Applied Vedic Science – Advanced (Vedanta)

Applied Vedic Science – Advanced (Vedanta)

Course Content:

This course introduces the student to the ontological schema proposed by three schools of Vedanta, namely, Advaita, Visistadvaita, and Dvaita through the study of their primers.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Understand the various ontological schema with which the same ontological content is presented based on variation of darśanas, all of them rooted in the Vedic tradition.
  2. Observe the variation in language usage that the different schools of Vedanta adapted in the presentation of their doctrines.

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Elective

Program: MA in Sanskrit / Masters Certificate in Sanskrit

Quarter Offered: Spring 2024

Applied Vedic Science – Advanced (Yoga)

Applied Vedic Science – Advanced Yoga

Course Content:

This course introduces the portion of the Yogasutras that defines and discusses the systematic means – sadhana – of attaining the most exalted spiritual state and substantiates the process with reasons where necessary.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Comprehend the means of attaining an exalted state of spirituality along with the systematic technical definitions of such means
  2. Logically understand the process presented in the Yogasutras

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Elective

Prerequisites: Completion of the Applied Vedic Science – Basic (Yoga)

Quarter Offered:  Spring Quarter

Ayurveda – The Wisdom of Wellbeing

Ayurveda – The Wisdom of Wellbeing

Course Content:

In the course, the role of food and nutrition in Ayurveda alongside methods of food preparation and consumption will also be discussed. We will also study the protocols to keep the body in good health through daily and seasonal routines (Dinacarya & Rtucarya). Students will develop an understanding of the stages of manifestation of illness in the body and how Pancakarma treatments and Ayurveda’s therapeutic formulations address them to maintain homeostatic balance in the body.

Course Learning Objectives:

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Understand and apply the principles of Ayurveda to enhance their lifestyle.
  2. Learn how to identify imbalances in their body and utilize the power of Ayurveda to address mild imbalances.
  3. Use consciousness-based principles of Ayurveda to improve interpersonal relationships
  4. Integrate Ayurveda and Ayurvedic protocols to make lifestyle adjustments for the whole family

Class Structure

There will be a minimum of 1 contact hour with the faculty every week. The curriculum will include reading, reflection, observation, and interactive practices. The class time will include an additional 30 minutes that will provide an opportunity for Q&A and group discussion.

Required / Elective: Required

Area of Study: Text & Traditions

Prerequisites: Admission into a Program of Study

Faculty / Instructor: Ms. Luvena Krishnamurthy

Start Time: July 17, 2023

End Date: September 25, 2023

Day: Monday

Time: 09:00 pm EST – 10:30 pm EST

Holidays: Labor Day (September 4, 2023)

Quarter Offered: Spring 2023

Mimamsa Advanced

Mimamsa Advanced

Course Content:

This course involves the study of the epistemology of the Bhatta school of Purva-mimamsa, propagated by Kumarilabhatta. The classification of cognitions and their implications along with how each type of cognition arises and how each type of cognition is distinct from the other is analyzed in a text called Manameyodaya, prescribed for this course.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Understand and apply theories of empirical and non-empirical cognition.
  2. Appreciate the classification schema used by the Bhatta school of Purva-mimamsa.
  3. Develop an appreciation for the intricate and precise nature of Hindu knowledge systems.

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Elective

Prerequisites:  Completion of the Mimamsa Basic course

Quarter Offered:  Spring Quarter

Nyaya-Vaisesika Basic

Nyaya Vaisesika Basic

Course Content:

This course examines the evolutionary stages of the Nyaya system of thought from its ancient (pracina) origins to its recent (navya) form, in the process incorporating the Vaisesika ontology into its system.

In this course students will be able to:

  1. Understand the evolving nature of the use of logic and reason within various technical Indic knowledge systems
  2. Appreciate the elaborate cognition-centric approach in Indic knowledge systems which emphasized logical reasoning and validation and mechanisms of expression
  3. Distinguish and apply the classification schema at the heart of the Nyaya system on other Vedic and Indic knowledge systems

Area of Study: Sanskrit Studies

Required / Elective: Required

Prerequisites:  Admission into the Masters Certificate or MA in Sanskrit Program

Faculty / Instructor:  Mr. Dhananjay Rao

Quarter Offered:  Spring Quarter

Orientation to Hindu Studies

Course Content:

Orientation to Hindu Studies course will offer a preliminary reflection on the central themes and ideas of Hinduism leading to an understanding of the common foundations of the great variety of traditions and practices within the umbrella of Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism. It will survey 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. It will include reflections and perspectives on these core concepts, using selected readings from source texts such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Itihaasa, Bhagavad-Gita and Puranas. But it is not a Hinduism 101 course!
The course will also review the complex challenges that arise at the confluence of Hindu and western thought. The Hindu worldview 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, exploiter-exploited binary, and survival of the fittest. The distinction between a discourse of knowledge and a discourse of power will be drawn out, as two alternate paradigms. Through this, the course will develop an overview and insight into the design of the curriculum offered by the Hindu University of America i.e., the context, and the paradigm that informs that design. It will examine the impact of colonial
discourse on postcolonial Hindu experience and leave students with the pressing urgency of intellectual decolonization. And as it distinguishes between colonial perspectives that constitute the received knowledge on Hinduism, from the lived reality of Hindus, it will present the significance and importance of Hindu studies today, in a deeply moving, inspiring and transformative way.

Course Learning Objectives:
In this course students will be able to:
a) Explore alternate paradigms, various options and trajectories available within the Hindu Studies Program
b) Distinguish the central ideas and concepts that constitute the Foundations of Hindu Dharma
c) Evaluate different elective areas of study and Courses offered: Sanskrit Studies, Texts and Traditions, Yoga Studies, History and Method, Post-Colonial Hindu studies and Conflict and Peace studies.
d) Distinguish between pathways towards a deep study of Hindu thought, or towards deep engagement with western thought from a Hindu perspective
e) Discover and Create pathways for engagement with the Hindu Studies curricula

Class Structure:
There will be a minimum of 1.5 contact hours with one or more faculty every week. The class is structured in a way that promotes discussion and debate based on self-study and reflection each week. While the content being discussed in each class will be concluded within 90 minutes, the discussion time will be free format, and can continue for an additional 30 minutes. During the course, students will be required to submit one short essay. They need not be academic quality papers – but should be based on students' self-reflection on what they have learnt and assimilated so far, and what has touched and inspired them deeply.

Area of Study: Hindu Studies Foundation

Program: Certificate Program in Hindu Studies (CPHS), Community Education Program (C.E.P), Doctor of Philosophy in Hindu Studies, Master of Arts in Hindu Studies (M.A.H.S)

Required/ Elective: This course is a prerequisite for admission into Masters’ and Doctoral program in Hindu Studies. It is also a required Core course for the Certificate Program in Hindu Studies.

Prerequisites: None.

Faculty: Mr. Kalyan Viswanathan(along with others)

Time: 09:00 pm EST – 10:30 pm EST

Start Date: January 13, 2023

End Date: March 24, 2023

Day: Friday

Quarter Offered: Winter 2023