"All my disciples have imbibed it to a great extent. Some of them may have to learn to handle it as a pramana...they don't know the magnitude of the discovery that Vedanta is a pramana."--Swami Dayananda
Vedanta Shala has archived sources related to Swami Dayananda, a renowned Hindu saint who has taught Advaita Vedanta in India since 1963 and throughout America since the summer of 1976. Widely recognized as the most eminent spiritual teacher of India, the swami warrants a semiotic exegesis for an ethnographic case study. In 1982, following a residential course in California, Swami Dayananda returned to India but managed to spend a few months each year giving classes under the auspices of Arsha Vidya Pitham, a center established in support of his teachings in the United States. In 1985, AVP purchased fourteen wooded acres and began construction for an Institute of Vedanta and Sanskrit aligned with the gurukula education system whereby students live in close proximity to the guru for an extended period of time. Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, a gurukulam inaugurated by Swami Dayananda on November 8, 1986 in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, is home to the only temple in the United States of America dedicated to Lord Shiva-Dakshinamurti; the temple was consecrated by the swami on May 28, 1990. The archive is aligned with the research of Vedanta Shala, an organization that Harvard Indologist and resident teacher at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Dr. Martha Doherty boldly claims can "do a lot of good work that, 100 years and more from now, can be a real resource to someone who just wants to know what the truth is." Indeed, Vedanta Shala has even hosted classes with Swami Dayananda and two of his disciples, Radha and Sri Vasudevacharya, in order to transmit knowledge (vidya) of brahman. Besides Upanisads, a variety of miscellaneous texts (and smrti verses) have also been hosted by Vedanta Shala and selections of these classes are archived for the general public.
Interview with Swami Dayananda
Recorded at the turn of the millennium in the upper loft of the swami's residence. The excerpt clarifies the understanding of experience (anubhava) in traditional and modern Vedanta and is taken from an extensive interview between Travis and the swami.
Meditation with Swami Dayananda
Early morning meditation at Arsha Vidya Gurukulam.
Arsha Vidya: The Vision of the Rishis
Arsha Vidya: The Vision of the Rishis
Excerpt from a transcribed talk during which Swami Dayananda explains the role of the guru in the teaching heritage of Vedanta.
Om Namah Shivaya: Salutations to Shiva
Swami Dayananda chanting om namah shivaya and other stotras.
'Creation' in Advaita Vedanta
'Creation' in Advaita Vedanta
Transcribed talk concerning 'creation' from the standpoint of the Upanisads. Emphasis is placed upon Taittiriya 2.1.1 and Mundaka 1.1.7.
