Faculty – Graduate Division (Sanskrit Studies)
Dr. Dayananda A. R. is a distinguished Sanskrit scholar, educator, and manuscript specialist serving as Graduate Faculty at Hindu University of America and Assistant Professor at MIT IIKS, Pune. He holds a Ph.D. from Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi, specializing in critical manuscript editing and publication, with focused research on Muhurta-chūḍāmaṇi of Śivadaivajña.
Dr. Dayananda’s extensive academic training reflects a rare integration of traditional Gurukula education and modern university scholarship. His formal qualifications include:
- Ph.D. in Sanskrit (Manuscriptology & Textual Criticism), Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi
- Acharya (M.A.) in Jyotiṣa, Central Sanskrit University, Rajiv Gandhi Campus, Śṛṅgeri — Gold Medalist
- Vidwaduttama (M.A.) in Advaita Vedānta, Karnataka Sanskrit University, Bengaluru
- M.A. in Sanskrit, Karnataka State Open University
- M.A. in Yoga & Life Sciences, Jain Vishwa Bharati, Ladnun, Rajasthan
- Shastri (B.A.) in Advaita Vedānta, National Sanskrit University, Tirupati
- B.Sc. in Yoga & Consciousness Studies, S-VYASA Deemed University, Bengaluru
He has undergone seven years of rigorous Gurukula training, gaining mastery in Veda, Vedānta, Jyotiṣa, Vyākaraṇa, Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā, Chandas, Nirukta, Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Sanskrit kāvya, and classical prose. Dr. Dayananda previously served as Senior Research Fellow at the Sanskrit Promotion Foundation, New Delhi, and currently teaches Sanskrit studies, Indian philosophy, Vedānta, Bhagavad Gītā, Yoga, and Jyotiṣa. His research and publications address manuscript editing, Sanskrit pedagogy, environmental dimensions of yoga, and philosophical analysis of Pātañjala Yoga Sūtras. A polyglot, his fluency in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, Hindi, and Telugu, enabled him to teach, publish, and engage across diverse academic and cultural contexts. He is actively engaged in manuscript preservation, academic publishing, and interdisciplinary research.