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Papers by Nanditha Krishna

2022 6th International Conference on Trends in Electronics and Informatics (ICOEI)

Animal Sentience

The Indian tradition has respected animal sentience and non-injury toward all life. It is repeate... more The Indian tradition has respected animal sentience and non-injury toward all life. It is repeated consistently in Sanskrit literature and the later literature of the Jains and the Buddhists. Change came with the advent of Islamic rule followed by the British, who built slaughterhouses. The hunting of wildlife increased and several wild predator species were wiped out. The result was the series of legislations for animals which were initially proposed by the SPCAs and later by NGOs. In 1976, the Constitution of India was amended to make the protection of wildlife and compassion for living creatures a fundamental duty. However, in spite of the importance of the non-killing of animals, the meat industry for both domestic consumption and export has been growing. It is an ongoing struggle between activists, governments and the business class.

Indian Historical Review, 2021

Abhijit Basu, Perpetual India: Tale of a Timeless People. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publish... more Abhijit Basu, Perpetual India: Tale of a Timeless People. New Delhi: Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd, 2020, 187 pp., ₹450, ISBN: 9788121513326.

The temple of Balaji or Venkateshwara on Tirumala hill above the town of Tirupati in Andhra Prade... more The temple of Balaji or Venkateshwara on Tirumala hill above the town of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh has become a focal point of contemporary religion in India, attracting numerous devotees. However, not much is known about the God, except his ability to answer prayers and perform the most improbable miracles. This book is a collection of the folk legends about Venkateshwara, the sacred Tirumala hill and its many lakes and waterfalls, and the beautiful rituals and festivals associated with him.

Indian Historical Review

The key note address by Peter C. Bisschop, '150 years of Sanskrit studies in the Netherlands: The... more The key note address by Peter C. Bisschop, '150 years of Sanskrit studies in the Netherlands: The Karnapurāna' explains the growth and development of Sanskrit studies under Hendrik Kern and his contributions. Two major contributions of Kern are the editing and translation of Varāhamihira's Bŗhat sañhitā and the Aryabhaţīya, among others. The article 'The Abominable Yati' by Daniel Balogh discusses metrical anomalies of yati, caesurae in English, in Sanskrit versification. The author explains the technical aspects of yati in the Sanskrit metrics. The author illustrates the caesurae obscured by vowel samdhi and anomalous caesurae with examples. The verses from the pillar inscription of the Mandasor and the Allahabad praśasti had been taken up for further study. The position of caesurae in iambic and trochaic feet is also explained. Employment of obscure word breaks is not a transgression of the caesurae and the distribution of yati across meters is not a random one. Malgorzata Sulich-Cowley examines the significance of the 'adpositions' in Sanskrit with special reference to prati. The semantic value of upasargas (verbal prefix), nipatas (particle), etc. with a specific analysis of prati-its influence over the verbal roots, determination of its meaning and its role as karakas (case determinants)-are demonstrated with relevant quotations. The author concludes that 'regardless of the variety of contexts in which prati appears, there is a common meaning in almost all of them'. The article 'Welcome with Open Arms: Iranian Loanwords in the Purāņic Lexicon' by Martina Palladino traces the connection between the Maga Brahmins and the cultural environment of Iran. Magas came from the land of Śākadvīpa, the Iranian Śākastāna or modern Sistan. The author enlists the presence of Iranian loanwords in the puranic lexicon, specifically in the Sāmba and Bhavişya purāņas. The four classes of Śākadvīpa, the ritual terminology and some proper names, such as Mihira for Mithra, Raśnu for Raja, Saośra for Stosa and Jaraśastra for Zarathuštra, and other terms have been analysed. She connects asura to the Avestan ahura or 'lord'. Varahamihira, the sixth century CE astronomer, who was a sun-worshipper and probably a Maga, she says, describes the calendar of the Maga Brahmins in the first chapter of his Pañcasiddhāntikā, which is based on the Zoroastrian calendar. This article could be very interesting if more proofs were provided for many of her averments. The efforts of Samskrita Bharati, an organisation to promote spoken Sanskrit and communicative language, are narrated by Patrick McCartney who analyses spoken Sanskrit in a socio-linguistic approach. The author examines the studies and the efforts undertaken by a few organisations and scholars. A list of fifteen villages where people speak Sanskrit is given. He visited two villages, Gamiri Gaon in Assam and Jhiri in Madhya Pradesh, and narrates his experiences and findings. A few glimpses of the description of nature from the poem Śrigovindavilāsamahākāvya, Sarga 1, are taken up for scrutiny by Judith Unterdörfler in the article 'Nature and Character Emotions in the "Śrigovindavilāsamahākāvya, Sarga 1"'. Nature's influence, with the emotions of characters and the poet's description of nature, are described

Indian Historical Review, 2016