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From the video loop to be featured in The Movement of Books, here is Ms. Coll. 390 Item 2820, a manuscript made of palm leaves bound with string. The text is a section of Sāyaṇa's commentary that is an exegesis of the Taittirīyāraṇyaka, a work of Vedic hymns related to the performance of Vedic rituals.

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*Deh₂nu

*Deh₂nu- is a hypothetical goddess of water in Proto-Indo-European mythology, with connections to the names of rivers like the Danube, Don, Dnieper, and Dniester, as well as the Vedic deity Dānu, the Irish Danu, and the Welsh Dôn. Despite acknowledging a possible lexical connection, Mallory and Adams contend that there is not enough evidence to support the idea that a distinct river goddess existed in Proto-Indo-European beliefs. They primarily highlight the Indic tradition's understanding of river deification. Furthermore, Mallory and Adams suggest that a theory for a sea god called *Trih₂tōn—whose name is derived from the Greek Triton and the Old Irish word for sea, trïath—is unsupported by the lack of a corresponding sea god in Irish mythology and only minor lexical similarities. The Ossetian god Donbettyr is also mentioned in the story. Who is placated by gifts to keep the waterwheel turning, and who Donnán of Eigg proposes as a Christian equivilent of this figure.

Moreover, this deity and the Dan river in Centeral Asia may have similar etymologies.

She is frequently seen as the mother of a mythical tribe, the *Deh₂newyóes, in many Indo-European cultures; these tribes are deduced from the Vedic Danavas, the Irish Tuatha Dé Danann, the Greek Danaoi, and the Norse Danes. Under Bel's leadership, this tribe is said to have fought a hero called *H₂nḗrtos, which could connect them to characters like the Norse god Njord, the Nart from the Nart saga, and Indra's epithet nrtama.

タケシ/Brock

The Nath Yogis

From: Embodying the Formless: Spiritual Practice in the Nath Sampraday

Photography: Sriram Sabhapathy Curation and Captions: Kartikay Khetarpa Source: Sahapedia

The Nāth Sampradāya today comprises an order of renunciate ascetics and a householder caste, both of which trace their lineages to a group of nine Nāth gurus headed by Ādinātha (“First Nāth”), who is identified with the god Śiva. Next in most lists of nine Nāths comes Matsyendranātha, followed by Goraksanātha (Gorakhnāth), who is ̣ said to have founded the Nāth order of ascetics. he earliest references to the Nāth ascetic order as an organized entity date to the beginning of the 17th century, but its irst historical gurus, Matsyendranātha and Goraksanātha, lived much earlier, probably in the 9th and 12th centuries, respectively, and during the intermediate period there are numerous references to both ascetic and householder Nāths in texts, inscriptions, iconography, and historical reports.

"An idol of Gorakhnath at the Jwalamukhi Shaktipeeth in Himachal Pradesh. Perhaps the most important figure in the tradition, Gorakhnath features in many popular Hindu legends. According to one such story, which is often connected to the origin of the sampraday, he is said to have ‘saved’ his guru Matsyendranath (who is believed to have been a direct disciple of Shiva) from the land of women where he gets entangled in worldly pursuits. Gorakhnath, his disciple, eventually rescues him and exhorts him to return to his original renunciant condition, setting up the Nath sampraday in the process."

"A Nath yogi at the Shri Gorakshnath Mandir (Barah Panth Dalicha) at Pushkar. Pushkar is an important center for the Naths with separate mathas for both the ascetic as well as the householder branch of the sampraday. A mela or festival is organized here every year on the Kartik Purnima (full moon of the Kartik month of the Hindu calendar) which is attended by hundreds of Nath ascetics travelling from all parts of the country."

"Shrines to local folk deities at a Nath matha in Pokhran. Nath mathas can either be panchayati (communal) or niji (private). The panchayati mathas are centres for the ramta ascetics to congregate on festivals of importance and for elections of leaders. They are much fewer in number in comparison to the niji mathas which generally come up around the figure of charismatic Nath ascetics and have an independent mode of functioning. In Rajasthan, apart from gurus and deities associated with the Nath sampraday, such mathas also often house shrines dedicated to local heroes and folk deities."

A depiction of the Navnaths and the 84 siddhas at the Guru Gorakhnath-ji matha in Myajlar (Jaisalmer). The Navnaths are revered alongside the 84 siddhas (an archetype that in some sense symbolizes all individuals who are able to achieve spiritual perfection in their lifetime).

"A defining attribute of Nath ascetics are the large round earrings that many of them wear. Also known as the darshan mudra or kundal, these earrings are worn through the cartilage (not the lobe) and can be made of wood, horn, gold, silver or any other material preferred by the yogi. The ear-splitting ritual is performed only after a Nath initiate has spent considerable time as an apprentice. Comparable to a second birth, it is also treated as testimony to the initiate’s spiritual perfection.'

"A Nath yogi working on preparing the seli."

"The Naths in Rajasthan are said to have sustained a flourishing relationship with royalty who often bestowed land grants and other munificient giftson them in regard for their supernatural powers. The lavish interior of the Mahamandir is an indication of this."

"This is also the time when the ramta Nath ascetics travel to the temple. Hundreds of them gather at the Gorakh Dibbi which is a separate section of the temple governed by the Naths. A special religious ceremony is performed here at this time of the year."

"A Manganiyar family in Kanoi (Jaisalmer) sings from their repertoire of Nath bhajans. Bhajans and kirtans are an important part of the devotional life of the Naths. In Rajasthan, while Nath bards themselves perform the epic tales of their ascetics, heroes and kings, on many occasions other communities, including the Muslim Manganiyars, are also invited to Nath gatherings and mathas to sing from their repertoires, which can relate either to the Nath sampraday specifically or to the larger nirgun bhakti tradition in the region."

"Amolakhram ji, an elderly from the Meghwal community, recites bhajans associated with both the Sant and the Nath traditions. As he sings, he plays the tandoora (an instrument akin to the veena) with his right hand, and a jhinjha (wooden hand cymbals) with his left. The Sant and the Nath traditions draw from as well as compete with each other in the Rajasthani public sphere. While both tend to emphasize nirgun bhakti, one can often also come across songs that are written as dialogues of one-upmanship between a prominent Nath figure like Gorakhnath and a prominent Sant like Kabir. Where the loyalties of the singer or the patron lie is what generally determines the outcome of such a parley."