Meru Media: Recent Episodes
Meru Media
Join Mukunda as we speak with Ravi Chand, an actor, writer, producer and director at Warrior Tribe Films. Ravi has mostly recently produced, written, directed […]
Join Mukunda as we speak with Vishal Ganesan, who is a lawyer and posts on the Twitter handle @hindoohistory. In this episode, we discuss a […]
Join Mukunda as we speak with Swami Sarvapriyananda, the Head Monk at the Vedanta Society of New York. Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on […]
Join Mukunda as we speak with Dr Deepak Sarma, a tenured professor of Religious Studies at Case Western University. Dr Sarma has written numerous academic […]
Join Mukunda as we speak with Dr. Javad Hashmi, a Phd. candidate at Harvard University in Islamic studies and is also a medical doctor. He […]
Join Mukunda as we speak with Dr. Anusha Rao, a Phd. candidate at the University of Toronto. Dr. Rao is currently finishing her Phd. on […]
Join Mukunda and Dr. Omari as we speak with Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco, on a joint […]
A Conversation with Ghorangirasa and PinakasenaJoin Mukunda as he speaks with the men behind the Twitter handles of @Ghorangirasa and @Pinakasena. Both Ghorangirasa and Pinakasena […]
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Jeffery Long. Dr. Long is the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy & Asian Studies at Elizabethtown […]
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad. Dr. Ram-Prasad is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University. He is the […]
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. T.S. Rukmani. Dr. T.S. Rukmani was a Professor and Chair of Hindu Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. […]
Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Satyan Sharma. Dr. Sharma is a Professor of Sanskrit at the Panjab University in Chandigarh. He specializes in […]
Ismailism and Islamic History: A Conversation with Dr. Khalil Andani Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Khalil Andani, an Islamic scholar and expert on Islamic Philosophy. Dr. Andani holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Harvard University (Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations) and serves as an Assistant Professor of Religion at Augustana College. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
00:01:20 Introduction to Dr. Khalil Andani and his background and educational history
00:11:00 The connection and history of the Ismaili community
00:15:30 The History and Major differences between Sunni and Shia along with the differences between Shia Twelvers and Ismaili Shias
00:27:40 Oral and Textual History of the Quran and Hadiths (including the differences between Sunni and Shia hadiths)
00:42:10 Differences between Shia and Sunni practices
00:48.00 Differences between Ismaili and Twelver Shia
00:58:50 Rules and Wisdom
01:01:25 Concluding Discussions and Thoughts
You can find Dr. Khalil Andani at:
https://www.khalilandani.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KhalilAndani
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Join Mukunda and Krishna as they speak with Dr. Bharat Gupt, a former Associate Professor in English at the University of Delhi, is an Indian classicist, theatre theorist, sitar and surbahar player, musicologist, cultural analyst, and newspaper columnist. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
00:02:00 Introduction and Journey of Dr. Bharat Gupt to study Hindu Shastras, Music, and Art
00:19:40 Dr. Gupt speaks about Marshall McLuhan’s insights and theory of Media and how it influenced him; Technology changes the means and methods of preservation and transference of knowledge; Media is the massage
00:27:10 Dr. Gupt’s Study of Indian Classical Music and Musicology
00:31:40 Ancient Greek Theater and Ancient Indian Theater: how they are related to each other and how they differ from later Western or European Theater; Ancient Greek theater was effectively destroyed by Christianity
00:38:55 Conventional vs Naturalistic Theater; Greek and Indian Aesthetics as Conventional Theater 00:50:00 What was Ancient Indian theater like? How was it performed and where? How did it compare to Greek Theater? Why do the Greek amphitheaters survive and what happened to the Indian theater houses? The Impact of Islam on Hindu/Indian Theater and arts
00:59:50 Art as sacred vs secular; What is Rasa and how does it connect to the sacredness of art
01:11:30 What are Vedic and Homeric or Indo-European values; Humanity and Divinity are connected
01:14:00 How modern ideas of identity and society fail to understand and capture the ideals and values of the Ancient Hindu and Greek world; Discussing this idea using the Ramayana as a backdrop; What is the Agni Pariksha and how does it fit into the ancient world of jurisprudence.
01:26:00 Composition and compilation of Ancient Indian texts
01:31:20 Krishna sings a short part of Nama Ramayana and Dr. Gupt recites a shloka on Rama
01:36:40 Concluding Thoughts
You can find Dr. Bharat Gupt at:
https://bharatgupt.com/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqYFsZ24YZpV71RWKTptexQ
Twitter: @bharatgupt
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Join Mukunda as he speaks with Farhan Qureshi. Farhan is an ex-Muslim who now identifies as Hindu. He is a perennialist, who believes in that truth exists in some form in all traditions. He has spent decades studying Islam and Hinduism and is deeply committed to the search for Truth. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
00:02:16 Introduction to Farhan Qureshi and his perspectives on Islam, Hinduism, and Perennial Philosophy
00:11:40 Mukunda’s engagement with the Dawah community and conversations with Dawahwise, why discussion is preferable to debate 00:20:20 Comparison between Abrahamic traditions and Dharma traditions
00:26:40 Diversity of Islamic traditions and general discussion of the online Islamic dawah space
00:54:50 Andrew Tate, masculinity and needs of modern men
01:00:20 Discussion on Mukunda’s conversation on the Dawahwise channel on the certainty of the Quran and textual tradition
01:06:15 Discussion on the relationship between orthodoxy and orthopraxy
01:15:50 The problem of exclusivity of truth/salvation
01:22:40 The conversation around the existence of Vedas pre-language discussion on Dawahwise
01:26:00 Hindu Epistemology: Pratyaksha, Anumana, and Shabda
01:42:40 The primal role of Pratyaksha or Perception (including Yoga Pratyaksha)
01:54:40 Brief discussion on reincarnation and the studies of Ian Stevenson
02:07:20 Some questions Mukunda has on Islamic thought/philosophy/theology?
02:18:15 Pantheism, Panentheism, Monism, Advaita and Visistadvaita
02:24:00 Concluding Thoughts
You can find Farhan Qureshi at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/orthodox786
http://www.spiritualexmuslim.com
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Join Mukunda as he speaks with Ashish Kulkarni, better known on Twitter as @agenetics1, he is an engineer and part of a new wave of online genetics researchers, who have access to all the genetic data and are now able to model the data to confirm current ideas or develop new ones. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
00:02:19 Ashish’s Background and how he got into studying genetics
00:11:30 Discussion on how languages can spread
00:19:10 What is Proto-Indo-European, Who were the people who spoke it, where and when were they in history? Discussion on the homeland of Proto-Indo-European people (Kurgan, Anatolia, Steppe) and the potential migration paths of the various groups of Proto-Indo-Europeans into Europe and Asia
00:41:40 Genetics of the Indus Valley Civilization and the role of Iranian Farmer ancestry across all Indo-European language speaking groups.
00:56:33 Argument and Evidence for Central Asia as the homeland of the Indo-Aryan language family and their people
01:02:20 Horses, Chariots, and Wheels
01:25:30 How have Ashish’s theories been reacted to and responded to by other genetic researchers?
01:31:30 Discussion of R1a haplogroup
01:47:50 Concluding Thoughts
You can find Ashish Kulkarni at:
https://a-genetics.blogspot.com/
Twitter: @agenetics1
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Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. McComas Taylor, Associate Professor of Sanskrit at Australian National University. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
00:01:09 Introduction and Journey of Dr. McComas Taylor
00:10:40 What drove Dr. Taylor to translate the Vishnu Purana and what is unique about the Vishnu Purana
00:15:13 What role did Vishnu Purana play in traditional commentaries and religious traditions
00:19:40 The oral living traditions of the Bhagavata Purana
00:26:20 Were the Puranas originally oral or written texts? Does it even matter? Does the critical edition even make sense?
00:35:30 Western Indology and Traditional Indian Scholars: clash of world views
00:43:15 The tension within texts in maintaining social order and pushing boundaries
00:50:30 The connection between the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Puranas
00:53:20 Glorification of different Devatas through a different telling of the same narrative
00:56:00 Dr. Taylor's upcoming projects and Conclusion
You can find Professor McComas Taylor and Online Sanskrit Program at:
https://researchprofiles.anu.edu.au/en/persons/mccomas-taylor
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Join Mukunda as he speaks with Seth P. Hart, a Ph.D. Candidate and scholar of Christian Theology at the University of Durham. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including:
00:02:30 Introduction and Journey of Seth Hart into Christianity and Theology
00:07:35 What is the Foundation of Christianity
00:10:30 Relationship of God, Jesus and the Old and New Testament
00:13:45 What about Jesus is salvific and unique in the world and history?
00:17:30 What exactly is the Fall of Man and the Origin of Sin?
00:22:40 What is the Origin of the Soul in Christian Theology?
00:24:45 Why does God create the universe and how does it connect to the Nature of God?
00:28:00 What is the Nature of the Soul and What is Hell?
00:31:00 The Problem of Evil, Omniscience, Omnipotence and the Goodness of God
00:44:15 The Nature and Doctrine of the Trinity in Christian Theology
00:49:35 What is the relationship between non-Christian but Abrahamic followers (Jewish and Muslim people) and God; How about with other followers of other religions?
01:00:00 Discussion of Salvation and Exclusivity Claims of Christianity in contrast with Hindu views of Moksha; Textual interpretation, epistemology and hermeneutics
01:18:15 Did God provide revelations to other people across the world and time? What happens if the Bible and another spiritual text contradict?
01:21:30 What is the Nature of Jesus vs. the Nature of Brahman
01:35:00 Grace vs. Works in Christian Theology in comparison to Visisthadvaita Vedanta and Leela of Brahman
01:44:20 Justice, Karma and Mercy discussion
01:50:18 Conclusion
Guest: Seth P. Hart
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Join Mukunda as he speaks with Arjuna Gallagher of Theology Unleashed Youtube Show. Arjuna belongs
Join Mukunda as he speaks with pre-eminent scholars of the Dharma Shastras: Dr. Patrick Olivelle
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 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,
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 connection sacred geography and cosmology, the Lord of the Middle 0:43:00 Integration and Pluralism of Hinduism and the practices 0:45:45 Academia, Colonialism and Hindu Studies: Built-in Western Bias and Lens 1:03:15 Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory and how it impacts everything about Indian studies, politics, and culture 1:05:05 Caste and how it is different from Varna and how it changed over time in Hindu society prior to British and even prior to 10th century 1:08:20 The flaws and discussion of the Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory (Genetic, Linguistic and Material Archeological issues) 1:31:35 How to approach providing controversial topics in school and education 1:35:30 Prof. Vemsani's upcoming work and preliminary discussion of Heroines of the Mahabharata
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 1:58:40 Dalit Scholars and Hindutva, the lack of free speech platforms 2:01:45 Concluding Thoughts and Upcoming Projects
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 21 min: Closing Thoughts
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
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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
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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
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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.
Join Mukunda as he talks to Prof. Nicholas Sutton, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. They discuss Prof. Sutton's journey into Hindu thought and his life of studying Dharma, Philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata and other texts/traditions. They delve into morality and ethics, the idea of Dharma, deontological morality, virtue ethics, diversity in Hindu thought, the conundrum of God in the world vis-a-vis Krishna and numerous other ideas.
You can check out Prof. Sutton's lectures and talks at: https://www.youtube.com/user/HinduStudies and you can get his books at: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nicholas+sutton&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
https://ochs.org.uk/people/dr-nicholas-sutton
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Join Mukunda as he speaks to Shambhav Sharma, the host and creator of the Sham Sharma show. In this atypical Meru podcast, (we focus more on social and political issues), we discuss a myriad of topics including Sham's life in India, my time in India, free speech, feminism and misogyny in cultures, ideas about the Truth, Muslimphobia, Tulsi Gabbard and Hinduphobia (starts around 58 min 45 second mark), discussion about Pieter Friedman (author of the hit piece on Tulsi), Kashmir, social and media issues in India, (sorry for the video/audio issue at 1 hour and 48 min mark) and a few more socio-political issues.
You can check out the Sham Sharma Show at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0kMbzhUYV2lhIV7xoWhoA
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Join Mukunda as he speaks to Suhag Shukla, Esq., the Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a non-profit and non-partisan Hindu advocacy group in the United States. In this podcast, we discuss a myriad of topics including growing up as part of the Indian and Hindu diaspora in the US, the issues that Hindus in the US have to deal with, diversity in thought in Hinduism and its traditions, the role that HAF plays in the US, education controversies that arose regarding teaching Hinduism in the education system in the US, the problems and issues around the term Hindutva, brief conversation about "woke" culture, Kashmir and other interesting topics
Join Mukunda and Racchit, as we speak to Prof. Prakash Shah, Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London, about the Caste System and its conceptual foundations in the Western world. We discuss the idea of Caste and how much of it was developed through the lens of the West's engagement with India by imposing their ideas and concepts of what they thought was the social fabric of India was like into their own world views. Even today there is not an intelligible definition of what caste is or isn't, rather we assume it is a reality. Let us put a caveat here, there is no disagreement or contention that violence between groups or social status between groups is a reality rather the point here is that the idea of Caste, itself, is a western invention and conceptual framework which is alien and unknown to India until the Western world began to interact and try to understand India. This is a controversial topic and in this podcast, we deal with it using nuance and critical thought.
Join Racchit and I as we trialogue with Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco. We discuss the media on the whole. depiction of Hindus in the media, Hinduphobia, Prof. Juluri's books and many other topics.
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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
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In this episode, Mukunda speaks to Kushal Mehra, the host of The Carvaka Podcast. We discuss Hindutva, Social Media, Hinduism, Secularism, Indian Politics, Philosophy, Morality, and other topics.
Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia Subscribe to get new weekly content on our website, like us on Facebook and Twitter Don't forget to add us to your podcasts on Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify or any other podcast apps!
Join Mukunda, Racchit and Professor Jeffery Long, Professor of Religious and Hindu Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania in this episode of the Meru Media Podcast. Professor Long is the author of many books and articles on Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Most recently Professor Long is the editor of “Perspectives on Reincarnation: Hindu, Christian, Scientific”. In this episode, we discuss Professor Long's journey into Hinduism, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the Vedanta Society, and Reincarnation/Karma/Samsara, we even discuss Japan and its deep connection to Hinduism and Indic thought.
Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia Join Mukunda and Professor Ramdas Lamb, Professor of Religious Studies and Hinduism at the University of Hawaii, Manoa and the author of Rapt in the Name: Ramnamis, Ramnam, and the Untouchable Religion in Central India. In this episode we discuss: 1. Ramdas Lamb’s fascinating journey from Watts, California and a Catholic background to India and Hinduism then to Hawaii. Prof. Lamb lived through such amazing times in both the USA and India from the 1950’s to the 1980’s, anyone who is interested how Hinduism and America intersected in this period, it is a great story from Prof. Lamb’s experience. His experiences meeting westerner sadhus and legendary gurus like Neem Karoli Baba, Muktananda and others. 2. We discuss the Ramananda sampradaya and Prof. Lamb’s experiences in the monastic life, secluded practices (tapasya and yoga) in the Himalayas and forests, sacred texts, views on caste, and bhakti. Prof. Lamb discusses the nature of a guru, surrendering to the guru and how it is important to find a dharmic guru. (starting 39 min mark) 3. Discussion on Valmiki Ramayana, Adhyatma Ramayana and Tulsidas’s Ramcharitamanas (starting at 1 hour and 9 minute mark) 4. Discussion on Untouchability, the Ramnamis, their beliefs, rituals, modernity, and Rama. (starting at 1 hour and 20 min mark). This is a fascinating section that deals with understanding the diversity of Hindu thought and practices that are developed within non-main stream communities. 5. Caste, Identity (Dalit vs Harijan vs SC/OBC/Adivasi), and Issues (starting at 1 hour and 52 mark) 6. Sahayog Foundation that Prof. Lamb started, it is a foundation that helps young low caste or Harijan girls go to school and get educated. (starting at 2 hour and 9 min mark) (if you want to contribute to this amazing cause please reach out to Sahayog Foundation and Ramdas Lamb at ramdas214@gmail.com)
Ramdas Lamb teaches introductory religion courses as well as courses dealing with contemporary religion and society, fieldwork, and mysticism. The focus of his current research is on monastic traditions and religion among the low castes in central and northern India. He was a Hindu sadhu (monk) in north India in the Ramanandi sampradaya from 1969 until 1978.
Meru Media Video Interview with Nithin Sridhar Mukunda and Nithin discuss a wide host of topics relating to Vedanta, Indic Culture, Menstruation Ideas across Cultures, the Sabarimalai Controversy, Sati, including: Advaita Vedanta (starting at 10 min mark) Discussion on Nithin’s Books (starting at 32 min mark) Indic Civilizational Ethos and the clash with Modernity (starting at 38 min mark) Education system and imparting of Indic values (starting at 53 min mark) Indic views on Menstruation and Feminism (starting at 1 hour and 5 min mark) Sabarimalai Controversy (starting 1 hour and 40 min mark) Discussion on the Practice of Sati and Suicide (starting 1 hour and 58 min mark)
About Nithin Sridhar: With a degree in civil engineering, and having worked in construction field, Nithin Sridhar passionately writes about various issues from development, politics, and social issues, to religion, spirituality and ecology. He is based in Mysore, India. His first book "Musings On Hinduism" provided an overview of various aspects of Hindu philosophy and society. His latest book "Menstruation Across Cultures: A Historical Perspective" examines menstruation notions and practices prevalent in different cultures & religions from across the world. Tweets at @nkgrock You can purchase Nithin’s book Sabarimalai Confusion: Menstruation Across Cultures below https://www.amazon.com/Menstruation-Across-Cultures-Sabarimala-Perspective/dp/9386473461
In this second part to Episode 4a, Racchit and Mukunda discuss Kama and Moksha, the last two parts the Purusharthas. They explore the various ideas of Kama as sex, desire, pleasure and other roles then connect it to the modern world. Finally they briefly delve into Moksha and Nirvana but only enough to get a quick taste, that topic will require significantly more time and episodes. So sit back and join us
Mukunda and Prof. Joydeep Bagchee discuss Indology, Philology, Historism and the Mahabharata. We discuss the issues and history of Indology and Philology then we jump to the basics of the composition of the Mahabharata and the themes that it delves into. We broach many topics including racism in historical Indology, how modern Indology has shaken those roots, the Mahabharata as a text and how it was interpreted over the past 150 years, ahimsa, dharma and much more.
Meru Media Interview Series Episode 1 Interview with Professor Jain Guest: Professor Pankaj
Raghu Kumar, a successful entrepeneur and founder of Upstox and Rain Hedge Fund, and I decided to record a podcast at 1 am in the morning in his son's play room sitting on baby stools, sometimes random decisions produce really interesting conversations. This is one of those conversations, we discuss Carnatic Music, Sports and Mahabharata plus a bunch of other tangents. It's a fun and engaging conversations even at 1 am. Join us!
Welcome to Episode 3, The Framework for Understanding the Indic Reality, History, and Ideas. We
Welcome to Episode 2! Join me and Racchit as we discuss what is driving us to take up this endeavor of discussing, promoting and preserving Indic Culture and Thought. We weave around from topic to topic and have a very broad discussion, some funny, some serious and mostly entertaining, we hope. We hope you enjoy this episode and please leave your comments, thoughts, criticisms, and suggestions.
First Episode and the beginning of a journey into questioning and understanding the Indic consciousness and worldviews. Get ready for some philosophy, mythology, history, culture and good old fashion knowledge and fun. Join us on the Meru Podcast!