In The Epic of Gilgamesh the relationship between Gilgamesh, and his companion, Enkidu, is deeply intertwined with their dreams. Over the course of the epic, this relationship evolves from that of rivals, to master and servant, to battle ally, to physical companion, and eventually culminating in a deep spiritual connection. Through a series of powerful…
Category: Academic Writing
The Enduring and Transformative Power of Nature – A Study of “Tintern Abbey” by William Wordsworth and “The Yosemite” by John Muir
Despite their different backgrounds and eras, William Wordsworth and John Muir found solace and inspiration in the natural world. They each had a profound, healing connection with nature at a similar young age, and during periods when they had gone through emotional trauma in seeing societies being torn apart by conflict. Beyond solace, each went…
Pathways to spiritual bliss in “Swallowing the Sun” and “Confessions” (Comparing the spiritual journeys of Rumi & St. Augustine)
by Manish Vaidya Rumi and Augustine both espouse a state of bliss achieved through oneness with the divine, yet their prescribed paths to attain this state are strikingly different. Rumi draws upon Sufi mystic traditions, emphasizing the importance of indulging in dance and music to lose oneself in devotion, thereby incorporating the body into the…
Al-Zarqali and the Astrolabe in al-Andalus
(Essay submitted to complete requirements for the class HIS189: Muslim Spain: Philosophy and Culture., Stanford University) Manish S. Vaidya Prof. Vincent Barletta HIS189 Al-Zarqali and the Astrolabe in al-Andalus Muslim rule began in the Iberian Peninsula at the start of the eighth century CE. After a period of conquest and subsequent consolidation over the next…