Vedanta
Course Details
श्रेयो मार्ग: (Vedanta Basics)
Vedanta foundation topics are taught in this class for beginners. This course is conducted twice a week. This class is conducted in English and simultaneously translated to Kannada since there are many Kannada speaking students in this group.Some of the topics that are being covered are – “Bhaja Govindam”, Human values, selected sections from “Ananda mimamsa” and “Naishkarmya Siddhi” etc.
बाल / युव श्रेयो मार्गः (Vedanta Basics for kids / youth)
Baala Shreyo Marga course is focused on children / youth. This course has been designed to make the content interesting for kids. Children are familiarised with the Dharma(basics of Vedanta) through interactive sessions. It is translated simultaneously to Kannada for the students of Arsha Gokulam. They are encouraged to come up with questions based on their observations and understanding of the society around them. These questions are then answered to their satisfaction based on the principles of dharma and shaastra, thus quenching their curiosity. Series of topics are covered on human values such as Responsibility, Satyam, Bhakthi, Patience, Ahimsa etc. This course helps them to understand the rich Vedic knowledge and culture of our MotherLand, thus instilling pride in the young mind and confidence to lead a conflict-free balanced life.
Mundaka Upanishad
श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता शङ्कर-भाष्यम् (Bhagavad Gita Shankara’s Commentary)
Along with Bhagavad Gita verses, word by word Bhaashyam of Sankaracharya is thoroughly taught.
कठोपनिषद् शङ्कर-भाष्यम् (Kaschid-dheera: Kathopanishad with Shankara bhashyam)
Along with Kathopanishad Mantras, word by word Bhaashyam of Shankaracharya is being thoroughly covered.
ब्रह्मसूत्रं शङ्कर-भाष्यम्
Classes are conducted on Brahmasootram with Bhaashyam of Shankaracharya. These classes are held on Saturdays.
Kaschid-dheera: Kathopanishad with Shankara bhashyam
In this course, the Upanishad will be taught through the commentary of Adi Shankaracharya (written in Sanskrit). The course is ideal for those who have had exposure to the Bhagavad Gita and to the Sanskrit language, and want to begin to (or continue to) delve into Adi Shankaracharya’s works.
Thursdays 6.15am to 7.30am India time
Vedanta Teachers
Dr. Jayakumar Srinivasan Ammangudi
Dr. Jayakumar Srinivasan Ammangudi graduated from IIT, Madras in 1985, and received his MS and Ph.D. degrees from Purdue University, USA, with more than a dozen publications to his credit. He then worked for 25 years in the Chemical Industry in USA, 20 years of which was in the world’s largest $80 billion Polyethelene manufacturing company, becoming an expert in Supply Chain Management and Optimization.
In parallel, Dr. Jayakumar studied Vedanta for over 25 years under Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. In Houston, USA, beginning in 2001, he established Vedanta and Sanskrit programs for adults and children, which are still running. He collaborated with many Indian organizations in Houston and organized programs with fresh perspectives. In 2010, he was awarded the Akhil Chopra Unsung Hero Award for his leadership and service to the Houston community.
Dr. Jayakumar also co-founded “Indian History Awareness & Research” (IHAR). IHAR’s data-based critiques resulted in the Texas state (in US) withdrawing one new textbook for its blatant anti-India narrative. IHAR’s recommendations to Telangana SCERT were adopted in their textbooks for classes 6-10, over a period of 3 years.
After 30 years in the USA, Dr. Jayakumar decided to end his corporate career, returned to India in 2015 and spent two years at the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam of Swami Dayananda Saraswati in Coimbatore to study Vedanta and Sanskrit in-depth and full-time. While caring for his senior parents since 2018, he has been teaching Vedanta and Sanskrit and created awareness in youth regarding Civilizational identity. Foreseeing an increasing interest in Indian Philosophies and Sanskrit (which would later manifest in NEP 2020), he founded the non-profit Arsha Seva Kendram (ASK) in 2019 in Coimbatore. Today, ASK has over 15 faculty teaching more than 20 courses. All received donations are used to run Arsha Gokulam (a flagship holistic development centre for children and youth), cultural revival, social development and disaster assistance (e.g. Covid).
Dr. Jayakumar is known for his motivational speeches. He has spoken at numerous schools and colleges including PSG Tech, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur and Madura College on topics ranging from Civilizational Identity, Human Excellence, Indian Philosophical Traditions and Leadership. In November 2022, invited by the Ministry of Culture, he spoke in Delhi at “Bharatvarsh: Cradle of Civilization” on the topic “Engaging Youth in the Civilizational Narrative”. During Covid 2020+ which was a period of intense stress for institutions, he also spoke on Values, Meaning of Life, and Life Goals. In June 2023, he represented Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at a round table conference of top 20 Hindu organizations in Delhi organized by the Ministry of Culture to discuss promotion of Sanatana Dharma worldwide.
Srinivasan Krishnasamy
Srinivasan Krishnasamy completed a three-year course in Vedanta from Nagpur Gurukulam of Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati. He is a Samskritam scholar and has in-depth knowledge of Vedanta. He takes ‘Shreyo Marga’ classes for adults, teenagers, and kids with equal ease. He is also the teacher for Vedanta Vishaya, Srimad Bhagavad Gita – Shankara Bhashyam, Kathopanishad – Shankara Bhashyam, Paraayanam, and Nidhidhyaasanam courses which are conducted online.
Prema Ranganathan
Shri. Praveen R. Bhat
After education and over a dozen years of work in Biomedical and Software engineering, he studied Yoga and Vedanta along with Indian and Western philosophies at Sivananda ashrama at Rishikesh in 2006, followed by svAdhyAya and long term Sanskrit vyAkaraNa and Vedanta course at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam at Coimbatore in 2014-17. He furthers his study under Acharyas in orthodox sampradAya.
He has conducted numerous Paninian Samskrita and Vedanta courses, including Upanishads with bhAShya and TIkA.