Waves 2024 – A Grand Confluence of Academic Scholarship and Vedic Wisdom

The 16th World Association for Vedic Studies (WAVES) Conference, hosted by Hindu University of America (HUA) in partnership with the Wider Association for Vedic Studies (WAVES India), convened over 250 scholars, participants, and attendees from around the world. From September 13th to 15th, 2024, the HUA campus in Groveland, Florida, became the focal point for elevating the academic discourse around Vedic Studies through panels, presentations, and plenaries, with this year’s theme being the Prevention, Management, and Resolution of Conflicts in Vedic Traditions.

A Platform for Global Scholarship

The world’s premier academic conference on Vedic Studies brought together a diverse range of voices, from seasoned scholars to emerging student researchers, reinforcing the breadth and depth of interest in Vedic thought. As WAVES International President Shri Sashi Kejriwal noted, “The diverse range of scholars who presented, attended, and participated in the WAVES 2024 Conference was impressive. What was unique about this conference was the great number of scholarly youth presentations. It was heartening to observe high school and college students not only in the audience but also at the podium articulating their own research.” This year’s conference was the first in-person WAVES gathering since the global pandemic, marking a significant milestone in the community’s return to face-to-face academic exchan

Confronting Contemporary Challenges with Vedic Wisdom

The world’s premier academic conference on Vedic Studies brought together a diverse range of voices, from seasoned scholars to emerging student researchers, reinforcing the breadth and depth of interest in Vedic thought. As WAVES International President Shri Sashi Kejriwal noted, “The diverse range of scholars who presented, attended, and participated in the WAVES 2024 Conference was impressive. What was unique about this conference was the great number of scholarly youth presentations. It was heartening to observe high school and college students not only in the audience but also at the podium articulating their own research.” This year’s conference was the first in-person WAVES gathering since the global pandemic, marking a significant milestone in the community’s return to face-to-face academic exchange.

Confronting Contemporary Challenges with Vedic Wisdom

The conference’s focus on conflict prevention and resolution drew attention to the enduring relevance of Vedic wisdom in today’s world. Shri Kalyan Viswanathan, President of HUA, shared his thoughts: “Hindu University of America is very proud to host the 16th biennial WAVES conference at its campus in Florida. WAVES has consistently provided a platform for scholars to express their perspectives through research papers and presentations. Vedic knowledge, even though ancient, is also very relevant for our contemporary age. This year’s conference theme centered around the challenges of conflict prevention, crisis management, and resolution. With many conflicts raging around the world, the scholars who attended the conference explored the relevance and value of Vedic wisdom in approaching the varied conflicts that we face today around the planet.”

The theme was explored through more than 100 research papers covering a wide range of disciplines, such as Philosophy, Anthropology, Medicine, Conflict Management, and Psychology. Focused panel discussions delved into subjects like Arthashastra, Ayurveda, and the distortions of Hindu ethos in educational systems. The sessions highlighted how the wisdom embedded in the Vedas could be instrumental in addressing today’s pressing issues, from global conflict to healthcare and education reform.

A Gathering of Eminent Minds

WAVES 2024 featured plenary speeches from several distinguished speakers, including Dr. Tony Nader (Virtually), Dr. Subash Kak, Dr. Vishwa Adluri, Dr. Debidatta Mahapatra, Dr. Joydeep Bagchee, Dr. Raj Vedam, Dr. Bal Ram Singh, Dr. Anil Maheshwari, to name a few; whose thought-provoking insights enriched the discussions and offered new perspectives on the application of Vedic knowledge to current challenges. Their contributions helped frame the ongoing conversation about how ancient wisdom can guide solutions to modern-day problems.

Bridging Generations of Scholars

One of the unique aspects of WAVES 2024 was the presence and active participation of the next generation of scholars. The conference provided a space for high school and college students to engage deeply with Vedic studies, both as learners and as contributors. This engagement not only showcased the growing interest among youth in their cultural heritage but also emphasized the importance of nurturing these young voices in academic forums. WAVES’ commitment to bringing together scholars across generations continues to build a bridge between ancient wisdom and contemporary inquiry.

A Blend of Academic Rigor and Cultural Immersion

Beyond academic discussions, WAVES 2024 also emphasized cultural and community engagement. Evening gatherings and jamming sessions allowed attendees to unwind and celebrate the vibrancy of Indian musical traditions, adding a dynamic cultural aspect to the conference.

The atmosphere of collaboration, community, and cultural celebration was palpable throughout the event, making WAVES 2024 a unique blend of scholarly rigor and immersive cultural experiences. HUA remains committed to hosting and facilitating the academic study of Vedic knowledge, and this conference further solidified its role as a hub for advancing Vedic studies.

Conclusion

WAVES 2024 successfully cleared space for escaping colonial frameworks and building an accurate Vedic worldview that speaks to today’s needs. This conference wasn’t just a series of scholarly sessions—it was a living, breathing testament to the relevance of Vedic knowledge in today’s world. With the successful conclusion of this event, all eyes are on WAVES 2025, where the conversations, research, and community spirit will surely continue to thrive.

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The event began with bhajans and Vedic chanting and an address by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Padma Bhushan Professor Ved Nanda. He welcomed and commended the graduating students as well as the chief guest of the event, Shri Anupam Kher. Dr. Nanda said that America was very receptive to Hindu ideas and thought, and that he was confident that Hindu University is on its way to fulfilling the expectations of not only the immigrant Hindu community, but also of many other Americans. The students, who received their degrees to appreciative applause, spoke briefly but movingly about the gift of knowledge that they had received from their teachers and guides. The graduating class of MA Sanskrit students deeply appreciated the precious gift that they now possessed, i.e., a direct access to the Shastras that contained the Hindu knowledge systems.

The graduating students enumerated in the table above, Zoomed in along with over 100 family members, HUA supporters, and even Padma Bhushan and Chair of the HUA Board of Trustees Ved Nanda.

Swami Sarvapriyananda, the resident Swami and head of the Vedanta Society of New York City, was also a featured speaker at the event.  He spoke about the need for the ‘Hindu community to build institutions that can transmit Santana Dharma systematically to the next generation of Hindu Americans.’ He added that ‘Hindus in North America have been great temple builders… but the younger generation is interested in the meaning and philosophy behind the rituals… it is good that Hindus have made large donations to Harvard and Columbia, but when you make a contribution to Hindu University of America, it is a matter of great merit, (punya), and you will be contributing to the protection and transmission of this Dharma – without making such investments, we run the risk of losing an entire generation to meaninglessness and rootlessness’.

The President of Hindu University of America, Shri Kalyan Viswanathan acknowledged the graduating students of the university. He read out the Mission and Vision of the University, laying out the need for protecting this small emerging university. He recalled how near his ancestral hometown, there is this great temple for Shiva, called the Brighadeeshwara Temple, in Tanjore, Tamil Nādu. He said, ‘This temple has stood for more than 1000 years and will probably stand for many 1000’s more’ and wondered if ‘we too could imagine building a university that could live for more than 1000 years?’

Shri Kalyan Viswanathan, President of HUA

Dr. Jashvant Patel, Member of the Board of Trustees of HUA, and the Chair of the Finance committee of HUA, conferred the honorary Doctor of Philosophy to Shri Anupam Kher, and recognized his extraordinary contributions to the world of art, films, and culture, and in particular to world cinema. Dr. Patel spoke of Shri Anupam Kher’s courageous and righteous stand for Hindu philosophy and thought, adding that  ‘the world may not know this – but Anupam Kher began his life in great adversity when he and his family had to leave Kashmir valley under difficult circumstances and start life afresh in a new town. And his journey from Shimla to Chandigarh, to Mumbai, and then to USA, is a true inspiration for millions of people worldwide.’ 

Dr. Padma Bhushan Anupam Kher who attended the event in person in New York City said ‘I am honored and humbled to be awarded this honorary Doctoral degree from Hindu University of America and I accept it with pride.’ He added that ‘I am a proud Hindu, because in thousands of years, Hindus have never invaded any other country – India has never colonized any other country through military dominance – and even though many hundreds of thousands of my fellow Kashmiris were forced to live in refugee camps, it is due to the Hindu philosophy of non-violence that no one picked up a gun or any weapon to settle any scores through violence. We believe in resurrecting our lives by resurrecting our minds.’

Dr. Jashvant Patel Chair of Finance Committee and Dr. Anupam Kher

Established in 1993, Hindu University of America is a School of Theology, offering a Master’s and Doctoral Program in Hindu Studies, and a Master of Arts in Sanskrit. In addition, it offers a variety of Certification and continuing education courses. In the Fall 2021 quarter beginning in the first week of October 2021, the university has announced more than 30 courses. After enrolling more than 500 students in each of the past 3 quarters, HUA anticipates sustained growth over the next year.

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A Vedic Counselor’s Perspective on Life

“In the vision of Vedanta, a person, by virtue of his own essential nature, is totally, absolutely, pure and free. Compassion, love, giving, and sharing are all dynamic forms of this absolute happiness (aananda). You are limitless, fullness, complete, lacking nothing.”- Swami Dayananda Saraswati

My Nānijī

Nānijī would lovingly start every conversation with “Sai beta, please share with me a few words of spiritual wisdom…” I would respond, “Nānijī, keep your mind on ‘Om’”. In her last few months, Nānijī could not even digest daal water. She would burp loudly during our conversations, mostly listening to my voice telling her to keep her mind on her Higher Self – her “I am.” We never discussed the topic of death directly, but Nānijī knew that it was near and all she wanted to do was rid herself of the immense suffering her body was going through. I reminded her often that she was neither the body nor the mind; that she was beyond these two that caused suffering; that she was pure love, infinite, ever-present awareness – the “I am” that vibrates in the “Om.” In this state of mind, her last moments were not consumed with questions or attachments to the material world she was to leave behind, but rested on her deeper, Higher Self.

Nānijī and I also practiced forgiveness meditation where over the period of several weeks we learned to forgive those who have hurt us. I could feel that as Nānijī neared the end, she was more free, lighter – she divested herself of all of life’s experiences and settled in her Higher Self; her mind was consumed in looking up at the Divine rather than holding down on to the material plane. One day, while sending her healing energy in my meditation, unbeknownst to me, Nānijī passed away in her sleep. She finally merged with the ever-present, indivisible, infinite awareness

Vedic Counseling

I share this story because I was engaged in a form of counseling that I didn’t know existed: Vedic counseling. After much reflection on how I engaged with Nānijī, I decided to explore Dr. David Frawley’s (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) course on Vedic counseling. I became a Certified Vedic Counselor and began my formal journey into Vedic counseling with the hope that I am able to become a compassionate guide to others in their time of need, particularly those nearing death. In time, I developed my own Vedic vision on life drawing from my practices in yoga and study of Vedanta as well as learning from numerous teachers.

Dr. David Frawley explains that Vedic counseling can be understood as dhārmic guidance on right living, right action, and right awareness. It draws upon Vedic knowledge rooted in Vedic Sciences such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Vāstu, Jyotiṣa, among others, and provides life guidance to those in need so that they may access the unlimited wisdom, energy, and vitality inherent within themselves while connecting to the universal intelligence that helps them move beyond their human constraints (Frawley, Kshirsagar, the Art and Science of Vedic Counseling). Vedic counseling then is counseling of inner observation into our internal reality and a Vedic counselor sets in motion a deeper process of observation and investigation in the individual with the goal of awakening an already-present deeper intelligence (Frawley, Kshirsagar, the Art and Science of Vedic Counseling).

As I reflect on my conversations with Nānijī, and others who I had spent their last moments with, I found that my guidance has organically always led to a focus on the changeless element of experience, the ever-present, indivisible, infinite awareness of “I am.”

“I am” – A Contemplation

Consider the following contemplation from spiritual teacher and philosopher, Rupert Spira:

“Look around the room you are sitting in and reading this article. Look at the objects, what’s on this table, the table, the walls, the chair, and so on. Now bring your attention away from the objects in the room and bring your attention to the space in the room. Have you ever contemplated this space? Have you ever thought of this space or brought your attention to it? Perhaps the only times you become aware of this space is when you move into an empty home or when you move out, but in between, you fill it up with various objects.

Now bringing your attention to the space in the room, ask: is this space limited to the four walls? Remove the four walls and what happens to that space? You realize that the space in this room pervades this room but is not limited to this room. Relatively speaking, it is infinite. When the building is taken down, the space will remain exactly as it is, as it has always been. (Spira, The Place of Refuge). Similarly, the self or awareness of yourself pervades the body but is not limited to the body. It is utterly intimate with itself, but it has no personal qualities or limitations. It is infinite. It is not located in a body or mind, but you notice in your direct experience that the awareness with which all experience is known, like the space, is not located in any particular experience. (Spira, The Place of Refuge). It has always been there. Everything, including the body and the mind, the experiences you have in your life, all appear in that awareness.”

Similar to the space with all the objects in it and similar to the way we identify with only those objects but not the space within which they are in, our lives are always qualified and colored with the “I am” with thoughts, feelings, sensations, or perceptions. Notice that all those objects of thoughts, feelings, sensations, or perceptions that follow “I am” all appear, exist for a time, and vanish, but “I am” remains. (Spira, The Place of Refuge). In fact, this awareness of “I am” has always been there.

Take a step back from your experience and step into this “I am.” Contemplate this “I am” and soon you discover that the body and the mind is what we are aware of; it is not what we are. (Spira, The Place of Refuge). In other words, the awareness of “I am” precedes all objects and content of experience. It has always been there. This awareness, this presence of awareness, is the most important thing we can understand about ourselves. This awareness is so caught up and mixed with experience that we have forgotten this “I am.”

Be with this “I am.” I am. When a thought arises, ask: are you aware? And you find that the “I am” is aware of that thought but a thought is not aware of itself. When a feeling arises, ask: are you aware? And you find that “I am” aware of that feeling but a feeling is not aware of itself. In this way, you find that no object of experience is aware. And then you ask what is it that is aware of experience? And you find yourself back in “I am” – the knowing and being that is “I am.” Keep going back to this “I am.” (Spira, The Place of Refuge). Stay there. (See also Kavitha Chinnaiyan, Svatantra Institute, Bliss Meditation)

Role of a Vedic Counselor

Our entry into the world is pervaded by duality. From the moment we are born, we are conditioned with the subject-object relationship. As a result, we already begin our lives from a place where we feel limited, incomplete, so we start seeking and resisting. We desperately try to feel whole and complete in our daily activities and relationships. This feeling of separation ultimately leads us away from the one reality — that single, indivisible, reality behind all the objects and people that derive their apparently independent existence. (Spira, An Introduction to Non-Duality). This sense of separation ultimately brings disharmony between ourselves and the world. A Vedic counselor is one who understands that sole reality and guides an individual to an understanding that they lack nothing, that they are already complete.

The apparent separate self or ego, an illusory self (real but not what it appears to be/an arising in awareness) mixed with objects of experience, is sometimes in need of practices or instruction. (Spira, The Place of Refuge; also see Greg Goode, Standing as Awareness). The Vedic Sciences are practices and techniques that facilitate the individual to arrive at the recognition of “I am.” Ayurveda is the Vedic Science for well-being of body and mind; Jyotisha is the science of time and energetic effects of cosmic bodies on the mind; Vastu is the science of space and directional influences,; and other sciences lead us to the vision of Vedanta, which is the philosophy of awareness. (Frawley, Kshirsagar, the Art and Science of Vedic Counseling).

These Vedic Sciences are the preparation ground to allow one to arrive at the “I am.” (Spira, the Way of Surrender). These Sciences provide processes and solutions to the suffering, needs, questions, and fears of this separate self. (Spira, the Way of Surrender; also see, Chinnaiyan, Shakti Rising). They cater to the separate self’s unique needs before finally resting in the awareness “I am.” A Vedic counselor identifies a particular Science or a mixture of these Sciences and sets in motion the processes to help that separate self dissolve into awareness. Ultimately, the Vedic counselor facilitates an individual to take a step towards themselves, to go home to themselves, to be simply with the knowledge of themselves, to surrender to themselves and open up the possibility of the dissolution of their apparent separate self or ego, that illusory limitations that the separate self acquires from thinking, feeling, sensing, perceiving and so on, into the infinite, ever-present awareness that they already are.

Every investigation or surrender to dissolve this separation that causes so much suffering results in coming back to ourselves where we simply live and be aware of our being, of the “I am.” This is the death of the separate self before the death of the physical self.

The End of the Illusory Separate Self

Visualize yourself on your deathbed. You’ve been told you have three days to live. What would you be contemplating about? What would you want to be thinking about? How would your mind approach the moment? Will it grasp for all that content of experience it has gathered over this lifetime or will it divest all that experience and go straight to the unblemished, essential self? Consider the contemplation on “I am” we just discussed. Would it change how you approach the last few days, hours, minutes, seconds in your mortal coil?

As I reflect on Nānijī’s physical end, and the physical loss of so many other friends and family over the last few years, I find myself constantly reflecting on death. Particularly, on the death of the separate self, and all its illusory limitations, before the death of the physical self. Consider the possibility of having the separate self die well before the physical.

The Sufis call this “dying before death” and Vedantans call it “liberation while living” (jivanmukta). What is meant by this understanding is that when the mind constantly dwells in the “I am” instead of the qualified, colored experience that contracts that “I am,” the mind finds itself in the open, in spaciousness, clarity, and peace; in other words, it is restored to its pristine, unconditioned state. As the body deteriorates in various ways, the mind remains illumined in the knowledge of “I am” – that true self, infinite, ever-present awareness. Many of us fear death, but when we have the capacity to clearly investigate our separate self with a healthy body and mind – especially when that body and mind are healthy now – we can immediately get in touch with ourselves deeply. That is, instead of constantly identifying with experience and desperately holding on to it – the experience of thoughts, feelings, perceptions that say “I am old,” “I am wrinkly,” “I am losing everything” – return back to the one constant, changeless element that has always been there no matter your age: the awareness of “I am.” Keep your attention there. See where this takes you. Does it liberate you from the fear of dying? Remain there.

We find that no matter what happens to this body, the death of identifying with experience, the illusory separate self, gives rise to the birth of peace that is already our being. In this way, when the moment comes when the body is finally done, all that shines in our minds is our knowledge of “I am” – the pure, peaceful, ever-present awareness that has always been there – that awareness that has preceded our birth and that awareness that continues after our death.

**My sincere thanks to the teachers that continue to shape me: Shri Guru, Bhairava Baba, Shri Atmananda Krishna Menon, Shri M, Rupert Spira, Sri Ramana Maharishi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Greg Goode, Dr. Kavitha Chinnaiyan, Dr. David Frawley, and all those numerous beings who continue to teach and guide me.

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It is a kind of day, when a long-suppressed civilization heaves a collective sigh of relief, after five hundred years. At 12:15:15 PM IST,  August 5, 2020, let us pause, recall and bow to the spirit, patience, perseverance and valor of our venerable ancestors.

In the land where Rama pervades

moh, lobh, krodh and kaam,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

In the land where Rama has a

navmi and janma bhoomi,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

In the land where Rama is in

one’s name and in the ideal state,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

In the land where Rama stands for

the perfect nation and national integration,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

In the land where Rama permeates

thoughts, speech & action,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

In the land where Rama is invoked both in

trepidation and meditation,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

In the land where Rama is in

salutation and salvation,

we were asked to prove the existence of our beloved Sri Ram.

When a long-suppressed civilisation heaves a collective sigh of relief, after five hundred years, it is that kind of a day. At 12:15:15 PM, August 5, 2020, let us pause, recall and bow to the spirit, patience, perseverance and valor of our venerable ancestors.

In this period of pandemic pandemonium when the rest of the world battles anxiety, Bharat is resplendent with piety. In a world that repeatedly witnesses, and glosses over, the inherent dichotomy of othering, rampant in the supposedly egalitarian later day belief systems, the intrinsically pluralistic Hindus invested their conviction in the modern justice system to undo a historic wrong, and won. That is Dharma – eternal and attuned to the times. This should make us unabashedly own every aspect of our faith and heritage. This should also empower us to proactively highlight and correct misinterpretation of our past by the outsiders’ lens of the present.

It would not be an exaggeration to state that today is the biggest festival in Bharat, after aeons. Know it, own it and exult in the absolute awareness that the oldest civilisation has infused the world with devotion, resilience and perseverance, for preservation and perpetuation, at the same time as another civilisation surreptitiously infected the planet with a virus.

Comprehend, appreciate and underline the magnificence of who we are. Bask in this glory with pride.

आज पर्व है

हिंदू होने पर हमें गर्व है।

The King of the North and all directions, the protector of all realms, here and beyond, the breaker of all chains of maya and more, has chosen to lead us today into an era of self-discovery and reacquaint ourselves with who we were, who we are and who we can potentially be. Rejoice, for, when He is for us, who can be against us!

As a descendant of a community persecuted over seven centuries for choosing the Hindu faith, I am filled with unbridled joy at this epoch defining moment – an inhuman civilizational wrong being righted, albeit, after centuries of exertions. Our uninhibited celebration shall create a surge of positive, harmonious energy, marking the end of the dehumanisation of Hindus in their own land. Two bigoted, plundering waves of colonialism, that questioned and scorned our very existence, dwindled our population and reduced our geographic expanse. The illegal insertion of secularism in the Indian Constitution continued this dehumanization in independent India where demonization and vilification of Hindus, by outside faiths, found active support and institutionalization.

We have had to face the ignominy of Jai Sri Ram, glory be to Sri Ram, being maligned as a militant war cry; Bhakt, sanskar, sanskriti and other such concepts corrupted into crude abuse; Bhagwa vilified as the uniform of Hindu fundamentalists and the latter itself being turned into a dog whistle to pillory Hindus. Today is the day to proclaim that a fundamentalist Hindu is the only fundamentalist capable of ensuring a world of peace, knowledge, valour and spiritual elevation. We have a documented history that substantiates the same.

Today is the day to proudly declare ourselves as traditionalist Hindus, for, the ancestors who fought for this day, through blood, sweat and tears, were traditionalists. We must strive hard to keep the faith in our faith and the tradition of continuing with and passing on our traditions. Remember their struggle to comprehend why some forces are intent upon breaking our traditions and violating the continuity of our rituals

Be aware that the longest extant civilization will cease to be one, without continuity.

Beware and pledge to uphold our sacred traditions and faith.

Today is the time to transmute the self-sabotaging programming internalized by generations of Hindus that any celebration or reminder of our faith, culture and traditions, is an affront that needs to be compensated for. Financial jaziya has long been abrogated; stop paying the psychological one. Upholding and celebrating our faith is our basic human right. Our motherland still bears the wounds inflicted by those whose core is othering. Bharat was, is and will unquestionably remain the civilizational home of all Hindus. Time to rise and end all external flogging and put an end to internal self-flagellation. Let us be proud of and proclaim our inherently pluralistic, loving, respectful, peaceful faith, culture and civilization. We have every reason to!

The observance of our faith is no longer at the coloniser’s mercy. Do not allow the Indian state to act like one, imposing fines, allowing and disallowing our tenets and practices, based on their whims, fancies and flawed, ill-equipped understanding. Our ancestors got us to this momentous occasion. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that Hindus have equal rights, our temples are free, we are at liberty to impart religious and cultural education to the next generation and that our history is correctly documented.

We must revive the skills, talent, crafts and occupations that built Hindu civilization before the two rapacious waves of colonization alienated us from our outstanding identity, turning us into outsiders. Now is the time to awaken and collaborate to build an inclusive Hindu society that offers equal opportunities for growth to all; to work towards harmony and mutual respect within our society and root for collective success; to recognise and refuse divisive agendas and to proclaim हर हिन्दू अपना बंधु है.

Today is also the day to pause, reflect and evaluate if we are leading a life of Dharma at all. Are our thoughts, speech and deeds in accordance and alignment with Dharma? Being a Hindu is not only a matter of pride and honour but also a huge responsibility towards the perpetuation of a philosophy not confined to one book. We have an entire curriculum that we need not necessarily study at length, but definitely be aware of. Are we courageous enough to embark upon this voyage of awareness that can last an entire lifetime? Before we do so, let us be careful in seeking teachers who are insiders and actively avoid being taught about our own civilisation by outsiders.

Each one of us is equipped with inherent abilities, skills and talent. Let us use those to create a world of opportunities for all. Our civilisation, where Gurus guided bright unknown youngsters to create a Rashtra, now grapples with insecurity and self-serving mental slavery of those who, instead of igniting young minds, pander to preserve selfish gains. Of what use is mentally colonised scholarship that either willfully or inadvertently enables outsiders to mock, malign and maul our own? Let us put up a united front based on Hindu kinship, compassion, respect and empathy. Do remember that the world treats us exactly as we treat ourselves. Let us be proud Hindus and spread the scintillation of Sanatan.

Centuries from now, humankind will be astounded to know that a civilisation, the people, that waited patiently for five centuries, yes 500 years, for the right to pray to their Bhagwan in His janm sthan, that civilisation, those people were vilified globally as intolerant! As some parts of the world sleep, Bharat, the longest extant civilisation in the history of mankind, reawakens.

The clarion call of Jai Sri Ram heralds a spiritually resurgent Bharat. May it reverberate as powerfully in the present and future, as it has in the past. May no individual, no society, no nation, no culture, no civilisation, no faith, ever have to go through what the Hindus have. May the entire world learn from the heroism, determination and spirit of the Hindus.

Jai Sri Ram is no ordinary chant. It is a cure and a balm for our civilizational wounds. It is also a civilizational clarion call.

This is what the civilizational clarion calls.

May we embark upon a transformational milestone in the history of human civilisation.

May mutual respect, harmony and peace prevail.

May the Divine bless all sentient beings.

May we all know who we are and work towards the greater good of all.

And so, it is!

– Dimple Kaul

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To show the relevance of Ṣaṭ-darśanas in modern science and on why we need to promote the knowledge of true Bhāratīya history, that is narrated by insiders.

On Ṣaṭ-darśanas (षट्-दर्शन), and More

Destruction of the indigenous education system and 200 years of colonial education have dangerously affected the minds of all Indians. For generations, they have been taught to hate their culture, traditions, and values. It is surprising that the Dhārmic culture and traditions of Bhārata are still surviving – but thanks to the efforts of many social reformers, modern sages, honest academicians, organizations, and recent initiatives like the Hindu University of America, they are still practiced.

The idea of religion was mapped and forced on most Indians’ minds by colonial education, which is an outsider’s perspective. Most Indians identify the Dhārmic traditions, such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, as religion. The reality is that all indigenous traditions of Bhārata have a common theme and quest for one truth. Quoted in the Rig Veda (I.164.46) which states this common theme that has multiple perspectives; “Ekam sat vipraha bahudā vadanti”, meaning; There is one truth, the wise give it many different names. This Vedic quote states the universal Dhārmic principle, which is the heart of the pluralistic and accommodative nature of all ancient Bhārtiya Darśanas, which were core to the indigenous education system.

Darśanas, which literally mean ‘perspective’, are systems of Indian philosophy, which have been the core of the Vedic education system. There are six Darśanas, which were propounded by six sages as their founding teachers. These Darśanas do not compete with each other, nor are they mutually exclusive as they have some overlap, which is the pursuit of the one truth and goal.

The highest goal of human pursuit is to completely eliminate three kinds of misery–or Duḥkha –which are known as Ādhyātmika (caused by one’s own body and mind), Ādhibhautika (caused by others being), and Ādhidaivika (caused by natural calamities). The six Darśanas guide humans to perform Puruṣārthas, which are the efforts to achieve the highest goal. There are four Puruṣārthas – Dharma (right conduct), Artha (earning wealth), Kāmā (fulfilling physical and mental desires), and Mokṣa (liberation from all misery). Liberation, Mokṣa, is one of the main topics of the six Darśanas, which addresses a different topic as follows:

Sāṅkhya: Founded by great sage Kapila, Sāṅkhya Darśana addresses the distinction between Puruṣa (consciousness) and Prakriti (nature).

Yoga: Codified by great sage Patañjali, Yoga Darśana addresses the control of the mind that enables this distinction described by Sāṅkhya Darśana.

Nyāya: Authored by sage Gautama, Nyāya Darśana describes methods of investigating the truth (reality), and discussion of proof.

Vaiśeṣika: Developed by sage Kaṇāda, Vaiśeṣika Darśana discusses substances and entities found in the universe, atomic theory with a discussion of proof.

Pūrva Mimānsa (also known as Dakṣiṇa Mimansa): Composed by sage Jaimini, Purva Mimānsa discusses the interpretation of Vedas and associated rituals.

Vedānta (also known as Uttara Mimansa or Brahma Sūtras): Authored by sage Bādarāyaṇa, Vedānta discusses the nature of Brahman (also known as God).

All ancient Bhāratīya scriptures from various Dhārmic traditions (also known as Saṃpradāyas) discuss the common theme of these six Darśanas, but their emphasis has been on a specific topic. All these Saṃpradāyas arose with the advent of specific sages, or Gurus, or Āchāryas, like Śaṅkarācharya, Mahāvīra, Buddha, Rāmānuja, Chaitanya, Mādhavācārya, Guru Nanak, Guru Gobind Singh, or Svāmīnārāyaṇa. They all affirmed the same ancient truth about life and God and described it from their own perspective, with emphasis on a different aspect, just as all the six fundamental Darśanas do. Founders of all Saṃpradāyas made adjustments in their teachings to suit the specific times and social settings, and thus restored balance where they saw imbalance. These great sages appeared in different times and places, and inspired millions, simplified and codified great spiritual and scientific knowledge for easier assimilation, application, and practice. Common people were deeply inspired by these great āchāryas and began to practice and preserve these specific teachings, giving rise to these great Saṃpradāyas, which all had a common goal of eliminating human misery by using Puruṣārtha.

One of the modern perspectives proposed is the Unified Field Theory, which resembles Sāṅkhya Darśana. For 100 years, modern science has revealed that our physical universe, or cosmos, is structured in layers of creation. These layers are explored in four distinct parts: Classical Mechanics: the study of macroscopic objects, which can be seen and felt. Quantum Mechanics: the study of atom and subatomic particles, which we cannot see. Quantum Field Theory: deeper than the atom, atomic nucleus, and sub-nuclear particles. Unified Field Theories: the most recent discovery of the deepest layer.

The Unified Field Theories (also known as Superstring Theories) reveal the fundamental unit of life, by showing that the basis of the cosmos or universe is a single universal field of intelligence. This single entity is the fountainhead of all the laws of nature and order displayed throughout the universe. Sāṅkhya and Yoga Darśanas have explained in greater detail thousands of years ago, and have been part of the Bhāratīya indigenous education system. As stated earlier, Yoga Darśana describes the control of the mind to enable the distinction between Puruṣa (consciousness) and Prakriti (nature), whereas proponents of Unified Field Theories propose that the human mind and consciousness are structured in layers parallel to the structure of the universe. It clarifies further that at the surface levels the mind is active, thinking and chaotic. But deep within, there are quieter and quieter levels of the mind. These are the more powerful levels of the thinking process. Modern science is just beginning to re-discover the theories proposed by ancient Bhāratīya Darśanas.

According to modern science, the human body is made up of matter, and the consciousness inside the body originates from this matter. There are other spiritual theories around the world that the consciousness (also referred to as the soul) is a separate entity, driving the function of the mind (thoughts, emotion, and ego). Sāṅkhya and Yoga agree with the second perspective, and in addition, they offer that there is an internal body (made up of non-matter), which is called the subtle body. This distinction is important, and the first step is to differentiate between the “brain” and the “mind”. The brain is part of the gross body (physical, made up of matter), whereas the mind (Chitta) is part of the subtle body. Sāṅkhya Darśana discusses this distinction in great detail.

Let’s take a high-level look at the Sāṅkhya Darśana, which is the final goal of both Yoga Darśana, and the modern Unified Field Theories.

The gross body (physical or external, that we can see and feel) is composed of:

1. Five external sense organs (skin, eyes, ears, tongue, and nose),
2. Five external motor organs (hands, legs, tongue, genitals, and excretory organs)
3. The brain, which coordinates the ten organs

There are many other supporting organs, such as the lungs, heart, etc. But for the purpose of mapping to the subtle body we are limiting to the ten main organs that we can see and feel.

The subtle body (invisible or internal) is composed of:

1. The five subtle sense organs (touch, see, hear, taste, and smell)
2. The five subtle motor organs (grasp, move, speech, procreate, and excretion)
3. The Chitta, which is composed of Buddhi, Ahaṃkāra, and Manas.

The subtle body is non-perishable, and therefore continues after the physical body has perished. The key aspect of Sāṅkhya, where the Unified Field Theories appear to begin scratching the surface, is the Chitta. Let’s briefly examine its components:

1. Buddhi (intellect): for judgment and decision-making
2. Ahaṃkāra (ego): helps in self-awareness, the idea of “me” or “I”
3. Manas (desire & impulse): coordinates sense and motor organs.

Thus Sāṅkhya differentiates between the brain and the mind (Chitta), and proposes the concept of the subtle body, which is non-perishable, and it only dissolves into primordial elements of the Prakriti (nature) when the creation cycle ends (big crunch), or when a human (Yogi) attains liberation (Mokṣa).

The consciousness (Ātma or Soul) is one of the three elements of Cosmos:

1. Prakriti (Nature): Three elements (sattva, rajas, and tamas), and two categories:
   a. Physical (Apara): all visible matter (living bodies) and energies known to scienceb. Subtle (Para or spiritual): All invisible matter, and subtle bodies. Modern science is currently calling it dark matter and dark energy
2. Puruṣas (individual souls, consciousness): Distinct from nature, therefore eternal and survives the creation cycles. Infinite numbers, one for each living being; but needs nature to gain knowledge.
3. Paramātma or Īśvara (Supreme Soul or God): Similar to individual souls, but unlike individual souls, God does not need nature (matter and senses) to know anything.

Sāṅkhya Darśana proposes that everything that we observe in this universe is an interaction of these three fundamental elements. This interaction is eternal (Sanātana), therefore there is no beginning or end. It is only the Prakriti (nature) element that goes through cycles of creation (big bang) and destruction (big crunch). In this creation cycle, God is not considered the “creator” of matter or souls, rather God is an agent of transformation that makes use of the always-existing matter (Prakriti), and the always-existing souls (Puruṣas).

In conclusion, Sāṅkhya and Yoga Darśanas are just two of the countless fascinating parts of indigenous Bhāratīya education system, which was destroyed by colonizers. We must put an effort to decolonize our minds to regain the lost glory, without depending on mainstream educational institutes and the governments, as they seem to have the vested interest to keep Hindus colonized. Therefore we need to promote the knowledge of true Bhāratīya history, that is narrated by insiders; the true practitioners of Dhārmic traditions.

References:

1. Reading and Video assignments of week three
   – Articles: “Building Blocks of Hindu Thoughts”, and “Sanatana Dharma”
   – Youtube Video: “Is Consciousness the Unified Field” – A Lecture in Stanford University, by Prof. John Hagelin
2. Books: “Yoga Sutra of Patanjali” – by B. Ravikanth

Cover Image Created in MSPowerpoint by JS

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Crow’s Teeth

Now that you are reading, I assume the title ‘Crow’s Teeth’ piqued your interest. Birds do not have teeth, at least the modern ones, and crows, for sure, do not have them. So, what is the phrase doing as a title in a HUA blog? The term is referenced in two texts – Nyāya Mañjarī and Āyurveda Dīpikā. There is not much to this amusing term other than that these texts say investigating crow’s teeth is a superficial and uninteresting endeavor. These texts emphasize the importance of communicating the utility of the subject of a discourse lucidly. By discourse I mean written work like treatises and verbal work like expositions.

Nyāya Mañjarī is viewed as an independent work on Nyāya philosophy written in the 10^th century (CE). Jayanta Bhaṭṭa, the author, was a poet, logician, scholar, and adviser to Kashmiri King Śaṅkara Varman of the Utpala dynasty. Though the work is independent, Jayanta based it on Nyāya Sūtra of ṛṣi Akṣapāda by selecting important topics and defending the essential features of the philosophy. Jayanta’s other prominent contribution to the world of Indian Knowledge Systems is his commentary on ṛṣi Pāṇini’s Ashtādhyāyī – a treatise on Sanskṛt grammar. While defending ṛṣi Akṣapāda, Jayanta uses the phrase crow’s teeth. J.V. Bhattacharya, in his translation (see references below) translates the words of Jayanta as follows (page 10):

Even a sentence which conveys sense, having its constituent words mutually connected, should be rejected as worthless if it answers no purpose like the following interrogatory one: “Are the teeth of crow good or bad?”

Āyurveda Dīpikā is an authoritative commentary on Caraka Saṁhitā written in the 11^th century. Cakrpāṇi Datta, who authored the text, was an Āyurvedic practitioner and scholar from the Bengal region of India. Caraka Saṁhitā by Agniveśa, Suśruta Saṁhitā by Suśruta, and Aṣṭāṅga Hṛdaya of Vāgbhaṭa are recognized as Bṛhat-Trayi – the “Great Trio” of Āyurvedic texts. Cakrpāṇi, in his commentary, supplied grammatical, philosophical, and syntactic interpretations of complicated and technical terms (Sharma, R.K. and Dash, Bhagwan, page xl). In addition, Cakrpāṇi justified the arrangement of sections, chapters, and even statements in the chapters. The phrase Crow’s Teeth becomes relevant in this context. Sharma and Bhagwan, in their translations (see references below) translate Cakrpāṇi’s words as:

Intelligent people are not motivated towards (the study of) something indistinct like “ka,” ca,” “ta,” “pa,” etc., nor even towards something distinct but useless examination of the teeth of a crow.” (page 4)

As I pointed out earlier, the phrase “Crow’s Teeth” itself is unimportant. The point driven by both Cakrpāṇi and Jayanta – subject, object, and treatise relationship and that is the significant idea of this blog. Vedantasāra, another text succinctly captures this relationship as anubandha catuṣṭaya. 

Jayanta’s point

Jayanta delivers a stunning technical explanation of Akṣapāda’s first Nyāya Sūtra. The sutra goes as:

        pramāṇa-prameya- saṅśaya -prayojana-dṛṣṭānta-siddhāntāvayava-
        tarka-nirṇaya-vāda-jalpa-vitaṇḍā-hetvābhāsa-cchalajāti-
        nigrahasthānānāṃ tattvajñānān niḥśreyasādhigamaḥ. [1.1.1]

It is the knowledge of the real essence (or true character) of the following sixteen categories that leads to the attainment of the Highest Good – 1) The means of Right Cognition, 2) The objects of the Right Cognition, 3) Doubt, 4) Motive, 5) Example, 6) Theory, 7) Factors of Inference, 8) Cognition, 9) Demonstrated Truth, 10), Discussion, 11) Disputation, 12) Wrangling, 13) Fallacious Reason, 14) Casuistry 15) Futile Rejoinder and 16) Clinchers [Mahāmahopādhyāya Gaṅganatha Jhā translation]

He raises questions for potential objectors and answers them with a flourish. He devotes time to the purpose and effectiveness of the first sentence and general openings of a treatise.

He drives the point that to encourage the listeners of a treatise, it is essential to lay out the subject, broad divisions of the content, and the end goals at the beginning of any written work. He sees that scholars would not consent to hearing something if they were not informed of the broad outline of the subject, as the utility of hearing the treatise remains unknown.

Having introduced that the utility of a treatise is an important motivator for the listeners, Jayanta tries to answer how to prove that utility at the beginning. Jayanta questions the notion whether a mere statement of the utility of a treatise is a good enough motivator. He points out the problem that to know the utility of a discourse, we need to listen to it but to read the treatise, we should first understand its utility. He concludes that the first sentence of a treatise informs the listener about its utility, motivating him to listen to the whole treatise. Jayanta dives into the psychological condition of the listener or reader, who only partially accepts the utility, by saying that there might be doubt of the validity of the proposed utility. However, their mind is convinced to study the treatise to confirm the author’s exposition. He further sees that humans tend to pursue an activity destined to yield positive outcomes that are easy to perform. If the positive result is achievable, intelligent humans will figure it out within a few days.

Jayanta cautions us on the futility of scrutinizing the results before the action has been performed as such a preemptive tendency impedes progress to understanding. This might sound familiar with modern phrase analysis paralysis. He adds an analogy of how a sick person should not doubt the prescriptions given by a physician and the harm of following instructions. He concludes that the learner, having read the utility, should devote his best attention and sincerity to studying the explained subject before deciding on its usefulness.

Jayanta highlights the importance of the first sentence of a treatise saying the purpose or usefulness in a meaningful way. In this context, he brings up the useless characteristic of the question, “Are the teeth of a crow good or bad?” Jayanta believes the first sentence should attract listeners or readers and silence hostile critics. His conviction is that the first sentence can create the necessary doubt in the mind of the listeners or readers to explore the topic and find for themselves if the author was correct.

He summarizes that it is essential to tell the relationship between the treatise and its content, between the content and the results.

Cakrpāṇi’s point

Cakrpāṇi is commenting on the first verse of the first chapter, Dīrgha Jīvatīyam – (Quest for Longevity) of Caraka Saṁhitā. He explains that Caraka, to make it easy for the readers, brought in the subject, object, and relationship as stimuli for the readers. He adds that intelligent people are unmotivated to study something like the Sanskṛt alphabet. Sanskṛt consonants are arranged in rows called Varga, and each row is affixed a label based on the starting alphabet in that row. Next, he points out that intelligent people are not interested in a useless examination of a crow’s teeth.

Cakrpāṇi deems it necessary to specify the subject and object of a treatise at the beginning because if the relationship were not stated, it does not stimulate a learner. Cakrpāṇi contends that the above relationship is conveyed by the phrase “Dīrgha Jīvatīyam” and that Caraka elaborates on it later in the text. He considers the motivator “usefulness” for the treatise as motivating for its learners to study. He contends that mere enumeration of the object does not yield the treatise learner to learn its usefulness. He chastises some works where the author lists the objects but does not deliver on the promise. The author’s credibility alone does not suffice because the learner might be unable to discern the credibility. This leads to a circular problem similar to how Jayanta had described the issue – that a learner will not be attracted to a treatise without knowing its usefulness, and the effectiveness of the treatise cannot be decided unless the learner is drawn to the treatise and studies it.

Cakrpāṇi, so then, arrives at the next motivator, “doubt,” that could attract the learner to the treatise. There are two types of doubts, he goes on to say – a general doubt on the effectiveness of the treatise and another about the specific object of study. He drops the former type of doubt as less motivating than the latter and he does not provide supporting reasons for that perspective. Nevertheless, one can reasonably assume it is because the human mind is better able to understand specific and concrete objects and relationships than general ones.

Cakrpāṇi concludes that telling the utility of the treatise via its relationships is more accessible for its learners to understand and start studying it.

Vedantasāra

I have not encountered the phrase “crow’s teeth” in my other reading. However, the concept of saying the subject, connection of the topic to the treatise, and utility or necessity appears in other works and we can examine this concept in Vedantasāra.

Vedantasāra is a well-known Prakaraṇa Grantha on Advaita philosophy from the 15th century. It was composed by Sadānanda Yogīndra Sarasvatī and it is a revered text that follows traditional pedagogical methods.

Right at the beginning of the work, in verse five, Sadānanda introduces the concept of Anubandha. The verse is:

tatra anubandho nāma adhikāri viṣya saṁbandaprayojanāni [verse 5]

The preliminary questions of Vedanta are the determination of the competency of the student, the subject matter, its connection with the book and the necessity for its study [Swāmī Nikhilānanda translation].

Anubandha has four components: the qualification of a student, subject matter, connection of the subject with the treatise, and the necessity of the treatise. This is popularly known as anubandha catuṣṭaya and can be depicted as below.

Conclusion

We can apply these concepts to any formal discourse or writing. It is essential to clearly state the subject and end results to create an interest in the reader. Apart from increasing this curiosity, this framework which was analyzed and developed by our ancestors, encourages the author to be reflective and use rigor. In an information dissemination format such as this blog, a seemingly irrelevant phrase hook “crow’s teeth” would suffice for the readers to begin reading

References

English translations of all the texts were consulted for this writing and where it was critical, the original Sanskṛt texts were also studied to ensure correctness in meaning and interpretation.

1. Caraka Saṁhitā by Agnivesa (redacted by Carka and Dṛḍhabala)
2. Nyāya Mañjarī by Jayanta Bhaṭṭa
3. Vedantasāra by Sadānanda Yogīndra

Translations

1. Sharma, R.K and Dash, Bhagwan, Caraka Saṁhitā [Text with English translation & critical exposition based on Cakrpāṇi Datta’s Āyurveda Dīpikā ], Vol I, Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office, Varanasi, 2023
2. Bhattacharya, Janaki Vallabha, Jayanta Bhaṭṭa’s Nyāya Mañjarī [The Compendium of Indian Speculative Logic], Motilal Banarsi Dass, New Delhi, 1978
3. Swāmī Nikhilānanda, Vedantasāra (The Essence of Vedanta) of Sadānanda Yogīndra, Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, 2021
4. Jha, Mahāmahopādhyāya Gaṅgānātha, Gautama’s Nyāya Sūtras [with Vātsyāyana Bhāṣya], Oriental Book Agency (Poona, 1939)

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The Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT), which subsequently morphed into the Aryan Migration Theory (AMT) due to compelling evidence negating the invasion hypothesis has also run against factual headwinds (Danino 2016). These developments, however, have not prevented the misinterpretation and eventual misuse in political discourse of a convenient narrative for the supposedly marginalized groups to rise up, and reject the invaders and their ideologies in order to establish a secular society free from “Aryan influences.” This is also the prevailing leftist and Marxist-influenced academic view and it remains a dominant narrative in Indian schools even today: “As such, it has long been used to neatly divide India into dichotomous categories such as North and South Indians, Aryans and Dravidians, the fair-skinned and the dark-skinned, ‘high castes’ and ‘Dalits’, all of these binaries representing the classic division between the privileged and the oppressed.” (Chavda 2017).

However, evidence-based reinterpretations are increasingly providing an alternative and increasingly authentic version of Indian or Hindu history, and more importantly, a new narrative on South India or Tamil Nadu itself. There is a compelling body of archaeological, epigraphy, and literary evidence that instead suggests a concurrent, not separate, development of the South Indian/Tamil culture along with the original and indigenous Vedic culture. The notion of ‘Aryan vs. Dravidian’ is now becoming “speculative at best and resides in the domain of conjecture.” (TCP 2016).

Pioneering work by Dr. Ramachandran Nagaswamy, a historian, epigraphist who has specialized in deciphering and interpreting inscriptions in Tamil and Sanskrit from artifacts throughout Tamil Nadu, has helped amplify this relatively recent revision of history (TAA 2020). His lifelong work has led to the creation of verifiable data and supporting evidence that distills a realistic and credible version of history that questions and even negates the prevailing views about Tamil Nadu, its history, and its culture. This article attempts to provide a brief summary of Dr. Nagaswamy’s book (Nagaswamy 2016) based on published reviews as well as video materials available online (Nagaswamy 2020).

Dr. Nagaswamy’s book, Tamil Nadu, the Land of the Vedas, is a scholarly work presented in twenty chapters covering Vedic life, devotional, philosophical, and worldly literature, inscriptions, shastras, and records of kings and their administrations. It establishes that Tamil is one of the oldest classical and regional languages of India with a history that can be traced to the 2nd or 3rd century BCE. Subsequent to that period, Tamil has continued its development along dialectical and cultural lines.

Dr. Nagaswamy shows how the Vedas served as the principal basis for the administrations of the various rulers and kings in Tamil Nadu. Placing emphasis on native knowledge and daily life, the administrators blended both Tamil and Sanskritic values and traditions. This perspective, verifiable by available documents, challenges the prevailing myth that Tamil Nadu developed independently from the rest of India.

The book uses a wide variety of evidence such as written records from administrations under the Ceraņ, Cōḻaņ, Pallavā, and Pāṇḍya kings. The author establishes that these rulers traced their genealogies to well-known names in the Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa. The Cerās considered themselves descendants of the Yādavas (to which Śrī Kṛṣṇa belongs), the Cholās descendants of Rāma, Pallavās descendants of Droṇa, and Pāṇḍyās descendants of Arjuna. This line of associations suggests linkages to the concurrent lives of the South Indian rulers to the Mahābhārata protagonists who were based in the northern part of the land.

Of particular importance is that Dr. Nagaswamy relies on records from the Sangam period, which is considered to be between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE. It has been named after the Sangam academies which flourished during that era under the royal patronage of the Pāṇḍya kings of Madurai. At these sangams, scholars gathered to discuss and debate literary works. Major contributions to Tamil literature from this period include Tolkāppiyam, Eṭṭuttokai, Pattuppāṭṭu, Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku, Cilappatiāram and Maṇimekalai (Dikshitar 1941).

Dr. Nagaswamy’s book further explains that the kings under the four dynasties mentioned above not only studied the Vedas and the Dharmaśātras but also performed sacrifices and rituals as prescribed in the Vedas (presumably the Yajur Veda) and made generous contributions for the upholding of Vedic and Dharmic values. Records contain references to specific yagnas such as Hiraṇya-garbha, Tulābhāra, Gosahasra, Bahusuvarṇa, Rājasūya, and Aśvamedha.

In addition, the society under the South Indian dynasties was organized according to the principles of Vedic dharma. The Brahmaṇas helped the kings in judicial and financial administrations. The Vanigas (Vaiśyas) oversaw trade, and the vellalas developed agriculture and were the principal government revenue administrators. Interestingly, the Brahmanas, Kṣatriyas, Vanigas, vellalas studied the Vedas and nearly 80% of the population studied the functional/practical aspects of the Vedas. In other words, South Indian people lived a life based on Vedic frameworks. The Patiṟṟuppattu poems point out that the ancient Tamil kings studied Vedas, Vedāṅga, and performed daily Vedic rites mentioned as Pañcamahāyagña in Vedic tradition. Avvaiyār, the greatest poet of the Sangam age, praises the three crowned Tamil kings for performing Vedic sacrifices. In birth, marriage, and death rites, the ancient Tamils followed Vedic injunctions. The kings appointed Vedic scholars as their chief ministers and presented them with lands called “Brahmadeyas.” Trade, both internal and international, was conducted by the Vanigas and there are several references in the records from the kingdoms about transactions with the Romans. The Cholās recognized that the country was mainly based on a rural economy and therefore entrusted the revenue administration of the village to the Muvendavelars—the officers who belonged to the agrarian family of the Vellalas. The Cholā kings established several Nallur as exclusive cultivators’ villages in addition to Brahmadeyas of Vedic Brāhmaṇas. It is also seen that it was the duty of the Brāhmaṇas to interpret the law for the benefit of the villagers (Nagaswamy 2016, 2020).

According to a book review published in The Hindu newspaper, “[w]ars in ancient Tamil country were fought according to tenets of the Dharma Śāstra, where battles with armies happened only as a last resort when individual combat failed. Moving to bhakti literature, the chapters look in detail as to how the inner message of the Shaivite and Vaishnavaite hymns is consonant with the message of the Upanishads that self-realization in thought and deed is the ultimate form of reaching freedom from this endless cycle of births and deaths” (Hindu 2017).

From a performing arts perspective, Tamil literature includes music and dance traditions that are based on Bharata’s Nāṭya Śāstra. It is also suggested that the Tamil grammar work Tolkāppiyam is a derivative of Nāṭya Śāstra. One of the most important of all Tamil works, the Tirukkuṟaḷ composed by Thiruvalluvar, has been assigned to the 1st century BCE period. This pioneering work is virtually a reflection of Dharmaśāstras. In a separate book (Nagaswamy 2017), Dr. Nagaswamy demonstrates that Thirukkural is derived from the Hindu Vedic tradition: the former imitates the latter’s śāstras as well as its fundamental outlook of Dharmic life including artha, kāma, dharma, and mokṣaa. Thiruvalluvar also talks about the pañcamahāyajña—the five daily offerings every human must make—that are also mentioned in the Dharmaśāstras. Reverence to ancestors through worship was also very popular and the various rituals and practices were performed according to Vedic principles.

In a separate and concurrent work by David Shulman (Shulman 2016), the Tamil language and the associated culture has been found to have had deep roots in south India and certainly the case before the AIT narratives were proposed. Recounting a story about the great sage Agastyar, who is the author of the first formal text on Tamil grammar, Agattiyam, that served the early poets in the Sangam period, Śiva himself endowed Agastyar with knowledge of Tamil grammar before he was sent southward to balance the earth.

Dr. Nagaswamy’s extensive findings fundamentally challenge the prevailing but increasingly questionable framework that asserts the development of an independent non-Bhāratīya Dravidian culture in Tamil Nadu. Dr. Nagaswamy has presented compelling evidence based on the epigraphical wealth of Tamil Nadu to show that the region has always been the Land of the Vedas. With this type of deep research and re-interpretation possible today, it is high time Hindu historical research evolves to re-interpret our collective history first and then re-educate the world based on evidence.

This article is an adaptation of a term paper submitted for the course “Reconstructing Hindu History: The Omissions,” taught by Dr. Raj Vedam.

References

Chavda, Abhijit., The Aryan Invasion Myth: How 21st Century Science Debunks 19th Century Indology. https://indianinterest.com/history/the-aryan-invasion-myth-how-21st-century-science-debunks-19th-century-indology/debunks-19th-century-indology/. Accessed May 2017.

Danino, M., Aryans and the Indus Civilization. In A Companion to South Asia in the Past (eds G.R. Schug and S.R. Walimbe). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119055280.ch13. 2016

Dikshitar, V. R. Ramachandra, and V. R. Ramchandra Dikshitar. “THE SANGAM AGE.” Proceedings of the Indian History Congress 5 (1941): 152–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/44304708.

Nagaswamy, R., Tamil Nadu the Land of Vedas. Chennai: Tamil Arts Academy, 2016.

Nagaswamy, R., Tirukkural, An Abridgement of Sastras. Chennai: Tamil Arts Academy and Giri Trading Agency, 2017.

Nagaswamy, R., Tamil Nadu and the Vedas (By Padma Bhushan Dr. R. Nagaswami). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e49F52JOdwY. Accessed June 2020.

Shulman, David., Tamil. Cambridge, MA and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674974678

Tamil Arts Academy (TAA). https://tamilartsacademy.com/aboutrn.html. Accessed January 2020.

Tamizh Cultural Portal (TCP). Tolkappiyar, Ilango, and Bharata. https://tamizhportal.org/2016/03/tolkappiyar-ilango-and-bharata-part-1-sivam-illaiyendral-sakthi-illai-sakthi-illaiyendral-sivam-illai/. Accessed March 2016.

The Hindu, Vedic route to the past. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Vedic-route-to-the-past/article14397341.ece1. fridayreview/Vedic-route-to-the-past/article14397341.ece1. May 2017.

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Is the Bhagavad Gita solely a manual for spiritual living? Are the Upanishads and other scriptures just esoteric readings? Can we derive leadership principles from Hindu scriptures to teach and guide us in our everyday corporate or professional lives? In an increasingly complex world faced with maniacal “celebrity” superstar promoters at one end of the employment spectrum to “quietly quitting” colleagues/team members at the other end, can we draw upon the sagacious wisdom contained in our ancient scriptures to help us operate and function optimally in the business world? In addition to our carefully developed resources of intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ), can we also build upon our “consciousness” quotient (CQ)?

Leadership Principles From Hindu Scriptures

A Personal Dilemma 

As a finance professional working in corporate India, I have personally reflected on methods—empathetic but still effective—to garner the enthusiasm and support of my team members during trying business times. At other moments, I have been anxiously searching for answers to persuade peers in management to align with wider corporate goals that are sustainable in the long run in contrast to narrow short-term departmental goals.

A leader is influenced by the culture he or she is born in; the nuances of his or her culture will shape the leadership role and style. Rather than blindly copying an aggressive Western management style, I constantly wondered if there was an alternative approach to leadership—one that was more rooted in the Hindu culture. 

In my intrepid search, I was delighted to read a scholarly document authored by Shriram Sarvotham from the study material shared by the HUA in the course “Orientation to Hindu Studies.” This enlightening essay is sourced from the book whose title says it succinctly: “Inclusive Leadership – Perspectives from Tradition and Modernity”.

Shriram Sarvotham states that Yogic wisdom from authoritative yoga texts enunciates systematic methods to cultivate fundamental leadership attributes. His specific references to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Upanishads inspire wonder at the deep levels of practical wisdom that abound in the Hindu culture.

The author starts with the premise that the fundamental trait of a leader is his or her ability to influence people in their thoughts, words, and actions. The leader’s persuasive power inspires people to take action towards the chosen ideals, goals, and objectives. The art of persuasion has three distinct attributes namely, satyam (appeal to one’s credibility), yukti (appeal to the intellect) and karuna (appeal to the emotions). In the Indian tradition, Yogic wisdom from authoritative yoga texts such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras enunciates systematic methods to cultivate these triune attributes of satyam, yukti, and karuna.

Satyam: the inner work

Satyam is the power that comes from personal ethics and the pursuit of excellence. Satyam provides credibility to the leader and creates an aura of powerful presence. The words of one who has cultivated satyam carry enormous weight. They have the power to deeply influence people.

Maharishi Patanjali states:
सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम् ॥
satya pratiṣṭhāyāṃ kriyā phalāśrayatvam
For one who is established in truth, their vision becomes manifest
(Yoga Sutra, 2.36)

“Speak Truth to Power” is an oft-repeated quote—a maxim that resonated deeply within me. As the financial head of an organization, I internalized this maxim—particularly when reporting financial details and results to shareholders and stakeholders.

The author expands on the meaning of satyam as being much more than speaking truthfully; it refers to the core ethical value of integrity. A leader can claim to be true to their ideals only by integrating them into their own lives and by living them. In addition to gaining the power to manifest a vision as stated by Patanjali, living a life of satyam accrues credibility. Others trust the words and actions of the leader once the credibility is firmly established.

In short, living the highest, most excellent version of oneself builds satyam.

Yukti: clarity of perception and expression

Yukti is the appeal to logic. Yukti builds a cogent, coherent, and clear flow of ideas that convince the intellect. Before articulating these ideas to others, a leader must convince himself or herself first. In the Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali provides the analogy of a flawless crystal (abhijātasyeva mani [Yoga Sutra, 1.41])—as a metaphor to depict the state of mind of a yogi.

The author states that oftentimes, the intellect is muddied and dulled by laziness or even stupor. One can think of this as a veil of darkness that envelops the brilliance of the intellect, thereby eclipsing it. This darkness, termed tamas in yoga, is like the dark smoke that clouds the inner light from shining forth.

A well-known mantra from the Upanishads states:
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
tamaso mā jyotirgamaya
Lead me from darkness to light
(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad; Nikhilananda trans.).

Yoga practices provide many methods to clear the tamas and allow the inner light of the intellect to shine forth. Patanjali says:
ततः क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम् ॥
tataḥ kṣīyate prakāsha avaraṇam
Pranayama removes the dark covering of avaranas [tamas] and allows the inner light to shine forth
(Yoga Sutra, 2.52)

As tamas is lifted and clarity dawns, the leader invokes the tremendous power of the intellect. He is able to use this power to prove the truth of his ideas and convince others of the same.

Karuna: the heart-to-heart connection

Whereas yukti provides a dispassionate appeal to the intellect, karuna ignites passion by connecting with the heart. Unless we touch the other’s heart, we cannot win their full support. A leader provides a space of harmony in which others are made to feel valued and appreciated.

The author states that the first step towards connecting with people at this deeper level is to respect them. According to yoga, respecting another is achieved by acknowledging and honoring the divine presence in them. The Bhagavad Gita states:
ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां हृद्-देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
īśvaraḥ sarva bhūtānām hṛd deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati
The divine resides in the heart of all beings
(BG 18.61)

When we acknowledge this divine presence in another, we elevate them in our eyes and see them as the precious beings that they are. We value them. Furthermore, a leader does not see another being as inferior. Each one is a divine being who is respected and appreciated, and whose contribution is valued.

In addition to the three factors related to influencing capabilities of an individual, Patanjali offers the following remarkable wisdom, which reveals a profound method for connecting with others:
मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम् ॥
maitrī karuṇa mudita upekṣāṇāṃ
sukha duḥkha puṇya apuṇya viṣayāṇāṃ
bhāvanātaḥ citta prasādanam
Be friendly to those who are happy; be compassionate to those who are sad, appreciate those who are doing good work, and overlook the mistakes of others
(Yoga Sutra, 1.33)

Using these four bhāvanas (ways to connect) for the four types of people, as enunciated by Patanjali, the leader always remains connected with others and evokes their full potential.

Summary

The three virtues of inspirational leadership—namely, satyam, yukti and karuna—make the leader highly influential. Satyam builds the power of credibility of the leader by using the principles of ethics and excellence. Yukti express the scientific and intellectual side of the leader that helps him or her appeal to other’s intellect. Karuna awakens the artistic and compassionate side of the leader, by which he or she sees beauty in others and values them. As in all powerful combinations, the coming together of satyam, yukti, and karuna creates great synergy: the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, the leader who embodies all three virtues has extraordinary power to influence others and potentially transform the world. The wisdom and practices contained in the classic yoga scriptures such as the Patanjali Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita provide valuable tools to cultivate satyam, yukti, and karuna.

This brilliant exposition by Dr. Shriram Sarvotham has provoked active interaction with my immediate team members. We have expanded the dialog by researching further writings on the theme “Leadership Principles from Hindu Scriptures.”

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The challenge to western academia

It has been a full 30 years since India opened up out of Nehruvian socialism, “liberalized” its economy, and has seen a full generation accrue varied benefits, of being lifted levels above their largely poor or middle-class socio-economic struggles, while many have remained behind. We have seen many European and Asian countries rebound much quicker than India since World War II, so better techniques and policy options remain to be explored.

This “opening” has extended into the academic and journalistic spheres too, albeit at a slower rate. These challenges to the India narrative have contributed to the emergence of intellectuals in waves; we are merely carrying on, building further, establishing media and academic foundations. From the works of B. B. Lal, Ram Swarup and Sita Ram Goel, to several others that are still active including Meenakshi Jain; in this decade we are live witnesses to the pioneering efforts of Vishwa Adluri, Joydeep Bagchee and others. The social media space today naturally includes noise, but also has many quietly active and diligent researchers working with their own efforts and funds. While the work ahead is monumental, there is reason to be optimistic.

Rare but always present have been the challenges within academic circles, and this is where the researchers, the intellectuals, and the philosophers at institutions like HUA are faced with a critical responsibility to march on. Decades ago, it would have been a dream, but now it is a reality; the ability to engage and produce rigorous scholarly rebuttals, using the language of Indology, is ongoing, with plenty of conscientious western thinkers, such as Nicholas Kazanas, Michel Danino, and several others also joining to provide an India-centric rebuttal. It is our work to ensure that these are disseminated wider, not simply to those preferring the numbness of transient enjoyment in existence, but to the tide who understand the nature of righteous duty.

But what about the common people?

Like many in the last two generations, I, too, have been a beneficiary of a reviving India. What used to be an impossible dream, except for the few who managed to exit India with high qualifications and access, is now turning into a reality for many more. I have had work and travel opportunities that have taken me across Europe and North America, and have seen the “better life”, “the dream”; yet it is rootedness in India that is one of my accomplishments, despite a mild “lactification” (to use Fanon’s term).

It is not just the battles with false-indoctrinated “South Asian” bureau chiefs and academics, but also the commonality of existence in our more innocent encounters with today’s peoples of European descent, who are as human and curious and open as we are, when we are. In modern times, it is a relief to experience less of the jarring racialized and prejudiced interactions of the past, to the warmth and welcome, the curiosity to engage (not just to explore) more of India’s philosophical and visibly impressive offerings. And beyond that, the simplicity, a genuine normality of engagement.

No civilization should simply claim greatness for itself alone; all peoples across time and eternity have brought forth beautiful contributions and developments that override the unresolved horrors. With India, it is indeed a unique place: its visible lack of full recovery from inflicted brutalities have not masked its ancient philosophy, teachings, nor has it hidden what today’s India continues to offer. In my countless interactions, in Russia, the Baltics, and the Balkans, all the way to the western shores with many stops across Africa and Asia, human decency, mutual respect and genuine curiosity remains very much alive.

For these people, unaware of the required narrative change, and the overdue paradigm shifts that may take another generation or two, just engagement with the right values is always one of the steps. It is said that Dharma protects those who protect it, and it sees the world not for conquest, but as family. We are lucky indeed to be associated with these teachings of our ancestors, and commendable are those who live it, with visible benefits to others they meet. The consciousness, the humanity, among peoples of European descent, has never died, and that is a source of comfort and hope.

For among the people far removed from the corridors of power, it is the lived life, doing the right thing, even heroic acts and long-standing contributions, these are among the aims. The strength of family and community, the inner journey to self-discovery, all are done in their own way; it is with some gratitude that an Indian can say our Rishis and Gurus across millennia have left the world a great value system that reinforces the good, and refreshes itself with time. Sanatana.

A higher consciousness

Cruel and invented theories of race, of being, of conquest, the dark side, are never able to fully extinguish the pillars of higher consciousness. In the past, it may have been the more base-minded, the more criminal, the ignorant, and even the innocent that might have fallen for these ideas of superiority borne out of expansionist theologies and ideologies. Seeing poverty or simply different and unusual behavior in the previously colonized nations may have only reinforced those beliefs in some of the less conscientious or even innocent. The encounters would be with people who were hesitant, unsure, attempting to please or just trying to stay safe; the generations of our parents and grandparents, leave alone their forefathers, faced visible ignominies, and often bore it meekly, as habit.

What the common people (of the former colonizing nations) rarely encountered was pushback from a confident, humane and well-wishing non-Western native. The more well-intentioned European thinkers of the past were to be swallowed by the dominant narrative of being the ‘chosen people’, and would have been wise to not challenge it. However, there is a difference now; the critical mass of fellow humans of non-European descent, who can assert their true self without harm, is slowly and continually rising, albeit with additional complications. The morals of the victimizers, never fully extinguished, has compelled them to also look for answers, in themselves and through a search that has taken them far away from their homelands.

This is the opportunity for this generation to continue to build, to not stay silent, to not seek a quarrelsome connectedness. It must retain a spiritual connection while wielding a pen in this endeavor to reset the narrative. This must be continually attempted, even as opposing forces double down with newer and more malicious methods. There is hope. Let the truth prevail, for it is Satya that remains the unyielding pillar in the future paradigm.

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Academic studies of Hinduism is a necessity, as it can shape the current and future generations’ understanding and appraisal of Hinduism. Academia has larger scale influence and starts impacting human life at a younger formative age. Next to the institution of family, academia has the strongest influence given the amount of time a student spends there. Also bringing an insider’s perspective to Hindu academic studies allows for development of an alternate Hindu worldview paradigm, which helps position Hindu thought, equitably, along with other worldviews. The symbiotic relationship between insiders in academic and non-academic settings, in terms of replenishing the “Śraddha Capital” or the level of one’s sincerity, in the Hindu society, ought to be recognized.

NECESSITY FOR HINDU STUDIES IN ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT

Introduction

Hinduism is a vast collection of several traditions. It is referred to, by many insiders, in the Hindu fold, as Sanāthana Dharma. The word Dharma has a multi-faceted import. For the purposes of this discussion, we can understand Dharma as a sustaining framework of universally beneficial mass of knowledge and traditions, that guides humanity towards felicity. Thus, Sanāthana Dharma can be freely translated as “Eternal Sustenance” – a framework, in which several mathas (religious traditions) and siddhāntas (well ascertained philosophical foundations) can thrive, while retaining mutual respect.

Problem Statement

If the parents of today’s youth are qualified “insiders” – i.e. well-informed proponents and adept practitioners of Dharma, then their children will have the benefit of receiving right Dharmic education and thus keeping their respective Dharmic traditions alive. But on the other hand, a growing mix of today’s families (Hindu or otherwise), is a product of Western-style education (which has intrinsic anti-Hindu bias, in varying degrees). Such parents are most likely disconnected with their Hindu roots or worse antagonistic to it! If this trend continues, the insider population will dwindle sooner than we are able to imagine!

This raises a serious question, what is the best way of communicating the Dharmic ideas and practices, from one generation to another? The ideas that are in Sanāthana Dharma, have the power to change the world for the better, but only if presented in a manner consistent with the understanding and the will of the human society. The ability to take an idea and reliably disseminate it needs an institution, which systematically bridges the gap between human understanding and will. Family, the most ancient institution available to us, is necessary but not sufficient (as discussed in the previous paragraph), especially when there is a need to operate at a large scale of outreach and influence.

Today the most reliable centers of learning about Sanāthana Dharma are the various āśrams and Gurus (for example  Sri Ramakrishna Mission). But the percentage of population accessing these traditional Gurus and ashrams is very small, in comparison to the regular school and college goers. Also, exposure to such Gurus and āśrams often happens very late in most people’s lives.  This means that the reliance on Academic institutions (schools, colleges, universities), to introduce Hinduism properly and fairly, at an early age, cannot be avoided.

Power and Influence of Academic Thinkers

Thinkers in academic settings – mainly researchers and professors, often form a very tiny fraction of the human population, in any country or society, but they are powerful enough to decide what ought to be studied by children, youth, and students in general. They influence many aspects of society – from school textbook content to government policies.

From India’s past (i.e. during British India) till date, we know that the academic environment and its output have been utilized as a tool, to create “intellectual sepoys”, out of the Indian society [1]. So clearly the ability of academia, to influence our society, popular discourse, and future generations, is time tested and proven fact. The question then is not whether Hinduism ought to be studied in an academic setting, but how to significantly increase the number of Hindu insiders, in academic Hindu studies.

Evolving Alternate Paradigm – Hindu World View

The argument so far in this essay was focused on the need for accurate representation, reliable communication, and broader outreach, as it relates to Hinduism and how this can be achieved, with the injection of insiders, into academic study of Hinduism. 

Now we will consider another strong motivator for academic study of Hinduism – namely leveraging the unique vantage point Sanaathana Dharma offers to researchers, to study non-Hindu world religions and systems of thought. As mentioned in section I, Sanāthana Dharma offers a framework for sustaining several mathas and siddhāntas, which can coexist and thrive, with abiding mutual respect. Their mutual respect is due to the mature understanding that finite human attempts at exploring the infinite, are bound to give rise to multiple expressions or approaches, along the way. This plural, inclusive, mature understanding is rooted in Vedas (or sacred revealed knowledge of the Hindus), which forms the bedrock of Sanāthana Dharma. 

The Vedas and Sanāthana Dharma also offer a non-dogmatic framework, encouraging inquiry and study, which can be directed towards studying different traditions and worldviews. This approach helps evolve a fresh alternate paradigm to studying different world systems of thought and religions, through a versatile Hindu lens. This kind of study in an academic environment will serve to highlight Hinduism’s unique credentials (suited to studying world thought systems) and also position the Hindu worldview, equitably, along with other existing world views. Such an effort will surely have universally beneficial – academic, cultural, and political ramifications. 

Śraddhā Capital

Śraddhā plays a key role in the insider’s approach to studying Hinduism. One of the key tenets of a person, being endowed with Śraddhā, is his or her, well-reasoned acceptance of Vedas as “Pramana” or reliable means of knowledge. This is usually achieved, after receiving valuable traditional insights from the Guru [2 – verse 25]. Now, this creates a unique situation, wherein, to introduce people endowed with Śraddhā a.k.a insiders, into academia, we need to draw from the “Sraddha capital”, in the society. Developing this “Śraddhā Capital ”, is a key prerequisite for evolving Hindu studies in an academic setting. This clearly shows the symbiotic relation between academic insiders and non-academic insiders of today (i.e. parents, traditional ashrams, and Gurus), which is instrumental to growing the insider voice and population. 

Conclusion

Investing into promoting the insider’s voice in the academic study of Hinduism is necessary, to (1) present a fair appraisal of Hinduism to current and future generations (2) develop an alternate, distinctly Hindu paradigm, of studying world religions and systems, and (3) thereby enriching the world. This whole process relies upon drawing from the “Śraddhā capital” in the Hindu society, which in long run, can be replenished by a growing level of insiders voice in academia.

References:

• Rajiv Malhotra, “Academic Hinduphobia: A critique of Wendy Doniger’s erotic school of Indology”, Voice of India, New Delhi, 2016
• Swami Madhavananda, “Vivekachudamani of Sri Sankaracharya”, Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati, 1944

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