Collated by Tusar Nath Mohapatra My life as ideology
SELF - Orchid and the rose: Depth gradually gives way to surface https://orchidrose.blogspot.com/2026/09/depth-gradually-gives-way-to-surface.html
SELF - Plain & Simple: Raja Ram Mohan Roy relied on Akbar, Abu'l Fazl, and Dara Shikoh https://plasim.blogspot.com/2026/09/raja-ram-mohan-roy-relied-on-akbar-abul.html
SELF - Rainbow & the Other: Time itself stores memory https://rainbowther.blogspot.com/2026/09/time-itself-stores-memory.html
SELF - Savitri Era Learning Forum: Materialism strengthened man's idealism https://selforum.blogspot.com/2026/09/materialism-strengthened-mans-idealism.html
Core Comparison
| Feature | Parallel Lives (Plutarch) | Rajatarangini (Kalhana) |
|---|---|---|
| Origin & Era | Greece / Rome (c. 1st–2nd Century CE) | Kashmir, India (c. 12th Century CE) |
| Primary Focus | Biography and moral character | Chronological history of a region's kings |
| Language & Style | Ancient Greek; Prose | Sanskrit; Epic Poetry (Kavya) |
| Structure | Paired biographies (one Greek, one Roman) | Eight cantos (Tarangas) or "waves" |
| Driving Philosophy | Ethical didacticism (teaching virtue) | Dharma (righteousness) and Rasa (detachment) |
| Source Material | Earlier historians, memoirs, oral tradition | Inscriptions, coins, land grants, older chronicles |
Key Differences
Purpose and Philosophy
- Moral Virtue vs. Cosmic Order: Plutarch wrote to explore the virtues and vices of great men, explicitly stating he was writing biography rather than strict history. He paired figures (like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar) to compare their psychological flaws and triumphs. Kalhana, by contrast, sought to record the complete history of Kashmir. He used the concept of dharma to show how a king's moral actions directly impacted the prosperity and stability of the kingdom.
Literary Form
- Comparative Prose vs. Continuous Verse: Parallel Lives is structured as a series of standalone, comparative essays written in prose. Rajatarangini translates to "The River of Kings" and is written as a continuous, flowing epic poem using Sanskrit kavya traditions, utilizing vivid imagery to evoke emotional responses (rasas), particularly shanta (peace/detachment).
Historiographical Methodology
- Anecdotes vs. Epigraphy: While Plutarch relied heavily on anecdotes, personal character quirks, and existing literary sources, Kalhana operated much more like a modern historian. Kalhana critically evaluated his predecessors, cross-referenced his narratives with physical evidence like temple inscriptions, coins, and architecture, and openly declared that a historian must remain unbiased, like a judge.
Key Similarities
- Moral Lessons for Rulers: Both authors believed that history should serve as a mirror for contemporary leaders. They used the failures of past rulers to warn current kings against arrogance, cruelty, and greed.
- Blending Myth with Fact: Both texts struggle to separate early mythology from verifiable history. Plutarch includes mythic founders like Romulus and Theseus, while Kalhana begins his chronicle with legendary kings from the Mahabharata era before transitioning into highly accurate contemporary history.
- Detail how Kalhana's methodology compares to modern historical standards.
- Break down a specific pairing from Plutarch's Parallel Lives.
- Discuss the political landscape of 12th-century Kashmir that influenced Kalhana.
- Heavy Reliance on Myth: In some cases, Plutarch traced his biographies so far back into antiquity that he relied on mythological figures. For instance, his very first paired biography compares Theseus (the mythical founder of Athens) with Romulus (the legendary, myth-shrouded founder of Rome). [1]
- Moral Edification over Accuracy: Plutarch openly admitted that he was writing biographies to serve as moral templates, not rigorous histories. He frequently selected or tailored anecdotes to highlight specific virtues or psychological flaws, sometimes bending timelines or embellishing details to make a moral point. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Anecdotes and Hearsay: His narratives are filled with highly detailed conversations, dramatic deaths, and personal speeches. Since many of these events took place centuries before his time, these specific accounts relied on unverified hearsay, gossip, or his own creative reconstructions.
- GoogleAI
Ralph Waldo Emerson called Plutarch’s Parallel Lives a “bible of heroes.” But is that an exaggeration? For centuries, Parallel Lives was the most influential work in the Western world besides the Bible itself. In 18th century America it was among the most read works of the ancient world. The Founding Fathers read Plutarch and used what they found there to win independence from Britain and build a new republic. Napoleon read Plutarch with obsession, and rose from minor Corsican nobility to Emperor of France.
William Shakespeare built his three major Roman plays, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and Coriolanus, off Thomas North’s 1579 English translation of Plutarch. Plutarch’s pairs of biographies left a deep mark on the Western world, shaping future leaders and nations through a simple idea: teach through the lives of great men. Today we will look at Plutarch’s Lives, to understand how it helped build the Western world, shaped leaders like Washington and Napoleon, and why, almost two thousand years after it was written, it still matters. Read at The Modern Caesar newsletter: themoderncaesar.substack.com
https://x.com/ModernCeasar/status/2103152806731436262
12 History Books Every Curious Reader Should Read
This is a personal list, not a definitive ranking.
■ A Little History of the World by E. H. Gombrich
A wonderfully readable sweep of human history, especially good for seeing how one era leads into the next.
■ SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard
A sharp, accessible account of how Rome grew, governed, fought, and understood itself.
■ The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan
A useful reminder that world history looks very different when viewed from Eurasia rather than Western Europe.
■ A History of Southeast Asia: Critical Crossroads by Anthony Reid
A broad introduction to one of the world's most historically connected, diverse, and strategically important regions.
■ A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani
A thoughtful long view of Arab political, social, cultural, and intellectual history.
■ Africans: The History of a Continent by John Iliffe
A sweeping history of Africa that treats the continent on its own terms, from early societies to the modern era.
■ Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America by John Charles Chasteen
A highly readable introduction to the forces that shaped Latin America, including empire, independence, inequality, nationalism, and revolution.
■ The Anarchy by William Dalrymple
A gripping account of how the East India Company went from trading corporation to territorial power in India.
■ 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
It challenges the old picture of the pre-Columbian Americas as sparsely populated and historically static.
■ The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark
One of the clearest explanations of how multiple decisions, fears, and miscalculations helped produce the First World War.
■ Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
A sweeping account of how a devastated continent rebuilt itself and became the Europe we recognize today.
■ The Cold War: A World History by Odd Arne Westad
It takes the Cold War beyond Washington and Moscow and shows how deeply it shaped Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.
https://x.com/NaeemRashid/status/2102819634223489495
On how Religion and Social Change creates narratives of outrage and disappointment, see Chapter 1 of Jon Keune’s excellent analysis of the Bhakti-Caste Question. For the conceptual engineering of how we conceive ‘religion’ see Nongbri (2013)
I have thoughts on this :1) As Keune shows us, history in the West has followed two major streams, Rankean positivism, which tends to faithfully describe the past ‘as it was’, and historical materialism, which in this context views the history of our traditions through the eyes of class and hierarchy. But both of them were themselves responding to Hegel’s narrative unfolding of history, with Ranke reject the project, and Marx inverting it, where technological/economical interests dominated instead of the ‘unfolding of human spirit’. Which is why we see classical Marxist scholars in describing the relationship between religion and equality as ‘meaningless’, because of religion’s role in legitimising subordination by inducing false consciousness in the non-elites of the time. This reminds me of Aytac and Rossi’s critique of ideology from a classical Marxist perspective, where the flaw of dominant beliefs is not that they are immoral, but simply erroneous due to being disseminated for the purpose of self justifying power in an epistemically flawed way.
https://x.com/JaldiTheLate9/status/2102852837911003620
The intellectual-historical path from Nietzsche through Weber to Gehlen is quite clear and direct. Nietzsche was ultimately an anthropological thinker, and, as Löwith argues in Max Weber and Karl Marx, both Marx and Weber have an anthropological root. Human self-alienation is not necessarily a historical problem, even when it assumes historical form. Likewise, rationalisation and nihilism are not in themselves historical problems, even though they take on distinct historical form. In Marx and Weber, alienation, rationalisation, and nihilism are, essentially products of "capitalism." Both seek to study capitalism scientifically, but neither is ultimately motivated by capitalism as such. Their deeper concern is with the destiny of man under the conditions produced by capitalism. It is precisely this concern with human destiny that gives their thought an anthropological foundation, and that also makes it possible to treat both of them as "philosophers" rather than merely as "scientists," insofar as their thought is interdisciplinary and extends beyond the boundaries of any particular field of specialisation.
It is Weber's concern with the destiny of man that leads him toward a more fundamental inquiry into human nature. For one can speak only meaningfully of the destiny of something if one understands what that thing fundamentally is. The result is Weber's ontology of life-orders and action, which is, in essence, both the precursor to and a core element of Gehlen's anthropology and sociology. For both Weber and Gehlen, life-orders function as "gardens of meaning." It is through meaning that human life and society are ordered and stabilised, and it is through participation in such orders of meaning that personality is formed. But man, as an active and plastic being, produces multiple and potentially conflicting orders of meaning, and the conflict between them can, in turn, transform institutional life. Man is therefore both the source of that order that sustains him and the source of the conflict that threatens it.
https://x.com/PanEuropeanJrnl/status/2103044562927198458
3. Build the intellectual infrastructure first.
Hayek’s lesson. You cannot skip the intellectual work and go straight to the politician. Someone must produce the ideas. Someone must translate them for millions. Someone must fund the institutions that do both for twenty years, including when the ideas are unfashionable. The think tank, the school, the formation pipeline, the organization that outlasts its founder – these are what convert a moment of attention into a durable transmission mechanism. The pipeline that produces Obama also produces Milei – when run in reverse. Build the pipeline.
https://x.com/Kristof_Poland/status/2103040961005641784
Victor Hugo wept over poverty by day and sexually exploited it by night... The great moralist even kept a horrifying ledger of his abuses... While the writer positioned himself as the universal champion of freedom, he demanded total submission from his companion, locking her away behind double bolts and destroying her acting career. As he amassed a colossal fortune from his royalties, he took sadistic pleasure in keeping her in humiliating poverty...
The literary world today maintains a convenient amnesia to protect the golden statue of the great republican in the Panthéon. His own writings depict rather a profiteer of morality who sublimated poverty in his books in order to better buy and enslave it in his bed.
https://x.com/AugusteBardamu/status/2102988814675247386
To possess a language isn’t just about being able to communicate. It’s about having enough words at your disposal to avoid being doomed to think like everyone else.
https://x.com/7559pr/status/2103001487773147222
- ଆଧୁନିକ ଓ ସଂସ୍କାରବାଦୀ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ସାହିତ୍ୟର ସୃଷ୍ଟି: ଭକ୍ତକବି ମଧୁସୂଦନ ରାଓ ଥିଲେ ଜଣେ ପ୍ରମୁଖ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ ଭକ୍ତ。 ସେ ନିଜର ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ ଚିନ୍ତାଧାରା ଦ୍ୱାରା ଅନୁପ୍ରାଣିତ ହୋଇ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ସାହିତ୍ୟକୁ ଏକ ଶୁଦ୍ଧ, ଆଧ୍ୟାତ୍ମିକ ଏବଂ ଉଦାରବାଦୀ ରୂପ ଦେଇଥିଲେ। ତାଙ୍କ ରଚିତ 'ବର୍ଣ୍ଣବୋଧ' ପିଢ଼ି ପିଢ଼ି ଧରି ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଶିକ୍ଷାର ମୂଳଦୁଆ ସାଜିଛି। [2, 4]
- ସାମାଜିକ କୁସଂସ୍କାର ବିରୋଧରେ ସ୍ୱର: ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ ସମାଜର ଆଦର୍ଶରେ ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଭକ୍ତମାନେ ଜାତିପ୍ରଥା, ଅସ୍ପୃଶ୍ୟତା, ବାଲ୍ୟବିବାହ ଏବଂ ବିଧବା ନିର୍ଯାତନା ଭଳି ସାମାଜିକ କୁସଂସ୍କାର ବିରୋଧରେ ପ୍ରବଳ ଜନଜାଗରଣ ସୃଷ୍ଟି କରିଥିଲେ। [4, 5]
- ନାରୀ ଶିକ୍ଷା ଓ ପ୍ରଗତିଶୀଳ ଚିନ୍ତାଧାରା: ସମାଜରେ ମହିଳାମାନଙ୍କ ସ୍ଥିତି ସୁଧାରିବା, ସେମାନଙ୍କୁ ଶିକ୍ଷିତ କରିବା ଏବଂ ବିଧବା ବିବାହ ପ୍ରଚଳନ କରାଇବା ପାଇଁ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ ନେତାମାନେ ଅଗ୍ରଣୀ ଭୂମିକା ଗ୍ରହଣ କରିଥିଲେ। [5]
- ପତ୍ରପତ୍ରିକା ଓ ମୁକ୍ତ ଚିନ୍ତନର ବିକାଶ: ଅନ୍ୟତମ ପ୍ରମୁଖ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ ସଂସ୍କାରକ ବିଶ୍ୱନାଥ କର ୧୮୯୭ ମସିହାରେ ସୁପ୍ରସିଦ୍ଧ 'ଉତ୍କଳ ସାହିତ୍ୟ' ପତ୍ରିକା ପ୍ରକାଶ କରିଥିଲେ। ଏହି ପତ୍ରିକା ମାଧ୍ୟମରେ ସେ ଓଡ଼ିଶାରେ ପ୍ରଗତିଶୀଳ, ହେତୁବାଦୀ ଏବଂ ସଂସ୍କାରମୂଳକ ଲେଖାଗୁଡ଼ିକୁ ପ୍ରୋତ୍ସାହନ ଦେଇ ସମାଜକୁ ନୂଆ ଦିଗଦର୍ଶନ ଦେଇଥିଲେ। [2]
- ଇତିହାସ ଓ ସଚେତନତା: ବ୍ରାହ୍ମ ଆନ୍ଦୋଳନ ସହ ଜଡ଼ିତ ପ୍ୟାରୀମୋହନ ଆଚାର୍ଯ୍ୟ ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ପ୍ରଥମ ଇତିହାସ ପୁସ୍ତକ ରଚନା କରି ଓଡ଼ିଆ ଜାତି ମଧ୍ୟରେ ଆତ୍ମସମ୍ମାନ ଓ ଦେଶଭକ୍ତି ଜାଗ୍ରତ କରିଥିଲେ। [2]
- GoogleAI
Justice as wholeness: An Indic framework for inclusion and flourishing
we now turn to two powerful exemplars— Gandhi and Sri Aurobindo—who enacted
these values through their life projects. Their journeys offer us contrasting yet …
Legal Resistance to Autocracy: The Global Fight to Save Democracy
understood topic than the rise of authoritarianism. As the editors and authors of this
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Majoritarianism in India: Roots and Consequences
J Gaya - 2025… The attempt to impose a civilisational basis on a territorial State is always fraught
with difficulties, and unfortunately, there has been an insistence both by the
Nehruvian thinkers and the protagonists of Hindutva to assume the existence of this …
with difficulties, and unfortunately, there has been an insistence both by the
Nehruvian thinkers and the protagonists of Hindutva to assume the existence of this …
The epistemology and ontology of a bhakta: an analysis of pejorative and secularised meanings of bhakta
prioritise ‘Moditva’ (Modi-centric ideology) over Hindutva’s … , reflecting his cult of
personality rather than organic ideological alignment with Hindutva. The second is …
[PDF] Leveraging Emotional Intelligence to Improve Work-Life Balance in Organizations
dissatisfactions at work place on the basis of demographic characteristics highlights
the need of programs like yoga and meditation which helps employees to manage …
[PDF] A Scholarly Contribution of Dr. Biman Mitra in the Field of Education
development, linking creativity with intellectual growth. Simultaneously, dissertations
like “Educational Impact of Shakespearean Drama” and “Poetry of Utpal Kumar Basu …
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shaped our world. This slim yet comprehensive guide is divided into three parts:
Dawn of the Western Tradition, Epistemologies of Knowledge, and Literary …
New Education Policy Of India: A New Vision
challenging programmes of community service and national reconstruction should
accordingly become an integral part of education. Emphasis in these programmes …
Ecological System of Value and Civilization
economic matrix. However, the traditional trust-building model, reliant on face-to-face
interactions and paper-based contracts, is increasingly inadequate in this digital …
[PDF] Little traditions and religious resistance among Dalit communities of Eastern Uttar Pradesh
communities in Eastern Uttar Pradesh through the framework of Robert Redfield’s
concept of Little Tradition emphasizing their role as sites of cultural resilience and …
