In addition to his teaching activities in America, Swami Dayananda has also established two institutions on the subcontinent: one located in Rishikesh at the foothills of the Himalayas and Arsha Vidya Gurukulam-Coimbatore in the forested region towards the western Ghats in South India. In the course of our research Swami Dayananda and his senior disciples have been interviewed in India and abroad, but we have largely confined our investigation to the American context and the swami himself. Research has been conducted at Swami Dayananda Ashram upon the banks of the Ganga, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam's in Tamil Nadu, South India, and America, as well as various locations throughout the United States and Australia.
A caption at AVG reads: "Tradition holds that Lord Shiva in the form of Dakshinamurti was the first teacher of Vedanta. He imparted self-knowledge to the four rishis seated at his feet, initiating an oral tradition which has been passed down to us through the centuries." Shankaracarya (c. 700-750 CE), an Indian bhasyakara who understood himself to be a participant in an uninterrupted teacher-student succession (guru-sisya-parampara) traced to Shiva, and Vyasa, compiler of the Veda, are described as "important links in this lineage of teachers." "Arsha Vidya Gurukulam," it is asserted, "is a place where one learns the knowledge imparted by the Rishis." Unfortunately, since embarking on national campaigns irrelevant to the Advaita tradition, the swami is seldom present at the gurukulam.
Prior to the course in Piercy, California and following one at AVG in the Pocono mountains of Northern Pennsylvania, Swami Dayananda taught a total of four 'three-year' residential courses in India, two in Bombay and two in Coimbatore respectively. While we are not concerned with any activities of Swami Dayananda's graduates, or saints processed through his curriculam and issued with 'teaching certificates', let alone the countless devotees inspired by the swami or simply initiated with various vows and rituals, the archive does benefit from a couple of the swami's disciples.
During an early stage of compilation the archive allowed a broad opportunity for those interested in submission and several files from Swami Dayananda's students have been provided.
Dr. Anantanand Rambachan, a native of Trinidad, was a student in Swami Dayananda’s first residential course in India (1972-1975) and has been Professor of Religion, Philosophy and Asian Studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN since 1985. His early article "Sankara’s Rationale for Sruti as a Definitive Source of Knowledge of Brahmajnana: A Refutation of Some Contemporary Views", as well as a scholarly review of "The Limits of Scripture: Vivekananda’s Reinterpretation of the Vedas", are published below. Also archived are a brief satsang and prayer chanted by Swami Vagishananda Saraswati, a swami who left America to study under Swami Dayananda in the 1970s after becoming fascinated with mysticism. 'Sri Dayanandapanchakam' has been composed by Swami Paramarthananda Saraswati, a student during Swami Dayananda's first course in Bombay who now teaches Advaita Vedanta in Madras. The stotra is recited daily throughout the world by disciples of the swami.
Sankara’s Rationale for Sruti as a Definitive Source of Knowledge of Brahmajnana: A Refutation of Some Contemporary Views by Anantanand Rambachan
Satsang with Swami Vagishananda
Review of Anantanand Rambachan's The Limits of Scripture: Vivekananda’s Reinterpretation of the Vedas
Sri Dayanandapanchakam
Arsha Vidya Pitham and affiliated volunteers will no doubt continue to provide sources for Swami Dayananda but their primary objective has been editing and distributing 'Home Study' materials for the Bhagavad Gita. As the swami explains in reference to the mundane significance of this Vaishnava text, "The public can relate to the Gita much more than with other texts because the Gita talks about various attitudes and values, which are important in day to day life." Accordingly, his explication of the Upanisads is reserved for those who "like to learn in depth." Following the inauguration of AVG, Swami Dayananda immediately conducted an in-depth course of Vedanta from 1987-1989 for approximately 45 students. Nevertheless, allowing for spurious exceptions, attendants evidently liked returning to their day job following residence at the ashram. Moreover, the swami has conducted weekend retreats, or 'camps', sensitive to the general audience of AVG since its inception. There are also a handful of the swami's pupils who visit on various occasions, kindly offering explanation of Indian epics and texts at Hindu temples during their visit, and the future of AVP seems dedicated to supporting and publishing their sermons.
