Events Centers: Center For Moksha Studies

‘I wish there was a user’s guide for this human incarnation thing!’ Said the seeker.

‘There is!’ Replied my teacher, ‘Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra distils the foundation principles of yoga and gives us a practice manual for a human birth. These sūtra-s are the stiches that weave together the fabric of unity.’ And, as we’ll explore in this session, the principles set out in the yoga sūtra can help us weave deepening harmony into the whole of our lives and help us remember more fully who we really are.

-As described by the speaker, James Boag.

One of the richest sources of information from the life of Acharya Shankara is the religious landscape of the land of Bharat. While we typically associate the Acharya with the rejuvenation of Upanishadic wisdom, his contribution to streamlining and resurrecting the religious fabric of Bharat is Himalayan. While my upcoming book ‘Sankarayanam – The journey of Sankara’ delves deeper into this topic, the ‘Weekend with wisdom’ session of INDICA Moksha intends to offer a glimpse into this.

Ancient India displayed great wisdom. The education system, namely, the Gurukul system, emphasized on holistic personality development along with development of professional and scientific skills. It embodied both scientific and spirituality concepts and drew heavily from the authentic scriptures, namely, the Vedas which are blemish free. The authenticity of the Vedas was demonstrated unequivocally by many great Rishis and Acharyas, who displayed super-natural powers, and the teachings therein impacted the lifestyles, ethical values and also the professional abilities of different individuals as per their needs. Prof. Ramakrishna Hosur will present those accomplishments first showcasing the great depth of knowledge our ancestors had and preached.

Modern science which is about 400 years old has indeed accomplished great feats. However, many of those echo our ancient accomplishments. Prof. will present some of those, especially the ones dealing with Creation and Medicine.

Modern eminent scientists have also come to terms with ideas of God, which were refuted earlier, and acknowledged the ideas of personalized medicine, described in Ayurveda. Prof. will shed light on all these aspects as well as on the spiritual concepts which are crucial for our lifestyles and to be peaceful and happy.

Yoga Tatwa Upanishad is a standard text of Yoga .

This Upanishad presents the core of Yoga Practices aimed at the Self Realisation,the final goal of all spiritual efforts.Being one of the most important Yoga Upanishads , the Yoga Tatwa Upanishad belonging to Yajur Veda ,presents the Ashtanga Yoga in its own unique manner and contents.

Yamas,Niyamas, Asanas,Pranayamas,Pratyahara,Dharana,Dhyana and Samadhi all explained in detail in an impressive but practical manner with all details.

Prof. C S R Prabhu will provide a comprehensive introduction and overview of the text.

Morning Session : 08:00AM to 09:30AM

Evening Session : 02:00PM to 03:00PM

Everyone has conflicts as part of their lives. Quite often we resolve these conflicts well. However, there are few conflicts – that are tricky and difficult. We can call these as ‘dharma sankata’. These few become difficult to resolve because we may not have a framework or guidelines. It gets more complicated when people are forcibly isolated from their traditional family support base to distant places due to work or other reasons.

In this talk, Rajesh ji will share through stories about the various conflicts that people go through in their life and how they think incorrectly at times to resolve them.

He will also explain the easy way out most of the Hindu people take, consequently falling prey to extreme ideologies like Wokeism, radical proselytization and how they start seeing no value in the Sanatana Dharma.

Finally he will also explain the well-tested age old framework of Dharma to resolve conflicts. While the word ‘dharma’ may be elusive, even thinking through from the first principles about how it will apply helps reduce the stress of decision making in a conflicting, endless choice-driven world.

Among the 108 Upanishads, 20 are Yoga Upanishads and among these Yoga Upanishads, the Anritabindu Upanishad is one of the most important text.

AmritaBindu Upanishad starts with a description of the mind and its nature . Then it delves deep into the practices of Yoga like Meditarion or Dhyana and its final stage of Absorption or Samadhi . In Nirvikalpa Samadhi the Mind ceases to exist and the self is absorbed in Self.The Self or Atman is in reality one and same as Paramatman if the mind is dissolved .The Paramatman is Brahman or Absilute Reality that is the Truth,Infinite and Eternal.That realisation of the invidual self being absorbed and hence identified as one and the same as Brahman is Liberation or Moksha.

In this talk, Prof. C S R Prabhu will provide a detailed introduction to the Upanishad.

A person’s worldview plays a crucial role in shaping the course of their life. This worldview is built on one’s understanding of the world, which is fundamentally grounded in knowledge.

Tarka Shastra, also known as Pramana Shastra, delves into the processes and means by which knowledge arises. By studying Tarka Shastra, learners develop meta-cognitive skills—the ability to analyze and reflect on how they themselves acquire knowledge. This, in turn, enhances their overall understanding of the world.

The Amarakosha refers to Tarka Shastra as:

आन्वीक्षिकी दण्डनीतिस्तर्कविद्यार्थशास्त्रयोः
Tarka Shastra, or Nyaya Vidya, is also known as Anvikshiki. Chanakya, in his Arthashastra, highlights its importance with the verse:

प्रदीपः सर्वविद्यानामुपायः सर्वकर्मणाम् |
आश्रयः सर्वधर्माणां शाश्वतान्वीक्षिकी मता ||

Anvikshiki is likened to a lamp that illuminates everything within its reach. The concepts and methodologies outlined in Tarka Shastra not only enhance one’s comprehension of other shastras but also provide a foundation for writing them. Many of the technical terms and methods found in Tarka Shastra are employed in the creation of other scholarly texts.

Furthermore, students of Tarka Shastra develop key skills in critical thinking, logical reasoning, debate, and precise definition-making. Chanakya asserts that Anvikshiki, along with Trayi (the Vedas), Varta (commerce), and Dandaneeti (statecraft), are four essential disciplines that everyone should study. The fact that Anvikshiki is listed first highlights its foundational role in understanding the other fields of knowledge.

In this discussion, we will explore how the principles of Tarka Shastra maintain their relevance in the contemporary world, fostering critical thinking and deeper understanding across various domains of knowledge.

Yoga Taravali an important text which enunciates the secrets of practical techniques of Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. It is the only text on Yoga attributed to Adi Shankaracharya. The text starts with the fourth Anga of Pranayama providing intricate details of its various stages and effects. Both Sahita and Kevala Kumbhaka and their effects are described as steps towards higher stages of Yoga upto Samadhi. The text also deals with the three Bandhas and their effects. Then, the topic of Kundalini and Samadhi are explained in great detail. Finally Kaivalya or Self Realization is described as the experience of Oneness of Advaita. Thus, Yoga Taravali bridges the gap between Yoga Darshana and Advaita Darshana from an experiential perspective.

Prof. CSR Prabhu will give a comprehensive introduction of this text.

28 September 2024

Morning Session  08:00AM – 09:00AM
Afternoon Session 02:00PM – 03:00PM