Volume 4: jupiter
Our Father, our guru. Jupiter is the planet of luck, spiritual expansion, higher education, and tradition.
Explore Volume 4 for The Sounds of India, investigating what brings us together through the Summer Solstice, what holds us up through Autumnal Equinox, & what divides us through the Winter Solstice…
DUTY
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DEVOTION
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DESTRUCTION
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DUTY ∙ DEVOTION ∙ DESTRUCTION ∙
The Indian Standard presents Volume 4 Issue 1 with Summer Solstice: a publication surrounding the concept of Duty, how this ideal plays a role in our lives today & how desire fuels our fire. This issue works to break down the term duty & the heavy connotation surrounding this term. We root it back to the Bhagavad Gita and offer perspective to show how we may be misguided on where our duty lies.
We understand collectively that dreams and goals are important and that striving to work toward them and ultimately achieving them brings the utmost fulfillment. However, is this your duty? Is your duty and purpose so known to you that you can package it into whatever business you're creating, whatever interests you are pursuing, the path you are on? Or is your purpose to smile every day, feel the sun when you go on walks, and hug your family and friends closely?
We may be overcomplicating the concept of duty and perhaps it isn’t our pursuits where our duty lies, but rather the joy we receive from doing such actions. Perhaps our duty is to be happy, love others, and be grateful for our lives. Perhaps it's choosing peace, happiness, and love with and without the success of our earthly goals. This issue features violinist Skanda Sriganesh along with Shevya Awasthi, Rhea Shetty, Slesha Patel, Outer Voice’s JAM & Philly, and many more. Together, they discuss what their duty is to themselves and South Asian culture - proving the very phenomenon that answering the question, “What is my duty?” is as difficult as “Who am I?”
SHOP
DOCUMENTARY
BEHIND THE SCENES
MEET THE PARTICIPANTS
The Indian Standard presents Volume 4 Issue 3 with Winter Solstice: a publication surrounding the concept of Destruction.
Yes, we are in the Kali Yugam. This is evidenced in Srimad Bhagavatam, the Bhagavad Gita, and countless other scriptures that detail the effects of Kali. There will be leaders that care only for their own benefit as greed will increase, spirituality will decline, fear and anxiety will increase, our concept of family will change for the worse as we quarrel with loved ones over petty matters, Dharma will decrease and our Earth will suffer the consequence of our materialistic desires. Per the Hindu Timescale, we also know that time is cyclical. We know that our time period starts with Satya (Krita), then Treta (where Sri Rama comes), Dwapara (Sri Krishna’s arrival) and then Kali, where the avatar Kalki will arrive. “And then, what?” you may ask. Well, the cycle starts again.
This issue is not just about surviving in Kali Yugam but about transcending the cycle altogether. Our soul has endured these cycles countless times, and it is in its highest interest to break free and reunite with God. So, what must we do? Embrace spirituality, relinquish desire to diminish fear and anxiety, and surrender fully. While this path is undoubtedly challenging, we can take comfort in knowing that for every step we take toward God, He takes ten steps toward us. That is why, in the midst of this frightening and destructive Kali Yugam, we have a unique opportunity to draw closer to God than in any other Yugam. Presenting Winter Solstice, featuring Saiarchana Darira, Rushil Vishwanathan, Neha Dharmapuram, Priya Mukherjee & many more.
SHOP
DOCUMENTARY
MEET THE PARTICIPANTS
BEHIND THE SCENES
The Indian Standard presents Volume 4 Issue 2 with Autumnal Equinox: a publication surrounding the concept of Devotion. Through the women of the Mahabharata, we are able to learn valuable lessons surrounding good & evil, the power of devotion, and how the debate on men versus women started before this yugam.
Our history is a tapestry woven together in a pattern upheld by the human experiences that shape the way we see the world today. Each of us is a thread in that tapestry, an infinitely small, yet equally important part of an ever expanding whole. Understanding our history involves more than just an intellectual study, but an empathetic one - a curious, cultural look into the past. To understand our history is to understand the past, present & future. However, times shift, as we grow further away in years from those historic moments, do we render them irrelevant to the normal course of our lives?
Womanhood has changed significantly through the ages, yet even in this era, we still find the same fundamental elements and threads that encompass that identity. This issue will draw upon the stories of women today and the women of the Mahabharata. This issue features Dur E Aziz Amna, Shivani Rana, Rhea Khattoi and many more.
