Description
“Aranyakas is a term that refers to the philosophy behind ritual sacrifice of the ancient Indian sacred texts, the Vedas. Aranyakas describe and discuss rituals from various perspectives, but some include philosophical speculations. Aranyaka (āranyaka) literally means “produced, born, relating to a forest” or “belonging to the wilderness”. It is derived from the root Aranya, which means “forest, wilderness”. This perfume, created as a Bespoke Signature Perfume by Prin Lomros of PRYN PARFUM for Rajesh Balkrishnan, represents the essence of the vibes derived from both Indian forests and the Vedic texts. Containing a high percentage of natural plant extracts with woods, incense, earthy and animals accords, this bold, dense, and spiritually radiant Indian Vedic period vibe hitherto unseen in modern perfumery. The perfume evokes the natural forest vibe of the Vedic period (c. 1500 – c. 500 B.C.) where the ancient Hindu texts such as the Vedas and Upanishads as well as mythological treatises such as Ramayana and Mahabharata were written. The greenish resinous and earthy scent contains a very high percentage of natural cypress absolute with more than 60% of natural absolute and resin. The perfume concentration is of 35% perfume oil (considered pure perfume concentration. The imagery evoked is that of a forest with trees and wet soil and animals lurking in the background with incense emanating from Vedic sacrificial fires.” – a note from the brand.
Aranyaka was launched in 2018.
ivan_b78 – :
Dense earthy incense. A wisp of a mentholated top. Certainly soil and non-dry woods. No cumin noted but maybe the animalic notes produced a soft sweat-like smell that matched my own natural odors, like sweat on a cooler day, and this was something I especially enjoyed. Medicinal facet invoked an odd memory of my father returning from the lab in the cold. Naturalistic facet reminds me of woods ala Anat Fritz original, abstract facet reminds me a little of Bogue Noun, but sans any of Gardoni’s trademark cheekiness or malevolence. This is sacral one, its a fragrance of the cognitive heart and to me anyways solitude. Considering full bottle.
black23rus – :
Prickly, Mystical, Calming….
Tenacious and composed of the most highly concentrated finest oils and absolutes on earth. This scent is evocative of a deep dark forest. Crisp, prickly on the senses at first, with a strong mentholated-like mossy green opening which immediately leads into an abundance of earthy-dark-rich soil tincture. As the scent calms, a pur of animalics (non funky but reminiscent of the scent of freshly manicured animal fur straight from the groomers) takes over meeting a smokey base of intense lavender oil. Aranyaka has incredible longevity and above-average projection. Personally, this may lean too animalic for my preference but nonetheless it is a superb and highly respected composition.
E1982A – :
Aranyaka is very unique and takes a while for even an experienced nose to unpack. It is complex enough that it is difficult to dissect by notes. Take this: combine a fresh, medicinal green pine with religious smoky incense, an animalic fuzz, and pungent spices. Fresh but dense, dark but clear, cold but full of life, Aranyaka is an intruiging treat for those who seek something different, edgy, and all so mysterious.
Compared to Pyrn’s Aksum, though they share similarities, Aranyaka is fresher and more woody. Aksum focuses on intoxicating funk, while Aranyaka has a more regal feeling approach. Aksum is a carnal mysteriousness; Aranyaka is a mystic mysteriousness.
gcu300JeomiWogkig – :
feels like in a wild forest!
really good!
mumu – :
What a great experience! Exotic and intense. Makes you feel like you’re beautiful forest.
barmen19 – :
I love the scent as I wake in my room . Coming and comforting. I love it and will cherish it. Thank you so much Rajah from my family
mrMause – :
Walking barefoot on wet soil drenched with balsamic oil from bunches of squamous leaves fallen off a cypress tree. Before Entering a wood with trunks covered in moss, I pass by a flock of sheep that stares at me with a “what are you looking at” attitude. They’re so dirty that even if they were miles away I could have smelled the heat from their bodies.
From a ruined chapel, some monks are coming towards me with a censer burning resins so that they can clean the air from all that animali smell. The mix of it all leaves me pleasantly gobsmacked.
Monks and sheep are now bygone, I can enter into the wood and inhale the earthy aura of moss and mud.
This perfume is something worth smelling. Powerful but delicate. Anyone can interpret it their own way, it tickles one’s fantasy and makes one think about Art. With capital A
Thank you Rajesh!
faiden – :
If only every attempt at capturing the verdant green lushness of the forest could smell like this! Wow. This is green like a fine Cambodian oud is green: high pitched almost minty top notes, both fresh and earthy at the same time. The word “fougere” should have been used to describe THIS style ot perfume. If a fern had a smell, it would be this.
Extraordinary, naturalistic, and refreshing without any of the usual aromachemicals that produce that effect. This would be refreshing in any season but I see it as the perfect scent to usher in the spring or the fall.
Wear it to your equinox parties and dance under the moon with your favorite centaur. Lovely.
andrbek – :
Wow. The bottle captures nicely the beautiful description you’ve written. I feel like I’m outside in the serene woods, surrounded by tall, magnificent trees whose scents are as beautiful and forward as their branches. Can’t wait to enjoy more of your creations!
ranzel – :
A good perfume certainly enchants us by its aroma, but a beautiful perfume conquers us for the whole of its work, where message and content unite perfectly and clearly. That this is possible in a natural creation that does not sound heavy is certainly a feat of both Prin Lomros, the perfumer, and Rajesh Balkrishnan, who asked the perfumer to create his concept.
Aranyaka is related to Indian rituals of the sacred texts, the Vedas, and the word captures in its meaning the wild life and what surrounds the context of the forest. Aranyaka perfume seeks to capture this sacred aspect of harmony and the cycle of life that forests represent while seeking to bring the sacred and primitive aspect of religious practices, which in themselves are the beginnings of perfumery. And it is certainly an extra challenge that perfume seeks to do this in a more modern way, something that holds the sacred but seeks to balance it with the contemporary nose as the perfume evolves in the skin. And that in itself is a tremendous challenge when working with natural perfumery.
What about Aranyaka in the skin? It is simply exciting, for me it is like witnessing something very special, a noble, gentle and striking creature. As its description says, Aranyaka carries the spirit of the forest, incense and animals, but there is something abstract in it that gives me the feeling that the goal is to capture the soul of this combination and not its realism. There is a warm, complex animalic aroma, something that goes from a softer, almost lactonic side of goat dye to the more fecal side of the civet and the leather nuances of the castoreum. Before your nose can focus on these nuances the perfume shows a more spicy side, a relaxing aura of incense and liqueur touches. The evolution is quite interesting, moving to a green and mineral aspect and to a warm and humid woodland. The choice of cypress is interesting as it helps to create the spirit of a green forest while perfectly connecting with the symbolism of meditation, reflection and the flow of death, life and immortality that can be associated with the forest. More than a bespoke design, Aranyaka preserves a noble and deep aspect of the perfumery that in the contemporary world is rarely portrayed. It is a masterpiece.
bormoley – :
A vision perfectly captured in scent, Aranyaka is a meditative and uplifting scent that transports me to deep within a primordial forest. Surrounded by dark cypress and cypriol is a brilliant heart of frankincense, and just enough animalism to produce a pleasing, natural hum. It is a very unique scent which I found to be plush and evocative.
sash1211 – :
True to it’s name, Aranyaka conjurs up mystical memories that you never knew you had. This parfum is meant to evoke a wild, and at the same time tranquil, Indian place.
Upon first sniff one could tell that this is wholly niche. The goat hair tincture, civet, and castoreum, ingredients that are to die for, rest on a bed of lavender, but are also surrounded by Nagarmotha and Cypres. The aforementioned combination is something that I have yet to come across, or perhaps I haven’t seen them done in such a way that the ingredients do not fight for space, but are blended insanely well together. And that’s just the opening.
The remaining life of the fragrance continues to shine these light and dark elements together into a creamy and refreshing scent. All the while making one question “Am I wearing a dark scent or a bright scent?” And “Is this what it feels like to be in a forest in India?”
The scent really a dance of yin and yang. These sort of scents can only be made by master perfumers.
Cuncatagueunise – :
I don’t even feel qualified to review this masterpiece.
Received my sample today, and this is truly special.
I can’t add to, but only agree with the beautifully written reviews below as well as the description that came with the sample.
Simply out of this world. I will be saving my pennies for this full bottle, that’s for sure!
Esorsskicky – :
This perfume smells divine and takes me back to my childhood memories of incense filled Indian homes, of rainy season, of lush greenery, of mist laden outdoors. The fragrance lasts forever. This is truly an Indian scent and for someone who loves bold and sensuous aroma. I highly recommend this fragrance.
xorek-1 – :
Aranyaka is not a perfume, but a magical green hypnotic potion.I can’t stop stiffing the back of my hand. It checks all the boxes for me: incense, woody,a minute bit of animalic sweetness. Yes, it is evocative of lush verdant forests. Aranyaks is uniquely lovely.
Mekoj281elipseskism – :
It’s very rare that I am impressed enough with a frag that I even bother to write a review, but Aranyaka is a special one.
Without sounding melodramatic, I have been looking for a scent like this one for a long time. For me, it hits all the marks and standards I have in a perfume.
But first off, I want to thank Rajesh Balkrishnan for sending me a sample. It’s because of him that I discovered Pryn Parfum, and esp., Aksum, which I LOVE.
He has also taught me a good deal about perfumes of the East. He is a very sweet and kind man, and I am happy to be his friend (albeit, vertual).
When I received my sample decant from Rajesh, I was at once captivated by the smell, even before I could prize it from it’s packing.
When I sprayed it on my arm, the smell of a forest, complete with damp fertile soil, animal markings and wood filled the room. After several hours, and having sprayed some on my neck, I went to bed.
With closed eyes, I was transported to a lush, dark jungle, primordial, essentially into where I came from: the earth.
I had a happy sleep smelly this wonderful perfume, and could still smell it when I woke up in the morning. It’s very unusual for me to sleep with a perfume or any frag w/o becoming annoyed by it and washing it off at some point.
I wore it to work the next day and got a very rare compliment from a man of Turkish decent. He commented that it reminded him of the Middle East. It was the first comment I have ever gotten from a man.
I have fallen in love with Aranyaka (the Turkish guy too.. LOL) and ordered a FB.
I know this isnt a “trained nose” review, it’s just how I experience this awesome perfume. If what I wrote interests you, do indeed try it.
My humble thanks and gratitude to Rajesh.
umnozheniya – :
There is nothing I can add about Aranyaka that hasn’t already been mentioned by others. This perfume is truly art! I get a strong wet, damp soil note at the very beginning. As the perfume evolves, the luscious green forest accords become prominent. The resins root the wearer in a meditative state, with the soft animalic notes offering the warm comfort of spirit guides offering their protection on a spiritual journey.
This is not a “crowd pleaser” type of scent and if you’ve only experienced designer fragrances you may not appreciate its beauty. However, it is still very wearable. Although this is an Extrait de Parfum, it doesn’t last for enless hours on my skin (on clothes is a different story). I get about 6-8 hours with good sillage, which is more than enough for what it accomplishes with me.
The ingredients are top quality and blended masterfully together, transporting the wearer to another world or realm. I thank Dr. Rajesh Balkrishnan for sending me a sample of this intoxicating fragrance and for allowing me to experience its beauty. His collaboration with Pryn Parfum has produced a wonderful olfactory experience!
Mesvh428InsuffBooni – :
Aranyaka is a mystical woodland steeped in archaic magic! Ancient resins used since the beginning of history, old growth trees, the spirit of passing animals stirring the unseen. Has the feeling of other houses known for magical mixes like Olympic Orchids, Arcana, and Solstice Scents. Love this Indian mystic forest fragrance!
Combined in a way that captures the imagination, this perfume is made with some of my favorite notes. Natural plant essences, impressively chosen both for scent and symbolism. Starting with cypress, symbolic of death. A perfect choice to represent ritual sacrifice. The haunting tree of primal swamps, its raised knees, eerie in the twilight darkness. Associated with the underworld, it has a medicinal clean aroma that’s woody, spicy and evergreen.
It’s surrounded by trails of nargamotha. An aroma like the mingling of vetiver (strong similarity), cedar, and patchouli. Native to India, and used in Ayurvedic medicine, it’s associated with life force, adding to the Eastern aesthetic. Then, olibanum, a resinous church aroma, incense-like and spiritual. More nuances, with damp soil tinctures – magic of place like mist rising from the earth. Beeswax, leather cloaked in oakmoss add to the sensation of mysterious life hidden in the bearded wood. And . . . animalics – goat hair, civet and castoreum, the siren call of the wild. Their satiny depth and richness a reminder of life’s continuum. Quietly through it all, saffron! The most expensive spice in the world, used here like a ghostly flute calling from the distance. It’s melody a profound accent. For the Hindu this represents fire and purity.
There’s a keen sense of experiencing an otherworldly communion. A forest lost in time, used for rites almost forgotten. I really loved that the scent conveyed the inspiration perfectly. Impressed that they nailed such an intellectual and lofty goal. A metaphysical forest wrapped in prophecy. Strong longevity, more masculine (due to the vetiver-like nargamotha), wonderful note ascendencies. Velvety smoothness. Want more from this new house!
Кунак – :
A Temple in India.
It’s like a ritual, a candle, in a dark atmosphere temple in India. Wondering a round in this temple and sense that spiritual essence that consists of incense, burnt patchouli, olibanum, cypress, slightly lavender, styrax, cedar, cloves, and bits of nutmeg.
It’s quite heavy & very spiritual as if you are wearing a pendant of protection. 2 sprays are enough. Interesting and worth the try for those who loves patchouli, incense, and lavender.
Thanks to one of fragrantica’s users who gave me the chance to try it.
yula-86-86 – :
I was lucky enough to receive a sample, and I’m delighted to say that Aranyaka is ravishing. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that once sprayed generously and allowed to settle in the frag on my arm immediately transported me to a realm of arboreal tranquility – riding alone through a still forest with the incense tang of burning cypressed resins intermingled with the warm accords of a steed’s flank, the leather of its reins perfuming the air. This is a deeply meditative ‘fume, calming and a balm to the soul. I slipped into sleep and woke to this beauty still evident on my arm. This dream juice is bloody brilliant and I urge you to try it if you adore incensed woods with a deftly handled undercurrent of ‘warm flank’. It’s certainly my jam – Bravo, Pryn Parfum!
5432222222 – :
Don’t know how to describe this beautiful divine creation !!
A very Complex scent with a great depth yet simple and easy to wear..
First spray, And this reminded me of my trekking days in the luscious green mountains after the monsoons. This smells exactly how the the forest smells like after a good rain.
Wet soil…Wet plants..Trees.
A perfect green scent with a incense trail which will be with you from the very beginning to the end. The incense here is to die for.
Not only a full bottle worthy but a backup worthy.
A perfect scent for meditation or the one who wants to calm his mind & soul after a long hectic day at work.
Scent – 11/10
Projection – 10/10
Sillage – 10/10
Longevity -10/10 ( Gave me good 12+hours on skin, outdoors which is very rare in the climate condition where I stay & 20hrs+ on clothes)
A perfect monsoon scent/best suited when temperature is below 25°C.
A very addictive & dope scent.
A MUST TRY!!!
Thank you Mr.Rajesh Balkrishnan Sir for this wonderful creation.
сергей6627 – :
To be honest, I did not like this fragrance at all on first sniff. It was far too harsh to me and I literally turned my head at the smell of it. But, after I read the letter given to me describing what the scent is supposed to symbolize and the ingredients used in it. I think it is a fantastic representation of a forrest that inhabits various different animals. You get the Civet and all the other animalic notes. But, the heavy dose of Cypress as well as pine, nutmeg and soil tincture give this fragrance this dark green feel. Making me think of the amazon. Really amazing artistic fragrance. But, with that being said. This fragrance is very harsh and I don’t think everyone will appreciate it. I love that this fragrance embodies the connection between art and perfumery. Stunning fragrance for the people who love fragrance for the art. I also love fragrances for there artistic nature. But, I would like to be able to wear it and I can’t see me being able to wear this fragrance comfortably. This bad boy is so potent. Literally one dab will last you all day.
Thank you Rajesh for sending me a sample of this to review. Keep up the amazing work. Really inspiring scent. Sorry if I was too harsh haha.
Gremlinoff – :
Thank you so much, Rajesh for sharing a sample of your divine smelling parfum, Aranyaka! Consider me a fan!
Just one whiff,and the complex, intoxicating scents of Aranyaka surely transport me to the serene woods; and the deeply intoxicating and complex notes remind me of the ‘homams’ (Indian vedic rituals).. divine tranquility.
vjgabit – :
This is the green woody earth incense of dreams. This is something I’ve been looking for to add into my collection. Finding a proper ‘green’ fragrance is hard, and most fragrances calling themselves green are cheap junk. This is nothing like those fragrances, when I think green jungle on a wet rainy day, I think this. This is a most excellent incense, with gorgeous animalic notes to it – very wearable. I give it a 10/10, and I do not say that lightly. I am truly honored to have tried this fragrance. If you have the chance, I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something unique, beautiful, and wearable.