Purayan: Recent Episodes
Purayan
Norse myths of creation, various realms and a story which chills the bones and makes us ever so curious…
A journey from Atlantic Ocean to Greece to USA ! In this episode we take this extensive travel and dive deep into the Atlantic Ocean and find why this ocean was named so!
Today we dwell in one of the mystical places, a place which was called home by two of the world’s most mystic and powerful civilisations - The Aztecs and The Mayans.
And the place we discuss is Mexico!!!
And as in this season we are talking about the etymology of places, we today talk about the etymology of Mexico.
As Aztecs were the ones who had an empire so the naming can be majorly attributed to them but we will also look at certain interesting facts during our journey.
Legend has Huitzilopochtli,is the ruler of the south and the Lord of the Sun and Fire! Talk about being a Portfolio Manager and that would not even get close to this magnitude. Huitzilopochtli being the war god is attributed with victories and defeats and it was believed that to appease him a sacrifices were offered.
So how did Huitzilopochtli help name Mexico? Let’s dig in.
Huitzilopochtli was the patron god of a faction of the Nahuatl speaking population from Aztlan, which is believed to be the mythical homeland of the Aztecs, and on his command to find a new settlement, this faction settled out on a long and tedious journey from Chicomoztoc. It is believed that Huitzilopochtli also told them to settle in a location where they found the sign of an eagle on cactus Cactus. And off they went to find the place which they could settle in.
They finally found the eagle on a cactus in an island in Lake Texcoco. Having found the sign they set it up as their capital.
Now this group would later go on to be known as Aztecs to the world, but this group referred to themselves as Mexicas and Mexi is another name of their patron God Huitzilopochtli. Ergo the name Mexico refers to being the land of Mexi or Huitzilopochtli.
Interestingly Mexi is portrayed yielding a flaming serpent and the serpent reference is considered to be a sacred symbol even in the Mayan civilisation, so much so that most of their origin stories revolve around a mystical serpent. Chichen Itza which is one of the most important sites for the Mayans abound in the symbolism of the serpent. And not only that serpent has a huge significance even in another mystical land, India, where it is considered to be one of the most major occupants of Narak - The Nagas! And the point of entry to Narak is in the South!
Let’s again come back to the beautiful country of Mexico, and this time around have a closer look at the flag which bears the reference to this very ancient story. The Center of the flag has an eagle over a cactus which is in turn positioned on a glyph of Stone and Water, just like the island in the middle of Lake Texcoco.
Now that you have learnt the fascinating tale of the land, does that add another dimension to the depiction of Mexico apart from the Sepia videos and the notorious Pablo Escobar? Let us know in the comment section.
The setting of the story is when a year had only 360 days and Thoth gambled 1/72 parts of lustige from moon to add the extra 5 days to the year!!!
A story of how Ireland got its name and how mythological beings & their invasions shaped the name of the country!
A story which tells you about the incredible mythological story behing the country #zambia and how a modern day construction stirred these beliefs up. Also an amazing and gruesome story of the disappearance of people and their sad fate and a few unexplained phenomenon!!
The sultry summers and the non existent Winter, The rush everyone is in they neglect the moments to savour, Mumbai I have hated you.
The waterlogged monsoons, To the clayey aftermath, I have hated you.
And now that the time has come to leave, I know not why, my heart now sinks.
The good times all flash in front of my eyes;
From the happy sidewalks of Powai, To the quiet and quaint weekends at Ballard Bunder, To the picturesque roads of nearby ghats To the dreamy night roads of Marine drive, The late night bike rides through Aarey or the early morning for that perfect shot.
Somewhere amidst the hatred, I have grown fond of you, Have let you grow on me, And the line between hatred and love is now bleak.
Mumbai you will be missed.
Why so much for Mumbai? Because the name in itself holds the key to a mythological story which deals with a demon named Mumb the protector goddess Ambadevi and an act of kindness following repentance!! Well but one story which goes around.
The other being reincarnation of Parvati to learn the virtue of perseverance and concentration from the fishermen, who have ample amounts of these virtues.
Well so let us delve into the stories!
As per legends, there was an ancient demon Mumb, who through persistent worship of Lord Brahma gained a boon through which he was rendered almost invincible! Now Mumb with this newfound power grew arrogant and ruthless and as he was next to invincible, he started harassing the people of Mumbai! The plight was taken to Lord Vishnu who then along with Lord Brahma went to Lord Shiva to find a solution to this problem. Shiva suggested that each of the Trinity should shed some divine lustrum from their bodies and then this was combined to create Goddess Amba who could defeat Mumb.
What followed were a series of devastating and extreme battles and in the end Mumb was defeated.
As she was about to send Mumb to Patal Loka, Mumb requested her to spare her life and that he will worship her as Mumb-aai, aai in Marathi means mother, so in essence the mother of Mumb or the one who defeated Mumb, and pledged to be a just and shed his arrogance!!
This the battlefield came to be known as Mumb-aai and finally in 1995 it regained its original name back from the Portuguese name of Bombaim (good bay).
The next time you travel to this extraordinary city, a city which literally never sleeps, remember this amazing story behind the name!!!
mythology #introduction #cool #etymology #history. Hello there and welcome back after a break. Hope you all are doing great.
Hope that in this year, we will be finally able to move out of our confines and travel just like pre-pandemic times.
In the first season, Mythological Rainbow, we had talked about how various cultures have different names for the same concepts and how they are so similar despite being separated by thousands of miles.
In the second season, Mythological Medley, we had seen how many of the words and phrases commonly used in our language have a mythological connect. We saw how those stories which form the genesis of those words and phrases are relatable even to date.
And in this season, Season 3, we try to go one step further and make things more relatable.
We will take you through a journey to find the stories behind the names of some of the most well-known places in the world.
Frankly, while researching for this journey, even we were surprised by the fascinating tales behind the names. It was interesting to discover the incredible mythological stories that have contributed to the identity of these lands. We went to distant lands and oceans to scour these stories. And for this very reason, we have named this season as Mythological Passport.
Just as a passport is necessary to cross international borders, similarly, knowledge of the local folklore and mythology is necessary to make sense of a place. And this season is your passport to the mythological stories that have shaped entire communities. It will help you to sneak peek into the past to make sense of the present.
Like the earlier seasons, this season too shall have 7 episodes, each focusing on some unique place. Through the 7 stories, we intend to wow you with the 7 precious stories which can rival the 7 wonders of the world!!
So, sit back, relax, and let the show begin..........oh not right now.....next week onward!!
Namo Dhyeyam, Eva Satyam
“To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” Why the third and in all likelihood the most famous and misinterpreted law of Newton to start the episode? Well because we treat a concept which sums this up exactly with respect to society.
Karma is a…..!!! Well what follows next is purely based on your experience.
Do you now see why we started with the third law?
It can be an angel or a devil incarnate depending on your cause/deed.
And keeping in mind that we are not in the minds ape of Cristopher Nolan in Tenet, cause and effect are linear.
I keep telling myself to stop digressing but…. Anyway back the topic, did you know that the buzz word, “Karma” and the entire concept has its roots in India!!
And it is not only one idiom which exists but multiple idioms or should I say beliefs have tried to encompass this idea… The English proverb “What you sow is what you reap” is just a disambiguation of the same!! This exists even in the other Asian beliefs!!!
So now that we know it is so engrained in our culture or spoken language today, what is the actual root of the term?
Let’s find out!!
The symbol of Karma is basically an endless loop which signifies the never ending birth growth and death cycles of humans and that how each ending is a gateway to a new beginning.
In the concluding episode of the last season we have talked about how a person’s life is weighed basis the deeds when s/he was alive.
Based on this the next life is granted to the soul! Now we can have endless debates on this topic, as endless as the infinite loop, but let us stick to the point.
It’s is a level up or down based on a cosmic scale and a level up is considered to be one step closer to freedom from the endless cycles of life and death. However if in any of the lives one decides to deviate and cause harm to anyone, then there is no promotion for the soul and it is either born at the same level or a lower level.
Does it sound familiar corporate slaves??? Jokes aside.
The ultimate aim of living multiple virtuous lives is to break free from the bonds of the infinite loop and achieve moksha where you are no more affected by rebirths or pain or suffering!!!
A heaven by all measures of it!!
Is it true, we don’t know but this bit is true that on a larger timescale, and sometimes even in the smaller ones, the phrase turns out to be true!!!
Well share with us what you think!!
Today we talk about the God of beginnings in Indian and Roman mythology and how they are so very similar!! Intrigued? Listen to find out more!!
Did you know that the reason for celebration of Halloween and Choti Diwali has a strange similarity? Listen to the podcast to discover more
In today’s episode let us fly over the natural no fly zone of the world… Surprised? Lest someone is left wondering, we will not leave you to guess the place. It is Tibet, the highest table lands of the world and a natural region which airlines avoid… The reason for that May surprise you as it is much lesser in height than the Everest or many mountain ranges over which flights ply regularly. Would be interesting if you can comment why you it is so. However why Tibet? Because here we have a very ancient culture of making idols of butter and praying to them. Thanks to the weather it does not melt.
This is a culture in many a places around the world where butter is offered to the gods to earn their favour.
Butter sculpture started in Tibet in the Ming Dynasty, around 1409 AD. The exact origin of butter sculpture, also known as “Tsepdro” or “Torma”, is shrouded in myth. There are two current versions of how it began. In the first, it is believed that when Princess Wenchang brought the statue of the young Sakyamuni to Tibet, and the monks wanted to present them with flowers. However, in the cold, winter landscape, no flowers could be found, so one of the monks carved the flowers out of frozen butter.
Butter sculpture started in Tibet in the Ming Dynasty, around 1409 AD. The exact origin of butter sculpture, also known as “Tsepdro” or “Torma”, is shrouded in myth. There are two current versions of how it began. In the first, it is believed that when Princess Wenchang brought the statue of the young Sakyamuni to Tibet, and the monks wanted to present them with flowers. However, in the cold, winter landscape, no flowers could be found, so one of the monks carved the flowers out of frozen butter.
Whichever way it is now you know why buttering up the boss is so very important when you want a leave within a couple of weeks of returning from a vacation.
Butter up butter cup
Why did we select a phobia today? Let’s try to get to the answer through the story!!
Most of our generation has either read Harry Potter books or watched the movies and many, self included have done both… Most of the generation has been some way of the other been influenced by the stories. One of the scariest parts, if you remember, was the one scene where Aragog, a giant spider and Harry come face to face. And later an army of spiders attack Harry and Ron. Despite the fact that the spider is on the other side of a screen and that too animated, an irrational fear gripped me & that fear of Arachnids, specially spiders, is called arachnophobia. Let us now tell you the story of an extraordinarily talented weaver in Lydia (a part of the then Greece and now Turkey). Her talent in weaving was so immense that she could captivate anyone looking at her weave with her skills. It is rumoured that the silk would appear to originate right at her fingertips!! Now this lady was not only extremely talented but aware and proud of her talent, to the extent that she compared herself to gods and goddesses.
It is said that to teach her a lesson the goddess of war, craft and practical reason challenged her to weave better than Athena herself. To everyone’s surprise she agreed Athena’s challenge and both had woven such amazing and life like pieces that Even Athena was wonderstruck and bewildered!!
She however had depicted the vices of the gods and hence to teach her a lesson, Athena curses her to turn to a multieyed and multilimbed creature, a gigantic spider The name of the weaver was Arachnae and as a lesson Arachnae had a silk thread which would serve her as a reminder from her life as a human!!
The next time you see a spider try to think of Arachnae and how her skill has now become one of the most essential skills for the existence of a species, and to the ones afraid of spiders, I think we need to be afraid of Athena even more..!!
And this also goes on to show how mythology has been embedded in the language that we use everyday! Till the next episode keep finding such words and DM us on Insta with more such words that interest you and we may feature it in our next episode!
Namo Dheyam Eva Satyam!
Kaustav : I want to give you a clue as to what we discuss today! It has to do with Minotaur and Theseus slaying the monster!!
Sarvesh : ahh you want to talk about the labyrinth and how Deadelus and Icarus created the labyrinth. I know this story and in fact we already discussed about this in Season 1.
Kaustav : I did think you would say so, but believe it or not despite Deadalus being an immensely fascinating character. I want to discuss about something much simpler!! A simple word that we use everyday but do not much bother about the roots! Did you get the clue?
Sarvesh : You have got me confused now! I donor get it what is the clue?
Kaustav : Haa haaa, it’s the word clue or as the root word would be “clew”. A word with Germanic origin and meaning a ball of thread or yarn!!
Sarvesh : This clue has been staring at my face since the start. I will have to stop playing this game with you…😂 Hey but did Theseus not get a “clew” as you have mentioned it from Ariadne to find his way back out after slaying Minotaur?
Kaustav : See you have already connected the dots. It is the same story. But is it not surprising how simple words like clue have deep rooted origin stories? We often hear the amazing stories of heroes and monsters and epic battles fought between factions with differing opinions. But in the midst of all this we oversee the actual influence mythology has in our lives and the spoken language to date. And the above example is just one…. What detectives look for to solve crimes is something whose history in itself is illustrious to say the least.
Sarvesh : Interesting and surprising how such small things are overlooked.
घर का भेदी लंका ढाये
In the episode today we travel to the mythology of Ravan and Ram from the Indian Epic of Ramayan.
To bring a bit of relatability let me take you back to the corporate lives that we all are leading. Almost all of us sign a non-compete agreement and these are even more pertinent as further up towards the pyramid you are.
Imagine one fine day you have had enough and decide to join a competitor firm. Now with all the inside working in your mind and with all the contacts you are uniquely equipped to take down an entire Organization and there is where the non-compete agreement comes in handy.
Does mythology have such deep roots and relevance even to date?
Let us see. Vibhishana was the brother of the immensely knowledgable and just Ravan. But when Ravan kidnaps Sita and decides to wage a war with Ram, it is Vibhishan who feels the same way and decides to call “I quit” to join Ram’s army.
Ravan was essentially indestructible and unstoppable with his boobs, extreme intelligence and his immense knowledge(even Ram reverted Ravana’s knowledge).
The battle was a losing one for Ram until he was joined by Vibhishan who guided Ram through the methods of Ravana’s tactics and finally to win the battle!
It makes me often wonder what would it have been had Ravan shunned his ego and let Vibhishan into his conscience, would that have made him an even greater leader?
I guess corporates have learnt this lesson well and the ones which lead their respective sectors have been known to be organisations of immense inclusivity, diversity and putting the employee first - something that we see in Ram’s approach to the war!
We were thrilled and overwhelmed with the love that has been showered across platforms and the responses that we have received has fueled us furthermore to take our research wrapped in stories ahead.
In the last season we have seen the entire spectrum of light in search of the one true light. Hope our search would have inspired many of your searches for the oneness and harmony in your lives as well.
In this season we will look at how mythological references have shaped certain phrases in our modern day language.
And to start with we travel to the tranquil mountains of Nepal. One of the most advertised and preferred approaches to scale Mount Everest starts from here.
Why Nepal? Well that’s because the Nation takes the phrase “every dog has his day” to a reality.
But before we go into that won’t we agree that at some point in our lives we have faced such a situation where we have been undermined and that’s the only phrase that helped us continue?
Legend has that dogs have accompanied the last journey of the human soul from here to the here after and we have multiple references across mythologies spread all across the world who believe either a dog or some God resembling a dog or a wolf guides the journey of the soul to the hereafter.
And Nepal seems to take this every bit seriously with their celebration of Kukur Tirth, which roughly translates to the festival of the dogs! On this day to appease Yamaraj, who has two dogs and had himself assumed the form of a dog once to guide Pandavas through their journey to the after life, even the stray dogs are worshipped, cared for and fed absolutely delicious meals. The nation quite literally makes the phrase come to life!!!
What is more shocking is that it is not only Nepal which has such a tradition but Mexico and Australia have similar festivals!
mythology #everest #pet #culture #cool
This episode deals with how the term fever in itself has a deeply mythological root as per mythology followed across India irrespective of the region you are in. We start our journey with the beautiful language Tamil.
Welcome to Season 2. The video will give a sneak peek into what is in store for the next 7 weeks. It will deal with Mythology and Languages
Let us sum up the entire season..Looking at the various spectrum of light and mythology..
This episode deals with the last journey any human takes! But the tone is not morbid at all. Neither is the way we have dealt with it! Don’t believe us? Listen and comment your view!!!
Did you know that the Great flood is present in multiple mythologies across the world and Noah is not the only one but one of many such mythological characters?
How cool would be flight of humans? Why refer to this because we have instances in multiple mythologies where people have flown and this episode brings out just such similar stories
Are we not always fascinated by resurrection stories and is it not a common feature even in movies like Harry Potter where horcruxes come into play. Mythology across the cultures have similar resurrection storyline’s and here we present to you two of them! Sit back and enjoy the show!
Sudan and India…. Did you think there is a parallel? Well in case yeah let us know… and in case “WoW” let us know… Either way we would love to hear from ya!!!
A sneak peek into the first season of Purayan. How is the journey for the next 7 weeks going to be?