10:00 AM - 11:00 AM IST
Tat Tvam Asi: A Reflection upon the Upanishadic Mahavakya
Tat Tvam Asi—“That Thou Art”—is one of the great Mahāvākyas of the Upaniṣads and a foundational statement of Advaita Vedānta. This talk will explore the philosophical significance of this profound declaration, examining the meaning of tat (That), tvam (Thou), and asi (Art), and how their apparent difference is resolved through the Upaniṣadic teaching. Drawing upon the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the talk will explore the pedagogical context in which the Mahāvākya is taught and the gradual unfolding of its meaning
Speakers
N. VENKATARAMAN
Additional Solicitor General of India
N. Venkataraman completed Law in 1989, served the Chambers of Late Mr.C.Natarajan, Senior Advocate (a doyen of the Tax Bar) for 14 years before commencing independent practice in June 2003. He was designated as a Senior Advocate in February 2006, at the age of 40, by the Madras High Court. Shri. NV has completed 35 years of Professional Practice, initially in the field of direct, indirect and international taxation and later started to do extensive work in Constitutional Law. Besides the Hon’ble Supreme Court, NV has appeared before 24 High Courts and has been a General Legal Counsel for leading International Accounting firms. NV was appointed as Additional Solicitor General of India (Supreme Court) with effect from 01.07.2020 for a period of three years, which has been extended further up to 30.06.2026. As a Law Officer, NV has been representing the Union of India in various Commercial and Taxation matters in the fields of International Arbitration, Domestic Commercial Arbitrations for PSUs, IBC matters for Banks, taxation matters for the Ministry of Finance and various regulatory matters comprising of Competition Commission, SEBI, IBBI, IRDA,AERA besides important constitutional issues in economic matters and Public Interest Litigations arising out of policy matters. NV has been assisting the Government in economic policy matters, treaty obligations, streamlining the Alternate Dispute Resolution Process and suggesting Amendments to various Trade and Business Laws. NV delivers talks on various law subjects in Universities, trade and professional bodies and conventions and delivers discourses on Sanatana Dharma and Advaita periodically. The Acharyas of Sringeri, the math established by Adi Shankara, have been the spiritual gurus and through their guidance, NV is blessed to run a Veda-patashala in his mother’s village Melmangalam and a temple for their family deity Bala Tripurasundari at Kodimangalam, both in Tamil Nadu.