This is an excerpt of a crucial dialogue engaged in by a Hindu and an Orthodox Roman Catholic. The excerpt touches on evil and the supernatural.

This is part of a proposed monograph on the Law, and jurisprudence and is to be used for understanding punishment through wergild to the early Modern and to even the post-modern. The paper is just a draft and in the future will be published as a monograph.

These two essays (minuscule acts of reading the Bible) by a Hindu, is a nascent praxis of theology. They have been privately circulated and now I am putting them up.

Much scholarly work has been done on nursery rhymes. How they are coded artifacts warning children about sexual predators etc. But till date no work has been done about Vedanta and nursery rhymes. This draft will be developed into a monograph and in the meanwhile if anyone wants to develop on these ideas, please follow anti-plagiarism rules and cite properly. I thought of putting this up since both philosophers and literature scholars may benefit from some of the insights here. This (...) was given as part of a lecture. Then I discussed theodicy in these rhymes... this last I have not uploaded building up on the theodicy in Vedanta and then using this Vedanta-woven hermeneutic to psychoanalyse and analyse these English rhymes. (shrink)

This 4 slides' presentation is supplementary material for my students who have opted for Virginia Woolf as their Masters' 'special author'. The presentation shows how James' the specious moment and Husserl's the rough now constitute the matrix of modernist literature, especially the fiction of Virginia Woolf. From St. Augustine to Husserl there is a continuum which has to be understood for engaging with the novels of Virginia Woolf.

Philosophy and psychoanalysis should address the problem of sorrow qua melancholia and even, in a popular manner, Major Depressive Disorder. I have tried to take both philosophy as a therapeutic tool, as well as use DSM criteria to help the lonely.

This is a review of a book which is unique in the history of contemporary ideas --- the authors make explicit the religious imperative in a connected world which is glocal.

Alexander Pope's An Essay on Man is part of a long tradition of meditating on the human person. In this review the antecedents of Modernism are revised and the Pope's Essay is reinstated as a tour de force which is all the more pertinent today.

Adamson has written a very readable history of philosophy in times when the discipline of philosophy is under unprecedented threat of annihilation.

This reviewer had read Kristeva in October, 2016 in this Journal (and the review is freely available online and had garnered some small publicity). Over the last one year this reviewer has taken a very short view of her tautological work. Having read her carefully this reviewer has decided that she should be rejected as a psychoanalyst, notwithstanding her huge popularity as a feminist. But this reviewer through a nuanced critique of theoretical psychoanalysis find her and her ilk lacking caritas.

The reviewer connects Derrida's Gloss of the Genesis event to the book under review and discusses the topic of the book under review as an important site for discussing our zeitgeist.

This is a rudimentary paper written to claim my connection that the American and the erstwhile Indian modes of psychoanalysis are more authentic modes vis-à-vis the French mode. Some of the claims I make in this paper have been already published in Prabuddha Bharata and some are forthcoming. For instance, I have written on Ritalin which is pertinent to this discussion yet I have avoided mentioning this since my contention regarding Ritalin is pending publication in Prabuddha Bharata. Addition : 2020, (...) my comments on the efficacy of Ritalin have been published last year in Prabuddha Bharata. (shrink)

Moral Clarity is one of those rare works which is trans-disciplinary. This review contextualises Neiman as a philosopher and theologian who performs her cultural work in domains as diverse as memory studies and discourses on the problem of empathy. The review critiques reductionist positions which see Neiman merely as an acolyte of Hannah Arendt.

The reviewer finds the much obfuscated (sic) logos explained in this gem of an anthology. The reviewer picks up the notion of the logos and his review turns around this philosophical stonewall. The genius of one of the contributors is in connecting logos to the Tao.

This is a review of Guh'as magnum opus which honestly problematises Tagore's Mussolini episode.

This is my (Subhasis Chattopadhyay's) draft of PhD pre-submission. Dr. Scriver has (had) put it up online in her blog and I found it today, that is 1:06 pm, 28th May, 2017. I am grateful to her since intellectual ideas can otherwise be hijacked. She has done a wonderful editorial job.

This essay touches on the relationship between the Carthusian Guigo II and the Yoga Sutras. Further, it makes a case for centering our lives around silence and contemplation. Finally the author warns of an inadvertent mistake by Karl Rahner.

This is a non-philosophical essay. Its value lies in highlighting the selfless work done by the Christian Brothers in the early 1990s in Calcutta/Kolkata. This essay should be read against the backdrop of the scandal which continues to haunt the Brothers globally. If we allow ourselves to forget the Brothers during that time at Calcutta, we fail to map the intellectual and interior lives they successfully created in Calcutta in their communities when there were no mobiles or the internet in (...) West Bengal. Through their lives they resisted the paralyzing effects of materialism in the last century. (shrink)

Inculturation is a Roman Catholic concept. In this article it is advocated that Hindus accept some of the key concepts of Vatican II which was such a revolutionary step within the Roman Church in the last century. For instance, the article mentions the works of Fr. Adrian van Kaam within psychology. The value of this article can be seen by the fact that it has been republished by Indian Catholic Matters and also by ESamskriti. The latter shows the acceptance of (...) the author's position by devout Hindus. The article is preceded by a letter to the editor by the same author on the R.G. Kar rape and murder case. Indian Catholic Matters adds the letter after the article. ESamskriti does not refer to the letter. This document is, strictly speaking, non-philosophical in nature and is being put up here for the interested scholar and for archival purposes. Go to page 4 of The Herald for the letter and the article. (shrink)

Research is increasing becoming AI dependent and is being done for fulfilment of various academic requirements. Researchers are spending a lot of time 'reinventing the wheel' and use word-padding to trick themselves and their examiners/peers happy. Often bibligraphies are longer than the research papers just to impress others. Often researchers do not know how to cita and rely solely on machine-created bibliographies which are insufficient bibligraphies. They tend to follow the letter of the law, discarding the spirit of the law. (...) While discussing research, the author comments on the Kathleen O'Connor; Graham Greene, Dracula, Hamlet, Blake, Plato and Augistine of Hippo. And Hannah Arendt. Some of his observations in this essay are unique; like he asks Levinas scholars to interrogate certain lines of thoughts which have hitherto not considered. In short, he teaches how to connect the dots. Here and in the Herald he has pointed out the contributions of Fr. Adrian Van Kaam, these need to be worked on by others in the field. An entire section is on Hindu religious research in terms of the Anuttara Trika. Another section is on Gerard Manley Hokins and sprung rhytm. A very interesting observation which he touches on is Samkhya and Plato. Through these and many more examples this essay tries to cleanse the research process of blah and abracadabra. (shrink)

This is a very important document in the form of a letter/epistle and it marks several paradigm shifts within theodicy. The letter makes a case for a synoptic reading of Sts. Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas and Tantric texts. This is not the norm. Generally, these Saints are read along with Advaita texts. The letter hints at the futility of the latter approach. Then in the next part of the letter, the author requests a re-evaluation of the concept of the (...) Church in Bengal and, by implication, of the universal Roman Church. All this while the author plays with Karl Rahner's concept of the anonymous Christian and thus, mentions, the anonymous Hindu. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta acknowledges which most woke Hindus do not --- the existence of evil, which is part of Catholic dogma and the reality of the Shakti worship. In this sense, the letter serves the interreligious dialogue project which is burdened by the reiteration of Catholicism trying to understand Advaita Vedanta. (shrink)

The PDF uploaded is ENTIRELY different from the two links provided. Please download the PDF and then read the given links. This has NOTHING to do with philosophy or literature. This is being put up here in the memories of Bro. Cal Whiting cfc and Fr. Larry Abello SJ. This is more of a record for those interested. The full names of the Christian Brother from Australia is Br Robert Cataldus Whiting who is also mentioned among notable Christian Brothers in (...) the Christian Brothers' Wikipedia page. Further, Fr. Abello's full name was Fr. Lawrence Abello Ph.D. I have written about both of them in Indian Catholic Matters. This has been published in The Herald. The links added are to Indian Catholic Matters. The PDF uploaded is entirely different. -/- Then read the first link on the Church's position on the indissolubility of marriage. (shrink)

This article shows why it is important to not "hastily condemn the condemnation of Gutiérrez by ecclesiastical authorities, [instead] we should learn from those censures". Then the essay shows why the last two Popes, John Paul the Great and Pope Bendict were sceptical of liberation theology. Nonetheless, this mode of theological praxis is now pervasive throughout global and Indian academia. The last part of this long essay contextualises how liberation theology has concetreley shaped the Indian Church and also, to an (...) extent, Hinduism. -/- . (shrink)

This brief epistloary obituary of Fr. Gutiérrez has new insights which have been worked into a much longer essay published a day or two before in Indian Catholic Matters. The interesting bit here is the comparison of Fr. Gutiérrez as a prophetic figure not only important within Roman Catholicism but also within Hinduism. The letter-writer points out his role as a post Vatican II thinker who was shifted paradigms.

This has been published by the Archdiocese of Calcutta in the Roman Catholic The Herald which has been in continuous circulation from 1839. This weekly paper is the mouthpiece of this Roman Catholic Archdiocese and is indexed by the Vatican. The importance of this short piece is that it clears the misconception about the so-called fire-sacrifice which is found in all text books and scholarly papers globally. There is no such thing as a fire-sacrifice. The author draws a parallel with (...) the 'havan' or 'homa' with the Holy Eucharist. For the author the fire is God, as for Roman Catholics, the bread and wine is the Body and Blood of Christ during the Paschal Mystery. Further, the author clearly states the similarities between Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises and Tantric 'nyasas'. These are unique observations within comparative religious studies. The Truth is One and sages call it by various names and so while the paths to this Truth are different, the destination is the same. (shrink)

This article emphasizes the need for silence to become transformed from the death oriented Dasein of Heidegger to the life oriented Dasein of Karl Rahner. In between this article makes a case for Shakta worship to be taken as the loci for Hindu-Christian interreligious dialogue.

Graham Greene's novels are often read with no reference to his Roman Catholic Faith. Particularly, in India there is little knowledge among both students and scholars about the primacy and the nature of the Roman Catholic Faith. They miss the point that the Roman Faith is a deeply Mysterious Faith. The term "Mystery" is used here in the Catholic sense of that Faith's 'Mysteries'. The essay and the long endnotes try to rectify the errors which creep in when Greene is (...) decontextualized from his Faith by logical positivists. In the name of the 'death of the author' religious relativists contaminated with the heresies of modernism misinterpret Greene. 'Heresies of Modernism' will be alien to those whose academic limits do not go beyond staid woke-seminars. -/- The essay is discursive in nature, but on purpose. It sees Greene's works through the lens of the Suffering Servant and Paul's Hymn to Love. It has to be kept in mind that Greene is a Roman Catholic writer who knew his Church's teachings well. Christianity is not a homogenous term. "Religious" in the essay often means those who are lead consecrated lives within the Catholic Church as distinct from diocesan clergy. (shrink)

This letter to the editor highlights the need to study theology for both Hindus and Roman Catholics. It points out the dangers of NOT studying theology for both religious communities and while doing so, it touches upon AI. It poignantly touches upon Saint Chavara and the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate. -/- The letter has some typos: it is Madhukanda from the Brihadaranyak Upanishad...it is Carmelites of Mary Immaculate. -/- This is my patrimony as an Indian Hindu who is a Hindu-Christian (...) and the late Fr. Raimundo Panikkar was a Christian-Hindu. -/- Should have been -/- This is my patrimony as an Indian Hindu Tantric who is a Hindu-Christian as the late Fr. Raimundo Panikkar was a Catholic priest who was a Christian-Hindu. -/- Sdaly these corrections/proofing were NOT done. -/- Further it is "Achintya-Bheda-Abheda " / अचिन्त्यभेदाभेद... (shrink)

This is a review of liberation theology and Papal encyclicals. This blog-entry shows how the Roman Catholic Church reacted through its Magisterium to the liberation theology. Discussed are materialist dialectics and the ontologies of liberation theology. It is left to the reader to conclude whether they agree or disagree with the main contentions of liberation theology.

This essay interrogates the philosophy of Pinter through analyses of his language, religious understanding of life and through passing references to Buddhism.

This blog post shows why atheism is a non issue within Hinduism. Through Aristotelian logic this brief essay proves how atheism is only relevant to Abrahamic religions. Hinduism does not exclude the middle, therefore the duality of theism-atheism does not arise.

The author shows how phenomenologists from Edmund Husserl to Edith Stein are indebted to Samkhya. He reiterates the case for Bhagavan Buddha, the Sakya Muni, for being a Samkhya Yogi. The editor specially commissioned this essay from the author.

The author finds contemporary historiography to be quite stifling and frankly, insuffient.

This is an essay stressing on the differences between Christianity and the Sanatana Dharma. It provides a starting point for interreligious dialogue between Hindus and Christians.

This is an etymological, Biblical and philosophical scrutiny of Milton's Satan. While Satan is a metaphor in Paradise Lost, he is very much real within Christian Studies. This essay revisits the reality of Satan.

This 'Letter to the Editor' briefly touches on how we can respond to the threats posed by AI. By we, it is meant, the faith community of Roman Catholics and Hindus. The Herald is the mouthpiece of the Archdiocese of Calcutta and has been in continuous publication from 1842. It is indexed by the Vatican. In this letter, silence as empathy is shown through Edith Stein. This letter is brief for want of space since The Herald is an offline publication. (...) Further, the original letter did not have the error 'Pharoah'...it is 'Pharaoh". (shrink)

The purpose of all philosophizing is to also reach a general, popular audience. In this 900 words' plus essay, the author discusses the possible dangers of reading/practising/discussing Tantra. The first photo is that of Mother Dhumavati, the next one is of Sri Ramakrishna and finally of Sri Ramanujacharya. The essay is a cautionary one advising against the miraculous or esoteric. It also speaks of clinical psychosis.

This was presented as part of an assignment, and like all assignments, this is a work in a hurry. Nonetheless, it has interesting points on the three Gunas. This was written in 2018.

This is a discussion on the Problem of Evil.

This was printed in the Catholic Herald, Kolkata, the mouthpiece of the Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta.

This reflection on the Petrine Ministry is being made freely available to students during this ongoing pandemic of COVID 19. This very brief essay seeks to understand the meaning of the title of the eponymous novel by Graham Greene.

This was written in 2014 during desultory afternoons in hinterland Bengal. The blog went on to feature in a US Bible Blog carnival. The author tried then to start a dialogue between the Gospel of Glory and Hinduism. But now, in 2018, this seems puerile and infantile to the author.

This letter deals with the problem of atheism and Catholicism. After mourning the loss of a Jesuit priest, the author turns to a previous issue of the paper. In that issue a prominent Jesuit administrator of the Calcutta Province of the Jesuits had praised Romila Thapar. This letter asks whether Thapar is acceptable to Catholic Christianity since she is avowedly an atheist. The Catholic priest in question did not reply and continues in his priestly office. The then editor of the (...) Herald printed this letter in totality. (shrink)

This was printed long ago at a transitional phase in the writer's life. It speaks of the angst of being alone in a cooling world.

This annotated bibliography is meant for those who are studying Samkhya and Yoga.

This is a select annotated bibliography of the translations of primary sources of Hatha Yoga. The bibliography is important to understand the connection between Yoga and Tantra. The latter is the telos of the former.

These are the working notes/handouts given to the resident philosophers and scholars for the de Nobili Endowment Lecture held at Chennai, on 27th October, 2022. These have been printed and circulated among the attendees before the lecture. The lecture itself will be published in a book form. The de Nobili Endowment Lecture was given by the author at Satya Nilayam International Jesuit Centre for Philosophical Excellence affiliated to the University of Madras and which is part of Loyola (Autonomous) College, Chennai (...) on 27th October, 2022 at 6.20 pm in an offline event. The main contention of the paper is that Dr. Edith Stein through her work on Empathy resolves problems of Empathy encountered in Advaita Vedanta. (shrink)

I believe that as a teacher I must provide high quality content for my students. And all these should be available for free online so that bright students globally can choose which editions of a seminal text they can study. In every UG, PG examination, one is asked about the importance of the title of Shaw's play. In this paper I have illustrated by my own reading how one should and can approach the play. For scholars, my annotations referring to (...) John of Patmos may be interesting. I have deposited this paper here since I have shown the deep multiple philosophical mooring which Shaw affords but often even a discerning reader misses. (shrink)

This clears the muck from Shakta Tantra which has become associated with hedonism and big money. This is written for a lay audience.

This is a re-look at the (Indian) Partition event through the lens of Advaita Vedanta.