sweta Bhairava) have a pipe hidden behind their open mouths. Rice beer (thwon) is poured from behind, pouring out of the deity's mouth to the crowd below. Catching a drop of this beer is considered a profound blessing of health and prosperity.
The Rare Awakening: For most of the year, these sacred, massive masks are locked away deep inside temple vaults. They are only brought out into the public squares for a few days during specific festivals. Because of this, lines of devotees stretch for blocks just to get a few seconds to touch, pray to, and receive blessings directly from the mask.
The image captures an incredibly vital cultural tradition in Nepal, likely during the major festival of Indra Jatra (or Yenya) in Kathmandu. Here is why these masks are so significant:
The Power of Protection: Bhairava is the protector deity of the Kathmandu Valley. His fierce expression—complete with a third eye, large fangs, and a crown of skulls—is meant to frighten away evil spirits, negative energy, and enemies.
These are Bhairava masks, representing one of the most fierce, wrathful, and powerful manifestations of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology (also deeply revered in Newar Buddhism). Bhairava is associated with absolute destruction, the passage of time, and ultimate protection.
Second Lady Usha Vance explains how she makes her interfaith marriage work
The Gita, Religion and Dharma
I’m into the Bhagavat Gita.
📖 Read more: https://sajalchoudhary.net/blog/the-gita-religion-and-dharma/
The Pompeii Lakshmi is an 1st century ivory statue found in the ruins of Pompeii. Historians believe it to be evidence of trade between Rome and India.
https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1tkfe4p/the_pompeii_lakshmi_is_an_1st_century_ivory/
#PompeiiLakshmi #India #Rome #AncientWorld #Pompeii #Lakshmi #Hinduism
My Latest Book Available Now on Amazon — The Mind Itself Is a Digression: Poems, Reflections, and Dialogues of a Restless Seeker
Kindle eBook
In India: https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0H4X9NFMB
In USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4X9NFMB
Paperback
In USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H58FG4VK
The mind itself is a digression — or so I am told.
Somewhere between a poem scribbled past midnight and a four-hour phone call about God, China, and the meaning of it all, this book was born. It is a collection for the seekers, the misfits, the over-thinkers, and the quietly restless — the “slightly weird folks” who have spent a lifetime chasing the Truth, only to be told that whatever the mind understands is still not it.
D. Samarender Reddy writes from that beautiful, maddening edge. Across more than a hundred pieces — original poems, candid confessions, and probing philosophical dialogues — he moves with disarming honesty between the sacred and the absurd, the sublime and the everyday. One moment he is arguing with God (“As I see it, it is all your fault”); the next he is sitting in silent reverence before the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, J. Krishnamurti, and the Upanishads.
This is a book about the spiritual life as it is actually lived — not the polished version. It asks the questions most of us are too busy to ask:
Drawing on Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, Western philosophy, and world poetry — from Wordsworth and Neruda to Frost, Rimbaud, and Nietzsche — Reddy weaves Eastern wisdom and Western thought into a single, intimate conversation. His poems range from the tender to the irreverent; his reflections from razor-sharp clarity to playful self-mockery. Throughout, there is the warmth of a fellow traveller who refuses to pretend he has arrived.
For readers of Rumi, Kahlil Gibran, Mary Oliver, and Nisargadatta — and for anyone who has ever felt out of step with the world and wondered whether the fault lies with them or with the world.
If you have ever marched to a different drummer, if silence speaks to you louder than words, if you suspect that happiness was never “out there” to begin with — this book was written for you.
Take heart. You are not alone.
#Advaita #AdvaitaVedantaNonDuality #Companionship #contemplativePoemsAndReflections #Hinduism #IndianPhilosophyAndMysticism #KrishnamurtiRamanaMaharshiTeachings #MyBook #Nonduality #Philosophy #Relationships #Religion #SamarenderReddySBook #seekerMeditationInnerPeace #selfRealizationAndAwakening #spiritualPoetryCollection #SpiritualSadhana #Spirituality #TheMindItselfIsADigression
earthling
Front Page [Unofficial]
Sajal Choudhary
geekmonkey
Know Thyself