Symposium On Philosophical Contributions Of Sri Madhusudana Saraswati

Trained in Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta by his hyper-polyglot, polymath and spiritually accomplished sakala-shaastra-paarangata father, late Sri Paturi Sitaramanjaneyulu garu, Dr Nagaraj Paturi is seriously committed to the transmission of Vedic sciences to the present generation. In his PhD thesis (1998, University of Hyderabad), he developed an Indic Model of Myth Criticism of Literature and in his MPhil (1987, University of Hyderabad), he foregrounded Vakyapadiya as the theoretical foundation of the Ashtadhyayi. In addition to over 50 publications and about 60 conference/seminar/workshop papers, Dr Paturi has designed several courses pertaining to the contemporary applications of Vedic Sciences and has been successfully teaching them and getting them taught. Formerly Senior Professor of Cultural Studies FLAME School of Communication (& FLAME School of Liberal Education) and a Visiting Professor, University of Chicago (USA), Dr Paturi is currently Senior Director and Chief Curator at INDICA, a Distinguished Professor, Curriculum Designer, Executive Committee Member, Board of Studies, MIT School of Vedic Sciences (Pune, Maharashtra), Member, Board of Studies at Kavikulaguru Kalidasa Sanskrit University (Ramtek, Maharashtra) and Rashtram School of Public Leadership (Sonipat, Haryana). He is also the Editor-in-Chief of International Journals of Studies in Public Leadership and is a member of the Advisory Council of Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam (Bengaluru, Karnataka). He has provided consultancy to numerous culture research, theatre, and dance innovation projects. He has authored scores of creative writing works for Classical Dance, Modern Theater, and magazines and has delivered several series of talks and other programs on Radio and Television channels.

Nithin Sridhar is a Practising Hindu, Author, and Speaker He is the Director & Chief Curator of INDICA Center for Moksha Studies (Advaita Academy) dedicated to the dissemination of Advaita Vedanta. He has authored six books on various aspects of Hindu culture and practice. His first book “Musings On Hinduism '' provided an overview of various aspects of Hindu philosophy and society. His book ‘Samanya Dharma’ enunciates upon general tenets of ethics as available in Hindu texts. His latest book ‘Isopanishad: An English Commentary’ is an English translation and commentary on one of the prominent Hindu texts. However, his most widely read book is “Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective'' which examines menstruation notions and practices prevalent in different cultures & religions from across the world. His upcoming book is a commentary on the opening verses of Manusmriti. He teaches courses on Hinduism for Indica Courses and regularly contributes articles and delivers lectures on religion, spirituality, and culture at various platforms. Earlier, he had also served as the Editor of IndiaFacts- a portal on Indian history and culture. He tweets at @nkgrock.

Dr. K. S. Maheswaran, born on 8th January 1981 in Peringode, Kerala, is an Assistant Professor in Vedanta at Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai. He specializes in Sastras, particularly Poorvamimamsa and Vedanta. Dr. Maheswaran completed his traditional studies under the guidance of renowned scholars and passed the Tenali exam in mimamsa. He holds several academic qualifications, including BA Sahitya, MA Vedanta, Net JRF, and a PhD in Vedanta. Dr. Maheswaran is actively involved in training disciples in various Sastras using the Gurukula traditional system, preparing them for exams such as Tenali Sastra pareeksha. He has written several books in Sanskrit and Malayalam and has presented papers in various seminars conducted by universities. Dr. Maheswaran has won several awards and recognitions, including Maharshi Badarayan Vyas Samman from the Honorable President of India in 2015, Suvarnanguleeyakam from Sringeri Mutt in 2015, and Bharathi Theertha Puraskar from Sringeri Mutt in 2021. He is also proficient in Carnatic music, kathakali music, Mridangam playing, and oil painting.

Vidwan PV Rajaraman is a highly qualified individual with extensive academic and spiritual accomplishments. He holds a Diploma, B.E., and M.E. in Computer Science and has completed research in the field of Natural Language Processing from Anna University, Chennai. Currently, he serves as the Chief Technology Officer, at Adi Shankara Institute of Engineering and Technology in Kalady. In addition to his academic achievements, Rajaraman has also pursued spiritual studies. He has studied Nyaya and Vedanta Sastras under the guidance of BrahmaSri Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal from 2009 to 2013. He has been doing Upanysams since he was 18 years old. His spiritual pursuits have also earned him the prestigious Bhagavatha Bhaswan Brahmasri Anjam Krishnan Naboodiri Memorial Award in 2018 from Sree Ayyappa Bhaktha Sabha in Mahalingapuram, Chennai.

Vignesh Chandrasekharan started training in Carnatic Music at the young age of 4, currently continuing training under Delhi Sri V Muthukumar, a Disciple of Madurai Sri T N Seshogopalan. The journey of Harikatha also started when he voraciously started listening to the discourses of Sri Krishna Premi Anna and Kalaimamani Smt Vishakha Hari. Smt Vishakha Hari personally started training Vignesh with the nuances of this beautiful art form and made him perform his debut in the Kanchi Kamakoti Matam. Thereafter he started performing in esteemed Sabhas, temples and Television channels. Presently, he is also guiding young aspirants in Harikatha art form and Carnatic Music.

Karthik Sharma is currently working as an Assistant Professor in Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth situated in Kochi,Kerala. He completed his graduation and Post graduation in Advaita Vedanta from The Madras Sanskrit College, Mylapore. Karthik Sharma completed his traditional studies in Advaita Vedanta under Dr. K. S. Maheswaran Namboothiri’s guidance, completing all the 15 levels of exams followed by the Mahapareeksha in Advaita Vedanta at Kanchee Veda Vedanta Sastra Sabha, Tenali. He also learned Tarka-Sastra in traditional style under Dr K. E. Devanathan. He also learned advanced Vedanta texts under Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Mani Dravid Sastrigal. Karthik Sharma has participated as resource person in several Vakyartha sadas, Seminars,debates and Workshops across India. Karthik Sharma was honoured with the Golden Ring (Suvarnanguleeyakam) by Mahasannidhanam, Sringeri Mutt in the year 2019. He was also awarded with the title ‘Advaitavedantaratnam’ by Kanchi mutt in 2019 and advaita-vedāntavidvanmaṇiḥ’ by Indic Academy in the year of 2021. He was also honoured with the vidyānidhipuraskāra by sringeri mutt in the year of 2022.

Aditi Banerjee is a novelist and attorney with a deep commitment to Hindu studies. She is the author of The Curse of Gandhari (2019), The Vow of Parvati (2022), and Hindu Love Stories: Dharmically Ever After. Her latest book, Kashi: The Valiant History of a Sacred Geography (2024), explores the historical and spiritual significance of Kashi. A practicing attorney at a Fortune 500 financial services company, she holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and an Executive MBA from Columbia University. She co-edited Invading the Sacred and has written extensively on Hinduism and the Hindu-American experience.

Dr. Niranjan Saha is currently working as an Assistant Professor (Stage-II) in Philosophy at Kaliachak College (Gour Banga University), West Bengal since 2019. Before that he has worked at at Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, Odisha; Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad; Narasingha Dutta College (University of Calcutta), Howrah; and University of Kalyani, West Bengal respectively for a short stint. He has taught a variety of courses both on Indian and Western philosophical traditions, including classical Indian Philosophy, to undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Saha did his PhD from Department of Religions and Philosophies, School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) to pursue my doctoral programme. For Ph.D. dissertation he did a study of Madhusūdana Sarasvatī’s (ca. 16th century CE) Gūḍhārthadīpikā, an independent commentary on the Bhagavadgītā from the non-dualistic stand point, wherein he tried to reconcile the two apparently incompatible concepts of non-dualism and devotion to the personal God. Currently, he is pursuing his second Ph.D. at the Department of Philosophy, University of Madras, where his dissertation is on a topic dealing with the Siddhāntabindu of Madhusūdana Sarasvatī, which provides an exhaustive exposition of Advaita Vedānta in its totality. Dr. Saha has also published in-depth research papers in various journals of repute such as Journal of Indian Philosophy, Sophia, Journal of Indian Council of Philosophical Research, Journal of Vaishnava Studies, and Journal of Asiatic Society of Mumbai etc.

Rajaram Venkataramani is a technocrat by profession working on AI and a hobby Mathematician. He lives with his family in the UK. He comes from a a smarta family background with an active interest in the protection of Vedic heritage and lives with his family in London. He is a student Vedanta and has helped a thesis on Gudartha-dipika.

Dr Ganesh Ishwar Bhat is the HOD & Professor in Advaita Vedanta Department, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan(Deemed University) Rajiv Gandhi Campus, SRINGERI. Born in Sirsi, North Kanara Dist. Karnataka. He had his Krishna Yajurveda adhyayana at Swarnavalli Mutt. After studying Advaita Vedanta under HH Sri Gangadharendra Saraswati Swamiji, he has qualified in the title examination Vidwan (M.A) from Karnataka Sanskrit University and M.A. in Sanskrit from Karnataka State Open University, Mysore. He received vidyāvāridhi (Ph.D.) degree from the Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha Tirupati, for the thesis namely A Critical Study of Advaita Philosophy in Vishnupurana on the basis of Sridhariya Commentary. He completed his Shikshashastri ( B Ed) in Rajiv Gandhi Campus Sringeri. He has edited 7 books and has written several research articles in Sanskrit and Kannada language. He has delivered lectures in several religious programs & participated in many Vakyarthasabhas and Kavigoshthis in different parts of the country.

Vidwan Manikandan Iyer, a Banker by profession, and a Sanatani by practice, with Sharada's blessings has had the rare fortune of studying the shastras from a tender age. He also studied and continues to study Vyakarana from Vidwan.Sri.Tilak Rao. He traditionally started his Vedanta study under his Guru Brahmasri Sri Sridhara sharma. He has also had the rare fortune of learning Vedanta from the most senior and respected vidwan in the vedanta circle Mahamahopadhyaya Shastra Ratnakara Vidwan Sri Mullaivasal Krishnamurthy shastri while continuing to learn under Brahmasri Sri Sridhara Sharma.He also has the rare fortune of studying tarka shastra from Vidwan Sri.Naveen Holla of sringeri (senior most disciple of the 36th pontiff of Sringeri Saradapeetham Mahasannidhanam Sri Sri Bharatitirtha Mahaswamiji)

Abhinand is Learning and Content Development professional. He is currently working as a Training manager in an MNC. Abhinand is a student of Vedanta for the past two decades. He is a student of Vidwan V Subramanian Mahodaya. Besides vedanta, he has also studied the Rigveda Samhitha and the Vedangas. He holds dual master's degree in Engineering and Chemistry. He is also a qualified lawyer.