Meru Media

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Ami Ganatra, author of Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Prerna Thiruvaipati a Dalits and Hindu activist who has been spending the past few years working on addressing the concerns of Dalit communities in India focusing on the Andhra and Telangana region. She has been working on providing economic, emotional, and legal support to these communities in addition to dealing with the issues of Christian and Islamic conversions along with returning to Hinduism. We discuss these and other topics.

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Edward Butler, Caitlin Storm Breaker, Jim Two Snakes,

Join Mukunda and Shahada Hasan of the Brown Pundits, as they speak to Dr. Seema

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan,

Join Mukunda and Krishna as they speaks to Professor Bibek Debroy. Prof. Debroy is a polymath, polyglot and a man for all seasons. He is currently the Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on the Economic Advisory Council. He is additionally a translator of the Vedas, Puranas, Bhagavad Gita and now the Mahabharata. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 00:01:10 Introduction to Professor Bibek Debroy and his background and how he went from economics to translating a huge corpus of Sanskrit literature 00:18:50 The inspiration and role of Dogs in Vedas and Itihasas, all three of us love dogs and have dogs 00:22:00 Mahabharata and Puranas translation process and inspirations, what is your methodology of translations 00:29:20 Bengali culture and translating of the Mahabharata 00:32:00 Veda Vyasa, Mahabharata and intertextual mesh with the Puranas 00:38:55 How did the translation process change you or your pre-conceived notions 00:41:30 Why is Indian society not very familiar with li

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He is a scholar of the Puranas and Narratives and the author of The Goddess and the King in Indian Myth. He is also the host of an amazing podcast called New Books in Indian Religions. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 00:01:10 Introduction to Professor Balkaran and his background, unique journey into Hinduism and academia 00:20:00 The experience of being Hindu and Brown in the West 00:23:30 The difficultly of defining and teaching Hinduism, A profound diversity and ecosystem 00:34:30 The tapestry of the Shastras, in particular the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and the nature of violence 00:45:50 The paradox of Dharma, the Dharmic double helix 00:55:40 Narrative and Framing of Shastras, particularly the Puranas 01:00:30 Prof. Balkaran’s spiritual journey 01:12:30 Academia and the Shastras 01:19:00 Discussion on the Devi Mahatmya and the ring narrative 01:30:10 What is Markendaya’s role in the Pur

Join Mukunda and Krishna as we speak to Professor Archana Venkatesan, Professor of Religious Studies at University of California, Davis. She is an expert and translator of Tamil Bhakti poetry specifically the poetry or pasurams of the Azhwars, a group of saints, poets and mystics from what is now Tamil Nadu from the 6th to 9th centuries of the common era.

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina, Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. He is also a qualified Acharya and has been trained in Sanskrit and Shastras since he was a child. He is an expert on Tantra and Abhinavagupta, a 10th century polymath genius who worked on philosophy, drama, math, music, aesthetics, and other areas. Acharya Sthaneshwar is also Founder of the Vimarsha Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit that engages in expounding and maintaining the Kashmiri Shaivism tradition.

Join Mukunda Raghavan and Krishna Parthasarathy as they speak with Dushyanth Sridhar, a Pauranika scholar,

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Lavanya Vemsani, Professor of Religious Studies and History at Shawnee State University in Ohio. She holds 2 Phd.s, one in History and the other in Religious Studies. She is also the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Indic Studies. She has written extensively on comparative iconology, history, legends, and ideas between Hindu and Jaina thought, especially related to Krishna and Balarama in Jaina and Hindu thought. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 0:01:30 Introduction to Prof. Vemsani and her background 0:05:40 Deep History and Continuity of Indian archeological sites and temple locations 0:16:00 Krishna and Balarama in the Hindu and Jaina contexts 0:18:20 Analysis of Balarama in Jaina traditions (Explanation of the Vasudeva, Baladeva, and Prati Vasudeva in Jaina Cosmology) 0:25:30 Historic Relationship and Interaction between Hindus and Jains 0:28:15 Return to Discussion on Balarama in Hindu vs. Jaina traditions 0:34:00 Narasimha and his c

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Neha Srivastava, Founder and President of Shaktitva Foundation. Neha and Shaktitva are focused on feminism, feminity, women's issues, advocacy, and Hindu issues. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 0:01:20 Introduction to Neha and her background 0:04:20 Overview of the Sabarimalai Issue 0:12:40 Women and Sabarimalai 0:18:00 Formation of Shaktitva 0:24:45 Discussion on the Nature of Hindu Temples and Government Control 0:32:20 Discussion on Shakti, Rama and understanding texts 0:37:00 Discussion of Shakti, Femininity and Gender 0:43:20 Samkhya Philosophy, Shakta Tradition and thinking on Gender 0:47:15 Hindu Understanding of Feminism 0:54:30 Attacks on Hindu Subaltern Practices and Traditions 1:18:00 History of Feminism and Difference between Western and Indian feminism 1:30:14 Village Women and Financial Literacy 1:41:40 Issues in Indian Non-Profit Law and Hinduism 1:49:20 Modern vs Traditional responses to Woman’s Health Issues specifically Menstruation 1:58:4

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Prof. Guru Prakash, Professor of Law at Patna University in Bihar. Prof. Prakash is a Dalit scholar and activist, who writes, studies and speaks on Dalit Issues in India and Hindu society. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics (listed broadly with approximate timestamps): 1 min 20 seconds: Introduction and Background of Professor Guru Prakash 6 min 55 seconds: Civil Rights of African Americans and the comparison with Dalit movement in India 10 min: Diversity within the Dalit Jati or Community 16 min 40 sec: Complexity in Understanding Caste 23 min 20 sec: Interaction and Issues between Jati or Castes vis-à-vis Education and Careers 31 min 14 min: Differences between Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Castes and Scheduled Tribes 39 min: Hinduism, Hindutva, Ambedkar and Dalits 51 min 50 sec: The problem with the Dalit-Muslim-Marxist alliance 1 hour 7 min: Addressing the Dalit Cause in Society 1 hour 16 min 50 sec: Christian Missionary Activity Impact on Dalit communities 1 Hour

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Indu Viswanathan and Parth Parihar. Both Parth and Indu are Phd. candidates, Indu in Education at Teachers College and Parth in Economics at Princeton. Indu and Parth are involved deeply in engaging with Hindu traditions/ideas with the modern world. In this episode, we discuss far-reaching and diverse topics including what it means to be a Hindu in the West, the colonialism of the mind vs indigenous knowledge, Racism versus Caste, Abrahamic world view vs. Dharma worldview, Karma and Agency, Hindu representation in the Media and Education, Hinduism on College Campuses, Caste System, The Idea of Decoloniality, Dharma for the 21st Century and a wealth of other topics. It is a dynamic and great conversation with two fantastic thinkers and human beings.

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Brahmachari Vrajavihari Sharan, Director for Hindu Life at Georgetown University and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Linguistics. In this episode, we talk about the West Indian Hindu experience, Nimbarkacharya (a philosopher, Vedantin and Guru of the Kumara Sampradaya) and his philosophy, the nature of Radha and Krishna, Varna, Jati and Caste in the ascetic life, Dharma, the experience of Hinduism in the diaspora and other topics. Join us for another dive into the ocean that is Hindu Thought. You can find Brahmachari Vrajavihari Sharan at: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/vrajvihari-sharan Twitter: @brvsharan Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Dr. Edward Butler, Phd. Dr. Butler specializes in ancient Greco-Roman philosophy particularly Platonism and Neo-Platonism along with expertise in Polytheistic thought and philosophy. We speak at length about polytheism and monotheism, the theory of Henadology, Proclus, Hindu Thought, and other forms of polytheism and a host of other topics. You can find Dr. Edward Butler at: https://henadology.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @epbutler Purchase his books at: https://www.lulu.com/search/?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Edward+Butler Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Father Francis X. Clooney, Professor of Comparative Theology at the Harvard Divinity School. Father Clooney is a scholar of Hinduism specifically Visisthadvaita Vedanta and SriVaishnavism, he is equally a practicing Catholic in the Jesuit Order. In this dialogue, Father Clooney and I discuss Catholicism, Ramanujacharya, Visistadvaita Vedanta, the nature of comparative theology, Bhakti tradition, and other topics.

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Stephen Phillips of the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Phillips is an academic in Philosophy with a wide area of expertise in the Indian/Hindu Philosophical systems particularly Nyaya, Vedanta, and Yoga. In this dialogue, we discuss Prof. Phillips journey into Hindu thought, his experiences living in India, learning Sanskrit, studying Indian Philosophy directly from indigenous experts, the concept of Pramanas, the idea of soul-making, Yoga and other topics. It was an honor and pleasure to be able to have this conversation. You can find Prof. Stephen Phillips at https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/philosophy/faculty/shp9 and you can buy his books at: https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-H.-Phillips/e/B001JRYN56/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed

Join Mukunda as he talks to Jodh Singh (Twitter@jungnihang) about Sikhism. We go through a detailed history of 10 Gurus, the socio-political environment in that period, the practices of the Sikhi Dharm and other topics. If you want to learn and understand Sikhism, this is the podcast episode for you.