Srividya and Advaita Vedanta: An Immersive Meta-Retreat

“When therefore it is said that India shall rise, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall rise. When it is said that India shall be great, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall be great. When it is said that India shall expand and extend herself, it is the Sanatana Dharma that shall expand and extend itself over the world. It is for the dharma and by the dharma that India exists.”

– Sri Aurobindo

Namaste,

The most distinguishing feature of this land of Bharat is its inseperable connection to Sanatana Dharma. And what is it that makes this Dharma Sanatana? What is it which makes this land Sacred? What is it which imparts reality and existence to this otherwise transitory world?

It is the eternal, infinite, birthless, non-dual reality called as Brahman in the Upanishads and worshipped as Shakti, the Divine Mother in the Tantras. She is the originator of the universe who in an act of great blessing has also taken the form of various Devatas and inhabits this geography of Bharat sacralizing every inch of this land by Her very presence.

The Divine Mother. She is Devi, Bhagavati, Mahamaya and Shakti. She is also Durga, Kali, Tripuasundari, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.

People call her various names and She herself takes diverse forms, but in essence She is non-different from Brahman as the Mother Herself says in Devi Atharvashirsha.

It took me more than a decade to arrive at this understanding that Shakta & Advaita are like two faces of the same coin- distinct in form, but non-different in essence.

My spiritual journey began in the most unlikeliest of all places: atheism. But as philosophical seeking continued I rediscovered Dharma in the lap of the Divine Mother whose anugraha only led the atheist me to her Jwalamukhi Tripurasundari temple in Utthanahalli, Mysuru. And this changed everything.  Later again through Bhagawati’s blessings, I was also led to the path of Advaita Darshana which has since then been the philosophical anchorage to my Sadhana.

If you have experienced a similar journey through Bhagawati Upasana and Vedanta Manana, if your personal journey has all the three elements of Karma, Bhakti, and Jnana, if your enquiry into Shakta and Vedanta is beyond academic and has instead shaped how you live life, then the upcoming Meta-Retreat I am curating for INDICA Moksha will speak directly to you.

We plan to bring together a carefully selected, small group of scholar-practitioners for an immersive four-day meta-retreat, from March 6 to 8, dedicated to shared inquiry and contemplative engagement with Srividya and Advaita Vedanta.

Srividya offers a contemplative and ritual language through which non-dual truth is approached, while Advaita Vedanta provides the metaphysical clarity that illuminates Shakti as none other than Brahman. The retreat will explore this lived relationship between Srividya and Advaita Vedanta—how non-dual understanding is to be approached, refined, and embodied through mantra, devotion, ritual, and inquiry. The schedule will include unhurried conversations, philosophical dialogue, contemplative reflection, and guided meditation, allowing insights to mature naturally. These will be interwoven with temple visits, offering moments where philosophy, practice, and sacred presence all come together.

Participation in the retreat is limited to 15 participants, and with 10 seats already filled, only 5 places remain available.  Those who wish to participate, please write to nithin@advaita-academy.org or to sridhar.nithin@gmail.com with a note of no more than 600 words, sharing your background, your interest in Srividya and Advaita Vedanta, and how you sense this retreat may support your journey of study and practice.

Participation is by selection, in keeping with the reflective and immersive nature of the retreat. We look forward to spending these days in shared inquiry with fellow seekers committed to depth, sincerity, and inner growth.

With warm regards,

Nithin Sridhar,

Director, INDICA Moksha