Sanskrit, Shastras and Society: A Conversation with Dr. Satyan Sharma
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Satyan Sharma. Dr. Sharma is a Professor of Sanskrit at the Panjab University in Chandigarh. He specializes in […]
Category: Indology
Indo-Aryan Origins, Genetics and Pre-History: A Conversation with Ashish Kulkarni
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Ashish Kulkarni, better known on Twitter as @agenetics1, he is an engineer and part of a new wave of […]
Living Traditions and Puranas A Dialogue with Prof. McComas Taylor
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. McComas Taylor, Associate Professor of Sanskrit at Australian National University. In this episode, we discuss a host of […]
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Narratives, Life and Timeless Wisdom: A Conversation with Dr. Raj Balkaran
Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He is a scholar of the Puranas and Narratives and the […]
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Tantra and Abhinavagupta: A Conversation with Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina
Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina, Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. He is also a qualified Acharya and has been trained in Sanskrit and Shastras since he was a child. He is an expert on Tantra and Abhinavagupta, a 10th century polymath genius who worked on philosophy, drama, math, music, aesthetics, and other areas. Acharya Sthaneshwar is also Founder of the Vimarsha Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit that engages in expounding and maintaining the Kashmiri Shaivism tradition.
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Hinduism, Jainism and Academia: Conversation with Prof. Lavanya Vemsani
Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Lavanya Vemsani, Professor of Religious Studies and History at Shawnee State University in Ohio. She holds 2 Phd.s, one in History and the other in Religious Studies. She is also the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Indic Studies. She has written extensively on comparative iconology, history, legends, and ideas between Hindu and Jaina thought, especially related to Krishna and Balarama in Jaina and Hindu thought. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
0:01:30 Introduction to Prof. Vemsani and her background
0:05:40 Deep History and Continuity of Indian archeological sites and temple locations
0:16:00 Krishna and Balarama in the Hindu and Jaina contexts
0:18:20 Analysis of Balarama in Jaina traditions (Explanation of the Vasudeva, Baladeva, and Prati Vasudeva in Jaina Cosmology)
0:25:30 Historic Relationship and Interaction between Hindus and Jains
0:28:15 Return to Discussion on Balarama in Hindu vs. Jaina traditions
0:34:00 Narasimha and his connection sacred geography and cosmology, the Lord of the Middle
0:43:00 Integration and Pluralism of Hinduism and the practices
0:45:45 Academia, Colonialism and Hindu Studies: Built-in Western Bias and Lens
1:03:15 Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory and how it impacts everything about Indian studies, politics, and culture
1:05:05 Caste and how it is different from Varna and how it changed over time in Hindu society prior to British and even prior to 10th century
1:08:20 The flaws and discussion of the Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory (Genetic, Linguistic and Material Archeological issues)
1:31:35 How to approach providing controversial topics in school and education
1:35:30 Prof. Vemsani’s upcoming work and preliminary discussion of Heroines of the Mahabharata
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Hinduism and Society: Conversation with Indu Viswanathan and Parth Parihar
Join Mukunda as he speaks to Indu Viswanathan and Parth Parihar. Both Parth and Indu are Phd. candidates, Indu in Education at Teachers College and Parth in Economics at Princeton. Indu and Parth are involved deeply in engaging with Hindu traditions/ideas with the modern world. In this episode, we discuss far-reaching and diverse topics including what it means to be a Hindu in the West, the colonialism of the mind vs indigenous knowledge, Racism versus Caste, Abrahamic world view vs. Dharma worldview, Karma and Agency, Hindu representation in the Media and Education, Hinduism on College Campuses, Caste System, The Idea of Decoloniality, Dharma for the 21st Century and a wealth of other topics. It is a dynamic and great conversation with two fantastic thinkers and human beings.
Interview with Suhag Shukla Esq., Executive Director of Hindu American Foundation
Join Mukunda as he speaks to Suhag Shukla, Esq., the Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a non-profit and non-partisan Hindu advocacy group in the United States. In this podcast, we discuss a myriad of topics including growing up as part of the Indian and Hindu diaspora in the US, the issues that Hindus in the US have to deal with, diversity in thought in Hinduism and its traditions, the role that HAF plays in the US, education controversies that arose regarding teaching Hinduism in the education system in the US, the problems and issues around the term Hindutva, brief conversation about “woke” culture, Kashmir and other interesting topics
You can check out HAF at www.hafsite.org
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Interview and Discussion with Professor Jeffery Long (Part 2 of 4)
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Join Mukunda, Racchit and Professor Jeffery Long, Professor of Religious and Hindu Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. Professor Long is the author of many books and articles on Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Most recently Professor Long is the editor of “Perspectives on Reincarnation: Hindu, Christian, Scientific”. This is part 2 of 4 of our discussion and in Part 2 we discuss:
1. We discuss the work of Prof. Jeffrey Kripal on Ramakrishna Paramahamsa both from the academic perspective and the traditional Ramakrishna perspective along with ideas of hermeneutics and how to be sensitive to both the traditions and the perspectives of academic freedom. (from start to 15 min 55 sec mark)
2. We discuss the idea of purva paksha, steelmanning and how to engage with diverse perspectives and experiences. (from 15 min 55 sec mark to 24 min 06 sec)
3. We discuss the Jain idea of Aneka Vada (Multiple perspectives of Truth), Syaadavada (conditional perspectives) and Nayavada (theory of viewpoints). (starts at 24 min 06 sec mark to 36 min and 15 sec mark)
4. Prof. Long provides an overview and how the book Perspectives on Reincarnation came into being. (start at 36 min and 15 sec mark to the end)
You can download Perspectives on Reincarnation at https://www.mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/1097
Interview and Discussion with Nithin Sridhar
Meru Media Video Interview with Nithin Sridhar
Mukunda and Nithin discuss a wide host of topics relating to Vedanta, Indic Culture, Menstruation Ideas across Cultures, the Sabarimalai Controversy, Sati, including:
Advaita Vedanta (starting at 10 min mark)
Discussion on Nithin’s Books (starting at 32 min mark)
Indic Civilizational Ethos and the clash with Modernity (starting at 38 min mark)
Education system and imparting of Indic values (starting at 53 min mark)
Indic views on Menstruation and Feminism (starting at 1 hour and 5 min mark)
Sabarimalai Controversy (starting 1 hour and 40 min mark)
Discussion on the Practice of Sati and Suicide (starting 1 hour and 58 min mark)
About Nithin Sridhar: With a degree in civil engineering, and having worked in construction field, Nithin Sridhar passionately writes about various issues from development, politics, and social issues, to religion, spirituality and ecology. He is based in Mysore, India. His first book “Musings On Hinduism” provided an overview of various aspects of Hindu philosophy and society. His latest book “Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective” examines menstruation notions and practices prevalent in different cultures & religions from across the world. Tweets at @nkgrock
You can purchase Nithin’s book Sabarimalai Confusion: Menstruation Across Cultures below
https://www.amazon.com/Menstruation-Across-Cultures-Sabarimala-Perspective/dp/9386473461
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Interview with Prof. Joydeep Bagchee (Part 3 of 3): Indology, Textual Criticism and the Mahabharata
Meru Media Video Interview with Prof. Joydeep Bagchee Part 3 Mukunda and Prof. Joydeep Bagchee discuss Indology, Philology, Historism and the Mahabharata. In this part, […]
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