The way that I found Aranyaka was unusual, as is the scent itself. Whenever someone asks me, “what is your favorite note?” my answer is always the same. Goat. I love their animalism, the sunny, grassy, hairy, muskiness of them. Whenever anybody asks me, “what perfume do you like for layering?” my answer is always Pan, from Anya’s Garden, a perfect goaty scent. It adds a perfect touch of buzzy animalism, and is especially pleasing with florals.

Because there aren’t many scents built around the smell of goats, whenever I see one mentioned, I clamor for a sniff of it. So when I saw a social media post from Rajesh Balkrishnan about his SOTD — a scent that I had never heard of, with goat listed in the notes — I had to find out more. The fragrance name was Aranyaka. I found it on Fragrantica, listed as an offering of Pryn Perfumes, but on the Pryn Perfumes website, it was nowhere to be found. At a dead end, I decided that I had to reach out and find out more.

I asked, using my personal account, where I could purchase a sample of this fragrance, and explained my love for scents that incorporate notes that smell like goat. He kindly offered to send me a sample, based on my personal interest. So, as a matter of full disclosure, I did not purchase the sample that I am writing about. It was sent to me free of charge because of my interest as a potential customer, and lover of goats. Rajesh Balkrishnan did not know that I have a perfume blog when he offered to send me the sample, and I did not agree to write about it, favorably or otherwise, in exchange. I also will provide information in this post about how the fragrance can be purchased, so that anyone who is interested can have that information, but I do not have any sort of affiliation with the perfumer or the seller, and I do not receive any sort of consideration or compensation for purchases.

ARANYAKA’S STORY

Aranyaka is a bespoke perfume, commissioned by Rajesh Balkrishnan, and made by Pryn Lomros. Its inspiration was the early Vedic texts of the same name. The word Aranyaka means “of the forest.” The perfume was intended to represent both Indian forests and the Vedic texts themselves.

I have just a tiny bit of knowledge about the Arnayakas. When I became an adult, I considered myself a truth-seeker, and I read texts and writings from many different religions. One of my favorite authors was, and still is, the 14th Dalai Lama. One of the things that he spoke often about is that there are good and useful things in all religious traditions, and that you can embrace these good and useful things regardless of your own faith, traditions, and /or upbringing. I decided that this was a good path for me, and so I have continued to read, with an open heart and open mind, from many different sources about a wide variety of spiritual beliefs. I also take teachings when it is appropriate for those outside the traditions to receive them.

Some of my favorite texts to read were Vedic and Hindu. In addition to their profound spiritual meaning, they have a certain rhythm to them, even when translated to English. I was told that reading the texts aloud increases their merit, so before I got married, I used to climb into bed with my little dog, Biscuit, and read to him from books like The Bhagavad Gita and The Rāsā Līlā. Here he is, snuggling down in the sheets. (Biscuit also loves perfume, and his signature scent is Bois de Violette from Serge Lutens).

I have read some of the Vedic texts known as Upanishads, but I have not read any of the Aranyakas. It is my understanding that they are readings for the Initiated, so it would not be appropriate for me to read them. However, I have a very elementary understanding of what they are about. Or at least I think I do.

THE ARANYAKAS

The Vedic Age is the period from 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C. During this time, the Vedic texts were created in Sanskrit on the Indian subcontinent. The Vedic Civilization became the foundation of Hinduism and Indian culture. Within the Vedas, there are different types of text with different purposes. The Brahmanas discuss rituals, sacrifices, and atonements. The Upanishads discuss and speculate about the human soul and the cosmos. The Aranyakas, teachings of the forest, are somewhat of a bridge between the two, as I understand things. They describe the philosophies behind the sacred rituals and sacrifices of the Brahmanas, and were meant to be studied and meditated about in seclusion, having retreated to the forest.

So, a fragrance named after the Aranyakas would be reminiscent of a forest retreat. It would be meditative, solemn and perhaps even somber. It would smell very natural, like the Old Ways, and would contain the potential for profound and meaningful spiritual discovery and understanding.

ARANYAKA FRAGRANCE REVIEW

Aranyaka opens with a huge, oily, terpenic blast of cypress. On the first sniff, it smells quite “piney,”but within seconds it takes on a very camphorous vibe, reinforced by cypriol. It smells like being deep in a dense forest. The feeling is very dark, and primordial. It has the earthy smell of forest floor — like natural decay — damp pine needles, rotting logs, and rich, black, compost-like soil. The smell of the forest is quite transportive, and evocative. The cypress is nearly sedating, while the cypriol is mildly arousing. I feel a calmness, and yet, I’m not sure where this journey will take me. At this point, the smell doesn’t register as perfume, but rather a huge dose of nature-as-medicine.

After about five minutes in a part of the forest so dense that the sun may not have penetrated for years, a glimmer appears. Frankincense begins to warm and lift the fragrance. It’s as though I’ve been led to this point blindfolded, and then the blindfold is removed. The resinous frankincense is like a concentrated source of light in the dark, damp, greenness all around me. The fragrance starts to vibrate with a low hum, encouraging me to open all my senses and fully experience its beauty.

As the frankincense continues to elevate Aranyaka, there is a feeling of expansion. Suddenly the winds begin to circulate, and you can smell what is underneath all this deep greenness. A lovely bit of nutmeg. Some refreshing and cleansing lavender, some dusty, floral saffron. The hum grows, becoming more melodic. Harmonies and vibrations appear and intensify. I smell plush oakmoss and dark soil full of minerals.

After an hour, the animalic facets of Aranyaka are fully developed, and they are splendid. Perfectly balanced, smelling not like an animal, but OF an animal — a sense of living and breathing, that I am sharing the space with other beings that are unseen, but surround me. It is difficult to pick out the individual facets, but I can smell leather and beeswax, a warm and furry civet-like musk, and if I close my eyes and really concentrate, I can almost smell a goat in the forest. I imagine him to be serene and majestic.

ARANYAKA’S VIBRATIONS

I have always experienced scents as odor plus vibration. These vibrations sometimes come together into colors, or entire visual landscapes, but the palpable vibrations are always there. When I was younger, I assumed that everyone had these sensations, and was surprised to find out that most people don’t “feel” scents that way, at least consciously, and don’t describe them in those terms.

Aranyaka gives me a very strong sense of vibration, and it has levels that are quite distinct. It is almost like layering, or radiating outward. There is the botanical, the mineral, and the animal, all superimposed and creating a harmonious sense of life and consciousness. It is like a symphony of nature, but played at low volume, so the closer you listen, the more you will hear. Rajesh Balkrishnan describes Aranyaka in terms of “vibes,” both from the forest and the texts. which makes me wonder if he has similar experiences, or if this kind of thinking and perception is more common in people from Eastern traditions?

A few years ago, I came across Luca Turin’s vibration theory of olfaction, and it interests me very much. It feels like an explanation for my lived experience with scents. Whether you are a believer or not, I’d like to share a fascinating video, which shows Luca Turin explaining his vibration theory on the BBC Documentary Horizon. The episode is called “A Code in the Nose,” and it features perfumers Maurice Roucel, Serge Lutens and Calice Becker, along with Luca Turin, and two noted scientists in the field of olfaction: biologist Linda Buck, and biochemist John Amoore. This episode aired in 1995, and is now available on YouTube, in four parts. Here they are, in order:

ARANYAKA DETAILS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

I found Aranyaka to be a unique and beautiful scent. It is contemplative and balanced. The inspiration for this perfume, the text and tradition of the Aranyakas, is clearly realized in the final product. I found its vibration and energy to be immersive and soothing. I don’t think that it will be for right for everyone, particularly those who prefer Western-style “crowd pleasers,” but Aranyaka will be perfect for those who identify with this type of energy, or are looking for the scent of a sacred forest.

I am amazed at how Prim Lomros managed to make the scent simultaneously rich and lush, but also austere. It really is a scent that evokes the feeling of immersive communing with nature, the Earth as a Holy place. Since first smelling Aranyaka about a month ago, I’ve been trying to order samples of his other scents from his company, Pryn Perfumes. He has sample sets for sale on his website, but they’ve been sold out since I started looking, and I’ve been checking back often. Hopefully they will be restocked soon, because they sound like special and beautiful perfumes. (I did manage to order the one set that was still available — three sample vials of Aksum, his very animalic goat fragrance, and I am anxiously awaiting its arrival.)

Aranyaka has low but steady and dense projection, and lasts for about 10 hours on my skin. The perfumer’s listed notes are cypress, olibanum, cypriol, goat, beeswax, civet, soil, castoreum, leather, lavender, saffron, nutmeg, clove, and oakmoss.

Aranyaka is manufactured in Thailand, presented in extrait de parfum concentration, and sold exclusively by Rajesh Balkrishnan at this time. For purchasing information, he can be reached by email at Rbgws@yahoo.com.