Learning Outcome:-
- Gain a comprehensive and consistent overview of the Bhagavad Gita as both a moksha-shastra and a yoga-sastra.
- Understand the scope and relevance of the pursuits of knowledge and action in the Bhagavadgita.
- Be able to resolve paradoxes and seemingly competing viewpoints in the verses.
- Gain clarity on the meaning of moksa, karmayoga, bhakti, and meditation, in the Gita.
- Discern some of the paradigms that underlie various interpretations of the Gita.
The non-dual vision presented in the Gita has its origin in the Upanishads, where it is revealed through a teacher-student dialogue. Consistent with this, the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita are delivered through a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna. Unlike the Upanisads, the Gita discusses at length the participants in this dialogue. The Gita also goes much further than the Upanisads in expanding the discussion of the philosophical teachings, approaching them from a variety of perspectives, sometimes precipitated by a question from Arjuna. Its uniqueness, however, lies in its elaboration of the necessary conditions for understanding its core teaching, and the means, including Ashtanga Yoga, for creating those conditions. Our inquiry into the vision of the Bhagavad Gita presented in this course is based on the commentary of Sankara, the principal exponent of non-duality, advaita. Sankara’s is the earliest extant commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, and arguably the most consistent, as will be demonstrated in the course of our study through an examination of paradoxical verses. As we proceed, we will also gain a clear understanding of the meaning of moksha, karma yoga, bhakti, and meditation, as presented in the Gita. And throughout the course, we will see, over the shoulders of Arjuna, the relevance of the teachings of the Gita to our lives today.
Required/Elective: Required
Prerequisites: Admission to the program of study/Must have completed Orientation to Hindu Studies or Concurrently enrolled in OTHS.
Faculty/Instructor: Swamini Agamananda Saraswati
Quarter Offered: Winter 2021
Area of Study:- Hindu Studies Foundation
Start Date:- January 9th, 2021
End Date:- March 21st, 2021
Day:- Saturday & Sunday
Time:- 03:00 pm EST – 04:30 pm EST
An overview and insight into the design of the curriculum offered by the Hindu University of America. A survey of the central ideas of Hinduism – covering an Ontology of key Sanskrit terms and the principal ideas that are central to the cosmology, practice, and expressions of Sanatana Dharma. The course – orientation to Hindu studies- will include reflections and perspectives on these core concepts, using selected readings from source texts such as the Vedas, Upaniṣhads, Sutras, Itihaasa, Bhagavad-Gītā, Purāṇas and Dharma-Śhāstras. The Hindu world-view based on Dharma with its emphasis on duties and responsibilities and sustainability of life will be contrasted with contemporary ideologies and their focus on rights and privileges, competition and survival of the fittest. The distinction between a discourse of knowledge and a discourse of power will be drawn out.
In this course students will be able to:
- Explore various options and trajectories available within the Hindu Studies Program
- Distinguish the central ideas and concepts that constitute the Foundations of Hindu Dharma; Reflect on the Hindu Studies Foundations area.
- Inquire into and evaluate different elective areas of study and Courses offered: Sanskrit Studies, Texts and Traditions, History and Method, Post-Colonial Hindu studies, and Conflict and Peace studies.
- Distinguish between pathways towards a deep study of Hindu thought, or towards deep engagement with western thought from a Hindu perspective
- Discover and Create customized pathways for engagement with the Hindu Studies curricula
Area of Study: Hindu Studies Foundations
Prerequisites: This course is a recommended prerequisite for all students who wish to enter into the Graduate program.
Faculty/Instructor: Kalyan Viswanathan (along with others)
Day:- Every Thursday
Start Date:- January 14, 2021
End Date:- March 25, 2021
Time:- 09:00 pm EST -10:00 pm EST
Quarter: Winter 2021
Course Content:
- Study and use of the DevanAgari script, Origin of the sounds, Pronunciations
- Simple introductions and greetings
- Pronouns (sarvanAmapadAni), Persons (puruShAH), Numbers (vachanAni), and Gender (lingAH)
- Indeclinables (avyayAni)
- Simple conversations
- Numbers in Sanskrit, 1 through 100
- Common verbs
- Interrogative words
- Introduction to the simple present tense and the past tense
- Direct addressing (sambodhanam) – the Vocative case
- Expanding the vocabulary through nouns, pronouns, and verbs
Learning Objectives: In this course, students will be able to:
- Articulate the fundamental sounds that comprise Sanskrit pronunciation;
- Recognize common Sanskrit words and phrases;
- Discover building blocks of the language through everyday conversation; and
- Identify and use basic structures like numbers, tenses, simple verbs, and other parts of speech.
Note: If you are registering from outside the United States, you will receive scanned copies of the textbooks. Use the below discount code at checkout for reduced textbook costs.
CPSP-TEXTBOOK-48
Required / Elective: Required
Program of Study: Certificate Program in Sanskrit Proficiency (CP SP)
Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies
Prerequisites: Familiarity with Devanagari alphabets and combination letters
Faculty / Instructor: Sri Chandrashekhar Raghu
Co – Faculty: Dr. Laxmi Sharma
Start Date: 16 January 2021
End Date: 28 March 2021
Day: Saturday & Sunday
Time: 11:00 am EST – 12:30 pm EST
Quarter Offered: Winter 2021
Thorough knowledge of the extent and divisions of the Mahābhārata; its different editions; and reading and working with its critical edition. This course will also prepare students to read the Mahābhārata thoughtfully, using the tools of philosophy, logical inquiry, hermeneutics, and poetic theory. Students will learn to locate the Mahābhārata within a textual tradition extending backwards into the Vedic Saṃhitās and forward into the Purāṇas and Āgamas. They will also develop an appreciation for why, even today, this text continues to be foundational for the living tradition of Hinduism.
Areas of Study: Text and Traditions
Required/ Elective: Elective
Prerequisites: Successfully completed Mahabharata – I / Admission into Program of Study
Instructor: Dr. Vishwa Adluri
Quarter:- Spring 2020
Day: Every Thursday
Time: 10-1 pm EST
Start Date: 9 April 2020
End Date: 16 June 2020
Course content:
The course provides an overview of the features, structure, and contents of the Ṛgveda as well as provides illustrations from the Saṁhitā, Brāhmaṇa, Āraṇyaka and Upaniṣad sections of the Ṛgveda to understand how they vary in their features and content from each other.
In this course students will be able to:
- Understand the arrangement of mantras in the Ṛgveda and an overview of their content
- Understand the Vedic worldview and its philosophy of life
- Recognize the variation and divergence of Vedic and classical Sanskrit language
- Distinguish the convergence and divergence in nature, features, form, content, structure, and utility of the four Vedas, with regards to Vedic practices.
Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies
Required / Elective: Required
Pre-requisite:
1) The medium of Instruction is Sanskrit
2)Only currently enrolled Sanskrit master’s certificate students can register for these courses. (MIT-SVS)
3) Admission into Master Program in Sanskrit through MIT-SVS
4) Completed previous MA Sanskrit Course
Faculty: Dr. Ramanujan
Quarter: Winter 2020
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