Meru Media

Join Mukunda as we speak with Ravi Chand, an actor, writer, producer and director at Warrior Tribe Films. Ravi has mostly recently produced, written, directed […]

Join Mukunda as we speak with Vishal Ganesan, who is a lawyer and posts on the Twitter handle @hindoohistory. In this episode, we discuss a […]

Join Mukunda as we speak with Swami Sarvapriyananda, the Head Monk at the Vedanta Society of New York. Swami Sarvapriyananda is a well-known speaker on […]

Join Mukunda as we speak with Dr Deepak Sarma, a tenured professor of Religious Studies at Case Western University. Dr Sarma has written numerous academic […]

Join Mukunda as we speak with Dr. Javad Hashmi, a Phd. candidate at Harvard University in Islamic studies and is also a medical doctor. He […]

Join Mukunda as we speak with Dr. Anusha Rao, a Phd. candidate at the University of Toronto. Dr. Rao is currently finishing her Phd. on […]

Join Mukunda and Dr. Omari as we speak with Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco, on a joint […]

A Conversation with Ghorangirasa and PinakasenaJoin Mukunda as he speaks with the men behind the Twitter handles of @Ghorangirasa and @Pinakasena. Both Ghorangirasa and Pinakasena […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Jeffery Long. Dr. Long is the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy & Asian Studies at Elizabethtown […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad. Dr. Ram-Prasad is Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University. He is the […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. T.S. Rukmani. Dr. T.S. Rukmani was a Professor and Chair of Hindu Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Satyan Sharma. Dr. Sharma is a Professor of Sanskrit at the Panjab University in Chandigarh. He specializes in […]

Ismailism and Islamic History: A Conversation with Dr. Khalil Andani Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Khalil Andani, an Islamic scholar and expert on […]

Join Mukunda and Krishna as they speak with Dr. Bharat Gupt, a former Associate Professor in English at the University of Delhi, is an Indian […]

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Farhan Qureshi. Farhan is an ex-Muslim who now identifies

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Ashish Kulkarni, better known on Twitter as @agenetics1, he

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. McComas Taylor, Associate Professor of Sanskrit at Australian

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Seth P. Hart, a Ph.D. Candidate and scholar of

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Arjuna Gallagher of Theology Unleashed Youtube Show. Arjuna belongs

Join Mukunda as he speaks with pre-eminent scholars of the Dharma Shastras: Dr. Patrick Olivelle

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan,

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Ami Ganatra, author of Mahabharata Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Prerna Thiruvaipati a Dalits and Hindu activist who has been spending the past few years working on addressing the concerns of Dalit communities in India focusing on the Andhra and Telangana region. She has been working on providing economic, emotional, and legal support to these communities in addition to dealing with the issues of Christian and Islamic conversions along with returning to Hinduism. We discuss these and other topics.

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Dr. Edward Butler, Caitlin Storm Breaker, Jim Two Snakes,

Join Mukunda and Shahada Hasan of the Brown Pundits, as they speak to Dr. Seema

Join Mukunda as he speaks with Sri Rama Ramanuja Achari, also known as Rami Sivan,

Join Mukunda and Krishna as they speaks to Professor Bibek Debroy. Prof. Debroy is a polymath, polyglot and a man for all seasons. He is currently the Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister of India on the Economic Advisory Council. He is additionally a translator of the Vedas, Puranas, Bhagavad Gita and now the Mahabharata. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 00:01:10 Introduction to Professor Bibek Debroy and his background and how he went from economics to translating a huge corpus of Sanskrit literature 00:18:50 The inspiration and role of Dogs in Vedas and Itihasas, all three of us love dogs and have dogs 00:22:00 Mahabharata and Puranas translation process and inspirations, what is your methodology of translations 00:29:20 Bengali culture and translating of the Mahabharata 00:32:00 Veda Vyasa, Mahabharata and intertextual mesh with the Puranas 00:38:55 How did the translation process change you or your pre-conceived notions 00:41:30 Why is Indian society not very familiar with lifeblood of Hinduism, the Puranas 00:44:50 Story of Rama and the dog in the Ramayana 00:49:15 The Many Gitas of the Mahabharata and Puranas 00:57:15 What role do the Mahabharata and Puranas play in today in modern governance 01:04:20 How do we teach Dharma today, Dharma economic alternative to capitalism and socialism 01:15:30 Final points and love for discovery in the Shastras

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Raj Balkaran, Oxford Centre of Hindu Studies. He is a scholar of the Puranas and Narratives and the author of The Goddess and the King in Indian Myth. He is also the host of an amazing podcast called New Books in Indian Religions. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 00:01:10 Introduction to Professor Balkaran and his background, unique journey into Hinduism and academia 00:20:00 The experience of being Hindu and Brown in the West 00:23:30 The difficultly of defining and teaching Hinduism, A profound diversity and ecosystem 00:34:30 The tapestry of the Shastras, in particular the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, and the nature of violence 00:45:50 The paradox of Dharma, the Dharmic double helix 00:55:40 Narrative and Framing of Shastras, particularly the Puranas 01:00:30 Prof. Balkaran’s spiritual journey 01:12:30 Academia and the Shastras 01:19:00 Discussion on the Devi Mahatmya and the ring narrative 01:30:10 What is Markendaya’s role in the Puranas and Privritti and Nivritti Dharma 01:31:35 The importance of the Azhwars and how the pasurams become the Divya Prabandam 01:41:40 What role do the King and Merchant have in the Devi Mahatmya 01:48:50 Karma, Vasanas, Moksha and living in the world 01:54:40 Back and forth discussion on Free Will vs Karma 02:10:40 The Narrative power of the Shastras 02:16:10 Prof. Balkaran’s upcoming works and courses along with online education 02:21:00 Prof. Balkaran’s closing thoughts 02:23:10 Why the podcast is called Meru Media

Join Mukunda and Krishna as we speak to Professor Archana Venkatesan, Professor of Religious Studies at University of California, Davis. She is an expert and translator of Tamil Bhakti poetry specifically the poetry or pasurams of the Azhwars, a group of saints, poets and mystics from what is now Tamil Nadu from the 6th to 9th centuries of the common era.

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Sthaneshwar Timalsina, Professor of Religious Studies at San Diego State University. He is also a qualified Acharya and has been trained in Sanskrit and Shastras since he was a child. He is an expert on Tantra and Abhinavagupta, a 10th century polymath genius who worked on philosophy, drama, math, music, aesthetics, and other areas. Acharya Sthaneshwar is also Founder of the Vimarsha Foundation, a 501c(3) non-profit that engages in expounding and maintaining the Kashmiri Shaivism tradition.

Join Mukunda Raghavan and Krishna Parthasarathy as they speak with Dushyanth Sridhar, a Pauranika scholar,

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Lavanya Vemsani, Professor of Religious Studies and History at Shawnee State University in Ohio. She holds 2 Phd.s, one in History and the other in Religious Studies. She is also the Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Indic Studies. She has written extensively on comparative iconology, history, legends, and ideas between Hindu and Jaina thought, especially related to Krishna and Balarama in Jaina and Hindu thought. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 0:01:30 Introduction to Prof. Vemsani and her background 0:05:40 Deep History and Continuity of Indian archeological sites and temple locations 0:16:00 Krishna and Balarama in the Hindu and Jaina contexts 0:18:20 Analysis of Balarama in Jaina traditions (Explanation of the Vasudeva, Baladeva, and Prati Vasudeva in Jaina Cosmology) 0:25:30 Historic Relationship and Interaction between Hindus and Jains 0:28:15 Return to Discussion on Balarama in Hindu vs. Jaina traditions 0:34:00 Narasimha and his connection sacred geography and cosmology, the Lord of the Middle 0:43:00 Integration and Pluralism of Hinduism and the practices 0:45:45 Academia, Colonialism and Hindu Studies: Built-in Western Bias and Lens 1:03:15 Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory and how it impacts everything about Indian studies, politics, and culture 1:05:05 Caste and how it is different from Varna and how it changed over time in Hindu society prior to British and even prior to 10th century 1:08:20 The flaws and discussion of the Aryan Invasion/Migration Theory (Genetic, Linguistic and Material Archeological issues) 1:31:35 How to approach providing controversial topics in school and education 1:35:30 Prof. Vemsani's upcoming work and preliminary discussion of Heroines of the Mahabharata

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Neha Srivastava, Founder and President of Shaktitva Foundation. Neha and Shaktitva are focused on feminism, feminity, women's issues, advocacy, and Hindu issues. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics including: 0:01:20 Introduction to Neha and her background 0:04:20 Overview of the Sabarimalai Issue 0:12:40 Women and Sabarimalai 0:18:00 Formation of Shaktitva 0:24:45 Discussion on the Nature of Hindu Temples and Government Control 0:32:20 Discussion on Shakti, Rama and understanding texts 0:37:00 Discussion of Shakti, Femininity and Gender 0:43:20 Samkhya Philosophy, Shakta Tradition and thinking on Gender 0:47:15 Hindu Understanding of Feminism 0:54:30 Attacks on Hindu Subaltern Practices and Traditions 1:18:00 History of Feminism and Difference between Western and Indian feminism 1:30:14 Village Women and Financial Literacy 1:41:40 Issues in Indian Non-Profit Law and Hinduism 1:49:20 Modern vs Traditional responses to Woman’s Health Issues specifically Menstruation 1:58:40 Dalit Scholars and Hindutva, the lack of free speech platforms 2:01:45 Concluding Thoughts and Upcoming Projects

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Prof. Guru Prakash, Professor of Law at Patna University in Bihar. Prof. Prakash is a Dalit scholar and activist, who writes, studies and speaks on Dalit Issues in India and Hindu society. In this episode, we discuss a host of topics (listed broadly with approximate timestamps): 1 min 20 seconds: Introduction and Background of Professor Guru Prakash 6 min 55 seconds: Civil Rights of African Americans and the comparison with Dalit movement in India 10 min: Diversity within the Dalit Jati or Community 16 min 40 sec: Complexity in Understanding Caste 23 min 20 sec: Interaction and Issues between Jati or Castes vis-à-vis Education and Careers 31 min 14 min: Differences between Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Castes and Scheduled Tribes 39 min: Hinduism, Hindutva, Ambedkar and Dalits 51 min 50 sec: The problem with the Dalit-Muslim-Marxist alliance 1 hour 7 min: Addressing the Dalit Cause in Society 1 hour 16 min 50 sec: Christian Missionary Activity Impact on Dalit communities 1 Hour 21 min: Closing Thoughts

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Indu Viswanathan and Parth Parihar. Both Parth and Indu are Phd. candidates, Indu in Education at Teachers College and Parth in Economics at Princeton. Indu and Parth are involved deeply in engaging with Hindu traditions/ideas with the modern world. In this episode, we discuss far-reaching and diverse topics including what it means to be a Hindu in the West, the colonialism of the mind vs indigenous knowledge, Racism versus Caste, Abrahamic world view vs. Dharma worldview, Karma and Agency, Hindu representation in the Media and Education, Hinduism on College Campuses, Caste System, The Idea of Decoloniality, Dharma for the 21st Century and a wealth of other topics. It is a dynamic and great conversation with two fantastic thinkers and human beings.

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Brahmachari Vrajavihari Sharan, Director for Hindu Life at Georgetown University and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Linguistics. In this episode, we talk about the West Indian Hindu experience, Nimbarkacharya (a philosopher, Vedantin and Guru of the Kumara Sampradaya) and his philosophy, the nature of Radha and Krishna, Varna, Jati and Caste in the ascetic life, Dharma, the experience of Hinduism in the diaspora and other topics. Join us for another dive into the ocean that is Hindu Thought. You can find Brahmachari Vrajavihari Sharan at: https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/vrajvihari-sharan Twitter: @brvsharan Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Dr. Edward Butler, Phd. Dr. Butler specializes in ancient Greco-Roman philosophy particularly Platonism and Neo-Platonism along with expertise in Polytheistic thought and philosophy. We speak at length about polytheism and monotheism, the theory of Henadology, Proclus, Hindu Thought, and other forms of polytheism and a host of other topics. You can find Dr. Edward Butler at: https://henadology.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @epbutler Purchase his books at: https://www.lulu.com/search/?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Edward+Butler Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Father Francis X. Clooney, Professor of Comparative Theology at the Harvard Divinity School. Father Clooney is a scholar of Hinduism specifically Visisthadvaita Vedanta and SriVaishnavism, he is equally a practicing Catholic in the Jesuit Order. In this dialogue, Father Clooney and I discuss Catholicism, Ramanujacharya, Visistadvaita Vedanta, the nature of comparative theology, Bhakti tradition, and other topics.

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Professor Stephen Phillips of the University of Texas at Austin. Professor Phillips is an academic in Philosophy with a wide area of expertise in the Indian/Hindu Philosophical systems particularly Nyaya, Vedanta, and Yoga. In this dialogue, we discuss Prof. Phillips journey into Hindu thought, his experiences living in India, learning Sanskrit, studying Indian Philosophy directly from indigenous experts, the concept of Pramanas, the idea of soul-making, Yoga and other topics. It was an honor and pleasure to be able to have this conversation. You can find Prof. Stephen Phillips at https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/philosophy/faculty/shp9 and you can buy his books at: https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-H.-Phillips/e/B001JRYN56/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he talks to Jodh Singh (Twitter@jungnihang) about Sikhism. We go through a detailed history of 10 Gurus, the socio-political environment in that period, the practices of the Sikhi Dharm and other topics. If you want to learn and understand Sikhism, this is the podcast episode for you.

Join Mukunda as he talks to Gopi Shankar Madurai, Founder of Srishti Madurai and an

Join Mukunda as he talks to Prof. Nicholas Sutton, Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. They discuss Prof. Sutton's journey into Hindu thought and his life of studying Dharma, Philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata and other texts/traditions. They delve into morality and ethics, the idea of Dharma, deontological morality, virtue ethics, diversity in Hindu thought, the conundrum of God in the world vis-a-vis Krishna and numerous other ideas. You can check out Prof. Sutton's lectures and talks at: https://www.youtube.com/user/HinduStudies and you can get his books at: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=nicholas+sutton&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 https://ochs.org.uk/people/dr-nicholas-sutton Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

We are launching a new series called Meru Manthan: The Churning of Ideas, where we

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Shambhav Sharma, the host and creator of the Sham Sharma show. In this atypical Meru podcast, (we focus more on social and political issues), we discuss a myriad of topics including Sham's life in India, my time in India, free speech, feminism and misogyny in cultures, ideas about the Truth, Muslimphobia, Tulsi Gabbard and Hinduphobia (starts around 58 min 45 second mark), discussion about Pieter Friedman (author of the hit piece on Tulsi), Kashmir, social and media issues in India, (sorry for the video/audio issue at 1 hour and 48 min mark) and a few more socio-political issues. You can check out the Sham Sharma Show at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0kMbzhUYV2lhIV7xoWhoA Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Suhag Shukla, Esq., the Executive Director of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a non-profit and non-partisan Hindu advocacy group in the United States. In this podcast, we discuss a myriad of topics including growing up as part of the Indian and Hindu diaspora in the US, the issues that Hindus in the US have to deal with, diversity in thought in Hinduism and its traditions, the role that HAF plays in the US, education controversies that arose regarding teaching Hinduism in the education system in the US, the problems and issues around the term Hindutva, brief conversation about "woke" culture, Kashmir and other interesting topics

Join Mukunda and Racchit, as we speak to Prof. Prakash Shah, Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London, about the Caste System and its conceptual foundations in the Western world. We discuss the idea of Caste and how much of it was developed through the lens of the West's engagement with India by imposing their ideas and concepts of what they thought was the social fabric of India was like into their own world views. Even today there is not an intelligible definition of what caste is or isn't, rather we assume it is a reality. Let us put a caveat here, there is no disagreement or contention that violence between groups or social status between groups is a reality rather the point here is that the idea of Caste, itself, is a western invention and conceptual framework which is alien and unknown to India until the Western world began to interact and try to understand India. This is a controversial topic and in this podcast, we deal with it using nuance and critical thought.

Join Racchit and I as we trialogue with Prof. Vamsee Juluri, Professor of Media Studies at the University of San Francisco. We discuss the media on the whole. depiction of Hindus in the media, Hinduphobia, Prof. Juluri's books and many other topics. Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meru-media/id1393232694 https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/meru-media/meru-podcast https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9tZXJ1Lm1lZGlhL2ZlZWQvcG9kY2FzdA%3D%3D&hl=en Subscribe to get new weekly content

Join Mukunda as he speaks to Razib Khan and Omar Ali of the Brown Pundits.

In this episode, Mukunda speaks to Kushal Mehra, the host of The Carvaka Podcast. We discuss Hindutva, Social Media, Hinduism, Secularism, Indian Politics, Philosophy, Morality, and other topics.

Meru Media www.meru.media themerumedia@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/themerumedia Subscribe to get new weekly content on our website, like us on Facebook and Twitter Don't forget to add us to your podcasts on Itunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify or any other podcast apps! Join Mukunda, Racchit and Professor Jeffery Long, Professor of Religious and Hindu Studies at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania in this episode of the Meru Media Podcast. Professor Long is the author of many books and articles on Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Most recently Professor Long is the editor of “Perspectives on Reincarnation: Hindu, Christian, Scientific”. In this episode, we discuss Professor Long's journey into Hinduism, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the Vedanta Society, and Reincarnation/Karma/Samsara, we even discuss Japan and its deep connection to Hinduism and Indic thought.