4th Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati Memorial Lecture

INDICA is pleased to announce the 4th Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati Memorial Lecture on Sunday, 26 October 2025. The lecture will be delivered by Prof. Vishwa Adluri, Professor of Philosophy at Hunter College, New York. Prof. Vishwa will be speaking on “Outlines of Hindu Theology: Paper in Honor of Swami Dayananda Saraswati.”

About Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1930–2015) was one of the greatest teachers of Advaita Vedanta in modern times. His teachings combined deep scriptural mastery with the rare ability to communicate timeless truths to contemporary minds. He taught that self-knowledge alone is liberation and that Vedanta is not merely a philosophy to be studied but a way of living with awareness, intelligence, and compassion.

Over a teaching career that spanned more than five decades, Swamiji founded and guided the Arsha Vidya Gurukulams in India and abroad, nurturing a new generation of traditional teachers who continue to share the Upanishadic vision of oneness. His efforts revitalized Sanskrit learning, Vedic education, and the gurukula system, bridging traditional wisdom with modern seekers across the world.

Swamiji also founded AIM for Seva, a movement that extends education, healthcare, and support to underprivileged rural and tribal communities across India. Through this initiative, he demonstrated that dharma is not only to be known and taught but also to be lived through compassionate action and service. His leadership in interfaith dialogues and national conversations helped articulate a confident, inclusive, and knowledge-based understanding of Hinduism one that is rooted in Śraddhā and Ātmavidyā.

The Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati Memorial Lecture series was instituted in 2019 to honor his luminous legacy, celebrating both his intellectual rigor and his compassionate vision. After a gap of four years, we are pleased to continue this series as our humble offering and Guru Dakshina, venerating his extraordinary contribution.

About the Talk

Title: Outlines of Hindu Theology: Paper in Honor of Swami Dayananda Saraswati

In this lecture, Prof. Adluri will explore the Nārāyaṇīya, a pivotal theological section of the Mahābhārata that articulates the concepts of saguṇabrahman, bhakti, and mokṣa as foundational elements of Hindu thought across the Vaiṣṇava, Śaiva, and Śākta traditions.

Challenging the notion that Hinduism lacks a coherent theological framework, he argues that the Nārāyaṇīya serves as a bridge between the Upaniṣadic revelation and the theological, philosophical, and ritual dimensions of the itihāsapurāṇa tradition. The discussion will also examine the theory of avatāra, the ritual and devotional practices surrounding Nārāyaṇa, and the symbolic language of his iconography.

Employing a multidisciplinary lens that brings together textual study, philosophy, and comparative religion, Prof. Adluri reveals how the Mahābhārata articulates a unified and philosophically rigorous Hindu theology. His talk pays tribute to Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s vision, showing that beneath the diversity of practice and belief lies a single coherent foundation of knowledge, devotion, and liberation.

Speakers

Prof. Vishwa Adluri

Professor, Scholar, and Speaker

Prof. Vishwa Adluri is a philosopher and Indologist known for his groundbreaking work on the Mahābhārata and the philosophical foundations of Hindu thought. He holds doctorates in Philosophy (The New School for Social Research, New York) and Indology (University of Marburg, Germany). His collaborations with Joydeep Bagchee — including The Nay Science: A History of German Indology and Philology and Criticism: A Guide to Mahābhārata Textual Criticism — have been widely acclaimed for exposing the ideological biases of colonial Indology and restoring dignity to Indian hermeneutics. Prof. Adluri’s work reveals the Mahābhārata not as a mythological epic but as a profound philosophical text that encodes the highest expressions of Hindu theology. His scholarship combines philological precision, philosophical depth, and cross-cultural insight — offering a voice that bridges ancient wisdom and modern intellectual discourse.