Join Mukunda as he speaks with pre-eminent scholars of the Dharma Shastras: Dr. Patrick Olivelle and Dr. Donald Davis. Dr. Olivelle is a world renowned […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan, of www.srimatham.com. Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari is an Acharya of […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Ami Ganatra, author of Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of a Well-Known History. Ami Ganatra is a management professional who […]

Join Mukunda and Shahada Hasan of the Brown Pundits, as they speak to Dr. Seema Anand on Kama, the Kama Sutra, Arts of Seduction, Femininity, […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan, of www.srimatham.com. Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari is an Acharya of […]

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 lifeblood of Hinduism, the Puranas

00:44:50 Story of Rama and the dog in the Ramayana

00:49:15 The Many Gitas of the Mahabharata and Puranas

00:57:15 What role do the Mahabharata and Puranas play in today in modern governance

01:04:20 How do we teach Dharma today, Dharma economic alternative to capitalism and socialism

01:15:30 Final points and love for discovery in the Shastras

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 Puranas and Privritti and Nivritti Dharma

01:31:35 The importance of the Azhwars and how the pasurams become the Divya Prabandam

01:41:40 What role do the King and Merchant have in the Devi Mahatmya

01:48:50 Karma, Vasanas, Moksha and living in the world

01:54:40 Back and forth discussion on Free Will vs Karma

02:10:40 The Narrative power of the Shastras

02:16:10 Prof. Balkaran’s upcoming works and courses along with online education

02:21:00 Prof. Balkaran’s closing thoughts

02:23:10 Why the podcast is called Meru Media

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, public lecturer on Sanatana Dharma and Upanyasakar. He has spoken […]