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"The Upanishads define Moksha as the pursuit of Brahmavidya or Brahma Jnana (the Knowledge of Brahman) and define attainment of this knowledge as the only means for liberation."

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Sat 25 Feb 2023

9:00 AM - 5:30 PM (UTC+5.5)

Symposium on Role of Ṣaḍdarśanas in the Pursuit of Brahmavidyā

Symposium on Role of Ṣaḍdarśanas in the Pursuit of Brahmavidyā

A Perspective from Bādarāyaṇa’s Brahmasūtra and its Commentaries
From 9.00 AM to 5.30 PM on 25th February, 2023

Darśana means ‘to see’ or ‘vision’ and ṣaḍdarśana refer to six visions of and approaches to reality. While different list of such six worldviews have been given in different traditions, the most widely prevalent and influential notion of ṣaḍdarśana include the six āstika darśanas, namely Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Sāṃkhya, Yoga, Mīmāṃṣa and Vedānta— all of which accept the veda as pramāṇa and enunciate a philosophical and spiritual system based on this.

The six are often grouped into twos like Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika, Sāṃkhya-Yoga, and Mīmāṃṣa-Vedānta due to their being closely allied to each other, and among the three pairs, only the Mīmāṃṣa-Vedānta pair is directly concerned with Veda and the vedic enunciation of reality, the rest being philosophical systems which though tracing vedic origins have pretty much developed as independent systems.

Philosophically, these six systems share many notable points of agreement all the while also diverging from each other in many significant ways. For example, all of them accept karma siddhānta, mokṣa siddhānta, and ātmā siddhānta, however, they diverge from each other in how they define mokṣa or ātmā tattva. Likewise, each of the systems have their own list of pramāṇas or valid sources of knowledge, but while some like Vaiśeṣika accept only two pramāṇas, others like vedānta accept six. Significant points of difference also include questions such as the nature of the world, the cause of the universe, nature of ultimate reality, the definition and the path to mokṣa, etc.

In the Bhāratīya jñāna paramparā, Veda is considered as the highest authority in matters of dharma and mokṣa and is considered the very core of our religion and culture denoted by the name ‘Vaidika Dharma’ for our religious and spiritual tradition. Within the Veda, while the Mantra-Brā́hmaṇas deal with dharma, the Āraṇyaka with upāsanā, the Upaniṣad exclusively deal with mokṣa. The Upaniṣads define mokṣa as the pursuit of Brahmavidyā or Brahmajñāna (the knowledge of Brahman) and define attainment of this knowledge as the only means for liberation. 

In the context of mokṣa, while each of the non-vedāntic āstika darśana has some notion of spiritual emancipation, they do not fully converge with vedāntic brahmavidyā: Nyāya defines liberation in terms of right knowledge; Vaiśeṣika does it in terms of cessation of cycle of birth and death; Sāṃkhya calls it kaivalyam and defines it in terms of individual puruṣa separating itself from the prakṛti ; Yoga defines emancipation as cessation of all mental modifications; and Mīmāṃṣa mostly concerns itself with swarga (heaven) as the goal of all actions, but also conceives of liberation as a state of self free from pain.

This symposium seeks to do a comparative exploration of the pursuit of emancipation as conceived by these non-vedāntic āstika darśanas and the pursuit of Brahmavidyā as conceived in Vedānta. Towards this end, we wish to focus the attention on following two broad issues:

  1. What are the points of convergence & divergence between notions of liberation in non-vedāntic āstika darśanas and the Brahmavidyā of Vedānta? There is an extensive discussion regarding non-vedāntic āstika darśanas in the context of brahmavidyā in Bādarāyaṇa’s Brahma sūtra and the Vedānta ācāryas’ bhāṣyas on it, which requires deeper examination.
  2. Since the Upaniṣads hold that attainment of Brahmavidyā alone causes mokṣa, in the ṣaḍdarśana framework, can other darśanas be considered as stepping stones for vedāntic pursuit of Brahmavidyā? If yes, then in what manner and to what extent do the different non-vedāntic darśanas help in pursuit of Brahmavidyā? For example, can Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika be considered as providing logical category and methods of analysis for a comprehensive analysis of the world, the Sāṃkhya-Yoga as helping in attaining ekāgra citta, the Mīmāṃṣa as facilitating citta-śuddhi all of which while individually fall short of securing Brahmavidyā are nevertheless important milestones and together act as indirect means without which Brahmavidyā is not possible?

In short, this symposium intends to explore the intricate relationship between different āstika darśanas and highlight how they fit in together in the larger pursuit of mokṣa as enunciated by the Upaniṣads.

***SCHEDULE***

Time Speaker Topic
Inaugural Session
Nithin Sridhar
Chief Curator, Indica Moksha
Welcome Address & Opening Remarks
9.10-10.00 AM Prof. Penna Madhusudan
Vice Chancellor, Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek, Maharashtra
Inaugural Address – Āstika Darśanas – A Synthetic Understanding
10.00-11.00 AM Prof. Korada Subrahmanyam
Professor of Sanskrit, Centre for Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies, University of Hyderabad (Retired)
Keynote Address – Preeminence of Brahmasūtras
Session 01 11.00-11.30 AM M A Alwar
Professor of Nyayashastra in the Govt. Maharaja’s Sanskrit College, Mysuru
Treatment of Non-Vedāntic Darśanas and Their Role & Limitation in Pursuit of Brahmavidyā in Śrībhāṣya
Session 02 11.30 AM-12.00 NOON Dr. Arjun S R
Assistant Professor, Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)-Bengaluru campus
Comparative Analysis of Tattvavāda and Other Darśanas on Brahmavidyā
Session 03 12.00-12.30 PM Venkatraghavan S
Founder of Arq, an energy technology business, London and a student of Advaita Vedanta
Brahmavidyā & Non-Vedāntic Darśanas: A perspective from Śaṅkarācārya’s  Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya
Session 04 12.30-1.00 PM Maitri Gowswami
A practioner of Pushti-Bhakti-Marg and a direct descendent of Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharya
Ṣaḍdarśanas, Their Role & Limitations in the Pursuit of Tattvajñāna  in Accordance to Aṇubhāṣya of Vallabhāchārya

:::LUNCH BREAK:::

01:00PM to 02:00PM

Session 05 2.00-2.30 PM Dr. Ganesh Ishwar Bhat
Assistant Professor in Advaita Vedanta, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Rajiv Gandhi Campus, Sringeri.
वेदान्तार्थनिर्णये पूर्वमीमांसासिद्धान्तानाम् आनुकूल्यप्रातिकूल्यविचारः – The Role and Limitation of Pūrvamīmāṃsa in the Context of Vedānta
Session 06 2.30-3.00 PM Dr. K. S. Maheswaran Namboothiri
Assistant Professor in Vedanta, Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai
ब्रह्मसूत्रानुसारं साङ्ख्यदर्शनस्य ब्रह्मविद्यां प्राति आनुकूल्यं प्रतिकूल्यञ्च – Role and Limitation of Sāṃkhyā Darśana in the Pursuit of Brahmavidyā
Session 07 3.00-3.30 PM Dr. Mahabaleshwara Bhat
Principal, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam Samskrita College
योगवेदान्तयोः परस्परावलंबनम्- An Examination of Mutual Relationship Between Yoga and Vedānta
Session 08 3.30-4.00 PM Vidwan Jammalamadaka Srinivas
Assistant Professor, School of Shastric Learning, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek
मोक्षमार्गे न्यायवैशेषिकदर्शनयोः साधनत्वविमर्शः- Role of Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika in Pursuit of Mokṣa
Session 09 4.00-4.30 PM Dr. Nori Sivasenani
Data Science Manager, Microsoft and a Scholar of Vyakarana and Vedanta
Samanvaya of Vyākaraṇa Darśana and Vedānta
Session 10 4.30-5.00 PM Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi
Assistant Professor,Department of Sanskrit, Vasanta College for Women, Rajghat, Varanasi.
अभावाधिकरणोक्ता विज्ञानवादनिराकरणयुक्तयः: Denial of Vijñānavāda, Arguments from Brahmasūtra’s Abhāvādhikaranam
Valedictory Session 5.00-5.20 PM Dr. Nagaraj Paturi
Senior Director & Chief Curator, INDICA
Summary & Closing Remarks
5.20-5.30 PM Nithin Sridhar
Chief Curator, Indica Moksha
Conclusion & Vote of Thanks
Speakers
speaker

Nithin Sridhar

Chief Curator, Indica Moksha

Nithin Sridhar has a degree in Civil Engineering, and having worked in the construction field, he passionately writes about various issues from development, politics, and social issues, to religion, spirituality, and ecology. He is currently Editor of IndiaFacts- a portal on Indian history and culture; He is Chief Curator of Advaita Academy dedicated to the dissemination of Advaita Vedanta. He is a Consulting Editor to Indic Today Magazine. He is based in Mysuru, Karnataka. His first book "Musings On Hinduism" provided an overview of various aspects of Hindu philosophy and society. His latest book 'Samanya Dharma' enunciates upon general tenets of ethics as available in Hindu texts. However, his most widely read book is "Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective" that examines menstruation notions and practices prevalent in different cultures & religions from across the world. His upcoming book is an English commentary on Ishavasya Upanishad. He tweets at @nkgrock.

speaker

Prof. Penna Madhusudan

Vice Chancellor, Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek, Maharashtra

Prof. Madhusudan has been awarded with Sahitya academy award for Mahakavya on Gulabrao maharaj. He has 45 books to his credit and has recently translated the Jnaneshwari of Sant Dnyaneshwar into 9000 Sanskrit verses. Prof. Penna has about 17 awards and honors. He was honoured with honorary D.Litt by National Sanskrit University, Tirupati, AP for his unique contribution in Indian Philosophy. The Tirumala peetham established by Bhagavad Ramanujacharya in the 10th century has conferred Shastraratnakara on him.

speaker

Prof. Korada Subrahmanyam

Professor of Sanskrit, Centre for Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies, University of Hyderabad (Retired)

Dr. Korada Subrahmanyam is a retired professor of Sanskrit from the University of Hyderabad, India. He has over 38 years of teaching experience and is a renowned scholar in Pāņinian Grammar, Philosophy of Language, and Translation. He has guided 20 M.Phils and 8 Ph.Ds, and his scholarly works include four published books and 50 papers/articles. He has also delivered over 40 special lectures, presented 60 papers in national and international conferences/seminars, and conducted a workshop on Vedangas and Darsanas. Dr. Korada Subrahmanyam has received several accolades, including 30 Panditasammanam awards and Mahamahopadhyaya and Sastrabhaskara titles. He has chaired the Intermediate Board Sanskrit Textbook Committee and coordinated various courses on Indian culture for the University Grants Commission. Additionally, he has produced MP3 CDs on Vedangas and Darsanas and has published 22 articles on ancient Indian wisdom. Dr. Korada Subrahmanyam's achievements highlight his expertise in Sanskrit and his contribution to the field of linguistics.

speaker

M A Alwar

Professor of Nyayashastra in the Govt. Maharaja’s Sanskrit College, Mysuru

Dr. M A Alwar is a professor of Nyāyaśāstra in the Govt. Maharaja’s Sanskrit College, Mysuru and a Hon. Director of Transdisciplinary University, Bengaluru, implementing projects related to cataloging, editing, and publishing manuscripts and framing curriculum in Āyurveda. He has authored several monographs, articles and presented several papers in academic congregations related to Darśaṇās. A dynamic scholar, he is active both in spheres of academic research and in traditional vidvat-sabhās alike. Honored with many recognitions including the Śāstra-ratnākara award by Rāmāñjaneya Veda-pāṭhaśālā, he also holds membership in several professional and academic bodies. He also works for social outreach of Vedic knowledge, especially to children through multi-media publication and web-based programs. He specializes in the fields of Navya-nyāya, Prācīna-nyāya, Viśiṣṭādvaita-vedānta, Manuscriptology, Lexicography and comparative study and application of ancient Indian scientific concepts to modern science, especially Computer Science. He is a visiting faculty at Maharastra Institute of Technology, School of Vedic Sciences (MIT SVS) to teach Vedas and Nyāya.

speaker

Dr. Arjun S R

Assistant Professor, Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE)-Bengaluru campus

Dr. Arjuna S R is from Srirangapatna, Karnataka. He studied in Poornaprajna Vidyapeetha - a gurukula in Bengaluru, for 12 years and has received two MA degrees in Sanskrit and Navya-Nyaaya, respectively. He is a gold medalist in MA Navya-Nyaaya. He completed his PhD under the guidance of renowned computational linguist Prof Amba Kulkarni from Hyderabad Central University. He worked as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy, MAHE, Manipal and recently shifted to the Department of Liberal Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (DLHS), MAHE, Bengaluru campus. He has academic interests in Sanskrit Computational Linguistics (SCL), Indian Philosophy, Indian Knowledge Systems, Sanskrit language & Literature, Itihaasa and translation studies. He has many publications to his credit and actively working on three international projects on different fields like Mahabharata, Indian Knowledge Systems and Language Technology. He is always proud to say that he is one of the disciples of Padmavibhushana Paramapujya Shri Vishveshatirtha Svamiji of Pejavara Matha, Udupi.

speaker

Venkatraghavan S

Founder of Arq, an energy technology business, London and a student of Advaita Vedanta

Venkatraghavan S is a keen student of advaita vedAnta, having studied the prasthAna traya from Swami Paramarthananda and the Advaita Siddhi with its commentary, Laghuchandrika, from Mahamahopadhyaya Mani Dravid Shastrigal. He is currently translating the Siddhi into relatively simple English, on his website, www.advaitasiddhi.com

From a professional front, he is a founder of Arq, an energy technology business in London, that has developed a cleaner form of energy and was sold to a NASDAQ listed company in 2023. A former investment banker and finance professional by training, he studied computer engineering at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, followed by an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

speaker

Maitri Gowswami

A practioner of Pushti-Bhakti-Marg and a direct descendent of Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharya

Maitri is a Vaishnavite by faith and a learner of Vedanta, Bharatiya culture and Sanskrit scriptures. She has pursued MA from Sampoornanand Vishvavidyalay, Varanasi with Vedant as the main subject. As the 17th descendent of Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhachary, she has been studying all the Sampradayik scriptures of Pushti-Bhakti-Margiya sect from her father Shri Sharad Goswami and her revered Guru Goswami Shri Shyammanoharji for the last 14 years. In addition to Sampradayik scriptures, she has studied Sanskrit Vyakaran, Nyay, Sankhyashastra and philosophies of Shankaracharya, Ramanujachary, Madhvachary as a part of comparative studies. In accordance with her duties towards her sampraday, she currently preaches the scriptures written by Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhachary and Vedic philosophy. She is working with her father at Shri Vallabhachary Vidyapeeth established in Gujarat for publishing, preserving and teaching the Vedic scriptures and Granthas written by the respected Acharyas of Vallabh Sampraday. She also teaches Vallabh Vedant in a Diploma course run by the department of Philosophy, University of Mumbai and is working as faculty in an online course regarding life and works of vallabhachary run by indica courses.

speaker

Dr. Ganesh Ishwar Bhat

Assistant Professor in Advaita Vedanta, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Rajiv Gandhi Campus, Sringeri

Dr. Ganesh Ishwar Bhat is an Assistant Professor in Advaita Vedanta at the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Rajiv Gandhi Campus, Sringeri. He was born in Sirsi, North Kanara Dist. Karnataka, and completed his education at various institutions, including the Karnataka Sanskrit University, Karnataka State Open University, and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha Tirupati. He also completed his B.Ed. at Rajiv Gandhi Campus Sringeri and qualified in JRF/NET from UGC. Dr. Bhat specializes in Advaita-vēdanta, Sankhya Yoga Philosophy, and Poetics, and has been working at the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan since 2005, guiding three research scholars in their research work. Dr. Bhat has published a book and edited seven others, and has written numerous research articles in Sanskrit and Kannada language. He has received several awards and honors, including the Prof Hiriyanna Puraskar from Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bengaluru, and the Dharmatma Dr Vaidyasubrahmanya award from Sringeri Jagadguru Sanatana Dharma Vidya Samithi, Chennai. He has also delivered lectures in several religious programs and participated in many Vakyarthasabhas and Kavigoshthis in different parts of the country. Dr. Bhat's achievements and qualifications make him a highly accomplished scholar in his field of expertise.

speaker

Dr. K. S. Maheswaran Namboothiri

Assistant Professor in Vedanta, Madras Sanskrit College, Chennai

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 SSLC, PreDegree, 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.

speaker

Dr. Mahabaleshwara Bhat

Principal, Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam Samskrita College

Dr. Mahabaleshwar S. Bhat is a highly qualified and accomplished individual with extensive experience in the field of Vedanta, Yoga, and spirituality. He has served as the Principal of Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam Samskrita College for the past 9 years and has been the Pracharya of Veda Vijnana Gurukulam for 13 years. Dr. Bhat has worked as an Acharya for 14 years and has been a Visiting Faculty (Yoga - Spirituality) at SVYASA University, Bangalore for the past 9 years. He has also trained teachers of Prabodhini Gurukulam and Maitreyi Gurukulam for 10 years. Dr. Bhat is a Ph.D. guide in Vedavijnana Shodha Samsthanam (Research Centre) and is a faculty member there. He is a Vidvaduttama in Advaita Vedanta from Karnataka Samskrita University and has studied under eminent scholars like Dr. Ramachandra G. Bhat, VC, SVYSA University, and Dr. Manidravida Shastri, Chennai. Dr. Bhat has presented research papers in more than 20 national and international seminars on Vedas, Vedanta, and Yoga held in different parts of the country. He has also participated in 10 Shastra Goshthis organized by different Spiritual and Yogic organizations. Dr. Bhat is actively involved in the service and educational activities of Maneesha Foundation, an organization working to inculcate values in youth. He has trained and guided many western Sanskrit scholars in internalizing the practical aspect of Vedanta and has imparted the Vedanta text like Upanishads and Brahmasutras to Brahmacharis and Swamiji at Shri Ramakrishna Math Bangalore. Dr. Bhat has also published a book in Sanskrit, Devataayatanavimarshah, and several articles in various national journals.

speaker

Vidwan Jammalamadaka Srinivas

Assistant Professor, School of Shastric Learning, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek

Srinivas Jammalamadaka studied Nyaya/Tarka Shastra under Sri. Ambadipudi Radhe Shyama Shastri, Advaita Vedanta under Sri. R. Mani David's Sastrigal, and Vyakarana under Sri. Ganti Dattatreya Murthy. He has completed the Tenali exams in Tarka Shastra and appeared for the Tenali exams in Advaita Vedanta. He has completed MPhil & PhD in Nyaya shastra. He is presently the Assistant Professor at the School of Shastric Learning, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek. He has been conferred awards such as - Tarka-Ratnam & Vidwan Mani by Sri Kanchi Shankaracharya, Shastrakalanidhi by Madhya Pradesh State Governor.

speaker

Dr. Nori Sivasenani

Data Science Manager, Microsoft and a Scholar of Vyakarana and Vedanta

Dr. Nori Sivasenani is an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad who is presently working as a Data Science Manager in Microsoft at Hyderabad. Hailing from a traditional, observant family, he studied Sanskrit formally by taking a sabbatical from his work. He completed MA in Sanskrit (Gold Medalist) from Osmania University and then did an M. Phil in Translation Studies from University of Hyderabad, studying Sanskrit to English translations in Vedanta. His Ph. D. in the area of Philosophy of Grammar and Advaita Vedanta was completed under the guidance of Mahamahopadhyaya Prof. Korada Subrahmanyam in 2016, under whom he studied Vyakarana and Mimamsa extensively along with Vedanta. Following the footsteps of MM Korada, and the traditional framework, he uses a holistic approach to a given issue applying concepts from all the Vidyasthanas and not restricting oneself to the field subject at hand. This can be seen in all his works ranging from an estimate of Swatii Tirunal to the Philosophy of Kalidasa or the interaction amongst Vyakarana and Mimamsa, with ultimate effect on Vedanta in examination of a simple sandhi (Dadhyatra is not dadhi atra). His areas of interest are Vedic studies, Vedanta, Vyakarana, Mimamsa, and  Dharmsastra He also discovered that Sabarasvamin's understanding of sound propagation matches perfectly with the modern scientific description.

He served for many years on the Executive Committee of Sura Bharati Samiti, Hyderabad which is involved in the propagation and promotion of Sanskrit, apart from publishing many books in Sanskrit and translations from Sanskrit. He is the Vice President of Nori Charitable Trust, which amongst other things, has been conducting an annual Bhagyanagara Veda Sabha for the last eighteen years in Hyderabad, where Vedic scholars from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh participate. He taught courses in Linguistics, Translation Studies and Sanskrit at under-graduate and post-graduate level in Osmania University (Nizam College and Arts College), University of Hyderabad and Telugu University as guest-faculty and part-time lecturer, apart from teaching Sanskrit to many students at Sura Bharati Samiti and elsewhere and delivering lectures for the ePGPathasala on a wide range of topics.

He recently translated the Sarva Vedanta Siddhanta Sara Sangraha from Sanskrit to English, which is available at https://stage.srirangadigital.com/sss_advaita/display/prakarana/sarvavedantasiddhantasarasangraha. His other works are available at https://uohyd.academia.edu/SivasenaniNori

speaker

Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi

Assistant Professor,Department of Sanskrit, Vasanta College for Women, Rajghat, Varanasi

Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Sanskrit in the Vasanta College for Women, Rajghat, Varanasi. He has had the rare opportunity to study Vyakarana, Nyaya and Vedanta from imminent Acharyas such as Shri. Purushottam Tripathi, Prof. Rajaram Shukla, Shri Mani Dravid Shastrigal & Shrihari Dhaygude. He has completed Ph.D from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, guided by Prof. Dhananjay Kumar Pandey, MA (Sanskrit), from the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi & Ācārya in Śāṅkara Advaita in the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University. Following the completion of his Ph.D., Dr. Tulasi Kumar Joshi joined Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan as Guest Faculty in Advaita Vedanta at their Guruvayoor Campus. He has delivered lectures on Vyākaraṇa, Nyāya and Advaita Vedānta at several Vakyārtha Sabhas. He has been invited to several Workshops, Seminars and Conferences, and has published research papers in national and international journals. He has keen interest in Yogic Philosophy too. He is also an expert in the epistemological and metaphysical aspects of Indian philosophy. He devotes significant effort in conducting and participating in traditional discourses on the Śāstras. He has also prepared students for such discourses. He has been conferred with the prestigious award of Suvarṇa-angulīyakam from the Mahasannidhānam at Sringeri Sharada Peetham.

speaker

Dr. Nagaraj Paturi

Senior Director & Chief Curator, INDICA

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.