1. Val’racharya

The name that was assigned to me is Val’r. It’s origin is Old Norse, and it translates to ‘the dead.’ Specifically those slain on the field battle...warriors. An English derivative of this word that you may be familiar with is ‘valor.’ Valor is an attribute that is associated with heroism & bravery. “The Val’r” are the sons of Wodan, (Odin) the chief deity of Asatru. They are born unto Midgard / Earth to cause strife to the wicked in pursuit of an honorable death…one worthy of them. Once slain, “The Valkyrie,” or the hand maidens of Wodan, retrieve The Val’r, and return them to halls of their heavenly father. Once returned, they partake & enjoy the bliss of heaven before they are born again unto the Earth. This in not an original concept amongst religions. These men called “Val’r” were once known as Ksatriya. Coincidentally, these ksatriyas are sometimes referred to a “The Twice Born.” Each varna (soul class) of Vedanta has a specific attribute that is key to their evolution. Sacrifice, in terms of selflessness, is key to the evolution of the ksatriyas.

Now technically speaking, the long form of that name, or my proper name is ‘Val’racharya.’ This is a compound word of Val’r as well as a designation, ‘acharya.’ Acharya means ‘one who teaches by their conduct.’ So then, ‘Val’racharya’ means ‘the acharya known as Val’r.’ Properly, an acharya is a Brahmana (a teacher of law) charged with the duty / dharma of developing the Ksatriya (administers of law). These are two of the four ‘varnas’ of the Vedantic philosophical system. These varnas are used to describe the situational predicament of the soul as it progress through its spiritual evolution.

Ksatriya is a derivative of the word ‘ksatra’ which means ‘authority or the one wielding it.’ It is also said to come from the combination of two Sanskrit words. The first being “ksat” which means ‘to harm.’ The other being “trayate” which means “to protect.” So ‘ksatriya’ literally means “to protect from harm.” That essentially is the duty / dharma of the ksatriya…to protect society from adharma or unrighteousness.

In my studies, one thing I learned about the ksatriya varna is this: they are the only varna that appear & disappear throughout the Ages (Aeons). This is something we delve into over the course of this blog.